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

End of term break

Hey All,

This has been a good week. I have been on holiday from school this week and it was a really great to have a well deserved and long needed break. I spent a lot of time at home just relaxing and helping my sister with her maths but oh, the feeling of being able to sleep in and not having to wake up at the crack of dawn. Bliss.

For me it is a great feeling to travel to new places or places I haven't been to in long and just take my time browsing and looking and discovering. On Wednesday, the 2nd, Me, my sister and my mom took a trip to Kloof just to get out of the house. We had lunch and then spent a while touring the local malls and scouring every corner shop. My sister and I wanted a souvenir to take home and we eventually decided on earrings. Mine were music notes, which is appropriate as I am a piano student. We eventually had cappuccinos at Rose's coffee shop and went home.

On Saturday evening, my family (Including my dad), went to The Pavillion. My sister and I went shopping together while my parents went their own way. It was great spending sister time with my sister and searching through all the shops. I finally decided on a light-washed denim jacket, new jeans and a jewellery pack containing 3 pairs of earrings, 3 necklaces and 3 rings. I was very happy with my purchases.

After the shopping, we (My sister and I), met my parents at Cafe Gitano for supper. A huge area of the mall has just been upgraded and a whole new food court has been built. I was amazed at the transformation and it felt as though I was in a totally new mall. I was eager to dine at the restaurant as it had been built in the new area and on a new floor level. I saw two people that I know at the mall: someone from my school,  which was a surprise because my school is so far away, and my best friend's little brother, who is not so little anymore. Overall, it was a lovely evening and the perfect end to a relaxing holiday.

I start school again tomorrow and so starts term 2. I am ready to get back to work and get a step further to realizing my dreams. During this holiday I researched options for scholarships in South Africa. There are many but they all require a lot of determination, perspiration and  inspiration. I shall get my first term report with my results in 2 weeks and i'll report back accordingly.

It is easter in 2 weeks too. I am excited for the long weekend that comes with it although I cannot say the same for the easter eggs because it is not even easter yet but my dad just bought our third box of easter eggs today. I always tell my family that I will never get thin in our house. Haha, maybe one day.

Till next time,
A.V.M.Dwyer

Dirty Dancing

Hey All,

I watched the film Dirty Dancing for the first time yesterday and it was amazing. It makes me wonder why I never saw it before. I also watched Happy Together today which is also amazing. two of my favourite films. 

Recently I have been watching a lot of cooking shows, especially Masterchef. I especially loved Masterchef: The Professionals where Ash Mair won. He, Steve BArringer and Claire Hutchings are all absolute amazing chefs and their dishes were unbelievable. I drew some inspiration and as I love cooking, I mad supper for my family tonight. 

Just a quick update

Till next time

A.V.M.Dwyer

Hey All, 

Sorry I haven't written in since January. School has been unbelievably busy and I'm realizing more than ever how much you truly need to give up in order to reach your goals. February was very busy and I learnt lots of new things.

 In February I donated blood to the national blood service (NBS) first the first time. I was a little nervous but it was worth it. When I went to register before I donated, the man who was registering people asked me how my grandfather was. I was a little surprised but I remembered that my grampa used to work for the NBS. This man remembered him from 20 years before. It was sad because I had to tell him that my grampa had passed away 2 years ago.

Last week Thursday was my birthday and I can honestly say that I enjoyed the whole day. I went out for supper with my family at Spur, a family tradition since we were kids. If it's your birthday, no matter if you're a regular or if it's your first time, they’ll sing to you. It makes you feel embarrassed, yet loved at the same time. And you get free ice-cream with sprinkles on it. I was also told a week before not to make any plans for the Saturday two days later.

On the Friday, the 7th of March, I got my ears pierced for the first time. It was not as bad as everyone says it will be or as sore. So on the Saturday, I woke up expecting a surprise and I had no clue what to expect. My sister told me on the morning that I and she were going to spend the day at Ushaka Marine World, a huge tourist attraction in our city. I was amazed and completely surprised and thrilled because I had not even thought of it. My sister had gotten free passes to do all the activities because she works as a volunteer at Ushaka twice a week.

Anyway, we arrived at Ushaka at around 11 am and were there till 5 pm. We did everything - went on the water slides (This place has the highest waterslide in Africa, although I skipped that one), watched the dolphin and seal shows, Walked through the aquarium, got photos of us printed, Had lunch at.. You guessed it, Spur and then did some shopping. When we first got there we went to watch the dolphin and seal shows. It was amazing to see to relationship between the trainers and the animals and how much these animals love and trust the trainers.

We then went on the water slides and even though I am getting older, my sister is still as protective as always. We decided to go on this one water slide which leads to a deep pool at the end and my sister, being the protective sister she is, said she would go first so that she could catch me at the end. She did. We went on it again later but I said that I wanted to go first and she didn't want to let me. Anyway, she went after me and somehow during the ride she caught up to me and grabbed hold of me so that we would slide into the water together at the end. How sweet <3. We also went on this amaaazzing ride called the lazy river, where you lie on a tube and float or hop off and swim (we all did that as kids, but now we prefer to just relax!). It is really nice and relaxing and the best part is that it lasts a long time and even takes you past a part of the aquarium. 

After that we walked through the whole aquarium. The aquarium is set in an old shipwreck and really looks like it inside too. It was absolutely breathtaking to see all the different sea creatures and fish. You almost feel a sense of peace and relaxation when you are down at the bottom of this shipwreck surrounded by fish. We were lucky enough to see the fish feeding and the diver being surrounded and I’d say a little swamped by hundreds of fish. We took about a thousand photos and then decided to have lunch. After lunch we walked through all the shops and I eventually decide to buy an awesome purple Roxy T-shirt. That surprise was amazing and I thank my sister for it.

This week I have been writing a discursive essay for English and the topic I chose was nature vs. nurture. I have never actually found out about this topic before so I thought that it was a good opportunity to learn something new. I have come to the conclusion that nature and nurture go hand in hand in determining the outcome of a person. When I think of this topic, I think of a coin because it has a flip side like a coin – nature cannot exist without nurture as a coin head cannot exist without a coin tail. My teacher told me that she wants my essay to be published in the local newspaper. I’m excited.

 I get my writing ability and love of it from my mother’s side of the family. She is an author of two books, her brother ( my uncle) is an editor with a PHD in English literature and both of my grandparents on that side were journalists and my grandfather also an author. I have also been learning about forces, the kidney and surds this week. I have started doing Women’s Health magazines 15 minute workouts which work out great because I don’t have time to waste during the week. They are only 15 minutes long, but they leave you sweating by the end and moving every second.

Thanks for your comments and support

Till next time

A.V.M  Dwyer