Day 1: First Day, New Drama
The semester officially began today, and it did not disappoint in terms of delivering chaos. I woke up way too early, thanks to a mix of excitement and dread.
My alarm wasn’t even necessary because my brain was already running laps thinking about new classes, new professors, and all the possibilities of accidentally embarrassing myself.
By 7:30 a.m., I was at the cafeteria, sipping a mediocre kopi-o while trying to finalise my schedule. Faisal, my roommate, strolled in, looking like he’d rolled out of bed five minutes ago.
“Eddie, you’re actually reading the syllabus? You’re one of those people, aren’t you?” he teased, grabbing a plate of nasi lemak.
“I prefer the term ‘prepared,’” I shot back.
We headed to our first lecture: Microeconomics. It was a battlefield. Everyone was scrambling for seats, forming alliances with old friends and trying to look cool in front of strangers. Awkward. I spotted Amanda—the girl I’ve had a crush on since last semester sitting near the front, chatting effortlessly with her friends. And not-so-secret crush.
Faisal and I found seats at the back, where we could observe the chaos in peace.
The lecture itself was... something. Our professor, Dr. Rahman, kicked things off with a 20-minute rant about how this semester was going to be "tough". But he also said that it was going to be "rewarding". He kept reminding us that “Economics isn’t just numbers; it’s life.” I tried my best trying to look engaged.
Faisal, of course, decided to provide commentary.
“Dr. Rahman looks like he drinks three cups of kopi-o a day,” he whispered. “Bet you five bucks he’ll mention inflation at least ten times this semester.”
I stifled a laugh and took notes.
After class, the real drama began. The campus admin office decided that today was the perfect day to shuffle schedules. I saw a ripple of panic through the hallways. Come on, guys! Why? Students were lining up, frantically checking their phones, and ranting about clashes in their timetables.
I, too, despite complaining about their overreaction, joined the mob. The reason? Amanda. Ha ha! My class had been rescheduled to clash with my History of Marketing lecture. Fantastic.
While waiting in line to fix it, I ran into Amanda.
“Crazy first day, huh?” she said, flashing that smile! That smile of hers!
“Yeah, little chaos to start the semester,” I replied, trying to sound cool. "Maybe it's a sign”
“Better be a good one,” she said.
We chatted briefly about schedules before she got called by a friend. Faisal, who was conveniently eavesdropping, nudged me.
“Smooth, Eddie. Real smooth,” he said, smirking.
By the time I got back to my room, it was late afternoon, and I was exhausted. My schedule was finally sorted, but my brain... Faisal was already sprawled on his bed, scrolling through his phone.
“So, Eddie, what’s the plan for the semester?” he asked.
“Survive,” I replied, flopping onto my bed.
Staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of excitement and anticipation. It was just the beginning. Day one of semester three was already shaping up to be unpredictable, and honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Lesson of the day: Never underestimate the power of chaos to make life interesting. Also, always double-check your schedule.