Wow, seven years. It's hard to fathom that this diary has actually been going that long. It all started 24th February, 2001 and it's been going ever since.
There's some people in my notes who I remember made me happy in the past seven years. Hopefully you already know who you are. But, I feel sad that I've stopped talking to a lot of people who happen to have left me nice notes. Sometimes people just gradually lose touch with each other. It's sad. I also found that most of the people who had left me a note now don't keep their diary updated and it had been deleted. I feel like a relic.
What prompted this reflective hour or two? I'm lonely and I needed someone to talk to. So, I ended up going through all of my old chatlogs, which go back all the way to 2003. Yes, I keep them all. Why? Maybe for moments like this when I can squeeze out a smile by reading some of them.
I found one or two people in my chatlogs and decided to readd them to my MSN contact list in the hopes that maybe I can somehow rekindle any kind of rapport we might have had in the past. I know it probably won't happen, it never does, but I like seeing how people are. I like checking in on them every now and then to see how they're getting on in life.
Even though I'm feeling quite lonely right now, I did have a good time last night so I'll try to make this entry sound a bit more upbeat now.
Last Friday, I was invited out by Emilie to go to the student union with her and her other housemates on St. Patrick's Day. I said yes so that I could feel more a part of them when I move in with them in September. I thought it'd be a good way to 'bond'.
So, I woke up at about 3:30pm yesterday and around 4:30pm, headed to get some shopping and then Emilie's around 7pm.
Only Emilie and Hannah were there and they were making something to eat so I talked to them in the kitchen for a bit. I do hope Hannah's name IS Hannah. I really can't remember. I'm very bad with names until I've actually heard someone being called it a few times.
After about 45 minutes, Kate, another of the housemates arrived. I know her name is Kate because I heard her being called that throughout the night. So that's Emily and Kate I've definitely got remembered! With Kate was Jane, her friend. Kate and Jane are in the Uni's rugby team.
According to Emilie and Hannah, Kate had gifts for them so when Kate arrived, she told them to shut their eyes. It was nothing special, just green, orange and white pompoms. They liked them. She even got one for me! She also gave me a green garter, which she put on my arm that says "Kiss me, I'm Irish!".
I had assumed that we were meant to all be going out pretty much once I had arrived, but apparantly not because it took us about another 90 minutes to get out. We were waiting for someone called Lucy to arrive and for Kate to go get dressed and whatever else. Of course, for me, as someone who doesn't actually know anyone there, I felt a little uncomfortable. I just kind of sat there focusing on the TV.
Having said that though, I did find it at least a little easier to talk to them than maybe I would have a year or two ago. I know that my confidence has definitely come up a notch and it wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it'd be.
Finally, around 8:30pm, we headed to the student union, which is only a two minute walk away from Emilie's house. It wasn't as busy as I had expected it to be, but it was still full. I bought everyone a drink, though they kept telling me I didn't have to. I wanted to, though.
I noticed that Tom was in there too and nodded in his direction and he saw me. I was going to go over to him, but thought it would be rude just yet to leave the people I was with.
It was weird being the only guy with a bunch of girls. It's a very different environment that all guys or even a mix. A group of girls tend to be much more lively and giggly and so when I wasn't lively and giggly, I felt like maybe they were thinking I wasn't having a good time with them. Emilie asked if I was ok and I said yeah, so I'm assuming I looked like I wasn't.
Another thing I noticed was that by knowing girls, you know more girls. As I said, Kate is part of the rugby team and all of her friends were there too. So that increased the number of people I was with from around five to about ten. I didn't actually talk to any of them, but I just thought it was quite interesting. Knowing friends, makes you know more friends. A similar thing happened with Emilie too, who said hi to one or two other people in there and introduced me.
We all sat down somewhere and I noticed Az was there too so I said hi to him. He and Emilie seemed to know each other, since they're both second year graphic design students. I know Az, Az knows Emilie, Emilie knows me. I like how it all comes back around.
Apparantly there had been rugby on in the day and the union had been quite full while everyone was watching it. It was due to close for an hour to clear up in time for St. Patrick's day after the rugby, but it ran on longer than it should have which meant that they couldn't close.
