I think I've aged 10 years...

It's only the 2nd day into the Chinese New Year and 15 days into 2010 and:

Someone is out of a job.
Someone is minus an appendix.
Our bathroom has been pulled to pieces and gradually being restored.
Have possibly 5 weddings this year(and counting) and attended 1 already.
Have received matron-of-honour dress already for 2011 Feb wedding (must watch weight)
Read 7 books in one week of the 'Tomorrow Series' by John Marsden.
Next couple of weekends getting booked up quickly.

And I thought 2010 was going to be a more relaxing year.....

Definite ATO scam

The ATO has never, ever accepted 'credit card' as a payment option for paying off your income tax bills.

Why then would they even bother asking you for your credit card details when a tax refund is due to you?

ATO Scam

MAJOR EPIC FAIL for whoever is behind this, but then again there are so many people out there that are doing it tough and anything remotely close to getting money from the government is hard to pass up.

Interview Snippets

Some snippets from a Dr B. Winter interview in the Briefing a couple of months ago:

PH: How are Christians being affected by contemporary worldviews?

BH: 30 years ago, the favourite text amongst Christians was John 3:16. However, in a recent poll, the most quoted text was Matthew 7:1: “Judge not, that you be not judged”. I think that tells us something. Modern Australian culture says you mustn’t judge, and now Christians are following the world by claiming this text as their basis for remaining dumb about the culture. Christians are following non-Christian society by refusing to make these judgements.

PH: Are you saying that Christians have capitulated to the modern age by refusing to distinguish between truth and error?

BH: Yes, I am. Furthermore, they are misapplying the text “Judge not, that you be not judged” in doing so. The reality is that Christians are meant to “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor 10:5). Nowhere does the Bible say that believers are meant to keep quiet when people challenge the notion of truth and say that there is no difference between right and wrong.

The church today has imbibed a playboy theology that goes back to Greek philosophical heathenism. The central idea of this Greek view was that our aim in life is to pursue happiness. Many Christians have bought into this idea. They want to serve God, but they also want to be happy. This creates a problem for them because they have no place for pain or suffering in their experience.

Christian young people who follow this line are putting themselves on the same trajectory as the young playboys and playgirls in the first century who said, “Everything is permitted for me; I can do what I like”. As far as they were concerned, life was about enjoying oneself and being happy.

People forget that God’s plan for us Christians also includes trouble and persecution. If our aim is only to have a pain-free and happy life, then we will fall away from Christ when we experience adversity.

The Bible never promises a life that is free of trouble and suffering.

Slight Glitch

Abit of a blip has already occurred this year.

Will work through this prayerfully with God and see what His plans are from here.

Buying in Bulk and Future plans

Why the sudden trend of buying 10kg lots of beef steaks at cheap, wholesale prices and then having this shared around your friends?

Maybe we should consider this for fruit and veggies also, where you could buy boxes of fruit and veg from the markets and then have this divided up also.

Problem is we are only limited to 1 small freezer, and with a bathroom renovation finally taking place in Feb we are saving as much as possible for the rest of the year.

An aside, we have been prayerfully considering where God wants us to be and what He wants us to do in the next couple of years. Both of us at the moment feel that some sort of church-based ministry or bible college may be on the cards.

It's getting to the point where we have both spent a fair number of years working in the secular world. (almost 9 years each)
Both of us feel that we need to do something more productive, and the things we have seen and experienced through working can be valuable for ministry to the church family and/or community.

Attending Brisbane Leadership Training next week- may get to have some meaningful discussions with like-minded people there.

2010

In 6 days time I will mark my 5 years working at Peak.

I shall be 1 step closer towards the 4th decade in my life.

Here's hoping 'Gus Junior' will last longer than 'Gus'.

Trip to Melbourne in Dec for Boxing Day Test?

1 year sabbatical from ministry?

New bathroom

Rent a bigger holiday house on stayz.com.au?

Continue doing weights whilst watching DVD box sets?

Randoms

Saw a car drive on the wrong side of the road yesterday. Was an Asian at the wheel.

Saw many people in various spots in suburbia and street corners wheeling suitcases around.

Checked to see the trading hours of A-Mart All Sports to replenish fishing gear and Woolies and Coles for Christmas Eve trading so we can get cheap meat.

Got the urge to make dumplings again after purchasing a packet of pork mince.

Went to bed at 9:30pm last night- the earliest in like a year.

Finally finished watching all 60ish Dae Jang Geum episodes. What should I do now?

My Life is Average

Had Bryse and Dilz over for dinner this week.

Told us about this website where people submit their random, mundane life stories from time to time. Quite interesting time-waster.

www.mylifeisaverage.com

Apparently it is pretty difficult to have your submission published on their site.

Life is Pretty Normal Today.

Shout out to the Empire

Dropping a note to say how nice it wass to see Empire of the Sun win a number of ARIAs recently.

Does this mean their concert tickets will skyrocket now????

It's that time again!

To kick start the summer 2009/10 season, will be heading to the annual Twenty/20 Johnny Walker ACA All Stars vs KFC Australian XI match at the Gabba on Sunday Nov 22nd.

Sweeeeeeet!!!

Old men I'm looking forward to seeing in action again:

Gilly
Ooh Aah Pigeon
The Bat
Bing (well, he isn't exactly old so he would have to be the 'nicer-looking man' I'm looking forward to seeing, if he is picked)

Geeky

I would never have thought that I would say this:

I love watching Doctor Who.

Looking past the scary music (which was scary when you were 7) and opening sequences, you get a extremely fun and enjoyable TV series. Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff aside, I've found myself hooked to this show, courtesy of the lovely David Tennant.

Now all the hard-core fans will probably say that I'm not the genuine article as I haven't watched any episodes from the Tom Baker/William Hartnell/Jon Pertwee/Peter Davidson/Colin Baker/Sylvestor McCoy series or even the Paul McGann telemovie. (speaking of, I now remember Paul in another favourite movie of mine The 3 Musketeers).

Is it acceptable enough that I have watched the revamped series from Season 1 through to Planet of the Dead? (First of the 2009 Specials, with 3 more to go and *sniff* the last 3 specials to feature David before he leaves)

I don't know much about Matt Smith (the new Doctor after David) and am apprehensive as to what quirky facets he will bring to the role next year.

Am I a geek?
What is the female version of a geek?
A geekette?
A geekress?

I'd like a sonic screwdriver for Christmas this year.

Running the Treadmill of Emptiness

I feel as if my life has been really empty and meaningless over the past 3 months.

Each week is spent doing the work of 2 full-time workers. Do people there see I'm at least trying my best and doing what I can to keep this boat afloat? This was not meant to be a long-term thing but as 3 months have gone by without any answers, I just cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Outside of work there is also uncertainty and many unanswered questions. Another tunnel that I cannot see the end of.

A number of thoughts have crossed my mind of late:

- Whether the indecisiveness of some will make others look bad or be frowned upon?
- Why do some people make promises that they clearly cannot keep?
- How can your life be so hectic and busy that every single day for the last 6 months is spent in back-to-back engagements, so the only time you have to breath is a 5 minute toilet break or transport to the next appointment?
- Am I the cause of this uncertainty, by hanging on to something that clearly is not meant to be?
- People say that they won't let things happen the way they did again, but then it happens all over again.

I need your prayers, I need answers, I need people to make some really big decisions soon, otherwise I will probably lose my mind.

One thing I am certain about, is that I honestly don't understand what it truly means to be busy.

If you think that your life is busy then think again. I thought my life was, but now I don't think so.

