Day 10

Had a relaxing day by myself and slept in for a bit (well, relatively if you consider sleeping till 9am as sleeping in). The others gathered in my 'previous' room (the twin bedded room i shared with E) for breakfast because that's where all our groceries were dumped before my boss went to check us into a smaller room with one single king sized bed. It wasn't too bad, as long as E or I don't snore or flop around, i think we'll managed. It even has a little balcony facing the pool where i can hang off clothes to dry. Mavellous. The only glitch was when my boss saw how 'nice' the room was, contemplated moving into that room instead with Y and D by getting in another roll-in bed. *sheesh* Some people just wants to have the better deal i guess. Thankfully no one really paid any attention.

Returned the car to the airport. E's friend was so kind to let me follow his car and then he drove me back to the hotel before both of them went off to do their own thing. The others wanted to wait for me in the hotel but then i thought, "what for?" since i am not sure if i wanted 'company'. Told them to go on ahead and do what they want while i returned the car. When i got back, relaxed abit by the pool, went for a swim, wrote wilk a postcard and ordered in room service (fantastic alfredo pasta and cheesecake $23 in all) while i watched The Sum of All Fears on cable. Hey, i could think of worse things to spend my time.

My 3 other colleagues arrived and herded off to explore shopping places (shakes head). I am perhaps the only oddball in the company. After i finished my food and movie, strolled out and hitch a free ride on the hotel shuttle to franklin street where i explored the campus of university of north carolina for 2 hours and hanged out at Ben&Jerry's for abit having a double scoops of dublin mudslide and choc chip cookie dough. YUmMmmy. And deliciously peaceful too. Without hawks preying on cheap bargains.

I know i sound terribly insolent. I really ought to be more mindful (what if any of them read this?!) but then, it is tough travelling with people not like-minded like yourself or share any similar interests. Worse still, treat you patronizingly as if you are a child and consider my main flaw to be my lack of humility. Being young does not mean i am ignorant or immature or not humble. Perhaps i am terribly ungracious because i don't really try to make myself "fit in" just for the sake of being 'normal'. Arrogant? Perhaps a tad bit but then i just don't feel like making myself liked by people whom i have no interest of. And the more i 'know' them, the least incline i am to try to do so. In a lot of ways, during normal conversations, i find myself not being understood by them because... their understanding of what interest me is so limited while i am just as uncomprehending of what's the best bargain on shoes and kiddie clothes.

Maybe, i am just too independent for these people and feel restricted in a lot of ways, which explains all these resentments but that's the way i am. I feel bound to a group which i do not enjoy being with or appreciate their so-called superior 'quality'. That irks me to some extent, hence trying as much as possible to keep aloof other than work purposes. I don't see why i ought to stay 'within' their boundaries just because we came here on the same 'mission'. So much for following group dynamics.

Won't up load any pictures today because it isn't worth the trouble lugging down my laptop when i have only got 38 pictures in my camera. Perhaps when i have more...