Hello all

What a fortnight it has been! So much has happened that I hardly know where to start. I guess the best place to start is a snapshot of the most memorable moments (like the alliteration?). Then a drill down into a reflection of the vicissitudes of life ... without being too philosophical because I probably don't have the insight to be and wouldn't wanna come off as a try hard ;p So now that we have a structure, let's begin:

2 weeks of conditions simulated to resemble hell. Okay, perhaps a bit too harsh of an evaluation of College but all I know is that I am now sick (and without a voice), mentally and physically drained, emotionally scarred and dreading going back in August.
On the plus side, I think I passed (fingers crossed anyway), and have a better appreciation of the legal profession. Actually that statement should be qualified because some people there were absolute pr*cks! Example, on my last day of College, I had 2 hearings. My practice one earlier in the week was hunki dori so I wasn't expecting the horror that was awaiting me. Admittedly I was slightly apprehensive considering a few people had burst into tears after some friendly grilling from the pretend magistrate. Little was I to know that my problem would be my arrogant pr*ck opponent. He spent HALF AN HOUR objecting to my affidavit - bearing in mind that most people FINISHED their entire case in 20 minutes (we were there for 40 minutes). He objected to nearly every single paragraph in my affidavit. This behaviour would have been quasi-acceptable if his objections were valid, but here I was standing up, sitting down, standing up again, sitting down etc, trying to answer the impossible. What do you say to questions such as "Why are bananas yellow?". Okay, an analogy but you catch the drift. I was getting so pissed off! So afterwards I approached the pretend-magistrate and asked him whether I was the incompetent one, and thank gosh he told me that he too was getting pissed off at his "tenuous" objections.
Moral of the story is that some people just become completely evil when put in an adversarial situation. We weren't marked on our objections, but noooooooo, he still chose to be an arrogant pr*ck. He didn't win the case anyway so suck crap ... justice was on my side - muahahahhahahaa

Watch out for yours truly in the 2005 College pamphlet. Too bad I looked like crap. I hope that do some airbrushing on me.

Realisation 1: I am terrible in stressful/pressure situations. Realisation 2: I must work on public speaking. Realisation 3: I have a speech impediment when I get nervous, "may it prease the clort" (i.e. may it please the court). Realisation 4: Classical music saved me during the fortnight ... thank you ABC FM. Realisation 5: Computers ALWAYS break down at the MOST inopportune times (thanks heaps Gregan ... again).

Spent Saturday revisiting childhood games. A few of us were at Hyde Park and it was exactly what I needed after a tough fortnight. So there we were, a bunch of 20ish year olds playing brandings and all sorts of games involving tennis balls. We must have looked like idiots! Especially when we were playing that 'spin 10 times around on 1 spot and 1st person to grab the tennis can wins' game. Oh my gawd ... I was in TEARS watching Sharlene do it. I'm talking about tears streaming down my fat cheeks laughter. Haven't laughed that long in ages!
Anyway, went for a run around Hyde Park and stopped off @ St Marys because I had never been in there before. It's an absolutely amazing place. Very majestic! Then it was on to CRAB for Bec's bday. Hope you had enough claw to last you the rest of the year Bex :)

Today I heard some bad news from a friend. Okay let's cut to the chase, Duane will be leaving our fair shores in a matter of weeks. Not such great news to woken up to. Funny how things can happen so suddenly but I guess this is where my reflection of vicissitudes bit comes in. The word 'vicissitudes' always reminds me of the 'business cycle' in macroeconomics (ooo Keynesian Theory), but I digress.

I guess it sucks seeing a door shut in front of your face, but as that lovely bell hop says to Julia Roberts in "My Best Friend's Wedding" (excellent movie that) - "When one door shuts, another door always opens". So I guess that's the angle that you have to approach the business cycle. When you are in the lower region of the business cycle, you should take comfort in the fact that the upper region is around the corner. Or even better, let's look at the Butterfly Theory: "The Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil set off a Tornado in Texas". Drawing from that, I guess that means for you Duane that you will be creating chaos in Singapore! :) So don't be too dejected, you still own the best interpretation of a pink diamond ring ;p

So it's back to work for me and since the most of the group in my next rotation have been retrenched, it should be interesting times ahead. Plus the fact that Samantha Jones has shingles does not help, considering I haven't had the pox yet.


PS: Easy kill, Cannon Fodder ;p