I attended the first lecture of a
college after more than 16 months! In 12° C temperature and in an alien
environment Mr William (Bill) Dunn went on about Noise and Vibration Handling
in Automobiles as the slide show jumped around the 10 51'' screens around
the room. It was a dream come true, listening about what I've always fascinated
since childhood. And time passed like an F-type Jag during the 2 hour session.
In an extremely different and a new
experience I saw students sit with Starbucks cups and iPads attending an
academic discourse. With people from all over the world in a strength of
merely a half century it was a wonder to watch them do what even I was doing,
in their own way; attend the lecture! The Chinese have a problem with language,
and I later found out, the iPads in their hands weren't the only devices
functioning during the course. The small what looked like boxes, were audio
recorders, with LEDs burning red throughout the session, imbibing the
professor's words. It could be described as an effort to listen, but more
precisely passion to understand. The chaps I hear are extremely hard
working, and never fail to achieve what they desire. Didn't know there was
anything more I could do to be like them! But, there you go.
Overall the first lecture was quite
a summary of what's to come. As I whisked through the days in West Midlands,
'life is a learning curve' made so much more sense to me. With visits to
Birmingham where I found the lacking family bliss and the one visit (so far) to
Drayton Park there have been so many things I never thought I would do. From
having my brother's comments and mimics to laugh about during bedtime, I have
switched to my Lenovo as my pre-sleep entertainment and with all the JBL sound
system and dual graphics, it doesn't even come close to filling that void! The
beauty of the original, is in the originality of its beauty. But as different as it is, I have
to make this life a new original and it has been good so far.
Another dimension to it has been my
part time workplace Kumon, where little kids with plenty to learn and little to
lose come for hope and guidance in academics, which in turn is provided by a
few assistants. One such assistant post was required to be filled and my ironed
formal shirt with a short math test did the trick. It is a brilliant place to
work, with children aged 3-16 study and suddenly from being in uniform waiting
for the teacher's remarks, here you are, a table under your hands and authority
flowing through the red ink with an anxious face 14-18 years younger, staring
at you. And a meaningless star shape on the front page lights the child's face
up like a firework at midnight. So little the things, so much the weight! You
only know the change when you feel it.
Arsenal are flying high at the
moment and with all my fingers crossed I do not want to say much and jinx it,
but it is a place a Gooner always wanted to be since years now, and as I said
in the previous post more than a year ago, The Boss has certainly answered his
questions, up to a little luck and the players now. (touch wood!) A little
activity in the January market wouldn't hurt, if anything would improve the
steel and help us. There are stories flying everywhere, one summer target
surely seems to have his teeth in place now, signing a contract with Liverpool.
But the strangest of things have happened, this is football. Who will come? Will
someone come? It just kills to go through this time anxiously awaiting and
speculating. But at the end of the day, we all know, Arsène knows best!
The year-end approaches and it ends with many new beginnings. The tunnel has
started and it's time to work if there is to be any light at the end of it. As
long as all's well, until next time!
