Looking at dashboard after the sign-in, I have realised that I've picked up 2 followers. So hello to you folks!
So I finally received a reading of my HECS payments. For those not in the know, HECS is the higher education contribution scheme. Some idiot in the 80's got the idea that tertiary education should be on a 'user pays' loan like system. Prior to this, education was paid entirely by the Government. Therefore, you could either pay for your courses up-front or be riddled with a debt loan (before most of us even have jobs). I've written a post about this previously, so you can go back to read it. But anyway, I was reviewing my statement and I have about $20k to pay off! I guess that's better than could be expected, but then I reviewed it a bit more and found that interest accrues on the loan! Seriously, what the hell?! You can' t screw me over by denying me free education (which one would have thought would have been a fundamental right), but you have to make me pay more than I have to for it? Indexation on a loan that you first attained at the start of your university course is complete bullshit. Because there's going to be some time before you can actually pay it back, but by then you would have accrued the ENTIRE sum of the debt, so the indexation will hit you harder than it normally would. Talk about a flawed system. This stopped being about helping students a long time ago, it is just a profit making exercise, and the financial well being of our young people is at risk.
Last night was hell - I was studying till about 4am at my parent's house. I thought I was fine for an 11:30am wake up, and even woke up, but I kept snoozing my alarm. But then my dad walks into my room and asks me when I'm going to wake up. I look at my clock and see that it's 2:30pm! Shiteee! Haha, but that's ok, cause I was troubled by a dream I had (which I think happened between 11:30 and 2:30). In this dream I was back at my parents home and there was a function or dinner party on. I was upstairs and this girl who I've met once in my life (a friend of a friend) was there. She's very distinctive looking - red haired, pale skin. Anyway, I didn't find this girl attractive when I met her, but in my dream I was going nuts. So there we were with me flirting my ass off when all of a sudden she just attacks me and we're making out. Then things just keep progressing and clothes come off and she just goes "oh let's just have sex", and I don't know what the hell my brain was on, but somehow I thought this was a good idea. But just before that happened, I saw someone coming up the stairs, and I just grabbed my clothes and went to the bathroom. I saw the girl grab her clothes so we both didn't get busted. Then I woke up. What the hell was all that about???! The subconscious is a dangerous place to be.
I remember reading the Red Dwarf novel 'better than life'. In it, the main characters get trapped in a virtual reality game that taps into your subconscious and you get things that didn't even realise you wanted. In the novel you find out that it replaced a previous version of the game where you just wished for things and they appeared. Tapping into the subconscious made the game infinitely more addictive. What a world.
Joaquin out!
