Going home

This week has been an eventful week for me. I did lots of stuff - shopping, packing, visiting the last few places I have yet to visit, buying souvenirs, printing e-tickets for bus and flight, coordinating my transport from the airport, planning for friends' visit to Malaysia, planning for my subsequent trips, planning for gatherings in Malaysia, responding to two wedding itineraries, job hunting, house hunting, goodbye dinners, packing and repacking to go back to Malaysia. I am swamped!

I got really frustrated at some point, especially in packing. I thought I wouldn't use up the entire 20kg baggage allowance; somehow the weight builds up. It's at 26kg as I type. Fingers crossed, I hope Emirates does not charge me for the excess. Oh well, I will know in a few hours. If they do, I seriously have no idea what else to take out. I bought so many souvenirs they are just not suitable to be hand carried because they do not pass the Liquid, Aerosol and Gas (LAG) hand carry regulations either. I have a luggage full of food product. Hmm, if I really have to choose, maybe I'd throw away the biscuits or maybe hand-carry those since they do not fall under LAG.

BAA is getting stricter with the ONE piece hand-luggage policy. That means, if you have a backpack and a laptop bag, you have to choose to carry either; not both. I remember getting into an argument with one of the security officers in May over this. The check-in staff said it was okay but the security checkpoint differed! Somehow, they let me in after the short commotion. I am just leaving my laptop bag behind this time. I can't afford to lose that or spoil my day again at the airport. Come to think of it, there's never once I have good vibes going to an airport!

Trying to balance the weight between the check-in luggage and the hand-luggage is a tough feat to achieve. Already, the weight limit is at the mercy of the check-in staff. To make matters worse, I just realised I have left out one more souvenir and I need to travel to the Westminster Cathedral in London to get it. My dad wants this special key-chain and I thought of trying my luck to get it. Oh well, how heavy can this get, as compared to the items in the bag! I must also juggle with post-London Underground strike which were still affecting several lines today. I hope they're fully restored by tomorrow! Wait, I should hope I reach Heathrow!

I went to the department today to print the e-tickets for my flight. After printing, I left and as I was reaching the door, I turned and looked around the lab and bid a silent farewell in my heart. Then I went to LR3B, the classroom for our usual lectures. It was locked, as expected. I looked inside, stood there for a while, looked at the tables and chairs, it was all dark but I could still remember vividly the times when the class went on - people greeting each other, our Caribbean friends high-5-ing around, people talking about the weather, powerpoint lectures, 5 minute breaks, the high-octane discussions etc etc etc. Revisiting the places in imagination in the one year that past made me feel like I was doing a pilgrimage. I smiled to myself reminiscing those days. Zooming out, I saw my own reflection from the peeping window. I stood too long, then I said "Goodbye" in my heart and walked away.