People say

It's Friday night. There's Viennese Ball going on in lower campus, and I'm looking out the window seeing guys in their suit and tie with their dates for the night in their arms, with long gowns and updos that take more time to perfect than the time they're going to spend at the Ball itself. 

Mid-April is supposed to be warm, but there's still snow on the ground and everybody's silently cursing under their breath as they walk to class. People say snow, you're drunk, this is a late April Fool's, there should be sunny days by now. For my selfish reasons, I like that it's cold. Bad weather means people won't look at you weird for spending your days indoor all the time watching Game of Thrones. Cold means I can wear my winter jacket and long blue jeans because everybody else wears it too, instead of shorts and sleeveless tops I can't don.

But when I glance at my to-do list, it's my time to curse. All the assignments I need to get done, and the two exams I need to study for. People say, 'typical student life' as if what we feel is petty. All the stress we feel is just temporary. Studying and partying, how hard can it be? But they forget that just because others have it worse doesn't make our pain any less real. 

There's still 36 days till Malaysia. People say counting down only makes it worse, that the days feel like forever. I agree. But every morning I get down from my bed I look forward to erase that number, and write a smaller one than the day before. It's what keeps me going when I'm sick doing all these chore.