CollinsPlus
E-news
Edition 6. November/December 2008 and January 2009
Editor:
Barbara Collins – admin (at) collinsplus.com
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Index
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Collins Family News
Go to Collins Family in CollinsPlus
Website
Con Collins
Con Collins is the Ground Zero man for this website.
Con has had to have a couple of operations on his other ear to remove a small cancer. His medications became slightly unbalanced so he was suffering a few unwanted affects until the right balance could be achieved again. Con and Barb went to the NARI (National Ageing Research Institute) afternoon tea for volunteers. Various staff gave a summary of the projects they had been working on during the year. One that we were particularly interested in was about pain management in people with impaired cognitive ability eg dementia. Our interest came from the issues Mum had with pain in her latter years – and her inability to verbalise the source of her pain. We also had an enjoyable pre Christmas visit with Aunty Kath – who was the wife of Dad’s brother, Bill.
The Collins Collection
Once upon a time, the Collins Family took a lot of videos of family events. They were taken on a Beta recorder. We were talking about converting them to DVD but we were not really sure what was on them. Clever Graham still has a Beta player so one day we all met at Graham’s with our beta tapes and he started to record them on to his hard drive DVD recorder. After a few HOURS, we hadn’t even scratched the surface so we left everything with poor Graham, who had hours/days of work ahead of him to continue on with the project. When he finally finished, he burnt a copy to DVD for everyone and housed the nine DVDs in a case for each sibling. We’ve called it The Collins Family Collection and it covers things like birthdays, special events, all our (first) weddings as well as miscellaneous family fun.
Judy was inspired by this and has converted
her video tapes to DVD to be made into The Collins Collection: Volume 2. Barb
will be burning these for the rest of the family. These collections will provide
invaluable history for current and future generations.
Christmas Day
Christmas Night
Graham Collins
(Graham Collins is the first and only son of Con Collins. Graham
Collins Family)
Tyson
The only real news that we have is that we got a new dog. We got it from an Animal Shelter in Keysborough. He was found wandering the streets and he was riddled with fleas, that bad you could see them jumping off him and he has missing patches of hair from all the scratching. We've had him nearly two weeks. He's a good dog, well behaved and house trained. We got a doggy door put in so he's happy just coming in and out as he pleases. His name is Scrappy.
Carly
Congratulations Carly on being the second Collins Kid to become a home owner!
Carly has purchased a one bedroom apartment
in Prahran (not too far from Tys and Kate’s home). She hasn’t moved in yet but
has sent some of the real estate’s promotional photos of an almost identical
unit in the same block
More photos of what Carly’s apartment MIGHT look
like after she has carlyised it.
Wade
I spent my new years
at Falls Festival in Lorne for 3 nights and loved it! While the weather was the
coldest and wettest they have had there in 16 yrs, we were having so much fun
we barely noticed it! We had 16 carloads of mates at our campsite, and saw some
amazing bands play. I have added a couple of pictures of campsite and main
arena. Can't wait to go to another festival. After that we went to Phillip
Island for a week with dad for some 'down time'. We ended up having more big
nights down at the pub and local nightclub (including dad) than we did resting.
Great time away. Now I’m back and am going to start looking for work again.
The Bill Collins
Family
Bill Collins was the only brother of Con Collins. Kath is Bill’s wife. Go to Bill Collins page for more information on this family.
Daniel, Matt and Sarah have completed year 12 and
have all passed. From his school, Daniel received awards for physics and
systems engineering. Sarah is employed in retail, Matt is still checking up on
available work. If nothing comes up he will not defer as he intended.
Daniel will proceed with his Electrical Engineering/Computer Studies at RMIT. Josh
has decided to do VCE this year. And he has his licence and
purchased a car.
Rebecca has decided to do a year of Evangelisation
and will share a house with others and work 2 days each week to contribute to
the upkeep. This stems from the Youth Group which she and Matthew and Sarah
attend at their church in Burwood. This Congregation of Priests, The
Missionaries of God’s Love, are having great results with the young
people.
