TheMerryRose

to iphone 4 or to iphone 4S???

2011-10-05T10:48:00.001+10:30

here's the thing - my contract runs out at the end of november and i need a new phone.

now i have been really disappointed with my nokia n97 - bad from the start :(

i have looked and played with a few droid phones but i am keen for an iphone - yes i think i have become a mac geek.

so i am wanting oppions from everyone - do iphone 4 or wait and iphone 4s it???

another year has nearly pasted ...

2011-09-20T16:07:00.000+09:30

so here i am september of 2011 ... and i have finally realised that i feel the need to speak up again, to be heard ... i know in some ways that is strange that i haven't felt like i had anything worth saying really - as you can see for a long while, so here it starts (lol! maybe!)

so first up a fresh clean look with a picture of some beautiful poppies in a field (which for me are an important symbol for an important day). come on guess why! ;)

so where do i start - well not the beginning, which isn't a very good place to start.

i think the start is to say that this year has been one of strengths and weaknesses. strength to preserve and weakness to keep trying something that i should have given away earlier than i did.

not to say that things don't happen for a reason, but i am currently more than thankful for a time of real quiet both personally, professionally and yes, emotionally & spiritually.

since making the decision to move states and then finding work, accommodation (on more than a wing and a prayer). i am finding my feet (so to speak) in a way that i haven't before.

i had a great friend (who has only know my whilst living in melbs) and even she says i've grown and matured loads in the last 18 months that we have been friends. which is a great affermation for me to know that this change has definately been for the better.

melbs, for me is a place that gives to the scope to be more true to who you are and in that i am becoming or rather refining into something better and better each day.

so life in melbs - well, its very sweet for me at the moment, in ways that i am amazed. things are amazingly 'zen' like currently which if you know me doesn't happen that often.

not to say that i don't have times of when i want to go nuts at a situation or a person. however, i can say that i am loving where i live in a way i haven't in a long time, my job is really stretching me and giving me the opportunities to grow and develop what and who i am in the office and what i want to do in the future with work.

after the stresses of where i would work and how i do what i do this job is allowing me the ability to see and try new depths within my capabilites within the environment in which i work. and i can honestly say that hasn't happened before or rather i haven't been ready to try in a work place.

well, i think i should leave it there for now ... and lets see where this takes me ... :D

questions, questions, questions

2010-12-11T13:20:00.001+10:30

life is what it is but is it what we want it to be?

questions, questions, questions?

how do we answer the questions that are thrown in our way during our life time?

do we ignore them or do we face them head on and answer them as they appear?

questions that give more questions.

answers that seem to be just out of reach, on the tip of your tongue, but not coming to mind easily.

how do i answer the questions in my own life?

it is easier to answer the questions that others have in their lives.

when did we all become introspective?

we do we question our lives when for centuries, a pattern was generally prescribed for the general population?

were we born 200 or 300 hundred years ago, our lives would have been given a set destiny depending on the profession that your father held, the gender that you were also helped the preordained route that your life would take.

now we have a choice and we question more than we ever have.

are we any closer to the fulfillment of our questions or are we further away than we have ever been?

i will never answer all the questions that i am asking myself today, let alone the questions that i will be asking tomorrow or the day after that.

are the answers more important than the questions or are the questions the way life gives us directions?

i am beginning to think that it is questions that help us in the journey of life not the answers that we come too.

so here’s to more and more questions ...

Remembrance Day

2010-12-10T20:46:00.000+10:30

In my normal check of the days comings and goings, I read this article on Remembrance Day.

Now for those that are close friends you'll know that my birthday is 11 November and just so happens that I share my birthday with Remembrance Day (as well as some other very cool people I know and love too).

But I also share a name and a symbol of Remembrance Day too, which to note my parents weren't really thinking about when I was named. The story is that they didn't realise the meaning of my first name until someone mentioned the correlation a while afterwards. I'll give my parents time off for good behaviour for this slip as it was the end of college for them as well as my coming into the world at large, for something like this to have slipped their mind.

The article noted that it was a pity that Remembrance Day wasn't held in the same regard as ANZAC Day is held but rightly put by a commentator noted later that ANZAC Day is something is unique to Australia and New Zealand. It's a celebration of not only the fallen but of a disaster that showed the old country that the new countries were somebody and that we didn't need the old country to be true to who we are as a country.

