It's been quite a while since I put finger to keyboard to write a blog post. Dashed lazy of me, I must admit, but I did have my fair share of things I was busy with. Yeah, excuses, excuses, you've heard them before right? Well, here's a whole host of others, things that have kept me incessantly busy of the last few weeks. Apart from lazing around watching new episodes of Psych that is. Whaaaat! *fist bump* *Shawn-Gus look* Seriously, if you didn't get that last part, you need to watch the show. It's, as you say it, wicked!

But I have been busy. Busy meeting friends who are bent on congratulating me on getting a visa, as though I had done something splendid to get it. Guys, it's not a job interview, you don't have to leap of the page or dazzle (I've got to cut down on movie references. This one was from '21' by the way). It's not like biometrics is a fitness test or anything, that I passed and did well at it. But the sentiment is appreciated, I should add. After all, it's the feeling that counts. But even the feelings are a little confusing these days. For instance, my status 'Got my Visa! I'm going to the UK! What up... :) :) :)' got more 'like's than any of my previous status messages over my 2-3 year Facebook sojourn. Does that mean people are happy I'm leaving? I must be damned irritating. I guess it's just that they share my joy. But the next one has got to be the clincher in terms of confusing me. Everyone I meet has more or less the same question for me: "When are you leaving?" Admittedly, I'm excited about leaving for the UK, studying at Sheffield and all that, but their impatience at seeing me on my way is disconcerting. It's almost like the question you'd ask an irritating guest staying at your place, or your kid who can't seem to go out into the world and stand on his own two feet. Well, I'm just joking around here and should get to my real excuses.

I've been busy, truly busy, with documents and certificates and bank papers and all that. The Visa bit required a lot of running around, asking the bank for this document, then that, then to-and-froing to my education agent ensuring all my applications were in order and correct, and finally actually submitting my papers and leaving the rest to the Visa-granting Gods (Yeah, for those of you who didn't know, we at India are planning on a God for this too!). Then comes the whole rush for accommodation. I got an offer to stay at Opal 2. Not ever having heard of it, I had only heard of Endcliffe to be honest, I'm now busy finding out about that before I accept/reject that offer. I love the word offer. The English have found a way to make the applicant feel really good with that one word. In India, I make a 'request' for an accommodation or I 'apply' to study in a university. But in the UK, I'm given an 'offer' to study at the university after I make an application, I'm made an 'offer' for accommodation. It sure feels nice. I think I'll take Opal 2. After all, I'm being 'offered' a place to stay, albeit for 4166 GBP! Where's the PDF telling me how to make the 150 GBP deposit? Right, well, Opal it is then. Anyone else staying there for 2010-11?

Hasta Luego

- Arya Yuyutsu