First End

Well, the semester has come to a screeching halt as Christmas looms ever so near. People are getting in the holiday mood, doing shopping and lots of it, stocking up on presents and loading up their cars and heading home. While I'm stuck here with 3 weeks of total peaceful bliss. I'm going to spend Christmas and the holidays exploring London and Oxford a bit more. Get to know the area. I wasn't exactly able to do that since I've been here because I plunged headfirst into classes, projects and assignments. I barely had time to adjust to the weather. But as I continue to settle into this place, occasionally buying items to make myself feel better (sweater, pate, shoes, ice cream, what-have-you), I have found that being here with people you know from hope certainly does immensely help in cushioning your fall into a foreign country.

I'm not returning to Malaysia for the holidays. Will probably do so at the end of next semester. But that has yet to be confirmed since I've got to get next year's accommodation sorted out first. I do miss home in the little moments I have with my family and friends. Whether it's having dim sum on a Sunday morning with my parents or Bak Kut Teh with dad, or even my random outings with friends around Penang Island and KL exploring not only the shopping complexes but places to eat and hang out. The hours we spend talking just about anything into the wee hour of the morning in Sega's or having my almost ritual Indian Thursdays.

But I assure you, I'm having a fantastic time here. Yes, the cold does occasionally get to me, but then again, it just takes a little of getting used to.