"YOU SHOT ME IN THE BOLLOCKS," - DWAYNE BENZIE, SPACED.

while things at chalkboard have wrapped up until around mid november, uni work and exam prep is in full flight. well, it would be in full flight if i even bothered to take off.

i always say this around exam time, and that is DON'T BLOODY STRESS - it only makes things worse. bust your ass studying from now on and after it all, you've got 3 months (yes, 3 MONTHS) to kick back and do nothing. and even if you've got a job lined up for the summer break, at least you won't be going to school.

i'll be bustin' my ass at the shop over the break, but i'll be doing plenty of chalkboard stuff as well. i've also got a few of my own projects i want to get off the ground. after that, i'll have random outings when i get the chance and hopefully do some horse-back riding and paintballing in between.

hmmm the prospect of shooting people - that's what's getting me through the exam period!

recently i've heard about people getting screwed over, or screwing over other people... and in times like that i kinda feel quite fortunate that it hasn't happend to me (yet). not that i'm hoping it ever does, but i'm glad is hasn't. trust is a funny thing, and if you're not careful, people abuse that trust.

again, it comes down to the people you associate with, and sometimes i think people know that they're about to get screwed over. there are those shady people who you know would send you up the river in an instant - but on the flipside you also know, for a fact, that there are those who would be willing to do anything to protect you. in other words, use your brain (and not your ego) when deciding on who you want to be friends with.

i went to a party the other night and had seen someone i hadn't seen for what felt like a very long time. but i was glad, relieved even, that they were exactly how i remembered, and despite the things going on in our respective lives, we would always be the same around each other. its been a bit like that the past week actually and i'm glad that i have the word "nostalgic" to describe it. because i could easily go on and on trying to talk about the past week and the feelings i've had, but that magical word sums it up perfectly. there are some things you just can't reduce to words, you have to feel it - and i'm glad that i did.

things have been looking up for those close around me, and i'm happy for them. it may not seem it some times (well, i admit a lot of the time) but i am. i am grateful to those who have been with me from way back when until now, and recently i've realised that damn, no matter what, i'll be seeing ya's 50 years down the track (if we all make it that far).

and who knows, we might even have that small country house in the middle of nowhere we used to talk about. all we need is the beer and the company, and we'll be set.

-LOki
(for the above image and others equally as amazing, check out 'real time' aussie photographers at http://www.wildlight.net/wild/home/)