Sydney Life

The takers of the world. How do they live with themselves?

There’s this one guy I went to high school with. Let’s just say his name is Joe. It’s not, but we can just pretend. Every few weeks, it’s all,

*bu-du-bup!* (this is MSN of course)

Joe says: (4:48:45 PM)
Hey Asako

Asako says: (4:50:01 PM)
Hey.. what’s up?

I’m not too keen to talk to him because I know what’s up. He needs something. I’m perfectly happy to help people but this guy wasn’t even my friend in high school, and he’s asking me the most random things.

EG.

Joe says: (4:50:14 PM)
im trying to answer some "more about u" q's [sic] in this application form, im not good at this

Joe says: (4:50:23 PM)
do you have material relating to these types of q's [sic]?

Asako says: (4:50:49 PM)
I have no idea what you’re talking about

Joe says: (4:51:28 PM)
q's like "describe your most memorable moment in the past yr".. or "describe a time when you believe you inspired otherss".. these types of stupid q's [sic, sic sic!]

Joe says: (4:51:30 PM)
you know?

* * *

I’m not sure what he wants me to do. Look, mate, everyone hates those questions, go do the Sydney to Gong then talk about that...!*

Once he asked me for my Sydney Uni student i.d. so he could log into the Casual Employment Database.

Um... No!!! Go use your own!

Then there’s this other girl. I attempted to make friends with her at the beginning of the year and we went out once. We had some drinks. She had some more.

And then, “Asaaaaakowwww, I reeayylay want to meet someone toniggghghth!” (Actually I’m pretty sure the phrase ‘hook up with’ was used where I wrote ‘meet’, but that sounds a bit tacky. Oh wait, that’s exactly what she is!) What followed was an embarrassing attempt of her trying to chat up a group of guys, one of whom pulled me aside and said “look, we all have girlfriends” (And I stand by the fact that it was only HER trying to chat them up because I had a boyfriend).

I saw her at uni a few days later, “heyyyyy great night Asako let’s do it again sometime!”

And I’ve hardly talked to her since. Until...

In September, we had a psych report due. For the essay we had in Semester 1 I left it right up until the last minute and, well, it suffered a bit. So this semester I started it a whole 10 days before it was due, went to Fisher and all did my readings (this actually took 7 of the 10 days and I’m pretty sure I spent some of the time writing blogs but you know, all good), and leisurely finished writing it on the Sunday afternoon before it was due in my tutorial on Monday. Hers was due on Thursday. How do I know this?

Wednesday night, late:

*bu-du-bup!*

She wants to know how many words she should put in her discussion, whether it should be longer than her introduction, and how many extra references did I use? Actually, could I just read over her results section for her to make sure she got it right?

And then,

“Mmmm maybe it would just be easier if I read yours, can you send it to me over msn?”

What? I spent so long writing mine, so much effort went into it, my blood and sweat and brains and I am soo proud of it, and... NO WAY! Which is pretty much what I told her.

Then, during stuvac, another *bu-du-bup!*, and a frantic “Asako!!!! Do you know where the solutions are for the 2005 Calculus exam paper?!?!?!?!?!”

“Yeah, calc lectures in week 13”

“Ohhh I didn’t go, can you scan them and send them to me?!”

“2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 are ALL on the web and you want me to scan 2005 for you because you couldn’t drag yourself into a lecture at 11am? Come ON girl, get a GRIP. NOT gonna happen.”

It still marvels me how these people live.

*Respect: Lycra Lions! I didn’t do it but my comrades Keren and Ben have given me so much incentive to do it next time with comments such as “hey I got no more legs...”