No Posts

This is just a quick dislaimer to say that there will be no posts from today (21st of April) until Saturday (26th of April). As I am away in Kokoda I can not possibly write posts and I ran out of time writing these posts. I may discuss some aspects later on in my reflection that you may have felt I missed out on in the past few days. I should also be writing a diary entry each night (they want us to and it will help us in the end) so I am still writing, just not on here.

Have a good week, see you on Sunday (possibly).

My Kokoda Journey: Leadership and Community Activities

As well as my Kokoda journey being about getting to Kokoda it is also about leadership and being a positive part of the community. As such there have been a variety of activities we have been a part of as young leaders to help us in our journey. A big part of this was raising funds for the Menari Medical Centre along the Kokoda track and doing several different things to give back to the track we were going to complete in a matter of months (now days to me as I am writing this but actually happening as this is being published). We had a number of fundraising activities that we all completed amongst our schools and as a group. At our school myself and Caroline (the other person from my school going) organised a casual clothes day and raffle where we raised well over $600 for the Menari Medical Centre. As a group we had two separate chocolate drives where we each sold four boxes of Cadbury fundraising chocolates which also raised our total up a bit. Aside from that we also had a lot of barbecues to help us raise money. We had barbecues at the local Twilight market, Woolworths, Masters (along with a car wash) and Bunnings. This was another major money-raiser which again raised our total a lot. As a group we have currently raised over $13,000 for the Menari Medical Centre which will provide a fully-trained nurse for 12 months as well as some much needed medical equipment (that hopefully we will not need while we are over there).

Original Image Source (no text): http://www.ylead.com.au/travel/kokoda/

Aside from this fundraising we took part in a number of other community events. We took part in Rotary's Donations in Kind which I wrote a post about back in September of 2013 which you can read by clicking here. Basically, Donations in Kind is a charity run by the Rotary which packages unwanted goods (clothes, chairs, tables etc) and sends them over to impoverished countries and places. The first Donations in Kind we did was actually our first activity together as a group so it was a great opportunity for us to get to know each other. Even though there was still some awkward conversations on the bus ride home it was a lot more friendlier than when we all first met and barely anyone actually spoke. Aside from this Donations in Kind was actually a great way to give back to the wider community rather than just our local community. We had a second one of these just last month which was also a lot more fun and a lot less awkward as we all knew each other. I think we also managed to get a lot more done because of that and our communication to each other was an improvement ten-fold of what it was originally. Another aspect of our leadership activities was volunteering our time as supervisors at the local Wynbay Blue-Light Discos which are discos organised by the police for local primary-school-aged children who want to have fun in a safe environment. I went twice and both times I had a lot of fun doing it even though some of the kids could be a little energetic after having a slushy drink. A big event on our calendars which occurred just last month was the Soldier On Gala. Soldier On are one of our sponsors and they are a group of retired servicemen and women who assist those physically and emotionally scarred by their time in the armed forces. As part of their support, we supported them by helping them run a gala night they had organised to raise money for their organisation and for our program. On the night they had silent-auctions, live auctions, raffles, other mini-fundraisers, a celebrity comedian guest (Lehmo) and an ex-footballer (Justin Koschitzke [I had to Google how to spell that one]). It was a lot of fun and I helped out with Merchandise on the night as well as inputting all the information from the auctions and raffles. In total they raised over $20,000 on the night which was a great effort.

Being involved in this program has certainly opened me up to so many new and exciting opportunities. See you tomorrow.

The Kokoda Story: Efogi to Myola to Templeton's Crossing to Eora Creek

On Thursday the 3rd of April we had a meeting night where we went through some final things before our trip as well as some of the history of Kokoda. All the students were put into groups of three or four and we each had a part of the track to research and then report back to the whole group. My group had to research Efogi to Myola to Templeton's Crossing to Eora Creek while making reference to Captain Sam Templeton. We had to present our findings in an interesting way and it needed to show the soldier's experiences. We wrote a story for ours and this is it. Enjoy.

As the 39^th Battalion left the small village of Efogi, the sun beat hard on their already tired bodies. On the other side of the valley the battalion could see Kagi, the village they knew would take yet another long hike to get to. As the soldiers reached the bottom of the valley they had to cross an infamous river by a narrow log. They had heard stories of how high the water could rise after a storm but fate seemed to be shining down on them as the river was just its usual roaring self.

One stoic soldier, who had become known as “uncle Sam”, worked twice as hard as the rest as he went up and down the line of beaten soldiers and even carried tired soldiers’ rifles. At some point, he was even seen to be carrying four rifles. The hardships Captain Sam Templeton now faced was a far-cry from his carpenter days back in his homeland; Ireland. It was also so different from his days on the H.M.S. Research during World War One with the British Navy. Templeton was a man respected by all who met him and all those under his command. While many of the other “thirty-nine liars” (those who lied about their age to be under the 39 age limit) had been unable to withstand the harsh tropics of Papua New Guinea, Sam had stayed and then earned the respect and admiration of his soldiers.

