The true stories of me

Yesterday, I woke up at 4am to catch the 5am train to Dublin. To do the US visa applications. TROUBLESOME

Trains costs 3 times the fare of a bus. But I had to get it cos it was the only thing that would get me there in time for my 10am visa interview appointment. No idea what that interview was about, but I had visions of something like what I usually have for viva/oral exams- sitting in a stuffy office with stuffy people trying to explain your way out of a situation.

So I got to Dublin in good time. Took a LUAS tram thingie, which was really cool. It's like an electric tram much like those you see in movies of San Francisco, but this one was silent and like a speed train..only running on overhead cables, and having to abide by traffic lights and morning traffic.

When I got on, I was sandwiched by some dozens of people who also got on the same stop. If I was in London or something I would be clutching my bag to my ears practically because of pickpockets, but somehow Ireland still manages to stay a safe place. In Rome, I would probably have lost my wallet, phone and sunnies by the time I was un-sandwiched. Which thankfully sandwiching only lasted about 4 stops.

Then came having to take the train to my US embassy place. Which why isn't it in the city centre I wonder? Anyway, the train was uber confusing, and unless you actually lived in Dublin, you wouldn't have known which train to take at all. I just went by instinct and a lot of direction-asking. Or well, in truth, it was more of looking-lost and having people tell you that it's the last stop for this train so you'd better get off and get the next train. Which was what happened. I had to wait for another train at some random stop. Not really knowing if I was heading in the right direction or not. But this African guy in a business suit looking really professional told me it was in the right direction. So safe la.

The train station was icky. Smelled of petrol which made my head spin. Waited for a good 10 minutes before the right train showed up. It was then that I decided I didn't like the train at all. And it was called the DART. Let me tell you....It barely 'darted'...moving at such a slow pace, it actually gave me some sightsee-ing vantage points of outside the city centre.

Anyway, I got to my train destination stop 20 minutes to 10 and got off and followed the directions to the US embassy. While I was walking along that street, I caught a glimpse of a mob at the end of the street. Well, not exactly a mob. Just a lotta people queueing up. I thought they were having some kinda peaceful riot or something. Only to get to the end of the street to discover that I was supposed to join the queue to actually get into the US embassy. It was practically a fort with only one guard station with probably a shatter-proof window where we had to state our purpose. We had to show that we had all the documents needed for our visa application and then was given a pass. It was overall a very surreal experience. Having to queue out in the street with bustling traffic and rumbling buses passing practically inches from where we stood.

For an hour.

.....and the ironic thing was that the US embassy sent us a letter saying to not get there more than 10 minutes prior to our appointment time. PFffft...

So finally we got in and there was more queueing.

And finally then we get our "interview"

Which was just like a conversational question about what I was studying in Ireland with a guy at a counter who was speaking to me through a glass window, making his voice not quite audible..

Righttt....all that for 5 minutes audience with some clerk.

Well, at least he was nice, unlike those Malaysian passportiers who scowl and growl at you for wanting to have your passport renewed.

Anyway...right now I'm passportless.

I then met up with my friend Alison and we went medical book shopping and then had fabulous lunch at an Italian restaurant. Gourmet pizzas and pastas for only 9.50! I was stuffed then! My first real meal of the day too. Refreshed, we then went window-shopping a little. And then it was time for me to head home. Train ride home wasn't as bad as the one in the morning, which didn't allow me rest at all because there was a screaming African infant who cried every other hour. The waiting in the US embassy (the non-street-queueing bit) gave me a headache as well from not only the hunger but there were more screaming and overall very annoying kids. I was panadol-popping by the time that was over.

Hmmmm...I'll have to reconsider doing peds....

Went for a dinner party when i came back. Oh, and I walked like an hour back home from the train station. Cos the buses happened to be erratic that day for some reason.

Tiredness.

Watched an hour of a tvshow and fell asleep during the last 2minutes...only to be awoken by housie who wanted to shut my door for me. I muttered something unintelligible and my door was shut. After drifting in and out of sleep..during one of the out of sleep bits, I suddenly hear something.

Very distinct sex bed-creaking sounds.

Which then made me wake up for real.

I heard it. I'm sure.

Jeez.

Perhaps I should have mentioned before that my two housies are dating.

Each other.

Jeez. My ears do not deceive. Disturbing. And then I couldn't sleep anymore. No matter how hard I tried. You know how it is..you start tossing and turning, willing yourself to sleep and then couldn't think of anything except what woke you up in the first place. And then got grossed out and then tried to sleep again. Vicious cycle. So went online til 4.30am.

Apart from the one hour of sleep I got before being awoken by housie and the random in-and-outs of sleep I got on the train..I had officially been awake for 24 hours.

And was dead beat.

Finally Zzzzzzzzzzzzz....