Melbourne - The return

I apologise for any delay in writing an entry concerning my return to Melbourne. That was three days ago, just for reference. It’s taken me three days to familiarise myself with reality and returning to commitments and normality. How poignant.

The plane trip felt longer than expected. It was actually a one-and-a-half hour flight from Sydney to Melbourne. It was slightly agonising for me, partly because I hadn’t slept at all before the flight but mainly the slight anxiety of returning home. I can’t understand why I felt the way I did and why returning home should be so bad. I left Melbourne for the sole intention of re-affirming what I need to do and how I need to schedule my life. I think the time spent away in Sydney wasn’t adequate for me to return to Melbourne yet. I wanted to stay longer and explore more.

One thing on the plane disappointed me very much. When I took my seat, I realised I was sitting next to another unknown passenger. His arms were neatly crossed underneath his well-folded jacket. I found it rather odd that he appeared so efficient and rigid in his posture during the flight. People are going to hate me for this but he appeared to be from either an Indian or shared some Indian background. I hesitated for a bit. The only thing that caused me to refrain from freaking out was the fact that I dozed off for a little while during the flight.

I was awaken by the sound of an announcement stating that we were closely arriving in Melbourne. When we had reached Melbourne, I totally forgot that I had left my book in the back-pocket of the seat in front of me. The man I referred to before stood up as we were getting ready to leave the plane and had advised me about my book. Had he not, I would’ve left the book behind of which I actually purchased in Sydney.

I felt so guilty for mentally canvassing the possibility that he could’ve posed as a threat to our flight. This is the prejudice that we as humans shouldn’t imagine. Even after he had reminded to retrieve my book, we had a short conversation. He actually was returning to Melbourne and studying at RMIT University in the city. I couldn’t believe how discriminatory I had been when this man was kind enough to remind me about my book. It still horrifies how illogical and irrational I was during that flight. Although I didn’t show any distinct or physical reaction towards the idea, it is still terrible that I presumed the worst about this absolutely normal and kind man. Even my mate agreed that it was unwarranted as well. I am repulsed about how easily prejudiced I was. I certainly need to work on that.

Now, as for my arrival in Melbourne. There’s been some difficulty in reacquianting myself with my room. Firstly, there’s the issue of cleaning it up. I really can’t be stuffed cleaning up my room right after a trip. Secondly, I have work the next day. Sigh.

At the moment, however, I’m still progressively adjusting to the daily grind of Melbourne. I’m glad that I didn’t have to return to Melbourne and to deal with both studying and working. It’s a relief that we’re still on our University break.

I don’t have much to mention in this entry but to assert that after my trip in Sydney, I have realised that time flies by very quickly. More quickly than people can imagine. We all conceptualise our own definition of how to manage time and tasks but in the end, sometimes the time we have is just not enough. Because of this, I’m learning slowly to control my time and the requirements of each day, whether it be work-related, family-related, academic-related or any other element in my life that is of great significance.

Life is short. People, including myself, need to quit thinking and start doing.