Present Situation
Three weeks ago, I couldn't wait to get home. Now, two days til I do go home, I want one more weekend here. One more week. I can't believe myself.

There is... nothing in my suitcase as of yet. I had better go rectify that state of affairs.

So ; ) While I go off to tidy the chaos that is my room, and wish for more hours in London, here's an update.



My LJ Angel is xtremesaints. ; )



How It All Began
In the early days when the Internet was Not Behaving At All for me, I spent half my life most of my time in the computer room in the Law Faculty building. Once, I was on LJ, and she saw me. And then we were, “You have an LJ TOO?!?!”

xtremesaints says my LJ content is, “OMG today I saw a Legolas cardboard cutout and I had to go over and hug it!!!!!”

*hides* She may be right. . .





Mai’s Birthday

Saw a gorgeous fireworks show that night.





Four Seasons in Queensway. Takes ages to get there. And Bayswater Road is one of the longest roads I have ever been on.

You notice a definite change as the evening goes on ; ) Similar to the Hall Christmas Dinner, but not as dramatic.

Before


After






Can I Open My Eyes Now?

“I want to show you something,” he said.








I Bet You Saw This Coming



“How did you know I would want to see it?” I asked.

“You looked like a Harry Potter fan,” he said.

(I don't remember ever mentioning HP to him! *startled*)

Curiously enough, this was Gryffindor Boy.





If You Go Down To The Zoo Today
(Why do these words bring to mind an advertisement for the polar bear exhibit in the Singapore zoo?)

We were looking at the Aviary in the zoo. I thought to myself, “This looks like it’s right out of Jurassic Park 3.” But decided not to mention it because I’d look even more out of it than I normally do. And then we went round the other side of it, and he said, “This looks like Jurassic Park!”

Where's Dr. Grant?



“You too?!” I asked. “I thought that too, but didn’t dare say it because I thought I’d be nuts!”

“We’re both nuts, then!” he said.

We saw tapir, and it felt like home.

Unfortunately said tapir were not extremely enthusiastic about seeing us, and promptly left the viewing panel soon after we entered the room. Wandering out again, I wondered how tropical creatures could even contemplate going for a swim in what must have been the near-frigid waters of their enclosure.



This picture taken simply because I've never seen giraffes against that setting before.

We watched an Animal Show in a room that looked surprisingly like a lecture theatre. Complete with projector, table, and whiteboard.





Leaving the zoo (it closes at 4! *feels deeply dismayed* Due to the dying of the light!), we caught sight of the largest fox I've ever seen, pacing the length of its' enclosure, behind the bars of its' winter world.



As with some of the creature shots that follow, this particular shot took ages to get right. And even so, it's not perfect. It doesn't quite capture the fox stalking the bars that define his world in the dying light of day.

Gryffindor Boy and I conclude that we will never be nature photographers.




For arrch

Because he took Nemo photos in Brisbane. And I agree completely with him. It takes ages for those fish to swim into position. This one shot had about eight failed or unsuitable attempts before (and after) it.








For la_muerta

Professor, is this really the place? Was this where it was done? I trust you to know the answers I do not... *earnest* Please forgive your unworthy student this absence of knowledge...







Thursday, 27th of November
Hall Christmas Dinner

Discovered that brandy butter is delicious. And that Christmas Pudding, in comparison, is not.

Before



After





Who said "Still Not King"?!


I swear, it was the wine.
Which as Sam rightly and truthfully said, tasted like vinegar.



He told me to sit there






Spent the night and early morning attempting to do my casenotes. Which were to be handed in to Serry My Personal Tutor the next day. Instead, racked up an impressive 318-comment count on ammonium’s LJ with my Partners-in-Commenting arrch and ammonium herself. Slept at 6am, but it was time well-spent. ; )





“She pulled away when I tried to kiss her!”

“What the f**k are you wearing? You were beautiful before that!”

(Here I wondered if my hall was trying to imitate fanfiction)

“She’s the only person who can skip down the hall without looking silly.”





The Day After

Friday, 28th of November
Woke up past 12 noon, as absolutely typical of my sleeping habits at home. Received an absolutely indescribable call from ranchelle. I think my wild shrieks of pure XDXDXD must have terrified the neighbours. ^_^





Serry My Personal Tutor’s room in the Law Faculty is tinier than my room in Halls. It reminded me of a green version of what I imagine Indiana Jones’ office would look like. If he was a university lecturer in London. Hobbits at Home aingeal_isilme, la_muerta and c_dreamcatcher, and anyasy, he actually reminds me of D. Chua. He has that very gentle air to him. (Apparently he was a terrifying student, but that’s another matter)

Saw Serry the Tutor in a beanie (woolly Eminem-style hat) the other night. *just dies laughing* I much prefer the Other Night when it was raining, and he was striding out of the Law Faculty dressed all in black, with a motorcycle helmet under one arm. ; ) Hells’ Angel! Serry would be extremely interesting. ^_^

Though curiously, I saw him at the Law Fair (he’s the Careers Tutor) with a distinctly Slytherin-esque look on his face.