Don't get me wrong, I am one of the generation that had no direct family member who was in the WWI and so have only heard the stories second hand of this conflict and since then none of my family have served. The stories that my Great Grandfather told to the family about it and how he celebrated it as much as remember those who he had served with during that time.

I can even now hear my Grams say "the best of them never came home", when she was talking the men that served in WWII. I think that says more about the true story of who Aussies are when we going into battle, whether or not that battle is in a foreign land or here at home.

Remembrance Day may never hold Australia like ANZAC Day does but it is a day we need to remember those went and never came home as well as those who did. The thing that I remember most is those that are serving right now around the world.

In the years to come, we will celebrate ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day more and more; there are more men and women who will need to remembered, the stories will be continued to told.

“They will not go old”

trail didn't work

2010-11-27T13:04:00.003+10:30

or should I say that I kinda gave up on blogging regularly.

With the advance of both Twitter and Facebook, I seem to have fallen for the idea that you don't really need to blog anymore.

So let's see if I can get back into a better habit of writing something substantial again.

I've done it before and I know that I can do it again.

And yes, this feeds into my Twitter and Facebook accounts, so my lovely friends who are friends with me on there will be able to see my ramblings in full colour glory!!

On another note - let me see if I can blog more at my other 2 blogs (see sidebar for links) as well!!

new blog

2009-04-02T15:55:00.004+10:30

hi there, i am trialing a new blog at http://themerryrose.wordpress.com/, not sure how it is going to go and whether or not i will transfer everything to there instead of blogger. still ironing out the kinks. so if anyone is good with wordpress, please drop by the new blog and let me know. cheers TMR

life goes again

2009-04-01T15:17:00.003+10:30

life moves forward as it always does ... i am loking for work ... no real surprise at least to me ... need to work out what i really want to do with my life ... it is more than just doing admin work ... so clues to help me are few and far between ... kind of like the post of the past 12 months ... i suck at blogging ... will have to trying and do more again ... don't know how my life is the way it is except to say that i know how to cruise with life until you hit a bump on the road of life ... anyway, that is enough for me ... bye!!

Changes ... turn and face the pain ...

2008-11-19T11:11:00.002+10:30

hi all ... long time no write!! life goes on as it ever has this year ... with its myrid of changes and challenges.

I thought that I would let you all know that I have resigned from UniSA (as of Friday) and am going to HH (02Dec08).

I won't say too much more about it all.

the oh so boring life of me!

2008-07-29T18:31:00.002+09:30

there isn't a lot to report for me, the holiday was in many ways a no event. it was good to get away from work but ended up not being too restful after the first day debarcle.
am still working out how to have my place, but it looks more and more what i want it to look like.
i can also admit that i still have boxes to go through and get rid of stuff - should be doing some of it at the moment.
got to go and finish so work so that i can go home and get warm again!! ;)

Holiday - Perth (July 08)

2008-07-03T17:43:00.002+09:30

Hey there, I am on hols in Perth at the moment with my ma!

Less than a day into our holiday we have had a fair bit of excitement!! At around 11pm last night (local time) we were woken by a loud bang and then people knocking on the door of our room. There was a fire in the hotel, one level down, smoke everywhere, really bad smelling smoke too.

We ended up outside with everyone from the hotel plus onlookers - for around 2 hours.

I had pjs, jumper and sneakers on plus my phone, and ma was pjs with jumper and phone but no shoes.

We ended up at the Rendevous Hotel for the night and slept for about 3 hours only.

We are now staying at a local backpackers for the rest of our trip!! What an adventure, and it is just the beginning of our holiday!! Fun for all!!

what a happening for me

2008-06-05T20:24:00.002+09:30

well, what's happening - 'life goes on just as it always has and always will' ... not a great lot but am still rather busy with it all.
i have managed to make a mess at home which i should be cleaning right now but i will get to it before it gets to me. i have pretty much set myself up at home and am enjoying living so close to town.
my head is starting to get into a better place. now i need an outlet to explore who i am more. i have taken up 1 new activity and am looking at a couple more. been taking more photos and am looking to upgrade the skills that i have.
the fam is doing well and all things seem to be going swimingly so to speak.
need to go - have fun!