I was pleased to have a visit from Con and Barbara
on 18th December and catch up on the news.
We had a pleasant Christmas Day lunch at Narre
Warren and the weather was just beautiful.
Today (January 10th)
The Zoch Family
Catherine Zoch is the 4th girl in the Con and Bridget Collins Family. She is married to John Zoch. Go to Zoch Family page.
News from Elise
Well I finished my last year of school in 2008.
Just waiting on whether I get accepted into any courses and I'll try and start my
career from there! Not that I have much idea what I want to do but at the
moment, it’s great just relaxing and being on holidays!!! All the sleep-ins and
not stressing I have to get home and have homework sitting there or assignments
to do or having school on the Monday. It’s GREAT!!
After finishing school, I worked for a couple of days and had my year 12
valedictory dinner. That was a fantastic night and one to remember! :)
Then we went to Bali on the weekend and that was a lifetime experience, such a
huge culture shock for the four of us (John, Cathy, Jessica and Elise) but we
enjoyed our holiday and especially how nice the Balinese people are! I would go
back to Bali one day in the future, although they live a very different
lifestyle to us, it's a country with beautiful people in it!! Oooo and their
smoothies are the BEST! and it’s soo cheap too!
We went to this place called 'Safari Park' and that was really cool. We all got
to hold an orangoutang which was awesome and Jess and I had a ride on the
elephants which was also pretty cool!!!!
Unfortunately I got sick over there and wasn't the Bali belly. It was terrible and
1 day I spend most my day in bed. We got back home and went to the doctors the
next day to find out I had the trifecta! I had a throat, chest and ear
infection!!!! Plus on top of that because it was close to xmas work was really
busy so I had to work and didn't get much time to rest!
So I worked quite a bit and going to a lot of parties and unfortunately I'm not
18 yet! But not long now! In March!
Then it was Xmas.
After new years, Josh and I went away for
the weekend to Torquay and we had a good time away without any parents! We just
pretty much relaxed, play a bit of tennis, went to the shops and swam in the
pool & spa.
Now I'm back home relaxing. And then I go
away again on the weekend.
The Cabrera Family
Judith Collins is the second girl in the Con and Bridget Collins
Family. She is married to Renato Cabrera. Go to the Cabrera
Family page.
Judy says, “Hi everyone. I don't have a lot of news
for this issue. Renato and I have had a lot of outings
such as going out for dinner and the movies and catching up with
friends prior to Christmas.
Other fun times were going to Elise's Graduation, a
Chilean function, a day down to St. Kilda esplanade with Cathy, Elise and Josh,
having Tyson and Kate come for lunch, visiting Aunty Nancy, and taking Renato's
niece and nephew to a really huge Christmas carnival where everything was
for free.
In the last issue I told you I might have some news
into what is causing pain under one of my toes when I walk. Well, after
getting a second opinion from a leading orthopedic surgeon, he came to the same
conclusion as the previous surgeon. They have no idea what it is so therefore
do not know what to do to treat it (all in my mind???? painfully not!). The
surgeons say they have come across it before a couple of times and are aware
that it is something but they don't know what, so if there is anyone out there
that has had this happen to them, let me know. In the meantime I'll keep on
trying to find out what it is and foremost how to treat the pain so I can walk
painfree.
Believe it or not our house that is being half
rebuilt and been through 5 different building supervisors is still not finished
and with Christmas and New Year not much was going on. At one stage there it
was going great guns and I thought it would be finished before the end of the
year, so this has been going on for a long time now and it is really quiet depressing when
Renato and I go there to see how it’s all going. Oh well, maybe I'll have good
news next newsletter.
Christmas Eve we went to Mass with Dad
and then we proceeded to Renato's sister’s. Christmas Eve is a very
traditional get together for them. They have a feast of a
dinner and then wait up until midnight to open presents. It was a
great night and nice for Renato to be with his only relations that live here in
Australia.
We had a lovely Christmas day lunch at Barbara and
Paul's and in the evening all the family gathered at Cathy and John's for
finger food and left overs. It’s a big day but well worth the get together with
all of the family.
