I think my wish has come true

Finally, time is slowing down. The days feel like they are longer and no more, do I feel rushed.
I feel happy and relaxed, they way holidays are meant to be :)

Moreton Island

There is something about going away camping that makes me feel better. Going away this time was different than New Zealand, in a way it was like going from one extreme to another. We had an early departure from Brisbane, in order to make it to the ferry landing at 7 am and to beat the morning traffic. I was getting more excited by the minute - I love camping :) When we arrived at Moreton it was absolutely stinking hot, perfect conditions to get sun burnt. My shoulders got a nice tan from setting up the tents and my abs got a work out from laughing at Claudia's dad who got bogged in like 2 minutes after driving off the barge. When we reached the camp grounds, I wasn't really sure if it was what I was expecting or not. Last year's polish camping trip I was expecting a total cut off from civilization but there were normal facilities and the area was well populated, so I was expecting that again, but this time there were limited facilities and we were in a remote location, in a way I was pretty surprised. We went and checked out the facilities straight away, there were hybrid toilets and wasp infested, outdoor, cube showers without and doors. Showering was a whole heap of fun. After we set up our campground, our home for the next four days, we checked out the water, it was simply beautiful. It was clear, cold and we had a great view of the ship wrecks. It had to be our second day at Moreton Island that will be remembered for a long time, we planned on going for a short walk, take a few photos maybe find some bait to go fishing. Those plans totally failed. Basically, the whole crew minus Claud, Ania and the parents went on a walk, which turned into playing soccer on the sand dunes, finding a starfish, seeing a cool tree whilst making our way further and further away from camp. We decided that we might as well keep walking and located the heated showers that Claudia's friend had told us about. We thought that they might be up a 4WD track. We also thought that if worst come worst we can always walk the 7 kms to the Eastern Beach on the opposite side of the Island. After what we thought had been a very long walk (but turns out it was only 1.5 kms) we decided to take the Tangalooma bypass - normally associating the word bypass with shortcut. We kept walking through the hot sun without proper shoes, sunscreen, water or a phone. I can honestly say that going on this walk would have to be the stupidest choice I have made in my life. We kept walking and finally worked up the courage to pull a car over and ask for help. They gave us a bottle of water and wold us that we were going the wrong way, taking this path wouldn't lead us to our destination. So with this in mind, we turned around. We ran to the shady spots, swearing loudly, because the sun was burning our feet. We were dehydrated, even though we had finally gotten some water. However, this blessing from God didn't last very long, seeing at it was small and there were 6 of us. Once we reached the top of a hill, we decided to sit down in the shade and regain our energy. We were more relaxed now that we had water and were going back the same way as we came as it was more familiar and we didn't have the constant false hope that we were nearly there. Whilst we were sitting down, we heard a car. The group simultaneously told me to stop it, which I did. I asked for water and sunscreen, explaining that we were kind of lost. They laughed at my request, offered us beer but they actually did have supplies and gave us a large bottle of water. The car was full of 6 hot guys, who kindly offered us a lift. We hastily accepted and all crammed into the boot, except for Dom, who climbed in the back seat. They took us to the resort, we were so grateful that we gave them $20. Those guys seriously saved our lived, we could easily make our way back to the campsite from there. We were relieved when we sore the ocean, the cold water felt like an orgasm for our blistered feet. But we survived and can tell the tale :) It was a great experience in a way, getting lost in the desert. That night Kamil disrupted our sleeping as he fell asleep in our tent and squashed everyone. Due to us being sleep deprived our third day at Moreton was bland, we lazed around in the tent and played games such as in my shopping bag. In our shopping bag we had a cheese stringer, a compass, a tent, a pretzel, a pony, a condom, a dildo, moonshine, a tree, a bra, green tea, earl grey, pegs, a Russian soldier named Yuri, an African kid with HIV, a laundry, a dictionary, a noose, a sleeping bag, hair dye, a coconut, a bikini, a ship wreck and a nervous breakdown. After that we just gave up and headed to the beach to go swimming or play beach soccer. Kamil said that he will sleep in our tent tonight, so it's going to be squishy once more. The night actually wasn't too bad, worst thing that happened was that Kamil thought my head was a pillow and bashed into me, but it's ok, I have a pretty thick head. Our last day at Moreton was sad, we packed up, knowing that we have to go back to Brisbane soon. Once we finished out duties,m we strayed along the beach and buried Claud's dad in the sand. We helped some people unbog their car, they got themselves bogged in the exact same spot as us, so we thought it would be bad karma if we didn't help them out. I don't really miss Moreton due to all the sand everywhere, horse flies and proper facilities, but I miss the people, the camping atmosphere and living by the sun.

I miss Christmas

I heard a story in Church the other day, about a mother who was so caught up in the present frenzy that told her child, who was looking at a nativity scence, that we don't have time for that. Personally, that made me want to cry.

