alarms and headaches

On the morning of september 11 I awoke with just a little time to spare before my phone alarm went off. I awoke thinking, "oh how nice, a little bit more time to sleep before the day begins". Unfortunately the thought did not turn into reality as the alarm started to sound.
The alarm however was not the one that I had previously set the night before...It started off fairly softly and then grew into a horn of doom that awoke every single occupant of watson hall. This was a sound that I had not heard for a very long time, and upon hearing it knew that it was not long enough.

To think that the situation could not get worse was to underestimate Murphy's Law, for not only was the fire alarm sounding at 7 in the morning but we were also required to assemble at the front of watson where showers of blessing were being sent from above.
The problem now was to see if all the occupants were present and accounted for, while still avoiding the rain.

An answer to this dillema was presented by the leader of the fire team, who told everyone to gather inside watson chapel till the firemen arrived...the chapel would have been a very happy place had it not been for the speaker situated somewhere in the middle of the ceiling that kept reminding us not to panic while at the same time sounding that annoying siren that drove many to insanity...a few of us tried to hide inside the room adjacent to the stage in the chapel...though it was cold, the room did provide refuge from the cursed horn that showed no pity for all the distraught and drowsy individuals.

Finally the fire department arrived and much praise was heard from all of the oppressed who were freed from the torturous grip of the cursed alarm.

Coincidentally, and I certainly hope that it was a coincidence and not some horrible plan made by a master mind, the date was September 11 2006.

Amidst all the chaos which transpired on this day, some good has come from it because we are no longer required in this semester to have a fire drill at 2 in the morning...If it had not been for this fire alarm more violence could have arisen...thus the fire alarm was a blessing in disguise...and believe me...It was a pretty convincing disguise too

A day for a year...well more like a day for 6 weeks +

It really did seem like only a day had passed when in fact more than six weeks did. I mean it only feels like a few hours have passed since my last post, and then not long after that the semester ended.

Quite a lot has happened since my last post...as tends to happen when one doesn't post as often as one should...oopsies :P

About five weeks before the semester ended I was given the opportunity to work at avondale schools as a substitute physics teacher for 5 weeks...It was an awesome experience and it kept me rather busy, as i was also studying at the time.
I taught year 11 and year 12 students, mostly covering topics in mechanics and astronomy...both subjects which i am passionate about :)

After the teaching experience I had to study for my deferred exams (deffered because the teaching was done during exam week), and then sat them the first two weeks of holidays. There was a brief interlude on the weekend where a few of us enjoyed a LAN party that started on Sat night and ended Sunday morning...it had been a long time since i've done an all nighter playing comp games...aah sooo nice :)
The LAN party was held as a batchelor party for Chris Thiele (I knew that it would be the thing for him...also it was fairly easy to organise :P)

The weeks following, were spent preparing for Chris and Kristin's wedding and also hanging out with american friends that I hadn't seen in a while (Brandon and Becky), and also getting introduced to new friends (Michael and Jen)....they are all great and I miss hanging out with them now that they've returned to the states.
As the days approaching the wedding got shorter the stress levels rose (an inverse relationship) until finally the day came when the bride and the groom were completely calm, while everyone else's stress levels went through the roof (not really, but let not the truth get in the way of a good story...don't really believe that...oh well).

At the reception (which was held in the morning before the wedding) the maid of honour (Melody Tan) and the best man (me) were expected to give a speech. Melody's speech was very poetic and told great things about Kristin, so as the best man i had to say a few "nice" things about Chris (which i had written prior to the day, and also asked advice from Chris' dad on just what to say...he gave me a few suggestions which raised a few eyebrows and produced a few laughs...which is what i was after).

Finally in the afternoon the hour came that everyone had been waiting for, when all of the bride's maids (clad in white with a black cape) started to march into the church closely followed by the bride...they all looked beautiful....the wedding was really special.

After the wedding things started to quiet down and then i was back at college finishing my deffered chemistry labs (thank you Dr Drewer)...also gave me another excuse to fiddle around with dangerous chemicals :P
It didn't take very long before the final week of the holidays...on the thursday of the final week which was yesterday i had to go to Paddy's markets in sydney to pick up a tie for my cousin...when i got off at central i noticed Brandon, Sharona and Kristin who were also getting off the same train (what a coincidence). I went to say hi and they were very surprised to see me (and I them)...Brandon asked me where I was going and found out that it was the same place that he was going to (what an even greater coincidence). Found out that they were just taking Brandon to the airport for his flight back to the states. Said my goodbye's and then ended up spending the rest of the day with Kristin and Chris (Sharona joined us later for tea)...was great to catch up with all of them.

