Curious Happenings

Pensividity

2011-12-25T22:15:00.003+11:00

Two poems for you this evening. December 25th, 2011.

Big storms in Melbourne tonight, and driving in the rain always makes my brain explode with artsy and pensive thoughts.

So, I love and I hate Christmas. You spend time with family, which is good, but also extremely stressfull. You try and spend time with friends and people you love, but they are all trying to do the same, so innevitably you are all too busy to actually spend time doing the things you actually want to do. People get so wound up in the spirit of things, and things have to go this way or that, it is crazy.

But anyway.

These poems. One I started out with the intention to write, and shaped and thought it through with some sort of structure. The second one just started flowing out my brain and I let it happen.

So here are my troubled thoughts. Imagine them set to pensive guitar music or something.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christmas is a time of melancholy joy.

Of lonely comradery.

Christmas is a time of broken completeness.

Of overfull empty.

Christmas is a time of buying pricelessness.

Of greedy selflessness.

Christmas is a time to remember a child born to die,

Of hope lost and hope gained.

Christmas is a paradox bound up in Love.

Curious

~~~~~~~~~~

Like a whiteboard
Our hearts are.
Constantly changing
Always rearranging
Our hearts are.

Some people write something simple
Staying only for a while
Before they are erased
From our memory

Some people write in permanent marker
Leaving a constant reminder
Of what they once were
Before we scrub them away.

Some marks we hold on to
Some we wipe away.
Some marks we can't get rid of
Staining our hearts with ugly.

Whiteboards change
A moment in time,
Always the same
But always changing
Our hearts are.

Curious

Flowers

2011-12-07T21:36:00.002+11:00

Flowers are new,
but flowers are old.
New possibilities
Withered in the cold.

My heart is like a flower
New with every beat,
yet fading and aging,
with every pulse, defeat.

Life is just begining,
but old as the dawning sun,
a part of my story is ending,
but the best part has just begun.

Curious

Eyes

2011-11-11T20:54:00.003+11:00

I love eyes. The eyes that penetrate to the very soul. Eyes that know.

The eyes of a child. The eyes that discern your very thoughts.

Eyes that watch. Eyes that care.

I love eyes that love.

Curious

Hearts

2011-11-10T21:30:00.003+11:00

Whimsical
Confused
Conflicted
Hearts.

Bemused
Amused
Courageous
Hearts.

Afraid
Foolish
Blind
Hearts.

Alone
Together
Frustrated
Hearts.

Loving
Hating
Manipulating
Hearts.

Simple
Complex
Needy
Hearts.

Empty
Full
Filling
Hearts.

Broken
Renewed
Transformed
Hearts.

He
Loves
My
Heart.

Curious

Life

2011-11-03T12:17:00.002+11:00

I'm so close to finishing Uni, I have one final assessment that stands between me and the "real world".

This freaks me out somewhat.

I've never had a full time job before, and now all of a sudden I'm applying for big name things, and putting my name out there. I even have a website! I have online presence! This is totally scary.

When did this even happen? When did I grow up?

Last I checked I was still happily naive and innocent, skipping through life knowing that I still had something to fall back on. Now, I have to stand on my own two feet.

No one is going to give me money for nothing. I have to earn it, and it is me that has to do the running. I've had big changes in my life before, but this one is absolutely petrifying. Now I really feel like I'm jumping off a cliff, but this time I'm wearing a blind fold, and I don't actually know where the edge of the cliff is or how high it is.

I might land on my feet, get a job and start making money. Or I could fall flat on my face and have to crawl for a while before I can walk again. The world is a big scary place, and I don't think that has ever really sunk in to me before.

Poor Curious, so naive about the world. She has a lot to learn.

Belonging

2011-07-05T22:22:00.003+10:00

What is it about acceptance?
We desire it so badly
Yet never know it when we have it.

What is it about belonging?
Tickets to a secret club,
A selected few.

What is it about feeling loved?
Depending on others
To fulfil the deepest need.

It all feels so hollow somehow...
to feel accepted
to feel like you belong
to feel loved
...by the wrong people.

True belonging is found,
when you can find
True Friends.

To be accepted,
To belong
and to be loved.

Curious

Youth

2011-06-24T20:47:00.002+10:00

I'm nearly 21.

The 'me' deep within wonders how on earth I got to this point.

I mean, to some extent I still feel like that 4 year old, wandering down the school property, running my hands along the concrete walls, stopping to twirl around in my little floral dress. That little girl inside me stops in surprise each time she see's her grown up self in the mirror.

As a little child I was pretty lost in my own little world half the time, but I remember still just sitting there, watching the big kids walk by. It blows my mind that now I'M the big kid, a scary old looking person.

But at the same time I know that my journey is only just beginning, I'm only old in the eyes of a four year old. In the eyes of my 96 year old aunt, I'm just a baby, only just starting to take my first steps into grown up life.

In some sense, both perspectives are right. I am both fully grown and still a child. To be honest, I like it that way. I'd rather maintain the ability to think like a child, to keep my youthfulness, but also to be seen as an adult.

I'll be finishing my university degree by the end of the year, I'll walk down Swanston Street in my cap and gown with lots of others who are in my same stage of life. On the one hand, we are achieving so much, finishing a life stage. On the other, we are still so young, just starting out, some of us (me) haven't even had a real job yet.

One of my favourite sermons looked into how to have a childlike faith (not a childISH faith). There were 5 points that Bill (the sermon giver) brought up. A childlike faith needs:

Dangerous Wonder
Risky Curiosity
Happy Terror
Playfullness and Joy
Open Emotions

I have those written up on my wall to remind me of them. I think they are useful in everyday life as well. Being open to the idea of asking questions, finding out more about life, of being allowed to be amazed by something. To chase after things that might seem scary at first, but end up being incredibly rewarding (like a child begging to be chased in a game, it scares them silly when the grown up comes after them, but it is a good kind of terror). To approach things with an attitude of playfullness, not being so cynical. Open emotions speaks for itself. Why should you bottle everything up and hide it? When a child wants to laugh, they laugh, when they want to cry, they go right ahead and cry. I think you can be a mature and well grounded grown up, but still have a child's outlook on life. That is what I aim for.

So as I turn 21, and step out into these grown up shoes, the four year old inside me will continue to make her presence felt, staring at the world with wide eyes. I'm hoping her influence will be a good one, and she and the grown up me will be able to live in harmony.

Curious

I haven't blogged in over a year...

2011-06-15T17:08:00.002+10:00

Ok so that isn't actually true.

I HAVE blogged, just not on here, and to be honest nothing particularly interesting. The other blogging I did was for my university blog - I've linked to it from here before.

So. Where is Curious now?

Curious has just finished her 5th semester of university. She continues to write poetry, and grow her walk with God.

Curious is still figuring out the complexities of relationships, and trying to navigate her way through all the things that happen.

Curious has set goals and aims, and plans on sticking to them. That may or may not include regular blogging again...

Blogalicious

2010-03-08T14:07:00.002+11:00

I can't remember if I ever linked to my university blog- I think I did once as a way of trying to get pictures up there (failed!)

But per request here is the link to my blog :) (writing it out so that the only error is in copying/pasting)

http://raws.adc.rmit.edu.au/~s3233707/blog2/

2009-12-21T18:25:00.006+11:00

What is this thing,
my heart my soul.
Who am i
beneath this role?

Where do i belong,
when i am where i don't want to be.
What is this concept of "home"?
This idea is foreign to me.

Who are the people i love,
Are they here or there?
Why does my soul
feel so bare?

Why do I feel empty-
Even though I know I'm full?
So wise-
and yet a fool.

So many questions
and no simple answers.
This poem simply a quest
To discover what lies beneath the rest.

Curious

My Personal Review of "Up"

2009-11-16T13:16:00.006+11:00

So. We went to see Up today. We had the cinema all to ourselves, and the theatre has got to be one of the last ones still showing it. Ticket prices were 12.25$. And before reading through my review, be sure to remember that I am a picky film student :P

So to be honest, after all the hype up about it, I wasn't as impressed as I thought I might be. I did enjoy some of the characters and it had some good moments, but overall it receives a score of 4 out of 10- and a "maybe would see it again, but wouldn't go out of my way to do so".

The story line teetered on the edge of the well trodden plot path of the many Disney films that have gone before. It seemed to go somewhere new, but then you'd realise that no, actually they are using such and such a plot device, and his hero is going to turn out to be the villain because one hasn't really been introduced yet and every story needs a villain. The story was mostly, and unfortunately, predictable.

I felt that they could have done a lot more with the story concept and the ideas for morals that they had. The whole first 20 minutes of the film were- I felt- wasted and could have held so much more power and clarity- and there were a lot of questions which were left unanswered. There wasn't a good sense of closure, and I left the theatre feeling a bit confused. I think a REALLY good movie is one that you understand first viewing- but want to see it again to see every little detail, there are no incredibly major plot points lost in subtlety and only clarified by second or third viewings. I also left the theatre feeling a bit sad/depressed, not uplifted (which I think was the intent?)

This brings me to my third point about it- and thats how depressing this film turned out to be! There are so many incredibly sad undertones- and I felt that the end of the movie wasn't 'happy' enough to balance out the incredible feelings of loss and sadness that ran through the rest of the film. The high points were always tainted by negative undertones- reality, as you might say. There is how Ellie loses the baby (or at least that she and Carl would never have children); the death or absence of a couple of characters (Ellie, Charles Muntz and Russell's dad) and the idea of loss- losing a dream or leaving behind memories. Perhaps these concepts would fly over the heads of many younger viewers, but I found that the message and morals of the story got lost in the feeling of sadness.

However. I DID enjoy parts of it. I LOVED the character of the dog, Dug- he was the most charismatic character, and the one I connected to the most (I found that I couldn't feel as much sympathy for the other characters). And there are some classic lines in there which I enjoyed- and I liked the multilayered referencing that is a trademark of Pixar's work.

The visuals were well done- though I think they would have seemed a lot better had we seen it in 3d.

So. Overall in one sentence- Up has a good concept, but I felt that it was such a broad idea, and could have explored just one area a bit better; it had a lot more potential that I felt wasn't explored to its full depth.

Curious

Truth

2009-11-10T19:02:00.002+11:00

