Daisy: What are you doing?

In case you had not read my post around New Years, I am in Phillip Island along with my cousins. They have a dog called Daisy. This is her story. This is not Law and Order. Daisy is a small dog and she would be about 2 years old. Sometimes she is tired and sometimes she is excited. As she is alone most of the day, she is definitely an almost nocturnal dog. Meaning that during the day she is tired and lazy but when night comes she is a completely different dog. She goes from eyes half-closed to looking like she has had a large dose of pure caffeine. Aside from this she is also a very smart dog who knows what is going on and even toilet trained herself. So today when my grandparents left and took their dog (who is much older) Daisy knew exactly what was going on. She was very depressed and the looks she was giving were empty. However, as is with her energy levels, she quickly perked up again when my cousins returned. Daisy is one bipolar dog.

I had a slow day today. See you tomorrow!

2014: What May Be

Finally 2014 has arrived. Many doubted we would make it past 2012 but here we are now. As is to be expected at the end of a great year for many, we often find ourselves looking at what once was. Even though I am a big believer in "those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it" I also believe that sometimes we need to take a look into our future and what this may mean for us. Personally, I am looking forward greatly to how this year will unfold because there is so much that I am looking forward to and so many new things I want to experience. We only get to live each moment once so we should always try to make them memorable. Carpe Diem (sorry, but I can not do accents on my phone). I wish that in 2014 I get the courage to do some things and the strength to do some others. 2014 is, like any future, a mystery but I can always hope for a great one.

Happy New Year everyone! See you tomorrow.

Weird News Tuesday: Merry Christmas!

Can you believe that it is only one more day until Christmas? Neither can I. Anyway, as you all know this a post where I go through a news site and find some odd news stories that probably should not have been considered news or are just so out there that they had to be news. Sometimes this is easy and other times it is tricky. This week, I will be using stories from Perth Now. As always, just click on the name of the news site and it will take you to the home page. The first story I get to reads "Inside King Henry's Love Nest". Aside from this the story is pretty straight-forward in that it is about a house that used to belong to some of King Henry VIII's wives which is now going up for auction. Was the title really that necessary? Could they not have chosen something different like "Royal House for sale" or something similar? The next story is also a straight-forward one about William and Kate flying in the same plane as their son (Prince George) which is against tradition as it risks the loss of two direct heirs (William and George). The weird thing about this story is how the title says "Wills and Kate". Since when did anyone call Prince William, Wills? It sounds like something you would call a good friend (like "oh, here comes good ol' Wills") not something you would call an heir to the throne. I am beginning to realise how informal Perth Now is.

Source: http://www.miningfamilies.com/

In other news, a streaker interrupted holiday-goers by chasing around seagulls and going through a busy restaurant all with no clothes on. Some people got a bit more than they bargained for on that day but at least the Police put some clothes on him before they escorted him to the police vehicle. A pilot in New York allegedly delayed a flight for two and a half hours while he waited for some gourmet sandwiches. Someone is definitely getting fired over this. How did he even explain it though without anyone kicking up a fuss? Surely if they knew what was actually going on they would have found a replacement pilot. Well, you would hope so. Someone apparently was trying to trade a live alligator for two six-packs of beer. I wonder what the clerk would have done? I mean, what would you do if someone came up and offered to give you a dangerous (and very much alive) alligator in exchange for two six-packs of beer? Ever heard of the phrase "Shop till you drop"? Well, a man in China jumped to his death in a mall after he had had enough of his girlfriend's shopping. Wow, he must have been really tired of her to do such a thing just to get away from her. Has he never heard of separating for a little while or just coming back for her later? Surely there were better options than to just jump. An idiot of a criminal (who shall remain nameless although his name is on the news site) who was wanted posted comments on his own wanted page on Facebook. Needless to say it was this which helped the Police find him. Was this guy stupid or did he just want to go to prison? Sometimes the answer is not very clear-cut. India's chief investigator has caused a massive uproar when he said "If you can't stop rape, just enjoy it" while comparing sports gambling to sexual assault. Something tells me that this guy is going to have to fight a very hard losing battle to maintain his job after that 'little' 'slip of the tongue'. A woman, after having sex in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant, was so drunk that she tried to wear a hamburger as a shoe. I wonder how that would have turned out if she had succeeded and how long it would have taken her to become sober enough to realise what was going on. Apparently, if you want an alternative to Christmas because you are sick of all the merry cheer you can celebrate Festivus. I have absolutely no idea what it is but it is a thing now. It happened and we all let it happen.

Merry Christmas for tomorrow everyone! See you tomorrow.

