"I've left schools and places I didn't even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don't care if it's a sad good-by or a bad goodby, but when I leave a place I like to know I'm leaving it. If you don't, you feel even worse."
~ Holden Caulfield (protagonist of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye)
Thursday, November 18, 2010. What a memorable night that was! As memorable as it was, it seemed to go by so quickly, which is generally the case with such nights. As I said my final goodbyes to some people last night, it really dawned on me that I may never see those people again. I don't think I truly realised this while I was at school, but I will indeed miss the vast majority of the Class of 2010 at Patrician Brothers' College Fairfield.
So...where do I begin? Firstly, I'll tell you all what my formal attire consisted of. My shirt was aqua, which wasn't a popular choice of colour amongst the grade. I chose that shirt because aqua/turquoise is my favourite colour. The rest of my attire was black. Black trousers, black jacket, black skinny tie and black shoes. Oh, and a black belt [if you care to know]. Black socks [if you REALLY care to know].
Before the formal, I went to Lucas' house for a 'meet-up'. Here, I met up with Lucas, Diego, Marbo, Mendoza, Garreffa, Jordan and Nicholas. We took a few photos and had a pre-formal beer. A nice way to break the ice...if there was any at all. Jordan drove himself to the formal in his Mazda ute. You've gotta admire the guy's honest and unpretentious choice. Mendoza got driven by his mum...I think. Everyone else but Marbo and I went in a Chevy that Lucas hired (at least I think it was a Chevy. I'm hopeless when it comes to cars).My brother drove Marbo and I to the formal in his V8 Holden Commodore. His friend, Daniel Grech, tagged along in the passenger seat. My brother did speed a little...because he likes to show off, but it suited the occasion. He did a small burnout around the corner from the venue of the formal (Conca D'oro at Riverwood). Surprisingly, he beat the Chevy to the venue, even though the Chevy left ten minutes earlier.
The venue itself wasn't as nice as I was expecting. The exterior is too dull, although I didn't really have a problem with the location of the venue, like some others did. Some people didn't like how it is surrounded by shops, but I liked it, in a way. It gave the night a real suburban touch. I felt that it was too dim inside the venue, that more lighting would have been nice. Also, as many others expressed to me, the place was a bit too crammed. I felt constricted in my surroundings at times. I was on table 4 with Marbo, Lucas, Rahul, Aquilina, Garreffa, Nicholas, Mendoza and his girlfriend Tanika. There was some slight controversy with the seating arrangements, with Mr Walker telling me I had to move tables. I showed him something that I didn't show enough of during my days at school - defiance.
The food that was served to us was a bit of a mixed bag. There were two entrees available, although we couldn't choose which one we got (just like all the courses on the night, but that's understandable). I got this:
I had no idea what it was when it was put in front of me. Mendoza said it was a Caesar salad. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought, although it became too messy towards the end. The other entree was something that looked like bruschetta. It didn't look that nice at all. The main course was rather nice. I was given the stuffed chicken with potatoes and beans.
I had no idea what it was when it was put in front of me. Mendoza said it was a Caesar salad. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought, although it became too messy towards the end. The other entree was something that looked like bruschetta. It didn't look that nice at all. The main course was rather nice. I was given the stuffed chicken with potatoes and beans.
The other option was veal. For dessert, I was given a chocolate mousse tart. It wasn't that great - the pastry was too hard, and the mousse had an air of artificiality to it.
The other option looked like a cheesecake of some sort (perhaps lemon, caramel or vanilla). Not everyone ate their dessert, since they were too busy on the dancefloor. Oh, as for the dinner roll, it was rather hard - perhaps the hardest dinner roll I've ever eaten. A part of me died when someone (I think it was Lucas) took my glass halfway through the night, so that I didn't have anything to drink from for the rest of the night.
My level of social interaction wasn't the greatest last night, but I was far from being reclusive. At first, I felt socially awkward. I wasn't willing to get onto the dancefloor; I was sitting at my table - keeping quiet. I was thinking "Boy, this is gonna be a long night." As the night grew older, I found myself more willing to enjoy myself. So, I made my way onto the dancefloor, and at first, stayed near my friends. After all, I remember how eager I was to dance at my Year 10 formal, and so I didn't get why I initially felt reluctant to dance last night. I was actually surprised that no-one dragged me onto the dancefloor when one of Kesha's songs or Like a G6 came on. Cresta gave me a piece of his wisdom when I told him I was hopeless at dancing. He said "Don't worry about it. The way I see it, people may think you look stupid, but they aren't aware that they are doing the same thing." So, I moved my arms and tapped my feet like everyone else, despite not liking the music. But hey, even I will admit that there are certain occasions where up-tempo music is required. But you know what? Last night wasn't about the music; it was about celebration, and feeling good. I didn't care for what I heard, but I cared for the way it made me feel. When ABBA's Dancing Queen came on, some of the boys, including myself, formed a circle around Miss Penna - we dedicated it to her. It was a memorable moment. However, the highlight of the night for me was singing along to Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer. It provided a chance for Dom Quaranta and I to show our love for proper music. I was sweating all over, and shouting rather than singing, but I was having the most fun I'd had in a while. A truly euphoric moment. When the formal was over, my ears were ringing, and my voice was rather raspy. I didn't actually stay around to say goodbye to people, although Mr Morizzi shook my hand when I was on my way out. This surprised me, as we never really spoke that much.
