Twelve years

It has been twelve years since the day the world changed. Twelve years worth of children growing up knowing fear, and war, and the scourge of terror. Twelve years worth of children who were not alive to see the fateful day when civilian aircraft became weapons of war. Of all the people on Earth, I envy and pity these children the most, that they never experienced life void of a world in which terrorism and conflict play such a casual role.

A dozen years since a younger me watched the live news coverage of planes flying into buildings, of people who preferred to fall to their deaths than be burned alive, of the unleashed fury of a nation and a peoples united in their grief. A younger me was prematurely thrust to the precipice of of adulthood, was reminded of the bonds of kinship that unite the world. On that day, I felt like an American. On that day, I felt like a citizen of this planet.

I have had the honour of visiting the 9-11 memorial in New York City. It is a quiet, sombre place - no towering monuments, no gold or glitter. Two pools of remembrance, gouged out of the very flesh of New York like a scar that will never quite heal. 2,958 innocent people plucked from our midst, but not from our memory. Innocent men, women and children going about their daily lives. Firefighters, police, first responders who charged up the stairs no less valiantly than the men at Lexington and Concord, or Gettysburg, or on the beaches of Normandy. We are all the poorer that they have been taken before their time.

In this year, in the twelfth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, we conclude our military involvement in the Middle East. As we step into the unknown future, may it always be with an eye and a thought towards the events of the past that have led to our present.

Lest We Forget.

Final days

Okay, so, for Steph Wang, I'll write about my trip to PLC yesterday. ^^ Kyaa~

As usual, we had singing for the last twenty minutes of period 5. However, due to the veritable horde of people who recieved prizes (kudos to Steve, Kevin...and none of the other prize winners go onto this, so let's end it there.) we didn't actually get let out till about 1:40 or something. And singing went overtime too, but I don't mind that, since the songs this year are actually pretty awesome. I'll list the songs here:
Kasey Chambers - The Rain
Boom Crash Opera - Dancing in the storm
Toto - Africa
Ennio Morricone - Vita Nostra
Les Miserables song (I don't know, I don't care, but it's about class struggle which makes it SWEET.)
Music staff really did do a great job this year with song choice. And that human percussion bit...well, let's just hope that the whole school manages to pull it off!

Anyway, so, back to the PLC visit. So I was running mega-late already (was hoping to arrive at 2:22 at PLC the night before when I was organising), but I didn't give up hope!
Got to Richmond Station, and it was like an 8 minute wait for a Lilydale train, but like a 3 minute trip to Hawthorn Station. Managed to get lost at Hawthorn and couldn't quite get off the platform for a second, and then walked the wrong (and longer) way to the tram stop. Tram journey took literally ages, and nothing interesting to do except look at scenery, which would have been nice if I actually had a window seat. So instead I played imaginary Battlefield 2142 in my head, which is, by the by, a really good futuristic first-person shooter that, quite simply, works. Oh, except that you can camp the Titan corridors way too easily if you have the right squad (two recon with Lambert carbines, two assault with underslung rockets, two support with sentry turrets and a machineguns), making it near impossible for an assault force to get in there (especially on the longer corridors in 1 and 2). Not that any of that will mean much to...anyone, except maybe Hungy and Long. So yes.

And then when I finally got off the tram at stop 61: Presbytarian Ladies' College, it was like, massive. Seriously, huge. Fully-owned indoor heated pool, extensive gardens that get watered and look lusciously green despite the water restrictions, and giant modern buildings. The entire place just screamed rich. I felt really out of place, with my (dirty) public school blazer, scruffy shoes, white socks and pants with a hole in the right knee. And, while I've vowed to not put anything political on here, I will say this: Why can't MHS have resources that PLC evidently has? Are we any less deserving?