Best Australian Christmas Carols

Over the past few non-scheduled posts I have written Australian versions of pre-existing well-known carols and poems. Well, today I have decided to go on a quest to find some good Australian Christmas Carols. See down below for all the carols I have chosen that truly represent an Australian Christmas or at least have some relation to Christmas Down Under. Before I continue with the carols I also want to point out that Saturday's scheduled post went missing (presumably accidentally deleted) and as I missed out on Doctor Who Sunday yesterday (though I still did post something) and to celebrate the Eleventh Doctor's final episode (commiserate may be a better word) in The Time of the Doctor and  Capaldi's new reign as the next Doctor (however he fits in the timeline of events is a mystery as of yet) I will be posting two Doctor Who Sunday posts. One on Wednesday (Christmas Day) and another on Thursday (Boxing Day). You will still be able to catch up next Sunday with another Doctor Who Sunday but this is just to make up for missing one and recognize such a momentous occasion as the death of one Doctor and the emergence of another. Anyway, on with the Carols!

6 White Boomers sung by Rolf Harris (in this version)

Personally, I prefer the Russel Coight version of this song (same words, just different singer) but Rolf Harris does do this song some justice. It does not get much more Australian than the 6 White Boomers. Here are the lyrics:

in australia, christmas comes in the middle of a very hot summer
so when santa claus delivers his presents
he's not taken around by reindeer because

they can't stand the terrible heat

he's taken around by six big, white, old man kangaroos
called the six white boomers

early on one christmas day
a joey kangaroo
was far from home and lost
in a great, big zoo

mommy....where's my mommy?
they've taken her away

we'll help you find your mommy, son
hop up on the sleigh

so up inside the bag of toys
little joey hopped
but they hadn't gone far when santa stopped
unharnessed all the reindeer
and joey wondered why
then he heard a far off booming in the sky

(boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom)

[chorus]
six white boomers
snow white boomers
racing santa claus through the blazing sun
six white boomers
snow white boomers
on his australian run

pretty soon old santa began to feel the heat
took his fur-lined boots off to cool his feet
into one popped joey
feelin' quite okay
while those old man kangaroos kept pullin' on the sleigh
hey!

[chorus]

then joey said to santa, "santa, what about the toys?
aren't you giving some to these girls and boys?"

"well, they've all had their presents, sonny
we were here last night
this trip is an extra trip
joey's special flight

[chorus]

soon the sleigh was flashing past
right over marble bah
"slow down there!" cried santa
"it can't be far
hop up on my lap here, son
and have a look around"
"there, there she is!
that's mommy! bounding up and down!"

[chorus]

well, that's the bestest christmas treat
that joey ever had
curled up in mother's pouch feeling snug and glad
the last they saw was santa heading northwards from the sun
the only year the boomers worked a double run

[chorus]

Aussie Jingle Bells by Bucko and Champs

This is a carol I actually did not know existed until I went through YouTube to get the last song. It is a very Australian version of the classic song Jingle Bells though and this music video is very entertaining. As you will see at the end of the video, they have a few other humorous and just as entertaining ones as well but I will not list them all here. Here are the very Australian lyrics:

Dashing through the bush

In a rusty Holden Ute

Kicking up the dust

Esky in the boot

Kelpie by my side

Singing Christmas songs

It's Summer time and I am in

My singlet, shorts and thongs

Oh! Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Jingle all the way

Christmas in Australia

On a scorching summer's day

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Christmas time is beaut

Oh what fun it is to ride

In a rusty Holden Ute.

Engine's getting hot

We dodge the kangaroos

The swaggie climbs aboard

He is welcome too

All the family's there

Sitting by the pool

Christmas day, the Aussie way

By the barbecue!

Oh! Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Jingle all the way

Christmas in Australia

On a scorching summer's day

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Christmas time is beaut

Oh what fun it is to ride

In a rusty Holden Ute.

Come the afternoon

Grandpa has a doze

The kids and uncle Bruce

Are swimming in their clothes

The time comes round to go

We take the family snap

Pack the car and all shoot through

Before the washing up

Oh! Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Jingle all the way

Christmas in Australia

On a scorching summer's day

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Christmas time is beaut

Oh what fun it is to ride

In a rusty Holden Ute.

I am going to end it here for now and say good night and wish everyone a merry Christmas as the following posts until Friday are all going to be segments (Weird News and Doctor Who) so if I do not say anything have a safe and merry Christmas as well as a happy New Year. See you tomorrow.

Another Apology and Disclaimer

Before we continue I just want to address the lack of post yesterday. This was not supposed to be the case as I had scheduled a post to be released but for whatever reason it did not post. However, due to some computer troubles (i.e. The computer not working) I was unable to go on Blogger and see what was going on. I am very sorry for this but there is nothing I can do as you can not manage things like scheduling on the phone application (which is very basic by the way). However, when I went on the application to write this post the post from yesterday did not show up which makes me think it was somehow deleted which is very annoying. Again, I am sorry. The disclaimer is that until we fix the computer there will be no long posts as they will all need to be written and posted on my phone.

I am very sorry for all this. See you tomorrow!

