The last week
Dec. 16th, 2003 06:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustOne of the things I've learned is that you can't trust to memory alone. Given time, even the most vivid memories fade, until all you're left with are a handful of vague impressions.
But some things you don't want to forget.
The Blue Mountains
As part of the send-off for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hopexd, we wanted to take a trip to the Blue Mountains. Sadly, leenabeans couldn't make it, but the rest of us - Hope, mirness, pirochan, zero_sum, and me - drove up to Leura for a couple of days.
We left on Thursday morning. We came back on Saturday evening. It was scorchingly hot when we left Sydney, but up in the mountains it was cloudy and cool. Almost like a different world.
The cottage we stayed in was an absolutely lovely place. It was exactly like an English country cottage, cosy and comfortable. All the furniture was antique and looked handmade. There was a bay window with a window seat for reading. There was no internet. There was a tv we never switched on. We listened to music on the stereo. We sat around and talked and relaxed.
Leura is called the Garden Village. There were lava flows there once; now the soil is rich and fertile. We went walking that first afternoon. I remember how the air was full of the scent of flowers and growing things. All the gardens were carefully tended. Everything was green - not yellow, like so much of the bush, but green. I remember thinking about the green hills of England, and how everyone makes fun of the miserable English weather - but maybe you can only get that kind of greenness with that kind of rain.
There are no McDonalds in the Blue Mountains. The residents have long campaigned against them. Many shops have signs declaring "This is a Mac-free zone." I did a double take before I realised they weren't ostracising Apple users.
Leura has some fascinating shops to browse through. One of these is called The Candy Store. Inside, you can find row upon row of jars full of boiled sweets, and childhood favourites like Wizz Fiz and Nerds, and all kinds of imported confectionery from Europe and America. We went a little crazy in there - like, well, kids in a candy store. That first day, all we ate were sandwiches, rice balls, and junk food.
Mir had to go back to Sydney that afternoon to finish up some work. She returned the next day. It was raining then, and a heavy fog meant we could hardly see twenty metres ahead. Instead of going sightseeing, we went shopping in Katoomba. There was plenty to keep us engaged. Most of us managed to pick up some interesting items. My favourite place was a magic shop called Asgard, Home of the Gods. It had talismans and feathered masks and huge black fallen angel wings. We gotsentxd an orc helm there.
We had dinner at a place called the Swiss Cottage Restaurant. We got lost in the fog on the way there. I was put in mind of various horror movies, but no one seemed to appreciate my comments regarding this. (No one took up my suggestion about telling ghost stories either.) In any case, we reached the restaurant without running into any strangeness. We all had entrees and then went straight to the chocolate fondue.
Obligatory RO mention: later that evening, Hope and I made an attempt to plan out an RO tarot deck. We found matches for all of the major arcana - some were a bit tricky, and some were dead obvious. Lunakitty, for example, was the Empress, Sevenne was the High Priestess, and Lemir, for some reason, was the Devil. ^^;
The next day, the fog lifted and we drove around. We saw the view from Echo Point, which was breathtaking. The sheer cliffs that dropped into deep valleys, the mountains that went on forever - I wanted to be able to save it all in my head.
Sometimes Leura seemed a lot like a little slice of England, and this mood was reinforced when we visited Leuralla, a stately mansion built just before World War I. It housed a toy museum with an extensive collection, all antiques, and it strongly evoked that sense of another time and place. The surrounding gardens, too, were very English, and the railway museum there was probably unique.
We stopped at a cafe for Devonshire tea on the way back to Sydney. They had some of the best scones I've ever tasted - fluffy and warm, served with fresh cream and raspberry jam.
We made it back to Sydney as evening fell, and then I had to get ready for the AnimeUNSW Christmas party.
The Christmas Party
An annual event, and this time the other clubs were involved too. The party started at seven, but I didn't make it there until after nine. Just missed the Kill Bill skit, but did manage to catchmonkeydan in The Bride's yellow jumpsuit. He told me he was supposed to be cosplaying Bruce Lee.
I wasn't cosplaying this year - no time to make a costume, unfortunately - so I just wandered around and chatted to people and took photos. I particularly liked the Squall and Seifer cosplay reinterpretations. Hope and I presented the orc helm to Sent, and I also picked up my copy of the karaoke CD.
