change can be good right?
so now i'm considering accommodation for next year..more things are getting crossed off the TO DO LIST. flight tickets should be settled by next week. at least to singapore. but hey, one thing at a time right?
i'm a little wary about moving out, primarily because i really like this place. i made friends here and i actually have come to feel like this place is home. sort of like a place of my own, till i can actually get a place for myself when i start to work. its great. its a great place to start out your first year because people are friendly here (well, there are a few somewhat snooty ones who are aloof but overall people are nice), the RA's are approachable, the staff are friendly and this place is very well maintained. plus they have really fun activities organised here. of course, its completely up to you to participate, but if you do, its really fun..
like the Easter egg hunt. that was so much fun. i had JUST woke up and hunnie dragged me out of bed (yes, i get up at the crack of noon) and we started running up and down the place, getting down on all fours, climbing on stuff, shaking the little trees and what not to find little eggs. my team merged with other little teams to form one super shocolate egg hunting team, but we lost . OH WELL. it was all good. and chocolate eggs are always good..
and lazy sunday. i know it wasnt much of an activity, but it was really cool. come in your pj's and hang around with other people watching tv series. i think that ignited my love for SKRAAAAABS :) that was fun. apparently ronnie turned up in a robe (well...it is ronnie) and sam came in his pj's. ME TOO! bed socks and oversized shirt and yellow hoodie and shorts. oh so comfy. and it just felt so homely.
there was that one bar night, but i didnt feel like drinking, but it was alright.
the numerous free bbq's. the free pizzas. the karaoke. the wine and cheese. the harassing ikram. the bitching with ronnie. that attempt to get free tickets to watch RHCP. talking to pablo in the kitchen. eating nim's food cause she cooks sooo good. last sem's formal dinner. late night cooking.
i'm going to miss this place. maybe its a good thing me moving out since so many people i associate with this place will be gone next year. i know i could make more new friends, but...i dunno. just people moving in and out of your life. kinda sad. i felt it last sem with people leaving. and it wont be the same next year. so maybe its a good time to move out eh.
plus it'd be something new.
anyhow, i cant afford this place. it i move out i probably get to save about $200 a month, which is a lot of money. and now considering that i can live with just about $150 a month, i'd save tons of money. i just hope there's no $500 bond deposit thing. apparently that goes into the last two weeks of rent, meaning my november rent is paid for. sweet eh.
i'm a bit wary moving out to places that are not owned by the university. simply because you could get really lousy accommodation. and its not conducive to study. i mean the ywca sounds good..but i think it'd be better choice if i were a backpacker.
i personally think i'm getting ripped off where i live, happy as i am living here. i mean, my room is pretty small. and i'm paying $192.50 a week. i know its inclusive of heating, water and gas. but internet is $7 a week. and i have to pay that in a lump sum or i have to add on an extra administration fee if i do the weekly thing. i just got charged $10 in this week's invoice for something that i thought i paid in the first month i came here. of course foodtown is nearby and so's that taiping supermarket thing. so thats the convenience factor...
if i move out i have to get my own kitchen utensils...out of all my utensils, only the non-stick frying pan and pyrex casserole tray is mine. and the fruit knife. and a chopping board. and i have enough toilet paper to last me...a few good months. i have my own linen. cant stand the idea of using provided linen. it just feels so gross. UGH. hmm, i should wash my blankets.
i'll really miss this place. guess i should make the most of my time here eh. take pictures MANY MANY. and change my application details for next year.
i hope i dont get any strange flatmates. neurotic, obsessive, fussy flatmates...ugh. i mean, i know how people may get along well in the start but as the year progresses, separate schedules and agendas tend to keep you to yourself...i hope i get nice flatmates. tolerant ones who have a reasonable standard of hygiene. and KNOCKS before entering and gives me my SPACE. if you know me well, you know how much i like my space.
oh and i've decided, since i'd probably never get round to selling off my clothes, i just might give them off to the salvation army or something. at least someone else gets to use them. i mean there's nothing wrong with them. some have shrunk (note to self: when it says DO NOT TUMBLE DRY, you DO NOT TUMBLE DRY), some i just dont wear, some are too big (like my shoes)...but all in all they're in good condition. but its up to you if you wanna wear a hot pink shrunken shirt that says in bright pink letters I FEEL A SIN COMING ON. dont ask what i was thinking when i bought it. all i know's that it was $7 and i thought "OOOO cheap!!" cheap. YEAH. there's a few sweaters i didnt end up wearing. a scarf i dont like.
and god knows how i'm supposed to get rid of my red jacket. i thought it was so cool when i bought it, and yeah it looks great. put on some boots and rock that look, ya know? but then i saw this one auntie lady in parnell wearing something like it and that just KILLED the jacket. dont get me wrong, its still great. now how am i supposed to store it when i go home?? maybe i wear it back. maybe not. maybe. maybe not.
i cant wait to go home. i'm so excited about seeing iain again. and all the rest of the people who happen to live there :P rachel might not be there, but thats ok. maybe if i move out next year i can save up enough money to go visit her sometime :) that'd be sweet.
oh yes, since we're on the topic of visiting and travelling, i managed to get a cheaper offer from a rival travel agency (GOD i love that price beat guarantee). basically how it works is they have this guarantee that they'll find the lowest price possible on the dates you wanna travel. awesome no? and yeah i got a cheaper price. by about $20. which is not much, i know. but i think i'm sticking to the first flight. $1227 to singapore is a great deal. THANK YOU ISIC and STA TRAVEL. student discounts GALORE! i know some people say there's no point getting the ISIC card, and that you might not end up using it. but if there are offers where you can save a LOT of money, you'd be kicking yourself for not getting that card. besides, you get a $50 goodie bag when you do register. so its not so bad...except some of the stuff they give out i cant use...like a copy of FHM magazine...condoms...but there's food and such. coupons for bus passes and what not.
i'm really looking forward to closing up this year. i know i havent done much but hey, i got 2 and a half more years here. i got plenty of time to explore the north and south island and bungee off the skytower (ITS THE HIGHEST JUMP IN NZ!!) plenty of time. absolutely plenty.
and now, like my love told me, we just take things one at a time :)