Wow. 2010 felt like a roller-coaster ride. looking back at the year, from January up to this point… just wow. Honestly. This time last year, if anyone came up to me and told me that one year later, I’d be sitting in Liverpool as a physics student, or that I’d be writing a blog post about what a year it’s been , I wouldn’t have believed it. Not at all.
I was at APIIT at the beginning of the year, and I did have some unforgettable moments with the guys… I remember getting repeatedly stuck on my DBDS assignment—programs crashing all over the place—but then after hours and hours of hard work with my team we finally got the program to work, and even added a couple of extra features… and it was a happy day. 
Then there were the VB assignments, and the familiar rush in the last few minutes to get the thing printed and submitted on time. I must confess that I feel a bit sorry for the printing shop-guy at Jubilee Hall. I mean the APIIT students may get stressed out four or five times a term, but that guy—he gets stressed every time there’s a submission at APIIT. Oh well, I guess he makes enough profit to more than compensate for the stress!
Possibly the most dreadful thing I had to do in 2010 was having to make that cartoon. After enduring hours and hours of Flash, and trying to make things move in a sensible way—I came to realize that animation was not my thing. But, by actually going through the process, I developed a great respect for animators. The amount of effort they have to put into making a cartoon is just—astronomical.
Around this time my parents were back from Australia and all of a sudden, my dad decided that I should give a try to apply to UK universities again. And I did. At first there was a bit of confusion—whether I should apply for microbiology, physics or continue doing IT. My maths A-levels hadn’t gone as well as I’d hoped, and my parents were worried about me taking physics. There’s something about maths exams that gives me a brain-freeze. But I realized that what I had was a rare opportunity—and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to study the stuff that I loved. It was a life-changing decision. I chose physics, and held on to it.
In July I got the chance to go to Canberra. It was nice to be back in Australia again, even for a short period of time. It brought back all sorts of memories—and I had a pretty good time even though I didn’t get to travel much.
When I came back I had to apply for UK visa. It was nerve-wreaking. I remember filling the applications very, very carefully, reading through again and again, checking every full stop—it literally took hours. And then, after an even more nervous wait at the application submission center, my application was submitted—followed by the agonizing weeks of waiting to find out the decision.
The decision never seemed to come. But then, it finally came, while I was in a bus on my way home. After that, it was just a mad rush. I had to visit my relatives, arrange my travel tickets, buy things for the travel all in the space of a couple of weeks. But things somehow worked out, and then I suddenly found myself, saying good bye to my aunt and my grandparents, hopping into (well, more like dragging myself in with all the baggage) the van and going off to the airport.
The flight went to Dubai, where I got off for a transit, and had a moment of panic when I saw all the airplane schedules in Arabic. I was doomed, I thought, but it turned out there was a big screen with the times in English a couple of feet away. In my panic, it took me a few minutes to find it. And then at the security checks, I was embarrassed because I just couldn’t get my belt to remove itself and, as if that wasn’t enough, when I had to take off the shoes I realized there were holes in my socks. What a moment. Fortunately the officers didn’t think that I was a security risk, and then I was off to Manchester.
I stayed at a lodge in Manchester that night, and returned to the airport next morning to meet up with the team from University of Liverpool. Just to add more drama, a section of the airport was closed off that day because they had found some suspicious baggage. But it was pretty uneventful.
Later that day, I arrived at the Melville Grove, unpacked and walked around to find out where the shops were. Surprisingly, I managed not to get lost.
The next week was orientation. There were so many talks for international students, and then there was another orientation into the physics department.
Following that week, we (that is, the physics students) worked in teams to come up with a mission that would take people to Mars and bring them back. Hopefully alive. In the end, our team didn’t win (even though we still think that our design was the best) so we didn’t get cool T-shirts. (But we got Mars bars. Ironic, right? 
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Then my lectures started, and I joined with the Scribble writers’ group of the Drama Society. I’m not a good writer, but being in the group allowed me to take part in two plays—something I love to do. There’s something about being on a stage that makes any other mortal experience seem pale in comparison. I still need to do a truckload (or a spaceship-load, if you find them more fancy) of work on my acting skills, but the experience was enjoyable.
I also joined the Physics Outreach Group, which conducts many physics-related workshops for school kids. I only got to take part in one workshop, but it was a rewarding experience. To see the kids (they were in grade 10 I think) actually learn something from your presentations— it’s just amazing. I also learned that corn flour, mixed with the right amount of water (so that it forms a non-Newtonian liquid), could be a source of endless fun.
And now I find myself at the end of another year—the most eventful year ever in my life—and a new year has just begun. (I started writing this in 2010, and I finished in 2011. You’re looking at a blog post that took an year to complete!) I want to take some time out to thank everyone who’s been wonderful in 2010, and to ask for forgiveness from anybody that I’ve hurt, intentionally or unintentionally. It’s ben one hell of a roller-coaster ride indeed. I still feel dizzy. Wonder what 2011 holds. Well, I guess we’ll find out!
All the best for everyone! And thanks for taking your time to visit my blog. 
Happy new year!
. If you guys can remember any tongue twisters in Sinhala or Tamil, leave them on the comments. I’d love to see them. Actually, if you know any cool tounge twisters in any language, leave them underneath. I’ll have fun trying to read them fast 
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