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

Passionate about learning

Hey All,

It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I started school almost 2 weeks ago on the 13th of January 2014. I'm in grade 11 now and I'm glad to say it hasn't been too bad so far. I have mostly new teachers but I am doing all the same subjects. It has been very interesting so far, especially as I have started chemistry something which I have not done much of before. I am fascinated in every lesson when I learn more and more about such amazing things as the atom, orbitals and electron configuration. I am also truly fascinated by the early scientists like Newton, Einstein, Curie, Schrodinger, Rutherford, Bohr and many more. The thing that is strange is that even about two years ago I was very interested in these amazing people and the concepts that they presented. That, two years back was when I became passionate about learning. I mean, it's not enough that I do an extra subject at school and I'm learning to play the piano, oh no, I need to go and learn Latin and German and a ton of other interesting things. I have subscribed to a million different websites, blogs and email updates on a range of various topics. I have realised that I am passionate about learning which is a great thing and I that nothing that you learn is ever for nothing.

Stick to your passion and you'll be happy. 

                                                           Till next time. A.V.M.Dwyer

Hey All,
Today was a good day. I went for a walk along the beach front with my mom and then we had a cappacino at Mugg and Bean restaurant. I phoned one of my friends who has moved away to her home country in Mozambique. It just made me think about how this new year is going to be at school... if I am going to have the same friends or the same goals. Well till tomorrow.
A.V.M Dwyer 

Go to the mattresses

Hey All, 

I hope you have had a good day. Today was my last living grandparent, my gran's, 81st birthday. My dad and I took her for coffee and a walk in the park and then the rest of the family (My mom, sister and her boyfriend) joined us for supper. She is an amazing lady, friendly and always thinking of others needs. She started to lose her memory a few years ago and it has worsened since my grandfather died in 2012. We had a lovely day and it made me think that in this life I don't have time to waste being unhappy because time goes so fast. Tonight at supper we had a very friendly waiter and it was great to have someone smiling. Today this blog reached a hundred views,so thanks all. As I am writing this I am listening to "You've got Mail" playing on the TV. It is one of my favourite films and an amazing one too. It is so melancholy and personal. I also love the 1989 film "Happy Together", which is my ultimate favourite movie of all time. I also love many other films. Till next time.

A.V.M Dwyer

Hey All, 

Day two of my new blog has arrived. I am proud and fascinated by this new world which has been opened up to me. I have had over 70 page views in less than 12 hours and I am elated so all I can is thanks. Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a complex character, a deep thinker, a science enthusiast and an animal lover. I am fascinated by how things work and with solving mysteries or conundrums. I am a student and I am studying English, Afrikaans,Mathematics, Science (Physics and Chemistry), Life Science (Biology), History, Business Studies and Life Orientation. I am also learning Basic Latin and German, music terms and about scientists on www.memrise.com, which is an amazing website where you can take courses in any topic ranging from maths to languages to general knowledge. I am very determined to reach my goals and to always try my best. An approach to achieving my goals is using inspirational quotes which speak to me to encourage me. Here are some of my All time favourite quotes:

"Choose what's right, change what isn't"

"Success is getting up one more time than you fall down"

"If you can dream it, you can become it"

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

"It's better to let someone walk away from you than all over you"

"It always seems impossible until it's done"

"You will gain respect from others by having respect for yourself"

"Don't give up, the beginning is always the hardest"

"What would you do If you knew you could not fail?"

"Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself"

"Imagination is more important than knowledge because knowledge is limited to  what what we know while imagination encompasses all that we can know"

"let your pats make you better, not bitter"

"Never look down on someone unless your'e helping them up"

"Education is the most important weapon you can use to change YOUR world"

"There is no passion to be found playing small- in settling for a life which is less than the one which you are capable of living"

"Good, better, best, never let it rest till your good is better and your better  best"

"Nil Volentibus Arduum- Prevailing nothing arduous"

"For those who are determined nothing is impossible"

"Where there's a will, there's a way"

I hope these quotes inspire and encourage you.

You can hear more from me on twitter @ArianaVMDwyerZA, on stumbleupon ArianaVMDwyerZA or memrise AVMDwyerZA.

A.V.M.Dwyer

Welcome All

Hey All,
Welcome to my blog, 2014. Wow, what an amazing feeling it is to know that you have created your own blog. A space of your own to write freely and to share you world of thoughts with whoever is brave enough to share with you. This is my first blog and there are a few reasons why it was created. I created this blog because a new year has just come and I have decided that I do not have much time to waste as time is not infinite and neither are we. I have wondered for a while now about why one would contemplate writing a blog and I have finally come up with the answer, because they want to share, express, encourage, be encouraged, learn, laugh and write. To all who may stumble upon this blog, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy it.
A.V.M. Dwyer