Life and society
In all their variety
Have always asked the question.

What is truth?

We know betrayal
and we know lies;
but can't see the truth before our eyes.

We argue reality,
basing our truth on that;
but who knows where reality is at.

We extrapolate and theorize-
we idealise and we rationalise;
but the answer is just beyond our grasp.

What is truth?

To the question we must add specifics,
Personalize it,
and add three little words.

What is the truth, to you?

Curious

Boys...

2009-10-26T21:11:00.002+11:00

I look into your eyes;
and i wonder.
What are you thinking?

Mixed signals,
Contradicting ideas.
What is really going on?

You smile at me,
my heart skips a beat,
What are you thinking about me?

Your eyes say mountains,
yet they hide oceans.
What is running through your head?

I wonder.

Curious

Dredging up old habits...

2009-09-18T11:52:00.002+10:00

So, I recently mis-clicked on the archives section of my blog, and found myself reading for curiosities sake.

Interesting.

How much my life has changed.

So, this is a post to let you all know (avid readers that you are) where I am now.

I currently live in Melbourne, Australia. I go to a university in the city of Melbourne- called RMIT- (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) its cool. There are always people running round with sound recorders, lighting equipment, cameras... whatever really. Its a creative environment, and one that challenges me constantly in what I think and believe. I've met a lot of really interesting people. Atheists and wacked out Christians, gay rights lobeyists and hippies.

The other part of my life is based around Mitcham Baptist Church- which I love very much. I have small group on Thursdays- which is always at the least very interesting. It is my energiser i've found, because often after a week in a god-less uni, i find myself drained and in need of good socialising time with Christians. Last night we were looking at Daniel 8, and had illustrations of goats and rams- she really shouldn't have given us pens to draw stuff on with... carried away much? Good stuff.

Church has been fantastic- people are really supportive of me and my family- and its been a great place for stretching my experience of God. I love their emphasis on missions- I only wish there was more to do throughout the year rather than just over summer.

Thinking of summer... Red Frogs, Beach Mission and Urban Summer are all coming up. YAY! I'm hoping to go on all three of these things, because they challenged me last year, but were also a slight reminder of home. That is one thing I noticed from reading over all of my old posts is how much I miss missions and working with little kids. I love the kids from Alpha y Omega- and I love the kids here- and I can't wait to get back into puppets and stuff with little kids.

I love how you don't need words to love little kids.

My spanish level is crazy low at the moment- I haven't spoken it for ages! I miss how much that was part of my life.

But, from all of this reminiscing- I must emphasize that I do like my life here. Of course I miss some of my old life, but I am making my new life here. Making friends, building relationships, learning more about God in a more mono-cultural culture.

I have come to the point where I'm ready to forget my old life- but at the same time I wouldn't say no to going back there on like a missions trip or something.

Mmmm, life is interesting isn't it? We go through it wrapped up in ourselves- never really getting why we are here and doing what we are doing. But thats ok. I don't think life should be taken too seriously anyway.

So thats me! I've been inspired to keep my blog more activated, but who knows. Don't get your hopes up :P

The Edge

2009-09-16T16:34:00.003+10:00

I stand on the edge,
My future lies below.

My parachute is ready
I am prepared now to go.

I look behind me,
The past waves and winks.

The future waits in front of me,
Offering future high jinks.

The past is known and comfortable,
The future is fuzzy and new.

Here goes, I take a breath.
I close my eyes and take a step.

Curious

Faded

2009-09-16T16:19:00.002+10:00

The past, it is fading
As new memories I am making.

Is this good?
Or is this bad?

My old life grows fainter and vanishes
As I write new things on the pages

Do I let go?
Or do I not?

A year has past now- and much has changed,
My accent, my views, even my perspective rearanged.

Am I still the same?
Are you?

Like a ship pulling away, you grow faded and small;
my voice does the same as I reach out and call.

Can you hear me?
Can I hear you?

Communication loses its importance,
As I discover the power of distance.

Is the ship you?
Or is the ship me?

Whichever and whatever, you are fading...
Fading into the past.

Curious

A picture...

2009-08-14T11:34:00.001+10:00

A picture, for my other uni blog.

Poetry...

2009-07-10T12:39:00.002+10:00

A Poem for my Lord

Hearts in pain,
Faces of disdain;
Who can know my heart?

People in need;
Victims of greed.
How much sadness can one heart take?

I am so small,
Trying to break down this wall
thats keeping my heart from joy.

Then You came.
I'll never be the same,
With Your love it all crumbled away.

You took my hand,
and healed my heart.
You wiped away my tears,
and you conquered my fears.

You gave me reason to live again.

Curious

Poetry...

2009-06-04T16:29:00.002+10:00

I breathe,
I smile.

I live,
and I give.

I care,
I listen.

I praise,
God who I love.

Curious

Wow its been a while...

2009-05-31T11:59:00.002+10:00

I've had poetry ideas springing at me for the last week or so, and today I thought I'd sit down and try and write some of them out into my blog, and then realised that I couldn't find it...

It took me a few minutes of web-browsing before I found it again, and then realised I haven't written anything since February... thats shameful really.

University really does sap more time out of your life than you bargain for...

A piece of plastic with my name on it...

2009-02-11T15:53:00.004+11:00

I went to university today.
I took a train almost all the way.
I heard interesting conversations,
As we passed through the stations.
I almost got lost,
Until my head I tossed,
And saw my destination was the other way.

We passed through the door,
Went up, floor after floor.
Sat at a desk, and was told
The right place to become part of the fold.
And so I went, and I queued,
And gave all that was dued,
Everything was cleared, confusion gone.

An ID they say is necessity,
To be a part of this community-
And so I queued once again
We stood and we stood in that lane
Till my photograph was ready to be taken
So that I myself could not be mistaken
For any other student or person for that matter.

I had the sensation
As I waited at the station;
That those around me,
In this people sea
Were my age
And at my stage
In this time of university.

Everyone has that piece of plastic with their name on it.

Curious

Ice-bergs

2009-01-12T18:01:00.003+11:00

Once we played in the snow
Cool and white,
Then we had to go
Soon to be out of sight.

I'm floating away from you,
My chords are fraying.
There is nothing I can do,
Do you hear what I'm saying?

The iceberg is breaking,
The pieces cracking at their seams.
I miss you listening.
I miss you in my dreams.

We are floating apart,
Off to new beginnings,
It's breaking my heart.
It's time to start again.

Curious

Refuge

2008-11-14T11:27:00.002+11:00

I awake in the night. My brain full of activity, not wanting to sleep. I get up, careful not to wake those sleeping on the floor around me. My sleeping-bag seems to scream in the night. I escape down the creaky stairs. I find the outside door, and am greeted by the cool embrace of a 2am breeze. A bench sits a few meters away, beckoning. I sit on the cold wooden slats, and sway gently. Rocky hears me come out, and has come to investigate. Satisfied that it is only his master he lies down a few feet away. I am tempted to go to him and run my hands over his cool and soft fur, I like his ears the most. But I don't. I am safe here, under the fluorescent security light, with my dog close by. No one is awake to disturb me. I have found my refuge, my quiet place.

I am content.

Very Truly Melbourne Bound now...

2008-09-19T20:45:00.002+10:00

Well, after being on the road for 73 days, we now turn our heads towards Melbourne,and this time it really is in Australia (Not Florida).

Since my last post we have been in at least 10 countries. So, including Bolivia and the USA, we have been to: Canada, Ireland, The Republic of Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, The Netherlands and France. We're back in England again now, and soon we'll be jet setting off to Singapore and then finally back to Melbourne, Australia.

We have endured heat and cold, wind and rain. But we have made memories that will last a life time. Now though, I shall be very glad indeed to be able to put things away, to be able to lose things and know I haven't lost them forever. To paint my room, to set things up and make a new start. Of course I miss my old life, and I always will. But I have new memories, new places and new friends to meet.

So, I promise that soon enough a journal of my travels will gradually make its way up here, but not yet. :) I'll keep you in suspense for a little while yet...

Melbourne Bound!

2008-07-24T07:01:00.001+10:00

So, after a good nights sleep, we awoke at around 8:30, and breakfasted on cereals we had only dreamed about for over two years. Rice Pops and Honey Oats, and other cereals, which were unavailable in Bolivia. Four very high-pressured showers later and we went over to the main office to get some internet, seeing as there is no wireless around at our little house. I was very glad to have been able to get onto the internet, even if only long enough to check facebook and write to a few close friends on their walls. Then, after checking about sending some of our essential flotsam and jetsam, or in Spanish ________ back to Aus so that we can manage to stuff our bags into our trunk (or luggage compartment, as the car manual says) a little better. Then it was time to jump into our car and drive up to Melbourne, Florida.

After driving for about two hours, getting hungry, falling asleep, and almost getting lost in our attempts to see the Atlantic Ocean, we stopped at a Wendy’s. They had everything we needed, complimentary Wi-Fi, good food, and service which was terrific! When my mum asked the lady at the counter (I’m still convinced she was heaven sent) for directions, she gave us exactly the information we needed, and in fact gave us better information and suggestions as far as getting to the town of Melbourne. I can still say nothing negative about Wendy’s, I’ve joined my American Friends in saying that “I love Wendy’s!!”.

After that things went a whole lot better, we got onto a much quicker route, even if less scenic, and found a good station on the Radio. As I write this, we have almost reached Melbourne, Florida, only about 15 minutes left I would say.

From a very cheerful blogger,

Curious

Welcome to Gecko Land…

2008-07-13T03:00:00.002+10:00

So, Miami Airport is one of the most miserable and sad places on this earth. Our flight had been delayed in Santa Cruz you see, and though we had no connecting flights, some poor people did. When booking a flight through Miami Airport, make sure to leave at least five hours of time to get everything done. Now, arriving in Miami makes one feel a little bit overwhelmed. One is instantly overcome by how BIG the airport is. You walk at least a long, long way to get to Immigration, and then stand there in a queue for at least an hour before actually getting to the little desk, as people from about three other flights try and do the same things as you, clogging up the airport with hundreds of people. Then there is baggage claim, or if you have a connecting flight, customs. I was soo glad that we didn’t have to go through any customs there, they are mean…

