Day 7

because I don't want to sleep, not yet.

It is 4.30am, and I am writing this having just come back from our very own college ball.

It has definately been more than 7 days, but finally, I bring this series of blog posts to a close, rather fittingly, as Michaelmas term finishes.

It has been a bit of a ride this term, some highs and lows, and I can't help but think that time has passed so fast. It really feels like now, more than ever, we have to grab onto every moment, lest it be whisked away from us forever.

Balls in Cambridge are rather special, and I don't think this sort of thing is found elsewhere (save Oxford, but we shall not mention that). Imagine if you will, a whole college (or campus), turned into a wonderland of lights and beauty, for one night only. The guests, dressed in their finest; singing, laughing and dancing. This is the essence of a Cambridge ball.

Perhaps it is because I am in my final year, but I can't help but feel that each ball this year will feel bittersweet as a whole - each will be the last of its kind for me, and will march me inevitably closer to the end of my University life.

However, I have more than half a year to go yet - there is still plenty left to enjoy.

But, given the amount of alcohol I have consumed, and the position I find myself in, I can't help but reflect on the last three years of my life a little. So much has happened, and a lot of it in a way I would never expect. I have known triumph and disaster, been in good and ill health, been cast into the depths of despair, and sailed on the bright winds of hope.

I feel like I can look back however, and declare, without doubt, that these were (or are) the best years of my life so far, and I know for sure that I will miss them when I am gone.

I actually wanted the Day 7 blog to be about the social aspect of being in Cambridge, about the Formals, pennying, clubs and whatnot, but I guess it has turned into something different (no doubt due to the fact that I'm writing this at a non-existent hour of the morning).

So, given this moment of reflection, let's look back at what we have learned this week:

Cambridge students have a lot of work (if you do a proper subject). This is compounded if you decide to be the Aerodynamics team leader for a solar car racing society, and if you want to play sports too. Sleep is more important than food (in the morning at least). Cycling is dangerous because of the pedestrians and arriving at lectures in a sweaty mess is the de-facto standard. Electrical engineers write bad love poems. Examples papers rule the life of undergraduate engineers, and urinating on them is a bad idea, especially if you need to hand them in at a supervision. Nearly getting a Full Blue but choking is a painful experience, and finally, college balls are fantastic.

I'm not sure I can put into words my mood right now, but I think it can be best described as feeling that everything is right with the world. Even though there are still some parts of my life which I feel haven't really come together, I'm convinced by times like these that it will all be alright in the end.

To all my friends; it is a blessing to know you all. These were priceless times we shared, and although such joy is transient as it always is, I truly feel that it is this sort of experience that we all seek, and rarely attain.

Invariably, such times like this become inextricably linked to songs, and the one I associate with this time is by Dashboard Confessional.

We watch the season pull up its own stakes
And catch the last weekend of the last week
Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced,
Another sun soaked season fades away

Invitation only, grand farewells
Crash the best one, of the best ones
Clear liquor and cloudy eyed, too early to say goodnight

And from the ballroom floor we are in celebration
One good stretch before our hibernation
Our dreams assured and we all, will sleep well

I watch you spin around in your highest heels
You are the best one, of the best ones
We all look like we feel

Good night.