Blossoming into an Elegant Beauty

Good aul China decided to block blogger, and no amount of dodgy proxies were gonna get me past that this weekend, so soz faoi lateness and that shtuff.


So eeeehhh, last Saturday, I got up for lion dance, went to training, saw a haggard Laura, heard a haggard Laura's tales, couldn't find Maddie, went to find Maddie, found Maddie who was fast asleep, jumped on her yelling LION DANCE LION DANCE LION DANCE to no avail then went to Olivia's room to spoon with her and a haggard Laura. We played with the Daily Mail headline generator then popped some popcorn in anticipation of Rara's birthday on the block 2 roof. We had an uber roof party with shedloads of food and then I went to the pool, played some pool rugby - I had a major disadvantage in the form of a volatile bikini top - then went with Dawn & Áine to Ma On Shan where I got photos taken for my visa. Áine heartlessly left me stranded outside Wellcome so I made me own way home then decided to have a quick skype with Mavis. ...4 and a half hours later we called it a day. The amount I had to catch up on was unrale. Went to bed pretty soon after that.


The part of Sunday which I can remember begins at about 7pm. Where the rest of it went I've no idea. I think I may've coloured in a few maps for geo? And I seem to recall getting some weird bread from Hetty & Carol? Hmm. Anyway, the 7pm part starts in room 103c, skyping the ginge, followed by a café meeting in preparation for next week's café. The theme's Anything But Clothes. What a wide range of opportunities that presents. Tar éis é sin I skyped les parents and then had one of those skype calls with Clobby where I get her to show me all the clothes she's bought lately so's I can wear them when I get back for summer and she takes photos of me looking fab on the webcam.

Monday I had a free morning block, then math when we got our dreaded IA (internal assessment for those lucky bejaysuses of you reading this who are unaware of the intricacies of the IB), chemistry, free block geo and physics. On Monday afternoon I missed the college meeting and service planning to go to the visa office with Dorte for our chinese visas. Dorte had The Hunger Games but I had to make do with running to Mickey D's to buy me some chips to entertain myself, as well as painting my nails and Dorte's nails whilst we crouched on the floor, much to the disdain of many around us. We left about an hour later, and I had a short but intense period of OHMYGODI'VELOSTMYPASSPORT before realising it was in the visa office. We both got some ice cream and continued our journey home. Once I got back I had some din dins then went to photography where we talked about our Tai O trip and presented our photos, had ice cream floats and BECAME LEADER WITH PALOMO. Well happy so we were. Big ideas and dreams and what have ya.


On Tuesday I had english in the block 4 dayroom again, then chinese, ToK lecture on presentations - in the ever-witty words of Adam it was like presentationception - then more mind mushing maffs, and chem again. After school I legged it up to the office to collect my parcel from Daddy, and, upon discovering The Hunger Games amongst its contents, spent all afternoon reading it on the roof, then once it was dark grabbed some tea lights from my room and finished it. Should prolly find time to go see the movie in the cinema but the likelihood of that is nil unforchy.

Wednesday was a public holiday so I took my leisurely time getting up, did an absolutely miniscule bitta work, went to Wellcome and bought some stuff to make a cake for Rabeya's birthday, then cooked in the student kitchen with all the Asia Pacific people - inevitable K-Pop dance offs were had. We ate the cake in our room with our extended roomies and tales of Ocean Park. That night Olivia, Heather and I hung out for Livvie's birthday, and fell asleep in strange places.


On Thursday I had a physics lab, english and then two free blocks. I grabbed my lunch early, then headed off to Wanchai to pick up the visas. I negotiated the million line changes back, had a nap in the common room then headed across the road to tutor Paco, this insanely ADD kid. He's pretty sweet really, and seemed to really connect with Pippi Longstocking. After that I went to the GIF on catholicism which were one of the better ones this year as far as debate was concerned. On Thursday night I downloaded Nick & Norah's infinite playlist. It was pretty shite, but the setting was good and Michael Cera's always great. Norah was just the most annoying thing. I also made microwave cake in a bowl. 

On Friday I got up at like 7:30 ish, for no real reason seeing as we had holidays, then finished the rest of N & N's infinite playlist because of course the internet ban came with 10 minutes left of the film. I got breakfast and then locked myself in the library for 13 hours to do my math IA, coming out twice only to stock up on cream soda, mars bars, fizzy Puccho yokes, and those bbq crisps. At midnight I banted around with JKwok & Verity by the poolside, stalking photos of our younger selves.

Saturday morning I got up at 7:30, had a shower, packed for China, got breakfast at half 8, met the latinas at a latina half 8, and went to China. Via the flamingo filled Kowloon park. And a ferry. We were met by Mia and her dad at the ferry terminal, after the mexican took about a gazbillion hours to get through. Then we went out for lunch which was GAWJUS, peking duck for the winnage. We went to the underground to change some money and buy some pirated DVDs (I got One Day, Skins series 6 & Misfits series 3), then went to get our nails done. Must be the first time since Clobby pinned me to the kitchen table over crimbo. Okay, and that stint in the visa office but that hardly counts. Got a motorbike back which was legend and then we worked for a ages after a dinner of pizza and beautiful caaaakes.