You don't have time to attend that important meeting. But you can find time to catch up with a friend at the last minute for a coffee.

You don't have time help someone who is lonely and in need of your friendship. But you can somehow find time to spend with your partner who you see everyday.

How many nights every week do you spend at home?

Is Sunday your most busiest day of the week?

My ramblings for the week.

I need a boat

I'm so jealous.

A family at church are spending the next 2 weeks fishing at 1770 with their boat :(
grrrrrrrr.

Would love to take 6 months off and just fish my way around Australia.

Its times like this that I realise how peaceful and uncrowded Townsville was with its beaches, jetties, rock walls and ports. Everything was so close you could wake up at 7am, get to the beach by 7:15am and fish the entire day away until night fell.

Who has a big boat they are willing to lend me?

More Food-related Banter

Special Sunday morning service this weekend with 7 people getting baptised. (good stuff)

We were asked last week to bring a plate to share for a lunch that will be held after the service.

I'm pondering what to bring and some things I have been thinking about are:

- Being a baptismal service, there will likely be people that are friends of the people getting baptised that are invited and will come who don't normally come to church. They obviously won't be bringing a plate for lunch, but will most likely stay for the lunch. Does this mean that we should be providing more food (ie. say bringing 2-3 plates of food) in order to cater for the extra numbers? (Christian hospitality)

- Types of food to bring. The usual, no-mess fare would be sandwiches and store-bought cakes, muffins and dare-I-say Pizza. The 'foodie' in me suggests that there should be more savouries than sweets (being lunch, not afternoon tea) and more hot/warm dishes as it is winter.

- Finger food vs Food which needs to be eaten with a fork
(the monthly Chinese lunches is never fingerfood fare- always plated goodies that require eating utensils)

My current list of foods for consideration:

- Cheerios
- Honey Soy Chicken Wings and mini-drums
- Meatballs and sauce
- Antipasto platter with fresh bread
- Pasta bake

What I got up to on leave

House was utilised for last minute RICE meetings and accommodation for Sydney visitors.

Study room in the house was used by 'someone outside of the family' to create/complete youth group artwork express.........this youth group ended up winning the competition!!! (*tsk* *tsk* grumble grumble)

Made Russiana and Ox-Tail soup and very 'Chinese homely-type' dinner for Sydney guests and RICE team. Ox-tail was a big hit, as was the Chinese BBQ dishes.

Went to the dentist for 6 month check-up- all good.....just need to keep flossing.

Decided on a whim to get a haircut at the Hairdressing School in the CBD. Got a shampoo, condition, stylecut and blowdry for only $10 :)

Bought lots of breakfast foods for Sydney visitors, but then realising that they don't eat breakfast :S

Became Aunty for the group of visitors and took them to Dreamworld, Surfers Paradise and Harbourtown- got early entry into Dreamworld so went on the big rides without the line-ups. (did Tower of Terror and Cyclone, but chickened out on the rest)

Week off

1st day of annual leave for a week.

28 hours to go til RICE 2009 kicks off in Brisbane!!
Still fighting a sore throat obtained at last weekend's staff retreat.

Been deciding what to do in this 'spare' week off:

-Hang out with Sydney people coming up for RICE
-Take them to the beach
-Head to any Gold Coast Theme Park
-Catch up with friends who have children
-Go to the dentist
-Get a haircut
-Get a massage

Well that's pretty much all I can squeeze in, amongst the awesomeness and craziness of RICE.

Bring on the transformation of kids lives and power of our Lord!!

The attack is on

The spiritual attack that is.

Have taken quite a few hits already from Satan as RICE gets closer and closer. Firstly, He takes out one Big Day Out speaker, and appears to be in the process of taking out the 2nd speaker also. (wife has swine flu)

Only 2 weeks to go, how many more hits can we expect?

All of today's best laid plans did not happen at all, one way or another. A mere extra 15 minutes would have made all the difference. W is home with a cold so had to fill in his roles for the day and to top things right off, the work staff conference is next weekend, which takes out the entire weekend before E1.

Admin team is stressed about numbers and food team is anxious about quantities.

Plus I've misplaced that neighbourhood letter that MUST be letterbox-dropped next weekend. With the stupid work conference who on earth is going to do this???

*DEEP BREATH*

At the end of the day I should have expected all these plans to be manipulated and destroyed by the evil one. He would raze RICE to the ground if he could, but he will not.

He will not deter us.
He will not stop us.
He will not tear us apart, because we have the full armour of God and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords fighting the fight with us. Whilst he will strike the heel, Our Lord will crush his head.

Will you pray for us? Pray that many young lives will be saved and turn to the Lord.

We only have 48 hours after RICE to ensure that this happens. Otherwise they will be lost and the oppportunity is gone.

No Hot Water

For the past 2 weeks our hot water system has been dying a excruitiating death.

One night (around 9:30pm) we tried for 45 mins to get hot water. My theory was that somehow the old system would only work during the day, when the sun was out and actually warming up the old gas system. The system also wouldn't work in the mornings as the sun usually isn't up when we wake.

We tested this theory a few nights later, with W using our small fan heater to warm up the hot water system around 5:30pm when the sun was already down. 5 minutes later the hot water came. This also meant that we only had limited opportunity to use the bathroom. Therefore a highly effective system was created where one person would go first and then the other would take their place 3 minutes later.

This system was so effective that we were actually having trouble converting back, when a temporary electric system had been installed this week. The hot water comes so quickly I keep burning myself.

Our only problem now is that the electric system only allows 5 mins of hot water at any one time. Afterwards you have to wait for 20 minutes until the system heats up the water again.

Good to know that we are saving water, but for those wishing to stay with us who enjoy their 30 minute showers will have to make alternative arrangements :)

Not that anyone should be having 30 minute showers anyway *tsk* *tsk*
Water Restrictions.

Paperwork, Paperwork

Inundated at work, inundated at home.

30th June stuff to complete, Qld Blue Card Applications and Letters galore.

The tally so far for Blue Cards being held up in processing due to missing information now stands at four (4). This is the first time this has happened, and strangely enough, all the culprits have been male :)

What is frustrating is that 3 out of the 4 forms submitted have been held up due to the applicants not specifying whether they had a middle name or not. All they have been asked to do is sign another form which states 'they do not have a middle name' and then send it straight back.

As for the 1 out of the 4, this person forgot to sign the application form altogether :) oops!

Paperwork aside, it is W's brother's wedding this weekend :)

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

This probably isn't something that I should be bragging about, but it's really made me honestly think alot.

I have recently had to attend 3 funerals in the past month alone; with all 3 being quite different to each other.

Funeral 1- Great Aunt

This was one of W's great aunts, aged 84. She became their maternal grandmother when her sister (W's blood grandmother) passed away 32 years ago. She was probably one of the more vibrant characters I have met from her era. Although she had 2 leaky valves in her heart plus a pacemaker, on Boxing Day about 2 years ago she was seen playing an electric shock game that W's brother had got as a Christmas present. It was on the lowest setting and she was really enjoying it too!

That is to say that her funeral was a rather light-hearted and happy celebration of her life, at the local Uniting Church Hall.

Funeral 2- Client's only son

About 2 weeks later, we got a phone call at work from one of our clients to say that his son had a seizure whilst playing sport with his mates. He was only in his mid 20s, working in the family business and was about to takeover the business in the next 6 to 12 months.

Needless to say that this was a sombre and rather sad affair, with so many young people, family and friends mourning the sudden departure of a young, healthy man who's adult life was only beginning. The funeral was a Catholic one, with the usual bells and smells.

