Post Camp

I have a feeling that Blizzard has my timetable with them, coz they release major patches when I am not free. They released WotLK a week before my finals last year... and this time, they released 3.1 the week with my camp on the weekend.

Brief outline of patch 3.1:
Ul-doo-ar raid finally opens with new bosses and hard modes. Mobs actually are HARD to go through. Bosses are harder and much more fun.
New gear, especially T8 and legendary healing mace.
Argent tornament, new means to get pets and mounts. I still do not understand the story behind it as I was too busy to explore it.
Spell/talent revamp. Mana regen nerf. I hate it, but I hope my build is still viable as before.

So there's all these new changes but I have not fully emmersed myself in all of it. Heck, due to some changes in schedule, I don't actually have time to do more than just the raid this week. Somehow I get a feeling that these are all signs that God doesn't want me playing anymore >.< Right... and the reason why I was away during the weekend: 6th Year CAMP! Originally from another batch, I started out only know a handful of people there. I got there way earlier than the rest and I was so lost in that first hour. I didn't see anyone I knew and I don't know who the rest were, so I could not find where we were supposed to meet. Only when I saw familiar faces at the registration booth that I calmed down and started enjoying myself with the food and drinks. I probably drank too much wine too fast, and I ended up with a headache for the rest of the afternoon. A slight mishap, but I immediately I made new friends. As the sun was setting, we finally made our way to the boat to get to the island. This boat was different from the one I was on last year, and there were no seats out in the open. So I couldn't get a good shot of the sunset, but this was the only thing I could muster.



The stars were emerging as we started our walk from the jetty to the dorms. I got my wish, somewhat... to walk under the stars with her. We finally made our way to the dorms. The first thing I noticed were the herd of Quokkas in the courtyard. Last year, I really wanted to get good shots of quokkas, but this overabundance was just scary. Anyway, we all found beds to sleep in (I got a single room which was good) and we got ready for the night's party. Dress code: Mad Hatters.




There was supposed to be a prize for the best hat, so I put a little bit more effort into making mine. Sadly it didn't win me the prize, but I had fun. There were really good hats, and there were party hats on the table for those who were lazy to bring their own. After dinner, we all hung around gossiping, chatting, getting quokka's drunk, etc... What I really wanted at that point in time was to leave the rowdy drunk crowd and head to the beach and walk in the cold sand with the stars in the sky. It was sad to go alone, so I didn't. Sigh.

We ended up playing asshole 'big two' which I do not like at all. The fundamental flaw in the game is the winner usually stays the winner and it is hard for the loser to move up. Although I was very much against the game, I joined in anyway. I remained in the lower half of the rankings and hated it. Luckily, they did not include shots of vodka as a punishment just yet. However, when we DID include it, some of us were too tired to continue. heh.

The night was horrible. My room was at the entrance, so there were too many people walking in and out shouting and laughing every now and then. It took me a while to get sleep in the end, but I managed to in the end. UNFORTUNATELY, I was plagued by unpleasant dreams.

The next morning, I got up to a gloomy morning. The weather forcast was said to be thunderstorm in the late morning, and I can sense the incoming storm. In all directions, you can see the rain falling in the distance. There was only small patches of sky, and occasionally we'll see a ray of golden sun seeping through, reminding me that there is always light in time of despair... cheezey, but there it was. We walked her to the jetty that gloomy morning, as she was leaving on the early boat. We said our goodbyes and I was really sad to see her go...

Rottnest

After 22km of cycling carrying 10kgs on my back, being in the cold and wet form the rain, getting painful swollen gluteus maximus from an uncomfortable seat, having friends shouting at me to hurry up, and going through 2 runned down camera batteries later...

The day started, just as any other,
But 6am on a Sunday was quite a bother,
Back aching from sleeping on the floor,
Cold damp weather seeping through the door.

Got up, got dressed, prepared nonetheless,
Packed up just as Sichang arrived with the rest,
So down to the train station we headed,
“Expect several showers,” was what we dreaded.

It rained once, on the train to Fremantle,
But when we got there, the weather looks settled,
We were all excited as we marched on board,
But the moment we sat down, we all got bored.

So we took out the cards and played ‘Bluff,’
And got seasick as the sea was rough,
It rained the second time, whilst on the ship,
I wondered how many showers we’ll have on this trip.

Luckily the rained stopped when we docked,
Straight to the bicycle hire shop we flocked,
All seems wonderful, all sunny and dry,
But it rained again, made me want to cry.


We flocked to Dome, to have some hot drinks,
Now ‘weather’ was taboo and became a jinx,
When our last companion finally arrived,
Our excitement and enthusiasm was somehow revived.

The first thing that we did on the trail we rode,
Was to get lost at the very first fork in the road,
Map-reader was blamed and we should reappoint,
But anyways, we ended up at a nice lookout point.

Victory was short-lived, as it rained again,
Got under a hut, to shelter from the rain,
Seriously, it was becoming a pain in the butt,
At least there were posters on quokkas in that hut,

Finally, “Screw it, we are wet anyway,”
Said Chua, as we were fed up to pray,
So we cycled in the pouring rain,
Both the weather and us, were insane.

There was no shelter that we could see,
But the rain stopped in 15 minutes, thankfully,
We made a stop, and took some great shots,
But it rained again, this time LOTS.

We pursued and we endured to our next stop,
Up a hill to the lighthouse at the very top,
The lighthouse was white, plain and classic,
Standing tall, but was closed to the public.

Luckily, there was a little quokka nearby,
It looked wild, but it was not at all shy,
As we said goodbye, and zoomed downhill,
King’s bicycle broke and he had a bad spill.

A 4th year, a 5th year, a 6th year and an intern,
And having no first-aid kit was a concern,
Luckily a guy passed by, with some bandages,
And King survived with abrasions and scratches.

We continued to pursue and endured,
All wet, tired, aching, and with one injured,
And the winds were strong and hammering,
Even with my weight, I was staggering.

But finally we reached the furthest cape,
Celebrating and enjoying the scenery with mouths agape,
But then it hit me with this annoying fact,
We had to cycle all the way back…

Reluctantly leaving such a beautiful place,
Making our way back to home base,
But with such an uncomfortable seat, alas,
It was, literally, pain in my ass.

After a total of 22 kilometers,
Body aching, down to all my toes and fingers,
Camera batteries were all spent,
Glad that that was the end of the torment.

We got some rest and something to munch,
And some Quokkas joined us for lunch,
Too tired and not bothered to chase them away,
Phang gave them chips to keep them at bay.

After returning the bicycles we rented,
I still felt a little discontented,
We went to the beach, to serve my need,
We found a place, with lots of seaweed.

We laid down our bags on the nice beautiful sand,
And I went to test the water firsthand,
Then I stripped down, not wanting to care anymore,
Jumped in, and was frozen to the core.

So everyone instead, decided to play with the sand,
Chua engraved our names in the sand,
Sichang architecturally made a ‘man’,
And I castrated it with a swift back-hand.

As we head back towards the jetties,
Phang exclaims that he lost his keys,
People starting to crowd, to catch the last ferry,
And it was also becoming drizzly.

Despite fighting against a horde,
We managed to get on board,
But the waves were brutal with another rain,
Making us sea sick all over again.

And at the end of the day,
Butt and back aching to my dismay,
I just want to curl up into bed,
Wishing that I had spent the day here instead.