I used to believe...

The internet is a strange place. It sometimes seems like it is a high-contrast version of reality - it is such a brilliant tool to have access to, but it is also capable of harbouring evil.

I love it when I come across something innocent and life-affirming on the web. There is too much badness in the world as it is. And no, it ain't kittenwar.com, I can't stand that sappy sh*t - I will leave that particular site to the novelty-jumpered, tea-set-collecting "lay-dees" of the world.

iusedtobelieve.com is a really cute idea, where people write in with the crazy things they used to believe when they were little and didn't know better. My own contribution was about how I used to think that, to learn a new language, you just had to get access to a "code-breaker", where A would equal (something), B would equal (something else), and that you could literally decode foreign languages letter by letter.

If only! Some of the stories are really cute, some are silly and some are plain crazy. There are some gems, though:

"I used to think that since the movie screens in theatres were so big, that there was a huge video player behind the screen and several people had to lift the gigantic tape into the player and then someone had to be shot out of a canon to hit the play button."

O Brothers, where art thou?

I consider myself extremely lucky to have my two younger brothers (whom I miss like crazy). Looking back, I do get nostalgic for my non-existent ghost sister; the one who would have gone shoe-shopping with me, taught me about make-up, and shared those female rites of passage (first period, first serious boyfriend, first heartbreak etc). I completely understand where Juliana Hatfield was coming from when she sang wistfully about missing her imaginary sister (who would have taken her to her first all-ages show).

But for the most part, I was happy to grow up tomboy with two younger brothers who cheerfully submitted to the odd dressing-up game and hair-style experiment. It was always great fun having siblings who would come out into the "deep" surf with me; who were always up for waterfights and paddock-exploring adventures; who would join me at a Beastie's gig when my boyfriend copped out; who would later ask me earnest questions about their girlfriends - and who occassionally gave me a brief glimpse inside the mechanics of the male brain.

Watching these two boys grow into men and try to negotiate their way through the adult world has been a privilege. When I hear the girls at work describe the vicious fights, the competitive bitchiness and the jealousy that defined their relationship with various sisters, I breathe a silent sigh of relief that I was blessed with my two easy-going bro's. The best thing is that I will always have these two blokes in my life, God willing. I so look forward to those days in the hazy future when they each find their path in life - getting married, setting up a home, maybe having some kids - so that I can see them become the men I always knew they would be.

Love you guys,
xxx Big Sis.