Lucas' dad provided a lift for Lucas, Marbo, Diego and I to Pat's after-party. We stopped at Lucas' house first, where Lucas and I got changed into some casual gear. I had taken casual clothes to Lucas' house when I went there earlier for the meet-up. My first thought when I arrived at Pat's house was "Fuck, what a steep driveway." My alcohol consumption was very limited, as usual. Just one Corona, and a small sip of some strong vodka that Garreffa had. I felt pretty talkative and open at this after-party. I didn't feel shy or awkward, like I do at most other social gatherings. I felt like what one should feel like at a party. Hanging with Jake Cartwright for most of the night was a funny experience, especially because he kept denying that he was drunk. To his defence, he wasn't smashed. But, he was a bit tipsy. I had a good chat with Fadie, Dean and Garreffa about modern music, and how it compares to older music. I gave Brandon Tran a hug, because I may never see him again. He told me to keep up my blogs...don't worry mate - I will! I had two Red Bulls. I discovered that everything is funnier when it is sung, a theory shared by Diego. I told Joe Ida that he featured in one of my dreams the other night. Antonio said that he would try alcohol for the first time ever...but I don't think that he did. Dean was...kinda flirtatious with someone of the opposite sex (perhaps I said too much). Mendoza popped a tyre. Cresta went to go and check it out, but stacked it while jumping over Pat's fence. In Pat's basement, I mistook a bra for two surgical masks that were stuck together - embarrassing.
Marbo, Lucas, Diego and I left the party at 2:30 A.M. When I got home, everything seemed so silent. I usually stay up until 2:30 - 4:00 each night, but it never feels that quiet, or as lonely. And then I thought, the silence and the loneliness was so apparent because my night had been one of social interaction and noise. The music at the formal, the casual chit-chat at the after-party - those were the things that amplified my life for several hours last night and early this morning. Once I was home, I had no-one to talk to. My mum and brother had gone to sleep, and so I was left alone with a mind full of bittersweet thoughts, and a pair of ears that were ringing. I put on the graduation DVD that was given out at the formal, and I smiled at some of the things that I saw/read. I went to bed at 5:30 A.M.
The truth is that I enjoyed the Year 10 formal more than the Year 12 formal; however, as far as nights go, last night was a bloody good one! If I was Holden Caulfield, I would not be disappointed, because I felt like I was saying goodbye to a place last night.
A special thanks to:
- Danny Nguyen and Andrew Chea, who took the images of the food used in this blog.
- Sebastien Khouri, for putting together the graduation DVD by himself.
- Joe Maganja, for getting me to and from places last night.
- The teachers who made last night possible, in particular, Mr Walker and Miss Penna.
- Every student from the grade who made my night so enjoyable. I'm gonna miss seeing your faces.
Regards,
Steven
Lucas' dad provided a lift for Lucas, Marbo, Diego and I to Pat's after-party. We stopped at Lucas' house first, where Lucas and I got changed into some casual gear. I had taken casual clothes to Lucas' house when I went there earlier for the meet-up. My first thought when I arrived at Pat's house was "Fuck, what a steep driveway." My alcohol consumption was very limited, as usual. Just one Corona, and a small sip of some strong vodka that Garreffa had. I felt pretty talkative and open at this after-party. I didn't feel shy or awkward, like I do at most other social gatherings. I felt like what one should feel like at a party. Hanging with Jake Cartwright for most of the night was a funny experience, especially because he kept denying that he was drunk. To his defence, he wasn't smashed. But, he was a bit tipsy. I had a good chat with Fadie, Dean and Garreffa about modern music, and how it compares to older music. I gave Brandon Tran a hug, because I may never see him again. He told me to keep up my blogs...don't worry mate - I will! I had two Red Bulls. I discovered that everything is funnier when it is sung, a theory shared by Diego. I told Joe Ida that he featured in one of my dreams the other night. Antonio said that he would try alcohol for the first time ever...but I don't think that he did. Dean was...kinda flirtatious with someone of the opposite sex (perhaps I said too much). Mendoza popped a tyre. Cresta went to go and check it out, but stacked it while jumping over Pat's fence. In Pat's basement, I mistook a bra for two surgical masks that were stuck together - embarrassing.
Marbo, Lucas, Diego and I left the party at 2:30 A.M. When I got home, everything seemed so silent. I usually stay up until 2:30 - 4:00 each night, but it never feels that quiet, or as lonely. And then I thought, the silence and the loneliness was so apparent because my night had been one of social interaction and noise. The music at the formal, the casual chit-chat at the after-party - those were the things that amplified my life for several hours last night and early this morning. Once I was home, I had no-one to talk to. My mum and brother had gone to sleep, and so I was left alone with a mind full of bittersweet thoughts, and a pair of ears that were ringing. I put on the graduation DVD that was given out at the formal, and I smiled at some of the things that I saw/read. I went to bed at 5:30 A.M.
The truth is that I enjoyed the Year 10 formal more than the Year 12 formal; however, as far as nights go, last night was a bloody good one! If I was Holden Caulfield, I would not be disappointed, because I felt like I was saying goodbye to a place last night.
A special thanks to:
- Danny Nguyen and Andrew Chea, who took the images of the food used in this blog.
- Sebastien Khouri, for putting together the graduation DVD by himself.
- Joe Maganja, for getting me to and from places last night.
- The teachers who made last night possible, in particular, Mr Walker and Miss Penna.
- Every student from the grade who made my night so enjoyable. I'm gonna miss seeing your faces.
Regards,
Steven
nice blog mate... i generally agree with what you wrote and i admire your almost compulsive analysis of such occasions. you really go to a great effort in analysing the night and i enjoyed reading it. i also went to bed at that time, i was watching the movie 'Thirteen Days'.
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