So, yes, Vi gave me the grand tour and...I was impressed. If I were a girl rolling in cash (which I'm not), I'd pick PLC as my institution of choice for secondary schooling. Actually, if I were a guy, I'd probably pick PLC too. Yay girls! ^^

Yesterday was the final day of classes...didn't really feel special, I guess. More just a sense of apprehension regarding exams in *gulp* one week as of today. And I did detect just a slight hint of relief in the air, as the class of 2009 gathered up their books from their final classes, and headed home for one of the final times.

Water fight on Tuesday was seriously epic, but kind of confusing and just a little disappointing. While the SRC promised a line of cones down the middle of the oval, with half the year level on either side, with a massive all-out fight, they arrived late and by then the fight had already spontaneously erupted as several small skirmishes. And not only was there barely enough time to prepare properly, but the limited amount of waterbombs that were supplied or prepared was seriously inadequate for the twenty-five minute melee. And, to Kevin, DAMN YOU for getting me. And David, WHAT THE FUCK AS IF GET ME WHILE I WAS DOWN. And Henry, HOW DID YOU MISS LONG FROM THAT CLOSE?!

Wednesday was milk run. Something about 18 year old half-dressed males drinking milk and lemon juice, then running laps, seems to stir a primal interest in the student body, because there was a massive crowd gathered to watch. That is, until the end, when milk was liberally thrown around. Oh, and watching people dance on regurgitated milk is quite sickening.

Today. The last day. Didn't actually see many of things that were done, except Hoy's office moved to the foyer and covered in post-it notes (Seriously awesome job, to whoever did that). Heard about a lot of other things, and managed to see the Vladimutch poster hanging in the stairwell near the Library as I ran up to print my resume.
Final Assembly went for three full periods plus ten minutes of recess, and despite it's undoubted entertainingness, I freely admit that I was disappointed; our planned events that would have happened during periods 2-3 did not occur as a result, and after that we were "encouraged" to leave the school with due haste. Not that we did; stood around at the front gate posturing with Long and David for a while, before Nam gave me a sip of bourbon, and I went and found the rest of the guys hanging around at lockers. Oh, and whoever stacked the tables and chairs in T30 did a great job :D
Went to Box Hill for lunch, dropping off my resume at EB (here's hoping that I get the job!). Awesome noodle place; must go there more often. Owe Hungy $5, if I ever get moneys.

Updates: Just $10 short of CoD6 now!
Mass-mailed MHS contacts regarding Team MHS online gaming clan, got a couple of new signups. Hoping for more after exams.
PLC and Macrob had their Valedictory dinners last night; hope everyone enjoyed their evenings!

A couple of "end" quotes:
"Si finis bonus est, totum bonum erit" (If the end be well, all will be well) - Gestoe Romanorum (tale LXVII)
"Whatsoever thou takest in hand, remember the end, and thou shalt never do amiss" - Ecclesiasticus (ch. VII, v. 36)
"In my end is my beginning." - Jean de la Fontaine
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." - Winston Churchill
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr
"I existed from all eternity and, behold, I am here; and I shall exist till the end of time, for my being has no end." Kahil Gibran

Beginning of the end...

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." - Winston Churchill

Sums up Year 12, doesn't it? First 18 years of our life over...tomorrow is the rest of your life. Guess we better make the most of it. You only live life once, after all. Gotta make my mark, then get out of here...the illness is life, the cure is death.

Can't believe that, 13 years ago, I was some kid in Prep who had glasses and couldn't do anything very well. Now all that's different is...I need glasses, and I still can't do anything very well. ^^ How times change...

I guess the aim of this blog was to try and explore my past, and in some respects come to terms with many of the things that happened in my life so that I can face tomorrow confident that I have mastered the past. It truly is so that he who controls the present controls the past, and he who controls the past controls the future.

~~~

Congratulations to every with cross country today :) Guess we'll find out the results on...Monday? And while every house can't come first, I wish we didn't have losers...today, everyone was a winner.

