Tuesday 27 November 2012
Tuesday 20 November 2012
Closer Now Than Light Years Ago
A fresh new look, a fresh new month, a fresh new name. Welcome back, boys and girls. I dipped off the radar for a while but I rest assured that all of you missed me and spent the last two and a half months eagerly waiting my return. I guarantee you that I am just as excited to be back as you are to have me back. I considered starting yet another blog from scratch but then I remembered that life is about accepting and building on your past rather than running from it. Slightly dramatic, yes, but you get the general idea.
And if you are a Design student, for the love of God, DON'T LEAVE IT UNTIL THE LAST FUCKING MINUTE.
So, it brings me great pleasure to introduce to you the blog formally known as Automatic for the People. You know it! You love it! Ladies and gentlemen, Blog Number Five!
[the crowd goes wild]
Like most things in life, as this blog is just beginning, another aspect of my life is ending. Another Kim Kardashian marriage? Probably. The Twilight Saga? Yes, thank God, but that is not what this post is about. In six days, I will have written my last final exam and my 13 years of primary schooling will have officially come to an end.
High school in particular does this funny thing where it feels like it takes a million years for 7:45 to turn into 14:30, but when you look back, you realise how quickly five years has flown by. Not all of my friends agree with me, but I truly can't believe it's already over.
I think of all the forgotten jokes, all of the excuses given to teachers as to why I didn't have my homework, all of the breaks spent at the Matric benches (this year, at least), all of the pointless drama that seemed so important at the time, all of the pens I've leant out that I've never seen again, all of the pens people leant to me that they never saw again, all of the claiming-a-free's, all of the Cafe Flava food, all of the mischief that my grade got up to, all of the people that have changed me in one way or another along the way, all of the bonds made, all of the lost notes, all of the hilariously stressful days before a Design project was due, all of the alcohol inspired misadventures, all of the not-giving-a-fuck's, all of the times during the soccer and rugby World Cups when the entire school would pack in Cafe Flava to watch the matches, all of the five-a-side soccer tournaments, all of the did-you-see-her-camel-toe-today's, all of the all nighters, all of the uniform inspections, all of the assemblies, all of the early morning tutorials, all of the double maths', all of the camps, all of the things that changed and all of the things that stayed the same, and I find myself unable to believe the fact that it's already over.
I think of how all of my dearest and most distant memories feel as though I lived them just five minutes ago. I think of how I never thought it would ever end, and ask myself, "It's over already? Didn't it just begin?"
I cannot speak for anyone else in my grade - we're all dealing with this a little differently. Some could not be more ready to put their high school years behind them, and I guess others wish they could go back to the start. I find myself somewhere in the middle of those two notions. I could not be more pleased that, come 5pm this Friday, I'll never have to do Afrikaans again, and I can't exactly say that I'm going to miss those double Maths periods, but I can't deny that I'm already nostalgic for the past three years of my life. They truly were the three greatest years I could have asked for. I've grown and changed so much and the reasons for that are the situations I was put in and the people who were there with me.
To future matrics, I leave the following incredibly clichéd advice:
Understand that High School will end, and that once it has ended, there's no going back. Don't waste time fighting with people. If you want them in your life, make up with them; if you don't, let them go. Study hard. A little effort and tenacity never hurt anybody. Party hard. Plan for the future, but live for the moment. Leave your past behind you. It's never too soon for you to turn things around.
Never be too afraid to laugh, and never be too afraid to cry. Let your friends know how much they mean to you. Treasure every single second you spend with them. Respect your teachers, respect your peers, respect yourself. Cherish every single memory, regardless of whether it's good or bad. Learn from your mistakes and make better mistakes next time.
High school in particular does this funny thing where it feels like it takes a million years for 7:45 to turn into 14:30, but when you look back, you realise how quickly five years has flown by. Not all of my friends agree with me, but I truly can't believe it's already over.
I think of all the forgotten jokes, all of the excuses given to teachers as to why I didn't have my homework, all of the breaks spent at the Matric benches (this year, at least), all of the pointless drama that seemed so important at the time, all of the pens I've leant out that I've never seen again, all of the pens people leant to me that they never saw again, all of the claiming-a-free's, all of the Cafe Flava food, all of the mischief that my grade got up to, all of the people that have changed me in one way or another along the way, all of the bonds made, all of the lost notes, all of the hilariously stressful days before a Design project was due, all of the alcohol inspired misadventures, all of the not-giving-a-fuck's, all of the times during the soccer and rugby World Cups when the entire school would pack in Cafe Flava to watch the matches, all of the five-a-side soccer tournaments, all of the did-you-see-her-camel-toe-today's, all of the all nighters, all of the uniform inspections, all of the assemblies, all of the early morning tutorials, all of the double maths', all of the camps, all of the things that changed and all of the things that stayed the same, and I find myself unable to believe the fact that it's already over.
I think of how all of my dearest and most distant memories feel as though I lived them just five minutes ago. I think of how I never thought it would ever end, and ask myself, "It's over already? Didn't it just begin?"
I cannot speak for anyone else in my grade - we're all dealing with this a little differently. Some could not be more ready to put their high school years behind them, and I guess others wish they could go back to the start. I find myself somewhere in the middle of those two notions. I could not be more pleased that, come 5pm this Friday, I'll never have to do Afrikaans again, and I can't exactly say that I'm going to miss those double Maths periods, but I can't deny that I'm already nostalgic for the past three years of my life. They truly were the three greatest years I could have asked for. I've grown and changed so much and the reasons for that are the situations I was put in and the people who were there with me.
To future matrics, I leave the following incredibly clichéd advice:
Understand that High School will end, and that once it has ended, there's no going back. Don't waste time fighting with people. If you want them in your life, make up with them; if you don't, let them go. Study hard. A little effort and tenacity never hurt anybody. Party hard. Plan for the future, but live for the moment. Leave your past behind you. It's never too soon for you to turn things around.
Never be too afraid to laugh, and never be too afraid to cry. Let your friends know how much they mean to you. Treasure every single second you spend with them. Respect your teachers, respect your peers, respect yourself. Cherish every single memory, regardless of whether it's good or bad. Learn from your mistakes and make better mistakes next time.
And if you are a Design student, for the love of God, DON'T LEAVE IT UNTIL THE LAST FUCKING MINUTE.
Sunday 30 September 2012
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