But, onto car hire. We used Budget Car Rental, and they really seemed to try and make it difficult for us to hire a car. They wanted a credit card, we had debit. They wanted an American License, we had Australian. Non-American Citizens, I found, were treated as lower beings. Paper work, queues, etc. For American Citizens these things are much less painful. Us as Australians are treated, though warmly for our Australian status, have been put through far more queues and paper work than our American friends.So after finally getting a car, we stayed the night at a Red Roof Inn, a good and clean place to stay.

Going through major culture shock at this point, all the white faces makes me do a double take every time. In Bolivia, if you see a gringo, you might know them, so you always take a second look to see. So here, everyone I see might be familiar, so my brain has been going overload as far as memory and storage, trying to recognize any faces I see.The next morning, and thankyou Red Roof for providing a breakfast, it was an eye-opening experience. One that led us to the conclusion that Americans must not do breakfast very much…

Then we got into our rental car and drove up to our friends house further up the coast a little bit. He is an old friend we knew back in Bolivia, and has housed us in a little house on a property, which is next to his own.

A very nice Mexican lunch followed at one of Bob’s favourite restaurants, even if the very big waiter managed to spill a drink all over my mum, I half expected him to come out with the “yeees masssterrr” munster/smeagol voice, but no, he had a very deep voice one would normally expect of a man his size. After lunch, we made a visit to Wal Mart. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the gigantic store that seemed to have everything. What they combined into one store, you’d have to do a bunch of driving and walking to find in Cochabamba. Groceries? Right over there. Clothes? In the center (centre I should say, seeing as an American would be the one giving directions) there. Manly men and fishing stuff? Over in the corner there. Computer stuff? Oh just over there. Really! They have everything, all compressed into one big store. I’d like to see what they call a Mall, see if it is similar to one of our Aussie Shopping Centers. We then retired back to our little house, watched an episode of “Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader” and decided that most of it isn’t smarts, but recent-ness.
Then, we went to bed.
From a rather sleepy blogger,

Curious

The Moon and My God

2008-07-07T06:47:00.003+10:00

Moon smile,
Moon grin,
It laughs down at me
With its grin so thin

Reminding,
Recalling,
All the thoughts and memories
Though into the land of past they are falling.

Moon sigh,
Moon tears,
It cries for the past and saying goodbye,
It consoles me as I know it hears

God's love
God's hug,
He gave the moon to show,
That He cares, and the strings of his heart do tug

Woes,
Fears,
He knows all that I dread,
And so He gave me the moon to dry all my tears.

Curious

The Perfect Me

2008-04-30T07:15:00.002+10:00

I look in the mirror and what do I see?
The perfect I, staring back at me.
She's only an illusion,
But oh what a vision!

She must be thinking ill of me,
I expect her to say; 'how ugly!'
'Why look at that hair and that nose,
Why anyone would create her, heaven knows!'

She looks at me, and I at her,
Wondering what to say I 'um' and I 'err'
But instead of glaring, I see her smile.
A smile that explains so much in such a short while.

She wants to be like me,
With all the imperfections you see,
She says "It's hard being the ideal,
Sometimes I just want to be real!"

Sure she has perfect hair and skin,
But she feels hollow deep within.
She doesn't know sin and regret
She hasn't met my Saviour yet.

She doesn't understand grace,
In her life it hasn't got a place.
But my Saviour forgave me,
And I accepted the gift freely.

I don't want to be her,
The girl in the mirror,
I'm not perfect, not in a long shot,
But I like who I am, perfect be it not.

Curious

A little poem...

2008-03-09T10:48:00.004+11:00

As I dream I drift away
To a moonlit castle or sunny bay,
And the man of my dreams
Is only an arms length away.

In my dreams I can see
And do anything that pleases me,
My dreams are filled with love and bliss,
My mind can be completely free!

Curious

Bracelet Computers...

2008-03-03T01:40:00.002+11:00

Yep, its finally here. What every futurist of the 60's predicted, accessories that are computers. As their website says:

"The Flux PC concept is an evolution of today’s portable computing system. The PC takes on new shape as the input and storage devices become compact, more adaptable and fashionable. The system revolves around a wearable bracelet, which interfaces wirelessly with a portable display. The bracelet holds the users personal and valued digital information while the display incorporates a larger viewing area and multimedia devices. The display is needed for instances when up-scaled viewing and interfacing is needed. The system can interface wirelessly with a portable display or other computers. This display is very economical, with core touch screen and display ability, as well as environmentally friendly materials. The bracelet is a very personal, customizable product which has materials to reflect its value. "

You know you are a missionary kid when...

2008-02-19T11:35:00.003+11:00

So, its always interesting isn't it. Being an mk. My friend whose parents work out in the tribes was teaching me some of their language. "Jam" and "JÄm" (said yum and yaum) which mean "yes" and "no" and the word "Uhh" which is a greeting. (I probably have the spelling completely wrong, but oh well)

Now my favourite word is "Itsi" which means "There is none". Or, in Quechua the translation would be "Manacanchu". This made my sister laugh. She said " You know you are an MK when you end up explaining a word in one obscure language with a word from another equally obscure language!"

That's my little ramble for now... :P I love being an MK...

Writing...

2008-01-25T06:51:00.000+11:00

As literacy rises,
So do the sizes,
Of people who claim to be writers

Reminiscenses if Puppyhood...

2007-12-19T22:47:00.000+11:00

So, our next door neighbours have got a puppy. He's little and black with floppy ears. He is incredibly cute, even with a goofy expression on his face thanks to some tan eyebrows and other cute little tan markings. He even has little tan legs, and he is fluffy all over, and has the cutest little black tail.

He is also incredibly LOUD!

Yes folks, most of us know the joys of having a crying puppy at night. Our little black-and-tan floppy eared friend woke us all up multiple times, and we live next door! His people mustn''t have gotten much sleep at all.

This morning, however, proved to be the most interesting. At 7:15 came a yelping change in tone. He had jiggled the gate so much that it had actually come open, and our little friend had been trotting over to join the bigger dogs at this side of the fence. One of those bigger dogs had gotten up to greet him, and must have startled him for our little black-and-tan floppy eared friend let out the most awful yelp a puppy can make. My first thought, and obviously that of my parents, was that he had been attacked, so we raced down to see if he was alright. He was, and just wanted some company. So our little friend was taken back to his house, the gate closed, and we were told some other details as to the puppy's first night in his new home.

Apparently this wasn't his firsr breakout, and had been sitting with the bigger dogs earlier this morning. My lovely older dog, (he is all black-and-tan too) was actually keeping an eye on his newest and littlest friend, and though obviously a little cautious about this new bundle of energy, was allowing him to sit with him.

So now we'll see how our newest addition goes today, and tonight...

New Blogger on the Circuit!

2007-12-13T04:56:00.000+11:00

A friend of mine has just started a new blog!

"God, guns, guts and glory" A pacifist in the making folks!

Facebook....

2007-11-29T07:04:00.000+11:00

Ok, so the new phenomena that everyone is talking about is facebook, the social networking site that took over from MySpace.

Ok, the reason i post about this is something that really bugs me. Don't get me wrong, facebook is really very fantastic. I've made contact with people I haven't seen for ages on facebook, and in that sense its good. But the extra add ons? Boy some of them drive me crazy! Like the zombie thingy-majigy- amabobs. I don't want to be bitten by a vampire and fight zombies! I don't want to race you! No, I don't want to junk up my page with things I'm not interested in! Ok, some of them are cute. Like the fluff friends. Those are cute, and funny. But why on earth would I want some gruesome pic of a zombie dripping blood from its mouth on my page? That's disgusting...

Apart from that, facebook really is quite handy, but at present leaves much to the imagination. "You were poked by soandso..." It's just text, no real poking going on. It WOULD be cool if it shook the browser or summat, but at present its quite dull...

So, that's my rant on facebook....

A Poem...

2007-11-05T05:10:00.000+11:00

Ode to Randomness

What is it about randomness
That we want to be held in its sweet caress?
Why does it dance the way it do,
Is it even supposed to?
How does it take a grip on us,
It leaves us quite helpless.

Curious

Camps!

2007-10-29T11:27:00.000+11:00

Ok, so camps:

First Day: Walked out of my house carrying my backpack and a smaller bag, with the stuff that didn't fit into my backpack. The backpack was pretty big, but i had about half the amount of stuff that some other people had. This time, thank common sense, they didn't try and mix up the grades or anything on the bus, so i got to sit with my class instead of a bunch of really annoying 8th graders. This was really good :) Um, ok, we got to the campsite, and saw our sleeping place. All guys in one room, all the girls in the other. Squished bunks, not much space. We very quickly related it to pictures of concentration camps that we had seen. So, the sleeping places became known as the "barracks". A friend and i nicknamed the bathrooms as the "gas chambers" because they too looked pretty severe. It was of course all a joke, because really, the facilities weren't all that bad. The food kiosk became the rations centre, and we tried to think of a name for the chapel that had something to do with brainwashing, but never really came up with anything. So, we settled in, and then went and had lunch. It was HUGE. Ok, after lunch, the Camp people did some games, which i thought were utterly humiliating. Ick. Needless to say I didn't really participate much. After those games we played soccer, and then had free time. Then did worship practice, i did the powerpoint. I can sing, but yeah, i did powerpoint... Hyperactivity and an awesome praise and worship time followed. It was great! Then we went to bed. Girls, though, will talk, even in their sleep. Someone yelled out something in korean, and someone was like "No!nonononono! " But eventually i got to sleep.

Day Two (Tuesday): I woke at 5:30 am, to find that many of the other girls were already awake! So, got my appearance somewhat decent and wandered around, generally waking more people up each time I went back into the barracks... Breakfast was fine, except for the cat that got onto the table and ate some of the butter. My table avoided that table... . My work group had about 10 people in it, and we went to an orphanage to do "light work". I actually fell asleep on the way there, waking up at 5:30 really does seem to take something out of me. Really throughout the week i got a taste of each of the options. Heavy work was shifting gravel and loosening the rocks with a pickaxe (Which is what we did on this first day at work) then there was light work (painting and varnishing) and kids club. So, our objective was to fix things up at the orphanage as much as we could. There was a massive pile of gravel in their play area that needed spread out, so thats what we did. They had some really funny and distracting dogs there too. They'd come up and simply beg you to throw the stick they'd dropped at your feet. Then they'd sit right where i was trying to shift gravel to... So, at around 11:30 we headed back to the campsite. I had a lovelly warm shower. :) Um, the ridiculous games followed lunch, and sports followed the