~~~

Memory of the day: Final assembly, Grade 6. The entire class stood outside the hall afterwards holding on to each other, hugging, crying, shaking hands. Even me. Song of the day is my graduation song :)

~~~

Today is the 70th anniversary of Britain and France's declaration of war on Germany, thereby beginning the Second World War. I think Australia was the next country to declare, about 30 minutes after Chamberlain announced it to the world via shortwave radio. Also happens to be Legacy week this week. I encourage everyone to go buy a badge and support our diggers. Lest We Forget.

Today

I was going to just write "Rien" and leave today's blog otherwise empty, but I realised that'd be unfair...so I'm going list out all the things I'm looking forward to this year.

October 1st - 60th anniversary of the declaration of the People's Republic of China. Should have a massive parade in Beijing - looking forward to it!
October 15th - Annual Ceremonial Parade
October 16th - Officers' Dinner
October 22nd - Muckup day. Time to start planning...
November 18th - VCE 3/4 exams finish (for me)
December 1st - Last speech night
December 3rd - Valedictory dinner
December 4th - 18th birthday

I'm pretty sure that covers everything. Can't wait for this year to be over...but I'm going to miss it. Well, actually, compared to last year, this year is easier schoolwise, but far worse socially. I'm going to miss being a kid.

Memory of the day: Personal news presentation for grade 3. I was so lacking in ideas that I wrote a story about playing cricket with my family in the front yard. It was absolutely shit. But, for my family, that was about as much together time as we got. And then in grade 5, Dad left and went to China with sister, and life's been pretty shit since then. Sure, I barely had a father figure before then, but having none at all is just crap.

Colourblindness

Congratulations to anyone who got a Services award :)
Hope you got your Formal photos today; if not, check out the Hockey Pavilion on Friday. Remember your money!
I hate my laptop.
My headphones suck.
I had an argument with a close friend and the world is going to shit.

~~~

If you grow up being taught that a specific colour is "red", but someone else is taught that it is "green", while in reality they are both the same colour...then who is right? If each truly has an inherent belief that they are correct, then neither is lying. If that is so, then both must be telling the truth. But how can they both be telling the truth if it is a mutually exclusive event? The colour is obviously either "red" or "green". Thus, either different realities exist for different people, or something must exist other than right and wrong, or true and false, or yes and no. At the same time, this something else must also be an absolute, not a "maybe".

Reality is all about perception. How you see the world around you defines what you believe. Even if that brings you into conflict with other people's perceptions, it doesn't mean either of you is wrong...rather, simply that different people live different lives in different worlds. So it's entirely possible that religion isn't a lie...but that doesn't mean it's not mass delusion.

~~~

Memory of the day: This isn't really a memory, but today is such an important day that I'm waiving that...
1st September, 1939
The Invasion of Poland
60 German divisions with 9000 guns and 2750 tanks, supported by 2300 warplanes, crush Polish resistance within two weeks. It is the continuation of the Great War, which paused 20 years earlier. Now begins the March of the Dictators in a war far more terrible.

Lest We Forget.

Insecurity

Much thanks to Hungy and Maddi for being my only followers ^^ Oh, and 0 comments on my last post was kinda disappointing. Oh well, I blame Chem SAC XD

~~~

Jokes. What is a joke? An attempt to humorise an object, person, or situation. But why? It is my ardent belief that jokes are a sort of survival tool used by people to belittle or play down or rationalise situations. But, at the same time, jokes are used to make oneself feel good by making oneself feel like they belong to the majority. It feels good to belong, and people are always afraid of being an outsider. Laughter shows other people as being ostracised, excluded, decreasing their chance of succesful reproduction. Humour is thus a biological trait to improve one's own chances of producing offspring. You make fun of those that may be fitter than you (fit in the sense of being able to produce children) because, secretly, you are afraid of them. In essence, when you make a joke, you're revealing a hidden fear, giving insight into what scares you. Every time you tell a joke, you're showing an insecurity about yourself, whether that joke be about sex, women, money, Polish people, blondes, etc. etc. You make fun of them because you're not one of them.

~~~

Just a note to everyone that professional formal photos will be on sale tomorrow at the Hockey Pavilion for $10 each; if you miss out tomorrow, they'll be around on Friday as well.