Funeral 3- Workmate's parent-in-law

Just today, I attended the funeral for the mother-in-law of one of my workmates. This was also sombre and grieving due to the fact that she had not been well for a number of years, after suffering a stroke. Whilst the family was not religious in any way, they chose to have a service at the crematorium with a Catholic priest and sung Amazing Grace during the funeral.

The words spoken were based around the notion that Jesus Christ came to die for us and that he loves us and will look out and care for us. After mentioning the Footprints story, the conclusion was that Christ loves us so we ought to love one another.

Thoughts of mine:

- What about sin? How does the understanding of sin change the view of Christ loving us?
- Calvin vs Armenianism (check spelling)
- What is the best way that we as Christians can offer support and prayers to those who do not know the Lord? Especially explaining that there is a Heaven and a Hell?

We share in their grief, but we also need to tell them that there is hope for those who truly believe that Jesus Christ is their Lord, and the foundations of the faith that has been given us.

RICE Brisbane 2009 Goes LIVE Today

Check it out:

http://www.ricebrisbane.org/

6 weeks of craziness is in store.

Pray for the many, many leaders that have been working extremely hard for the past 8 months behind the scenes, to get this up and running today.

Should I go to a music festival?

I'm in a dilemma....well sort of....but not sure.

Believe it or not I have been following quite closely "Empire of the Sun", an Australian electro-pop duo comprising of 2 men: one from Sleepy Jackson and the other from PNAU.

I've been waiting for their tour announcement for months. Whilst the answer has been provided, the environment of which this is to happen is somewhat not what I expected.

They aren't actually doing a tour, but performing at a music festival later this year called 'Parklife'.

http://www.parklife.com.au/

I'm clearly not a die-hard music guru unlike some people I know, hehe, but when I think of music festivals I think of:

- Young Girls (wearing skimpy tops)
- Young Boys (wearing more sophisticated 'wife-bashers', checking out young girls wearing skimpy tops)
- Sunburn
- Dehydration
- Alcohol (and lots of it)
- Rowdy Crowds

Think Big Day Out, Splendour in the Grass, Sound Relief, Sunset Sounds, V Festival and Good Vibrations.

To sum it up- rather Non-Christian environment.

Being the person that I am I will feel quite out of place, but I would really like to see this group perform live.

*scratches head* What should I do?

Throat Exercises

I refuse to watch horror or suspense movies, purely on the basis that I'm simply too scared and terrified of blood and guts stuff. I can't scream very well and fake screaming is just wrong :)

This rules out things like Saw, Scream, Nightmare on Elm Street and Final Destination 'type' franchises.

In my younger years I would have also added Doctor Who to that list, purely on the basis of the spooky opening sequence music.

However, the exceptionally brilliant David Tennant has made me realise how great this 'not so little' TV series (first broadcast in the 1960s) is.

I've been slowly working my way through seasons of Mr Tennant's portrayal of the Time Lord, and came across the episode titled "Blink" from Season 3. The crux of the episode was how this bunch of 'Weeping Angel' statues come to life and start stalking you and move closer to you, every time you look away or blink your eyes. Once they reach you then you die.

This is definitely the most terrifying and spookiest episode I've watched yet............to the point that I genuinely screamed 3 times in a row within 10 seconds.

Even after rewinding the 10 seconds so W could see what I was screaming about, I couldn't help it but scream again because the episode was just genuinely creepy to the point of being a suspense movie.

"Whatever you do, Don't Blink. Do not look away from them or they will come for you. No matter what you do, just don't blink. Good luck".

Musings

What I'm annoyed about:

If I here that song on Sunrise "Season of Love" one more time.........should just turn TV off in the mornings anyway. They must have played that at least 3 times every morning for the past month.

Speaking of, the whole Brekky TV shows seem too shallow and wishy washy nowadays.

I don't watch mainstream TV much anymore (except for the occasional Masterchef episode) and much prefer 'Aunty' and 'Six Billion Stories & Counting'.

I also have been fortunate still to be receiving 'Little Packages' that get dropped off into my car whilst parked downstairs at work. Every now and then I will get a phone call from my parents saying that they have some food for me and will put it into my car, on their way to work.

I'm also annoyed at how much schmoosing you need to do in order to satisfy clients......

What is the definition of ministry?

Dictionary.com has one definition of this as 'The act of serving; ministration.'

'Ministry' also comes from the Greek word diakoneo, meaning "to serve".

I would think that one of the things the New Testament teaches on ministry, is what Christians are called to do for God- that is, to serve God and to be advocates for the Christian faith and living.

Some forms of ministry can be formal and up-front- Worship coordinator, Pastors, Youth leaders, Sunday school teachers, church musicians etc.
One things that has been bothering me is how Christian ministry is too easily seen as being only those people who fall into these areas of service.

Each professing Christian is 'in ministry'. The way we live our lives is a true testament to serving God by demonstrating that we follow Him and seek to have a close relationship with Him. Therefore, people that are not up-front in the church are in ministry, whether they like it or not.

Probably the most important way of doing this is to fellowship with other Christians through reading God's Word together, praying together and challenging each other to grow in our Christian walk.

One thing that is a danger I have seen recently, is the burnout of young, committed Christian adults. It is all too easy to lose the zeal to serve God, especially if you start off young, so that by the time they are in their mid 20s they start to feel discouraged about ministry. Discipleship is the key, where an older Christian mentors and disciples a younger Christian, not only through relationship building but most importantly, through studying God's Word together.

Being one of those 'older Christians', I feel there is never enough people willing or able to do the hard yards to disciple these younger Christians who are ripe to start ministry.

Without God's Word in discipleship, we will not grow and become better advocates of our ministry for God.

Doing the Impossible

Have you ever felt that your trying to achieve the impossible?
That the brick wall you have tried to break down for the past 10 years is still intact and impassable?

It's like a new bible college graduate brimming with new and fantastic ideas on doing ministry, who them finds themself at one of many churches with the view of 'we have always done it this way' or ' I've been at this church for such and such years and it has never been an issue until you raised it up' so why change?

Another thing that's been on my mind of late is the truth about explaining what Sin is, the bondage that it presents and state of wickedness that humanity is by nature.

If we call ourselves Christians, are we truly convicted of our own sin? Do we understand what sin is and how it can cause such grief and separation from a loving God?

If we are not convicted ourselves, how then can we convince and help others come to know and love Him?

SDBC had a prayer night during the week, with many people young and old gathering together to give thanks and praise to God for who He is, what He has done and what He continues to do through people that love and serve Him. It was then very encouraging to be reminded that it is God who is worthy of all praise, worthy of honour and worthy of all glory and wisdom.

We therefore rejoice in serving Him, no matter how hard the journey is- because he is one true God who makes all things possible.

Cooking

I've been posting up some pictures on my facebook account of some different foods I've been cooking for dinner.

Whilst sometimes I feel like cooking good ol' spaghetti bolognaise and a hunk of juicy steak, I've been inspired to broaden and challenge myself to make some more not-so-staple meals. Not forgetting the requirement that all meals need to be lactose-free!

What I have cooked so far:

- Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls with Beef
- Pork Mince Dumplings with Rice Noodles
- Slow-cooked Mediterranean Chicken Casserole
- Homemade Char Siu with Rice or Hokkien Noodles
- Sauteed Potatoes
- Chicken Pad Thai

What I think I should try and cook next:

- Baked Chicken and Rice with Portuguese Sauce (Macau dish)
- Grilled Pork Chop with Vermicelli and Spring Roll (Vietnamese dish)
- Slow-cooked Chicken Curry
- Pork Belly and Potato with Ground Bean Sauce (Grandma's recipe)
- Mediterranean Grilled Vegetable Stack

I should stop now as I'm getting hungry.