I'd expected the party to continue until past midnight, but most of the people I knew decided to retire at around eleven. I left soon after that. Just as well - I had to be up at five the next morning.
The Skirmish Session
When Hope originally asked if any of us were interested in skirmish, I put up my hand because, well, I'd never been, and it sounded like it'd be an interesting experience. But when I heard that we had to be at Blacktown by seven thirty, my first reaction was, "You've got to be kidding." Blacktown is on the far edges of Sydney, a good hour and a half away from where I live, and I am very much not a morning person.
Still, I managed to get there only a few minutes late, still ragged from lack of sleep and breakfast. I did grab two doughnuts at the train station, figuring I'd fall over without a shot being fired unless I had some kind of sugar hit to sustain me.
So we got dressed in the khakis issued to us, and strapped on vests full of ammo (ie brightly coloured paintballs), and got safety goggles we were warned to never, ever remove in the field. The other group playing with us consisted of big hulking guys who looked like they drove pickup trucks and opened beer bottles with their teeth. Our group, on the other hand, was full of skinny geeky types, including the only two girls playing. It was slightly intimidating, but the organisers split the two groups down the middle and made two mixed teams. The reason was to allow players the opportunity to shoot their friends.
After all the instructions were over, we got our guns and tramped out into the muddy fields. We played for four hours with breaks in between every few games. There were different objectives for each game, ranging from 'capture the flag' to 'last man standing'. It was hot and sweaty inside the khakis, and my boots were filthy by the end. I found that although paintballs sting hard when they hit you, the effect is momentary, and you don't feel the pain of the bruises afterward. What was worse, I think, was waking up with sore muscles everywhere the next day, simply from the intense physical exertion. It was a fun experience, but exhausting.
Things I learned from skirmish:
* Survival tactics will come to you naturally. You run low from cover to cover. You shoot through keyhole openings. It's instinct - or maybe all those action movies.
* However, it takes endurance to run around for long periods carrying a heavy weapon and a load of ammo. After a while, you realise how unfit you are.
* Trees make for crappy cover. You are not skinnier than a eucalyptus, and it will not protect you.
* Lying flat on your stomach like they do in the movies doesn't stop you from getting hit either.
* When you're cornered and alone, surrounded by multiple opponents, taunting the enemy feels incredibly good.
* Taunting the enemy is also guaranteed to piss them off. It feels less good to be hit by a violent barrage of shots.
They say it's a bad idea to make real soldiers play skirmish, because then they realise how easy it is to get shot. We all agreed that if a war came, it would be a bad idea to be in the infantry.
After the skirmish session ended, we had a barbecue lunch, which we really needed by that time. Then we each went home to clean up and get changed before Hope's farewell dinner that night.
The Farewell Dinner
We gathered at Yutaka, a restaurant that served an all-you-can-eat Japanese buffet. I'd never been there before - the food was delicious.
Most of the old gang showed up to farewell Hope. It was strange to realise how long it had been since so many of us were gathered as a group. It used to be that I would see everyone so frequently, whether at screenings or other events. Now people have other commitments, and some have moved on, and even for those who remain, it's a different atmosphere, with different dynamics.
I can't say I'd reverse the time gone by - there are people I've gotten to know much better now, and more good memories forged each day. But all the same, I couldn't help the powerful sense of nostalgia that came over me that night, and the feeling that it had been a Golden Age for us. When you're young, you don't realise that things will one day change.
I took lots of photos that night. I don't know when will be the next time we'll all be together again.
After the dinner, there was an impromptu karaoke session for those who could stay. I had to leave partway through to catch the last train. Most of the songs people chose were meaningful somehow. It was a good, low key way to finish the weekend.
The Day of Departure
Two days later, Hope was due to fly out.
A couple of us who were able to went to see her off at the airport.
We had our photos taken with the Santa there. We had some light snacks while we sat and waited. We made conversation.
When it was time, we walked with her to the departure gates, and we said our goodbyes.
***
At last the three companions turned away, and never again looking back they rode slowly homewards; and they spoke no word to one another until they came back to the Shire, but each had great comfort in his friends on the long grey road.
