2014 was great! Here's to a great 2015!

Hey All,

Happy New year 2015!  

I hope 2014 was a prosperous and special year for all of you, dear readers. 
2014 was a great year for me with many memories made, lots of hard work done and many goals accomplished. I believe that I grew as a person and took chances that I probably would not have as my younger self. These are the ones that make the memories. One of my favourite quotes is "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" and in 2014 this became clearer. 
I met many new people and had good times with them. Some of them came into my life for a short time only, some of them I've known for a while but just never really known them.

In 2014 I was lucky enough to be able to experience  a glimpse of possible careers that I may choose to enter into next year when I have finished school. For a school project on work experience which requires you to go to a place of work for 3 days, I was able to visit a chemical engineering company and shadow various different applications of the job. But wow! The job is very different to what I initially thought it was from research I had done. It was an extremely interesting and eye-opening experience. I got to meet the actual chemical engineers, electrical engineer, draftsman, production superintendents and even the director of the company! I got to walk around the chemical plant which is huge and the labs and R & D lab too! Although this experience was amazing it taught me that I probably do not want to become an engineer after all! But who knows. 

The other opportunity that I got was equally amazing but probably more inspiring and realistic for me. I got to meet an astrophysicist who is a lecturer at The University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN), which is the university that is closest to me and which I might attend. This was very inspiring for me because for about 3 years I have dreamt of becoming a physicist. I know, it sounds crazy now and who knows if I am even capable but it is my dream and If you never try, you'll never know. I am so inspired every year to do my best and reach my goals so that I can earn my place at a good institution of higher learning and earn a great degree in science. 

Another way in which I grew as a person in 2014 was through my passion for music. I am still playing the piano and  in 2014 I really found a passion which I had never felt before. I started practicing much more and really enjoying it and looking forward to my lesson every week!
Another big part of my year was when I discovered my now favourite musician on Idols SA. Her name is Lize Mynhardt and she is from Cape Town. She has the most amazing and different voice and  plays piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar and other instruments too! She made it to the top 3 of Idols SA even though she is my winner of the season by far! I run a fan page on Facebook in her honour called TeamLizeForever where you can view some of her performances and pictures. She has inspired me to really take my music seriously and to progress a lot. 

2014 was a great year but it's over now. 2015 lies ahead and it is filled with opportunity and is ready to be made what we will make of it. It has started off great for me and I'm sure it will be filled with lots of hard work as I finish my last year of school and lots of good times too! 
Till next time, 
A.V.M.Dwyer

With my gran and sister on my birthday in 2014

Family photo

With mom and dad

With mom

Me and my bestie

Another good friend and I

My work experience 

Yikes!!

Christmas Eve

31st December 2014

Later on the 31st

Me and my bestie

Lize performing Bohemian Rhapsody on Idols SA

Lize performing Somebody that I used to know by Gotye

Lize has so much talent and versatility!

Such a humble person

I discovered Instagram in 2014

See you in 2015!

Infinite possibilities.

Hey All,
I haven't written in a while because I was writing exams. I am so glad to be on holiday as I really need a break to clear my mind and to find joy in the ordinary and to rediscover. I wrote 14 exams and it was very stressful but I'm just glad it is over now.

I started my holiday on Friday the 27th, sadly with a regret hanging over me. Never desert your friends. You never know the opportunities that may occur.

Anyway, I am glad that I have finally made a start on  my reading list. I just finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper lee, which I thought was a great read. It was especially interesting as I have just been studying The Great Depression at school and that was one of the themes in the book. Today I started reading The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger and, to be honest, it hasn't amounted to much yet. Sometimes the end is worth waiting for.

I just watched The Perks of being a Wallflower, which was amazing, inspiring and reaches right into the soul of a teenager, a writer and a person with a strong emotional imagination. Not to mention, it starred Emma Watson in it. It was very different but I like different, so that was really great. I also watched The Notebook, which was on my list, as it is supposedly one of the most romantic films of all time. I thought the storyline and the actors were great.

