I turn 50 today. It is the eighth of August, 2008. The eighth of the eighth of th eighth. 080808. I was born on the 8th August, 1958. My mother nearly died at the time and I was born two months premature.
My mother and I
My mum’s birthday was on the 6th August. Shared a humidicrib with another baby. His name was Benjamin Kay. Ben was born on the 9th August. We ended going to school together up until the age of eighteen.
This card was on the humidicrib
I was in that humidicrib for quite a few weeks. How would you interpret the comment written across the bottom of the card above? Were they closed for an entire month? I was named after my grandfather, John. He had died a few days before I was born.
My father and I
I remember my tenth birthday on the 8th August, 1968. I visited my father in hospital that day. He had experienced a major heart attack. My father gave me a book that I read from cover to cover…Our World In Space And Time [Odhams Press Ltd., London]. The book still sits there in our bookcase. My father’s birthday greetings are written on the inside cover. He was 49 at the time. He spent some time in hospital. He worked too hard.
I turned 20 during my second year at uniersity. 8th August, 1978. I cannot remember that day at all. Second year at university was a non event. I have blanked out much of 1978. Something must have happened that I prefer to forget. I did see David Bowie perform live for the first time not long after.
David Bowie, Sydney, 1978.
I remember my 30th birthday. It was the 8th of the 8th, 1988. A lot of eights. It was a pupil free day at school and there was a party held at school. Amazingly, myself and one other colleague, Luke, shared birthdays. Both of us were born on the 8th August, 1958. Luke thought I was kidding when I made the discovery. We are both catching up this Saturday actually. Luke teaches in England now. My father came to school once to speak to the students about his experiences as a prisoner of war in the Second World War.
My father and I address the students at St Joseph’s Catholic High School
My fortieth birthday was quiet. 8th August, 1998. There was a heavy rain storm that night. I received an antique Astro Boy figurine from my wife Shao Ping. I received some South Park videos as well. Our family was going to celebrate my birthday a couple of weeks later but that was cancelled following a severe storm event in which our region was flooded. That storm happened on the 17th August. Our suburb received 313mm of rain that day. The party was cancelled. There are some accounts of the storms here and here. August 1998 was a wet month.
There will be a surprise party in our faculty staff room today. This evening my wife Shao Ping and I are going out with 4 of my 6 siblings as well as their spouses. I am having a larger party in September at the beginning of the school holidays.
My dad and all my brothers and sisters. That is me wearing the loud shirt. 2001.
All of my siblings are educators too. Let me see… two history teachers, university lecturer, mathematics teacher, music teacher, primary school teacher, librarian. What do you think we all talk about when we get together?
How do I feel turning 50? Not much really. It is a bit of a crossroads. It is harder to get a new job at this age. If I branch out it will be consulting and/or training. When will I retire? Not sure. I hope it is a simple transition that passes unnoticed. I do not think I can teach kids forever. It would be the death of me.
Recent photograph of myself and workshop participant Gabriel taken in Singapore.
I will remember this birthday as our kitchen is also being ripped out tomorrow. A new kitchen will be built next week. I remember events via association with other events. I then move backwards and forwards down the mental timeline in my head.
Another recent photograph taken with my colleague Chris, and our visiting Japanese teachers from Koshigaya Minami Senior High School in Japan ~ Tatsuo and Mitsuyo.
I will probably blog one or two more posts over the next few days. The old read-write web has seemed burdensome of late. Time to rationalise again. Twitter or Plurk? Diigo or Delicious? WordPress or Posterous? Both my wife Shao Ping and I blog.
Shao Ping and I in a previous life
The number eight is significant in Chinese culture. It has various meanings and associations. Good fortune. Wealth. Luck and so on. That is why the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony is commencing at 8.08PM on the 8th August, 2008.
Why not celebrate my birthday instead? It has just gone past midnight here in New South Wales, Australia. Plenty of room to write in the comments below. Cheers, John.
