Friday 25th November 2005
The two best pieces of advice that I have received in my life (that come to mind right at this moment) are as follows:

I was about to go into grade eight at a school with no-one else I knew and I asked my neighbour Tracey the following question:
"When I get to grade eight should I be nice to the cool kids so I don't have any of the problems you get when cool kids don't like you or should I be nice to the geeks so I have good friends with similar interests?"
Her answer was: "Be nice to everyone, people will respect you for it. You also won't have to play games which will make your school life much easier."

My next big piece of advice came in first year uni when Grace told me that when you're really behind in schoolwork you skip all the stuff you don't know to be in line with the class then catch up later. Golden. I'm doing it right now.

Monday November 14
On September the 11th, 2001 I was awoken by the sound of my copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights falling off of my wall. I went out to the living room and my father and my sister were watching planes plowing into buildings. The whole thing was rather symbolic.

Here is a link to the proposed anti terrorist laws: http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/browse.aspx?path=Legislation%20>%20Current%20Bills%20by%20Title%20>%20Anti-Terrorism%20Bill%20(No.%202)%202005 Just click on 'text of the bill'.

For some summaries:
http://www.ihrc.org.uk/show.php?id=1093
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/jun2002/asio-j11.shtml
Worldwide anti-terror laws: http://www.amnestyusa.org/amnestynow/war_terrorism.html

Thursday November 10
Toowoomba was good. Actually Toowoomba itself was horrible, but I ended up having an awesome time. Got some clothes. Hung out with Paul. Hung out with Paul and Allan's friends called Seth and Leah. They were pretty tops. Hung out with Paul's parents. We ate Indian. Went swimming. Explored a Japanese garden. Explored inner city Toowoomba (didn't end up going to Grand Central or Dan Murphy's so I don't know what I'm talking about). Had a run in with hicks. Lots and lots of hicks. Hicks giving me suspicious looks. Hey, how you doing, wanna shag? Paul bought some shoes. We spent a lot of time just hanging out and talking. His parent's house is lovely. It was in Toowoomba.

Now I have a lot of work to do, so please can nobody contact me until Christmas day or after? You know, if you were going to anyway. And I'm not going to call you. Except if you're Na'aman because I already said I'd hang out with him. But that's it. I wonder if that's how you spell his name. The careful observer will note that I've spelt it differently every time he has been mentioned on this journal over the almost two years that I've known him. That's a long time Na'aman.