Australian Jingle Bells

As you all should know, Christmas is just around the corner! Usually we would all be very cheery and merry at this time but I have had enough of America's views of Christmas taking over the whole world's view. People are always going on about having a White Christmas but in Australia, any ice still left out has melted by the time Christmas comes around. As a result, I am taking some of the popular Christmas carols/poems/stories and making them more Australian. You can check out The Night Before Christmas in Australia by clicking here.

Source: http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/holidaytype/kidsfamily/654340/aussie-christmas-holiday-ideas

Australian Jingle Bells

Dashing through the heat

In a four-wheel open ute

O'er the pools we go

Sweating all the way

Bells on bob tails ring

Making spirits bright

What fun it is to laugh and sing

A sweating song tonight

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a four-wheel open ute

Jingle Bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a four-wheel open ute

A day or two ago

I thought I'd take a ride

And soon Miss Fanny Bright

Was seated by my side

The car was hot and dirty

Misfortune seemed his lot

We got into a drifted bank

And then we got upsot

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a four-wheel open ute

Jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a four-wheel open ute yeah

A day or two ago,

The story I must tell,

I went out to the pool

And on my back I dove,

A gent was swimming by

In a one-piece swimming suit,

He laughed as I there painfully float,

But quickly swam away

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a four-wheel open ute

Jingle Bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a four-wheel open ute

Now the ground is parched

Go it while you're young

Take the girls tonight

And sing this driving song

Just get a bobtailed bay

Two forty is his speed

Hitch him to an open ute

And crack! You'll take the lead.

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a four-wheel open ute

Jingle Bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a four-wheel open ute

Merry Christmas everyone! Only 5 more sleeps to go. See you tomorrow!

The Night Before Christmas in Australia

I have had enough of the whole idea of a white Christmas. Forgive me America but we all do not live in a land where snow on Christmas day is normal (although in Melbourne, hail never goes amiss). So maybe, just once, could we present Christmas from a different perspective? Could we drop the snow and turn on the heat? We do not all live in America and so a little change from the quintessential Disney Christmas Movies like "Frozen" would be nice. No more, I say, no more. I believe it is time for Christmas in Australia so settle back and enjoy as we melt the snow, turn on the heat and add some random weather patterns in there to get into the Melbourne Christmas.

Source: http://www.abbeytravel.ie/abbey-travel-blogs/christmas-in-australia.aspx

The Night Before Christmas (in Australia)

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was sleeping, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the air-con with care;

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were sweating, all hot in their beds,

While visions of ice-cubes danced in their heads;

And mamma in her clogs, and I in my thongs,

Had just settled down for a sweaty sing-along,

When out by the pool there arose such a clatter,

I quickly stopped singing to see what was the matter,

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,

With a sweaty old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than Melbourne Weather his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

"Oi, Dasher! Oi, Dancer! Oi, Prancer and Vixen!,

On Comet! On Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As hot flames that before the bush-fires fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the air-vent St Nicholas came with a bound,

He was dressed for the beach, from his head to his foot,

But his boardies were still wet from sweat and mildew;

A bundle of fans he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a mechanic just opening his pack

His eyes -- how they twinkled! His brow so sweaty!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up something nice,

And the beard of his chin as white as the ice,

The stump of an ice cube held tight in his teeth,

And the water it pooled around his gums like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon have me to know I had nothing to dread

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a node, up the air vent he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

That was The Night Before Christmas as set in Australia. Over the coming days before Christmas where there are no scheduled posts I will do more of these to show to you that not all of us live in a "Winter Wonderland".

Only 6 more sleeps until Christmas! See you tomorrow.

VCE, Apologies and Christmas

Before I begin, I just wish to congratulate everyone who completed their VCE regardless of whether they got less than 30 or more than 99. It is an achievement to complete your VCE and good luck with your future. I wish to continue by apologising for the short post today and, probably, tomorrow. However, regular posts should resume by this Wednesday. A further announcement is that Christmas is coming up (okay, that part was not the announcement) and in recognition of that (only 9 more sleeps) all posts that are not part of segments or short will be Christmas related so get excited for that in the lead up to Christmas. On Christmas there may be a normal-sized post but chances are that it will be a short phone-written one as it is christmas and I will be busy.

You have to love the Holiday spirit. See you tomorrow.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everybody! To celebrate this American holiday I thought I would tell you all a scary short story I found on the internet. I know it is not that scary but it was one of the best I could find. Enjoy!

Source: http://www.ymcastlouis.org/carondelet-park-rec-complex/events/halloween-hullabaloo-2

One dark night, a 15-year old girl named Lydia was walking home from her friend's house. She turned down a narrow street to take a short-cut and was startled by the sight of an old man standing in her path. When she stopped, the old man turned to her in a hoarse voice said "Tell me the way!"

His face was disgusting, his skin covered in scars and boils, his hair stringy and unkempt, his eyes bulging horribly, almost popping out of their sockets. Lydia was terrified. She was alone in a dark and narrow alleyway with a strange and disturbing person. Her heart began pounding and it took her a few seconds to catch her breath.