~~~

Memory of the day: Start of this year, I was on the tram on the way to Richmond pool for Senior Swimming (yes, because apparently I can't swim...). Some lady on the tram got pissed off at all the MHS kids (there were a LOT of us) for filling up the space. When Faisal tried to explain to her that he couldn't physically make more room, she started screeching about how she was "older and so deserved respect."

Sorry Ms, but respect must be earned through one's actions. What you did? Hell no am I going to respect you. Respect cannot be so freely given.

Respect for someone does not imply that you like them; rather, it acknowledges their proficiency, skill, or experience. Thus, elderly people are immediately worthy of respect due to their obvious survival skill in achieving old age; not only that, but with age comes experience. When the age gap is smaller, however, actions speak louder than words; what you do is how people will judge you. Complain loudly about a bunch of teenage boys on the train, and then demand respect? Dream on. I'd sooner respect Hitler (and I do).

Kids these days have no respect. Some Year 11 guy today called me "nigger" after I didn't throw his tennis ball back to him. Next time he does that, I swear I'm going to throw that ball into the carpark next to the N building. Why must he respect me? Because I'm older, more experienced. And while you may see a contradiction with what I have written before, I see none. Because I am older, more experienced, there is a certain baseline of respect that should be accorded to me. Through negative actions, I can revoke that respect, but upon first contact the paying of proper respect is simple politeness. Perhaps my failure to return his tennis ball in a timely manner was such a shock that all potential respect for me was lost. While you're at it, why don't you start abusing people for breathing your air?

Dreams

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one." James Anthony Froude.

Dreams are, ultimately, nothing more than an attempt by the brain to decieve itself, to persuade the rational side to be irrational, to believe in the impossible, to hope for that which will never come to pass. Give me a dream, and I will show you a two-edged sword, a broken promise, a shameless lie. But such is the power of a dream, that many a man has fallen to it's poisoned lure; Lincoln - Hitler - Mao - Obama. Look how far their dreams got them. A cold grave (or, in Hitler's case, cyanide and a 'warm' sendoff). To the common man, dreams are merely a temptation to keep them happy with their current circumstances, secure in the knowledge that there is a possibility of things getting better. But here's Reality for you. Things will never get better. Get used to your backbreaking 10 hour job, because the only way you'll get out of it is in a coffin.

~~~

It is almost impossible trying to find piano sheets for Chinese songs. If anyone can find sheet music for 甜蜜蜜 (Tian Mi Mi) by 邓丽君 (Teresa Teng), could you please send it my way? :)
On that note (haha, pun intended), song requests are always open. I'll keep them up there for a day at most, no more than one song per person per day.

~~~

Memory of the day: Year 11, Hari sends me a song by Flobots called Handlebars. I watch the video on Youtube. It's amazing, moving, touching. It's message still resonates with me today. I encourage you all to go see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuK2A1ZqoWs and decide for yourself.
I'm going to keep it at the top of my playlist for a day.

Balance

Well, since so many people disliked my music, the music player has been removed. Despite asking for people to send me songs that they liked so I could put it up there, all they did was complain. So it's gone. Shame. All this download limit and nothing to waste it on.

~~~

Everything in Nature is about balance. Male/Female. Life/Death. Black/White. Up/Down. Left/Right. Fire/Water. Earth/Sky. Right/Wrong. Hot/Cold. Good/Bad. Life will often oscillate between two extremes, but remember that, for every bad day, there is a good day coming. It's like karma, but for life, rather than for your actions. Even when things seem absolutely horrible and there's no possible way it can get any worse, all that means it that things can only go uphill from there. The glass isn't empty; it's just not full right now.

This inherent balance in Nature is applicable to everything, a sort of all-pervading state of homestasis, if you will. Balance is everything. With the good comes the bad. With the bad comes the good. You think you're happy now, but sadness is inevitable.

