Week 2 wasn’t too bad once I finished all my work. The highlight was probably the weekend, starting with the Library Open House, which manage to bring in some people. It wasn’t a major success compared to what we hoped it would be, but it was definitely better than some other events that have been happening recently. Though now that I think about it, Hub events have been having issues bringing in people recently. It’s really unfortunate because it is such a great space.

Just today I was lying on the couch, feeling very refreshed and happy as I read through the newest global food systems book for my tutorial next week. It’s a little upsetting that I searched the Bod, the Union, and the public library and had to end up buying the book… sigh. 

Anyway, I was very relaxed today in the Hub living room, which has felt so much like home this past year that I really don’t know how it will feel going back to my home university and not having such a wonderful space. There’s a difference between a large commons and a small, homey building with sofas and fireplaces. 

Right! Back to 2nd week. The weekend. 

Last Saturday I made a short trip to London for a Harry Potter city walk for which I shall post pictures as soon as I post this note. Nothing particularly exciting came out of the tour, except for the fact I found myself on a boat and running in search of the Sherlock Holmes pub, which I found only after making a long city-round pilgrimage to Baker Street and the Sherlock Holmes Hotel (because apparently Sherly doesn’t only need a museum, and a street, and a statue, and a pub with an ale named after him). To be fair, I’m totally okay with the more Sherlock the better! And now I really want to stay in that hotel. 

Fortunately, all my running around finally got me to visit Abbey Road. I will also upload pictures of some of the graffiti as well. It was a very surreal moment to stand there and I almost wanted to stop traffic to get a picture like a ton of other people, but then it hit me how annoying that would be for the cars and how dangerous it would be as well. I figured I’d admire the cross walk from afar. :)

Sunday I had planned to attend Holi, a celebration of colors, but unfortunately got cut up in making cupcakes, and an incredibly fabulous video for a social media campaign that I have shared on this page and would love many of you to participate in at some point or another in the next several weeks. So regardless I spent the day laughing and smiling and baking, which made it a good Sunday and totally made up for the next two sleepless days doing work. 

Speaking of work: I’ve come to understand that the reason why I can’t be an immigration lawyer also applies to why it is so hard for me to read/study migratory movements. Mostly because when I do, I will question everything, even my own love for development. My tutor commented on the fact that I have an incredible level of experience researching and working with migration and the movement of people, which I can admit is partly because of my own identity as an immigrant. So even though I’m highly enjoying my tutorial, I’m also finding myself constantly falling into disillusion and sadness every time I crack open a book and proceed to read about the many ways in which people and identities are transplanted and uprooted and, yes, all sorts of things. But I’m glad I’m taking this course. It’s really opened my eyes to a different aspect of development, and it’s helped me understand Burmese issues and the social media campaign in different ways. 

Otherwise, this week has been pleasant. It’s nice having one tutorial as opposed to two or three.

So, remember I mentioned baking? Right. So the Hub turns FIVE today! And last weekend we were trying to make cupcakes to sell at the TSK. They came out surprisingly good, and really set the festive mood for the rest of the week with a tea party on Tuesday, and a speaker series event on Wednesday and the party today (which I will probably miss in favor of spending time with friends because I have spent too much time at the Hub — with friends as well, but too much time in one space makes me a bit claustrophobic.)

Tuesday was also Young Sherlock Holmes night. Have I mentioned I love that I have found a group that adores Sherlock Holmes and just about every other single incredible fandom? It’s beautiful. Last night was a lovely pizza night in celebration of someone’s birthday, which was the perfect excuse to buy myself an otter puppet. Any Benedict Cumberbatch fans will understand this. 

I think this pretty much covers everything I had wanted to document. Except maybe for a strange conversation that happened earlier this week, which I posted on my personal tumblr and will also reblog here. 

To do list:

1. Another trip to London tomorrow.

2. Blenheim Palace.

3. Cambridge.

4. The Eden Project.

5. Make a Sherlockian build-a-bear.

6. Organize a letter writing campaign — fangirl style. 

Let’s see how much of this actually gets done in the next 5 weeks! Wow. Can’t believe next week is 4th week already. Crazy. 

So excited. :) 

And exhausted right now so I’m just going to sleep after working non-stop for 4 days. Goodness. And to think next week is a three tutorial week. That’s just painful. But yay for fun times tomorrow!

From Oxford, as you can imagine. If you’re not sure what that is, that’s totally okay! ^^ Here’s the website: Eden Project. Here’s the address: Eden Project, Bodelva, St Austell, Cornwall, PL24 2SG, UK. 

I’m trying to find a cheap way to get there since I’m watching my budget and all, but it seems my best option would be the train (for speed purposes and to avoid spending the night at a hotel, which might incur more costs) except it’s quite expensive. The bus takes much longer, and I can’t seem to find a time that works. Anyone have any idea if there are some websites through which to get discounted rail tickets? — Or any tips on mixing public transport to get a better price? Cheap hostels? Maybe I can just stay in Cornwall and do a bit of touring. Anything really helps. Even reblogging to see if someone might know would also be really helpful.Thanks in advanced! 

So, anyone?

So I’m taking a geography course on food. You heard that right: food. It’s so wonderful. I get to incorporate geography, politics, economics, and a little bit of soul-searching. I’ll be doing no mapping, though, thank you. I just wanted a course through which I could happily explore the intersections of food and development. (Except I did not account for how much reading about food would make me 1) hungry, and 2) just question every single food choice I’ve ever made.) Already I have finished my first essay. On food. I managed to find this fab little article on the cultural symbolism of the sandwich as an abstract and how understanding the variance in the ways we even construct or choose to buy (or even what we buy) can really showcase our relationship to food. But that’s not what I wrote my essay on. Well, actually, I did have this one paragraph on the magic of the sandwich, but it was completely relevant to the piece as I was trying to prove how food is not just its nutrients but an entire system of relationships from nutrients inside food all the way down to food and international trade and global warming! Exciting stuff. And in between all of it: the sandwich as symbolism. 

(Which reminds me that I finally had my egg burger from the awesome food cart.)

It was a great first tutorial. I should get my grade later today and I am a bit nervous because if I didn’t do well, I don’t have a lot of time to pick myself back up an do better considering that I’m doing two sessions of this secondary 1st and 2nd week. And, I always have to hand-deliver my papers 24 hrs in advanced. At least my primary will let me e-mail since class is a mile and a half away (and guess who still doesn’t ride a bike?).

So next two weeks I think I’m just going to hide in my room. With a few breaks in between.