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Toby Cooper has been one of the most impactful people I've ever met. He is a staff member at Marine Conservation Philippines, where I volunteered for ten weeks. The first time I met him, he bounced into the middle of our common room to give the morning announcement, and when I say bounced, he genuinely did. He immediately struck me as someone I wanted to get to know, purely because of his intensity and positivity. As I got to know him more, I came to truly appreciate him. He is someone who is so authentically themselves, it's almost confronting. Through our long conversations, and by being in the presence of someone who genuinely enjoys being themselves, I felt like I could do the same. His energy is infectious. He taught me, through both words and actions, that to truly love yourself is the most powerful, and resistant act you can do. He's 53, and showed me how many lives one can live, he's still so young and still deciding what he wants to do, just taking a philosophy degree just purely for the sake of learning and working for very little money because he feels like it's the right thing to do and he's very passionate about it. He's not afraid of showing up, listening and sharing his advice. If some people found him 'too much', he taught me that you shouldn't 'tone it down' just to fit nicer into someone's expectations of you, that the right people will love and value you for being you, not a lesser version showing only certain parts. I've truly valued my time with toby, and just by being there for me to open up to, has helped redefine for me what good communication looks like and what it means to be accepted.

going from doing my first dive in September 2024 to having over 100 dives feels so insane to me. after 100 dives, i can confidently call myself a diver. one amazing part of diving is that the feeling of improving is so noticeable. after a few dives, you start feeling confident with all the gear, and you think that you're pretty good. but every dive after that, you start feeling more and more confident with your position in the water, you feel that your trim and buoyancy (diving terms, don't worry about it) become more and more perfect and stable, you know your gear inside and out, and you start to use your air not just for breathing (important), but to control your buoyancy and position in the water. then, one day, you look back and realise that you are now a diver, and that you no longer think about all these things that were so all consuming in your first few dives. reaching 100 dives really cemented that for me. traditionally, your 100th dive is a naked dive, where you complete your dive completely naked. for me, it was really important that I did do it, so when the time came around, I did the whole dive naked with one of my friends. doing it naked was so liberating and empowering, it was really cool. feeling really free and just one with yourself. you're inherently connected to your body while diving, the sport itself demands it, but being naked? wow, adds a whole new level of connection and just feeling your position in the water, the flow of the current. it was also just super fun! yeah, that moment was so empowering and just really confidence boosting, realising that how far i've come with my skill and confidence.

If you aren't familiar with Parkrun, it's a 5km run every saturday, done in the majority of cities in Australia and also other countries. I decided to give it a try last saturday, and then also this week because I really enjoyed it! I don't really run, but pushing myself to keep going felt so good at the end and I had a real sense of accomplishment at the end. A large population of the community also shows up, so it's also a wonderful way to connect to the community and get to know new people (such as old school teachers and coworkers I don't really know)

With my new paddleboard, I have been exploring the local area and spending time on the water for reflection and for peace of mind. The feeling when you step out onto the water and you feel as though you leave all your worries behind you on the shore and your mind goes quiet is so rewarding and my version of yoga, or meditation!