On Boxing Day, while some were chasing bargains at
the sales and others were sleeping in, the Golfers of the family were up
extremely early to play the Con Collins Perpetual Trophy Golf Tournament.
Renato and I took Dad out there to watch them roll in, because it was the 26th
Anniversary of the Tournament. John's brother-in-law Neil took out the trophy.
Without a bang, we saw in the New Year this year
and watched the fireworks on TV with Dad so we were in bed quite early. New
Years Day was back at Renato's sister’s for more feasting on yummy food.
Until next time God Bless and a Happy New Year.
The Teres Family
Paul Teres is husband of Barbara
Collins, daughter of Con Collins. Go to Teres Family
page.
Barb and Paul’s
news
We’ve had such a busy year – too many holidays
I think. 2009 will be a lot quieter. In the last few months, the family
celebrated what would have been Wasyl’s 100th birthday with a BBQ on
the banks of the Maribyrnong River. We attended a family day at Pauline’s
Ukrainian Elderly Citizen’s Home. A choir sang Ukrainian songs and we enjoyed
afternoon tea. At an Accor Club presentation, Paul won a prize of two tickets
to the Rocky Horror Show and a dinner for two at Café La at the Sofitel. Paul
continues to visit his grandchildren every week and takes Josh out when the
weather is suitable. I’ve been tutoring an intellectually disabled young lady
in literacy, doing my junkmail round twice a week and I’m back at my old work
as an administration casual. I visit the gym several times a week and Paul has
joined up too so he can work out, swim or just sit in the sauna/spa and
contemplate life. We are currently preparing for a trip to Thailand.
Surfers Paradise
Holiday
Sophie, Andrew and the kids had a much
needed holiday on the Gold Coast in December.
Josh’s 3rd
birthday
Teres kids at Christmas
Josh and Sam have a Christmas party at their playgroup
Lisa and Dave in Thailand
Email received
from Lisa on New Year’s Eve
Happy New Year
from Koh Samui!! Dave and I are having a great time in Thailand. Love it
here-it’s fantastic. Great hot weather, shopping, food and the people are very
nice. Had 5 days at Patong Beach in Phuket which was a lot of fun. It’s very
busy there though and loads of people, traffic everywhere. Lots of people
have motorbikes/scooters and there are taxis everywhere. You have to be
careful crossing the roads. The resort we stayed at though was
brilliant and very comfortable. It had three huge pools and a couple of pool
bars, gym, spa etc. I had a massage at the resort spa one afternoon and
it was lovely-very relaxing. The room was really large and we could walk out of
our room a few metres and straight into the pool. It was heaven. Wish we had
stayed there longer-If I ever return to Phuket will stay at Banthai Resort
again. It was across from the beach and in the centre of it all. We spent
a day at Patong Beach sunbaking which cost 100 baht for a sun lounge. Was a lot
of fun there as people come past all the time wanting to sell you stuff and get
you drinks etc. The water was really warm and it was a good day. Spent more
time relaxing by the hotel pool though as it was quieter and more relaxing.
Once you walk out of the resort into the heart of Patong its very busy. We also
did a day speed boat trip to Phi Phi island and did some snorkling and
that was really great too.
We arrived at Koh Samui island on last Monday afternoon- it’s a 45 min flight
from Phuket. We are staying at a resort right on the beach and we are in a
bungalow room near the beach. We can see the water from our patio. The hotel
here is not as fancy as the Phuket one, but it’s a great location right on the
beach-gorgeous views. It’s a lot more laid back here and much quieter
than Patong. People don’t hassle you as much trying to sell stuff! We have
hired a motorbike for the week (cost 700baht in total for 6 days which is
like AU$35 for the week -bargain!!) to get around the island and do some
touring. It's a lot of fun driving around on one of them (although Dave is
doing the driving-I just hang one the back!). Last night we drove to Cheweng
beach which is 10mins down the road for dinner. Have pretty much spent the past
couple of days relaxing on the beach and went and did some shopping in Chaweng
(the main restaurant and shopping strip).