On Sunday we woke up like 10ish, got brekkie and helped set up for an expat easter brunch. When I say expat, I mean TODOS DEL LATINOS. My spanish comprehension improved dramatically. We hid a load of eggs all down the street, and ate our weight in choccy cake. We then left with all the foregin kids in Zhu Hai to go to this island where we rented a tandem bike and played volleyball. We started out with trying to get volleys of A...B...C...D... but it soon transcended into yelling out spanish words when you hit the ball, for example CALIENTE...GASOLINA....GUACAMOLE...CHIMYCHANGAS...ESPERA etc etc. I had a few fun experiences on the tandem bike, and rediscovered our love of squat toilets with Maddie. That evening we had the leftover pizza, worked a little more and then watched Like Crazy and One Day. I had to make condescending witty remarks during Like Crazy because it was so woeful, but I adore One Day though only Paula and I managed to stay awake.


Got up at 9 this morning, had nutella on toast, packed my bag, did a bit of work on my chinese, went out for dinner and had such good vegetables. Like chinese-style bacon & cabbage, it's not a patch on scout camp, but they do their best. After lunch we went back, packed up the rest of our stuff and got the 4pm boat home. Except for Maddie, who couldn't get a ticket and ran away to Tibet or something instead. I had the best moment of my life so far when the woman on passport control didn't believe that the ugly passport photo girl was me. She was all "This not you. This not you. Show me your ears!!" and I was all "I know roish, it totally don't look like me now, I must've really just blossomed into such an elegantly beautiful human being". Mia & I watched Juno on the boat. Legend film. We got taxis back to campus, ate dismal dinner and then I migrated to the chinese classroom where I found Olivia and was joined by JKwok soon after. Which is where I am now. On the verge of a hell week but I'd rather not elaborate.

How To Die Whilst Scuba Diving

    I guess tis that time of the week again, and my what an interesting week we've had here at LPC. So radies and rentelmens listen up etc!

    So the weekend was purdy good, Saturday consisted of a coral monitoring medical exam in downtown Jordan which was pretty tucked away so with the help and company of Chloe Lau we made it to the eighth floor to be measured, weighed, told that our ears were dirty and that there was no way we'd be able to equalise so to go and buy ear cleaning stuff, and we may or may not have been instructed to pee on a stick. Congratulations are in order for Halfdan who navigated his way there sans local help and also to Dilene who was the only one of us with clean ears.

    After that I went in search of ear cleaning stuff with Dilene and Khet, and after coming across some real dodge semi tradtitional chinese medicine shops full of jars of shark fins and shredded shrimp bone marrow etc we decided to wait until we got back to the pharmacy back in Wu Kai Sha.

    When we got back home (I've started calling campus that now, and sub consciously too), Dilene and I went to explore the beach and attempt to study. I drew some mandarin ab characters in the sand but mostly the study part was reduced to gossipping until we realised that the masses of shells around where we were sitting were actually hermit crabs. Muchos gross.

    Then dinner. My daily life in this place now revolves around mealtimes. 6 o clock is easily the most anticipated thing for me around here. I've not even yet been deterred by the fact that it's generally just rice and some bony meat. That said, I got tempura veg today which was nom. Actually, I got tuna pasta bake too! Hmm, today was an exception food wise. Oooh and we got jelly too! It may have had the consistency of soggy soap but it was still pretty good.

    Sunday was triathlon day! Kinda wish I'd done the individual one now but I did enter the team event as the swimmer, with Liz doing the cycle (we thought we'd fullfill the dutch stereotype), and Maxim running. As with all other LPC events there was lots of dancing on the pool side and twas a fairly good atmosphere for an early Sunday morning! PLUS they had bananas in the canteen. Heellloooo banana honey toasted sandwich(es...). The experience was only topped by finding out on Wednesday that we'd won. Yadda yadda it wasn't competitive yadda yadda...but y'all know it so was.

Mise, Maxim and Liz. Rawr.

    After all that strenuous work there were 5 hours of scuba diving theory. 

To summarize:  

• If you hold your breath your lungs will explode and YOU WILL DIE
• If you don't equalise the pressure between your ears and your inner ear and sinuses YOU WILL DIE
• If you attempt to sit through 5 hours of scuba diving theory without allowing yourself to have small naps/ become hysterical YOU WILL DIE

    The week was pretty intense too. Starting Monday night we had an hour of uber man style lion dance training. This time Savitri upped the ante to 5 minutes of squatting and a good aul lot of planking too. Twas eh good fun too?? Classes went grand (not gonna lie I aced me mandarin ab test booyakkasha), and although chemistry was a killer I answered all the questions on the test we had this morning. That don't mean by any means that I got any of them right, mind you.

    Thursday was typhoon day. Now before I start praising the heavens for this gust of wondrous wind, I'd like to express my deepest sorrow for those who were killed by the same typhoon Nesat in the Philipines and to all those whose homes were destroyed. Fortunatley for us, it didn't get too bad up in the New Territories aside from some bikes wrapped around trees and said trees no longer residing in the ground. Tragedies aside, however, one can imagine the excitement that a Typhoon 8 signal can bring to a campus full of extremely tired IB students. I watched half of Moulin Rouge with Olivia, hung in the block four day room, experienced typhoon weather at its best up on the roof, attempted to study for chemistry and spread the goodwill message of HAPPY TYPHOON DAY! Made a change from the days of Loreto Convent KK when snow days were only implemented after attendance levels dropped to below 10 per year, and even then were granted grudgingly.

    Friday was a full day of classes for yours truly, but now I'm free we have HOLIDAYS! Until next Thursday. And so I'm casually popping over to Mainland China to visit Mia's house in Zhu Hai for a few days. As ya do like. Now when I say casually, I hope none of you ever have to experience the hassle of trying to organise 12 visas for China in 4 days. I'd rather not elaborate.

Much grá, Hannah x



That'd be mise and my boat tickets to Zhu Hai