Next week there will be even more catching up to do with people i haven't seen for six weeks as the new semester begins :)

A much awaited post

Hey all, sorry about the long gap between my posts...i will explain it all in one big post, but for now just to tell you what has been happening in the last little while :)

Let's start with last week. On Sunday last week Eli, Dave, Krystal and I headed off to Sharona's 21st which was held at the SAN. As we got closer to Sydney I recieved a call from Bonnie who was in the other car with Casey and Kelly. Bonnie then said that their car got rear ended by some jerk and Kelly was in hospital as a result. When I first heard this I thought that it was a joke, but then realised that Bonnie was in fact quite serious about it all, so we drove to the hospital to see who Kel was doing...found her laying in bed with everyone crowding around her as she was the center of attention and not Sharona (shame on you Kel...tsk tsk :P ). Most of the day was spent with Kel until we knew that she was alright and being taken care of...hrrm...aherm...sorry just clearing my throat...oh yeah, Dave managed to convince one of the doctors that he was actually a part of the staff (a white gown helps in such matters) and stayed with Kel when she was having her X-ray done.

Following these eventful events, we then decided to have tea and picked up our orders that we placed previously at the Thai restraunt in Turramurra (a great place...they even gave us two complimentary drinks for the party). When we had our orders, we all headed back to Melody Tan's place and had our food...Sharona, Kylie-Anne and I went back to Kel to bring her some food and stayed there till they transferred Kel to Hornsby hospital (she went to a public hospital due to the cost required for the SAN).

After seeing Kel off, we all returned to Melody's place and gave Sharona her presents...hehehe...she could not stop laughing when we unleashed the "battery operated toy with feathers" (Eli's words)...it was actually a parrot that swore and was uncensored...it did however bring a smile on Sharona's face which was great seeing as how the day started.
Following that we also played a wonderful game entitled "Honey if you love me"...a great game to play with people who are not reserved...that is all that I will say about the game ;)

The day ended with us coming back to college at 3 am...a wonderful time was had by all...well almost...but I'm sure that Kel loved all the attention :P

On Tuesday evening Eli, Bonnie and I went to Hornsby to meet Kel and Sharona so that we could all go and see "V for Vandetta"...a great movie...encourage you all to see it :)
Following that we went to Macca's and just chatted...and took photos :)

Friday morning headed off to Jindabyne where the Croatian Adventist gathering was held...more than a hundred people turned up...was good to catch up with some of my other friends...also went to Kosciuszko...did 6.5 km in about 50 mins...was intense...dad and I ran a little way up the mountain cos we didn't want to miss the last chair lift which was at 4pm...took a few photos and then ran down and still made it half an hour before they closed...phew!!!

That about sums up the activites which have happened in the last week...stay tuned for a big blurb that is coming up soon about everything else..oiii

God bless :)

Great weekend

The previous couple of days have been quite exciting as my family and I took a trip over the long weekend to Noosa at the Sunshine Coast in QLD. Dad had a couple of days off from work so we decided to go up north for a holiday...it just so happened that a few of my good friends also decided to go up there for a camping trip.

We headed up to Noosa on Thursday morning and got there that evening...12 hours of driving is really tiresome :P

The following day parents dropped me off at Elanda point where Glen, Chela, Yvanna, Chloe, Kylie, Pete and Carla were camping...it was a very hot day and we all decided that it was perfect for a dip in the lake. The lake was only a meter or so deep even a couple of hundred metres from the shore, and it was also very very warm...like being in a warm bath...quite nice :)

Unfortunately that afternoon, Pete and Carla had to leave...but it also freed up the tent that Pete was using and so Glen and I slept there instead.

Saturday was a nice day for just relaxing and chatting with friends, and then Saturday night was filled with fun when we played a couple of games that involved doing "dares"...it was an interesting turn of events...can't say anymore...might ruin the game if anyone wanted to play it again ;)

Sunday morning we all woke up to watch the sunrise...a bit cloudy but still very nice, and then when it got warmer enjoyed a nice waterfight...should have filled up more balloons tho :P

Our camping trip ended with us going back to the lake for one last dip...this time the water was not as warm as before, but it was still a nice way to cool off.