~~~

Passed by PLC today. Massive. Rich school. =="

~~~

Galactic Circus is freaking awesome. Thanks for the invite, Sam ^^ M9 is great. Definitely will go back there when year is over. It's like room clearance, but with a billion little kids running around. And you get to shoot them! Got the perfect plan for next time...

~~~

Had a retarded as all fuck dream. But I know not to trust my dreams. Dreams are for the foolish, the weak, those who still have hope for something better. And yet...I can't get it out of my head.

~~~

Memory of the day: First day of Year 7. Thinking that none of my class looked very intelligent, so we couldn't have been the ALP class. Then finding out that we were the ALP class. Relief on other people's faces too...guess I don't look very smart. I'm not. Thought Man-Hin and Sam were twins. :) Didn't know anyone. Lonely. Kinda got used to that, through year 7. Only contact I had with outside classes was...PE, and debating.

mp3 players

Due to a request by Hungy, today's blog will be somewhat shorter than normal. As compensation, expect tomorrow's to be longer. :)

~~~

Every morning on the train, on the bus, on the way to school, I observe all kinds of people listening to mp3 devices, totally removed from the rest of the world. It's like they've been insulated in some of kind invisible bubble, thousands upon thousands of them descending upon the city every morning like some greyish mass of humanity. But at what cost? Sure, you can swap music, and that's pretty sociable, but at the end of the day, when you're on the train with four other guys, and no-one's talking because they're all listening to music...that's just sad. This isn't like the Internet creating anti-socials, because the Internet is the greatest tool for mass communication that exists today. But mp3 players? You're just rebuilding the Tower of Babel, seperating the population in a jumble of people who are unable to communicate with one another because, even if they desired to do so, the other party would not be able to hear them. You're creating a society in which everyone listens, but no-one speaks.

Yes, I'm a hypocrite. I'll gladly don my headphones every morning, afternoon and night. But hey, what else is there to do? Silence is deafening.

~~~

Just finished the first three books of the Alex Rider series, and they're pretty good. Not as good as, say, Matthew Rielly, but still good nonetheless. Fancy gadgets, sure, but usually only one use, and rarely more than two or three each book. Anthony Horowitz can really piece together a good plot.

~~~

Note to anyone wishing to buy any of the professional pictures from the Melbourne High School Year 12 Formal 2009, they'll be available for purchase next Tuesday 1st September at the Hockey Pavilion.

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Memory of the day: Grade 6, Cross country. My vice captain and I agreed to run across the line together and so finish equal first, thus increasing the point value of our victory by a bit, and relegating the next person to measly third place. We pulled it off, handily. Looking back, I was a bit of a bastard...fun, though, that's for sure.

Bus ride

Music player has been disabled until I can find a stable host for my music files that actually links me to the page that it's located, not some download page. If you can help, that'd be great.

*update* New one added, the right side gets cut off, but have a look and see if it works. Any song suggestions are welcome :)

~~~

Francis - "I'll sleep you with some time, Vino."
Nice to see that Francis and Vino are such..."close...friends. ;)

~~~

Got to school late today...left the house at 7:42 and saw the 7:47 bus leaving. Managed to get onto a bus that came at 7:53, though, but for a while there I was completely lost. So, the question is, am I truly the bus driver of my life, or am I merely a passenger to Fate? Was thinking about it, and I think that it's a mixture of the two. Of course, everyone's life is dictated by Fate. But, along the way, I can steer it in particular directions. Think of life as a stream, constantly carving a new path. Ultimately, the stream will always flow downhill. But along the way, a variety of factors can affect the path that it takes. Rock type, soil type, plants, animals...even the tiniest ant can dam potential paths.