ridiculous games. I got really frustrated at the worship practice, but it was alright afterwards. Slept really well, as the teachers threatened TRV's (equivalent to a tardy rule violation slip, it can get you expelled if you have enough of them) to stop the talking. so i slept wonderfully!

Day Three (Wednesday): Ok, so, on wednesday i woke at 6:00 and nobody was awake yet! So, i mooched around the main area, waiting for other people to wake up, journaled, and then a teacher brought out her trumpet. The worship leader at camp also knew how to play it, and LOUD! He woke everyone up, much to the annoyance of people. Some were so glad they'd woken up just before the trumpet blast. Then the teacher who'd brought the trumpet went and woke the girls at nowhere as near as loud. We had pancakes for breakfast, which was good :) At the worksite on this day we varnished a wall, i still haven't gotten rid of all the varnish stains on my skin... Lunch was again very huge, and as usual as well, i was unable to finish it. Worship practice was right after lunch, but no songs got practised because the Camp people had messed with the stuff when they moved it off the stage to make room for their drama for the parents.
You know that you NEVER mess with another guy's instrument. They had even messed with the tuning of the guitars and had tangled all our cables. It was a mess. Our guys were PRETTY mad. So, after getting that sorted, we had the daily session of ridiculous games, and then free time. Then, because they had a night for the parents to come and have supper at the camp i got to see my parents. Then the camp people put on the drama. It was all about a couple doing drugs who had HIV who became Christians through Palabra de Vida. We've seen it before when they showed it at school. But yeah, then the parents left and we had our worship session, and that was really fun :) Went to bed.

Day Four (Thursday) : Woke up at around 5:40 to see a hand signing "Hello" from the top bunk.My best friend was awake... I was really hyper that morning, Breakfast was good, the worksite was ok. We had some other people join us who didn't have the right attitudes. But anyway, we had a kind of kids club for all the kids in the orphanage, 24-26 girls. all aged between 3 and 15. The oldest two (aged 15 and 13 or summat) we didn't meet. They were really really cute :) I made the habit of getting into the shower quickly and having a lovelly hot shower, but this day, i had a FREEZING shower! Oh well, it was kindof refreshing... More silly games, not too horrid though. People actually got into it a little bit, and attitudes were a little better. Sports, i actually played a full game of soccer... Oh, somewhere in there was worship practice, which was REALLY FUN!!!! They were playing "Do that thing you do" :) So, after night fell we had worship, which was just as great as the practice. A cool teacher had some sweet dance moves... :) Everyone came up and were bouncing around the stage in the last song. The only thing that really went wrong was the fact that the projector went all funny, so we missed half the songs, but people knew them anyway... Then the bonfire. It was pretty cool. Ok, Palabra de Vida had a special powerpoint thingy. Talking about things like, when you have God, you have peace and love etc, when you don't, you have hate, and fear. Ok, there was a cat kindof distracting me, and i was playing with it, and as soon as the guy said "temor" (fear) the cat out of the blue attacked my friend, and she yelled. The guy said "Este no es temor, este es miedo" (Which translates into something like "Thats not fear, thats surprise/fear" There isn't a word in English that really captures what "miedo" means) It was sooo funny! But anyway, the bonfire was a great time, because you could see God moving so many hearts. One or two people re-dedicated their lives and some even became Christians for the first time. I even got up and spoke. I said something like this "Don't let peer pressure get to you. If you don't believe in Christianity, don't
pretend that you do, and if you do believe it, don't pretend that you don't. And then how selfish i am, how i don't share as much as my friend jenny, and how its not about me, and what you can do for me, its about you what i can do for you" Then we played moonlight soccer. I had a glowy thingy round my neck, and it was amazing how many people instantly recognized me because of it (I'd had one almost every night during chapel and stuff). Then i went to bed.

Day Five (Friday): Woke up at 5:30, and got everything packed. Helped a seventh grader with her sleeping bag (that made me feel big) and helped out cleaning up. Had breakfast, and helped my workteam clean up by the lake. Saw my dad (he was there to pick up some sound equipment) and generally helped out and packed and cleaned. Then went to the worksite. The kids were so happy to see us, and i had a blast! One little girl was even teaching me some quechua. It was cool. We made some empty tombs out of paper plates folded over and stapled as our craft (On thursday we'd done those bracelets that show salvation, you know, yellow is for gold, green is for growth, black for sin, white for washed clean etc etc.) It was fun. Then we headed out to the school. Had lunch, waved goodbye to my friends as they went home on
the busses, and then came home and collapsed.

So that was camps :)

Copyrights

2007-10-10T10:21:00.000+10:00

So, I live in Bolivia, one of the biggest places to buy pirated DVD's, CD's, Computer games, basically anything. Its so easy to just go out and buy a CD for a fraction of the price you would get it in the States or Australia, do we even stop to think that its actually illegal?

Ok, with pirated DVD's, the camera wobbles, and you can see people getting up and walking out of the theatre, then there's the classic, "Sorry to interrupt the movie, but would Mr. and Mrs. Soandso please come to the concession stand, your children are waiting for you." These movies are so obviously pirated, but because this is a developing country, do we stop to think that buying these DVD's is an illegal act? What I think is funny, is in that little clip they play in the new movies, ya know "Would you steal a car? Would you steal a TV? Would you steal a purse? Would you steal.... a movie?" They show that at the beginning of pirated movies too...

Ok, YouTube has a bunch of really stupid copyright laws. I love old clips of say, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth, Peggy Lee, Dinah Shore, you know? But Youtube insists on the removal of these videos. If it was possible to get them, i would. But where on earth am i going to find older movies in modern day shops? Like Hermans Hermits, it would take an absolute age to find their movie that they made, but Youtube took down the clip that someone put up of it.

So, Copyrights, wrong or right? Are music makers, movie makers right to stop people from enjoying their product? Or has the movie/music industry become so wrapped up in money they forget that the original purpose of music and movies/theatre was to express ideas, to provide entertainment. Copyrights... wrong... or unbearably right?

The land of Poetry

2007-10-03T09:56:00.000+10:00

Let me take you on a journey
As you read the words, you will see.
I'm taking you to a strange land
Called"literature", created by the writing hand

There's the island of rhyme
Home to poets with no sense of time
And the island of grammar
Where spelling is of the highest matter

The water of words that supply
The need of every author by and by.
The rivers that wind and twist
Through ink and the flick of the wrist.

Its the world of imagination,
Of colours and conjugation.
In this land there is liberty
To write and be free.

Anthology

2007-10-02T11:22:00.000+10:00

Ok, so the grade 10's have just finished a poetry anthology for the english teacher, and it got me thinking, what if I started an anthology, what do you guys think? Is it a good idea?

Poetry

2007-09-21T06:12:00.002+10:00

As I glance into your soul
Through your eyes so cool,
I see things in you
Things that to me are new.

I explore your mind
I seek and I find
Things to fascinate
Things that are simply great!

I see the secrets and the lies
All in those big expressive eyes
I see the joy, and see the pain
I see the gentle longing for rain

You see, getting to know you
Is great, and I love the things you do!

Happy Friendship Day Everyone!

September 11 and Happy New Year!

2007-09-12T09:28:00.000+10:00

Yep, its the sixth anniversary of September 11th. Its crazy, I was studying in the school computer lab, and the grade 8s were having a class in there at the same time, and the teacher brought up September 11th, and I realized that they were only in 2nd grade when those planes flew into those towers, and if they were anything like what I was in 2nd grade, they won't remember much of it, I mean, I was only in 1st or 2nd grade when Lady Diana was killed, and its seen as a big thing. It just hit me though, that when I'm old and grey, instead of saying "Oh yes my dear grandchildren, I saw the first lunar landing" I'd be saying "Oh yes my dear grandchildren, I remember watching the planes go down on September 11th" Its become that big of a deal. It was the chain reaction start. Now, I have this theory, its gonna ruffle feathers, but thats always fun :) Ok:

I reckon that because the US came late in WWI and WWII they've been trying to make up for all the bloodshed they missed by carrying out all these "police actions" and a couple of short wars to get in on all the fun they missed out on. (Korea, Vietnam, Iran, Iraq etc etc.)

But on to my next thought, Happy New Year! Its the Millenium! Well, that is according to Ethiopia, seven years behind and loving it. They have a special calendar based on when the Queen of Sheba went to King Solomon to witness for herself his great wisdom, bringing back with her a belief in the one true God. Today, September the 11th starts of the new millenium for Ethiopia, so Happy New Year!

Poetry

2007-09-06T09:22:00.000+10:00

Do not forget my dears,
Do not forget the tears,
Remember the men of old,
The men who were brash and bold.

Do not forget, little ones,
the men who went to war,
the things they heard,
and the things they saw

Do not forget the blood and pain
Do not forget the wounded and insane
For they are the wise ones my child
Men who know that war is wild

Do not forget, my angels,
Do not forget the demons of Hell,
They come to earth to start up war
To kill and wound and yell.

Theirs are the voices of battle,
The guns that crack and rattle
They appear before dying men to taunt
To offer but never give the thing they want

So my child, do not forget
That war is cruel and unkind
It took your daddy, who was not ready yet
And my father too, who I never met.

There are others as well
Who's fathers fell,
And this is why, my dears,
Why we should not forget the tears.

For war is brutal and un-fair
All for rulers with fine clothes to wear
The mud of battle is too much for them
Diplomatic visits only for the ruling class gem.

The real gold of course,
Is in you and me my dear,
Your father and mine had it too,
We are the treasure, as long as we stay near

We hope for peace beyond this earth
For a place filled with joy and mirth
With no more tears
And a God who hears

This is our hope my child,