~ 'The Grey Havens', The Return of the King, J R R Tolkien
But some things you don't want to forget.
The Blue Mountains
As part of the send-off for
hopexd, we wanted to take a trip to the Blue Mountains. Sadly, leenabeans couldn't make it, but the rest of us - Hope, mirness, pirochan, zero_sum, and me - drove up to Leura for a couple of days.We left on Thursday morning. We came back on Saturday evening. It was scorchingly hot when we left Sydney, but up in the mountains it was cloudy and cool. Almost like a different world.
The cottage we stayed in was an absolutely lovely place. It was exactly like an English country cottage, cosy and comfortable. All the furniture was antique and looked handmade. There was a bay window with a window seat for reading. There was no internet. There was a tv we never switched on. We listened to music on the stereo. We sat around and talked and relaxed.
Leura is called the Garden Village. There were lava flows there once; now the soil is rich and fertile. We went walking that first afternoon. I remember how the air was full of the scent of flowers and growing things. All the gardens were carefully tended. Everything was green - not yellow, like so much of the bush, but green. I remember thinking about the green hills of England, and how everyone makes fun of the miserable English weather - but maybe you can only get that kind of greenness with that kind of rain.
There are no McDonalds in the Blue Mountains. The residents have long campaigned against them. Many shops have signs declaring "This is a Mac-free zone." I did a double take before I realised they weren't ostracising Apple users.
Leura has some fascinating shops to browse through. One of these is called The Candy Store. Inside, you can find row upon row of jars full of boiled sweets, and childhood favourites like Wizz Fiz and Nerds, and all kinds of imported confectionery from Europe and America. We went a little crazy in there - like, well, kids in a candy store. That first day, all we ate were sandwiches, rice balls, and junk food.
Mir had to go back to Sydney that afternoon to finish up some work. She returned the next day. It was raining then, and a heavy fog meant we could hardly see twenty metres ahead. Instead of going sightseeing, we went shopping in Katoomba. There was plenty to keep us engaged. Most of us managed to pick up some interesting items. My favourite place was a magic shop called Asgard, Home of the Gods. It had talismans and feathered masks and huge black fallen angel wings. We got
sentxd an orc helm there.We had dinner at a place called the Swiss Cottage Restaurant. We got lost in the fog on the way there. I was put in mind of various horror movies, but no one seemed to appreciate my comments regarding this. (No one took up my suggestion about telling ghost stories either.) In any case, we reached the restaurant without running into any strangeness. We all had entrees and then went straight to the chocolate fondue.
Obligatory RO mention: later that evening, Hope and I made an attempt to plan out an RO tarot deck. We found matches for all of the major arcana - some were a bit tricky, and some were dead obvious. Lunakitty, for example, was the Empress, Sevenne was the High Priestess, and Lemir, for some reason, was the Devil. ^^;
The next day, the fog lifted and we drove around. We saw the view from Echo Point, which was breathtaking. The sheer cliffs that dropped into deep valleys, the mountains that went on forever - I wanted to be able to save it all in my head.
Sometimes Leura seemed a lot like a little slice of England, and this mood was reinforced when we visited Leuralla, a stately mansion built just before World War I. It housed a toy museum with an extensive collection, all antiques, and it strongly evoked that sense of another time and place. The surrounding gardens, too, were very English, and the railway museum there was probably unique.
We stopped at a cafe for Devonshire tea on the way back to Sydney. They had some of the best scones I've ever tasted - fluffy and warm, served with fresh cream and raspberry jam.
We made it back to Sydney as evening fell, and then I had to get ready for the AnimeUNSW Christmas party.
The Christmas Party
An annual event, and this time the other clubs were involved too. The party started at seven, but I didn't make it there until after nine. Just missed the Kill Bill skit, but did manage to catch
monkeydan in The Bride's yellow jumpsuit. He told me he was supposed to be cosplaying Bruce Lee. I wasn't cosplaying this year - no time to make a costume, unfortunately - so I just wandered around and chatted to people and took photos. I particularly liked the Squall and Seifer cosplay reinterpretations. Hope and I presented the orc helm to Sent, and I also picked up my copy of the karaoke CD.
