gordon shoved alcohol-free beer on people who were driving ('i saw the president drinking it and thought, well, the quality must have improved.") and told funny stories of how his father is such an old-timer that when he was living ten minutes from the university of richmond, and was asked by a visitor for directions to "the university," gave the man instructions to get to charlottesville. the bewildered visitor said, but this is richmond isn't it? his father: "oh you want the university of richmond. you asked for "the university" so of course i gave you directions to the university of virginia." a transfer student from purdue got a-hold of me to ask about doing a distinguished majors project on modern day diplomacy, and i suggest he do it anyway as an independent study even if it's too late to apply for honours. passion, he agreed, passion is the most important thing. (he wants to go to georgetown to do a masters in internatonal relations.) a vjc student (i made a real gaffe and said, oh are you from rj. but i think i redeemed myself giving advice on scheduling language classes.) and hearing about dorms and classes and people getting into the steam tunnels under the buildings and exploring the underground city. and gordon's elder daughter turning down uva. (we don't talk about it, he said gravely. i suppose we could drop her off at virginia and tell her it's chicago.) and later the younger generation all drew up chairs and were exchanging news and tips (men's fashion at the university, lawn rooms, roadkill on emmet street (hiok por: a deer! where did it come from? there's nowhere it could have come from without passing through a lot of human habitation. me: obviously it's a genetically-engineered one that escaped from the bio lab.) and someone who tried to steal a road sign. (current student: "she tried to hide it under her tshirt, but a cop saw and made her put it back." gordon: "i didn't hear that. and i don't want to know." "but it's not really an honour offence if the student body doesn't find it reprehensible") and i sat, slightly apart, and was absurdly contented to be part of the circle and yet outside of it, both laughing with them and participating in that conviviality, and quietly watching everyone, and remembering romping undergraduate days. later, going home on a 74, and very pleased it was an empty double decker, having got a seat at the front of the bus, and feeling free, and in a very good mood, and the bus speeding along farrer road - i haven't on this bus for years, even though i'd had to go home on it after school when i was in rj. macritchie reservoir, and cross country runs, and mount alvernia hospital, where i spent a lot of time when i was an asthmatic kid, and where i went, the day i returned last summer, to see a dying family friend. and the nursery, and the 132 stop, and underpasses and parks and braddell heights, and long walks and dates and after school dozing, and long house, and bishan park, and amk mrt, which used to be my closest station home, and very old memories overlapped with newer ones, and it was like old times, and timeless too, repeated and endless, and i liked what was ahead.
had a lovely time at the annual uva sendoff party at the kirtlands. four cakes, each iced with welcome messages: welcome first years! welcome hoos! welcome to the university of virginia! (gordon: we have dessert first, because life is uncertain.) there were darden school alumni showing off their darden tshirts,there were current students, one or two i had written to in my time, or met, and a few i have never met before, and new and transfer students about to leave for uva next week and full of questions (11 new students this year!), and students who have graduated, including a music and maths double major two years junior to me, whom i haven't seen for perhaps two or three years. it seems only a while ago that i first met her for lunch in singapore, and later she flew with me to uva for the first time - and stayed in my room until she could move into the dorms. now she has graduated for more than a year. (my name tag (orange) said, college 04. but i'm not '04! i cried, but i don't mind having being at uva longer, really.) a biochemical engineering student from uva who is doing a semester at nus, and assorted spouses and parents and children. an orgy of phototaking (uncooperative cameras and many frozen smiles) and far more food than we can possibly finish - the rice was briyani rice, not fried rice, hooray, and there was lots and lots of cilantro. i really shouldn't have had two helpings, but.