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.......