But in the meanwhile we will not forget
So as to avoid war so wild
Yes, my child we will not forget.

Well, I have to idea what to blog about....

2007-09-03T06:40:00.000+10:00

Really I have no clue...

It was a Double Nosed Andean Tiger Hound...

2007-08-11T23:13:00.000+10:00

A WHAT?

A double nosed andean tiger hound. Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself. Even still doubtful? Check out the story on the BBC New Page.

I think the Bolivian link is the funniest... But its true, there are double nosed dogs out there.

"Explorer Colonel John Blashford-Snell has had close encounters with vampire bats and angry bees, but his latest brush has been with a rather odd dog. He spotted a rare breed of Double-Nosed Andean tiger hound, which has two noses, on a recent trip to Bolivia."

It was said that Xingu, the dog Colonel John Blashford- Snell discovered, is "quite intelligent and fond of salty biscuits".

"I was sober at the time, and then I remembered the story that the legendary explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett came back with in 1913 of seeing such strange dogs in the Amazon jungle.
"Nobody believed him, they laughed him out of court."
The dog seen two years ago was Bella, and on a second trip to the area, which began in May and has just ended, the explorer discovered her son Xingu in the village of Ojaki.
"He added that Xingu was "quite an aggressive little chap" who stood about 16 inches in height and loved salt biscuits but "wasn't a terribly handsome dog".

So its true. Double Nosed Andean Tiger Hounds do exist, but isn't it funny?

Poetry Compilation

2007-08-01T00:38:00.001+10:00

This is just a little heads up to let you know I've put all the poems I've put up here on this blog onto my Curious Stories blog, check it out :)

Prejudices...

2007-07-31T00:26:00.000+10:00

Ok, recently it hit me how some people were being incredibly prejudiced against people they didn't even know, for instance: Canadians. This is one I just can't understand...

The other one is against Nazis. I CAN understand this, but some of it is a little over-done. Labelling every Nazi a monster is just a little over-statement. Would you call the clean up officers, kitchen staff, and simple recruits "monsters"? Only a handful out of the entire organization were actually really involved in the horrible deaths of the Jews. I like to use the WWI trench system as an example. Each soldier in those trenches were taught that the guys on the other side of no man's land were brutes and monsters, killers of innocent children, hunch-backed and wearing a sly grin, but the truth was, when you got down to it, the guys you were shooting at were exactly the same as you. Terrified, shell shocked, injured, wet, cold, sick of the rats, flea and lice bitten and simply trying to survive.

In a war of people against people, there are no "good guys" and "bad guys" there are simply people fighting for what they believe in, with God to decide if its right or not.

Now, I'm about to ruffle a few feathers...

I reckon that we really have no huge right to call Hitler a monster. He was deceived, yes, and he did horrible things, yes, but have we not done similar things? The word that comes to mind is "Slavery". Were not the things that people did to slaves long before Hitler was even born just as bad as the things he had done to the Jews? We label him a monster, and blame him for a bunch of stuff, but in God's eyes, all sin is the same.

A lie is the same as murdering someone in God's eyes.

So yeah, hopefully THIS post will get a good discussion going...

I supose I should update eh?

2007-07-25T11:39:00.000+10:00

Well, my life has been one whirlwind of a time for about the past month. My dad went to Aus for a visit, and is now back and extremely jet lagged. We had our mission conference which was great! And of course with the conference there was plenty to do to prepare and to clean up afterwards...

So, my philosophical question is this: Was Solomon right when he said there was nothing new under the sun? That it had all been done long before? Has our generation, grown up on movies and computer games lost its imagination? For instance, the newish movie of Eragon had three themes which were prominent, and it had few original ideas. You had the "orphaned" wonder kid (Star Wars, Harry Potter) who had been chosen by a mark (Where have we seen this "scarring"before...) and it has plenty of magic and elves (Tolkien all over) and though I have no doubt the author's intentions were meant to be original, it was clear that they weren't. Literature has built up for us a multitude of "stock characters" that are extremely difficult to escape from. A pretty and innocent child defeating the ogre, and the ogre becoming a loved character by all.

Would you agree that literature has run out of new characters? Where is our new hero, when will something new come along? That my friends... is the question.

Poetry...

2007-07-16T06:06:00.000+10:00

Will my voice astound
Every critic on sound?
Or will I just screech off stage?

Will I leap from the page
And act on the stage?
Or will I just stay in the wings?

Will I ever be seen,
As a beauty queen?
In more than just the Lord's eyes?

But I've come to see
The focus is not on me,
And if these things come,
As they might,
God is to have the limelight.

Spelling...

2007-07-11T01:05:00.000+10:00

"Spelling is a huge part of understanding the world around us. When a child spells the way Miss Bell suggests, they will eventually have a much harder time understanding classic literature and poetry, understanding classes in university, and will lose part of the poetic ability to understand and describe the world around them. English is full of double meanings, which is what makes poetry and classic literature, and even English humour the way they are. If we change the way we spell words, we are in a word "dumbing-down" the general english speaking community. We would effectively lose the beauty and clarity of the language."

This is the comment I placed on the page linked above, what do you think? Is spelling really all that necessary?

I couldn't resist...

2007-06-30T04:57:00.000+10:00

Now, I was having a look at The Age and I found the daily funnies. Now, some of the links are a bit crude, rude and unrefined, but this one, though slightly lude in some parts is really quite funny. I couldn't resist, especially after reading about the in-Duh-viduals...

A week of translation...

2007-06-29T04:29:00.000+10:00

Ok, so, its not too often in my life that I get to be a translator for a team, its generally something other people do, but the other week I was able to translate for a team from the deep south, or in other words, North Carolina. Here's a review of my week...

Sunday
At 1:30 ish the team touched down at the airport, ready to begin a new week. I actually semi-met them at around 5:00 when they came out for supper. Then came church... I didn't know this until after the service, but I ended up translating for the pastor of the church, which I have never done before! I generally am a very bad translator, so its a wonder he actually understood anything I said... One thing I immediately noted was how extremely tall these Americans were, at least the guys, were almost all over 6ft!

Monday
Monday I headed in to the guest-house to help the lady members of the team prepare for a kids program out at the church we would be working at. Beads were rolling every where and somehow I got assigned to the older kids of the church, 9 and up. Then at about 12:00 (after a quick trip up to the market to have a look at fruit and hand sanitizer) we got into the big bus and went to the church, the same one I went to earlier in April.
The first story walls had been put up to almost completion, so the construction site was completely different to what it had been. But, though time had passed, some things stayed the same, like the gigantic portions of food at lunch...
After lunch, we went on a little walk around the neighbourhood and then came the kids club! We played games, then the guys went back to work (which they had been doing all morning) and the gals did the the kids club. Puppets, then we divided up into our groups. I took my viejitos (little oldies) to our place on the court and divided up the books, name tags and pencils. Good stuff. At 5:00 we headed back to the guest-house, supper, then bed.

Tuesday
The team was set to go out to various ministries so I got to sleep in a bit, but that went wrong for the group going out to one nearer to my house, so I had to be ready twice as quick, but that was ok. There were blocks on the road you see, and their group car was scraped up by a passing garbage truck, and couldn't get out to the ministry, so, we walked up to the toll booth and got a bus back into town from there. It made one lady's birthday rather exciting... Then we headed out to the church for lunch. The pastors sons (from the team) both love the kind of music I do, so we sang various songs on the way out to the work site which was really fun :) Again we had soup, but the church has been extra generous with these guys, giving them a Segundo (big plate of food immediately after big plate of soup) nearly every day of the week... Kids club we had about 40 kids, which was great, again it was fairly organized, but my group was wild... I had to literally yell at them to get them to hush. Got back to the guest house and had supper, came back home, got showered and headed back into the church for a night service, the sermon was preached by the preacher from the team, in English. My Math teacher translated it into spanish and the Pastor of the Bolivian church translated that into Quechua. The poor team was a bit bewildered by all the Quechua songs. Got home late and into bed.

Wednesday
Other wise known as a full rich day. Got up early and headed in to the guest house. Then onto the bus to the church. More songs, but this time country songs... bleh. Avoided construction and focussed more on the kids program and getting things organized. Had lunch, and actually finished my soup! Oh, there are a couple of kids in my group who play the drums (for a parade) and it was kinda annoying. (Of course I did have all the LOUD kids in my group) They stood outside the church for about 10 minutes with loud banging and such, it hurt my head... The kids program was a lot better, as for one I moved my group to the shade, and I had someone helping me out though this time, and we were only doing bookwork. They had books with all the lessons in them, which was really good. The spanish was flowing easier too. The pastors dad (from the team) had a nap in the church, snoring quite loudly... But at 5:00 as usual we headed back to the guest house. I was able to take the team up to a restaurant to eat, which was fun. We had a lot of fun discussing various types of music. Home again home again zigity zig.

Thursday
Got to sleep in, but got sick... threw up a couple of times and had a bad headache, but was good to go to get to the church. The team had lunch at the school instead of the church that day anyway. But the kids program was fine, and this time I had a guy from MY church helping out, which was great, because the kids respected him (he being Bolivian and not some blonde haired blue eyed gringa trying to tell them what to do). The guys also helped out a little more on Thursday, which was better too. They look all beat up, partly from things like contruction, but also from playing soccer (one got a black eye from the ball) a couple got scraped up from b-ball with our guys that night, and yeah. So, at 5:00 we got back to the guest house and I went home before supper, because I hadn't signed up for supper. But I slept really well, which helped my poor head.

Friday