"Tell me the way!" The old man demanded.

"Ok... Ok... uh... Where are you going?" Asked Lydia, nervously.

When the old man told her the address he was searching for, a chill ran down her spine. It was her house.

"I don't know where that is" she replied curtly as she pushed past the old man and ran down the alleyway. Glancing back, she could see him standing in the alley, watching her flee.

Lydia was so freaked out by the incident that she did not stop running until she got back to her house. Breathing a sigh of relief, she took out her keys. She looked up and down the street to make sure the old man had not followed her. It was empty.

She turned the key, unlocked the door and pushed it open.

From the darkness inside her house, a hoarse voice said "Tell me the way!"


Happy Halloween everyone! See you tomorrow!

Facts about Me!

So as you should all know, it is currently the school holidays (between Terms 3 and 4) and I decided that, after much deliberation, I had nothing to write about except some other things I was saving. As a result I have decided to continue with the 800 questions I found in July. Click here to read the first part of this series of posts. As always, this is a sign of writers block. I was thinking of actually writing about this topic but, ironically, I had writers block. Let's begin!

Source: http://www.itpro.co.uk/strategy/20451/qa-jon-maddog-hall

31) Are you a good babysitter? I have not really had much experience other than my cousins so I do not really know.
32) Are you a good mechanic? Oh yeah, totally. You guys know me, always going on about the tools I have in the garage. Seriously though, I am not really and my expertise does not surpass changing and checking the oil and water.
33) Are you a good diplomat? Nope, never had the chance to try.
34) Are you a good employee? I really should start skipping the questions without relevance.
35) Are you a good dresser? The people in Milan model their clothes from what I wear. I am a fashion god so yes, I am a horrible dresser.
36) Are you a good swimmer? I guess so, I can swim. Not very fast but I can confidently swim.
37) Are you a good skier? No, I would probably fall over with each step.
38) Are you a good lover? Okay, these questions are getting really out of my experiences.
39) Are you a good musician? I can play the piano but beyond that my musical skills do not stretch so far. Even with Piano I am not that good but I am okay.
40) Are you a good comedian? Do you read my blog? Of course I am a horrible comedian.

Have my answers whet your appetite yet? Let's continue shall we?

41) Are you a good cleaner? Once I do clean I am good but the whole problem is starting.
42) Are you a good actor? Nope, I did a drama thing earlier in Term 3 but that was just pretty easy.
43) Are you a good writer? Well I write a daily blog. I may not be a good writer but I am dedicated.
44) Have you ever been bungee jumping? No, not my scene.
45) Have you ever been canoeing/kayaking? Yes, I actually own two canoes so we used to go along the Werribee River which was very nice on the right day.
46) What types of holidays do you prefer? Theme Parks or relaxation
47) Whats the furthest you've ever been on Holiday? America, specifically California and Florida
48) What was your favourite holiday? I would have to say America.
49) Where would your dream holiday be? It would be to New York City in America
50) Can you tap dance? No

Satisfied yet? I would not think so, shall we continue? Well it is my blog so I guess I decide.

51) What is your favourite zoo animal? Pandas because they are just so cute.
52) What is your favourite sport? I would have to say Tennis, sorry guys but that is my scene (not really, I just really wanted to say that)
53) What's your favourite food? Probably pasta or something similar.
54) What's your favourite pizza topping? Cheese, I like
55) What's your favourite film? The Hunger Games (#nojudge)
56) What's your favourite song? Rise Above 2 from Spider Man Turn off the Dark
57) What's your favourite alcoholic drink? I am a little too young for this question.
58) What's your favourite non-alcoholic drink? Probably some kind of flavoured milk (or even plain milk)
59) What's your favourite TV program? Doctor Who of course, I'm a Whovian until the end.
60) What's your favourite Boyband? Well, I do get all hot and bother by One Direction I mean they are so totally hot and all. I do not really know. But they are pretty hot.

Check back during my next writing block session for more questions and answers, see you tomorrow!

The Holidays have Arrived

Hooray! Finally, after ten long weeks of school the holidays have arrived. As much as I enjoy school it is always nice to just get away from it all and relax instead of rushing around trying to organise everything and completing homework. It is a nice feeling although this Term has being a great one. I would like to start off with a bit of an update on the fundraising we held this week on behalf of the 'Wyndham Leaders of the Future' program. I am proud to announce that, thanks to the generosity of students we raised over $600 which will all be pooled together before next April to purchase medical supplies to send to the Menari Medical Centre in Papua New Guinea. Over $100 of this came from the lolly-jar raffle and it is great to see so many people rally behind such a great cause. Aside from this however, this term has been full of a lot of highlights (and yes, I am looking at the term calendar to remind myself).