If you're ever lost in a really cold location, like Antarctica or Greenland, wherever the temperature is below 0 degrees Celsius, do NOT warm yourself by exercising. Exercising means sweating, and sweat will freeze, encasing your body in a suit of ice, leading to immobilization and possibly death. Something that seems to be a logical choice can have deadly consequences...even if the consequences do not logically flow on from the action. But, hey, we're humans, possibly the most irrational beings around. Which other animal will cry when their breeding partner sleeps will another individual?

Things are better now. Had a good talk, managed to work some things out. I have hope. But...will leave everything else till after exams, for both people concerned. Go get your 99.95 :)

To all you stargazers out there, for the next three weeks, Saturn's rings will be invisible as they will be lined up exactly with Earth. From one side to the other, those rings are 300,000km wide...and have a thickness of barely 15km. Happens once every 15 years...encourage you all to go take a look.

Memory of the day: 1995, four years old, in China during Autumn. Sitting on my uncle's bike as he tried to ride through mud. We got stuck. Can't remember anything else of that visit...but I remember that bike ride. Strange, what one remembers as we get older...it's not the extraordinary times, important as they are, it's the normal times, the times that all is at peace in our Universe.

Opportunities

Before I get started, I just want to thank Annie for passing along the info regarding adding an mp3 player onto the Sidebar. Yes, you are extremely inspirational ^^

~~~

OJ: "As they say, the window of opportunity is very small."
Steve: "So use the door."
How often have we been so focused on the path that we have picked, the options that we see, that we forget to take a moment to see if there's a better way? Why try to climb through the window when you haven't even tried the doorknob? Is there something you haven't thought of yet? Life often leaves the keys under the doormat, the fake rock, the flowerpot. Just because we haven't found it yet doesn't mean that it isn't there.

This morning, as I was taking the train from Richmond to South Yarra, I noticed a small bird bravely flying alongside. The very next instant, that tranquil image was replaced by a train lurching past us at incredible speed. I didn't see what happened to the bird, but I knew somehow then that it was dead. Made me wonder...am I the bird or the train? Am I blindly flying to my downfall without regard for others, or am I causing the downfall of others?

I nearly finished the entire puzzle page in today's mX paper. Completed the Sudoku, Jumble, WordScrimmage, and about 3/4 of the Crossword. Simple achievement, in the greater scheme of things, but I feel more accomplished than finishing today's English SAC.

On the bus earlier, coming home from North Shore, a man on the bus pressed the stop button, but the light didn't light up. Not realising this, he got up to disembark, fully expecting the bus to stop at the next stop. Quick as a flash, the lady directly across from me hit her button and the bus stopped just in time. The man got off, never realising that he had been saved that tiny bit of trouble because of a well-meaning stranger. Made me wonder how many times I've gone through life not realising that there's someone out there looking after me, clearing the way, making things a bit easier.

Memory of the day: Year 9, first day of school, arrived late. 8:45 train from Richmond, by the time we got to school all the Year 9's were going into the Memorial Hall and we managed to tag onto the end. Nervous about new school, but Steve and Kevin were both in my class so it wasn't too bad, plus Hungy and Bill were around at recess/lunch. New beginning...felt good.

Crossroads

Just a note, before I get into things; Peter Zhang notified me that non-members were denied access to post comments. That's now be recitified, so comment if you please :)

So here I am, on the eve of the sole English SAC for this term, and I find myself at a crossroads in life. A myriad of possibilities for the future stretch away from this one point in time...and, having paid the adequate fees, Life has kindly posted a couple of signposts. These signposts, my friends, my dear friends, have helped me rule out some paths already...others are still open. Where to go? The only thing I can do wrong...is to do nothing at all.

Been thinking of a couple of story ideas, since I like to write and it's fun to think.
