Episode 1009: The Perfect Storm (Or #FML)

The news that I got a First has been vastly overshadowed by the perfect storm of my experience at Heathrow today. For some reason, Qantas has got really strict (thereby eliminating their comparative appeal vis-à-vis Emirates), and although I was one of the first people to check in, the weight allowances were strictly enforced and my carry-on was weighed. To cut a long story short, which mostly involved me looking like an idiot in the middle of the departure hall, frantically repacking, I am more than £350 poorer (I knew the surprise MOE money would come in handy for more than buying books), in order to get everything I own back to Singapore. In hindsight, I could have avoided the £132 excess baggage charge by buying a new suitcase and transferring some stuff into it, and then taking that onto the flight as my new carry-on. At that point, however, my naturally calm disposition was being tested to its limits, pretty much, and I resorted to the one method that would definitely make the problem go away, i.e. throwing money at it. Not proud of that, but frankly, I think most people in my position would have done the same if they could. Now I just want an uneventful flight home because emotionally, I'm completely spent at this point.