Long time no see!

Dear All,

I am so glad to see you after that – erm – hiatus of mine. Perhaps I’ll get better at blogging while studying, but it seems unlikely. I am no good at multitasking. The best I can do is eat popcorn while watching a movie. But to the most important point – my exams are finally over! I’m no longer in school and I have three long, glorious months of doing nothing in front of me. (Like that Bruno Mars song!)

The truth is that, really, I haven’t realised that I’m free of obligations. I get this occasionally twitchy feeling like I have to run for the door and write that next paper. And then I have nightmarish dreams where I find I left homework at home (I mean, really, where else does it belong?) and my English teacher looks at me with a face that says “I didn’t expect that from you.” Sorry about that.

To convince myself that this is indeed reality and not some sugar-high induced fantasy, I’m making a list of the stuff I plan to do. You may have noticed by now that I like making lists. So, here it is:

1. Watch movies: It seems that my favourite CD shop has closed down, so I’m going to get in as many movies as I can during the holidays. Starting off with X-Men, through the second How to Train Your Dragon, all the way to Edge of Tomorrow. If it’s fun, I’ll probably watch it. Watch out, Hugh Jackman!
2. Read books, lots of them: So that one’s no surprise. It’s a blog for book reviews, after all. I have a huge pile of books to get through and don’t even get started on all the review copies I have. Yes, people, this is bliss. (A quick side note to my classmates/friends/whoever’s reading – if you are keeping up with this blog and you find any of the books mentioned here  even slightly interesting, do tell me about it. It’s fun to talk about it. And I’ll know somebody likes my blog.)
3. Go for classes: I want to do something useful. I haven’t decided what yet though. Any suggestions?
4. Learn a language: My sister is already obsessed (like me) with Korea and Japan, so this shouldn’t be too hard. Or I could keep my French going strong. (Winces at the thought.)
5. EAT!

It is kind of sad that I couldn’t say my goodbyes to my friends on the last day of school. Unexpected events occurred and all my plans went awry. So I’ll just say a few words to the people who pop into my head (have fun figuring out who is who):

To the lover of all things pastry with a secret crush on Tom Cruise (just like me!), forget all that nonsense about birds of a feather. We make new paths with our friendship and nobody wants to be compared to feather pillows.

To the girl who loves neon colours, hugs and people, I agree that pancakes are the ultimate breakfast. Let’s keep loving cats and being hyper together. On second thoughts, you stay hyper, I’ll stay happy.

To my friend with the unexpected sense of humour and quiet voice, while I watched you and another friend sing during the early days of Economics classes, I never thought we would become this close. That makes this even more precious to me.

To the other nightingale from Eco class, if you don’t mind me saying it, everything they say about good things in small packages applies to you. I loved your letter to me, so keep writing. And we will meet, definitely.

To the best negotiator-for-getting-out-of-Physics-classes-i-know aka my partner in crime, if you aren’t too busy succeeding in public relations and/or whatever field you take up, stay in touch with me.  While virtual messages are better for avoiding my cheeks being pulled, I will miss your hugs.

To the person who I am in awe of for seemingly succeeding at Maths HL without trying, who has a spectacular sense of sarcasm, in this gap year you’re taking, do everything except forget about me. And torture the first friend mentioned here.

To the smart-talking guy who ditched History despite wanting to take up law, we may not have liked each other when we first met. But I respect your take-no-prisoners attitude and ability to get things done.  That, and the propensity for finding humour in any situation, no matter how inappropriate.

To the polished critic from my English class, I think you earned my total respect when you pointed out that Strindberg’s Miss Julie had an arsonist for a mother. I hope you continue to love and notice the quirks of great literature, perhaps on your own blog. I would love to read it.

To my buddies, from the A-Levels, who knew inter-class friendships could be so much fun? Especially when a crazy archery club is involved, the whole thing is like the plot for a joke book gone wrong.

And finally, for showing me the world through new eyes and allowing me to experience friendship with you, thanks to the wanderer. Some journeys truly are more fulfilling than the destination.

Before I leave this overly long post, I’d like to request the people who know me in person, such as the ones mentioned above, to spread this post so the others can see it. To those I haven’t been able to include, my sincere apologies – it wasn’t intentional and I am still thinking about you. But my neck really hurts, so. In the meantime, tell me in the comments section what your plans are. Or what you would do. See you in the next post!