Source: http://www.millerapartments.com.au/_blog/News_and_Events/post/winter-school-holidays---6th---21st-july-2013/

The term started off with the Australian Maths Games Day which I participated in and had a lot of fun. It may have been a long tram ride from Flinders Street Station but it was worth it and going with a friend made the time seem to pass a lot quicker. Especially, when that friend had not realised how long the tram ride actually was. Then came LOTE week shortly after which supplied a lot of daily entertainment and international songs between bells. It was a nice and relaxing week and next year should be a whole lot better with even more students. Science Week followed not too long after and the daily recess trivia competitions with the horrible animations (that were funny because of how bad they were) really made my day (well, several of them actually). Finally, Book Week decided to show up and there were movie screenings in the iCentre (what we call our school library), a Macbeth incursion on the Wednesday (with actors from the Bell Shakespeare Company), a dress up day on the Friday and lots of competitions in between. Melbourne Writer's Festival then followed suit the following Monday which was a lot of fun to participate in and, since I was just an iCentre volunteer, I could just relax and enjoy the day rather than have to worry about doing any related work. The Arts and Technology week then came around with our performance-night on the Tuesday and the House Choral competition which was a blast. Seriously, this school is anything but boring. Finally, to cap it all of, there was this week full of fundraising for a good cause. Not a week goes by at this school without something happening, our Term calendar has barely a blank day anywhere with absolutely no empty week in sight.

It has been a busy term so a holiday is needed, see you tomorrow!

Boredom

Boredom reigns down upon us all from time to time and we are left helpless to stop it. Boredom comes when we are at our most vulnerable and can often make minutes stretch into hours and hours into days. Such times as these includes the time many students are experiencing right now which is, of course, Holidays! Holidays, though great, are major causes of boredom as people find themselves with nothing to do. Of course, boredom can come in waves and you may find yourself in utter bliss one day and absolute boredom the next. Personally, I experience boredom quite a lot and have some techniques to overcome such boredom which sometimes can seem unending. However, some boredom I can not control and one must suffer through it to make it into the blissful times. Boredom, like rain, really should go, go, go away and come again another day.

Image Source: http://www.craveonline.com/lifestyle/articles/153208-10-ways-to-cure-office-boredom

The best weapon we have to defend ourselves against boredom is activity. Without it we would be lost in a world where time seems to stop. Of course, during long periods of freedom (such as Holidays) people can often run out of things to do so the best way to overcome this is to spread activities out over the full length of the holidays rather than being very busy at the start and then very bored at the end. However, some activities will lead to boredom and should be done as soon as possible if they must be done. Holiday homework is a good example of this because if you plan to spread it out over time you are going to become really bored over the entirety of your holidays. If you complete all your homework at the start of the holidays however then you will still have a bit of boredom at the start of the holidays but then you will have more free time towards the end to break up the boredom. Going out with friends is always a good remedy to boredom as it is very hard to be bored when you are with friends (unless you are in school listening or watching something incredibly boring {like a droning teacher or a dreadful documentary}). Maybe there is a movie or television show you like to watch and maybe you need to go shopping to get what you need like the DVD or maybe you want to rent the movie. Either way you have created an outing and an activity which will break up your boredom. So, however horrifying boredom may seem, just remember those simple ideas and maybe even add a few of your own. This way you will be prepared whenever the next wave hits.

Keep yourself busy to avoid boredom, see you tomorrow!

Accomplishment

It makes you feel warm inside and can lighten even the darkest days. It happens every so often and each time can make you feel good inside. Accomplishment is what you feel when you finish something you have been working on for such a long time and have put a lot of effort into. Of course I am writing this post about the accomplishment we felt when we finished our Science. Finally, after endless hours of work we finally felt that accomplishment we all strive for. However, sometimes completing long tasks does not give us the sense we strive for and we are left asking ourselves why. Why don't we feel that one thing we all want at the end of a long task? I really do enjoy that feeling of accomplishment and it really makes my week a whole lot better.

Image Source: http://www.doitrightremodeling.com/?attachment_id=920

Feeling that sense of accomplishment is so much better when done in groups. This way we all share the accomplishment and it becomes even more as we celebrate together. It is also magnified when the task is either hard or takes a very long time. That is why the Science timeline project gave me such a sense of accomplishment as it took such a very long time and left me working late into the night (okay, maybe 11:30 was the latest I stayed up but for me that is very late). This morning when we finally finished it was such a great feeling as it meant that I had no more work for the rest of the holidays except for the little homework tasks we get from individual subjects. That is also part of the reason I felt really good as it was the last major task I had to finish before the holidays. I do not know many things about these holidays but one thing is for sure, there will not be as much homework as there was last time. Of course I am going to finish the homework straight away so I do not have the same situation as I did last holidays even though I started in the middle of them. Also, I am very excited for King Kong on Sunday so I am sorry if my posts become a little erratic. Have a great holiday!

Don't leave Holiday homework to the last minute, see you tomorrow!

