U P D A T E
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"Us Brothers"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
This is my brother, mostly known as BIG KEV!!!! (Emphasis added... well, those two words are usually shouted anyway.) We've been getting into the soccer lately - I wasn't much interested in the World Cup when it last came around, but it seemed to come alive this time. I just had to take a shot of us in our ball-kicking prime (hmmm... that didn't come out right). Anyway, this was also my first attempt at using the timer to take a shot... there are at least half a dozen other photos on my hard drive now of the same scene, except all you can see is the grass in front of the camera, or the sky above our heads. Well, it came out nicely - we even look like we're standing with Heaven as the background.

"Kev Juggling"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
I think it's contagious. My brother and I saw some old guy standing in a Brazillian street, complete with green & yellow & blue uniform - juggling a soccer ball on his foot. He made it look so easy! Up, down, up again, foot twirls around the ball, and he just keeps on keeping on. And from then on, we decided we'd try to emulate that. Kev is way better than me at this.

"Memory Stick"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
Ultimately, this is the reason you're reading this sentence right now. It's my memory stick - the little purple thing that looks like a piece of gum, that stores all the photos in my camera. It can store anywhere between 130 and 2000 photos (depending on the quality you want), and also six minutes of full motion video.
Anyway, this is actually just the box.

"Pizza Pizza Pizza"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
*licks lips* I get hungry everytime I look at this photo. It's a record of the cool time my brother, sister and I had while making pizzas at home. Ohhh, it tasted so good. Hmm... I'll be back... I'm going to go raid my fridge.

"Pizza Siblings"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
Some people hate their siblings. Maybe it's just us three - I love mine! Here they are - Kev on the left, Ky (Kylie) on the right, continuing their pizza-making adventures. At the time, Ky was pouring the tomato paste on; Kev was spreading it on the pizza base; and I was, ummm, providing media support.

"The Browns"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
Mr. Brown sure looks imposing when he's handing back your Beef Price Survey with a grim look on his face. But he's a real softy on the inside. He kindly opened his house for the ISCF leaders in the last school holidays and was a champion of a host. (And guess what - I kept my shoes on when I went inside the house! Gasp!) Here's a nice little photo of Mr. & Mrs. Brown.

"The Brown Dog"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
I'm not usually big on pets - I used to have a goldfish, but he died, and then our rabbit was killed by myxomatosis. But I must to say, the Browns' dog is adorable. Unfortunately, and to my great discredit, I've forgotten his (her? Gosh, I'm terrible) name.
If you do actually know, email me.

"The Brown Sausages"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
I wonder who invented sausages. These are Mr. Brown's, on his mad little barbecue, where he showed us why you shouldn't put sappy wood in a fire (it burns like oil and puts out a lot of black smoke). I ate three.

"Those Lazy Guys"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
I don't quite remember why I named this photo what I did. All I remember is that both Jim and Anthony agreed wholeheartedly that there was no other name that could be given to a photo with subjects like them. Then again, I suppose by sheer common sense, the meaning becomes apparent.

"My Bananas"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
One thing I share with both Ramesh and Jono, is that I have a group of banana trees in my backyard. (Bet you didn't see that coming, huh?) My cluster has finally started bearing fruit - you can see a bunch of about sixty bananas right there in the middle of the photo. They should be good to harvest soon - keep an eye out for a picture of my dad cutting 'em down (I'm sure he will - he's good at these sorts of things).

"Anupam - yEr"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
This one's for you, Anupam! This one photo is a kind of symbol of all the maths periods I've had, sitting in the same seat in C2.3 next to Anupam. It's the best of times - we get pep talks from Mrs. Doyle, we play Mr. Squiggle, we do stupid things with our calculators and occasionally, we get work done.

"140 Dollar Sole"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
I love sales, especially the type where you can get good & useful stuff (mentally crosses off the name 'Morning Glory' - no, wait, don't attack me with your Blue Bear pencil case!). During the holidays, I took a trip up to Paul's Warehouse in Parramatta and caught a half-price sale. This pair of Fila shoes, though, was a display pair and so had the price written on the bottom - $140 (I picked them up for seventy). Interestingly enough, the other shoe in the same pair is marked '$120'. Oh well.

"Meteor"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
You wouldn't believe it. I was just sitting looking out the window and I saw a meteor pass through the sky, across the mottled clouds. I scrambled to get my camera - hit the power button, and took a snap as soon as I could! In a minute or so, the thing was gone, leaving behind it a trail of fading smoke. So, do you believe it? Well, you'd be in good company if you were confused! My bro and my sis couldn't tell if it was real or not. The truth is that the sky is real - taken on a Thursday assembly morning - but I made the meteor on my computer and did a little magic to put it on top of the sky. Lucasarts, here I come.

"A Party Begins"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
This is the first of many. I got to Goonie's house in Strathfield at ten in the morning and there were about seven of us, all kind of lounging around (this was the last Friday of the holidays - hey, c'mon, we need our sleep!), waiting for everyone else to arrive. I decided to seize the moment and take a few photos, plugging into Goonie's TV and using it as a gigantic viewfinder. In hindsight, this photo captures everything the party had. Magee and Harry are joking around representing the hilarious fits of laughter we were in; Akhil is up the front with a huge smile on his face representing the good times we all had; and Arjie is staring into space on the bean bag, representing how buggered we all were after playing soccer on the full-size field.

