At midnight on the 1/1/11, i was sitting on my front porch with my sister waiting for mum to come downstairs from her shower. We both didnt have the time and the tv wasnt on either. So we only knew it was 12 when we heard the undertones of fireworks. we got to see them a little bit too, from above some of the tallest houses in gardens. maybe a cm or two's worth of fireworks.

My father went to sleep at 9.30pm. my brother was so sick he could barely come out of sleep the entire day. Brother number 2 took the smart route you could say and made plans with his friends cause a little over 11 plus, they were all outside my house cause he needed to get something from inside. It looked like they were planning something alot more fun then my family bothered to. I guess your friends really do turn into your family if they stick around long enough..

At dinner i asked my mother what my grandma was doing, only to hear that nothing was planned and she'd be home at 12. on her own. and that just wouldnt fly. I spend a good 2 hours convincing her that it would all work out if she drove me and sister over to grandma's have a few drinks and play a few games, and let her decide if she wanted to come home to countdown with us. mum insisted that we had to be home at 12, "what if daddy wakes up?"

he didnt. kevin didnt. pat went out before 12. there was no countdown in the Paran house. There was no screaming. There was no confetti and there was no fun.

There was mum, barbara and i, acknowledging the fact that 2011 has creeped up on us all,

and for me, unwelcome completely.