And while I’m on the subject of the Serry Around Me, I haven’t seen Serry Next Door for ages. I theorize he’s been abducted by a British equivalent of a Ratalien dark elf. *is annoyed at self for missing such a crucial plot development*

Beg apologies of all who made it this far. Seems like once I start talking about Serry, I can’t stop.





Went to watch Master and Commander with Sam and Miwa, both hallmates. Ran into an unbelievable number of fellow students at the cinema.

M&C gave me an unbelievable level of F/F vibes. The title also set off the slash indicator like no other movie title. Wait. There was a movie which four of my hallmates went to watch. It was a French film named “Eager Bodies”. Now if that does not sound like p0rn I do not know what does, but it was apparently quite a normal arthouse/indie film. Breakup of the protagonist’s relationship et al.

Show finished at midnight. Instantly after, was pounced upon by risax upon leaving the cinema, much to my delight. Went off to her hall, where we talked until past 1am, and jointly decided it would be safer if I stayed the night. Had pizza. homura called, after which I called her, and after which risax called her. Got to hear my birthday present, which I have named Weaving Legolas Orlando Smith. homura has subsequently refused to give me Weaving Legolas. (I think I have named him in honor of drunken soccer hooligans). Either homura or risax suggested that I and lazydreamweaver play our birthday presents together, which is a suggestion which will undoubtedly be soon regretted.





Had birthday celebration that night. Went to Misato, where we queued for an hour (as there were ten of us, and the restaurant is tiny).


Saw an extremely arrch-esque

...Which I simply had to photograph.

It is rather important to keep in mind that this picture was taken in a Japanese restaurant.















Paying Attention


Not Paying Attention



Gorgeous funfair in Leicester Square. Only Guy said Gollum was evil, after seeing the huge billboard advertising LOTR Extended Edition shows, at which Merry promptly said, "He's not evil! He's just misunderstood! You don't understand!"

Just <3 Merry.

And also, did I mention I heart her because when she saw Liam Neeson in Love Actually, she said, “Qui-Gon!” ?






Until I came to Halls, I have never had anyone knock on my door and run away, leaving chocolate at my doorstep. Courtesy of Lucien, Alexandria, Boy Who Inadvertently Saw Slash, and Literature Boy. *hearts*

Aikido Boy called in a personal version of a singing telegram and called me cupcake.

I will not call him Muffin.

Computer Whiz made me a snowflake program. Question 2 of his coursework. Took him eight hours. I’d choose him over Legolas any day. (This not own thought, but result of conversation with him)




Was working with window slightly open, then heard Aikido Boy’s voice from the floors above. Leaned out of window to see Aikido Boy and Computer Whiz in bathroom. Yes, if I lean out of my window, I can see the sixth-floor Gents. Only the washbasins, though. I yelled for Aikido Boy, which started

CW: “Is this what you do at night?”

Me: “AB was so loud!” *pause* “What are the both of you doing in there? Do you always go there together?”

AB: “That sounds so wrong!”

Me: “Only because you think that way!”

AB: “I’m told you had a lesbian party in your room the other night!”
(CW knocked on my door when the Hall Hobbits and J were in my room, following the birthday celebration. CW must’ve told him)

Me: *glares at CW* “What?!”

AB: “Oops, that wasn’t loud enough. . .” *shouts* “I HEARD YOU HAD A LESBIAN PARTY IN YOUR ROOM THE OTHER NIGHT!”

Me: ;;;;;;;_____;;;;;;;;





My Room, My Chaos



By the way that poster goes to kannazuki, lazydreamweaver and anyasy. Before you ask, I bought six Orlando posters on that day.

Boy Who Inadvertently Saw Slash took that picture for me. ^_^



It is rather important to know that before this picture was taken (and perhaps this explains their expressions), on my request for a photograph, Obi-Wan grabbed Boy Who Inadvertently Saw Slash and initiated a lightning-fast cuddle which I was, regrettably, unable to capture on camera. But you do notice Obi-Wan’s cat-who-ate-the-canary smirk, and Boy Who Inadvertently Saw Slash’s slightly traumatized expression.

The three of us are all going home on Friday! ; )

Asked the Law Faculty's first year representative about his article in the Law Faculty Magazine. "There And Back Again!" I said. "Very Lord of the Rings!"

"You noticed!" he said, delighted. "I thought no one would get it! You're the first! You get a gold star!"

*impish grin* It's amazing, the diversity in the Law Faculty. He's a first-year law student, in his thirties, and married.





I. Put a knife in a plastic bag, along with the cheesecake I was bringing down to dinner. In my rush to get out of the room, the knife ended up, quite conveniently, between the door and my thigh. Subsequently, as Chicago's "He Had It Coming" goes, I ran into my knife. Knife was serrated, and went right through my jeans and into my thigh. *wry smile* After which I stayed in the room. Did not have the sense for basic first-aid. It was only later when I called the Hall Hobbits, J and the three Ms down to my room did I receive medical attention. My idea of first-aid is applying minor pressure, waiting for the bleeding to stop, and, oh yes, being on MSN. J and Miwa went down to reception for bandages and cotton wool, and giaan, who knows first aid, bandaged my stupidity-inflicted cut.



Oh! *hugs lauramcewan* Thank you for that absolutely wonderful Christmas card! *cannot stop smiling* I went off on a complete high. *impish grin*