Another Empire of a Different kind

W bought a random CD last year which I started listening to as well, by a two Australian guys known as 'Empire of the Sun'.

I haven't been that fanatical about any music group since these blokes came along.

Inside the Empire

Empire Magazine that is....

Richard Harris once drank Elizabeth Taylor's Chanel No. 5. He then worked his way through Nos. 6-14, lighter fluid, Dulux etc.

Jon Voight reveals he keeps fit by running backwards.

There is a wombat called Chewbacca at Tokyo's Tama Zoo.

They are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of 'The Terminator', with Terminator Salvation due to arrive in cinemas later this year.

Spiderman 4 is confirmed for a 2011 release.

Harvey Norman has paid $$$$ for an 8 page advertisment spread in the latest issue. the GFC must be hurting then.

Better than FB? (Plus Quick Holiday Wrap)

I'm thinking that this highly neglected space deserves more attention, now that FB have changed their design yet again *SIGH*.

I can't seem to keep up with the changes and new things being added/deleted/replaced. To tell you the truth, who has actually raced their car in the PetrolHead application in the last 12 months???

I also just read that another tremor has hit Victoria again this afternoon, just 2 weeks after we witnessed the previous one earlier this month whilst on holidays.
Lots of things seem to have happened whilst we in the state: earthquakes, Sound Relief, Sheffield Shield Final, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Moomba Festival.....and last but not least......Avalon International Air Show!!

Yes, I was actually quite impressed with what Avalon had to offer. It gave me great opportunity to not only try and experience what gets my husband excited (insert dorky laugh here), but also see that actually alot more women than I thought would actually attend an airshow.

Let's hope that I am now inspired again to ressurrect this for the 2nd (or 3rd) time.

Didn't quite work out

Unfortunately the resurrection of this blog during this Singapore/HK/CHina trip didn't exactly eventuate.

It was difficult to find free internet access, but really if you had the choice of going bargain clothes shopping, cheap eating and internet, I'd know what I'd choose :)

As expected, we bought a new, bigger suitcase in HK to fit all our new purchases. Also as expected I didn't fare too well with the China water, food and weather. I literally almost passed out whilst travelling on the underground train in Guangzhou. Unlike HK, although the trains are overly crowded, the MTR network in China has yet to make the air ventilation units work properly under such conditions.

I must just be allergic to China as ever single time I've been back there I've fallen sick. It isn't the most livible country in the world. The pollution is unbearable at times, and if you're not used to the way people behave in this culture you'll be caught off guard. The sight of a road blockade by Chinese military officials, rifles and all on the side of the road is common, as is the tooting of horns, lack of ability of drivers to merge and pedestrians walking along and across the freeways carrying goods on a trolley or pushbike. (sometimes 3 couches, have pictures to prove this)

Will definitely be back to HK in the next couple of years though. Food was great, shopping fantastic.

Changi Internet

We've been in Singapore for 3.5 days. About to depart for Hong Kong later this afternoon.

I don't think we paid more than $10 between the two of us for a meal in these last few days. I will miss the extremely cheap and tasty food over here.

There were too many instances on this trip where people assumed I was a local and could speak Mandarin. I've lost count as to how many people spoke to me in Mandarin, both in Singapore and Malaysia. (took a day trip to Malacca on Monday. Only downside to this was that I spent an hour in the immigration cue to come back to Singapore later that night)

Other interesting sights I didn't get to see in 2004 when I was last here were: trucks licensed to carry up to 20 people in the back of their utes, (mainly Indians), the same cleaners and shop-assistants at the local Koptiam food court (24 hours) day in day out, and having dinner with Diana, my friend from QUT days, now married and living here.

8 mins left on the clock. Will try and post more frequently in HK, but that depends on whether I can find cheap, free internet.

Watch this SPACE!

The imminent departure to an overseas destination in a few days warrants the resurrection of this forgotton little blog.

If you are still reading this then I say thanks for doing so.

Stay tuned.

Temporarily un-frozen blog to give election update

Nice to see a mix of politics with science-fiction stories.

Election Night At Our Place

*Donk*

As big a Star Wars fan I am, I only stumbled across this gem recently.

Revolution

I have unfortunately joined up to the Facebook revolution and have neglected this humble blog.

It is really quite childish in some respects, with the giving of random 'gifts' on the computer (throwing a sheep, using the force, headbutting people, giving flowers etc)

The thing that drew me in, which isn't a unique thing, was that you can find high school friends, ex-work colleagues, acquaintances from uni and random people you have met or known in the past.

And unfortunately it is addictive!!

An aside, have a very busy weekend coming up, with 2 weddings tomorrow (Brad and Rachel and then Doug and Trish), and a 21st birthday party on Sunday arvo/night.

I really am not getting enough rest these days and starting to feel like an old hag.

Too-da-loo

Average Asian

Courtesy of Youtube.

Give us Asians a break!

MeMe

I've apparently been tagged to complete this meme.

Rules for this 8 interesting things post:

* Each player must post these rules to begin the meme.
* Each player starts with eight random facts or habits about themselves.
* People who get tagged must blog about their eight things and post these rules.
* At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.


One problem I do have is that I don't know eight people who have blogs. Some of the ones in the links have since been deaded and no longer used. Oh well, see how I go...


1) I LOVE the Original Star Wars Trilogy, and only that. I do not like the new movies. Harrison Ford all the way!


2) I don't watch much TV, but have been occasionally watching Ugly Betty, Sea Patrol and That 70s Show. Yes, I'm a dag but that's only because SBS won't show the old episodes of Inspector Rex anymore, with Detective Alexander Brantner.


3) My most recent gift from my husband was a toy light-saber he got at the Ekka.


4) Alter-ego is Darth Nolla.


5) Am Left-handed, however.....


6) Use my right hand for using chopsticks, playing softball, cricket and computer mouse


7) I like the Idea of North, a four-pronged acapella singing group from Sydney. Am going to their DVD release concert at the Powerhouse later this month.


8) I have unfortunately joined the Facebook revolution.


Now, the only people who still use their blogs are:


Joshi
Kate
Nathan & Mareesa (e.g. a post each)
Scott (bc your wife started all this!)
Jeff

The following I shall tag on Facebook:

Richard
Selena

How you can pick a Tourist

You are carrying a map of the city and constantly stopping at corners or in the middle of the street/path/crossing to refer to it.

You have a large camera bag slung over your shoulder

Asking for the cheapest train tickets and day tripper prices at the train station

You take photos of buildings

You ride on a irridecent bright orange double-decker bus with the words 'City Sights and Tours' emblazoned on the sides

Getting boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts at the airport to take home.

And finally the most obvious giveaway:

You go to the local Chinatown BBQ House, order 4.5 kg of chinese pork/liver sausages and 2 large, WHOLE and UNCUT Roast Ducks.

Projects

It will be a week tonight since moving into our house.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, the list of projects has been slowly increasing....

Bathroom
Deck and pergola
Carport
Sunken Rumpus
Veggie patch

and *ahem* a Games Room for playing air hockey/foozeball/cards/chess/Munchkin/Mahjong :)

Methinks I need a 2nd-year architectural student to do some sketches for me.

