Thoughts on a Boring Sat Night
16th Oct 2004
SATURDAY
This must be the most boring Saturday I have had so far. I think the highlight of the day must have been in the morning when I did my grocery shopping. Had brunch at 11am (actually it was my second breakfast) and went to the library.
Did some surfing and emailing and tried to print an article. Spent almost half-an hour trying before I gave up. The system was really slow and my mouse was a little unresponsive. Did some reading and actually managed to finish a book which I started a day ago. I am ashamed to say it has been many years since I was able to read a book that quickly.
Checked my mail again and tried to print the article again. This time, I could do it much faster. Then, I returned to my room. It’s cold and grey outside. Any anticipation of any form of activity would dissipate with this weather. No wonder the cases of people with depression shoots up in winter.
ANNIVERSARY
Two more days and it would be a month since I have arrived. What have I learnt?
1) the different denominations of the local currency and realize that even the 1ps are useful
2) that windbreakers and winter jackets need to be washed only AFTER the whole of winter (Hanako agreed to be my fabric teacher.) Have never worn a piece of clothing for that long.
3) many Londoners dispense with the umbrella and walk in the rain
4) fish sauce is tastier (unhealthier?) than soy sauce
5) getting a flu is so common that the shelves in the chemists are full of flu medication
6) art is the new “rock and roll” in London. It is fashionable to buy art and “know” art
Am still learning
1) How to read faster
2) How to save money to watch at least one theatre performance a month (possible with proper budgeting and without having to starve and become anorexic. The latter seems a good idea though… )
Will never learn
1) How to take the tube without looking at the map
Only 11 more months to go. So much more to learn. So much more to experience.
HUNGRY HIPPO
I’m hungry all the time. Not yet a hippo but I might end up being one if this goes on. Maybe, there should be a few more fire drills so I would climb up and down the stairs more. If I eat dinner together with two other flatmates (that’s as many as the dining table could take), my plates would take up the most space.
I DON’T PRACTISE WHAT I PREACH
Speaking of meals, Sara related her encounter with the accommodation office at dinner. First, the context.
Dean House, our block, is about thirty paces away from a building called Venue. This apparently houses SIX clubs which play different kinds of club music. Acid, House, Alternative and ???. To me, these do not mean a thing to me. I am totally clueless.
Anyway, these clubs attract a fair number of people from south-east London. However, thankfully, unlike clubs in Singapore, they open only on Fridays and Saturdays.
Because our rooms are so near to the road, we hear a lot of ruckus on these two nights. Arguments are common. Drunkards also always treat the area like their stage, giving all kinds of public performances, from peeing to singing to just voicing their unhappiness at the top of their voices.
These always happen after 12mn, after having drunk enough to be intoxicated. The most common time when noise is most likely to be heard is 3am when the building closes its doors.
People in this area know when to be home and avoid the streets, unless you want a part of the clubbing or post-clubbing action. For Sara, Gabriel and myself, the boring three, we are almost always in our flat on Saturdays nights. Our common topic on these two nights would be, “What do you think would happen tonight?”
It’s been four weeks and I have not done anything about the noise. I am ashamed to admit that I am one of those pathetic people who choose to accept my lot and not do anything about it. I have always tried to instill in students that they can do something about their lives. To be passive is the most destructive thing to do to yourself.
Well, in this case, the preacher does not practice.
Sara, however, is a different story. She decided to lodge a complaint to the accommodation office. Unfortunately, she came back an unhappy woman. She said that the lady at the accommodation office was generally negative, giving no indication of helping.
The gist of it was,
“No one has complained before” (implying that Sara was kicking a big fuss?)
“No, we do not do that,” (Write to the council, that is. The problem is, they probably can but won’t)
"no"
"no"
"no"
"no"
Sara is quite determined. She would call the council herself. Cheers.
(MIS)GUIDED BY RULES
I’ve had unpleasant experiences with people who are rule-bound before. Perhaps I am an idealist, asking for too much. I understand that it is absolutely essential to keep to rules so that there is a sense of structure and organization. But really, being flexible and bending the rules are two different matters. One cannot justify NOT doing something just because it has never been done. Does that mean it CANNOT be done?
I can go on about being rigid because it touches a raw nerve in me. To cut the long story short, rules keep the soul of an organization at rest and settled because things happen in an orderly manner. The failure to reflect and change rules with time would cause the soul to die of asphyxiation, strangled by the very elements which kept it safe.
Starting to whinge. Think I should stop.