Tonight we have the new years gala dinner dance at the resort. Its a jungle
theme and should be a fun night. It’s been raining here a bit today but it’s
clearing now-weather can be a bit tropical and humid at times. We are here at
Koh Samui till Tuesday then we fly to North Thailand for two nights before
returning home to Melbourne on Thursday 8/1.
Happy birthday to
Jessica Zoch, Zac Gough and Sarah Collins in November, Andrew Teres, Josh
Teres, Carly Collins and Rebecca Collins in December 2008 and Damien and Paul
Collins in January 2009:
Click
here for your birthday card.
We also remember
Joelle Collins and Bridget Collins in November.
If your birthday
falls in November, December or January and you are not on this list, email admin (at)
collinsplus.com and send in your birth date.
How do you
see the world around you?
A young couple moves into a new
neighbourhood.
The next morning,
while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbour hang the
wash outside.
That laundry is not very clean, she said, she doesn’t
know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbour would hang her wash to dry, the
young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:
Look! She has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this.
The husband said:
I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows!
And so it is with life:
What we see when watching others, depends on the purity of the window through
which we look.
Before we give any
criticism, it might be a good idea to check our state of mind and ask ourselves
if we are ready to see the good rather than to be looking for something in
the person we are about to judge.
Googling stimulates older brains
If you thought reading was the best way of keeping your mind active, think again. Surfing the web stimulates more areas of the brain than picking up a good book.
A study by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), which involved 24 adults aged between 55 and 76, looked at brain activity while surfing the net. It found that those adults who knew their way around the internet, showed more stimulation of decision-making and complex reasoning than those who were just learning to use the internet.
The study, funded by the Parvin Foundation, also found that searching the internet stimulated more areas of the brain than reading. The participants were monitored by MRI while performing tasks such as reading and surfing the net. While reading, all participants showed stimulation in the same areas of the brain however, when surfing the net, those who knew what they were doing, showed twice the increase in brain activity.
For more information on the study, try Googling “UCLA” or simply visit the Semel Institute.
Sam the Bellhop
Without a doubt one of the finest "card
magicians" ever seen...........
Do not play cards with this guy for money. Click the link
below to see him in action – thanks Judy.
Awesome card trick - Sam the Bellhop
For those wondering about the share market and how it
works
"Once upon a time, in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each.
The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10 and, as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort. He further announced that he would now buy at $20 for a monkey.
This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer increased to $25 each, and the supply of monkeys became so small that it was an effort to even find a monkey, let alone catch it!
The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on behalf of him.
In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers. “Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected.
I will sell them to you at $35, and when the man returns from the city, you can sell them to him for $50 each.” The villagers rounded up all their savings and bought all the monkeys.
They never saw the man nor his assistant again, only monkeys everywhere!
Now you have a better understanding of how the stock market works.
Time for a laugh
Paul’s clean jokes (well actually there’s a couple of risqué ones in there this time!)
All websites featured in this newsletter are archived on the Links Page of the CollinsPlus site for future reference.
Staying safe on the web
http://www.netalert.gov.au/advice/risks/identity_theft/How_do_People_Steal_Identities.html
Online jigsaw
puzzles
Fed up with getting to the end of a jigsaw puzzle
only to find a space and no more pieces in the box? Online jigsaw puzzles are a
surefire way of dealing with frustration over lost pieces.
Doing crosswords, sudoku, tetris and solitaire can distract
many people for hours at a time. Now you can even complete jigsaws
online, helping to keep your mind active and hands busy. http://games.aarp.org/games/jigsaw-easy.aspx
Congratulations these months to ….
ü Tys and Kate on the new addition to the
family
ü Carly on buying her first home
ü Darcy on passing his exams (2nd
year uni)
ü Daniel, Matt and Sarah for completed year
12
ü Daniel on receiving school awards for
physics and systems engineering
ü Josh on getting his license and purchasing
a car.
ü Rebecca for choosing to do a year of
Evangelizations
ü Elise Zoch, Daniel, Matt and
Sarah Collins for all finishing and passing their VCEs
Passing on
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