two worlds

i was just telling abiel the only difference being at home and at oxford is that my home's messier, filthier and worse, very noisy because of all the quarreling.

i jest. but only just.

looking through facebook i realise just how much i miss my friends back in oxford. i was looking through my friend anna's photos today, and that really jolted me. what i really appreciate is the effort that all of them take to keep in touch - i am so lazy it'd have taken me quite a bit to just email them, but there they are faithfully replying with email-length messages.

i have been telling my juniors that if there's one thing they should do, it's to keep their spirits up, especially during orientation week, and socialise as much as possible, as tiring as that may be. i truly regret just switching off halfway through orientation - i was just too tired to keep up that british accent, too tired to have people think i can't speak proper english, too tired to repeat my name (often mangled, i had to spell it as li-sin) and most of all so shy. i regret that because i could have made more friends. i thought i could just make some friends joining some activities, but that's really not the case, because first impressions are so crucial.

one thing i think that british are very good at is mingling. it is more than a skill, it's an art. and gosh i suck at it, like i do at all arts. i have to learn to start a conversation (not with the weather i hope), ask intelligent questions and smile smile smile. not be afraid to introduce myself and just make more friends. sounds easy right? even just thinking about it makes my heart pound.

my resolution this year is not just to do well academically, but also to make more friends. friends are treasures, as all my friends have shown. thank you.