SATURDAY
This must be the most boring Saturday I have had so far. I think the highlight of the day must have been in the morning when I did my grocery shopping. Had brunch at 11am (actually it was my second breakfast) and went to the library.
Did some surfing and emailing and tried to print an article. Spent almost half-an hour trying before I gave up. The system was really slow and my mouse was a little unresponsive. Did some reading and actually managed to finish a book which I started a day ago. I am ashamed to say it has been many years since I was able to read a book that quickly.
Checked my mail again and tried to print the article again. This time, I could do it much faster. Then, I returned to my room. It’s cold and grey outside. Any anticipation of any form of activity would dissipate with this weather. No wonder the cases of people with depression shoots up in winter.
ANNIVERSARY
Two more days and it would be a month since I have arrived. What have I learnt?
1) the different denominations of the local currency and realize that even the 1ps are useful
2) that windbreakers and winter jackets need to be washed only AFTER the whole of winter (Hanako agreed to be my fabric teacher.) Have never worn a piece of clothing for that long.
3) many Londoners dispense with the umbrella and walk in the rain
4) fish sauce is tastier (unhealthier?) than soy sauce
5) getting a flu is so common that the shelves in the chemists are full of flu medication
6) art is the new “rock and roll” in London. It is fashionable to buy art and “know” art
Am still learning
1) How to read faster
2) How to save money to watch at least one theatre performance a month (possible with proper budgeting and without having to starve and become anorexic. The latter seems a good idea though… )
Will never learn
1) How to take the tube without looking at the map
Only 11 more months to go. So much more to learn. So much more to experience.
HUNGRY HIPPO
I’m hungry all the time. Not yet a hippo but I might end up being one if this goes on. Maybe, there should be a few more fire drills so I would climb up and down the stairs more. If I eat dinner together with two other flatmates (that’s as many as the dining table could take), my plates would take up the most space.
I DON’T PRACTISE WHAT I PREACH
Speaking of meals, Sara related her encounter with the accommodation office at dinner. First, the context.
Dean House, our block, is about thirty paces away from a building called Venue. This apparently houses SIX clubs which play different kinds of club music. Acid, House, Alternative and ???. To me, these do not mean a thing to me. I am totally clueless.
Anyway, these clubs attract a fair number of people from south-east London. However, thankfully, unlike clubs in Singapore, they open only on Fridays and Saturdays.
Because our rooms are so near to the road, we hear a lot of ruckus on these two nights. Arguments are common. Drunkards also always treat the area like their stage, giving all kinds of public performances, from peeing to singing to just voicing their unhappiness at the top of their voices.
These always happen after 12mn, after having drunk enough to be intoxicated. The most common time when noise is most likely to be heard is 3am when the building closes its doors.
People in this area know when to be home and avoid the streets, unless you want a part of the clubbing or post-clubbing action. For Sara, Gabriel and myself, the boring three, we are almost always in our flat on Saturdays nights. Our common topic on these two nights would be, “What do you think would happen tonight?”
It’s been four weeks and I have not done anything about the noise. I am ashamed to admit that I am one of those pathetic people who choose to accept my lot and not do anything about it. I have always tried to instill in students that they can do something about their lives. To be passive is the most destructive thing to do to yourself.
Well, in this case, the preacher does not practice.
Sara, however, is a different story. She decided to lodge a complaint to the accommodation office. Unfortunately, she came back an unhappy woman. She said that the lady at the accommodation office was generally negative, giving no indication of helping.
The gist of it was,
“No one has complained before” (implying that Sara was kicking a big fuss?)
“No, we do not do that,” (Write to the council, that is. The problem is, they probably can but won’t)
"no"
"no"
"no"
"no"
Sara is quite determined. She would call the council herself. Cheers.
(MIS)GUIDED BY RULES
I’ve had unpleasant experiences with people who are rule-bound before. Perhaps I am an idealist, asking for too much. I understand that it is absolutely essential to keep to rules so that there is a sense of structure and organization. But really, being flexible and bending the rules are two different matters. One cannot justify NOT doing something just because it has never been done. Does that mean it CANNOT be done?
I can go on about being rigid because it touches a raw nerve in me. To cut the long story short, rules keep the soul of an organization at rest and settled because things happen in an orderly manner. The failure to reflect and change rules with time would cause the soul to die of asphyxiation, strangled by the very elements which kept it safe.
Starting to whinge. Think I should stop.
posted by changzee at
8:23 PM
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