"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."

"In two weeks it'll be the longest day in the year....Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it."

"All right...I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool -- that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."

"He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He's so dumb he doesn't know he's alive."

"He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey."

"There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion."

"Her voice is full of money."

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

-The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Missy Higgins: Where I Stood

I don't know what I've done,
Or if I like what I've begun,
But something told me to run
And honey you know me: it's all or none.
There were sounds in my head.
Little voices whispering
That I should go and this should end,
Oh, and I found myself listening.

See I thought love was black and white,
That it was wrong or it was right,
But you ain't leaving without a fight
And I think I am just as torn inside.

Cause I don't know who I am, who I am without you.
All I know is that I should.
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you.
All I know is that I should.
Cause she will love you more than I could,
She who dares to stand where I stood.

And I wont be far from where you are if ever you should call.
You meant more to me then anyone I've ever loved at all,
But you taught me how to trust myself
And so I say to you; this is what I have to do.

In-between Anger and Love

You didn't wake me,
only encroached upon my dreams.
You gave me reason to wish,
only to deny me the stars.

You tell me it's over,
only to ask me to stay.
You say you can not trust,
yet I forgave without apology.

And this I accuse you of:
careless love.
Don't think I don't believe in you,
you only asked me to.

Our Lady Peace: Superman's Dead

Do you worry that you're not liked?
How long till you break?
You're happy cause you smile,
But how much can you fake?
An ordinary boy, an ordinary name,
But ordinary's just not good enough today.

Alone I'm thinking
Why is superman dead?
Is it in my head?
We'll just laugh instead.
You worry about the weather and
Whether or not you should hate.

Are you worried about your faith?
Kneel down and obey.
You're happy you're in love.
You need someone to hate.
An ordinary girl, an ordinary waist,
But ordinary's just not good enough today.

Doesn't anybody ever know...

"This is Sammy Davis Jr. Jr... She is Grandfather's Seeing Eye bitch. Father purchased her for him not because he believes Grandfather is blind, but because a Seeing Eye bitch is also a good thing for people who pine for the opposite of loneliness. In truth, Father did not purchase her at all, but merely retrieved her from the home for forgetful dogs. Because of this, she is not a real Seeing Eye bitch, and is also mentally deranged."

"I was of the opinion that the past is past, and like all that is not now it should remain buried along the side of our memories."

"I have reflected many times upon our rigid search. It has shown me that everything is illuminated in the light of the past. It is always along the side of us, on the inside, looking out. Like you say, inside out. Jonathan, in this way, I will always be along the side of your life. And you will always be along the side of mine. "

"This is not so unusual. "
"What?"
"Not knowing."

"Get in the car. The bitch and the Jew will share the backseat."

"I don't know, why does anybody do anything? It's just... something to do."

"What is it?"
"Soviets."
"What happened?"
[pause]
"Independence."

"No, it does not exist for you. You exist for it. You have come because it exists."

Everything Is Illuminated

"I've never felt the lovin' of a man
but it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand."

And I wonder if men are really capable of love, of un-adulterated, selfless interest in another person, true care and concern. Gnawing somewhere at the tips of my fingers is the belief that you listen more than I know. Pulling on the stitches that hold me together, the broken nerves at every scar, is the familiar comfort of knowing that they all lie.

"Just gonna stand there and watch me burn?
Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts.
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry?"

Well that's alright because I don't expect any more. I don't expect you to last, to stay, to come back. I'm stuck here with the feeling that every(thing) I want never wanted me. And so I no longer want. It wouldn't change anything if I were to say that I wanted you to last, I wanted you to just maybe be the one, that I wanted to make it work. Circumstances wouldn't change, fate still rules.

Oasis: Outta Time

Here's a song.
It reminds me of when we were young.
Looking back at all the things we've done,
You gotta keep on keepin' on.

Out to sea
Is the only place I am asleep.
Can get myself some piece of mind.
You know it's getting hard to fly.

If I'm to fall,
Would you be there to applaud?
Or would you hide behind the law?
Because If I am to go,
In my heart you grow,
And that's where you belong.

Yes I'm out of time,
I'm out of time.

As part of your application for admission, a personal statement is required. We are interested in learning more about your background, talents, and experiences and how you plan to apply them to your education and future. Your statement may be considered as a positive factor to enhance your admissibility, as well as for scholarship consideration. Describe the environment you come from - for example, your family, community, or school - and how this environment has affected or influenced your plans for the future.

Let's take a drive down that narrow road,
over that shallow, muddy river,
where I used to fish for carp.
A fish that cannot be eaten
with any enjoyment.

Soon we'll pull up in that small town,
and I can show you the one White Horse
that's all this town has ever had.

And we'll discuss the validity
of the dentist who extracted the life
from his dear cheating wife.

We'll take a walk in the rotting leaves
in a forest where the trees are all that's seen,
to where that innocent girl lay among them,
raped and bleeding while we went about
our useless lives.

It won't take long,
to reach the glass walls of this fishbowl,
but don't mind me if I begin
to sob at the illusion of leaving here.

They say a small town has values.
But the only value here is
the ability to lie and cheat
behind a straight white smile.

Still waters run deep
but shallow pools lay stagnant
with muddy souls and
black hearts.

Here's what we call the castle,
with it's iron gates mounted on ancient oak.
Does this excess of wealth fool you?
The ladies and their pearls,
their diamonds,
their escorts,
Do you believe that there is beauty here?

Let's take a drive...and I'll show you a narrow mind.

Where do I take this pain of mine?
I run but it stays right by my side.
So tear me open, pour me out.
There's things inside that scream and shout,
and the pain still hates me, so hold me until it sleeps.

Just like a curse, just like a stray,
you feed it once and now it stays.

So tear me open, but beware,
there's things inside without a care,
and the dirt still stains me.
So wash me until I'm clean.

So tell me why you've chosen me.
Don't want your grip, don't want your greed.
Don't want it.
Tear me open, make you gone, no more can you hurt anyone.
And the fear still shakes me, so hold me until it sleeps.

Tear me open, make you gone.
No longer will you hurt anyone.
And the hate still shakes me, so hold me up,
until it sleeps.