After about half an hour of being there, some of the union staff said that we had to clear the area because they had to clear up. While this was going on, people were starting to pour into the back area. I was feeling a little confused. I had only actually been in the union once or twice and never of a night so I was kind of looking to the others for some help.
To put a long story short, they wanted to close the union for half an hour while they cleared up and then they'd let everyone back in again. So, while they did that, we left. I was still rather confused.
The Bouverie was suggested as the place we'd go to wait for the union to open back up. It's only a two minute walk away. On the way, Emilie wanted to stop off at someone's. Olva, her name was and according to Emilie, she was in my class and knows me. I don't know anyone called Olva. However, she said she was Irish and there's only one Irish girl in my class so I guessed it must be her. I definitely have never talked to her though.
When Olva opened the door to greet Emilie, she noticed me and the rest of everyone standing at the gate. "Hi Neil!", she shouted. I said hi back, surprised more than anything! It felt good being known, if only by name.
Both Emilie and Hannah went in to see Olva and Hannah suggested I come with them. I wanted to, since I felt more comfortable with those two than Kate and her friends who I'd never met before, but I also felt strange walking into a house I'd never been in before and didn't know anyone there. So, I chose to go with Kate instead to the Bouverie.
We stayed there for about half an hour. Kate bought me a drink to say thanks for the one I had bought her. Around 8:10pm, we headed back to meet those we'd left at the house, but they followed behind us a few minutes after me and Kate carried on back towards the union.
I found Tom again and we talked for a bit. Charlie, Tom's mate also came over. We decided to have a go of this punching game, where you hit a punchbag and it'll register a score of 0-999. A few of the rugby girls were playing it while we watched. Some of them were getting 800+!
When it was our turn, Tom suggested whoever loses buys a round of drinks. I already knew that'd be me. Charlie's well built and Tom is in good shape too. And then there's me with my one pack!
�1 gets three goes so we each had one go to get a good score. I was first. I was awful. I think I got something like 250 because I half missed the punchbag. Tom was next, registering at about 650 and then Charlie at about 600. I lost. This meant I then had to go and queue up again at the bar, which took a good 15 minutes.
Olva was in the queue too so I tapped her on the back and said hi. She turned around and gave me a big hug. "Hey!", she said. It felt like she had known me forever or something, but we've never actually talked at all. I don't mind getting hugs of course!
After I'd got the drinks for Charlie and Tom, we had another go of the game and this time my score was a more respectable 650. Well, respectable for me, at least. Charlie got about the same, but Tom got 900!
We went in the back of the union after that, where Emilie and the rest were too. I seemed to be switching between Tom and co and Emilie and co through the night. It was fun having friends. Plural.
I still wasn't drunk at all, but I'd had about three or four drinks and since everyone else was dancing, I decided to too and once I was doing it, I didn't care what I looked like. However, I do feel quite sad for dancing to Baywatch, Rainbow and doing the Macarena.
I had remembered to bring my camera so I was taking photos throughout the night too and some of them look great.
I think it was at about 1am that a lot of Tom's mates and Tom himself decided to go, but I wanted to stay and found Emilie, Hannah, Olva and Az and danced with them instead.
At 1:30am, the union began to shut so we headed off home. Everyone was very drunk. I was just a little dazed. Emilie even lifted up her top for no apparant reason! "I feel like getting naked!", she said. Before we left the campus, I also gave Olva a hug and she said she'd see me on Monday in class.
As we were walking out, there was an ambulance and Jane and Kate were there. Apparantly Jane had fell and hit her head so she was getting seen to. Everyone stayed there for a few minutes before I gave Emilie and Hannah a hug and then made my way home.
My ears were ringing so very very much because I had been standing right by a speaker all night. Even when I was laying in bed, it almost sounded like the fire alarm was going off but it was just me.
So, that was my night. I'm definitely glad that I went out because it means that when I do move in with them in September, it won't be as uncomfortable and I'll already know them. I can't wait to move out of here and into there.
