Those were the days ...

Shrill screaming as you run through the hall, slamming doors all through the night, loud music playing accompanied by out-of-tune voices … ya, I’m definitely not built for dorm living anymore!

Were we really that loud back then? I’m sure we were. I guess it was different living in a suite with your friends. I can’t really be too irked by the noise. I mean, 7 p.m. is not really late at night is it? Hehehe, just kidding.

I guess it’s just different being in my 30’s and living in a dorm vs. being 18 (as the girls in my suite this time around were). Still, aside from the noise, there was the room I had to deal with. The first thing I did was buy a pair of latex gloves and disinfectant detol wipes so that I could sanitize the whole room – only then could I start to relax a bit.

The room itself (this time) was not too bad. Good size, en suite facilities, a ‘comfy’ chair as they called it (not comfortable at all!) and a desk chair (also not comfortable) … and then there was the single bed with a … ummmm … I think it was intended to be a mattress but it felt more like a bunch of thin wire springs with a bit of cloth sewn over them – ouch! Yes, very uncomfortable. I literally had to sleep on the edge of the bed in order to avoid serious injury to my back! Luckily, I was only staying there for 10 nights since there was no way I could fit more clothes into the closet, which was about the size of an airplane bathroom! So clearly this room was purely functional and not built for comfort! Oh well – such is college life (at least for a few days out of the year) :)

My Treasure Chest

Childhood toys.
Notes passed in high school.
Matchboxes from hotels.
Paper coasters from restaurants.
Sugar packets from cafes.
Letters and cards received from friends.
Balloons from special occasions.
Journal entries from anguish/hope/passion-filled moments of my life.
Pictures that capture the best of times.
Trinkets that bring back great memories.
Mixed tapes replaying symbolic songs.
Newspaper clippings of significant events/dates.
So many memories. So many good times. So much to be thankful for.

Palestine

I can’t take the news about Gaza anymore. It fills me with so much anguish – I literally can’t bear it anymore. So many things about this situation amaze me – I’m amazed at how long this entire conflict has been allowed to go on. I’m amazed at how cruel people can be. I’m amazed that in this day and age there is still so much fighting going on.

I just cannot comprehend why so much fighting is still going on – or even why it began in the first place. I am embarrassed to be living in a country that claims to support the Palestinian cause but does nothing about it. Nobody is speaking loud enough and nobody is moving fast enough (if at all) to put an end to this. With such a travesty occurring, it should not take Ban Ki-moon to have to come in to put an end to all the fighting – isn’t that the obvious conclusion?!

It saddens me to no end to see our political leaders not leaping to action to stop this unbelievable inhumanity that is going on practically in our back yard. Sad stories, horrifying pictures in the newspaper, dreadful statistics are not what we need to realize that there is a problem … it’s no use if only the people feel such compassion and urgency to put an end to all the fighting – we governments to step in and put a stop to it. What is taking them so long? Why is it such a difficult solution to find? Can there really be a better/worthier/nobler goal than to save human lives and strive for peace?

It’s all just so sad. So very sad.

A belated happy new year ...

Happy new year everyone!

I know this greeting is a bit late, but I have been in an unbelievable amount of pain.

I’m glad to say that the surgery went well. The doctor is very pleased with my progress, and while that’s comforting to hear, I feel absolutely miserable.

Three days after the procedure, I was discharged from the hospital. The surgeon told me that it had taken 2 hours longer than they had anticipated. He reassured me that it would be ok but the recovery process was going to be painful.

I have honestly never known pain like this before. Aside from the pain, it’s been the helplessness that has depressed me the most. Every single movement hurts. I still can’t do simple tasks like get out of bed without wincing and clutching on to something for support. I hate having to rely on someone to help me and I hate not being able to move freely.
When my doctor first told me that he was giving me 3 weeks of sick leave, I actually laughed. I thought that I would be back at work within 4-5 days. I can’t believe how naïve I was. I’m going stir-crazy at home already … but I need to hang in there for just another 2 weeks.