The battalion continued forward throughout the harsh conditions of day with a shaky promise of a meal at the end of it. Still, it was a goal and in these harsh conditions; a goal can see you through. The soldiers eventually reached the village of Myola, situated on a dry lake bed, which was been used as a forward supply depot and medical post. The soldiers passed a few of the patients been carried back to Port Moresby from here on their way up. There were talks, and some attempts, at cutting a landing strip for planes to evacuate the casualties but it was apparent that this was not to occur for a while yet.

It was another hard slog weighted down by up to 27 kilograms or more of equipment and packs to get to Templeton’s crossing. It involved climbing to the top of Mount Bellamy (at an altitude of 2190m) and then down the other side to reach Templeton’s crossing which at the time the 39^th Battalion first crossed it was just the Eora creek crossing. It was later named Templeton’s crossing in honour of Captain Sam Templeton and in remembrance of him.

It was on the 26^th of July 1942, near Oivi, that Captain Sam Templeton went missing, presumed dead and his body has never been found. Several soldiers heard the shots as their beloved Captain went back to retrieve the 16^th Battalion as back-up for their hold of Oivi and it was this that caused many to believe he was dead. It was later discovered through Japanese records that he had, in fact, been taking as a prisoner. One of his final acts saved many lives and assisted Australia greatly in achieving their victory over the Japanese. This act was making the Japanese believe that the Australian forces were ten times greater than they actually were. This gave pause to the Japanese and caused them to re-evaluate the situation; providing Australians valuable time. There is however, no doubt that, sadly, Captain Sam Templeton did not survive captivity. His folder now officially marked with ‘Believed Deceased on or after the 27^th of July 1942’ and his wife and four kids left with a hole in their hearts and home. His final acts of courage, mateship, endurance and sacrifice saved many lives and now, the portion of the track where Eora Creek crosses over the Kokoda trail is forever known as Templeton’s crossing.

However, the journey for the soldiers did not finish at Templeton’s crossing as they persevered over many more mountains and steep inclines to reach Eora Creek Village. There is no doubt that the Kokoda trail was tough for all and especially for those who never returned home. The values of courage, mateship, endurance and sacrifice which these soldiers embodied every day of the track is forever cemented in the history of the Kokoda trail and their sacrifice does not got missed. Without their continual acts of bravery, Australia would not be what it is today. Captain Sam Templeton, especially, is an Australian hero who will always be remembered. Lest we forget.

Just a reminder that this is a scheduled post and that I am away in Kokoda right now. See you tomorrow.

My Kokoda Journey: I'm In!

As you know I am currently in Kokoda and so while I am away I have scheduled some posts to come out about my Kokoda experience. Yesterday I posted about how it all began but I can not link it as it has not been published at the time this post is been written. Anyway, today I continue with that story as well as discuss some of the emotions that I have been going through since joining the program and the emotions of what it is like to know that you are about to embark on the Kokoda trek. The start is a bit of a continuation from yesterday's but you should not have had to have read yesterday's post to understand this one. If you want, you can have a quick read now by scrolling down or after you read this post.

Original Image Source (no text): http://www.ylead.com.au/travel/kokoda/

It was on the morning of that day that I realised something was going on, not that I had any idea what it was. I never something was happening as the assistant principal had found me before school to tell me to come to her office at the end of recess that day. I had no idea that it had anything to do with the Kokoda leadership program as it had been a while since I had submitted my application. I think it was the end of May or the start of June at this point, I still have my acceptance letter but I do not know exactly where it is and it is a lot of effort to pull everything out just to find the date. Anyway, so recess finally comes around after a whole morning of me thinking I am in some kind of trouble and I am waiting patiently in the seats next to the office. Then Caroline, the other girl who was chosen from my school, joins me and at first I think we are both in trouble as it still had not hit me that it was for the Kokoda group. Before the assistant principal comes out of her office, a police officer comes into the office and stands around waiting too. By this point I am running through everything I had done recently in my head trying to find something that was so bad that the police had become involved. However, the assistant principal came out to collect us and take us into the principle's office (making my nerves even worse) before the police officer could say anything to us. When we got in there they told us the news and gave us our acceptance letters and I was so happy I was not quite sure what to say. I mean, when someone gives you a life-changing opportunity like this, what can you say? They talked us through what was going to happen and we found out that the Kokoda trek was going to happen in April 2014 (they had originally planned to do it in October 2013 but they were not ready early enough and the track is also closed during that time as it is too wet and dangerous to hike the track). We then got some photos for the newsletter and were sent to class. I was so excited I could not wait to tell everyone. I texted Mum and Dad saying I had some really exciting news but I wanted to tell them in person. I think one of the first things I actually said to either of them was the news that I was accepted into the program. It was a very good day for me and I could not wait for what my life would be like over the next few months.

My life was going to change and I was ready for it. See you tomorrow.

