Life lessons.

It was an interesting night to say the least. You know how the nights where nothing is planned turn out ot be the most eventful of them all? This was no exception.

Looking back though, we all should have seen it coming. But we didn't. It was an alternative part of town, and I liked that. We hipped and we hopped, we bipped and we bopped. We did it all in this bar, and much more. There was even a man there that was over 7ft. Not that its amazing or anything. Not at all.

We met a gaggle of boys (bird related metaphor wholely intended) and it just went from there. There was even a bit of ping pong involved. Ping pong in a bar? Yes. It was up there with one of the coolest bars ever. Thats before we even saw the foosball table.

The boys were nice, but a made up birthday, a round of tequila shots and a couple of pints later, (so dreaming of Ireland right now), and the mood was..... wild. The no holding back attitude seemed to catch like wild fire. (Read: that incident. The one thats hard to forget. Etched into my mind and refusing to leave).

I didn't even plan to stay, I swear, I should have left when my flat mate did. But I didn't. Choosing to stay on with my friends, the night got darker and blurrier as time passed by faster than we were able to count. Even the aftershock inducing falling rubble couldn't get us out of that bar.

An uncomfortable night on the floor of a flat (though thankfully not winter so no snowmen (snow women?) and a walk of shame later, I was home. Very tired, very dehydrated and not ready to face the day. But home.

Moral of the story: Have a LOT of fun in life. You can deal with the consequences another time.

Seriously, heaven on a Tuesday.

I will tell you a story, you may not believe it as it is really quite delightful. Deliriously so.

I am currently residing (temporarily, despite the havoc of the earthquake) in a leather bean bag. All my own. It is leather. And the leather is fantastic, really. It is neither too cold, nor too hot. Not too hard, nor too soft. It is unequivocally perfect. (Note my penchant for using words I like, sometimes scattily with my inability to decipher their true meaning, instead inventing my own).

The rain beats on the double glazed windows (truthfully, not a lie designed to further the impact of this story). And I only feel warmth. This is in part (or rather, completely) due to the heater inches from my outstretched, uncovered feet. I am also on my 3rd cup of EB, which may be of some importance. The delicious brown covered liquid seems to slide down more easily as the number rises.

I am currently blog stalking, a little obsessively, getting carried away at this time of night.

I can always study tomorrow.

......or the next day.

Blur.

Its frustrating. It's all so fuzzy. Houses have merged into the mountainous landscape, becoming one big smudge. The horizon is hard to differentiate. Where does the sky meet the sea? Its all one to me.

I don't need to clean my glasses. I think I'm going blind.

Extended holiday.

The earthquake changed a lot of things in this city. Least of all, University.

I have already had 3 weeks, this starts my fourth.

I almost don't know what to do. Almost.

There's still daytime television.

Forgotten happiness.

So did I forget to mention?

I am going to Paris to live next year.

70 percent likely.

Holy. Cow.

I. Am. Excited.

Road to recovery.

I never realised that fear is completely perpetuating. It doesn't leave you. It refuses. A human backpack of disruption, its hard to ignore.

When your safe haven, your place of refuge and comfort becomes a inescapable reality of fear, its scary. Its surreal. Almost impossible to imagine, to prepare for.

After shocks continue to haunt this city. Out of place and unavoidable, they ravage the city. Our last total was 270 though this has undoubtedly grown since. A potential animal of destruction, fear can control you. This city was unprepared, it was beyond impossible to predict.

But our city has come together, supported each other. Arms are outstretched like I never knew was possible. Mine included. Or so I like to think.

Its scary to think what Mother Nature can do, but it can bring humans together. Show us what we are capable of. A picture of resistance.

I don't yet feel safe, the ground continues to rumble below, unhappy and teeming. Teeming with destruction. But I look at people on the street, people in my neighbourhood, people everywhere, who prove that humans can do good, in the hardest of situations.

Earthquake!!!!!!

Undulating fear awoke me. Having the whole ground shift beneath you is not a normal 4.30am morning wake up call. Scrambling for the safety of my door frame, I stumble as if intoxicated. Struggling to open my door for the forces jolting this way and that, I manage to balance myself against the frame. Aware of the lack of safety this provides in a earth shattering movement, I focus on steadying myself, staying safe.

What feels like hours later, though really over a minute, it stops. The deafening roar of the earthquake subsides, though rattles on in my mind, refusing to let me forget.

Aware disaster has arrived, it presence ever present, we scour the house for signs of damage. We are lucky.

Some are not. The city is in ruins. Buildings gallore have collapsed, completely crumpled. Central city is a war torn disaster zone. State of emergency declared.

The city stumbles into activity, people beginning to respond to what was the worst earthquake in decades. Almost a century.

Sleepily coming to grips with the event,people flock into the streets in pyjamas, draped in blankets, assesing their houses and others, checking everyone is okay. Offering help, assistance, company.

This disaster has changed the city. Completely.

It's no longer my Christchurch.

It's Mother Nature's.