fatboy's here!

so far, we've painted the town red, spent more than $400 on food alone, bought more than $1,400 worth of stuff and used up more than half the tank of petrol in the car. and it's only his 3rd day here. that's my flatmate's bro. it's so good to have someone else from singas, bringing stories from home, talking cock and contributing to the greater variety of food we can order when we go out! very useful to have a big eater around, so i don't have to keep any leftovers too.

after being here for coming-to-3-months, the flatmate and i have been so starved of family that this was a welcome whiff of home that we've been missing so much. i never thought i was a homesick kinda person, until now. guess those 3-5 day camps in school didn't count at all. because one was still surrounded with friends (and the occasional enemy) and in a familiar environment. and then later on, there was always OBS that everyone raved about, that allowed even more contact with friends, with opportunities to make even more new buddies. still, that was at pulau ubin, and you knew you'd be going home in a matter of days.

being away to study is like a chalet-version of a training camp... i've always fantasized about going away to boarding school, thanks to enid blyton's mallory towers and st clare's series. both of which i used to own and read on an everyday basis. it was scary. i even looked on the map to find cornwall (that's supposedly where mallory towers is) and i planned what i'd wear to school, tried to learn lacrosse, pictured myself in the brown blazer worn by the schoolgirls, and looked forward to french lessons with the madamoiselles. and midnight feasts. and tricks to be played on unsuspecting teachers. so different from boring ol' chinese lessons and 40-odd students in the classroom of the 1980's. and now, we've got the harry potter phenomenon to fantasize about. cloaks and wands and pets allowed on school grounds, owls to send your letters and parcels, house elves to supply endless feasts and a library to quench all manner of academic thirst. and all those school rules to be broken.

i wish studying abroad is half as fun as all that. but with freedom and independence come responsibilities. so i am having the time of my life, and bringing fatboy around to the max.