an update

2008-05-17T13:00:00.002+09:30

an update - gramps is doing really well. dad is dad and doing well too. thanks for the prays and thoughts over the last couple of weeks.

i am running the visual side of convention for churches of christ in sa & nt inc - and i still have tonight to go - wish me luck!

cheers
tmr

post no 457

2008-05-08T16:54:00.002+09:30

so today - what does my life hold - have i added meaning to someone or something?

well, my gramps is in hospital (next door to my work), my dad is hospital (other part of the city), have worked today, but not sure i have achieved overly much. have to go and visit someone tonight - not sure i will be much help, but i am willing to try.

all that said - i have money in my wallet and a small amount in the bank, i have a place that i call my own, family that surrounds me and is still talking to me, i have friends that i am able to call whenever i feel like.

so the reality is that i am blessed, lucky whatever you want to call it so there isn't anything that i should wish for.

but i can do more and will endevour to do more for those that do not have what i have!

a weekend in melbourne!

2008-05-06T10:00:00.000+09:30

As my scheduled weekend in Melbourne was a surprise for Mum, I haven't been able to say what I have been wanting to.

Last Friday was my Mum's B-Day and as a surprise I joined the rest of my family in Melbourne for the weekend.

Now as most would know my Bro and Sis-in-Law live in Melbourne and Mum & Dad were going over to visit and as it happened it all coincided with Mum's B-Day, so I planned a big surprise for Mum.

I loved the look on her face when she saw me on Friday morning in the coffee shop near the Vic Markets. Priceless! And the fact that I got called stinker!

We had a great time checking out the Vic Markets, dinner at the Snooty Fox, Warradyte Markets plus chilling out, Dad & the bro did the footy, dinner out, church and a trip up to Warbarton and finally dinner with all of us plus extra person (Tam).

It was great fun as well as being a time of reconnecting as a whole family unit.

last week

2008-05-05T13:00:00.001+09:30

Last week has been full of unpacking, washing and organising of a lot of my stuff at my new place.
I am still a little way off but am getting there, slowly.
I think that it will be a little while yet before I am all organised, well I am hoping for the end of May to be all unpacked, sorted, cleaned and all the new things bought.
So here's to hoping!!

Anzac Day 2008

2008-04-25T10:00:00.000+09:30

From Photos for th...

for all those men and women - lest we forget

So what's happening now ...

2008-04-24T17:10:00.001+09:30

ok, so i am still slack!! and i don't post very much. i have to say that i have been trying to focus on my work of late, but it is more than that though.
life is different and i haven't taken the time to write - and i think that this is now starting to show in other aspects of my life.
my christmas and holiday were brilliant.
work could always be better but that is the way the cookie crumbles at times.
my mental state isn't great - but is something that i am working on, though.
so here's to a new start - of blogging at least.
i guess this week has been time of new beginnings - i moved house - again and i love my place - i just need to be a little bit more organised (but can all of us). i don't have too much left to unpack and sort currently. and i am hoping that i won't have much at all after the weekend. cause i want to be organised and feel like it has been lived in for ages.
and yes, i will post photos in the next month - just as soon as i have those last few boxes and other bits and pieces moved in or bought.

a quote ... for today

2008-04-24T17:04:00.001+09:30

There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality. - Pablo Picasso

a foto blog of mine

2008-03-28T12:51:00.001+10:30

well, i have finally started a foto blog of my own.

and here is the addy - http://themerryrosefotos.blogspot.com

hope you enjoy!

so am back again

2008-03-01T09:06:00.004+10:30

so much has happened since i last posted and the break has been a rather busy time.

i got back from nz and went back to work the next day - don't think that i will do that again, was a bit of a right off that day.

work has been rather manic in many ways but is starting to get better.

the other thing that i did was move house fairly soon after getting back and that was rather chaotic.

now life is starting to get into a rhythm.

i have decided to stay with the look that this blog has currently but am going to update the links in the side bar.

plus i am going to add a link to the telfer's cooking blog and my new blog - a foto blog.

stay tuned and i will promise to try and be more consistent this year.

love all!!

New Zealand Trip - Dunedin

2008-01-05T13:22:00.000+10:30

Hi All!!

