It’s been 26 days, 5 hours and approximately 20 minutes since I landed in Netherlands and it’s been 26 days 14 hours and approximately 20 minutes since I thought of writing a new post on my blog. If there was any competition for procrastination, I would have definitely achieved one of the top ten positions, assuming I am not the only person in this world who succumbs to this dreadful addiction of procrastination. Anyways, better late than never, this post will at least break the jinx. My friends may not believe it but I have written nearly a dozen posts in last 2 months- the only problem is that I have no proof vindicating my claim, for those posts remained the sole property of my gray cells. How I wish there was a device that could translate my thoughts into words and sentences!!!
Since there are many gaps to fill before I start writing about my new place, I am going to pen down the events that occurred during my last couple of months in Singapore. So, like it happens in Karan Johar movies, we go back to past and start this post from the 2nd day of June 2008. Why 2nd june and not any other day? Well, that’s when my life took a sharp turn and crash-landed in a deep abyss. It took me few days (16 exactly) to come out of that harrowing period. I can’t remember exactly what all happened on that day because I was hungry all day with a fading memory of trees and vehicles flying away. I was in sleep mode, I remember, while traveling a distance of more than 1200 kms in a ferry, a couple of buses and few taxis!!! Thinking about what happened later, this long journey seems like a pleasant escape from the troubles of normal life where one has to deal with accommodation and daily chores.
To continue with story without reflecting back on its causes and effects will be quite mundane so I am warning the reader in advance- there may be diversions from main stories but I promise to get back on track as soon as reflection becomes too lengthy Back to story- I reached Singapore back in the night after having a wonderful time in Langkawi(Malaysia) and not so great time in bus. Friends, there is always a period after your trip when you just want to reach your home, take a shower and find yourself in deep slumber as soon as your back touches the bed. I was missing my bed so much that I paid a large sum to reach my home from bus stop- a sum that would have got me a return ticket to Kuala Lumpur from Singapore. I went back, slept in my bed and got up mentally refreshed only to find a shocking reality: ‘there was no washroom’. The washroom was gone and so was everything in kitchen(i don’t understand why they make washrooms within kitchen in Singapore).
Just after getting shocked I had read the message from my landlady that they would be getting out to allow the renovation of house and that I should also find a temporary accommodation for few days- 4 days precisely. But I didn’t know it would happen so fast. Fortunately, I found a temporary accommodation for 3 days and I hoped things would be fine by that time. Turns out they didn’t!! My days in exile went on increasing from 4 days to 10 days and from 10 days to 30 days. After 16 days, my patience ran out and I called quits!! I lost money but I found mental comfort in the fact that I now had a room that was not in range of any source of noise. Back in my old room, where renovation was going on, I would get up in the morning very early(unusual for me) because of a drilling sound from the other side of wall that stood between the bed in my room and rest of the apartment. If that is the start of a research student’s day, it can only get worse from here. I was not an exception unfortunately and because I was writing my thesis at the same time, it was double torture for me.
There is a chance that a thought might have popped up in your mind at this point, “why didn’t this guy try to live somewhere else?”. Well, there were friends and colleagues who offered their help but I was not ready to disturb their normal life. Even I didn’t know how long I would have to live with them and with this uncertainty camping in my mind, there was no way I was going to be in peace anywhere else. Meanwhile, I tried sleeping in lab, the pantry and the study room but they all were too uncomfortable – a common problem plagued all of them. They were too hot and suffocating in nights That’s when I realized how important my room was to me. All these tortures came to an abrupt end when I made several requests to Student Affairs office in NTU and they offered me a room in Hall 11. Sometimes, it so happens that we wish for something unconsciously and somehow we are granted that wish in disguise- “a blessing in disguise”. During my stay in Grad Hall, I always wished to stay in Hall 11 but never got the chance to realize my wishes. And suddenly, out of nowhere, I was getting the chance to stay there in last few days of my studies in Singapore. I was ecstatic!!
The next few days were going to be more interesting. There were many more realizations, parties, sadness and yeah…fun!! All this will follow after a small break To avoid long posts, I am splitting one post into two. The 2nd part will follow soon. Go have some rest!!
Wu Li 