As morbid as the title sounds, my experiences show it.is.actually.true. But then, if you truly care about how well you're doing, you wouldn't let such a little setback put your moral and determination down, but then the question is - what have you done to allow this to happen?
Well you see, I have an excuse...
...Ok maybe not an excuse, more like a reason, an explanation, a HOLIDAY. Yes, that's right, I was overseas. And it was worth every shuteye minute I had to give up. But leaving the country and your work during the semester is unfortuantely not the best idea I had in a long time. And I'm still suffering physically (I was chronically sick for a month), mentally, and emotionally (I didn't want to come back).
Now you may be wondering why I have chosen this pragmatic topic as my first blog, but it is my belief that although work and getting good marks is important, the cliche "you learn more when you travel" has never been so accurate. Yes, I've caught the travel bug, and it's infectious as hell.
The bug stays with you all your life, like a B-memory cell: it may not be visible to the eye, but every once in a while, you are reminded that it is deep inside you. That's what travel was like for me. In fact, I can easily compare uni to travel. Both consumes your life, both deprives you of precious shuteye, and most of all, you realise jerks and awesome people are everywhere.
I was fortunate enough to go to two of the world's biggest and most 'violent' cities on my last trip - New York and Mexico City.
The AAA are the reactions and symptoms I had whilst overseas. Amazing. Awesome. Auto-pilot.
Firstly, it was amazingly different, big and multi-coloured. Secondly, It was just awesome to be in NYC where the average temperature was 2 degrees to Mexico where the humidity had just hit the roof. NOT. And Auto-pilot? That's how I was functioning for the better part of three weeks. AAA. And there was definitly minimal shuteye. In fact, I didn't sleep for 50 hours straight. I'm expecting a call from the World Records soon, but I think the record is two weeks...
Now back to that subject of 'death' by books. It is unbelievable how many books, texts and journals you have to read to obtain one tiny information. The essays pile up dangerously on your to-do-list (they're my cheering squad, useful but useless at the same time) whilst you try to juggle the most basic day-to-day activities - like lunch. I now know intimately the insides of not only one library, but THREE, and I have dialogues mostly with computer screens (HELLO Harry, Ben and Samuel!), and spent more money on coffee and sugar than my weekly lunch. C'est la vie.
But all hope is not lost. I still have a ray of light at the end of the Grafitti Tunnel where the weak May sun still penetrates through. Alas, time to get some shuteye...