My Kokoda Journey: How it all Began

Welcome to yet another post in my Kokoda series. All the posts discussing my personal experiences will be titled "My Kokoda Journey" followed by a bit on the end (as seen on the title above). It must be noted that all these posts are scheduled and pre-written as I am away on Kokoda when it is scheduled to be posted so sorry if this is confusing in anyway. Anyway, yesterday I posted the history of the Kokoda track (well, an overview at least) so you could understand the significance. Today I am going to go back to where my journey to Kokoda all began back in April of 2013.

Original Image Source (no text): http://www.ylead.com.au/travel/kokoda/

It was late in April when at the end of a long day at school there was an announcement over the loud-speaker for several different students, including myself, to go to the office. I had absolutely no idea what was going on so I went down there and then one of the assistant principals and our then principal told us that we had been identified as good leaders and representatives of the school to apply for this Leadership program with Victoria Police that will culminate in a trip to Kokoda which was to originally be in October of 2013. The catch was that our school had not known about it until the Wyndham Police had contacted them via phone as the assistant principal to whom the initial email was sent was away on leave so our applications were already overdue. As a result of this we had to fill in the form and hand it back the next day by lunch so that they could send it through to the Police. Initially I was not going to apply as I was a little thrown off by the fact that it was KOKODA and I was so unfit. It was not until later that night after I discussed it with my parents that I decided I would give it a go; why not? The worst that could happen is that I was not selected, it would be fate. So I started filling it out that night but I ran out of time before I had to go to bed. The assistant principal then found me to get the form the next day while I was still finalising it. So it was Maths and while others were doing the work (do not worry, I had already completed it) I was filling out the application. I managed to finish it just in time and then I handed it in to the assistant principle. From memory, the front page was just personal details as well as fitness (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being super fit and 10 being super unfit) as well as a scale of how much you wanted to be a part of the program (again on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being super enthusiastic and 10 being not fussed at all and not really interested). Then the other three pages had more questions about different things. From memory there was a question on our past leadership experiences, the history of Kokoda (which I researched) and why it was significant (from our perspective), what the values of the Kokoda campaign (Mateship, Endurance, Courage and Sacrifice) meant to us as well as a question on what we wanted to get out of the program. There were other questions I think but I can not remember them all off the top of my head. I handed that form in and then I waited.

It would be a little while before I heard anything more about the program. See you tomorrow!

The History of Kokoda

As you probably know by now I am in Kokoda right now. Well, actually I am on a flight to Papua New Guinea right now but this is a scheduled post so anyway. Before I get into anything else regarding Kokoda it is important to understand the history of the place. However, I am no historian and no scholar on the matter so I have found this information on the trekking company site. You can find the source by clicking here or by following this link:
http://www.pngtrekkingadventures.com/tab/detail/kokoda_treks_-_battlefield_tours_kokoda_ww11_history

Kokoda Historical Overview

 More than 600 Australians were killed and some 1680 wounded during perhaps the most significant battle fought by Australians in World War II.

Forced to repel a Japanese invasion force, which landed at Gona on the north coast of Papua on 21 July 1942, the Australians fought in appalling conditions over the next four months. The Japanese objective was to capture Port Moresby, the main Australian base in New Guinea, by an overland strike across the Owen Stanley Range. The most direct way across these rugged mountains was by a jungle pathway known as the Kokoda Track.

During the next four months, until 16 November 1942, Australian soldiers fought the Japanese, first to keep them from reaching Port Moresby and then to push them back over the Owen Stanleys to their north coast strongholds at Buna, Gona and Sanananda.

In late July 1942, as the Japanese advanced towards Kokoda village, they were engaged by forward elements of the Papuan Infantry Battalion and the Australian 39th Infantry Battalion. Despite the Australians' stubborn resistance, Kokoda fell to the larger Japanese force and by 27 August the Australians and the few Papuan troops who had stayed with them had been forced back to Isurava. Reinforcements were sent from Port Moresby: first the 53rd Battalion, which protected a side-track behind Isurava and then the veteran 2/14th and 2/16th Battalions, which had previously served in the Middle East.

At Isurava, in the last days of August, the 39th and the 2/14th Battalions, with support further back from the 2/16th and 53rd Battalions, were able to temporarily hold the Japanese during an intense five-day action. Three days into the battle, on 29 August, in the face of yet another enemy assault, Private Bruce Kingsbury, 2/14th Battalion, was killed as he rushed forward with his Bren gun, driving back the enemy in a determined counter-attack. He was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross, the first VC awarded during the New Guinea campaigns.

Throughout September, the Australian units withdrew down the Kokoda Track, being joined by the 2/27th Battalion. They made further stands against the Japanese at Eora Creek, Templeton's Crossing, Efogi, Mission Ridge and Ioribaiwa. Allied airmen dropped supplies and made repeated attacks on the enemy's supply lines. During those gruelling days, the Papuan men employed as carriers played a vital role in the battle. They carried supplies forward for the troops and then, as the number of troops who were wounded or fell sick increased, carried back to safety those who were unable to walk.