Road Trip 2007

Packing up house aside, some pics from our road trip through the Newell, Golden and Pacific Hwys:

Family Wedding at Moree (Amelia and Grant)

On the way up the mountain to the Siding Spring Observatory (near Coonabarabran).

These planet boards are strategically placed (starting from the observatory) at exactly the same distance the real planets are to the sun. The sun's position being the observatory. However, no-one told them that Pluto had been disqualified so the board still stands.

We couldn't get into this observatory which was reserved only for the 'elite'. However, we were able to access a smaller one at Skywatch to view Jupiter and its moons, plus a few other stars, in 2 degree chill.

Saw some Siamangs from East Asia (this is the mum) playing lawn bowls at Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo (Their distinctly-harsh monkey noises can be heard 4 kms away.)

Sleeping Hippo

Warning to all parents (Hunter Valley Gardens)

Country Peak Hour (en route to Branxton)

Adult-only fun

2,300ish kilometres later, we're back and packing up, in readiness for our move into our very own 3 bedroom renovated worker's cottage in Mansfield.

Darth Nolla's recruit

For those in the know, I just simply had to put this in.

I wonder where it is that you can buy a Darth Vadar voice distorter??

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22068611-2,00.html

Off on another adventure

We will be out of action for about a week, as we head off on a road-trip through central NSW shortly.

Many a winter's weather and sleet/snow on roads are awaiting.......

If we can get internet access, will post some photos for the duration of the trip.

Home of Quality Cinema

How could I have forgotten the Home of Quality Cinema that is Dendy.

Someone at work has a double pass for tomorrow night's advance screening of some French movie I've forgotten the name of already.

MovienamesIcan'tpronounce aside, I do remember myself saying that I was going to commit myself to see more cultured, art-house, non-mainstream movies at Dendy.

The last one I saw was Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress in 2004.

Must find an opportunity to break this drought.

The Doc is in.......

*Note- does not have any personal references*

Just in a therapist type of mood. Maybe because the Simpsons episode that was on TV whilst eating dinner was one where Bart goes to see a psychologist, after he scares his classmates with this story about some eerie person that attacks people and eats their brains. (also the Sound of Music episode)

I saw an advertisement on SBS I think recently, about a new TV doco called 'Divorce Stories'.

As the title indicates, it is a doco comprising of a number of couples that have had relationship problems, stopped loving their respective partner, and have taken the road to divorce because of it.

Some excerpts of the doco showed couples saying "They just don't love each other anymore", "He/She has decided to take this certain road, and I just don't want to follow", "It's just too hard to live with them cause they don't change their ways", and 'We still want to be and remain friends, but just don't want to be married anymore."

I've seen too many clients in the 6 years doing my profession who have chosen to divorce or have a trial/mutual/amicable separation. Some that you have worked closely with for a number of years and then suddenly say they are heading down this path still shocks me.

To think that the view in society nowadays is to see something you want, you have to do what it takes (even going into debt in some cases) to get what you want, and once you've had your fun it just gets thrown away, and you start searching for something else. It really is very sad to see some relationships head down this path too.

a little bit of cheer

Got a couple of surprises recently:

A piece of yellow metal chain

A "Complete Book of Fishing Baits and Rigs"

A yabby pump

A small glass bowl with some water and rocks in it

A little, colourful red Betta named "Gus"

I'm getting a hunch.....maybe they want me to go catch some fish, and use Gus as bait?

Poor little Gus.....

So over it

Some things don't uplift me as they do others.

Some things I'm quite over to tell u the truth.

The thought has come across my mind on whether a change is necessary, even when it appears to be the easiest way out.

Ever since hearing Don Carson speak at a recent Fri night session, I've been drawn to the despair of not receiving the solid biblical teachings I had been used to many years ago. To see and witness others revelling in the topical issues but yet fail to know the word of God for what it really says and how it is applied, saddens me greatly.

Meeting with some friends over the weekend at a BBQ, the topic of the Old Testament came up in conversation. This was mainly stemmed from a recent message with a 1 Kings passage that was talking about Elijah and the Mt Carmel incident, and then how he had fled to get away from Jezebel and was despairing in the desert.

The talk was basically on spiritual depression, and how life can get us down and is not always rosy as we want it to be. The topic itself was OK, but I honestly could not see the link to the 1 Kings passage at all. Ignorant I may have been, so could someone point me in the right direction on this?

Back to the BBQ conversation, a few of us were reminiscing about the studies we did in FiGS with the kids from the OT. Some of us were talking about the book of Judges and how the FiGS kids really enjoyed these, as they were nothing like what they had heard of before.

The Qs raised, was how rarely the OT is taught in Sunday School nowadays, and how some of us there at the BBQ knew heaps about the OT, when others who come to bible studies and go to church don't know much about OT history at all.

I'm not saying any of this as a means of bragging, but oh how I and others who may agree with me, long for some renewal in today's churches.

I really am so over topicals and songs with bridges in them that go on and on and on....

30 years on

It's a Friday night after a very hard week at work.

What's a more fitting way to waltz into the weekend by having a yummy pasta dinner cooked by yours truly, and then celebrating 30 years to the day, of the world release of Star Wars Ep 4.

In my allegiance to this 'little' science-fiction project, I'm watching the DVD as I type.

*brb**brbrb* *whistle**blblb* as R2D2 would say!!!

CPA Ceremony

A week or two ago, we were able to experience a freebie offered to J, probably for the last time: a piece of paper and a cocktail function.

With piece of paper

I guess in reality, this little piece of paper probably did cost an arm and a leg in terms of course fees charged bi-annually.

With advertising, paid for by........ !

Also hint to W that we should indeed be going places- Melbourne, HK and Singapore to name a few!

Tinkering

A good photographer has the ability to identify and capture items from a different prespective.

There was a recent discussion about how you can pick a good photographer:

* Straight, standing upfront shots are avoided where necessary
* Use of natural front/background lighting (or use of another photographer's flash in your photo, depending on your timing)
* Angles
* Element of Risk (such as lying flat on your belly on a road, as a car is heading towards you, or climbing a tree that is bearing down a cliff-face to get a panoramic shot of the surrounding islands)

W has been tinkering with a few shots.

Home Alone (again)

I'm on me lonesome for the next couple of days whilst W is away in Sydney staying at a posh 5-star hotel in Darling Harbour.

He even had the guts to phone me when I got home from a hard day's work, to describe how fantastic his room is (top-most floor, even higher that the room his boss is staying in, two TVs, view of the harbour, washing machine (with laundry powder costing $2.50 a bag), complete kitchen, and his intentions on snatching the various little bottles of stuff from the bathroom.)

*meh* at least I can get some decent sleep for a little while..zzzzzz

Refresher

Just had some Nutrimetics pick-me-up stuff sprayed into my face by a workmate. All I can smell right now is an orange-citrus small wafting around my head.

Whilst I'm waiting for my third eye to appear, I'm thinking that this pick-me-up might come in handy on Saturday night.

I'm pondering on having an all-nighter after FiGS that night to watch the Aussies beat the Sri Lankans in the World Cup Final. A third eye might come in handy should my normal two become weary and require some rest.

We can also play fooze-ball and air hockey should we get really bored!! Any takers? :)

Had the pleasure of catching up with many people over the past week or so- O & V, D & A, R & E, R A-L, K & M, Shem, Andrew, Loz, Burdo, Rich, Steve amongst others.

Great bunch of people. We just don't do it enough. *sigh*

It is your destiny!

Was browsing the web as usual, and stumbled upon the Greatest 100 Movie Lines, as compiled by some American web contributor I've never heard of.

