Today’s Highschool Afterhours episode was a super spontaneous (and very early) senior sunrise… except the weather said no, so it was basically “senior rise” in Manly. I took you along from a quiet, cozy morning at home to the 5am train into the city, meeting my friends at Circular Quay, and ferrying over to the beach. Even with no actual sunrise, it was still such a beautiful way to start the day—cold air, waves, and that reminder that Sydney is genuinely such a cool harbour city to grow up in. We grabbed cafe breakfast after (desperately needed flat white) and then headed back into reality. After that, I locked in at the UTS library with my friends for exam prep because Year 12 has definitely been keeping me busy. I worked through Studies of Religion short answers (my favourite subject, so it’s my go-to for momentum), did English Module C quote tables for inspo, and then got humbled by Extension maths past papers—having someone beside you to catch mistakes and share tricks honestly helps so much. We did a Starbucks reset in between (yes, I tried to convince my friend to like black coffee), and I ended the day with dinner and a tiny matcha upgrade: a whisk holder + a new whisk. Long day, super tired, but I’m really just trying to enjoy every day of my final year with my friends while still prioritising the work.