Coadunatio

Doof doof music that makes you feel an increase in blood pressure in your ears. Colourful flashing lights and smoke machines causing epileptic seizures. Watching teenagers transform from innocent characters out of a Disney movie to high and uncoordinated creatures of the wild in which the effects can be traced back to alcohol.

Yeah, my awkward self doesn't fit into this scene. But it is good to get out of my comfort zone once in a while.

There was a mini grade reunion at a local hall for Andrew, Irada, Jackson, Sharon, Steven and Vivian's costume themed birthdays. I was only there for three brief hours, before things got too crazy, so it was good seeing the sane side of people that I haven't seen in months. It doesn't really feel like we've left school seven months ago, even though a lot has changed and you don't see the people you used to see on a daily basis anymore. Anyway, it was a fun night of pulling tails, stealing wands, chasing balloons and swapping ears!

University

If I had to draw a mind map wtih the word "university" in a big bubble in the middle of the page, minus all the colourful pens and fancy arrows and clouds I used to do in primary school, it'll look like this:

DRAINING. DISAPPOINTING. FRIENDLESS. SHITTYRAIL. PEAK HOURS. MONEY CONSUMING. EXHAUSTING. FLYERS. LONELY BREAKS. MACBOOK PRO. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS. LECTURES. BORING. CAMPUS. TIMETABLES. FREE WI-FI. TWITTER. CONFUSING. TECH LOUNGE. SUBWAY. OVER PRICED TEXTBOOKS. BLACKBOARD. EMAILS. SLEEP DEPRIVED. ASSESSMENTS. LOST AND DIRECTIONLESS FIRST YEAR STUDENT.

So yes, I'm that friendless and broke first year student who is an international student magnet and spends too much time updating my status on Twitter during my lonely breaks while being approached by opinionated and (not so) radical uni students handing out flyers (and a Chinese bible in one case) in their attempts of brainwashing us to make a change in this world. It was awkward when I was trying to shove my lab coat in a plastic bag then this guy came up to me to sign a petition to make the government ban the use of plastic bags. I ended up signing it to avoid looking less like an environmentally damaging person than I already did.

Out of the two weeks of uni, I think my fondest memories would be the mini high school "reunion" we had when we all happened to bump into each other, going to the arcade after uni with a few of the group and taking ugly photos and buying the ugliest friendship bracelet ever that costs 20 tickets each and the feeling of walking out of a lecture. Twice. I know it's really rude but words cannot describe how horrible those lectures were. Also, I mustn't forget how Christine stayed back two hours to go home with me and waiting outside my class with an Easy Way. Who needs a boyfriend when you have friends like her?

Something I've learnt: NEVER wear shorts/skirts/dresses on the days you have lab work. It makes you look like you're wearing nothing underneath your lab coat. This guy in my lab group was wearing gym shorts. My other lab partner and I ended up dying of laughter. Thank goodness for another immature person at uni!

I hope I settle in soon and there will be a day where I'll wake up looking forward to uni. Otherwise I'll just threaten the principal (do universities even have principals?) that I'll just drop out and join a Buddhist community because this website told me to. Although I doubt he/she will care. I'm just one tiny drop amongst the ocean.

A Series Of Unfortunate Events

A Series Of Unfortunate Events by Rebecca Tran.

Chapter 1 - CREATURE OF THE NIGHT
With my MacBook Pro rested on my lap and earphones plugged in, I obsessively refreshed a band's YouTube page that I should not mention out of shame because I've spiralled into the hole of admiration rather than shaking my head at the thousands of fans who stayed up till 2am waiting for a new music video to be uploaded. The more I replayed it, the more catchy it became. I cursed myself silently for every time I clicked on the play button. Before I knew it, it was 4am. This ended up with me getting three hours of sleep and a painful wake up call to attend Orientation Week at university.

