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au






































Watching Mirrors Grow Old
The theatre lights illuminated the lone figure sitting on a musty green chair, his body slumped
against the hard wood of the table and his chin wedged onto the keyboard of his grey computer.
The entanglement of wires crept around his natural curled hair. The calendar on the adjacent
wall reading 19 December 2098 went unnoticed by the silenced man, himself too busy looking
into the flickering contents inside the screen. His right hand worked profusely with the bleak
grey mouse, with the sharp noise of each click piercing the eerie serenity of the room.
Simultaneously the crash of thunder reverberated from the direction of the cracked wooden
window, the computer screen lit up in a vortex of bright colours. The younger children in the
crowd hastily searched for the protection of their parents warm silhouettes, the crackly
computer speakers bursting into a husky symphony of screeches and splutters. The robotic
simplicity of a pre-programmed computerized voice was only tarnished by the continuous
thunder echoing off the murky walls.
Memory Recapture Program started, please confirm date, Memory Recapture Program
started, please confirm.
With the stroke of a few keys, the message abruptly ended.
Stop. Black.
The theatre fell into complete darkness, the young actor quickly changed shirts, and was
joined by others around the same kitchen table. An old man reminiscent of a classic
Hemmingway character, walked up to the calendar on the adjacent wall and adjusted the date,
19 December 1996. The stage lights flickered into life, revealing the rest of the room and placing
faces on the voices of the new characters.
The main actor was still the same, except for a grunge sweatshirt and the arms of a beautiful
young woman around his tanned neck. Children ran around the dimly lit room, eventually
coming to a halt in front of a small cake and its twenty-eight freshly lit candles.
The man picked up the silver knife with his firm grip, implying his intentions to cut the cake
quickly. A deluge of jovial birthday songs was accompanied by a repertoire of affections from his
young family. As the cake was cut, and the adornment of candles haplessly blown out, the lights
dimmed as the man began to throw out his voice into the audience, bellowing in malevolent
laughter.
My birthday wish this year is to live forever, to feel the imprudent brilliance of invincibility and
to live longer than anyone else, without ever ageing. I do not want to join the minions that
relentlessly watch their lives ebb away in a relentless stream of inaudible flashes on the digital
clock
The family, although shocked by the sudden change in mood, laughed at his humorous
birthday wish.
Stop. Black.



the school for excellence 2013free online resources at www.tsfx.com.au






































As the actors left the stage under a cloak of silence, the main actor remained. The stagehand
again entered the stage, changing the calendar back to the original date, 19 December 2098. At
the end of his prolonged strides off the stage, the lights again focused upon the man with the
messy hair.
Once the audience had adjusted their eyes to the light, they could see that the room was the
same as before, with only a few notable changes. The kitchen table at the centre of the stage
was now smothered by photographs of the actors that had left the stage, their rusted frames
giving an insight into their actual age. The actor began mumbling to himself, meandering the
tone of his voice recumbently, too quiet for the audience to catch a word, but loud enough to
allow the suspense to build.
The muttering was suddenly muted by the groan of the chair screeching back, the man
jumping up in an unexpected rage. Tears started to cascade out of his eyes, dragging stage
mascara down his cheeks, accompanied by the poignant sound of his hushed weeping. He
broke out into a melancholic march across the stage, and again started to whisper to himself,
but ironically loud enough to projected his voice off into the velvet carpet walls and out into the
stifled crowd.
Why did I wish to live forever? I am nothing but a disgraceful example of greed
The endless lament of rhetorical questions continued to bellow out of the emotionally broken
man until, exhausted, he sat back on the table and stared aimlessly at essentially the same
cake which he had cut one hundred and two years ago, making the worst mistake of his
prolonged life. The sublime silence was surreal as the man picked up the knife and made
another wish, this time with remorse in his voice rather than greedy malice.
Greed has turned me into a mercenary who don't care about anyone except the man in the
mirror. I repent
Stop. Black.
As the lights went out, the audience could see the shadows of stage technicians descend
upon the stage as they switched the kitchen table for an oversized bed. The gray bearded face
made his final journey onto the stage, this time to switch the date only one day forward to 20
th

December 2098. The end of his lifeless jaunt off the stage was greeted with the smooth sound
of jazz from the theatre speakers, blasting the audience with a crescendo of saxophones and
drums working in delicate harmony. As the music faded away, the bright lights alleviated to
reveal the same man waking up in his crumbled bed sheets. The salient figure synonymously
arose and began to shout in euphoria as he clasped his hands upon his face and felt for the first
time the glorious indentations of wrinkles.
Stop. Black. End.