25 Random Questions Tag

So today I found these 25 random questions which is a tag or something. I found these questions here and so in today's post I am going to answer them. If you want to ask me a question then click on the link to the right that says Ask me Questions and it will link you to my Qooh.me account where you can anonymously ask me questions (you do not need an account). These questions will only show up if I reply to them and I promise to reply to all the appropriate questions. Enjoy and do not be afraid to ask!

Image Source: http://www.kingletas.com/2013/04/top-10-magento-questions-i-get.html

1) Do you have any pets?
Yes I have a dog, called Sandy, and two chickens which we keep in a chicken enclosure in the backyard. I don't actually think they have names except one which I think is called Daisy which we got off some friends of my mother.

2) Name three things that are physically close to you.
Let's have a look. There's my laptop, my Samsung Galaxy Ace Phone [just wanted to be exact] and a pillow. I am comfy so don't judge about the pillow!

3) What's the weather like right now?
Well, as it's Winter in Australia at the moment it is actually pretty cold for once. Although, knowing Melbourne's weather it will probably be something entirely different by the time I go to bed. Thank the lord we have a fire place to warm us up.

4) Do you drive? If so, have you crashed?
Well I only got my Learners Permit on May 10 (I aced the test by the way [100%]) and so have only just begun to learn how to drive. I have not had any accidents whatsoever so fingers crossed I do not have one any time soon.

5) What time did you wake up this morning?
I woke up at 7 am and practiced my Piano for thirty minutes before getting ready for school. When I say 7 am I actually mean 7:10 am by the time I actually get out of bed.

6) When was the last time you showered?
Weird question but just over an hour ago actually. Moving on...

7) What was the last movie that I saw?
Great, now I have to use my horrible memory. Let's think... the last one I can remember seeing was Iron Man 3 with my friends for my Birthday but I have probably watched a movie since then. Nope, can't think of anything. See how bad my memory is.

8) What does your last message say?
My last text message reads "I told u last night!!!!!" which was me getting angry at my Dad because he forgot what time I finished after String Ensemble tonight after school. Yeah, that really shows my social life. My last message is to my father, great.

9) What is your ringtone?
I am actually not sure, wait a second and I'll call myself. Yeah, this is going to sound bad. It is actually Lady Gaga's Edge of Glory. It is not as bad as some people. A friend in my class has My Heart Will Go On as his ring tone and someone rang him during class and it really was a funny time. Wow, we have some good times in our class.

10) Have you ever been to a different country?
I have only ever left the country once and that was to go to America at the end of 2009 and the start of 2010. It was really cool and we went to Anaheim, California and Orlando, Florida. It was a really great experience (except for the plane rides, 17 hours one way is too much [thank the lord I was not going to Europe (24 damn hours on a plane)]).

11) Do you like Sushi?
Short question calls for a short answer. No.

12) Where do you buy your groceries?
Depends on where the specials are. Sometimes we get things at Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, IGA or even NQR. It all depends on what we need and if there are any specials. These questions are starting to sound very stalker-y (yeah, I made up a word).

13) Have you ever taken medication to help you sleep faster?
Yeah, I am always popping them pills to help me sleep. No, I do not actually. Although I wish I did because then I would not have to try to fall asleep through all the noise my brothers make.

14) How many siblings do you have?
I have two older brothers, Matthew and Joshua. Matthew is 22 and Joshua is turning 18 in November.

15) Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop?
We have two desktop computers and I have a school laptop which I use. I am probably going to ask for a laptop this Christmas as I can only use the school laptop throughout the school year and have to give it back at the end of each year. This means no laptop over the Summer holidays (cue rain and On my Own music).

16) How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
Next May I will be turning 17, wow, that sounds weird.

17) Do you wear contacts or glasses?
I wear glasses because we cannot all have perfect vision. I wish I did have perfect vision though. I do not think I will ever use contacts because I just can not bear to put any fingers near my eyes. It just really freaks me out because I think I am going to poke it. Glasses for the win!

18) Do you colour your hair?
No, I do not colour my hair. That was a very interesting answer.

19) Tell me something you are planning to do today?
Okay, now this just sounds like a stalker. But I guess since it's a question. Well, it is already 7:30 pm and so there is not a lot of time left before I go to bed but my plans for the rest of the night are: finish this post, study for Maths Methods and watch tonight's episode of Revenge.

20) When was the last time you cried?
Just two seconds ago when I read some of these answers. I should re-title this post the tragic life of a Lukey. Seriously though, I do not remember the last time I cried, probably when I watched the Catching Fire teaser trailer when it came out. I mean, President Snow just wanted to be like, why can't anyone see that? Why?

21) What is your perfect pizza topping?
This is going to sound bland but I prefer just pineapple, ham and cheese on my pizza. Hawaiian all the way!

22) Which do you prefer, hamburger or cheeseburger?
I am not actually sure but I think it would probably be the cheeseburger because I like cheese. Just saying, I like cheese and would probably therefore prefer a cheeseburger over a hamburger.