By 16 September, after more troops had come forward from Port Moresby and dug into a defensive position at Imita Ridge, the Japanese were exhausted. They had been forced to fight hard to cross the mountains and had run out of many supplies. Following setbacks on other battlefields against Australian and American forces, which robbed them of further reinforcements, the Japanese on the Kokoda Track were ordered to withdraw. As Australian patrols pushed forward of Imita Ridge on 28 September, they found that the enemy had slipped away.

During the next six weeks, the Japanese fell back over the mountains. They were pursued by troops of the 25th Brigade, comprising the 2/25th, 2/31st and 2/33rd Battalions and the 16th Brigade, comprising the 2/1st, 2/2nd and 2/3rd Battalions, along with the 3rd Battalion and men from medical and supply units. Significant actions were fought at Templeton's Crossing, where it took more than a week of hard and costly fighting for the 25th Brigade to push back the enemy, and at Eora Creek where the 16th Brigade also doggedly attacked enemy strongpoints to slowly make ground.

The Australians were plagued by supply shortages that increased the difficulties of jungle warfare. Finally, on 2 November, Kokoda was retaken. The Australians had one more tough battle to fight at Oivi-Gorari, where the Japanese were determined to make another stand, before they were able to finish the advance over the mountains. By 18 November the Australians had reached the Kumusi River. The battle for the Kokoda Track was over.

I hope you enjoyed your history lesson! See you tomorrow.

No Post Today

I am very sorry but there will not be a post today as today is the last day before I leave for Kokoda. I will instead use today to catch up with friends, relax and prepare for my trip and also finish writing the posts for when I am away. As the rest of the posts while I am away are scheduled this will be the last you will hear from me 'live' as it were for a while but there will still be posts every day.

Until I return, see you tomorrow.

Catch Up Monday (7/4 to 14/4)

Welcome to yet another Catch-Up Monday post where I summarise and go through the posts of the week. This is so that if you missed a week or are not sure what the posts were about but did not want to read them you can still keep up to date with what is going on. We started the week on Tuesday with a short post as I was caught up in training and homework. This was followed by an Entertainment Wednesday post where I continued on my series of going through the songs in my playlist. This week, the songs were; Gypsy, The Hammer, I Am the Doctor, I Just Can't Walk Away (Say it Now), I Love You, I Need You, I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance, I Won't Let You Go, If The World Should End, and In. This continued on the Wednesday with my review of the Lego Movie which I gave an 8.5/10. In a sentence: Everything is AWESOME!! Friday then came around where I had another The Week that Was segment where I just talked about the holidays arriving, completing my homework and beginning to write the posts for when I am away in Kokoda. Then Random Thought Saturday came around where all I basically talked about was Kokoda, Holidays, Homework and what I was up to with writing those Kokoda posts. Finally, yesterday's post was another count through of some of the Doctor's top moments of modern Doctor Who. It was a very sad one as it was the one where we said goodbye to Amy and Rory. As a result there were actually six top moments plus an extra bit on the end. I did not want to drag out the goodbye as it would put a damper on what is already set to be a sad start to the next Doctor Who Sunday post (which will not come out until after I am back from Kokoda. The next Doctor Who Sunday post should come out on the 27th of April. The moments I went through yesterday were: Amy and Rory fighting over who loved the other more; Oswin turning out to be a Dalek but fighting her instincts to help the Doctor escape; the Doctor being bored in The Power of Three; Amy and Rory jumping off the building in Manhattan ("Together or not at all"), Amy and Rory being taken by the Weeping Angels, Afterword by Amelia Williams and the un-shot scene released by the BBC where Rory writes a farewell letter to his father and reveals that he and Amy had a son, Rory's father's grandson. It was a very emotional post.

Hope you have caught up! See you tomorrow.

Goodbye Amelia Pond and Rory Williams (Top Moments of the Doctor Part 15)

71. "I love you more" from Asylum of the Daleks

This is a very emotional scene towards the end of Asylum of the Daleks where Amy and Rory fight over who loves the other more. It is actually a pretty sad scene as they had broken up between Series 6 and 7. Rory believes that since he did not want the relationship over that he has always loved Amy more but as these scenes show, they have both loved each other a lot. I am very sorry for the backing track taking away from the emotion but it was the best I could find that had the scene (well the only one I could find). It turned out that Amy only broke up with Rory as she could no longer have children after what Kovarian did to her at Demon's Run.

72. "Run, you clever boy!" from Asylum of the Daleks

This is the first episode where Whovians got a taste of what the new companion was going to be like. Of course, at this point she was still a mystery as in here she is a Dalek. Throughout the whole episode, she has helped the Doctor, Amy and Rory survive the Dalek Asylum and escape unscathed. This emotional scene is Oswin discovering that she is a Dalek but with a strong human mind that did not want to let go. It was a great show of how strong a character she is to be able to fight against her Dalek instincts so that the Doctor could survive. It is only at the end of Season 7 that we learn the significance of "Run, you clever boy. And remember..."