6 steps to atar success
Step 1: Get Ahead
It has been well documented that those students who address
materials in advance of school fnd it much easier to grasp
concepts in the classroom. They also save signifcant time
on their homework and study, and achieve higher test and
examination scores. Our Head Start Lectures are designed
to provide students with the best possible head start in a
highly efective, time efcient and relatively painless manner!
During the course of these programs, we will work through
materials to an A+ standard, introduce students to potential
examination questions and deliver vital tips regarding
assessments and Year 11 & 12 survival skills.
Step 2: Extend & Keep Learned Knowledge Alive
Rather than ignoring materials after they have been assessed
at school, and then wasting huge amounts of time re-learning
the same materials in the stressful weeks leading up to the
exams, keep learned knowledge alive with well structured,
strategically timed reviews. Our Master Classes are highly
specialised weekly tuition programs which review and then
extend on the knowledge taught at schools, and guarantee
to signifcantly improve Year 11 & 12 scores. These powerful
courses are designed to ensure that students reach their full
potential, be that a two grade improvement or the elite A and
A+ scores! (Note: Our average ATAR score in 2012 was 95.40!).
Step 3: Review and Refne
Our Exam Revision Lectures are well renowned for
providing the most in-depth preparation for the mid-year, trial
and fnal examinations. During the course of these lectures,
we will review and then extend on the knowledge taught at
school, expose students to vital hints and exam tricks, and
clarify classical errors that cost students valuable marks in the
exams. Every student also receives a thorough set of A+ notes
that will save hundreds of hours in study time!
Step 4: Exposure
In order to perform well in the exams, students need to work
through as many examination style questions as possible, as
well as master the potential tricks and traps that could appear
in the exams. Every student who attends a TSFX program
receives a large collection of unique examination style
questions per subject, to ensure they are optimally prepared
for their examinations.
Step 5: Efective Study Skills & Exam Strategies
Signifcant time and efort is placed into study and learning,
yet the majority of students do not obtain the results that
refect their commitment and potential. Learn how to achieve
those higher ATAR scores (and cut down on stress and study
time) with our unique & exclusive study skills and exam
strategy lectures. These lectures are FREE OF CHARGE to
students, however, we do require that students make a $10
donation to charity on the day.
Step 6: Knowledge is Power
Join edgeonline for FREE access to a huge collection of A+
essays and projects, weekly study/exam tips, free study skills/
exam strategy lectures, trial exams, critical updates and much,
much more!
To secure your FREE edgeonline membership (and to be kept
informed of TSFX programs), please call TSFX or register online
at www.tsfx.com.au/resources.
the school for excellence
tsfx vic: a: level 1, 477 collins st, melbourne, vic, 3000 p: 03 9663 3311 f: 03 9663 3939 e: admin@tsfx.com.au w: www.tsfx.com.au
tsfx nsw: a: p.o.box r1407, royal exchange, sydney, nsw, 1225 p: 1300 364 179 f: 1300 364 065 e: admin@tsfx.com.au w: www.tsfx.com.au
www. .com.au
what are students saying about tsfx?
Excellent lecturer.
Engaging. Notes
are amazing,
well worth it.
TSFX has really
boosted my
confdence in class
and now Im really
enjoying school.
TSFX is fantastic,
I dont know how I
would have made
it through Year 12
without them.
I can truly say that
these lectures have
defnitely made a
huge diference to
my grades.
The 600 km
travelled and
money spent was
most defnitely
worth it. Id do it
again any day.