I'd expected the party to continue until past midnight, but most of the people I knew decided to retire at around eleven. I left soon after that. Just as well - I had to be up at five the next morning.
The Skirmish Session
When Hope originally asked if any of us were interested in skirmish, I put up my hand because, well, I'd never been, and it sounded like it'd be an interesting experience. But when I heard that we had to be at Blacktown by seven thirty, my first reaction was, "You've got to be kidding." Blacktown is on the far edges of Sydney, a good hour and a half away from where I live, and I am very much not a morning person.
Still, I managed to get there only a few minutes late, still ragged from lack of sleep and breakfast. I did grab two doughnuts at the train station, figuring I'd fall over without a shot being fired unless I had some kind of sugar hit to sustain me.
So we got dressed in the khakis issued to us, and strapped on vests full of ammo (ie brightly coloured paintballs), and got safety goggles we were warned to never, ever remove in the field. The other group playing with us consisted of big hulking guys who looked like they drove pickup trucks and opened beer bottles with their teeth. Our group, on the other hand, was full of skinny geeky types, including the only two girls playing. It was slightly intimidating, but the organisers split the two groups down the middle and made two mixed teams. The reason was to allow players the opportunity to shoot their friends.
After all the instructions were over, we got our guns and tramped out into the muddy fields. We played for four hours with breaks in between every few games. There were different objectives for each game, ranging from 'capture the flag' to 'last man standing'. It was hot and sweaty inside the khakis, and my boots were filthy by the end. I found that although paintballs sting hard when they hit you, the effect is momentary, and you don't feel the pain of the bruises afterward. What was worse, I think, was waking up with sore muscles everywhere the next day, simply from the intense physical exertion. It was a fun experience, but exhausting.
Things I learned from skirmish:
* Survival tactics will come to you naturally. You run low from cover to cover. You shoot through keyhole openings. It's instinct - or maybe all those action movies.
* However, it takes endurance to run around for long periods carrying a heavy weapon and a load of ammo. After a while, you realise how unfit you are.
* Trees make for crappy cover. You are not skinnier than a eucalyptus, and it will not protect you.
* Lying flat on your stomach like they do in the movies doesn't stop you from getting hit either.
* When you're cornered and alone, surrounded by multiple opponents, taunting the enemy feels incredibly good.
* Taunting the enemy is also guaranteed to piss them off. It feels less good to be hit by a violent barrage of shots.
They say it's a bad idea to make real soldiers play skirmish, because then they realise how easy it is to get shot. We all agreed that if a war came, it would be a bad idea to be in the infantry.
After the skirmish session ended, we had a barbecue lunch, which we really needed by that time. Then we each went home to clean up and get changed before Hope's farewell dinner that night.
The Farewell Dinner
We gathered at Yutaka, a restaurant that served an all-you-can-eat Japanese buffet. I'd never been there before - the food was delicious.
Most of the old gang showed up to farewell Hope. It was strange to realise how long it had been since so many of us were gathered as a group. It used to be that I would see everyone so frequently, whether at screenings or other events. Now people have other commitments, and some have moved on, and even for those who remain, it's a different atmosphere, with different dynamics.
I can't say I'd reverse the time gone by - there are people I've gotten to know much better now, and more good memories forged each day. But all the same, I couldn't help the powerful sense of nostalgia that came over me that night, and the feeling that it had been a Golden Age for us. When you're young, you don't realise that things will one day change.
I took lots of photos that night. I don't know when will be the next time we'll all be together again.
After the dinner, there was an impromptu karaoke session for those who could stay. I had to leave partway through to catch the last train. Most of the songs people chose were meaningful somehow. It was a good, low key way to finish the weekend.
The Day of Departure
Two days later, Hope was due to fly out.
A couple of us who were able to went to see her off at the airport.
We had our photos taken with the Santa there. We had some light snacks while we sat and waited. We made conversation.
When it was time, we walked with her to the departure gates, and we said our goodbyes.
At last the three companions turned away, and never again looking back they rode slowly homewards; and they spoke no word to one another until they came back to the Shire, but each had great comfort in his friends on the long grey road.
~ 'The Grey Havens', The Return of the King, J R R Tolkien