73. The Doctor is Bored in The Power of Three

This is a funny part of the episode where we see a Doctor staying in a place for an extended period of time when he rarely stayed in a place like that without doing something. It is funny when he is bored. Rory's line at the start of this scene should also not be forgotten.

74. "Together or Not At All" from The Angels Take Manhattan

Amy and Rory's final episode did not disappoint. This scene was such an emotional one where Amy and Rory are trying to escape from the Weeping Angels together. In the end, Rory wants to kill the angels by creating a paradox. By killing himself he is preventing himself from ever growing old in that building and creating a paradox which could kill the angels. It is very emotional to see just how much Amy loves Rory in that she would rather jump off and kill herself with him than have to go through seeing him die. Amy and Rory really are the best for each other. It is also sad to see the Doctor see the person whom he imprinted on from being the first face that regeneration ever saw. It would also be horrible for River, their daughter, to have to live through it and watch her parents be taken from her again.

75. Goodbye Amelia Pond and Rory Williams in The Angels Take Manhattan

Can we just pause a minute and reflect on how great this fan-made tribute video is? It is so spot on and emotional. A lot have some really bad music but this is just great (the music is from the Series 2 Soundtrack Doomsday [name of song not soundtrack]). Just when Amy and Rory think they are safe, Rory is taken by a Weeping Angel and sent back in time. Meanwhile, Amy had to watch it happen and then decides she is going to go with him and intentionally touches the Angel's hand to be sent back in time. The full scene is very emotional but I could not find it on YouTube by itself.

76. Afterword by Amelia Williams from The Angels Take Manhattan

This is the sad scene from the end of The Angels Take Manhattan straight after Amy and Rory are taken by the Weeping Angel back in time. River who writes the book that leads the Doctor to finding her has Amy write an afterword to the Doctor for him to read. The Doctor then runs back to Central Park where he had ripped out the last page of the book as he did not like endings. It is Amy's final farewell to the Doctor and it is pretty emotional. There was also a Rory version that was never shot that was sent to Rory's father. I will embed the video below but here is the link to that one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWU6XL9xI4k. It is official as it was on the BBC website so it is not made up. I am giving the link as sometimes videos posted by the BBC are not able to be watched on other sites other than YouTube or what the BBC allows.

EXTRA: Rory's un-shot Goodbye Scene to his Father

This was an un-shot scene (after the part at the start from Dinosaurs on a Spaceship) in which Rory sends his father a letter from the past where Rory finally gets to say goodbye to his father. It is also revealed that Amy and Rory adopted a son; Anthony Brian Williams who delivers the letter to Rory's father (Brian). It is very emotional even though it is not actual scenes; just drawings from the story-board with the accompanying words and motions.

Goodbye Amelia Pond and Rory Williams. See you tomorrow.

Holidays and Kokoda

It is coming and I know it. The nerves are building and so is the excitement. It still is not going to hit me that I am doing the Kokoda track until I actually start it. Still, it does not mean I am not nervous about it. There is just so much that is happening now that the Holidays have started and I guess I am just glad that I have already finished all my homework or else I would have something else to stress about. Still, how many people can say that they have done the Kokoda track. Wow, that was a really random introduction so I am sorry for that but after all it is a random thought Saturday post so forgive my random musings.

Source: http://mrsec.com/2014/02/mrsec-com-final-signing-day-thoughts/random-thoughts-1/

I think I said yesterday that I was getting a start on those Kokoda posts and I have. I have already written posts for every day from the 15th to the 20th so there are six posts right there. Now I just need to write some more for the rest of the time and then maybe a shorter post on the 26th (Saturday) and a Doctor Who post for the 27th (Sunday) so that I have the weekend to recuperate without having to worry about the blog. I know that if I do not write those posts than there will be no post on those days. I can tell that that is how it would play out. You will have to wait and see what each post is about (they are all different but all related to my Kokoda experience) but I do hope you will enjoy it. The series of posts related to my personal experiences (which are the majority of them so far) are titled "My Kokoda Journey" and I even made a picture for it to appear in each one of those posts. The only posts that are not about my personal experience is a post on the History of the Kokoda track and a post on the story that my group wrote for our group presentation to the leadership group. The rest of the posts are all going to be about my experience. Well, at least the ones I have written so far. I do not think there is anything else I can write about the Kokoda experience that is not related to my journey so at this point it should be interesting. You will have to wait for the 17th to see the picture I created as the 16th is the post on the history of the Kokoda track. They are all scheduled to be released at 12:30am (00:30 [24-hour time]) each day so they should all be live by the time you want to read them. Anyway, aside from Kokoda it is also the holidays which is incredibly exciting! It is great to just be able to have a break from homework and school for a while. This is why I wanted to get all my homework done straight away so that I could have a break between school and Kokoda. I am sorry for a lot of posts being about Kokoda as of late but it is a big part of my life right now so I am sorry for fixating on it. However, this is my blog and as much as I write it for you guys to read it is mine and the story of my life. I will not apologise for writing what I want unless it is completely outrageous which I doubt it will ever be.