Ok, another full rich day. Again, I spent my time organizing people for skits and such instead of construction. :) lunch I finished my soup, and the guys couldn't hahahaha... :) One guy was sleeping in the church, and I was trying to get some of the little kids to tickle him and/or jump on him etc. etc., they wouldn't, but eventually they just sat down at his feet, waking him up. They spent the next half hour until lunch chasing each other round the church, which was really
funny to watch... the kids program we had a lot of help from the guys and the kids really liked their prizes for coming each day of the week. The church gave all the girls, including me, a lovely handmade bag as a thank-you :) We went to a nice steak place for supper, which was really great. I had a steak that I thought I had ordered well cooked, but it was still mooing! I got along great with the team, there was an mk from Africa, and we had a blast! Mks stick together :) We got so hyper, it was just fun. Poked fun at some of the guys for getting freaked out by a blue kangaroo... Got home past midnight, fun eh?

Saturday
Last day with

the team... :( We went shopping for souvenirs, which was really great. I hadn't been down there in ages! And can you believe me? I was actually bargaining! I never ever bargain... But yeah, I hate gringo prices, the shopkeeper tells you, oh yes, 38 for that. Its a dead give away! Its almost like they are saying "Here, lets see if you can bargain..." I was quite proud of myself :) Barbecue at the school for lunch, which was really good. Then the guys of the team tried to play baseball, quite amusing :) Then we basically hung out at the guest-house playing Apples to Apples, great game :) The guys refused to admit that a girl had beaten them, but it was more fun that way, to keep on playing :) After a sandwich and chips supper we headed into the airport and said goodbye.

I hope I'll see them again.

Tranlsation Troubles...

2007-06-26T03:35:00.000+10:00

I'm lost in translation
For the thought never left the station,
My mind reels and spins
And tries to keep on top to win.

For a mind in the process of translation,
Gets stuck and muddled in the conversion.
One language to that,
And hang on, did you just say "hat"?

For I am once again lost
In the abyss of what things cost.
My brain is fried,
but it was fun, and at least I tried.

Landscape Development

2007-06-18T07:52:00.001+10:00

Over at Curious Stories...

Life of an MK...

2007-06-13T10:04:00.000+10:00

Yeah, I generally love being an MK. One gets to enjoy being in the spotlight, eating home-made casseroles every Sunday while back in the home-land, knowing two languages, being multi-cultural and knowing people from all around the world. The problem is though, that even though I meet new people nearly every day, I also have to say goodbye to those I get close to. But, one good thing out of even saying goodbye to really close friends, is coming closer to God. I would recommend to anyone who is going through an emotional roller-coaster ride to flip through the book of Psalms. Maybe ignore the "depressed" passages, but if you feel like you are the only one going through your problem, go ahead and read 'em, but make sure that you read the "rejoicing" passages too. God has really made it clear that he is looking after me and is there for me to go to. :) Not just me, but everyone who needs help. And yeah, that's my post. Nothing hugely controversial unless someone wants to start a "religious" debate, but I don't have anything to prove. My God has been around much longer and will continue to be around a lot longer than any human being and our feeble minds.

Prom

2007-05-29T06:39:00.001+10:00

Hey peoples...
Just thought you guys might want to see what I was up to on Saturday night. Like my hair? It was so frizzed and curly, and in the light it looked quite red. I looked like the folks on my dads side of the family... :) And then you can see my lovely class, and there was only one of us missing! The guy with the blue shirt kneeling down was our prom king and the girl in the red dress right above him was our prom queen, very American tradition, I know...
We had a fun table, with kazoo's and yo-yo's and slinkies. The Prom was Fairytale themed, so each table had a name. There was "Ariels Cove" and "Cinderella's Palace" and "Snowhites Den" and ours was "Gippetos Workshop" or something like that...

So yeah, that was my Prom :)

Missionary Kid...

2007-05-18T23:57:00.001+10:00

School was called off today, but that's a good thing. A long weekend! An extra day to catch up on those projects I haven't had a chance to do. Yesterday I had my grand début in Cinderella as the queen. It was fun, but nerve wracking... Also yesterday we had a family with 12 members arrive to our mission community. Two of our dogs had to be put down on Monday, but we are hoping to get a new puppy sometime during our winter break. Only 3 weeks till the end of school!

A little poem...

2007-05-18T23:49:00.000+10:00

Time marches on
In the basketball game of life.
The seconds race by,
As we try to achieve the most we can.

Don't Ya just love the SAT's?

2007-05-06T07:06:00.000+10:00

Yep, currently brain dead and tired. This morning I got up at 5:40, and was at the school where we were going to take the test by 7:45. We got into the test room, and to my own horror, realized that ALL the desks were ones for right handed people. I myself am left handed, so had to shyly slink up to the supervisor and ask for a table I could actually work with. So, at first they brought the wrong chair, and everyone else in the test room is studying me carefully. At last we got settled, and started on a long long exam. Now, you know the sort of atmosphere in that room, intense, quiet, when it seems like every move you make sounds like thunder. Now, everyone was concentrating, and all of a sudden...

"aa---ahhh-- CHOOO!!!!"

I jumped nearly three foot into the air! After that it was fairly smooth sailing, even though stomachs were growling, and everyone was sick of the maths problems. So, we went from around 8:00 to 12:30. LONG exam, very few real breaks.

What a wonderful experience eh?

Hug an Australian day

2007-04-26T06:29:00.000+10:00

Yep, tomorrow is hug an Aussie day. Today though was a much more important date. Today is Anzac day. A day to commemorate the thousands of deaths of our brave boys on the front.

I'm all against warfare, its just disgusting. But I still think that the Anzacs and all the other soldiers, friend and foe were all fighting for what they believed in, and should be remembered as heroes.

Gun Culture

2007-04-22T00:20:00.000+10:00

Ok, so it was inevitable that someone would post on this right? Since the Virginia Tech shootings, and even from Columbine, people have been questioning the incredible gun culture in the United States of America. Nearly every teenage guy I know from the US knows at least a little bit about guns. Hunting is HUGE, and all you need to have a gun is a permit. Its almost more important to have than a drivers license for some people. Its a "right" to be able to blow an animal to pieces. Now, I have no huge qualms with hunting for food, that what God put animals there for, but when it becomes a sport, then it becomes gross, and it is at that point that a person's "killer instinct" can grow out of control.

This is why most Americans think they should have the right to own a gun: "There are people out there who could try to hurt me! I have to have some way to protect myself!" So, to protect their families, house and themselves, they go out an get themselves a gun.

What I want to know is what happened to the good ol' baseball bat...

Think about it this way: If the "baddies" didn't have guns, then the "goodies" wouldn't need them. And how did the students who killed so many in Columbine get a hold of guns? Through their parents, who had the guns for hunting.

Is gun culture just an American thing though? People have always had it. I can imagine medieval boys talking about the latest crossbow or cannon. Or little boys during revolutions in France chattering about the latest weaponry there.

So, no, its not just an American thing, but, as far as I know they are the only ones who call it a right, not a privilege to carry a weapon. So, up to you now, is it a right to carry a weapon, or is it a privilege that should only be granted to a few people?

Through thick and thin...

2007-04-17T06:13:00.000+10:00

Now, it really bugs me when people don't update their blogs recently, so I am making the effort to keep this blog updated. Ok, my life. Sadly, most of it has to do with school at the moment. Our school play practices are going into full swing, and as I am well involved in that, my lunch times seem to get filled up with practice for that. I have plenty of stuff to do to study for things like AP's and SAT, which are coming up fast. I only have 39 school days left before our school year ends, so everything really is in full full swing. Two essays to write, a spanish paper, a presentation, normal homework, yearbook, and school play stuff. You think I'm busy yet? I also time the basketball games, which usually take about an hour each, and they fit two into an afternoon. So, yeah, I'm busy. Lotsa work, but hey, I'm updating! :)

April Fools Day...

2007-04-12T09:07:00.000+10:00

I saw this joke by the G-mail team, which I found to be quite amusing...

Also, on a second note, I discovered an old song that once went round the MK circles when I was little, its called "Henry the 8th" And is one of my favourites!

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T22:21:00.000+10:00

The most important date in the Christian calendar and the best day for chocolate for everyone else.

So, everyone, have a great day, and remember...

He is Risen!

When in doubt move a rock

2007-04-07T03:25:00.001+10:00

Well, I'm back from my missions trip, and I must say now how absolutely AWESOME it was! We all had tonnes of fun and all got along great.

So, from the first of April to yesterday the team was working at a church in the semi-countryside of the valley. So, here's a basic outline of what we did:

Sunday: Got up at 5:00 am, met all together and then went to the church (the service started at 7, ended at 9). Now, to give you an idea of the size of this church, the pastor introduced us to everyone in the church building during the service, including children. So, then the pastor says "Ok everyone, meet back here in half and hour, ready to work." So, in that half an hour, we wandered round the town, and then came back to work, in our Sunday clothes... We had no idea that they only worked on Sundays, so we all got fairly sunburnt and such. After a lunch of soup, we headed back to our lodgings at around 2:30. Got set up, and went through everything for the week.

Monday: More prepared for work, sunscreen, hat and work clothes were donned and we headed out. Mixing cement and moving rocks became a speciality for us. Whenever we didn't know what to do, we could move rocks. During the week we basically filled in the foundation, getting things ready for the next stage of building. We stopped work for lunch, and then got all set up for the kids program. Puppet stage was pulled out and set up (even though it kept falling apart if anyone so much as pushed it) and the play practised one more time. Some of the team played soccer with the kids, then we had songs, and then puppets (my area of "speciality") and then crafts (sticking wool on a cut-out sheep and Gods Eyes) and games. Lots of fun, but hugely tiring...

Tuesday: Basically the same thing as Monday, but we gals were given the chance to help out with kitchen stuff, so we pealed Abba (a kind of bean thing, it looks like a lima bean, kinda). Now, Tuesday was bad because yours truly forgot the CD player, so the team (expertly, I might add) stepped in for the most complicated puppet play and did it with just their voices and the script. Again, kids club was awesome, and we got about 30-40 kids throughout the week. This day they made little examples of good soil, bad soil and rocky soil. Back to our lodgings for cards, music, and Guinness world book of records.

