"Maam, I am going out to get some groceries. Is there a curfew? Do I need to get back by certain time?" I asked the porter. I had just checked into my university accommodation and was going out with my fellow coursemates to get some household essentials considering we just arrived in Leicester, UK. I had to get beddings (no, I didn't bring my pillow on the 13 hour flight from KL), pails (I need to wash), bla, bla, bla. You know-lah, the sort of things which you need to start afresh in a place miles away from home.

Coming from staying at a hostel in a private college in Kuala Lumpur where there was a curfew (you need to be back by 11pm failing which the gates would be LOCKED!) unless you obtained a prior written consent from the warden, I was a little apprehensive about the requirements in the university.

The porter looked up from her desk, gazed at me with a puzzled look as if I've been in some form of imprisonment all these while, and said "No love. We don't have curfews here. You can do anything you like and come back anytime you want. You don't even have to tell me what you want to do. Just don't do anything illegal" with a wink.

Woohoo! Freedom! I am finally being treated as an adult! I wonder what about our 40,000 or so fresh undergraduates who'd just registered themselves into our local universities. Got curfew or not?