Chapter 2 - PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION
Taking an almost full train, I decided to sit on an empty seat across a couple. After a few bites into my cheese and bacon, the couple in front of me began touching each other and giggling. If that wasn't bad enough, they did this for the entire forty five minutes of the commute. All I could hear was giggling, tickling and the girl using a baby voice. I was pretending to eat my cheese and bacon the entire time to avoid looking at them. Forty five minutes to eat a $1.80 cheese and bacon. I hope they look back on this day in five years and mentally apologise to that girl who sat across them and had to let her cheese and bacon go cold.

Chapter 3 - CLASH OF THE TIMETABLES
The timetable staff could not fix my timetabling problems and told me to go Faculty of Science. Upon getting there, I was told they couldn't fix my timetable and directed me to the Faculty of Arts. After lining up for half an hour to talk to a staff, they told me in half a minute that they couldn't do anything about it either. Over an hour of my life was gone running around a huge campus I wasn't familiar with. All I want is permission from the Department of Mysteries to borrow a time turner so I can attend all my classes. Also within the span of fifteen minutes, I was approached by three different people in green shirts that says JESUS IS LORD to try get me to join their club.

Chapter 4 - IDENTITY CRISIS
A man approached me to join another club that involves bettering children in third world countries. He went on for minutes before finally asking what nationality I was. Out of impulsiveness, I replied, "Sri Lankan," hoping he'd get off my tail and let me off as I was in a rush. Instead, I got the opposite response I was hoping for and he exclaimed, "OH, EVEN BETTER. YOU'RE BILINGUAL!" Not to be rude, but if I'm Sri Lankan, then why am I so white?

If you enjoyed my preview of my new book of misadventures, buy it in stores next month for only $48!

Improviso

Our picnic was a day of "unforeseen situations" and improvisations but it all turned out okay because Vivienne slept in. Everything we forgot and needed was in her house. Our usual place at Bicentennial Park was taken so we had to be nomads in the sun searching for another BBQ facility. It ended up being a successful day though!

My to do list is now almost fulfilled:
✓ Fly a kite
❏ Kick an ibis
✓ Attempt tandem biking
✓ Get Ls for biking
✓ Break a bike
✓ Interrogate Jocelyn about her love life
✓ Make concoctions in the boot of a car
✓ Human tetris seven people in a five seat car
✓ Skeletal tan

I have concluded that there is such thing as too long of a holiday. I need education. Grass is growing where my brain's supposed to be. (What brain?) I want to sponge up as much knowledge as I can at uni so I'll make the most out of the next few years. Or take me back to high school to be reeducated is okay too.

I can feel post HSC coming to an end. Pre uni is starting to hit me instead.

Peregrinus

Glebe Round II wasn't as much as a failure as Round I but it wasn't much of a success either. We earned just enough profit to pay back for the stall hire.

Secretly I did not sleep at all because of the tea I drank before I slept and I didn't tell the others because I knew they'd lecture me and question my logic. I swear I thought I was immune to caffeine. I guess that's deteriorating along with my brain from lack of use. My eyes were wide opened as if I was indirectly attacked by a basilisk.

It was my first time setting foot on Glebe (previous time with me occupying the car the whole time while the others dealt with the never ending rain trying to reschedule it to another day with a stubborn "Assistant Waggle Fingers" refusing to allow anyone to). The place makes me feel like I've entered a hippie and gypsy den with a quarter of the stalls selling strange incense, jewellery and a tarot card reader.

Later, Elaine, Jocelyn and Vivienne joined us at Strathfield to eat Korean BBQ with unlimited meat. Nothing could get better than that except unlimited meat that guarantees constipation along with it. We made up code numbers to tweet to let each other know when we're home if we experience one of the following:
6 - on the toilet
8 - infinite diarrhoea
9 - constipation

Turns out that Vivienne isn't having when of her dopey moments we make fun of when she said, "I DON'T WANT TO EAT ANYMORE. I DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR SICKNESS." I came home to see a flock of "999999" on Twitter. (DID YOU GUYS GET MY UNINTENTIONAL PUN? FLOCK? TWITTER? BIRDS? SPAM? ANYONE?!)