November 2023

28/11/23: Long Writes About Long Nights

With a whole month past, there has been quite a few deadlines (and a few new readers to this blog as well!). With essays past and exams upcoming in the next week, my final lectures of 1st semester have been completed. Revision week is here and with no lectures and no tutorials, it gives me plenty of time to reflect on what has truly been a first semester to remember. The learning has been tremendous, with my moral and political controversies module being by far my favourite thanks to top tier lectures and an amazing tutorial group and tutor. Since my last update, a whole host of events has happened. I've continued to work hard as a student ambassador, although tour workload has slowed quite a bit. I'm still the economics representative, giving me quite a bit of recognition in the student body. I've continued to work on the website, now adding a photos section to show off my work there (marking the end of non-blog related photos here) and the projects page should have a couple of new additions by the end of the semester. In terms of leisure, my golf experiences has slowed as the workload gets rougher and the weather gets colder, but it hasn't stopped me from having going outside and having fun! Speaking of outside and fun, Breakaway's first semester of trips have concluded but Breakaway has been a major source of fun this month, from a SMART weekend offering navigation and safety skills with beautiful weather conditions in the Cairngorms and a day trip to Blair Atholl with the best conditions possible for any day but especially considering the winter timeframe. Beyond the hiking and beautiful views of Scotland, Breakaway had a Christmas dinner event to remember with proseco flowing and good times a plenty. Singing, dancing, chatting and just enjoying the black tie event on a Friday night "Christmas" in St Andrews late until the night was a great social way to kick off the weekend filled with partying activities. Meanwhile, ice hockey has really ramped up. With a first official game at Edinburgh I had to run to make a 10 minute transition from returning from SMART weekend, I was still glad to be there no matter what the results. My shots and skating feel like they are on a strong upward trend which feels really nice and to be on a team with a ton of very very good skaters has given plenty of motivation and comparison for me to keep on improving. With our second game crushing of Sheffield B, a crusade by those same teammates gave me plenty of ice time and opportunities to score a goal which I managed to not do despite so many chances. However, I got a point (I'm on the league scoreboard!), our team's "Dog of the Game" award (shown in the post game photo attached) and most importantly a strong love of the "Phoons" (formally named St Andrews Typhoons). But in terms of my schedule, nothing has matched up with my social life after lectures completed on Thursday. A ice hockey game and long night out on Thursday, then Breakaway Christmas Dinner on the night following, then a torch, bagpipes and fireworks paraded St Andrews Saturday night (another photo attached) and finally Christmas Ball, my first ball (the final photo). Christmas Ball had the Kinkell Byre hosting a massive group of students for an impressive event with an impressive venue. Jazz, acapella, free drinks and ice cream were advertised but the real highlight was the main dance floor which had two great DJs playing great music where I could really utilise my dancing skills to tear up the dance floor. It felt great to let loose on a dance floor once again, even with my quite heavy tuxedo on and I'll be looking forward to more balls in second semester as well as winter ball next year. My future is looking just as the bright as the semester I have just completed. Beyond exams, a winter trip in London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris and Chamonix for skiing and city experiences is a travel experience that I've been looking forward to all semester. And for a spring break to remember, a trip in Zermatt has been confirmed as well. St Andrews has offered me so much. So time to finish off strong in exams and have a great winter with more friends, fun and family to find. It's been a long time since that beautiful pier walk. But it'll be a lot longer until I have to say goodbye to St Andrews and that is something to be thankful for (even if Thanksgiving doesn't happen in Scotland).

October 2023

29/10/23: Raisins and Reading Rising

Well what an October it has been! Absent of the consistent blog updates, my website troubles have been solved and this is as official as a website as you can get. I'm pretty proud of it, and I'm looking forward to the growth it shows. As for activities, there are far too many to count. A first hockey game and initiation into such, despite poor performance in both was an absolute blast, my several breakaway trips in the highlands have both been eventful and beautiful and my experiences within St Andrews continue to grow every day. From jazz nights at the Union, fun times down on E floor, socials with my societies, becoming a committee member for breakaway, leading tours as an ambassador, and most specially, playing the Old Course. But the biggest event of this time period has been Raisin and Reading week it follows. While many have gone on European trips for this week (and understandably so), I stayed home besides a long weekend breakaway trip that was a blast. That week gave me time to just relax, work on various things, finish planning both my winter and spring break trips (more on that as time passes) and play the Old Course. The Old Course, with its fame posed a severe challenge and driving off of the first hole had to have been my most stressful drive ever but yet it went perfectly. In fact, that round probably had my best stretch of golf I have ever played. What a course. It really shows how lucky I am to be here. But that moment really dawned on me on Raisin Weekend. With a new academic family brought helpfully by my roommate at the last moment, I was awoken very early on a Sunday morning to have some of the most fun I have ever had, scavenger hunting, laughing and doing all sorts fun tasks and times. But the best moment was coming down to East Sands and running into the freezing North Sea just as a beautiful sun rise was hitting our eyes. The beauty was astounding that whole time on the beach and the feeling of that cold water with the view was pure ecstatic joy. What an experience. Of course, the most public highlight was the foam fight of which a trip to Edinburgh a few days prior had brought me a bottle of supply which I used the whole of, attacking both people a knew and didn't know in an array of organised chaos on St Salvator's lawn. What a time that was, what a month it has been. Halloween is coming up, winter weather and colder temperatures are upon us. And this may surprise people given my LA background, but I love winter weather. So these months are certainly going to be fun. 

6/10/23: Website and Winter

Well that's a bit longer than a week I'd say. Unfortunately, I've had quite a bit of trouble getting this website fixed and may have even more trouble in the future. Very rough times with that. My winter plans are all formulated though and they are looking to be a blast. More information on that as time passes... And this was incomplete but it's in here anyway. But it's finally fixed and this is finally a proper amihal.com/blog!

September 2023