That day I thought we would be going back to Bonnells Bay, but parents decided to stay just a bit longer...in the afternoon we went for a swim at Noosa beach...it was raining but the water was still warm...and managed to catch a couple of good waves while at the same time being pumelled by the ones that caught me off guard...lots of fun ;)

Finally on monday started heading back to Bonnells Bay...took us 12 hours and I did a bit of driving as well (only bout two hours tho). When we got back found out that our ADSL modem had arrived while we were gone and is now in storage at Newcastle.
The following day we went to pick it up and now I'm enjoying the bliss that is ADSL....no more dialup or getting off the phone when mum needs it...life is great :)

Oh and one other thing...got offered a job as we were driving back from Noosa...Dr Drewer rang to see if I would be interested in being one of the tutors for their Chemistry bridginc course which commences 20th Feb...will give me something to do till college starts up again ;)

And that sums up my wonderful weekend

Have fun and God bless :)

Hello again and happy new year

The new year is already upon us and I have not posted in a while so I will try and bring you up to speed with what's been happening.

I will first wish everyone a happy new year and hope that you all had a great Christmas. Most of Christmas and new years was spent with friends and family. For new years a few of us who were in the vicinity of Cooranbong decided to go to Russell Harder's place for a few games and swim in the pool...since it was really hot that day. Friends of mine decided that i needed to go for a dip as well, even though i didn't particularly think that it was necessary...they were kind and did allow me a chance to change before dumping me in the pool...what wonderful friends they are :P
After a nice swim in the pool and a few attempts at trying to do a back flip we went inside and watched circus performers do amazing feats on a show which I have forgotten the name of...i just know that they were really good and was amazed at the tricks they were doing :P

The next bit of excitement came with Science Summer Camp at Avondale...Braden, Janita, Bec and I were the deans, and had the awesome privilege of looking after these great kids...they were truly a wonderful bunch...and also there was more of them this time round...28 students in total. We were mainly responsible for the opening social, recreation time in the afternoons and organising the decorations for the Science Banquet during the final weekend of the Science Summer Camp. For one of the recreation activities we orchestrated a water fight between the deans and the students...that was only for a short time, and soon there after it was every person for themselves...that was a lot of fun...pretty much everyone got wet except a few who were hiding behind cameras...oh well...it was a good day for it as well...nice and hot ;)
During camp we went on an excursion to the reptile park where Braden found a new role model...one guy who was presenting during the reptile show...he was very witty and also managed to frighten some of the kids by the way that he spoke about snakes, alligators, crocs etc....quite a nice guy really.
Following the reptile park we went to the beach at Toowoon Bay where a group of us tried to make a human pyramid in the water...when that didn't succeed we made way to the sand where we finally accomplished our goal...I was one of the bases at the bottom...when everyone fell off I decided to have a nice leisurely lie down in the sand. At this point in time everyone decided that they would see how a buried alive Daniel looks like, so they piled a heap of sand on top of me...eventually stopped when the camp coordinator who was taking pictures at the time said that I looked a bit blue in the face...i did kinda notice that the sand was a bit heavier than expected...quickly got up and then everyone said that my face looked normal again...as normal as can be i suppose :P

We also managed to run into Peter Ansell when we were there....Carla was there as well and she thought that Pete needed to go for a swim, so Braden and the kids did all that was in their power to ensure that Carla's wishes were fulfilled...Pete was kinda glad in the end tho he did not have time to take off his only shirt before going into the drink...and that sums up our day at the beach :)

On Saturday the students were taking over the church service and so everyone was busy practicing the previous night...even though they were all nervous they did a great job :)
In the afternoon it was decided that we should all go canoeing and kayaking in the Dora Creek...the group was divided into two...one went earlier and the other went later in the afternoon...cause we didn't have enough places for a single big group. I was teamed up with a student and on our return trip everything was going great until she decided that tipping us over was a lot easier than she thought, so she did just that and we went swimming in the Dora...yuck!!! Well actually it is not as bad as I would have thought...fairly salty and can sting if it gets in your eye...so now I can say that I've swum in the Dora...yay :P

When we got back from our little trip down Dora Creek it was time to get ready for the Science Banquet...the room next to the Caf was really nicely decorated where each table had a symbol of some faculty of college where the Students did their classes...there was a table with a microscope and test tube rack (with test tubes) representing science, another was decorated with gold covered chocolate coins representing accounting and yet another with sheet music and a recorder, representing the music department. For our centerpiece we made an artistic version of a double helix model :P
The evening went really well and it concluded with us and the students playing capture the flag down near the swing bridge till about 1:30 am.
The next day I slept in and was one of the people who missed breakfast...needed the sleep...as everyone was heading off and the science camp finished, we had a water fight yet again to conclude the science summer camp.

