21st July 2007 (part 2 of 3)
And then it began, the long agonizing wait, the love-hate relationship with each new book. Long-time fans will remember that the summer of 2002 came and went and still no sign of the book. When the announcement was made, I was livid, I was crestfallen and I threw tantrums. Childish; I know but I just can’t help it! Just like millions out there at that time.
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Thank goodness, there was Christopher Columbus to save the day in Dec of 2003. I still remember that I almost became my last movie with Cecil if not for that Chem paper. I remember watching it after my last O level paper (it was Geography MCQ) in Lido and I had the misfortune to sit behind a group of kiddos who sang “always look on the bright side of life” at the top of their lungs every time that ad appeared. That was the last straw for me, I swore that I am not going back to Lido ever (a promise I have kept until now)
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I still remember the promotion that the recently launched Today paper had and what my sis did to win it and other stuff we did to get those posters. Embrassing. Shall not mention it. But the joy of getting them was priceless. I was more excited about this than preparing for my graduation dinner (can you believe that?)
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Finally, summer 2003, we pre-ordered and waited and waited, with a sense of trepidation as Rowling said she was going to kill off someone. That fateful day was during the last week of the school holiday; I woke up early, ate breakfast at McDonald, collected the book, went home and studied for my Physics common test. Pathetic! So while the rest of the world grounded themselves at home to read, I did exactly the same thing but for a Physics exam. The pain was agonising, the torture was too much to bear. I sat there trying to figure out circular motion while my sis was trying to figure out Occlumency. I cursed whoever set the Chem paper that year while my sis cursed Umbridge. Ah, that week was a blur, I didn’t really remember how I got through it, but I did and emerged as a stronger person. Prepared for a future that includes more waiting and waiting and waiting.
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So, we waited again with no end in sight (cuz Rowling said she will publish the next book when she is ready) and that can range from 1 to 3 years. Oh well, we were at her mercy, but we refused to go down without fighting. Letters, emails and Howlers were sent, but to no avail. But, we see a glimmer of hope in all of this darkness, this time thanks to Alfonso Cuaron during summer
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By now, we all know that movies can never replace the books, but we still flocked to the cinemas because we need to satisfy our thirst. Imagine yourself in a desert, the sight of an oasis will give you hope although deep in your heart, you know that it was just a fata morgana, because secretly you hope that it is real.
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This time, it was the first week of the June holiday. I watched on a Friday and on Saturday, I flew back home. Blissful; two things I love the most. Although the event that followed this was nothing but a series of unfortunate event. Well, you see, in our excitement for the movie, my sis and I left the house early, ate lunch and after the movie, we ate dinner. By the time we reached home, fatigued set in and against our better judgment, we decided to sleep without packing and tidying up the house. The result was a fiasco. WARNING: whatever is in the next paragraph should never reach my mum’s ears, otherwise, I will send dementors your way.
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So, we worked hard, packed and did all those things before leaving your empty for a month and as a result, we arrived late at the airport. So late that they closed the check-in counters. Oh, the horror! My heart plummeted upon hearing the news. I shuddered at the thought of calling my mum to tell her the truth. I thank my lucky stars that there was this nice lady who tried so hard for us and I am glad to report that we did get onto that plane. And from that day, I swore that I will never start packing on the day itself (a promise I have not managed to keep until this day). Just FYI, the year after that, I changed my resolution, it now said “never take a flight that is before 12 pm”