They have only released the bottom 50 so far, with the top 50 released sometime next week.

http://www.premiere.com/best/3713/the-100-greatest-movie-lines.html

"I'll be Back!" (#95) and please remember
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! It's the war room!" (#59) because
"I am Spartacus!" (#64)

Sugary Fun!

Us FiGS girl leaders decided to have a sleepover night last night at L's place as a FiGS girls social.

It was lots of fun. My mum rarely allowed me to have or go over to sleepovers when I was a kid, so this was for me some childhood-catchup thing.

One of our aims this year is to provide opportunities outside of normal bible study time, for the girls to fellowship with each other on a social basis.

There were 16 girls crammed together in the house, stuffing themselves with pretty much anything with sugar in it:
Tim Tams, chocolate, freshly-baked cupcakes, icing sugar, 100s and 1000s at night
Pancakes, waffles and ice-cream for brekky in the morning

A girly sleepover would not be complete with some chick flick screenings- Ever After (the girls' choice pick) and then before midnight, us leaders decided to initiate the younglings to "Princess Bride".

(sorry Joshi, I didn't get to watch the Aus vs England cup match on TV)

Although by 12:30 I was starting to feel very sleepy and feeling my age. Man, these girls can talk, not sleep and still look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the next morning!

I guess increasing their daily sugar intake dramatically over a 36 hour period had something to do with it!

Tip-toe through the ladder

I'm getting into these tipping things.

Our work AFL tipping comp started yesterday, and I've been in the World Cup Cricket Dream Team on-line comp as well, with *ahem* a bunch of asian guys. Yes, I am the only girl who joined the league. (someone emailed me the link, so naturally I joined up, and it's free!!)

However that is not to say I join up on anything and everything on web........cricket comps are an exception :)

I must admit that whoever came up with the concept is pretty cool:

Running a comp where you pick your own Dream team, and your team scores points based on how the actual cricket players perform during the World Cup.

After a couple of games, you can then trade in the guys not scoring so well for those who are. (or you think will) Simple.

Now if only finding a house was that easy.......

Things to Do

Most people know I like fishing. Especially if I catch stuff!

Growing up where I believe is the best fishing spot(s), my family would take us to the beach 5-10 mins from home to Pallarenda in Townsville, to wet a line.
Otherwise, Lucinda, just north of Ingham would also get a good feed.

I've had my fair share of pufferfish and catfish catches, only because they were always swimming around your feet in ankle-deep water, or milling around the bottom of the jetty. There is something about the feeling of bringing them to the surface, and then either slapping them around on the ground, or putting a knife to them that is so enjoyable.

I'd like to go fishing again soon *hint* *hint*

We're also planning a week off in early July, where we'll take a driving holiday starting from Moree, NSW, through central NSW before heading back up the east coast towards home.

I only found out recently that Moree is the home of artesian bores! How stupid! (me, not artesian bores) Methinks I'll pack some bathers.

New and Exciting Role

I'm very, very tired this morning.

If I didn't have a presentation to do today and a client meeting I'd be home catching up on some sleep.

It all started on Thursday night at around 7:30pm, with 9 people gathering together for the first time over a meal in Mt Gravatt. Out of these 9 people, 7 of them have been called upon to be the inaugural organising committee for a new youth evangelistic event called RICE. (Rice Inter-Church Evangelism)

The RICE concept started amongst evangelical Sydney churches 7 years ago, with the aim to provide an event for youth to invite their non-believing friends along to a Christian event that is gospel-based and non-threatening.

This is their website: www.riceevent.org.au

The key here is gospel-based evangelism. The Sydney director stressed that if RICE were to become such an event where the gospel is not being shared in any way, the whole event would be shut down. I sense the passion this guy has, and the vision for an event to occur in Brisbane in the near future.

RICE encourages ownership amongst the churches that are involved, and also aims to help stream youth into the local church youth groups.

From the site (and the name for that matter) you could be forgiven for thinking it is purely an Asian evangelistic event.
With Brisbane's youth demographics, there is the opportunity to make it a cross-cultural evangelistic event, not limited to just Asian and Chinese churches.

Last night was the biggie, with this committee of 7 beginning their discussions on how this could be organised in our city. Both the Thursday night and last night's meetings finished around 12 midnight, hence my weariness this morning.

There are some challenging and exciting times ahead.

Going Hunting

Most people may know that we are on the hunt for a house purchase sometime this year.

It's all been pretty depressing every time we browse www.realestate.com.au, the local newspapers and the shop windows of the estate agents on our "sometime once-a-week" walk around the neighborhood.

The deposit isn't the depressing thing, but rather what is actually affordable and available out there. We don't mind putting in a little 'elbow grease', but those properties marketed as "Renovator's Delight!" or "Not for the Faint-Hearted!" sends shivers down me back.

One option (hehe), we could consider is get an architect student to build our house for us!

See this blog for his options:

http://j-dimension.blogspot.com/

Note: for those not aware, the various references to Darth Nola refer to my altar-ego. I think it goes back to one FiGS bible study where I was a pharisee in a skit, and was so evil that it was worthy enough to be given that link.

Latest Raffle Prize Idea

When staff raffles are held every now and then, typical prizes that are offered every few months include:

* Movie tickets

* Entertainment Books

* Westfield Gift Cards

* Booze Vouchers

* Picnic Hampers

* Meat Trays

Unusual items include:

* Tissue Box covered in $1 Instant Scratchies

* Man/Slave for a Day (although this option hasn't been used yet, as far as I know)

* 1 Hr Massage/Beauty session (not sure of the guy's equivalent- beard trim?)

One particular prize was raffled off without actually paying for anything. That is, they really wanted to get rid of it. Apparently this unused, rather unopened and unwanted prize was gathering dust in our upstairs cupboard at work. The view was, that a bunch of boring, overworked accountants wouldn't have the time to use it at the office.

Whaddya know, now I have to put up with THIS thing in the house:

(The air hockey surface doubles as a Munchkin playing surface)

You can also play this:

And this:

One of W's former housemates has gotten himself engaged over in Canada.

As he tells his story, he had to make some small references to the incidents that occurred during W's attempt in 2004.

http://burdo.livejournal.com/

*Sigh* was it really that long ago?

Not really in a mood to write.....

So maybe you can help me out, by thinking of suitable captions for the following:

What to do on a long weekend

I refer to my preceding post, and the conception of our two recent family additions.



Well, this was where they were conceived.



Despite being banned, the mexican wave made its way around the ground. (Notice the police officers spread around the stands, and a copy of the Briefing for the boring bits of the game)



It was also fitting to farewell one of our greatest fast bowlers ever.



And cheer on our beloved Roy!

There were no funny banners there this year, but the view of a beach ball slowly being inflated, thrown about and then promptly falling over the boundary and being confiscated remained.

Big Announcement!!!!!

After much blood, sweat and tears, we are proud to announce two (yes two!) new additions to our family!!

The answers to your questions:

1) No, we did not steal them


2) No alcohol was involved


3) No, we did not get them on EBay


4) No hospital visit was required


5) No, I am not pregnant























Introducing.............

Just Waiting

Have sent in the paperwork to an accounting body to see whether they like me enough to become a member.

Pondering what actual benefits I'll get:

* increased membership fee
* will actually have to go to seminars to keep my professional hours up to date
* increased mailouts for things such as briefcases, tax guides and conferences in Canada which I can't afford
* three extra letters on my business card

On a positive note, I have Friday off so I can go to the ODI to watch Roy smack his way around the ground yet again. Hopefully the Poms can lift their game as one-sided matches are extremely boring to watch, especially inside the stadium.

