Friday, January 26, 2007

Coincidences

I called my grandma on Wednesday. 'I spoke to the vicar from Brockmoor today.' she said, 'He's just been to Pakistan for a relative's wedding and he said that he met someone there from Hong Kong who knows you. It was KT. What an incredible coincidence!'.

A couple of hours later I was out at a friend's birthday dinner, chatting to a girl from Sydney. 'I feel like I know you' she said, 'You look really familiar'. I was kind of skeptical but I asked where she studied. 'Sydney Uni and then UTS' she said. 'Oh, me too. I guess we've just seen each other around somehow' I suggested.

Not content with that, she asked what I studied at Sydney and we figured out that we both did politics. 'What year did you do the first year subjects?' she asked. '2001,' I said, 'then I did a foreign policy subject and the ones on Southeast Asia and South Asia'. 'Oh,' she said, 'I did first year in 2000 and I didn't do any of those'.

'I also did the Middle East and Isreal and Palestine subjects', I offered. 'Me too!' she replied, 'with Leanne!'. Suddenly something clicked, 'you were in that tute at 9am in the tropical health building, weren't you?'. 'Yes,' I answered, 'we used to sit next to each other, didnt' we. And we used to talk. I remember you giving me advice on subjects I was thinking of taking. And we used to discuss Leanne's outfits.'.

I was wondering whether I am going senile. How could I not recognise someone who used to be a tute buddy? I was also wondering whether it is rude to ask 'Did you used to look incredibly different to how you look now?'.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't worry, it's not just you. I scare myself big time when I "re-discover" (usually through a photo or a note) someone I used to know but had long forgotten about.

Joe said...

Yes, but it's all very relative. I struggle to remember the names of people we were at school with - you can still remember their birthdays!

Anonymous said...

Well I admit that most of the people I forgot about are those from more fleeting meetings, usually in Germany.

Speaking of school, the old high school has just been completely demolished. RIP. Fortunately I got some photos before it was reduced to rubble. Can email them to you if you like...

Joe said...

Yes, I'd love that. Actually, if you have any photos of the rubble I'd be very curious to see that too.

Anonymous said...

I haven't got any of the current state of rubble, but I got some of the English/Science/Maths building with all its insides blown out, with a quarter of the History/Science building next to it hanging off it...Will try to send you the complete set this weekend!

Joe said...

How hideous! When they've built houses on that land I'm going to feel very old.

Anonymous said...

It even made the front page of the Manly Daily... obviously a very news worthy story!

Joe said...

gosh, that's huge!