Wednesday: More moving of rocks, mixing cement and practical jokes (Its all fun and games until someone's neck gets sanitized). This time the CD player went in, and the puppets went really smoothly. The lessons for the week were: The lost sheep, the parable of the sower, and the resurrection of Christ. The kids seemed to really enjoy the puppets, which made me happy, as that was the area I was kind of in charge of. For crafts the kids made empty tombs, and then played their favourite game (The one with a shark catching fishes, and then the fishes become sharks too). Van time has become a lot of fun, with singing, joking and such...

Thursday: The last day... We packed up everything (including the high-jump mats which we girls slept on) and went off to the church. Construction was basically the same, for the guys at least... The girls went shopping for stuff for the games and got the craft ready, then we moved rocks. Lunch was our favourite soup (sopa de maní- peanut soup) which has fried potatoes in it... yum!!! And the kids club was a review of what we had learned over the week. We had less kids today, but that's because it was a school holiday for them. The craft people made a mobile with verses applying to the lessons and then it was games! The kids got dressed up in the clothes of some of the bigger guys of the team, then had to run to a point and run back again. Then we mummified them with pink toilet paper, the mummies had to run to a point and back again, without losing too much paper, it was at this point the wind kicked in, making things more interesting. (Sand in contact lenses doesn't make a great mix). Then it was snack time. The kids were then left to eat their watermelon and jelly. We were herded into the church, where we were presented with a traditionally made blanket, which is super cool. Pictures and such were taken, and we said goodbye. We went out for dinner, which was fun, because we could de-brief and laugh over things that happened over the week.

So that was my missions trip :) It was fun...

A little update...

2007-03-30T10:01:00.001+10:00

Well, this is just a little update post, I've been really busy with everything, we are having our sports days at the moment, so I'm really tired. But its a good tired. Then I go on my Missions Trip! I am really excited about it, being able to spread the truth by helping a church to spread the truth. So yeah, I'll be gone for a week, building stuff and doing puppets :)

So, in final note: GO RED TEAM!! :)

An Age Old Battle

2007-03-26T09:35:00.000+10:00

The choking dust rises
Breathed in by people of all sizes.
The master wears a hood,
Splattered and stained by blood.

There are chains and whips,
Mean taunts and quips.
The sun beats down on the withered and thin,
And the ever hungry lion wears a ghastly grin.

Poor souls toil ever on,
Brothers, friends, separated, gone.
Cries ring out above the dust,
The auction continues, as it must.

A white hooded master stumbles in,
Subjecting himself to the power of sin.
The black hooded master savours victory,
His arch-nemesis now weak and in slavery.

Black hood faces the white
His features contorted, a ghostly sight.
Death arrives to take a soul
And the white now plays his vital role.

The sky blackens and the chains break,
Freedom for slaves, our choice to make.
The greatest price paid,
A life given for our aid.

That is my simple story
Of life and death, a tale truly gory.
A victory made on that tremendous day,
Love like God's has truly come our way.

Curious

50th Post and Surfing Mice!

2007-03-22T11:42:00.000+11:00

Well, last post was my 50th post on this blog, and I must admit I'm quite proud of myself! So to celebrate I bring you some surfing mice...

My dad showed me this link, and I was amazed, I think it will astound thee too. Well, happy 51st post my dear readers!

Rain!

2007-03-21T11:18:00.000+11:00

Well, Australia has been in severe drought for the past few years, but this news article gives us some hope. Some rain has begun to come, and in the right way. Not so heavy it does damage, but slow and steady.

The article pointed out something else though too:

While Mr Manning was happy to see his paddocks wet, he said there needed to be good rain over several weeks for the water to soak through the soil and have a lasting effect: "When it's warm, wet and mild like it is now, it's perfect. The rain is really welcome, but it's one thing to have enough rain to grow grass and another to have enough to fill dams for stock water."

So, lets pray for rain!

Curious Stories...

2007-03-21T11:16:00.000+11:00

The first post on Curious Stories is up :)

In Pictures

2007-03-19T01:50:00.000+11:00

Well, I was having a look see through the BBC and I came across the BBC's "In Pictures" And was looking through it. When I saw this picture I had to do a double take...

Vegemite

2007-03-11T02:57:00.000+11:00

Vegemite... the Great Australian Icon... but what exactly is it?

This video has got to be one of the best to describe what people think of Vegemite... enjoy!

Such is my life...

2007-03-04T03:22:00.000+11:00

Hi, I'm a missionary kid
No, please, don't run away,
Let me tell you about me?

I live in Bolivia,
No, its not in Africa.
I go to a normal strange school,
I have normal strange friends.

When a team comes,
Its almost guaranteed that shoes
Will be left on the doorstep.
Such is my life.

Bugs come in seasons,
And rain comes once a year.
We delight in the dated,
And our sense of humour is terrible.

Our teachers range from strict
To incredibly forgetful.
From just a little quirky
To the downright strange.

And they wonder why MK's turn out
Just the way we do.
They think we are predictable,
And in a way we are.

But think again.

We may be strange,
we may be weird,
But we have an understanding
Of the world around us
That others will never have.

Junkies, Christians and the void...

2007-02-23T09:16:00.000+11:00

Yep, I was meandering around the age today, and found this article: Junkies, Christians and the void which is rather interesting. As you might of guessed it is about religion, and the comments made on it are interesting too. You've got everything from atheists to new agers.

"I won't rattle on and on - but I will say this, and I speak from personal experience: that void ain't EVER going to get filled. It's part of what we call the 'Human Condition' - where God comes into it, for me at least, is I have a relationship with a higher power, and I do that through Jesus Christ. The reasons I do this are myriad, and I manage to do it without associating with the church, because I have a hard time slotting into that lifestyle and culture."

I was ecstatic when I saw his proclamation (or his friends) but I saw it as a kind of wake up call as well. The church needs to think about how to reach everyone, not just villagers in a tiny village in deepest darkest Africa. Even though we have the good news, the truth, we need to tidy up our act a bit. We appear to the outside world to be hypocrites, stuck up, rule book bearing and extreme. Life as a Christian is great! Why not show it?

Another quote from the article that made me hope that a lot of people read it is this:

"But the thing with Jesus is that he understood the depths of the Human Condition. His action of supreme sacrifice was voluntary, and he did so in order to bridge the gap between God and Human."

God is awesome isn't he? Why not show it?

A new Blogger on the Circuit!

2007-02-20T01:00:00.000+11:00

Yep, thats right, I now have the privilege of introducing one of our newbies to the blogging world!

His blog is called Timon's Tidings, go one, go check it out :)

Curious Stories...

2007-02-19T02:41:00.000+11:00

Ok, now, you all might remember my side blog Curious Stories, well, I have good news. It will be the home now for my poetry, story ideas and literary ramblings. My parents have been encouraging me to write, and I finally have a complete plot to work with. Don't worry, Scarlet remains strong in this story. :)

So yes, I will put up another post on this when I have something substantial on Curious Stories.

Cargo Cult...

2007-02-18T01:33:00.000+11:00

Ok, well, I bet this makes Americans feel good...

There is a small island population who have been worshipping an American GI for 50 years, and are hoping he will come back. The scenario has the whole "Indiana Jones" vibe, including the very active volcano which, apparently has the spirit of the GI living inside it.

This is a little strange, but it is a great opportunity to share the real Christ.

Poetry...

2007-01-31T09:53:00.000+11:00

Poetry, yours is a hidden message
Of love, life and mystery
Hidden under any sort of visage.
You speak of truth, you speak of lies,
You know exactly what this mask hides.

You seem to know everything
Whether you do or not,
You speak to my soul, you pull at my heart strings.
Poetry, you are the tool of the ages,
The billboard of the sages.

Poetry, so many great men have fallen to your spell.
You weave hope into their battle worn bodies
You speak of the maidens they know so well.
Through your melody, you hypnotise,
Through your rhythm you revitalise.

You bring women to tears,
You make their hearts soar
You protect them from the thing each one fears.
You bring joy, you bring laughter,
You show them things they'll remember ever after.

Poetry, you are the voice of feelings,
You are the song of lovers
The melody, the tune always so lilting.
You are the whisper of rage,
The release from our cage.

Poetry. Poetry.

You shall endure the sands of time.

Curious

University...

2007-01-26T07:40:00.000+11:00

Yes, the word every high-schooler both dreads and longs for at any one moment. Now at this point and time at my school, everything goes into high gear, all year 12's start panicking about scholarships, AP courses, SATs and jobs.

All year 11's start thinking "Oh dear..." And then proceed to run around like the 12th graders, doing a very close imitation of a chicken with no head.

The year 1o's thank their lucky stars that they haven't gotten to 11th or 12th grade yet. Still, they too have some things to worry about, such as the PSAT, projects and various projects and tests assigned by our innocent looking teachers.

As Feburary comes to pass, things like the school play, missions trip, and yearbook deadlines all come into place, and the scary thing is that I'm involved in all three things...

Well, I just thought I'd write about this, because my dad has been telling me I need to think about what I'm going to study, and it is honestly freaking me out, so I thought I may as well write about it, any ideas guys?

Just kidding...

Well, yeah, just another update post. :)

Life...

2007-01-19T07:01:00.000+11:00

Life. A word that inspires a great many thoughts. Many theologians, politicians, uni students, high-school students, professors, and cartoonists have contemplated its meaning. I think that great Aussie icon summed it up fairly well.

"Such is life."

So. life. What do we make of it? Is it a step into heaven, or a trapdoor into hell? Is it to be enjoyed, or should we work the hardest we can to be successful? Should we go through it like a lilting melody (Oh great. Fern Hill is coming to get me...) or trudge through it like mud. Or, as with most things, should there be a balance? Work and play in equal portions.

Jesus said that he came so that we could have life, and have it to the full. But does that mean you find the nearest bungee jump and take the plunge? God also said that just as he clothed and fed the animals and flowers, so he would provide for us. So, then should we go and spend our life savings on things that might be considered worthless?

Life is just one of those individual things I guess. You can't decide how you go about it, you just have to take each day as it comes.

Ok, just a rambling post... :)

Inspiration

2007-01-14T10:51:00.000+11:00

Inspiration where have you gone?