That was about the gist of what's been happening up till now...oh except that we are finally switching to broadband internet...no more dialup for me...yay!!! It will become a reality hopefully within the next week or so...also something was wrong with the telephone line and we were without a phone for a day or so...not happy...In other happier news, NASA finally launched their probe to study Pluto...it is now on its way to mars and will take 9 years to reach Pluto...how exciting...can't wait!!!

There is one more thing which I neglected to mention and that is our plan to go to the Noosa Heads on the Sunshine Coast this coming week...really excited about that...never really been to the Sunshine coast before :)

And that is the end of my tale...for now!!!

Hope your holidays are great...Have fun and God bless :)

Good to be back!!!!

Goodness it has been a while since my last post...a whole month!!!!

Well since matron so eloquently reminded me that i had not poasted about her birthday party i shall do just that!!!

Quite a lot of things happened since my last post and i will attempt to describe as many as i can remember.

Firstly Kelly's birthday party which was held at Catho's right before the JAC banquet. We all (about 20 or so) arrived at catho's on saturday night and set up camp (those who actually decided to sleep there for the night). After the setup we played a couple of games led by our dear primary teachers...the games consisted of "stuck in the mud", "what's the time mr wolf" and a variant of "duck duck goose". After a couple of those games others decided that it was perhaps time to go back to college.
Those silly enough to stay the entire night ended up with very little sleep and for some, none at all!!!!thank you wallace :P

The following day we had the pleasure of going to the JAC banquet which was held at Tony Martin's place...it was very nicely decorated with drinks and finger food outside near his house...the actual banquet was held in a tent a little further from his house. It was a great evening full of many laughs.
After we got back from the banquet a few of us decided that it still wasn't time for bed even though we only got a few hours sleep the previous night, so we hung around college hall and then went for a walk to the swing bridge and played "go fish" and "prince and the pauper" or scum as it is otherwise known.

Needless to say that the following day i slept in!!!!

Then came exams!!!! (only had one exam that i was worried about...Chem IB...still haven't got the results back)

The week following the exams was exhaustfully spent playing many card games and watching movies...oh and preparing for grad of course!!!!

The graduation weekend was quite an experience starting with me being late to the valedictory service for all education students and all those with double degrees. Thankfully though i did make it to the second service where i was actually participating. The second service was more important in my mind because that is where all my science friends were marching. They had me leading the marching party and even though we were given instruction not to sit before a particular item had been done, guess what i did....i sat down....but quickly got up hoping that no one noticed.
Following the second service my family and extended family (about 20 in total) came to dine in the caf and caused andre hamilton considerable joy when he saw the receipt that came out in the end (since all of their food was going on my caf card)

After the big lunch went to find people and we watched "Let's Talk" which Shane so graciously obtained for us. Also went to listen to the afternoon concert and then had to go to the presidents reception.

Sunday was the big day that all the fourth year students had been waiting four years for. Thankfully the day was not so hot and there were not as many flies as i feared. It started off with all of us getting dressed up in our regalia and going to the squash courts where we were seperated into our marching groups...it was interesting to see the registrar flying around frustrated that some students did not seem to grasp the concept that this was a formal event and they should thus have collared shirts and not just tee shirts.

Anyways finally we were asked to walk up and recieve our testamur that symbolises four years worth of pain and suffering that each of us went through to realise how much we do not know.

After the graduation ceremony the area in front of the auditorium turned into absolute chaos with everyone trying to find people so they could have photos taken. Once again i was late to a photo shoot for the science students because i was trying to find other ppl....sigh!!!!

After all the madness that comes with graduation we went to Sonja's place for lunch and just relaxed and enjoyed the food...that is, until we were coerced into making a speech.
The day ended with us staying back and watching "Fellowship of the ring"...a day truly well spent with friends and family.