23) Have you ever had an all-nighter?
I have had one all-nighter in my 16 years of life and that was when I stayed over at a friend's house when I was 12. So you see I live the life, going to bed at a reasonable hour, totally rebel.

24) What is your eye colour?
I think my eye colour is hazel, emphasis on I think.

25) Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke?
I do not actually drink any of those full-sugar soft drinks but I have heard that Pepsi is supposed to be sweeter. I do know that Pepsi Max is a whole lot stronger than Diet Coke and Coke Zero. But Pepsi Max is actually a pretty strong drink.

Image Source: https://www.fluentstream.com/5-questions-to-ask/

Well, that is all for today and if you read through all the way to here then good for you. If you want to answer some of these questions in the comments or on your own blog or Facebook or whatever then feel free to do so. Just to reiterate you can ask me anonymous questions via the link on the right that says Ask me Questions. I will read them and reply to all the appropriate ones. Do not be afraid to ask!

May the odds be ever in your favour,see you tomorrow!

Parent Teacher Interviews

So today was Parent Teacher Interviews at my school for students with surnames starting from A to M and next Wednesday (1st May) the other students (N-Z) have their interviews. That means we get two days off school (Hooray!) which is really good for us because this week we also have Thursday off for ANZAC day which means we only go to school Monday, Wednesday and Friday which means any homework we get that day can be done the next so we can relax. I still do the homework the night I get it though so I can relax the whole day and if something happens and I can't complete my homework (in case the TV turns itself on or  a DVD plays itself) I don't have to worry. Anyway, back to Parent Teacher Interviews.

So I get there early and so I go to my locker to get my books before going up to my first interview with my Science Teacher. When we get there we are still early which means we get to see the people before us go up and we notice how long she (the Science Teacher) talks for. I mean, she was talking for ages and always going overtime and we were lucky to get in just five minutes after our scheduled time but Mum was getting really worried even though I had left a five minute gap between each interview in case this happened. So when we got in to the interview Mum knew we only had five minutes until the next one so she was really asking questions that got to the point but it was all fine. My interviews are always good and the only problem the teacher had was that I had got a Very Good mark (somewhere above 75%) instead of an Excellent (somewhere above 80%) where the rest of my marks were. The science teacher being slow was actually a blessing because we got to the Maths teacher as she was finishing up with the previous student which was really good timing. The rest of the interviews went really well and were not as long as the Science teacher and they were all good [they never aren't ;) ]. My methods teacher was really quiet and it was funny because my Mum was doing a lot of the talking and when she asked "Is there anything Luke could improve on?" he just stared at his screen for a while and went "Uhmmm, no" and it was a little obvious that he wasn't a big fan of Parent Teacher Interviews. The other teachers were good and it was all good interviews (which I already said I think).

I really believe Parent Teacher Interviews are great because the parents/guardians get to hear straight from the teachers instead of a garbled version of what the student may tell them to make a bad mark seem better. I know some students who wait until the last minute to get their interviews so that they can't because of the teacher being booked out so they don't have to see them. So Parent Teacher Interviews, I really like them. Plus, I make all my interviews on the first day so I can see the teachers I (well, my Mum) wants to see at the times I want so I can leave enough space in between to prepare for teachers who talk too much (Science), talk too little (Maths Methods) or talk for the right amount of time (the rest). As long as its good reviews it can go for as long as they want.

May the odds be ever in your favour, goodbye

Procrastination

I have been procrastinating a lot these holidays. We haven't got a lot of holiday homework but what we do have is big. Basically we have a Science Assignment and a Methods SAC which is basically to complete all of Chapter 5 (A Gallery of Graphs [incl. Hyperbolas and other stuff I can't remember the name of]) which will take a while. I only started today and I was even procrastinating while doing that. I admit, I have a problem.

So what was I doing instead of my work today? That's a good question with many answers. I started off the day thinking I was going to start work straight away but then I felt YouTube call to me and I got 'stuck' watching some videos. Then, when I finally got out my work I had to download something and where did I go first, Facebook of course. Now, what did I do on Facebook? Well, I played a lot of SongPop and people were online playing too so I didn't run out of matches for ages which meant I just kept playing.

I finally ran out of matches and I started my work which I did for almost an hour and a half before I stopped for Lunch. While having lunch I thought I should have a break and decided to watch just one episode of Community. However, that one episode turned into two.. and then three.. and then four. This was always because of the mindset "just one more and I'll get back to work".

Finally, I finished watching Community and went back to my work... where I proceeded to play SongPop for another 10 minutes. Finally I got into work and proceeded to work solidly until I had to get ready to go out to dinner with my family. Now I'm back and decided to continue working tomorrow. So now I am procrastinating watching Biggest Loser: The Next Generation.

Then we'll probably watch Elementary, followed by The Voice season 2 Premiere which we recorded.

