Now's not the best time.....

to study for 2 exams, when there are more pressing issues at hand such as the shifting out of the apartment, soaking in the last drop of seattle rain, basking in the magnificent UW architecture for a final time, worrying about summer trip and the unecessary necessary admin, and the emotional effects of saying goodbye to a city that I have called home for 6 months. Seattle isn't the most attractive place to be in the States. It is not as exciting as Los Angeles, as sinful as Las Vegas, as bustling as New York, as pristine as Washington DC, as sunny as Orlando or as intellectual as Boston. The streets aren't as clean, and the number of homeless people roaming the streets of downtown and chinatown just makes visiting these places a little apprehending at times. The weather is terribly gloomy especially for a time like summer, where we are still experiencing unbelievably low temperatures of 10 degrees celsius. Coupled with the rain, Seattlites must be pretty patient people. As a matter of fact, they are when it comes to traffic. Drivers are polite and pedestrians are king of the roads. Buses can stop for 5 minutes for bus drivers to aid a wheelchair bound passenger get snug into his seat without impatient remarks from fellow passengers or drivers waiting behind the buses.

Besides the generally polite nature of Seattlites, the city of Seattle also has much to offer. With homegrown companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, Adobe, and Starbucks just to name a few, the city has a strongly rooted culture. It also has its charms in its neighborhoods such as the arty farty Fremont, and the University district, therein lies the University of Washington. I will definitely miss the times walking to school, when on a good day, the ever elusive cascade Mountains and Mount Rainier to the south will emerge from the clouds and fog, leaving behind a breathtaking scene to remember. There are the cherry blossoms, the ducks and squirrels and migratory birds and the gothic architecture of the University, they too eased the morning blues and dragginess that school brings. I will also miss the IMA, a facility that's in a class of its own and its badminton courts which helped fostered many friendships in my stay here.

But now's not the time for nostalgia too, and given the short amount of time I have left in Seattle which I would spend most of it doing all the sorts of stuff mentioned above, I don't have much time to think about these stuff. Looking ahead, when I leave Seattle, I guess I leave this place with no regrets. I came here with a purpose. A purpose to achieve, a purpose to experience. Within the boundaries of my abilities, these purposes have been fulfilled. This might not be the last time Seattle will see of me though, and it might not be the last time I will see of Seattle....