Well that was a bit more that i planned to say...but what can i say...it was a big day!!!

After grad had to move out of watson and on the day that i was beginning to move my stuff the fire alarm went off and unfortunately dad had to wait for a bit before we could go back to our rooms...one thing that was different about this fire alarm was that we actually had smoke this time...the microwave malfunctioned!!!

Since moving out of watson tried to get the internet up and running...had to wait for bout a week before i got connected and even then had some problems because of our jolly phone line...kept getting disconnected a couple of mins into the session!!!

Also went to the carols at the San and stayed with Chris' dad in the mission hostel cause i did not have a ride back to cooranbong. Was good to see Chris and Sharona again. The carols were ok but the fireworks following them were spectacular...they played Handel's Hallelujah Chorus in the background!!!!

And that is the end of my tale...brings u up to date at least :P

If i don't write sooner...hope u all have a very merry christmas and a happy new year

God bless :)

A Big Update

I think I may have beaten my previous record for not posting, since it has been more than a month that i have not said anything. This is due to numerous things, including many chem assignments, essays and just generally being slack...though i think it may be more of the latter.

Anyways so to fill you in on what has been happening over the last month and a bit...here goes:

Firstly about 20 or so of our group of friends decided to go to North NSW Big Camp, which was held at Stewart's Point about 15 minutes walk to the beach...a beautiful location!!!

On Friday (the first day of mid semester break) we got up nice and early (about 7 ish) and started our exciting adventure at 9am. About 9 of us took the trip in the outdoor troupie...was nice and comfortable (we had one seat spare so it wasn't too crowded)
After several hours of driving and stopping we finally arrived at the camp site, where we were tagged!!!

The reason for the tagging is to keep track of all the campers, so that no one can walk onto the campsite uninvited.

The camp was a real fun time to spend with friends.
For a few days, just tried to get a glimpse of all the topics and speakers, until finally deciding to go to the Connections tent, which was meant to be aimed at an age group 25 yrs and older, though it was close to 40 yrs and over.
The speaker there was talking about the Ten Commandments...was really interesting, and made me think...which was good, as i like to think!!!

For most of the camp we mainly hung around the campsite and just relaxed whilst reading, sleeping, playing cards or even doing homework (that was me...brought my chem textbook and the assignment that was due as soon as we got back from camp!! Actually managed to finish about 3/4 of it, which was good...yay!!!).

All of us took turns in helping around the campsite by cooking, cleaning the dishes and making sure that our tents were somewhat presentable.

As the weather was fairly warm, most of us took this grand opportunity to go to the beach and cool off. There were even those that were really determined, who woke up nice and early just so that they could watch the sunrise...it was beautiful and definately worth it (though when compared to driving about a thousand kilometres over several days just to watch a shadow that lasts for only 30 seconds, this was only a very small thing...but beautiful none the less)

We also met a few new faces, and i saw quite a lot of familiar ones as well...those mostly being my former students whom i taught at the beginning and middle of this year...quite refreshing to hear "hi Mr. Vokurka" when going for a stroll around the campsite.

As the week drew to a close, some of us decided to go to the beach and celebrate the beginning of a new Sabbath by watching the sunrise over the clam waters of the ocean. It was a truly magical moment seeing the clouds slowly turn a shade of pink and then watch the rays of the sun as it rose above the cloud covering over the horizon.

The camp was really fun and I plan on going there again next year.

As the mid-semester break finished, slowly (though not slowly enough) work started to pile up and the second half of the semester was well on the way.
Not long after Big Camp we had yet another reason to celebrate, due to cake day and Andrew Taylor's Birthday (that was lots of fun...got to play the limbo game and hang out with friends...oh and we were fed very well)

After that bit of excitement we had a brief interlude and then more excitement from Toni's birthday party, where we played the balloon passing game, life saver game and many others.

The other bit of exciting news is that our netball team played Braden and Carla's team. The exciting thing is that even though we lost, we did not loose by a large margin, and their team was a very good team...so i think there is cause for celebration, as we came very close, which means that our team is starting to get fairly good.

That pretty much summarises all the main events that occured from Big Camp onwards.

Anyways...must go and finish off my final two essays for the year

Have fun, God bless and no stress!!! :)