I am currently sitting in Dunedin and enjoying a new organic apple and guava juice and writing to you all out there!

The trip has been a blast and there are stacks of photo up on my Facebook account but not all are on the Picasa as yet - but will be coming soon.

Highlight so far was Mt Cook, Mt Tasman and the 3 glaciers up there, Tasman, Franz Josef and Fox. Plus I saw snow for the first time and made a snow man and a snow angel too.

We haven't had heaps of rain, it really only been when we have been driving, in fact it rather warm today again!!! Go figure that one. Not as hot as SA atm but warm/hot for here.

Anyway, not much else to say except that I am almost dreading coming home on Wednesday cause the holiday mood is very much happening for me now.

Well, I off to pick up photos and spend some more money!!

Cheers from Dunedin!!! :D

The trip so far ...

2007-12-28T20:32:00.000+10:30

Ok, I am sitting in Picton at the moment, trying to upload all the photos that I took today - not that I have sorted through them - I am just uploading them to my picasa and facebook accounts, just incase I lose one of them accidental.

The scenery is too good to be true at times. The driving here seems to take a lot longer because of the amount of hills and mountains, but it is a good and relaxing trip so far.

I really want to go and play a game of pool with Laurie and get beaten again today by her - I so suck at sport of any sort.

Anyway - we are only 3 day in and there will be much more to say and photograph but who knows!!!

Hope everyone is having a great time relaxing after a hard Chrsitmas party season!!!!

Cheers and see you from New Zealand!!!!!! :D

A Quote for Today

2007-12-18T10:02:00.000+10:30

Mind is everything. Mind pulls the universe out of a top hat, bows to its own applause, and walks off the stage, grinning.
-Stephen Mitchell

via beliefnet

Northern Lights (His Dark Materials Series) by Philip Pullman

2007-12-17T13:53:00.000+10:30

Ok, I have started to read the His Dark materials trilogy in the last week, and so far I have only finished Part 1 of "Northern Lights" by Philip Pullman. And yes, I have read some of the reviews floating about the net too.

So let me start by saying that, I really am not interested in getting into a theology debate etc about this author's view point on Christianity. In fact these days I would not count myself as a Christian, I would say that I am a follower of Jesus Christ and that organised religion is not something that I hold too or necessarily agree with, (please don't shoot me, verbally or otherwise, it is my personal belief, and not necessarily held by others around me).

My impression so far is that it isn't too bad a read and no doubt will do alright by the time I finish the first book, but a trilogy needs to be looked as a whole as well as individuals books. I will try to blog about each section and then as a whole.

Ok, now for starters, I like fantasty novels, and I have read the Narnia Chronicles and Lord of the Rings way too many times and I also really like David Eddings fantasy series and a few other writers in the genre also and yes, I liked the Harry Potter series too.

I will endevour to write fairly, I really don't see the need to get all worked up about any books especially fantasy novels, they are just that 'fantasy' and any health person needs to have reality and fantasy in their life to function fully.

By the way, these are my thoughts and not clinical fact, plus if you are visiting because of you are searching the net to see who is talking about this series, please note that I would appreciate commenting is clean and respectfull, thank you.

Bloggers Unite - 17.12.07

2007-12-17T10:51:00.000+10:30

Ok, this is something for today - check out CoolPeopleCare and do something to help feed parts of the world who are struggling or check other stuff available through these guys.

I get an email a day which reminders me to make a difference even in a small way each day.

So make a difference now! :D

xmas and all that

2007-12-13T12:55:00.000+10:30

this time of year is busy, sure, i have to do the family thing this year (not my idea of fun) and then fly around to make sure that i make a flight so that i can have an overseas holiday.

things are busy as always at work (this place never stops even in "holiday time"), i still have planning to do, packing to start to organise and i really need to find my camera (which was packed in the middle of year, when i moved back to the parental's place), and i still don't where i packed it!!

oh and the trip o/s is to new zealand, of which (if i have a camera, etc) i will be posting photos and blog posts of my time there. and yep, laws is a sucker for punishment, 2 weeks travelling with me!! hahahahaha!!!!!

so in this busyness of this particular time of year - merry xmas and happy new year!!!

The least of these ...

