Dim Sum Pot Luck

I wonder what it’s like when time bows to the will of men; when we never have to rush from one place to another racing against deadlines; when we have all the time in the world to do just what we needed to do – or maybe more. I can’t remember the time when I just lie on back staring into blank space without that little whisper behind my ears chanting the tunes of guilt – homework, assignments etc. One just feels that he or she is on borrowed time.

It’s the second last week now. Spring semester passes by really fast – a part of me is sad that my English class would have to come to an end but a part of me is freaking elated as I can finally get this math class over and done with. My final collection of 25 pages of essay is due no later than 5 p.m. EST next Monday and with one horrifying math final on Friday that will stretch till the fleeting edges of the evening. Now that it’s my second last week here, I couldn’t help but feel teased by nature – the trees are more verdant than they were a couple a weeks ago; the weather no longer in its unpredictable mood swings; flowers and trees pregnant with their fruits of labour, sending amazing complimentary scents across the greens, and also irritating berries on the grounds that people step on.

#1) The green pastures in front of the Angell Hall.

But I can’t wait to go. I can’t wait to leave Ann Arbor on the 27th of June after feeling rather empty despite the amazing company that I have and the rather lax schedule that I posses. I have a feeling it’s more of the bubbling excitement of Oxford than the dull lulls of Ann Arbor. What’s ironic is that I’m quenching the thirst of my solace by traveling alone along the tracks of Eastern Europe. I am trying to convince myself that it’s a process of renewal – a chance for me to take a break from my current possessions and look beyond the boundaries of my familiarities. Meeting new friends and indulging in foreign cultures for three whole weeks should just do the trick. [I just wish it doesn't have to come with a freaking huge price tag. >.<]

After all, doesn’t life start at the end of our comfort zone?

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Let me first share with you some pictures from the pot luck that Ju Shua, my successor, organized for my batch. There was a theme to the pot luck: Dim Sum. The food was amazing! Simple home cooked food peppered with sprinkles of loving dedication will make up for all the lost Ajinomoto and fanciness that come with a restaurant’s servings. And it’s even more heart warming to know that some of them stayed till 3 a.m. in the morning, trying to get the concoction right for their “Lo Mai Kai.”

As for me…my cooking prowess doesn’t stretch to such fancy stuff. So, in the name of creativity [everyone cooked something] and brandishing the scepter of comparative advantage, I decided to do what I did best: I bought wedges. XD EH! I was rushing a paper k! =P

#3) Besides the Dim Sum themed food, we had a whole assortment of other homemade delicacies! Including the egg tarts! The black box of wedges on the far left of the counter is mine. It was  the only item that was bought. =P

#4) The legions of sui mai and ‘I don’t know what the other is called.’ The pot contained Adele’s lip smacking glass noodles!

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#5) A human tug-of-war

The guy in the middle is called Lover. And the one on right of the picture is his girlfriend. She’s an unfortunate person because while most girlfriends are accorded exclusivity with their boyfriends, the lack of suitable women in our batch has prompted its members to adapt accordingly – going after guys being one of the measures. So she has no choice but to appropriate him accordingly among the various factions, earning her the reputable nickname “Rival.”

“EH! EH! Later my hand putus lah!” lamented Lover as he became the coveted object between a brief tug of war. Well, the picture doesn’t exactly elicit pain, does it?

#6) I won the prize and Rival merajuk at the corner. That’s life. Get use to it. =)

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It’s the last two weeks now. Time to get back to work.

Last 5 posts by Jian Wei

• One Minute to Midnight - January 1st, 2011
• Prophecy - December 31st, 2010
• Footprints We Leave Behind - November 4th, 2010
• Budapest: Contradictions Aplenty - August 15th, 2010
• Istanbul Day 3: Masters of Our Universe - August 11th, 2010

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