At the start of second year (1999) a new guy, Lee, joined the class from down the coast. The clamour to impress him was embarrassing. I had a good time in 2nd year French with him, but if you want a story that shows how rabid it all was, here's one from Home Ec[onomics].
Monday 30 June 2008
Sunday 29 June 2008
Ectal 4: Timeless Leaders Stand So Tall
You won't find anyone with anything bad to say about Mandela - he's that great. Though he could have spoken out more against Mugabe, or even against Mbeki. From what I gathered about South Africa from Modern Studies in school, Mbeki pales to Mandela. His AIDS policies have achieved nothing and he is far from politically emotive.
What I'm hearing from Sky News, is that both sides are seeking to reach a peaceful compromise to prevent total collapse in Zimbabwe. To negotiate with Mugabe would require some form of asylum from rights-violation prosecution. He's to far gone to simply step down without receiving immunity. Or are there levels of violation which are acceptable? There is no will for forceful removal. The west is too busy chasing phantoms for its own ends than to be seen to defend justice.
[142]
What I'm hearing from Sky News, is that both sides are seeking to reach a peaceful compromise to prevent total collapse in Zimbabwe. To negotiate with Mugabe would require some form of asylum from rights-violation prosecution. He's to far gone to simply step down without receiving immunity. Or are there levels of violation which are acceptable? There is no will for forceful removal. The west is too busy chasing phantoms for its own ends than to be seen to defend justice.
[142]
Wednesday 25 June 2008
Ectal 3: Once When I Was Six
I've always been fond of dismantling things to find out how they work. Reassembly didn't always succeed, though construction wasn't a problem (which is a post yet-to-come). Because of my hand at electronics, the Padre let me retune the VCR for Channel 5's launch. Behind the TV, Completely unsupervised. Emboldened by this, I later decided to dismantle an old plug. As a ten year old I was curious as to why there were three pins. Without realising the dangerous path I was on, I inserted the top pin into the socket: Nothing. I then moved onto the two lower pins. One in each hand, oblivious, I inserted the pins into the socket.
I thought the Padre had grabbed me away from what I was doing, but he had left for his night shift. After a minute sitting startled on the floor with my heart racing, aware that no-one else was in the room, I realised the thump on my shoulders was a result of hooking myself into the mains system. I couldn't understand how I hadn't stopped myself from doing something so obviously dangerous - something you think would instantly stand out as a bad idea. Whether my electrocution has anything to do with my off-the-scale skin-conductivity (as confirmed in 3rd year physics) remains a mystery.
[226]
I thought the Padre had grabbed me away from what I was doing, but he had left for his night shift. After a minute sitting startled on the floor with my heart racing, aware that no-one else was in the room, I realised the thump on my shoulders was a result of hooking myself into the mains system. I couldn't understand how I hadn't stopped myself from doing something so obviously dangerous - something you think would instantly stand out as a bad idea. Whether my electrocution has anything to do with my off-the-scale skin-conductivity (as confirmed in 3rd year physics) remains a mystery.
[226]
Tuesday 24 June 2008
Ectal 2: Clarissa Explains It All
Being the eldest to my 4 years younger brother, I've always wondered what a big sister would be like - mostly because fictional televisual families have at least a sister if not an elder one.
From the forgotten realms of my memory I remembered a girl 4 or 5 years older than me when I was halfway through primary school. She must have been a monitor (that is, a final year pupil who watches over a class during an indoor break because it's raining). For a year or s0 she looked after me until she moved to secondary school. I only saw her twice afterwards.
Early on in her first year she visited the playground during lunch. A seeming tradition since both schools are only a few minutes walk from each other, and I as well as others have done the same. The final time I saw her I was making my way back at the end of lunch, she said hi but I didn't recognise her. What really irritates me is that I can't remember her name, though I'm sure it started with L. Thank you L.
[192]
From the forgotten realms of my memory I remembered a girl 4 or 5 years older than me when I was halfway through primary school. She must have been a monitor (that is, a final year pupil who watches over a class during an indoor break because it's raining). For a year or s0 she looked after me until she moved to secondary school. I only saw her twice afterwards.
Early on in her first year she visited the playground during lunch. A seeming tradition since both schools are only a few minutes walk from each other, and I as well as others have done the same. The final time I saw her I was making my way back at the end of lunch, she said hi but I didn't recognise her. What really irritates me is that I can't remember her name, though I'm sure it started with L. Thank you L.
[192]
Saturday 21 June 2008
Ectal 1: Brownsville Turnaround on the Tex-Mex Border
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| Western Algarve, Prij, 2008 |
Something is very uneventful about this holiday; the yearly flight, the usual destinations - such is travel once Gordo Cooper went higher and farther than any other. Faced with such humdrumity (surely a better pre-existing word for that) it's no wonder I haven't posted since April beyond little observations under my minimal 500 words quotient.
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