In Brief

The Set-up



The location



The Pack-up



The team

Festivities are over, time to get to it!

After two and a half wonderful Christmas gatherings with a few tribes today, it's finally the eve of the much anticipated event of the year.

The last couple of months slogging away will come to fruition (at least for a few people) tomorrow as we head off to Chinderah, NSW as the advance set-up party for our summer family mission.

Thinking back one one of my posts back in August/September which described the despair and frustration of not finding anyone to come on team, is a primary example of how our faith is tested. With the benefit of hindsight though I can say that deep down there was a small part of me that was telling me that God will provide the things required at the right time and place.

17 wonderful volunteers will spend the next 8 days running Kids Klub, Teens and Family Evening programs at a caravan park in NSW.

We have also been blessed to have a person from our church who will provide his services as a truck driver to transport all our heavy equipment down and back up again afterwards, in his 5 tonne truck. He even told us he had two 8 tonne trucks available also, but the 5 is more than enough for our needs. Gotta reflect on the goodwill of others that God uses to fulfil His plans.

Apart from the joy of spending quality time with the kids and families who attend our programs, there is one thing I have missed in the last two years since I last went..........Siesta zzzzzzzzzzzzz

I want a Boonie

Still waiting for someone to buy themselves a few cartons of VBs, and giving me the tokens for the Boonie.

Any takers?

Two weeks worth

We've witnessed a fantastic Ashes series so far.

Caught up with my high school friends.

Been to a family wedding

And an engagement party

Next lot of parties is our respective work Christmas shindigs this Saturday. Trust them to put them both on the same day and time but not location. However W has scored himself a 'date', whilst I'll have to go without :D

I wonder which party would be more fun, a beer bottle manufacturing plant party or an accountant's party.......

Bust a Toad

Toad busting becomes tax deductible

The Minister for the Environment and Heritage has announced that that two toad-busting Western Australian environment groups, the Kimberley Toad Busters Inc and the Stop the Toad Foundation Inc, have been granted deductible gift recipient status.

*POP*

It all begins today

Tis the season to be a fanatic.

Unfortunately we have no tickets to the 'game' that started today, but will be going to the ODI in January 2007.

Whilst all other wives moan and grumble, this one is happy that the best summer game season has started.

But I'm sure it won't be long until we're sick of watching the following TV commercials:

-VB
-Solo (the image of that guy racing after the garbage truck on a wheelie bin to retrieve his can of Solo)
-WeetBix
-Milo
-3 Mobile

Let's drink to the David Boon and Ian Botham figurines, thanks to VB's latest marketing ploy, and the humble but nostalgic 'baggy green'.

*btw, does anyone actually have one?

Bubs, Bubs, Bubs

It appears to be the week of bubs this week:

K & M had their baby girl on Tuesday

R & K had their baby boy on Monday

To cap it all off, both couples had their babies in the same hospital.

Although it didn't happen this week, A & S had their baby boy last month!

Is there anyone else that is having a bub that I should know about?

All expenses paid!

Last Friday night we went to a dinner at Michaels Riverside Restaurant that was thrown for two blokes who were retiring from duties at W's glass factory.

It's been a while since I've been to such work dinners where all expenses (including the taxi fare to the city) were paid for by the company......that also meant everyone was drinking to their hearts content. This also meant that almost every empty beer and wine bottle was scrutinised for the quality of the manufacture and defects. *rolls eyes*

It was also a fact that both W and myself were the youngest people there, amongst a bunch of 40-60 year-old people who have been working at the same company for at least 35 years! They even have 25 year and 40 year anniversaries for employees!

People nowadays don't last that long anymore. I mean, I can't see myself like that, must be generation-shift.

I surprisingly hit it off well with W's boss's wife, who's family has only been in Brisbane for 10 months. Bulk of the conversation was.....ahem.......fishing.....and them offering to take us out on their big boat into Moreton Bay for a weekend sometime. *rubs hands together with glee*

Family Movies

Current dilemma- finding a suitable family movie (preferably G-rated) for our mission's movie night.

My all time favourite children's movie is Toy Story 2, but we mainly showcase a new movie that has been released either this year or in the last 2 years.

Shortlist includes:

The Incredibles
Ice Age- The Meltdown
Over the Hedge
Shrek 2

I haven't seen the Meltdown or Over the Hedge yet.....methinks I need to pay a friendly visit to the local video store. $1 Tuesdays here I come!

The countdown begins

The jacarandas are blooming
Everyone at work is stressed and grumbling
D-Day is just over two weeks away
Time for hibernation, I say

See your smiling faces in November

Too Busy

Been too busy to have done anything really exciting in the last couple of weeks, although a few things to come to mind:

Made gingerbread men (and a woman and someone in a loincloth) and gingerbread houses with the girls last Saturday afternoon which was great fun. After most of the girls left, we sat around the house eating dinner and watching 'Nanny McPhee'. I know it is a kids movie, but truly.....how could anyone NOT WANT to watch a movie with Colin Firth and Emma Thompson in it??

Had dinner with a couple of high school friends on Thursday night, as one of them was down our way for work this week. The restaurant we went to had a comedy night that evening, but nothing exciting happened to my memory. Except the last person we heard as we were paying the bill, didn't get any laughs.....poor guy.

The most unfortunate news is that after 25 long years, I am officially short-sighted, to the degree of around.....100? (I don't think this is that bad...unless some other spectacle-wearing people think otherwise)

Today was spent looking for frames to suit my unusually-shaped face. As long as I do not look like a fly or gaudy Lee-Lin Chin I'll be happy.

Results

Rather than buying bait, why not test out your skills and try catching it instead, like this person below:



From there, the fish being caught got bigger..



and bigger...



until finally we got a legal sized fish we could take home with us.



Unfortunately, no matter how much chicken bones and calamari flesh we actually jammed into the crab pots, the mud crabs were off on their own holiday. They missed out on a feast BIG TIME!

Not too long now

A fishing we will go
A fishing we will go
Heigh Ho the derry-ho
A fishing we will go

Throwing in the towel

Why is it that after a reasonable break from study, things start piling up again when you start it all over again, hopefully for the last, last time. (study, that is)

I honestly thought, earlier this week, that it was the most stupidest idea to put our hands up for beach mission directorship this year. Initial response has been a lot slower than I had expected, past members not being available and a fundraiser or two has yet to be organised.

Despite the delay in response, and the fact that people are unable to commit at apparently too early a time, inspiration has come from some most unlikely of people. People I don't even know actually, or have only met once, previously.

One person who's contacts were provided to us through SU, sounded really enthusiastic, to the point that they enquired directly to SU about our particular mission. To think that out of 30 odd summer missions they decided to choose ours, one of the more smaller teams, to be involved.

Hopefully the responses will be positive in the next few weeks before the first, planned team meeting later this month.

Apart from this, study hasn't been as well as I'd like it to be. Maybe it's just because I'm soooooo close to finishing this once and for all, I'm getting slacker and slacker. People that know me well may think otherwise.

Whilst I am tempted, I don't think I'll give it all up just yet.

I am definitely looking forward to catching some good-sized and edible fish next weekend on our houseboat trip. Speaking of which.......we have invested in brand new gear- namely one spin combo and a baitcaster. Will see who has the more success.

I smell

Rain! The wholesome fragrance of sky juice.

Makes me feel sleepy.

Makes me want to curl up in bed and read a book.

Makes me remember what an awesome and gracious God we have, by answering our earnest prayers for rain.

