4 months later...

I write: It's 6 a.m. here on Hamilton Island, about 4 months since that first letter. I was lying on my bed staring at the ceiling because I'm not working today, but my roommate woke up early for work (she's a chef) and she's not very quiet (not very considerate either eh) so I got woken up and couldn't go back to sleep. Lying there listening to music and reading through all my old messages made me so nostalgic! I suddenly feel so horribly homesick and miss you guys so horribly much. It's horrible! You guys (whoever's reading this right now) are truly irreplaceable and I will give anything to have you all here right now. I know I promised to write and email as often as possible, but for the past 4 months, I've been working non-stop (7 days a week, day AND night) 'cause I'm trying to earn enough to pay for my own tuition fees next year. I'm only having a rest this week till Christmas 'cause they don't really need me to work extra these few weeks, so I'm finally getting a day off!

I feel like so much time has passed and I've grown up so much since I came here, even though it's only been 4 months +. I've had to learn to cope with inconsiderate roommates/housemates (I moved out of that house with the 5 girls who party and talk sex everyday. I'm now staying with a chef and I don't really meet her much anyway 'cause when I'm home, she's at work and when she's home, I'm at work, so I pretty much have the room to myself, muahaha). I've had to learn to be all on my own on a strange foreign island isolated from all forms of civilisation (okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating slightly =D).

I've learnt that in the working world, ass-kissing may get you higher faster, but the satisfaction you feel if you get there by your own efforts is everything. I've learnt that people don't necessarily have to understand each other completely to be the best of friends. What matters is what lies inside (90% of my group of friends are freakn' koreans, and half the time they don't even know what I'm saying, but in times of need, I can be sure that they'll be there for me. E.g. If I need dinner, they give me food, teehee teehee.). I've learnt that those bitches we see in movies really do exist (and sometimes they exist in the form of big ugly slimy spawns of all evil thingies and spurt goo at you). I've learnt that out of a hundred people at the workplace, the genuine ones constitute just 10% of that (the remaining 90% have 2 switches: the "turn on fake smile 'cause asian girl is smiling at me" switch, and the "stare blankly and maybe she'll stop smiling at me" switch. I do love freaking people out, heehee). I've learnt that just being me is enough.. that I AM enough (of course I am, whoever thought otherwise). But most of all, I've learnt that I really should go back to sleep now because no normal person wakes up and jiwangs at 6 a.m. on their first off day in 4 months ! -.-

*tick tock tick tock*

ONE hour later...

But because I can't sleep, I'm gonna continue, hehe. Christmas is drawing near, and everyone knows joce is always in a Christmas mood. Oh, the love. =D I have 3 Christmas parties coming up and I only have dresses for 2. Oh, the horror! (because it is absolutely forbidden to wear the same dress twice within 3 weeks) And I'm gonna get presents. Oh, the love! I miss carolling and I miss going to church on Christmas! Even all the way here, I won't be getting my white christmas. =( But, I've set about on a little project: making my own Christmas tree from scraps I find here and there. I promise pictures once it's done. And I promise pictures of the whole island experience etc. once my laptop's fixed! (if ever)

Speaking of fixes, I have a sleeping disorder I really need to fix. Gone are the days when I could sleep till 11am. I'm no longer capable of sleeping till any later than 7 a.m. I wake up at 6.30 a.m. on the dot every single day, regardless of what time I need to get to work. (some days I start at 8 and some days I start at 9.30)

ANYWAY, I think this is a reasonably long (and boring) 2 posts after a couple months of non-activity. If anyone wants to send me anything that will reach me before the 23rd of January 2008, this is my add: PO Box 37, Reef View Hotel Hsk, Hamilton Island, QLD, 4803, Australia. My location after that date is still undetermined.