Streets.

First of all, I'd just like to tip my metaphorical hat off to a fantastic season of football. A season that was so incredibly unpredictable and ridiculous that I myself would have struggled to come up with anything like it. A certain football journalist even jokingly suggested that England's Football Association might as well end football for good, 'cause it's never gonna be this great again.

Moving on now to the main point of this post: college life. It's currently my third week as a student at Nirwana College, and it's been just fine so far. I'm catching up with the lessons, the lecturers are great, I've made lots of friends, and I'll be playing futsal at the college Sports Day this weekend.

However, what I believe to be the best part of all this is all the new experiences I'm getting. Sure, more well-known names like Taylor's and Inti may offer more academically, but there are just some things you can't get at such established institutions.

For starters, the college is located within the walls of the Plaza First Nationwide, near Pasar Seni in KL. The building has 14 floors, but the numbers in the elevators go all the way up to 18. Upon closer inspection one will find that the numbers 4, 13, 14 and 15 are missing. There are four elevators, but not all of them are accessible at all times. At certain times only one or two elevators will be working, and even then some of the buttons in the elevators won't light up even when hit aggressively and repeatedly. There's a kind of elevator schedule that I haven't gotten round to working out yet.

For lunch I would go with some classmates to eat at one of the many shops in the area. And since the place is a tourist hotspot, foreigners walking around and taking photos are a common sight. Now that I mention it, even locals walk around and take photos of the place too. They're probably from out of town, I guess.

As for prayers, the building has two designated 'suraus'. Well, more like two small, empty rooms with prayer mats in them. As for Friday prayers, my friends and I would walk to the nearby Masjid Jamek, where arriving late would mean having to pray out in the open where you would be exposed to the sun and rain. That's how congested it is during Friday prayers, although that's hardly surprising when you consider the fact that the mosque is pretty much located in the heart of the city.

Walking to the college from the Masjid Jamek LRT station and back every day is, in itself, a learning experience each time. I've seen all kinds of people - beggars, roadside food sellers, office workers, and plenty of others. I've seen how crazy the traffic can get. I've learnt to cross busy roads. And I've learnt how to get a seat on the LRT ride home almost every day.

Sure, it hasn't even been a month yet. Sure, I'm probably still going through my jakun phase. And sure, I might be brimming with blind optimism. But going to Nirwana was a decision that I made, and I firmly believe that I made a correct one. Well, whatever happens, I'll just go with it. Just like I always have.