Bev

Heya Kevin Just adding my two cents (converted in Aussie dollars it would be worth about 1.5 cents atm). I think it would be a good idea to apply to the grad school, at least while you are still working out what you want to do. Remember, if they offer you a place, you can always turn it down if you decide to take that year off. However, if you want to go ahead you can accept the placement. Either way, it will give you some breathing space. Bev

Heya Kevin I guess that I am just echoing what everyone else had said. It sometimes difficult being a mum and hoping that the decisions we make and the way we bring our kids up will make them good citizens, able to weather the storms of life, to be happy with their lives and to know that they are loved because of themselves and not because of the things that they do or don't do. Kevin, your mum sounds great. Relax in the fact that she loves you unconditionally and unreservedly. That hs been her goal as a mum and she has achieved it. Do what you need to do, knowing you have your mums full blessing. Nothing will make her happier than to know that you are happy! Trust me on this...I am a mum of an almost adult son and I know what I am talking about. Bev

Heya Kevin About the bench top... Try using Kitty's suggestion of using Hydrogen Peroxide alone or mix it to a paste using baking soda. You might have to let it cover the stain for a little while to let the chemicals work. Don't forget to have the windows open and wear protective gloves whilst using peroxide. (I'm a mum, I have to give out the OH&S notifications) Don't use ordinary household bleach might 'set' the stain. Good luck Bev

Heya Kevin! That lady seemed a bit confused...lol. I don't eat pork or poultry or beef or lamb or fish so what does that make me? A carnivore? I haven't eaten meat since I was 14 and my mother still asks me if I would like chicken or ham with my meal! This morning I was working at the local markets and I was working with a lady who is a farmer. She was telling me a story about a time when she was selling some cucumbers. A man came up to her and wanted to buy some. Nita had apple cucumbers for sale and not the lebanese variety. He said he preferred the apple cucumbers to the lesbian ones....lol (Of course he meant he didn't like the lebanese cucumbers). Nita said that she didn't think he even realised what he said and she struggled to keep a straight face! Kevin, give yourself a break...no one can be happy and cheerful and friendly all the time...especially when there are papers to be completed and exams looming! Accept the generosity of your co-worker with good grace and remember you've done nice things for her in the past and you will continue to do nice things for her in the future. As a young friend says 'coolies'. Now I want to echo Michael and ask you to be careful when you go to the ATM. No matter how safe the neigbourhood is, it's still dangerous to be wandering around, alone of a night. If you really want to go by yourself, make sure that someone knows where you are going and that you have your phone fully charged. I personally would take my dog with me. He's a huge rottweiller with big white teeth and his coat is black, so in the dark all that you see of him is his teeth! Mind you, he is scared of the dark and loud noises...but no one knows that...hehehe. Cheers Bev

G'day Bao First off, I want to say that I think you are a courageous young man. Bao mate, from what you've said, your friends have decided to compartmentalize you and when you decided that it was time for you to stretch out a bit, and found you didn't fit in the box that they had put you in and so you stepped out of it. If your friends can't deal with the fact that you no longer fit with what their perception they have of you, well to be honest, that is their problem! Bao, you can't control what people think or how they look at you. All you can do be be you. And you are being you. And there is nothing wrong with being you and being real. As I said, it's their problem. You have given them time and space. And you have been more than fair and honest. And to repeat myself...really courageous. It's not easy being 17 and in school and having to see the same people day after day especially if they claim to be your friends. True friends love and accept each other unconditionally. You know what word I really dislike? It's the word tolerance. Tolerance means to put up with something or someone even if you can't stand them/it or what they do. Tolerance means enduring what you don't want to endure. Tolerance can lead to resentment and anxiety and anger. You don't have to tolerate what they are doing to you. You don't have to be tolerant! I'm not from the US but I want to say something... When your 'friends' decide that they want to quote the fifth amendment to you...maybe you should quote Thomas Jefferson when he said in the Declaration of Independance... "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Cheers Bev

G'day everyone and thank you Vic for the warm welcome! I'm from Australia and if you look in an atlas, just above Sydney you will see a city called Newcastle. I live about half an hours drive north of Newcastle on the coast, where the sun shines (except when it is raining or at night time) all the year around! There is more to me than where I live. If you want to know more, you can always ask. I'll do my best to be honest.