Are all post-IB Septembers like this?

..for IB students, at least. i wouldn't know about the year 13s of previous years, but i found this month quite depressing; i've been to the airport's departure hall one too many times this month, and the majority of which were in the past week alone.

lessee.. as previously mentioned, i saw Lukman off to Indonesia on September 1st in the morning. i nearly missed his flight because i woke up kinda late, but i eventually found out he nearly missed his flight too. when i got there, it was just him chomping on a fish burger up at RBC Fast Food all by himself, so i sat down with him, talked a few things, stole a few fries, up until it was almost time for him to leave the 'Kingdom of Boredom' (i quote somebody who's gonna deeply regret it. you know who you are). just for the hell of it, he gave me the change from his fish burger. yippee. anyway, said our good-byes, our see-you-soons, had a (manly) hug, and through the foggy door he went.

immediately the next evening, back to the airport again to see Stanley off to KL. i went back to the Fast Food place thinking he was there with Rory, but eventually spotted him elsewhere in the airport. let's face it, Brunei Airport isn't that big. anways, wished Hengsoon a safe flight, good luck, all the best, all that jazz. didn't stay for long, so i was unable to see him through the foggy door. as for how he's doing, read his blog if you haven't already, he's got interesting pics and things to say about his college life in KL.

the span of time between then and Wednesday the 19th was quite eventful. went to Tasek Merimbun (read Izzy's and Mag's blog for details and pics), spent a morning at Empire, wading about, kayaking, and most of all, getting oneself sunburnt, and watched Rogue Assassin at Empire (again).

as for Wednesday 19th, it was back to the airport yet again. it was also the first time i took my late grandad's Corolla out for a spin! way too drastic a change compared to my Challenger; harder to steer (like driving lessons all over again) and because the suspension was never taken care of, my passengers and i might as well be grazing the tarmac! but still, can't complain. coming back from that tangent, it was Izzy's turn to leave Brunei for his future's sake. for the most part, it was just Rory and me to see him off. there was a sea of people that night, and it was most endearing to swim through them. eventually, Izzy and his family arrived, and we hung out for a teeny bit, took a few pictures, and through the foggy door the went.

i spent the next few days hanging out with Rory, from playing pool like we always do, to joining him and his family at a sungkai buffet one night. he was also there at Shida's leaving party, and halfway through, we vroomed over to the airport nearby to see Kamilla off. the process was quite quick, just a group hug, some shared words, and off she went. anyway, we went back to Shida's party with Amir tagging along behind us, and were just in time to find 50 First Dates on the telly. despite how we've all already seen it (save Ms. Lai, for some reason), it was still just as funny; gotta love that Sandler feller. sadly, we didn't get to watch it to the end, so since we still had some time to kill, Rory and me went to Gadong in hopes of having one more pool game, but ended up walking around the Mall to let Rory 'take it all in' one last time until he comes home again.

so came September 23rd, Rory's turn to fly to England. unlike everyone else, he was going it alone. sounds fun. for the most part, we just talked about anything random and under the sun, until it was time for him to leave. no one said much, just lots of hugging and a tear here and there.

later that same day, i went through the hassle of getting that stupid parking ticket once more for seeing Mags off. don't get me wrong, the hassle was all well worth it, haha. anyhoo, she, too was flying solo. there were quite a few of us there to see her off, and since we were there two odd hours before her flight, we had a lot of talking going on. it was just a good thing that the rest of the airport was (eventually) just as loud, hehe. her parents were more than nice enough to offer all of us a drink, yet i was the only one holding a cup of drink in the end. oh how modesty makes a glutton out of me. we took some funny group pics and kept up the vivid conversation until the inaudible and incoherent announcer lady said something to do with England and departure: a surefire sign for Mags' time to walk through the foggy door.

and that's that. no more seeing off of anyone again for now. i solemnly swear that the next time i enter that emotion-filled place, it'll be me walking through the foggy door.

The natural way of things.

as if it's not enough that the days go by so quickly, but to make things worse, nothing bizarrely interesting happens during them; like waking up only to go back to sleep. maybe i'm all alone on this one, seeing how just about all my other fellow graduates are either leaving, have left, or have themselves a decent job, i.e. something to keep their brains ticking. can't say i envy them though.

and there i go babbling again. haven't had much of any chance to do something as obnoxious as that either. not only is there nothing to blog about, i have very few friends left in Brunei to hang out with (and babble at), and it will only get less in time to come.

but hey, on a lighter note, the past few weeks were not completely without life; there thankfully have been some past events that have occurred since the last time i blogged.

just like my thoughts and opinions on blogging many nights ago, before chekrdnickrs.blogspot.com was born, i have quite recently gotten addicted to the actually fun game that is DotA. and yeah, i do feel guilty when i think about how i used to make fun of the game and its ties to testosterone-jacked males of Asian ethnicity. if you have the opportunity, go ahead and play a few rounds. avoid the regular 'pro' players, though, there's a whole different world of the 'how' and 'why' to play up in their heads. all i can say is, rapid mouse clicking had never been so fulfilling. kudos to Shaun, Stan, Peihong and Roey for making this fun game worth spending money and time on.

went to watch Ratatouille with some leftover friends Thursday last. it was quite sad to see how what used to be as many as fifteen people on a movie-watching adventure had become a measly 4. it was still fun though. as for the movie: a completely random beginning, very lame early story, very nice ending, excellent graphics. watch it yourself if you haven't, 'nuff said.

Shahbandar excursions have been ongoing without fail, though i hate to admit i did miss one (i blame DotA for keeping me in Gadong until sunrise). again, what was once ten adventurers braving the Bruneian jungle, the number has dropped to three; Rory, Mags and me. our latest trip was quite interesting though. i hope the pic below can explain it all:



according to my tagboard, Mags has beaten me to it. we were resting at one of the huts, and after deciding that the sun was too, well, sunny where i was sitting, i moved to sit next to Rory. after some talk, Mags suddenly realized that shoelaces don't have heads or nod, and she immediately alerted us of this little serpent. it was in the vicinity of my shoe, my freakin' right foot, so obviously i jumped and jetted. i was actually more amazed than scared; three-odd months of Shahbandar-ing and we finally come across a snake. thankfully it was a small young one, but since when did size matter?

went to Manjaro in Kiulap for Baz's birthday lunch on, well, Baz's birthday. some fellow graduates were there too, and it was nice to spend some time with them again. if it weren't for the MTV on projector, the whole rustic wooden-y floors n walls routine and the second-hand smoke, i could have sworn it was like lunchtime at the PTA again.

perhaps not as light-noted as the other events, i was at the airport twice in the seven days, seeing off Lukman and then Stan. seeing off good friends is never fun, but i guess seeing them under the spotlight, their future waiting to be lived out, is worth the grimacing.

it's been two months since i passed my driving test, and i now say with pride that i can fully and properly drive on my own!! oh happy days, Brunei is mine to drive around in!

and that is that. while it has been almost a month since my last post, the next post after this one should come soon, like, tomorrow-soon. stay tuned, folks never.