Jan 1-31, 2007

Another month gone by again!

It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating New Year's Eve!
This month has kept me busy, mostly with work, and my savings plans are all coming together now. I continue to work at Woolworths and allow enough hours to do all my other jobs. I am intending to stay at Woolworths until the end of February, before Kazuya and I move into a place in the city.

I decided not to venture down to Canberra to undertake a Masters Degree, but am instead going to attend UNSW to do a Masters Degree in International Relations and Politics. The course is one year, so I will be finished and graduated in December 2007. The course starts this March, so will just work until then.

Kazuya and I are currently searching for a place in the city - easy access for his college and my university. I am even considering getting out a home loan and buying an apartment of my own - we'll see if the finances all come together for me.

Kazuya's English course finishes in April and then he will have about 1 weeks off before he starts his Tourism Course at a College in the city. He is really enjoying Australian life and has settled in exceptionally well.

I have managed to keep some spare hours each week to hang out with him and take part in a few social acitivities. 2 weeks ago we sued the gift voucher my dad gave me for Christmas; Mum, Karen, Kazuya and I went on a ghost tour of The Rocks area in Sydney, hearing all the gruesome stories about convict hangings and suicides - a little about the history of the Sydney convict fleet too! A great tour overall...

Kazuya and I also used the gift voucher mum gave me and went on a para-sailing adventure down at Manly. The wind was exceptionally strong, and we just managed to finish the sail before the wind was deemed too strong for the other participants. It really was a great experience - the thrill of being about 50 metres up in the air hanging from a parachute was quite daunting before we were up there, but once we were up, it really was exhilirating.

We have also been making good use of the Summer sun and have been to Dee Why, North Curl Curl, Manly and Bondi beaches of late. Kazuya loves the surf, and I just enjoy lying on the sand reading a newspaper.

I will do another volunteer day this Saturday with the organisation I went to Costa Rica with - we have a selection day for more participants to head to Central America to parttake in more projects. Should be fun. I am also taking part in a human rights convention next week for one day.

Hope everyone is keeping well.

Take care and keep in touch

Tim
xoxox

Dec 1-31, 2006

Hello all

Had a great month this December, with Kazuya arriving on the 1st after us being apart for 4 months. He will have this month off to spend with me, before attending an English course in early January.

I had a welcome party joint with my 22nd birthday party on the 1st of December. The party was a lot of fun and a great chance to catch up with all my long-lost friends!

On the 8th of December Kazuya and I went to Adelaide to see my grandma. We enjoyed 2 weeks with her, travelling to Victor Harbour, Goolwah, the Barossa Valley, Mount Lofty, Haandorf and of course around Adelaide City out to Glenelg. Kazuya and I went away for 2 days to Kangaroo Island, to allow grandma to pack her luggage ready for her Singapore trip.
Kangaroo Island was a very beautiful place; we took a tour - so across the bay to the island on the Sealink ferry and a comfy coach for the 2 days. We saw many wild animals, including koalas, kangaroos, emus, snakes, and penguins. The penguin tour was very cute and a great chance for us to come up close and personal with the little creatures.
We visited many places on the tour including Cliffords Honey Farm and the awe-inspiring Admiral's Arch and Remarkable Rocks - possibly the 2 most incredible rock formations I have ever seen. We took many many photos (which I will promptly add to this blog).

It was really a fantastic 2 weeks trip to Adelaide and its surrounds and I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Grandma and eating lots of different foods. South Australian wines were also happily enjoyed!

Upon returning on the 19th December, we enjoyed Mark's 13th birthday - hard to believe he is now actually a teenager!

Christmas too was a joyous time, my first back in Australia since 2003, so it was particularly special for that reason. I got some great pressies too - Dad bought me a ghost tour gift voucher and mum bought me a para-sailing adventure voucher. A few things I will do next month.

New Years eve was spent at a friend's apartment which overlooked all of Sydney Harbour and the city. We started the festivities early in the afternoon and they ran until about 6am - a very enjoyable but tiring night. Loved the Sydney fireworks - easily the best display in the world in such a naturally beautiful landscape. It was my first New Years eve since 2003 as well.

I continue to work 5 evenings a week at Woolworths and am keeping up with my other jobs such as car washing, gardening and tutoring. I still do one day a week at my city job at Asteron.

The family are all well and staying safe. Peter continues to battle on, although now has given up full-time work.

Look forward to writing again next month.

Tim
xoxoxox