Enjoy the rest of your holidays! See you tomorrow.

Holidays Are Here!

Yes, what has seemed to me as the shortest term ever (when really it was just a regularly sized one) the holidays are here! This means many things including catching up on sleep, finishing homework and just relaxing and recovering from a busy term. For me however, these holidays hold an even deeper meaning as they are the holidays when I finally go on my long-awaited (and nerve-racking) trip to Kokoda! I am yet to start writing the posts that will appear when I am away but as I have finished all my homework (after several days of consistently long hours of work) I have time now to do that sort of thing. These holidays also mean for me to get back into the swing of things with this blog. Sure I may have been super busy but there were days when I was not and I just put off writing these posts. Now I am getting back into the swing of things and it is great! Anyway, on with the week that was.

Source: http://www.giantsacademy.com.au/details.php?p_id=1221

I feel like it has been ages since I have written one of these segments (probably because it has been) but anyway, it feels great to be back into the swing of things again! My holidays started on the Friday night with me getting my final vaccinations for Kokoda. For those of you who want to know what they are you will have to wait until one of the posts that is scheduled to be released when I am away in Kokoda. It then continued with an ordinary Saturday (music, shopping etc etc) followed by a Sunday where I managed to start some of my Methods. I say some as I did not really get much work done until I started doing a lot of work on Tuesday. Monday was a good day though when I went to see Captain America : the Winter Soldier with my friends which was awesome by the way! It was a lot better than the first Captain America movie and now I can not wait for Avengers 2 when it comes out! It was also great to catch up with some friends, many of who I probably will not see until I leave for Kokoda though I am going out with some of them the day before I leave but anyway. I finally got a lot of my Methods done on Tuesday where I finished all my Methods work including some extra work so that when I came back I had time to recover after Kokoda instead of having to catch up on what I missed. Wednesday was another really fun day where I went with Mum to visit my grandmother (on Mum's side) and also see my cousin where we went to see the Lego Movie. In a sentence: everything is AWESOME!! I posted a review of that yesterday if you want to scroll down and check that out after this post. When I got back though I continued on with my Legal Studies assignment which is due when I return. I spent a lot of time on that on Wednesday night before spending the same amount of time on that yesterday (Thursday) before finishing it. I then did my Physics and was finished by 4pm which was great because then we went to visit my grandmother again and we had a family dinner at her place. Now it feels great as I have all my homework done and I have 6 more relaxing sleeps to look forward to before Kokoda. It feels great not to have anything holding you back now which is why I really want to get the Kokoda posts written soon so I am aiming to get a few done today and then finish the rest over the next few days. Wow, it really has been an interesting week.

I hope I can keep these consecutive posts going! See you tomorrow.

The Lego Movie Review

Source: http://collider.com/weekend-box-office-the-lego-movie-clicks-with-giant-69-1-million-debut-the-monuments-men-in-second-with-22-7-million/

My Rating: 8.5/10

Trailer:



Synopsis: An ordinary guy named Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) is mistaken as being the Master builder; the one who can save the universe. With the aid of an old mystic Vitruvius (voiced by Morgan Freeman), a tough young lady named Lucy (voiced by Elizabeth Banks), and Batman (voiced by Will Arnett), Emmet will fight to defeat the evil tyrant Lord Business (Will Ferrell) who is bent on destroying the universe by gluing it together. (Source: Official Lego Movie Website)

My Review:

The Lego Movie is a surprisingly great movie. On the outside (and from the trailer) it does seem like a very childish movie when in reality it appeals to all ages. I went to see it with my younger cousin (12), my Mother and my Grandmother and everyone loved it. Even my mother who did not initially want to see it as she thought it was childish came out raving about it. It has a good mix of comedy and heart in that it makes you laugh but the comedy does not overtake the storyline. The star-studded cast is also great with my personal favourite character been Bad Cop/Good Cop who is voiced by Liam Neeson. He is definitely one of the funny characters. The movie also tackles many deeper issues such as belonging, standing out, being different, having an imagination (and not having one) and the importance of working as a team to achieve a common goal.

Even the song prominently featured in a lot of the advertising titled "Everything is AWESOME!!" is a perfect summation of the start of the movie. Everyone is in their own little world and wanting to be uniform which is followed by this mantra of a song which basically takes on a very propaganda-type view of the world that "everything is awesome when we work as a team."

The Lego Movie in one sentence: Everything is AWESOME!!




I highly recommend you see this movie. See you tomorrow!

Songs in my Playlist

Welcome to another post on the songs in my playlist which all fit under the heading of "Entertainment Wednesday". This was a post that was meant to be released a long time ago but never got around to being completed so enjoy! Anyway, on with some more songs that are in my phone! By the way, these are in alphabetical order (if you had not figured that out already).