Till next time,
A.V.M.Dwyer

Transcendence

Hey All, 

I Just watched the film Transcendence starring Johnny Depp. It was a great film but it was also quite scary to witness the vast realms of technology and how connected everything really is. I recommend all to see it as it sure makes you think. Here's a link to information about the film: 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendence_(2014_film)

Another week of holiday.

 Hey All,
This has been a good week. I've been on holiday. Again. My week-long holiday started on Friday, the 25th of April. On Sunday, the 27th, my gran arrived home from a holiday in Australia.I am really happy that she is back home safely and I missed her a lot. Monday, the 28th of April, was a public holiday due to Freedom day falling on Sunday, the 27th. We took my Gran ot for lunch at La Bella to welcome her back home

On Tuesday, the 29th, It was my dad's birthday. We served him breakfast in bed and later went out for supper for his birthday at Circus Circus. It was really great to be together with my family. On Thursday, the 1st of April, it was another public holiday, Worker's day. It was also My sister and her boyfriend's 5 year dating anniversary. I bought a cake and put special decorations on it that said " S + J " and "5". I also saw my uncle and aunt when we went out to lunch with them. Their oldest daughter, my cousin, has just found out that she passed her final medical exams and is now a qualified doctor in England. I am so proud of her.

Today at church the service was a little.. different. It was a service called Transformation Nation which was singing songs and prayers and saying declarations for the people and leadership of our country. It was led by Liz Pass and her husband from Joburg. It was a great reminder that change is good every once in a while and we must not get stuck in going to church by habit. It was especially relevant as on Wednesday, the 7th of May, our country will vote as a nation in national elections 2014.

Till next time,
A.V.M.Dwyer

My sister and her boyfriend celebrated 5 years of dating.

The cake I bought and decorated for them.

My sister and I.

My dad waking up to breakfast in bed.

The whole family out for my dad's birthday.

My dad, my sister and I.

Me.

My sister and I.

My sister and I.

My gran and I at the airport when she arrived home.

Me on the pier at North Beach.

My parents with my gran at the airport.

Me.

My Gran and I.

Happy Easter All! He Is Risen!

Hi All,
Happy Easter! He is risen! I hope you are all having a great day, whether alone, or with loved ones!
I am having an amazing day. I went to church this morning with the family. The assemblage was packed as usual- praise God!- and it was amazing! It was special to be able to celebrate the resurrection of Christ Jesus on this day many years ago with inspiring people. I love going to church because I get to spend time with Jesus and be encouraged, even if only by seeing such examples.

Today the pastor spoke about Perfect Love, a love that only Christ can grant you. It is not self-seeking, It is forgiving and it gives everything. With knowledge of such love, all our fears- fears of giving control of our lives to him, financial fears, fears of rejection and fears of surrendering our lives- can be placed at the cross. This perfect love drives out all fears because Jesus is victorious!

The world can never offer us this victory but because he died, we can live! Some people believe that because what they have done is so bad, God can never love them. This is false because nothing you do will make him love you more and nothing you have done will make him love you less. The pastor also said a saying that says: When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. Our future can be with Christ in eternity. The closing question was "Where will you spend eternity?"
There will be no good people in heaven, only forgiven people. Today the offer stands.

After church, my family and I had a peaceful braai at home together. We then had an easter egg hunt and I found a Lindt bunny, which is extremely dulcet and tasty, and a mini pack of Oreos. Right now I am relaxed and am filled with felicity and am as the Afrikaners (Afrikaans speakers) would say "In haar noppies" or In my element.

It has been a leisurely last few days. On Friday I went to church for easter friday- The day which Jesus Christ was crucified many years ago. Yesterday, me, my sister, her boyfriend and my dad went to watch rugby at the Kearsney College Easter Festival. We just watched our home team- Glenwood High School- play then went home. It was great to be there out in nature and away from home erstwhile. Tomorrow I am going with my mother to visit my dear late grandmother's best friend for tea. It will be another ephemeral moment in this fugacious but memorable holiday befor I go back to school on Tuesday. This week I am especially grateful for my family.

Till next time,
A.V.M.Dwyer