Christmas isn't the same anymore. Maybe it's because I'm older and I have the ability to comprehend the holiday in a different way. Maybe it's because I'm smart enough to know that Santa doesn't visit me anymore. Ever since I've started high school, Christmas has lost that magical feeling. I finish school a lot earlier than I used to and never even get the chance to wear my Christmas tree earrings. This year my parents put the tree up with out me, because it's no big deal. I have to go out and buy presents in crowded shopping malls, whilst being influenced by every store to buy useless products which I would never buy for myself, so why would I buy it for other people? Christmas is filled with stress, business and tiredness not the feelings of joy I would experience when I was younger. Back then, a small little toy would made my day but now, society just wants more and more and more. I see 10 year old who have mobile phones and mp3s. I see little girls not wanting to wear clothes that their mum's pick out because 'they aren't fashionable'. Back then, I couldn't care less what people thought about me. I wore my shirt tucked into my pants up until year 5! I couldn't give a rat's arse and now seeing these kids act like that at such a young age makes me feel sick. They should be enjoying the trivial things, have fun and count down to Christmas by using an advent calendar. Society is growing up much too fast, kids should be kids. I feel like I'm growing up too fast, I know people who dated in year seven, at my primary school we still believed in cooties and I'm happy as I don't believe children that age are ready to experience opposite gender mingling on such a level. This has gone on a massive tangent, but the point is, society moves too fast and takes Christmas for granted. In all due respect, the day is to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. Being Polish, religion plays an immense part in my life. When I was younger, my favourite part of the year and not just Christmas was going to midnight mass. There was something about the atmosphere, with your friends being there and seeing everyone half asleep but yet so happy was incredible. And why were they all so happy, because they knew the true meaning of Christmas. Not the stress and presents, that was already over as the most major part of Christmas for Poles is Christmas Eve. There is a massive 12 course meal, Christmas carols are sung and presents are opened. Everyone is happy, except for the person doing the washing up but nevertheless, mum who had been preparing the meal can now relax, dad's been fed so he can relax too and the kids are over the moon from opening presents, leaving the rest of the night for the most important part, a mass to celebrate the birth of the Christ child. I like the order of things and the way I celebrate Christmas, I just hate the lead up to it and the loss of the Christmas spirit.

Yuck

Never in my life have I liked the cold, until 10 days ago.
Something changed my opinions whilst on the New Zealand music tour.
Perhaps it was the beauty of New Zealand, the people I was with or the things we did.
However, something made me associate the cold with positive feelings and I miss it.
Throughout my whole life, I have liked the heat and summer, but now I hate it.
Perhaps it was because I got accustomed to the cold, or that tour had to end - now I'm lonely and back here in Australia.
I want to be back in New Zealand and life would be so much better if I never left.

I'm craving L&P; NZ MUSIC TOUR 09

FCIP 2009 Music Tour to New Zealand was simply amazing. Words cannot express the experiences that I had throughout a short ten days, experiences that I hoped would never end. It all began ten days from today, November 28th. On this day, I was waking up bright and early, full of excitement - knowing that I would be embarking on an overseas adventure without my parents, a few friends and a whole group of people to build friendships with. I was eccentric. This feeling, lasted the whole tour. Each day was different, each provided a new experience and a rush of adreneline, each was amazing. At first, the feeling of being in New Zealand was quite surreal, it felt like Australia but it looked stunning. The air was fresh and crisp, the grass was so much greener and the towns were a lot cleaner. The South Island of New Zealand is simply beautiful. At first, I thought New Zealand was flat, there were no hills, no bumps in the road, just planes that stretch on forever, but that was only a small part of New Zealand, a small part of the South Island, a small part of Christchurch. I soon discovered that New Zealand's scenery changes dramatically - with it being flat one minute and mountainous the next. New Zealand's cities also fascinate me - they are filled with history and culture and I love it. It adds character and gives a place a certain something. The large array of museums, art galleries, markets, gardens and parks aswell as shops and restuaruants makes New Zealand appeal to me. I loved going away on tour and chatting with locals, telling them where I'm from and that I'm proud to be Aussie. I loved being with my friends for 10 days, knowing that I can always have a laugh. I loved the care and support we got from the teachers, it made me feel at home and helped me to enjopy myself. I loved being a senior on tour, knowing that I can influence the other students and help to make the experience more enjoyable. I loved it all, I wasn't home sick at all - except for the fact that Mrs D reminded me of my mum. I loved buying gifts for others and trying to imagine their facial expressions when they recieve their gifts. I loved it all and I'm disappointed that I had to come home. The whole experience was a nice break from everything. Then there are of course the personal jokes that I will remember for a long time. Haha sheep - bahhhh! Haha stag ... bahhhh?, Orgasmic icecream, revenge of the jet boat, staffs, Yahtzee!, cookie time, giant chocolate muffins, puns, L and P, vasoline, Steph's straightened hair. I don't think I can pick a higlight - the Gondola and Luge were fun, the glow worms and antartic centre were intriuging whilst the jet boat was a rush of adreneline. I have my souveniours and photos but I don't think I need them because I think that my memories will stay with me, forever. One last thing - 2009 Instrumentalists, you made my 10 days and my year. I wish I could write about everything and I wished I could do it chronologically, but I loved it too much to think straight. In the simplest terms, it was amazing and I fucking loved it.