2007-12-13T12:42:00.000+10:30

via ASBO Jesus

nora the cat no1 and no2

2007-11-30T11:32:00.000+10:30

see sidebar for slideshow

2007-11-27T13:49:00.000+10:30

was out at a mate's place and got to try out there new digital slr - so now you can see the results - they are ok, but not brillant!

test for andrew

2007-11-18T15:47:00.000+10:30

hello there - sorry this is a test post

travelling

2007-10-28T22:50:00.000+10:30

of late, i haven't really said too much about myself. with good reason, my head isn't really where it should or rather could be. with various things happening, the coping mechanisms that have had in place aren't working in my current environment too well. but i will continue to perserve through it all. there are something best left unsaid but at the same time there are things that a person should really communicate better to others in the circle of people. it is an amazing thing living like i am, i wish i had the strength to make less toxic decisions and be around less toxic people and situations. i think for me it is a major step saying that now i need to look at ways in which to implement this course of action.

also too, having been a lot via google reader of late - some great things to read there - look in the side bar for both the feed and the linkage to my shared items.

cheers for now

dance for me!!

2007-10-25T11:28:00.000+09:30

I had a link sent to me this morning at work - thought it was gorgeous!!

Also if you go to main page of the website - check out the other vid as well.

Blog Action Day

2007-10-15T22:45:00.000+09:30

I found out about coolpeoplecare.org who are an information/action group from the states. anyway, did you know that today (15 Oct) is and this year it is on the environment which by the way with me writing on my laptop with a light on in my room whilst there are other in the lounge watching boston legal with lights and computers on is not very environmentally friendly but hey, transformers was movie i couldn't not watch. anyway, back to blog action day...

so the environment! so what can i do - well, i try and buy local food, so there is less cost on freight, i buy aussie cause that's where i live, i try not to drive (happens more when i live in town), try to be smart about what i do when i do it, you know try and do all the things i need to do in one trip not 10! (and while that doesn't always happen, i try). what i would love to try is to be able to grow my own vegies and stuff, but i kill plants at 20 paces with extremely good aim! :S what can i say! green-thumb i am not!

one thing i am trying is to buy plants for my desk at work - you know, help the environment in your office, it can help regulate the temperature and provide better air for you.

you can find out more idea at cool people care.

so there is my bit for world blog action day!!!

cheers for now!!
TMR

20% - 80%

2007-10-10T08:53:00.000+09:30

what do you think?

mars bar cheesecake recipe

2007-10-09T23:44:00.000+09:30

here is a recipe for a pretty good cheesecake, i have now helped or made on my own 3 times within a week.

laws and i found it via a google search!

masterfoods site is not a bad set up.

age article from cheryl lawrie

2007-10-08T16:38:00.000+09:30

this is a very interesting article in the age today on women and the church but also about power and priviledge.

understanding differences

2007-10-08T16:20:00.000+09:30

this really fits part of my journey. how so you ask, well, i just no longer get this scene anymore but the journey is long from finished.

Something to contemplate

2007-10-07T17:49:00.000+09:30

h/t to Christine Sine, using Emerging Grace's images, via Mike.

a change is as good as a holiday

2007-10-07T17:00:00.000+09:30

in my last post i said i am planning a hol with laws.

well, we are have our tickets, we are off to NZ just after Christmas.

you'll note that there is a poll going in the side bar area - so vote and let me know which one you think should be at the top of the list.

oh, and yes the new look is for spring!! :D

Revolution of Hope

2007-10-07T16:00:00.000+09:30

Whilst I am yet to read any of Brian McLaren's books (they are on my wish list), I have kept up with a lot that has been said by him and others in the blogsphere. It is an interesting juxtaposition! Anyway, he isn't just an author, pastor, etc, he is also a poet and musician. check out the vid below.

ok, so i suck at posting of late!! ;)

2007-10-03T17:10:00.000+09:30

Not a lot has happened of late except working, and more working. I had a great time last weekend with Laws at Wallaroo, we took loads of photos!! You can check them out on my Picasa albums or if you are one of my friends in Facebook, they are there too.

Now let me say that facebook is the biggest time waster that I have ever come across, with blog feeds at least they can be informative, and myspace can be the same, but facebook, I spend half of my time on there superpoking people more than anything else!! aarrrggghhhh!!!!