"Dark Mafia"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
'Mafia' & 'honesty' are never mentioned together in the same sentence, unless interspersed with the word 'not'. Here is a shot as the devious game begins - with John, Ashish and Aaron silhouetted against the morning sun outside. Things start off quietly, but I assure you, it gets heated very quickly.

"Big Zuo"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
Zuo is large in every way possible. Huge hair, huge hands, huge smile. I took this photo looking at Zuo through the one-inch-wide viewfinder on my camera, but when I opened up the image later on my computer screen, that big face just kind of jumped out at me and scared me half out of my chair.

"Mobile Fun"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
Mobile phones have become a big part of our society. Don't ask me what all the fuss is about - I'm perfectly content staying with my ten-kilo brick that was invented before international calls, so don't even think about it - but phones just keep getting smaller and smaller. They've even got games on them! Obviously they're more fun than playing Mafia.

"Crazy Mafia"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
This is what I'm talking about. Fingers pointing, eyes glaring, voices shouting every which way! At the time this photo was taken, I think Ramesh was about to be killed for the fifth time (he was mafia four of those times, if I remember right). I wonder if all close friendships result in this... you become comfortable, even elated, when you kill each other.

"Mafia Hunter"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
The Mafia Hunter is on the prowl. This photo was taken after the stunning conclusion to our final game of Mafia - which ended with The Mafia Hunter tracking down and nailing the last mafia (Roland). Honourable mentions go to Arjie, who didn't know which ones were mafia and which were plebs (we played without an assassin), and Ramesh, who ended up being killed six times in total (the last of which he was actually a pleb).

"Goonie, The Good Host"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
Lunchtime is the closest thing we have to kindergarten naptime, and so I love it. That's my personal reason, anyway. But, more to the point, Goonie and his parents (well, actually, just his parents) served up a storm and fed us to bursting point in their backyard. If you ever get to see them, thank Mr. and Mrs. Goonesekera (the former of which I almost called Mr. Goonie), if for no other reason than they're just plain cool.

"Aaron: Noooo"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
Poor Aaron. This is Strathfield Park, right opposite Goonie's house. Mr. Billyard's just made the best run ever - going virtually half the length of the field, beating defender after defender, even getting past the goalie who rushed him. All he has to do is tap the ball into the goal - and then disaster strikes! A mis-strike of the ball and it rolls harmlessly away, passing the goalpost, not even twenty centimetres away. Tragedy.

"SUPER Magee"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
It was over in a flash. One moment, Nguyen was lining up for a shot at goal. It was a dead certainty, headed straight for the centre. And then, there is a flicker in the side of my eye - there's a white blur that flashes straight in front of me. I raise my camera instinctively and press the button hoping for a clear shot - and suddenly the wind kicks up. When the dust clears, the ball lays motionless just in front of the goal, obviously saved by the mysterious figure. A roll of thunder passes through, and I fumble with my camera. I squint at the image, trying to recognise who the hatted figure is. Whoever he is, he has cleverly disguised his face with his arm as he indeed, saves the ball. A mystery that endures to this day.

"Mini Soccer"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
Playing soccer down at the lecture theature has some key differences to real soccer. First, it's concrete. Secondly, there are trees dotted all around the playing field. Thirdly, there are about twice as many people playing as in a normal soccer game. And fourthly, the game area is about an eigth the size of an ordinary field. This last fact was felt most acutely when we found ourselves playing on a full-field... five minutes later, we were so tired we could barely kick straight. We quickly scurried onto a smaller field.

"Got Drink"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
I mentioned being exhausted by the big soccer field at Strathfield Park. We were also real thirsty. There was one bubbler, and one small tap that you had to arch your back over triple to drink from. Funnily enough, a bunch of girls tried to commandeer our field while we were away. Harry quickly scared them away (he was only wearing a singlet).

"Uno"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
When we returned from the first soccer session, we decided to play a more relaxing game. Uno was on the menu. We quickly bored of it, realising that there was no killing in the game (the most damage we could do to someone was to tell them to 'draw four'). We soon turned to more violence with Capcom VS. Marvel. Speaking of which...

"Capcom VS. Marvel"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
Who would have thought that beating people up is so much fun in a console game. We played Capcom VS. Marvel for most of the afternoon, repeatedly ripping people to shreds with Wolverine, squishing people with Zangief, and blasting people with War Machine's big guns (everyone loved the War Machine VS. War Machine fights).

"Year Twelve Crashers"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
Everyone loves the Year Twelves. They joined the party later on, and added their own sense of humour to the party ("Hey look, in this photo of Harry, the camera automatically hid Harry's face." ... "I thought all cameras did that"), as well as eating up lots of food and beating people up on the PlayStation.

"Psychology"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
The last game played before I left was 'Psychology'. Unfortunately, I can't actually tell you how the game works - that would ruin it for you. But you can probably tell by the look on John's face that it's not a pleasant game if you get picked - especially if someone (mentioning no names Zuo!) keeps doing a Psychology.

"All The Boys"
[ Large Rainbow Version ]
I headed off at three o'clock, a touch early. But before I left, I made sure I got a shot of everyone there. Mr. Goonesekera took it for us, and just about everyone looked in the same direction. Holly Valance, though, was not my idea.