Gypsy by Lady Gaga

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The Hammer from Matilda the Musical

I Am the Doctor from Doctor Who

I Just Can't Walk Away (Say It Now) from Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

I Love You by Woodkid (from Divergent soundtrack)

I Need You by M83 (from Divergent Soundtrack)

I Remember How Those Boys Could Dance from Carrie The Musical

I Won't Let You Go by Snow Patrol (from Divergent Soundtrack)

If the World Should End from Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

In from Carrie The Musical

Happy listening, see you tomorrow!

No Post

As always,  I am very sorry when I miss a post and today is one of those times.  I am sorry but I was caught up in homework,  training,  and preparing for Kokoda next week that I lost track of time and didn't manage to get a Weird News Tuesday post out. However,  there should be an Entertainment Wednesday post out tomorrow though and then regular segments should continue until I leave for Kokoda. At this point,  all my posts will be scheduled and Kokoda-related: mainly concerned with my experience leading up to it (training,  activities,  emotions etc).

I am so sorry. See you tomorrow!

Catch Up Monday (24/3 to 7/4)

Welcome back to another Catch-Up Monday post where I sum up all the posts that have happened since the last one of these posts. I have again missed a number of days here but am trying to get back into the swing of writing and posting. The post after the last Catch-Up Monday was an Entertainment Wednesday post where I continued looking through the songs in my playlist and providing a YouTube video to allow you to listen to it. The songs I went through this week were; Dreamer in Disguise, Dreamer in Disguise (Reprise), Epilogue, Evening Prayers, Fixer Upper, For the First Time in Forever, For the First Time in Forever (Reprise), Forgiven, A Freak Like Me Needs Company, and Frozen Heart. I then had a very long break until yesterday for a "week that was" post. In this post I discussed the end of term, a brilliant Methods score I received on my first 3/4 SAC and an update on what has been going on with my Kokoda program (which is coming by very soon). Saturday then saw another random Saturday post where I discussed my reasons for not posting, Kokoda, Relay for Life, and Once Upon a Time. Yesterday (Sunday) was a post where I continued to look at some of the greatest Doctor Who moments. Just so you know, I am pre-writing and scheduling these posts which is why some of the times are at 12:30 and 1 in the morning.

Hope you have caught up, see you tomorrow!

So Much River (Top Moments of the Doctor Part 14)

66. Stormageddon: Dark Lord of All from Closing Time

In this hilarious scene with the fan-favourite Craig, the Doctor reveals that he can speak baby as well as the name that Craig's son Alfie calls himself; Stormageddon: Dark Lord of All. It is a pretty interesting name for a baby but I guess it does not matter, he is just a baby. Pretty cool baby though.

67. Kovarian Comes for River Song in Closing Time

Source: http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Madame_Kovarian

It is in this scene from the last episode before the Season 6 finale that Madame Kovarian returns for Melody Pond, or as we know her; River Song. It is here that Kovarian takes River and puts her in the (SPOILERS) Astronaut suit so she can (*SPOILERS AGAIN*) kill the Doctor. The haunting rhyme at the end; "Tick, Tock, goes the clock, now River kills the Doctor" just adds another element to Doctor Who which is why so many people love the show (myself included).

68. The Silence from The Wedding of River Song

In this scene we learn from Dorium, or rather his head, what the Silence actually is. Up to this point everyone has believed the Silence to be those monsters we were introduced to in The Day of the Moon. It was, in this scene, then revealed that the Silence are actually a religious order. Through later seasons and more of the Silence is revealed.

69. The Wedding of River Song from The Wedding of River Song

This was a scene that I did not actually realise I liked until the Doctor Who YouTube channel posted this scene. It is actually a pretty great scene where the Doctor believes there is no escape from his fate and that no one else would want to help him or even care. River song also reveals how much she loves him in this scene. The scene ends with River and the Doctor getting married.

70. The Question from The Wedding of River Song

It is the question that the Silence are determined will never be answered. The first question which has been hidden in plain sight; Doctor Who? It is actually a great link to the Season 7 finale at Trensalore. It was such a great ending.

Come back next Sunday for some more Doctor Who goodness!

A Random Time

Have you ever just had one of those really random weeks? Well, me neither but I hear they exist. Anyway, it feels like it has been so long since I have written one of these posts. That is probably because it has been a very long time since I have written one of these Random Thought Saturday posts but anyway, at least it is now happening. Now, I have been a little loose with posts so far this year which is mostly due to my school and Kokoda commitments. However, I am gradually getting better at keeping these from taking over my life. There are definitely going to be times next Term and even into the future where I will miss posts for a long period of time, there is no denying that. I am incredibly sorry whenever that does happen but I would rather write a post like this than put out some short paragraphs every day just apologising for having a short post. I would not want to read that and you most likely would not want to read that. Therefore I am not going to do that. I am very sorry whenever it does happen though which is something I reiterate every time it does happen because it needs to be said. I missed it, I am sorry. There is no getting around that but it is time to move on from it.

