The beginning of getting old...

Well, so far it's been an interesting week. Last night I went to the 21st party of a great mate of mine, and well I guess this is the first 21st party for people who were in my year at school, and hence roughly my age.

As a shit of a kid I always used to say that everything is growing until you hit the age of 21 and then it's the slow decline into old age from there on. I know age is just a number and I was just being facetious at the time, and it's not like I really care, I'm having a great time at the moment. I guess this just heralds another stage of life, one that will be marked with quite a few chances to celebrate into early hours of the morning and tell as many stories to embarrass as many people as possible.

Something to look forward to me thinks.

Emma's 21st was great fun, were a whole bunch of people there I haven't seen in ages, some not since school finished all those years ago. Was also a chance to break out a bottle of Zubrowka, a Polish vodka I bought back with me that tastes fantastic, especially with apple juice as a chaser. It was a lot harsher on the palate than I remember, but it was warm and with no chaser, so perhaps that was the reason, or maybe I've just gone soft since I was in Poland.

To go in reverse chronological order, I was out very briefly on Wednesday night and met this random as hell guy on the bus on the way home. He just started talking to me about everything at the bus stop. At first it was really quite awkward because he was asking lots of questions about different things. I found myself increasingly amused by the randomness of this guy so I thought it was pretty humourous as I was about to get off the bus I was given this little booklet of humourous little comics about life (read Bible verses). I guess it just shows there is always a catch to random friendliness on the bus.

This post is long but I don't particularly care. The other cool thing that happened this week was a presentation on the Poland PEACE Project I did for the UQ UNSA (United Nations Student Association). Well I was part of a panel more accurately, but that is of little consequence. The people who were on the panel were from organisations such as AusAID, UNHCR, the Rotary Peace Fellowships and more. They were really interesting and had done some really cool stuff that made me jealous. Through the whole process I got to meet a bunch of cool new people from the guys who organised it through to my fellow panellists.

I love talking shit about my time in Poland, it was a great opportunity to promote AIESEC as well, although I do miss all the other guys who were in Poland and made the experience as special as it could have been.

To round out the week, I have started swimming again a few evenings a week (well I have done it once so far) as a way of doing something a bit more active. Plus it should be helpful with the coaching I do on Wednesdays.

Stay true, Dan out...

Life since the return

As most of those who know me know, I got back to Brisbane, Australia after 6 months of travel throughout Europe, which was an increadibly mind-blowing experience. I got back right after the start of second Semester. I decided not to return immediately to my studies and take more time off to work.

This may not have been the best move as 8 months of holidaying and getting my tax return shortly after returning home, provided me with limited excuses not to do what I wanted and continue to live a fun a relatively responsibility free life style. After being back for 2 months of kicking back and going out, I am quite broke and in high need of some real work. I am keeping afloat though through being a swim coach in Ashgrove for primary school kids in Grades 1-4, which is fun and I've found I enjoy teaching.

Still have some people I haven't had a chance to catch up with and feel really bad, plus all the people who live overseas who I need to call/email. Will try and get it all done soon as well as find some real work.

Until next time...

A new beginning...?

Well then. The first experience with the blog clearly didn't go to well at all. I think mainly because I tried to document everything as opposed to just putting up the interesting highlights or random analogies. Made trying to post anything a pain in the arse and email was easier to rely on to keep people updated.

I was also somewhat opposed to blogs and I had an opinion similar to something I read by Scott Adams a while ago,

'When I see news stories about people all over the world who are experiencing hardships, I worry about them, and I rack my brain wondering how I can make a difference. So I decided to start my own blog. That way I won’t have time to think about other people.

People who are trying to decide whether to create a
blog or not go through a thought process much like this:

1. The world sure needs more of ME.
2. Maybe I’ll shout more often so that people nearby
can experience the joy of knowing my thoughts.
3. No, wait, shouting looks too crazy.
4. I know – I’ll write down my daily thoughts and
badger people to read them.
5. If only there was a description for this process that
doesn’t involve the words egomaniac or unnecessary.
6. What? It’s called a blog? I’m there!

The blogger’s philosophy goes something like this:

Everything that I think about is more fascinating
than the crap in your head.

The beauty of blogging, as compared to writing a book,
is that no editor will be interfering with my random
spelling and grammar, my complete disregard for the
facts, and my wandering sentences that seem to go on and
on and never end so that you feel like you need to take
a breath and clear your head before you can even consider
making it to the end of the sentence that probably didn’t
need to be written anyhoo.

If that doesn’t inspire you to read my blog, I don’t
know what will.'

Having now been through that same thought process, mainly point 1, I have started this endevour. I guess another main motivation for starting this up was reading some travel blogs from friends that were really good. So ignore anything before the 2006-07 financial year and enjoy...