Then we'll probably watch the TV week Logies which is on after The Voice which means that it is also being taped at the moment. So yeah, I can procrastinate when I don't want to. I'm actually procrastinating from procrastinating by writing this blog post at the moment. This is actually the earliest I have ever wrote a post on this blog (8:22pm) because I usually write it around 10pm but today I decided to do it earlier because I can and I'll know I'll probably forget it.

Anyway, on the Biggest Loser at the moment Rosemary (Blue) has just flipped out at the trainers (because tonight they are the ones choosing who will go home), especially Michelle, and just stormed out announcing she is going to leave but Kevin (the biggest contestant in the history of the Biggest Loser worldwide) is stuck in the middle because he doesn't want to leave but his mother is a little bit, for want of a better word, feral and is definitely not in the best mood and even if she does come back the trainers will have a hard time deciding who to vote for to send home. Interesting! Now the trainers have decided not to vote so the couple with the lowest weight loss percentage are going home. *SPOILER ALERT* It's Rosemary and Kevin's time to go home. But when they show what they look like a certain amount of time later Kevin is looking really good, so is Rosemary.

Ha-ha, I procrastinated then by writing that.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow

Easter Holidays with the Relatives

So, as you know, I haven't been posting for a while and that is because I have been at Phillip Island for Easter with the relatives (on my Mum's side). This was far from boring with a fair load of things going on. Anyway, to start it off with, Happy Easter!

This holiday was made evermore fun with Sandy (our dog) coming along with Dad to stay overnight on the Saturday and come home with Dad on the Sunday. This was great and Sandy really loved his time, he provided a lot of entertainment as he kept walking into things (it's amazing how many times he can walk into the wall) because he kept getting distracted, this kept us entertained most of the time he was down.

So our holiday started on the Saturday when we arrived and the first thing to do was unpack and then get ready for church. Oh yeah, my family is Catholic. So yeah, when we arrived at Church it was raining but, as always, the church was hot and so we had to open the windows. This was a problem because during the mass we light tapers (candles for each person) and there was a wind coming in through the windows, guess who sat near the windows? Yeah, we did. So every so often our candles would blow out and we would have to relight them and quickly block them from the wind. Then, just as we let down our guard, the wind would build up again and we would lose the flames again. Another downside is that the only Priest down there is a bit of a cranky ass which can get annoying. He literally said: "Keep the windows open and if you get cold either suck it up or move" and I was just like "what's new?" Then, halfway through what seemed to be the longest mass ever (even for Phillip Island) the Priest announced there would also be a baptism. Needless to say, by the end of the 2 hour service we all had had enough and were ready to head home. From there we watched part of Home Alone (the first one) and then went to bed. Just so you know, even though Home Alone is one of the family favourites I hate the movie because of the kid (main character) which I just don't like which puts me off the whole movie. So yeah, that was Easter Saturday and it was time for bed before Easter Sunday arrived.

So then it was Easter Sunday! We started the morning with our Easter Egg exchange where lots of chocolates were given but Mum always gives us books as well which is really good as now I am reading Beautiful Creatures which is really good! I also got my Mum to read The Hunger Games and she is really enjoying it so score for me! Anyway, back to Easter Sunday. The thing with Sandy is that he is very spoiled and gets gifts for his Birthday, Christmas and Easter. Our pet before him was lucky to get one gift a year! So Sandy is a very spoiled dog and my eldest brother got Mum a sign for Mothers Day that we hung outside our front door which reads "A very spoiled dog lives here" which couldn't be more accurate! So Easter continued and we had an Easter Egg hunt (for my Younger Cousins) but we also collect all our eggs together and split it evenly so it's fair and they enjoy it. It was a great day overall and Sandy was tired by the time he left for home with Dad. We finished off the day by watching the original Annie movie which was actually very good (I hadn't seen it before).

Now we come to the day after Easter which was Monday (Yesterday). This was more of a quiet day with less things to do but we still had a lot of fun. We went for a walk along the beach and I played Halo with my cousins to keep them entertained. That night we decided to watch the whole of Home Alone (for we had only watched part of it on Saturday) which was actually funny because of my Italian grandfather (my Mum's father) who was making some pretty funny commentary. He didn't mean it to be funny but he always likes talking about something like a TV show or movie when it was on and so for Home Alone he kept saying things like "Oh, footprints in the snow" (fascinating I know), "how sweet" and "ouch, that might have hurt a lot". It was things like this which made me enjoy the movie evermore and left me going to bed smiling.

It now comes to today which was basically a day of tidying up before heading home. Nothing interesting really happened today besides going to the beach for a walk when the water was right up to the rocks which made for an interesting dash between the waves to try to avoid getting wet. It provided the walk with some entertainment and when we got back to the house we did some more cleaning and got ready to leave. We got home and I am now writing this post about my time and am watching The Biggest Loser (Australia of course) with Sandy and the Parents.

May the odds be ever in your favour, see you tomorrow!