Source: http://www.funkyenglish.com/profiles/blogs/cool-tip-how-to-say-sorry-if-you-don-t-know-how

It is holidays right now which means time to catch up on homework, sleep, YouTube, friends and everything else. It also means that Kokoda is coming around the corner. However, I wrote the majority of yesterday's "The Week that Was" post about what has been going with Kokoda so I am not going to talk anymore about it. Plus, you are going to hear all about it in the posts I am scheduling to be released while I am away (which I am still in the process of writing, by process I mean finding the motivation to start). Anyway, the point I was trying to make at the start of this paragraph was that this Term has, for me, come around very quickly. It may have been because I was not very bored or that I had a lot going on but in any case, for me this Term seemed to be a very quick one. It was also a very important one for me as it was my first official full-VCE course load. I am loving it a lot more than previous years as I am doing the subjects that I chose to do which makes it more interesting than doing the same as everyone else and only doing some electives separate. Aside from this, Relay for Life was last weekend. I am not sure if I wrote a post about this but I think I did write one as I was preparing for it. Anyway, I was the team-captain in that I organised a team for my Kokoda group who went and it was a lot of fun. We raised nearly $2,000 which is a lot more than I expected and we had fun doing it. I can not wait to do it again next year and I even got some sleep this time which was great. You can try to do it without sleep, but after a few times you find a little sleep goes a long way in making you feel better. What was also great about last weekend is that Once Upon a Time started up again in Australia. Channel 7 left us hanging there for a while but now it is back and I cannot wait for the rest of Season 3. I even hear there is a Wicked Witch just around the corner. It is all so exciting, also Revenge started back up so I am watching that too but that was during the holidays so a while ago. I guess my plans for these holidays before I go away to Kokoda is to get all my homework done as soon as possible, keep this blog going and also catch up with friends, YouTube and a whole lot of sleep. I can not wait!

Bring on the holidays! See you tomorrow.

KOKODA IS COMING

So welcome back to the first post in ages! As the school term has come to a close there should be some more time for me to get more posts out. I also have to start writing my Kokoda series which will come out while I am over there in just over 10 days!! As Kokoda is drawing ever-closer there has been so much to do which is why this weeks 'the week that was' segment is mostly about Kokoda. However, before I continue with this I am just going to finish the introductory paragraph with something a little less related to Kokoda. Aside from all the Kokoda stuff which has taken up a lot of time recently, I have also had my first 3/4 Methods SAC which for those of you unfamiliar with VCE, counts towards my study score for the subject and, as a result, my ATAR which determines whether or not I get into my desired University Course. I was pretty happy with the result as I received 94% (and A+) which put me at Rank 3 out of the 166 students doing Unit 3/4 Methods at my school. It was quite the surprising (and exhilarating) moment which put me in a positive mindset for the rest of the year (hopefully, I am not from the future so I can not tell). Now, onto the Kokoda stuff.

Source: http://www.kokodatrackfoundation.org/history-of-the-kokoda-track.aspx

Since it has been so long since I have written a post updating you all on my Kokoda journey I am actually not sure where to start so if things are a little out of chronological order or a little random, I am very sorry. Vaccinations were this week. After many weeks of planning the time finally arrived. It was not exactly significant but it was still one of those things that made everything seem so much more real. If you were wondering what vaccinations we were getting for Kokoda, it was Flu, Typhoid, Hepatitis A and Japanese Encephalitis (which was optional). It would have also been tetanus but we got those in Year 10. In the past week Mum and I have also been packing and repacking my pack as well as testing out my sleeping mattress and sleeping mat so I know how to effectively get the sleeping bag and mat back in their respective bags. It has been a lot of hard work trying to get everything all together and fitting it in but it is great to get it ready and sorted this far out from the trek. When we go there, we will be packing our empty packs in suitcases so that the straps do not get damaged in transit but we still need to know how to pack it (and that everything fits and is not too heavy). Still, I am pretty sure that there are some things in my pack that I am going to donate to my Porter so I do not have to carry it after the first day. Aside from this, we were also put in groups and had to make a presentation on a portion of the Kokoda track. I was with two others and our task was to research Efogi to Myola, Myola to Templeton's Crossing and Templeton's Crossing to Eora Creek while making reference to Captain Sam Templeton. We had to show through our presentation how the soldiers who fought in the Kokoda campaign experienced Kokoda. Our presentation was a story which I actually might post as one of the days that I am away in Kokoda. It was actually a very interesting task and how presentations, dare I say it (I do by the way), was one of the best. Also on that night we had a presentation from one of the last surviving members of the 39th Battalion who fought in the Kokoda campaign. He was such a great character and he had some really interesting stories to tell. Plus it was also very interesting that it was the Malaria he contracted that saved him from the fate of many of his comrades who died along with the majority of the 39th Battalion.

Less than two weeks to Kokoda and the excitement and nervous energy is growing! See you tomorrow.