How do you become famous?

Due to the overdose of media reports on a certain unsolved murder case from 10 years ago, and a rather heated debate on Weekend Sunrise between a pro-pageant American mum and anti-pageant Australian woman, I couldn't help but do some research into the alarming trend that is........children's beauty pageants.

One argument is that the parents are using their own children to express their own passions and dreams which they could not achieve when they were a child. This is not only quite sad, but also rather unloving of them as parents, to take away the innocence and joy of being a child. The years spent as a child are already few and far between, and to encourage them to grow up when they clearly are not ready may lead to the child becoming vain, selfish, spoilt, and even confused about who they really are.

It appears to really only be popular in the USA and steeped into the culture there, however with so many of our popular TV shows being exported from the USA to our shores, one can begin to imagine the possibility of these diffusing into our society.

Come to think of it, things such as the Dolly Model contests already pulls the pageant strings.

Some interesting facts I came across:

Kirsten Dunst- Kirsten started out in showbiz at the age of three, where she began filming television commercials, and was a Ford model as a child.

ELijah Wood- At an early age, Elijah showed a knack for entertaining and wowing audiences, and his mother decided to take him to Los Angeles for an Annual International Modeling and Talent Association Convention.

Kaite Holmes-As a teenager, she began attending modeling school.

Lindsay Lohan- She began her career at age three as a Ford model, and also made appearances in over sixty television commercials.

So it seems that 1) you need to be in one of those K-Mart catalogues wearing cheap clothes, or 2) Be prepared to endorse "Wok Star" stir-fry sauces on the idiot box to get your career break.

No thanks

Fill in the blanks

Here is a list of items beginning with B:

Bees
Bison
Baked Potato
Beefed-up Men
Bus Ticket
Bus Driver
Books
Bertie Beetle Showbags

Yesterday I went to the Ekka.

We wandered into the showbag pavilion, and whilst others were busy buying....... there, I forgoed this purchase and headed off to buy cheap .......instead.

After downing one of those iconic strawberry ice-cream cones (mmmmm), the next venue was a place where we watched ....... hacking at a hunk of wood.

No trip would be complete without visiting the honey pavilion to see the ....... and my in-laws.

I then downed a ....... before heading up to the main arena for the night program. One of the highlights I wanted to see were the .......

Although the absolute highlight of the day came earlier that afternoon, when I asked for a ....... from the .......

All I asked for was an off-peak ticket for 2 zones. I gave him $3.90 as expected, but he said it was only $2. On sitting down in our seats, we examined our....... together. He had to pay $3.90 for the same ticket and I only paid $2. The ....... actually issued me with a concession off-peak, without asking for any ID!!! HoHoHo!



Beefed-up Man

The westerley winds are here

Which also means that the Royal Brisbane Show is just around the corner.

Backtracking though, last weekend I purposely woke up earlier on the Sunday morning, grabbed a couple of green 'enviro' bags, jumped in the car and drove to the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds.

On getting there, I plus another 10 or so cars (and growing by the second) were met with two high school-aged girls standing on the corner waving big cardboard signs that said "No Markets or Golf". Puzzled, I got out of the car and enquired. I was told that it was because the Mt Gravatt Show was on that weekend.

Apparently, it was common knowledge even to people living down at Logan, a completely different city, that the Mt Gravatt Show is ALWAYS, ALWAYS two weekends before the Brisbane one starts. Not to me obviously.

Anyhoo, work has given us flexibility to choose when to have our show public holiday, apart from the actual Wednesday which is good as it gives us the option of taking either a Friday or Monday off, and have a long weekend amongst a time where public holidays are severely limited.

So, it's probably also time to provide some evidence that the show is definitely in town.



Here is a partial view of the Agricultural pavilion setting up on yesterday, namely the honey pavilion in the foreground and father-in-law in shot.

Weekend musings

I recall sharing previously about what activities can be done at a staff retreat. AS it turned out, there was no water-skiiing but certainly some drunken dancing.

Due to the music entertainment over dinner being so loud, I actually almost lost my voice from trying to talk over it. Best option was to sit down and not talk for about an hour, which wasn't hard to do considering I could still be amused by the partners downing many a glasses of beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages.

One thing though that I did which I haven't done for a long while, was play Speed. A good workmate of mine brought along a deck of cards to the retreat, so before dinner and after dinner around 11:30pm, we set-up shop in the foyer of the hotel/resort and played a few rounds. We then proceeded to teach the IT guy the game, but he said it was too hard, so instead we chose to play SNAP. Alas.... even he stuffed that up but by then it was too late so we tottered off to bed, whilst the partners stayed up until quarter to 3 in the morning.

Another thing we did last weekend was take the 2 hour winding road down to Lamington National Park, namely O'Reillys Guesthouse. The weather threatened to dampen our trip, but luckily the rain stayed away and we were able to enjoy a nice picnic lunch overlooking people feeding a mob of colourful parrots, and one little butcher bird called "Butch".


Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of "Butch"....but, this was one of the parrots.

As expected, a supposedly 30 minute walk turned out to be an hour walk.

The obligatory post about

FIGS Camp 2006.

It was already a week ago, but as someone else mentioned in their blog, there are so many memories and fun times from it.

We pray that this will become an annual feast of fellowship with the youth at church. I was especially encouraged by the little discussion group I had. Being the topic of relationships, it made sense to have girls/boys only discussion groups.

My little group had some very interesting discussions, and what really caught my attention, was the fact that some people were not afraid to share their feelings and thoughts to the rest of us, about singleness, dating and marriage.
Bearing in mind some of us had only barely introduced each other the previous night.

Panel discussion was interesting. After being sort of dobbed in to be the female married person on the panel, really challenged me to share the experience after only 9 months. I realised that although the questions being asked wanted a black or white response, it was actually not possible to give such an answer.

Truthfully though, I went into marriage with realistic expectations, in that the honeymoon period is limited, and the key is to work on the marriage, rather than having this false vision that all is going to be rosy, especially in the first year.

A book that we read together was "The most important year in a womans/man's life", which basically describes the first 12 months of marriage as being the hardest to work through.

Although some of the younger high school kids pretty much tuned out once marriage was mentioned in the talks, I do hope that the camp in its entirety has opened their hearts and minds to a greater understanding of God's marriage and love to the church.

Thanks again to Dan for presenting such insightful and challenging talks on the weekend.

And.......we're out :(

It hurts. It really hurts.

Not that I am a soccer fanatic, but Johann is commisserating with me over his mug of German beer and string of sausages.

Alas it is time to unstring the snags, put Johann to sleep and tear up the cloths making up the German flag and maybe dig them out later on this year at craft during Klub at mission.

argh, did I mention that 'M' word? Yes, it is official that the two of us will be co-directors of Tweed River Family Mission yet again this year.

So, will be likely to commence the team member search in the not-too-distant future. On the other hand, if I feel you are capable of being a team member, watch out.....I'll be after YOU!!!

We're still in!

Well, it's come down to the last four, and Germany is still in with a chance.

Johann is still sitting high above our work area, looking out towards our semi-final opponent.....Italy.

The teams in our office tipping comp are Germany, Italy, Argentina, England, Brazil and Australia. Only the first two teams are still standing.

Italy's soccer ball mysteriously disappeared from their office area after their win over Australia....and still has yet to be found.

Now, our Germany ball has disappeared from our area, after our win over Argentina....hmmmm.

We are keeping our eyes on Johann on Wednesday and Thursday, in case he is taken also from our area after we beat Italy! HeeHee