Maybe you are a prize to be won.
Or are you like the wind, dropping by
And dissapearing again without saying why?

You lead many to fame,
You leave others in shame.
Great deeds are done because of you,
But I'm stuck, now what should I do?

Inspiration, where have you gone?

Curious

Communications....

2007-01-05T06:14:00.000+11:00

Mail has always been a major excitment, its amazing to get a parcel of goodies that are usually saved for extreemely special occasions, and to know that the people back in Aus haven't forgotten you.

So, one can imagine what excitment that e-mail brought... I mean, now you didn't have to wait 6 months for things to get through...

So, when in elementary school, the idea of a long distance friendship wasn't really existant. But, since internet, e-mail and chat have come along, a long distance friendship, and even love can bloom. There is a couple here who met once, and basically fell in love over the phone and letters.

So, your opinions, is a long distance relationship possible? Is it practical? Is it desirable?

In my opinion, due to lack of face to face contact, a long distance relationship can begin to fail after a while. Common experiences and aquaintances begin to number less and less, and if the relatonship was never all that strong in the first place, it really can begin to fade. One begins to lose things to talk about, and the only thing to do, is to describe what is happening in your own country to the best detail, and hope that your friend does the same.

So, what are your thoughts? Is a long distance relationship one that can last?

Joys of New Years...

2007-01-01T15:32:00.000+11:00

Ok, so, its 12:43 am here in Bolivia. The four ferocious guard dogs are all inside my house, because they are scared of the bangy fireworks that are really popular here. One was sprawled out on the rug in my room, the other three were on the landing. All four have had a big drink from a largish butter dish, and are still panting quite heavily.

Earlier in the evening we were at a friends house. They have three dogs. Now, fireworks are still perfectly legal to set off in your own yard, so we had fireworks. They have an irish setter who was barking at the fireworks, and at one point, after seeing the guy light the firework, ended up in my lap. He was shaking...

So, now its 1 am. There are still occaisional bangs to be heard outside, but all has pretty much calmed down a bit. The dogs are now outside, though are crowded into our doorstep.

So, this is how i generally spend new years, helping to calm down dogs, and sometimes having our own fireworks and sparklers.

So, how did you guys spend new years?

Hope everyone had a great time!

Happy NewYears!

2006-12-31T06:12:00.000+11:00

Well, I know its a tad early, but who cares! :)

Happy New Years Everyone!!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T12:35:00.000+11:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

Its a time of cheer,
The Bestest time of the year
Now don't you fear
The world will hear,
The good news, just you wait and see
And if that takes a while, there will always be you and me :)

Friendship lasts forever.

Curious

Just a little poem :) Enjoy your day!

Dogs in Church... Yet another Culture Shock Story

2006-12-18T04:07:00.000+11:00

I'll tell you a tale
I've noted it to be true,
Of a dog, or maybe two.
He had spots on his tail, and a floppy ear,
And often went to church, just to hear.
It was not unusual you see, to sit
And find him under your chair,
Or to hear him going past during the prayer.
During dedications he would appear,
On the stage, at the stair, and wiggle his floppy ear.

Christian behaviours...

2006-12-12T11:09:00.000+11:00

Ok, so, you are the only christian on the bus you are sitting on. But, you are with friends, non-christian friends. They offer you beer, ciggarettes and a magazine you know your pastor would burn. (Stereotypical i know... but all for an examples sake) Do you take them? Do you fit in with the crowd, or do you say, well "no".

All christians have things they personally think is right and wrong. For example:

Drinking beer, wine and other alcohol.
Dancing
Going to nightclubs, discos etc.
Various ideas on what dating is and when to date.
Smoking

Ok, in my opinion, all of the above can be perfectly fine, but how do they apear to non-christians. Sometimes the most effective wittness is not doing an speaking, but letting your actions show Christ. Paul mentioned that if doing something made someone else sin don't do it. So, if a friend has a drinking problem, and you invite them out for a drink, you are commiting a sin, because you are tempting them.

So, whats the general concencus?

Santa School

2006-12-07T08:37:00.000+11:00

Yep, thats right, now one can go to Santa School.

Curriculum includes:

Learning the proper way to "ho ho ho"
What to wear... Fashionable new santa fashion
What the latest toys are, laughing elmo was a favourite.
And last but not least, how to keep the magic alive. (unfortunately they haven't learned how to produce rabits out of hats yet)

I saw this and just had to blog about it, its just another example of how people and society in general take things too seriously. Laugh a little! :)

And a Merry Christmas to you all!

Feliz Navidad

Happy Christmas

Thats all i know...

Have a great day!

Star Signs

2006-11-30T13:01:00.000+11:00

Ok, so, on blogger, you enter your birthday, and it gives you a star sign. Now, as Christians, star signs are automaticly seen as a taboo. I mean, its what mediums and fortune tellers use to predict the future. Horoscopes and all that stuff.

Right? Wrong?

God said He was the one and only God, and we are to worship only Him. And part of that is trusting in him to reveal what He wants to reveal in time, and not try to interpret it from the stars.

Divorce

2006-11-25T11:56:00.000+11:00

Ok, so, in Bible class we have this thing called "round table". We ask questions and then as a class we answer them.

One question that came up recently was this: "How come most Christians think that marriage after divorce is fine, even though the Bible states otherwise?"

Tough one eh?

But God specifically stated that "what God has joined together let no man separate". He states that the only reason one should divorce from their spouse is adultery. Death is an obvious answer, if your spouse dies, you are free to marry again. Paul said that one would be able to divorce their spouse if the spouse was an un believer, and they ran off with another person.

Another question to ask is this: "What if there is abuse going on in the marrital relationship?"

My Bible teacher gave this answer: Take the wife away (assuming that she is the one being abused) to a place where the husband can't get to her. Get her the physical and mental help she needs. Start the two of them on therapy, and then try and get them back together again eventually.

Lucas and Dave have been making blog posts similar to this, but even before they started their "series" I wanted to post on this, I just hadn't gotten around to it.

So what do you people think? Divorce... right, wrong? why?

Air Guitars....

2006-11-14T10:27:00.000+11:00

Now, at least once in our life, each of us have pretended to be an absolute master at guitar, well, our childhood dreams may be about to come true.

Scientists have created a shirt that picks up movements and transmits them (wirelessly) to a computer. Then it creates the sound. Fun eh?

Heres where i found it:

Air guitarists hide a new trick up their sleeves

In Pictures

2006-11-10T11:11:00.000+11:00

So, I was looking for a spanish article on the BBc website when I found this:

South African Mothers With Cameras

I just was hit by how it wasn't buttered up with politics, or begging for the cure, it was simply stating how life is for those with HIV. The images weren't photoshoped, they weren't set up. They were real. Thats what hit me the most.

Courtship....

2006-11-07T09:08:00.000+11:00

Ok, dating. Its a normal part of life. But how does one go about it, and who do you date? Ok: imagine this. You see the most stunning girl/guy in a café, do you go up and talk to them, or desperately hope that somehow serendipity will bring you together?

Ok, this amazingly cute gal stops, and asks if she can get by you. Do you: A-Smile stupidly and let her pass...
B-Come up with a smart sounding comment asking for her number.....
C-Bow courteously, and allow her to pass, but as she walks away you grab her atention and ask for her name...

What would you do?

When do you think a person should even start dating?

Should you date to find the person you will marry, or just for fun?

Dating.... the variables.

Curious Stories

2006-11-03T08:00:00.000+11:00

Ok, call it a writers whim, but for the moment I have closed up Curious Stories. It still shows up, but I won't be posting on it for a long while... Scarlet and the gang are recieving another re-write.

Extremes...

2006-10-30T23:34:00.000+11:00

Think about it, most problems occur when people get into extremes. We freeze in extreme cold, we dehydrate in extreme heat. We can get sun cancer from being in the sun to an extreme. But we also get into probelms when we hit extreme poverty, extreme riches, extreme hatred, and even extreme love.

I say love because we as christians have someone who has extreme love for us, and that makes us different from the rest of the world. We will always have people, and the devil, who are "out to get us" because we have the love of christ in us.

Other extremes are: extreme religion, extreme scientists, extreme danger addicts, extreme gangs, extreme addictions. I'm sure you my readers, could think of many more.

Think about it, problems will at least start occuring when humans get involved in extremes.

Happy Birthday!

2006-10-29T03:00:00.000+11:00

Feliz Cumpleaños mi querida hermana! Te amo mucho.

Happy Birthday my dear sister!

Titanium has her birthday today, and I wanted to wish her a very very very wonderful birthday :)

How DO they think...

2006-10-22T06:20:00.000+10:00

Here we go Lucas, not quite what I promised you, but hopefully a good read. Let me know what you think. (Hint: Sarcasim is very much part of my writing)

Women cry, men are shy.
Men are macho, women, not so much oh
Women are sensitive, caring and beautiful,
Men are heroic, brave, and handsome.

Women love clothes, shoes and boys
Men are fascinated by their electronic toys
Women are fashionable and really quite chic
Men are cool and to strong too be weak

Women are mothers, their place is in the home
Men are warriors, their place is to protect and to roam.
Women are not leaders, its the men's request-
For men are wise, they know best.

But the untold story is one unknown,
Of women not content to stay at home.
They long for adventure, they long for love.
Women such as these are not the norm.

There is another side too,
One that society decidedly 'boos'
Of men that cry, of men that are shy.
They desire only a quiet home and wife,
That is their kind of life.

Both sides of the mirror are true,
They are people, just like me and you.
But we are all loved, by one who understands,
One who is not held back by time and its sands.

Curious

Word Verification...

2006-10-17T09:46:00.000+10:00

Boy does it bug me. I know why its there, but it still bugs me incredibly. I can never get them right the first time, a typo always gets in the way. This is why I don't have it on my own blog, its just annoying. Anyone else feel this way?

Spirit Week!

2006-10-15T01:00:00.000+10:00

Yep, this week, we get to shed our uniforms in favour of wacky and weird clothing. Pyjamas, movies, class themes, fairytale, and finally school colours day...

Yep, this week is going to be a weird one...

Oh, by the way, the next part to my story is up...

Enjoy!

Scarlet

2006-10-08T05:22:00.000+10:00

Yep, once again I notify you of the fact that the next part is up. Its a bit shorter, but hopefully as good as the others. Enjoy!