Of Memories & Men November 2004 Click to view Table of Contents Click to view photo gallery Click to view cover story

Editorial | Of Memories and Men

by Krystin Low Dear Readers, I was playing a word association game with a friend, and I asked ­ What's the first thing you think of when I say 'men'? I expected him to name the men in his life ­ father, grandfather, brother, uncle ­ but instead he replied, “In tights,” which transported me back to being a little girl covering my eyes and screaming, “Eeee!” at the sight of Kevin Costner's naked butt. I guess that's one way to explain how Emily and I were simply staggered by the wealth, the breadth and the depth and the sheer emotional expansiveness of the submissions we received. You surprised us with your responses, made us laugh both wistfully and uproariously, made us think and wonder and brought us to know those places and those people. We apologise for the lack of a full-length editorial in Melange Magazine's second edition; Em has been dealing with the rigours and the excitement of her first year at university in London, and yours truly is attempting to tie up the loose threads as her own first year in Melbourne, Australia, sews shut. The word 'memories' often conjures up a gentle sense of sepia, of simpler, less fettered times, where everything seemed better, or at least, as my parents are wont to claim, cheaper. In a sense, everything one writes of and engages with is memory, whispers of the past, of days gone by. Time turns and memories are smoothened into hazy, indeterminate recollections, and yet, sometimes, close your eyes and the sharp scents and the bright colours and the swell of the music in your mind's eye are vivid enough to make you weep. These are your memories, and your men. It's been a privilege to share them with you. Yours truly, Krystin

by Emily Ding Hey all, Very simply, I just want to apologize for the delay of this issue. It was meant to be published online by October but it took far longer than that, partly because I just started my first year of uni at London in September and it's been terribly busy here with society commitments and Law essays... I've just finished four of them, the first round, and the next round starts next week, so I thought I'd quickly get Melange up and running before anything else crops up. But it's been great. This is a real labour of love for me. I love the submissions we've got for this issue. I think we've received some really high grade stuff, without us even having to solicit them, except for one or two pieces. So thank you all for submitting, and thanks to all those who were kind enough to contribute their photos to complement the words. Thanks for always being so gracious and never minding when I email you all over and over again asking you to take more pictures. It's been great. And of course, thanks so much to my Co-Editor Krystin (who wrote the splendid editorial above) for being such a prolific writer. I've been too busy tying my own loose ends in this (html/web design) part of Melange and she's done a terrific job. So thanks guys, and keep supporting us! Link backs would be nice, and submissions too of course! And also, if anyone would be interested in being regular photographers/illustrators for the written pieces we get, do email me! Properly drained. Yours, Emily