First off, an alternate future set in America, in which Germany won World War I and went on to conquer the rest of the world. A group of isolated American rebels, led by the beautiful but enigmatic Emma Roosevelt, fight to throw off the yoke of the German world.
Second, well, kinda a sci-fi thriller. Theory states that telosomes, long repeat sections at the end of chromosomes, may be responsible for the ageing process; they get shorter with each reproduction, and reproduction happens with time. Thus, the length of a telosome is almost like a biological calendar. If it were possible to stop the shortening of telosomes...well, who knows.

Last senior sport session, this Thursday. It'll be a sad day...the finality of year 12 is really starting to hit home. I'm going to miss looking forward to the physical exertion that Thursday afternoons always promised. European handball...my new favourite sport. Not any good at it, but it's fun.

Heavy rain, today. Hail, in some parts. I hope all you guys out there in hail-affected regions are alright, staying safe. Just Nature letting us know she isn't especially pleased, right now. Spring's coming, so sunny days are just ahead :) Wish I could say the same for Year 12. Or my life in general, actually.

Memory of the day:
Day before Good Friday, 1995. Easter Egg hunt. Stepped on one of the eggs, broke it. One of the girls gave me a really wierd stare. Kindergarten...good times. Didn't even worry about school, or education, or life, or girls. Just nap time. *yawn*. Could use a good nap time.

New blog

So, I've got a new blog. I'm going to do this one serious, too. Cause...well, I've grown up a bit, I think. A lot. Perception of my surroundings, of my life, has changed. I'm no longer the person I was a year ago.

Up until about a week ago, I had settled into a pretty good routine. Friends I could talk to, gossip with, trust. School was routine, life was pleasant. Even my relationship with my family had settled down to manageable levels (no more late-night arguments). Oh, how naive I was. Peace, so easily won, could not have lasted long.

I'm in some deep shit, now. Said some things I guess I shouldn't have, pursued a topic of discussion when it was clearly the wrong thing to do. Can't take back anything I've said, but hell, you've made me pay for it. I miss you. Can we please talk? Don't know if you'll even see this...don't know if you even care any more. I do. You're everything to me.

Seems like everyone's all grown up now. I mean, one moment we're playing four square in the schoolyard, getting to know each other after moving from different schools, and now we're preparing for the rest of our lives, about to seperate for the final time. Where'd all the time go? I miss being a kid. I'd give anything to go back to when nothing mattered. Carefree days of idyllic existance punctuated by brief but distant bursts of reality. Memory is Man's greatest gift, as well as his greatest curse.

A close friend said to me today, as she was leaving MSN for the night, that we had a good "D&M", Deep and Meaningful. Hadn't thought about it that way, to tell you the truth, but now that I look at it, that's what we had. But at the time, it just seemed like talking, no unusual emotional connections or anything. Does that mean everything I do is deep and meaningful, to someone? Maybe I need to start paying more attention to my actions (and inactions, as the case may be). Everything has an effect, even nothing.

To more physical, realistic, mundane things; Hungy gave me Firefly today! Thanks Vince, I'll get it back to you asap. Biology SAC tomorrow, I'm about a third of the way done now...and it's 12:35am. Joy oh joy. Another late night for me. Apparently I'm unblocked from Stooph/Hungy/Wong's blog, so it'll be good to catch up on the comings and goings there. It's been about 10 days since the Formal, and everyone's already moved on...biggest news of note recently is that Charles was called up to dance at Assembly (out of the 600 guys present) along with the Principal and Mr Wood, amongst others. Oh, and according to Francis, there's a hot Asian student teacher in the music department. MHS guys, I swear =="

Memory of the day: September 11, 2001.
Lucy Feng's family arrives at Melbourne International Airport from China.
Garrett's 11th birthday.
Normal Grade 4 school day.
3,017 people of various nationalities are killed in the 9/11 attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Footage of the two jumbo jets slamming into the North and South Towers are embedded in my memory. The Falling Man becomes my desktop wallpaper.