Oh and btw, it is 12 weeks till I go on my next big holiday!! Tickets are booked, just need the rest to happen and I (& Laws) are cooking!!!

Now here is something to ponder ...

2007-09-03T16:48:00.000+09:30

Ecclesiastes 5
Stand in Awe of God
1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
3 As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.

words to think on. via benediction

ah ... those glorious fools

2007-08-22T12:32:00.000+09:30

this post is dedicated to those who think that i will ever be this way (seriously, you need to see a shrink!)

this is further to the others

so here's a hat tip to emerging grace

Ok - an update on The Merry Rose!!!

2007-08-13T13:59:00.000+09:30

Ok, hi y'all!!

Job - I got it! So I am a permanent staffer again. Work itself doesn't feel that much different than last week when I was a temp staffer here, but that's the way it goes at times.

Home - Not much diff, though it is quite funny with 3 people living the same house and then all on computers at the same time, and talking with one another - how the age of technology has changed family dynamics.

Food - cooked "Rack of Lamb" for Saturday night tea - went down a treat, changed the 'rosemary' to mint and it tasted great!! Did learn that it is important to read through a new recipe and check with Lady of the House as to the idiocies of her oven!! Fan-forced ones work differently to normal ones.

Me - am going away next weekend, then I have a weekend to myself, then it is Father's Day (what am I going to do?? am thinking this could be funny or these!), then it is off to Melbourne!!!!!

That is all the news on The Merry Rose for now. Cheers! :D

Medieval Help Desk

2007-08-06T16:30:00.000+09:30

hat tip to the church and postmodern culture: conversation.

so what's been happening

2007-08-01T13:27:00.000+09:30

ok, so i have been silent for a few weeks, i know. tis bad of me. i am still here, just really busy at work and trying to balance work and life in general.

i applied for my job here at the uni, and have interviewed but am still waiting to hear the outcome of it all.

generally, there isn't too much else happening as i am trying to re-learn the balance atm, but more will come as time goes by.

am still living in the hills, and am learning h0w to cope with 2 roomies (ma & pa) but it isn't too bad though.

there isn't too much else to say, 'cept check the starred list from my google reader as there has been some good reading of late.

cheers y'all

Henri Nouwen Quote

2007-07-24T12:56:00.000+09:30

What We Feel Is Not Who We Are
Our emotional lives move up and down constantly. Sometimes we experience great mood: swings from excitement to depression, from joy to sorrow, from inner harmony to inner chaos. A little event, a word from someone, a disappointment in work, many things can trigger such mood swings. Mostly we have little control over these changes. It seems that they happen to us rather than being created by us.
Thus it is important to know that our emotional life is not the same as our spiritual life. Our spiritual life is the life of the Spirit of God within us. As we feel our emotions shift we must connect our spirits with the Spirit of God and remind ourselves that what we feel is not who we are. We are and remain, whatever our moods, God's beloved children.

Read this, this morning on my daily email. Found it quite profound, what do you think.

reading, etc

2007-07-14T15:06:00.000+09:30

Ok, so i haven't posted anything of high value of late ... but i have been doing a lot of reading whether it is on my reader or via news sites that i check spasmodically.

today - i finally read the interview with Sinéad O'Connor, go to say that it is interesting and i definatly want to get her new album which jonny baker has recommended. i don't believe the way that she does but then again, i haven't suffered what she has at the hands of both family and the church. i defiantly want to go and have a listen to it at one of the local music stores or i should probably just check out her myspace page and be done with it.

another interesting article i read today from the news.com.au was about how bosses don't like to employ gen-y's but have to because of work/skills shortages. i am just out of the gen y's but i have worked with some and some of them live up to the bad name that they are painted with in the article, but seeing as my bro and other friends of mine are gen y's and are certainly the opposite to what is portrayed here. i will be taking this blog post with a large truck full of salt.

also an article from christian today about the mugabe regime and how it has lost its legitmacy with the people of Zimbabwe. I know people from Zim and they are beautiful people but the systemic way that they are being brutialised is just wrong on so many levels that i can not describe what i think and feel too well. i just pray and hope that things will change sooner rather than later as it just seems to be getting worse rather than better.

finally, i may have said a while back that i got a myspace page due to peer-pressure, well, i admite that i haven't been updating it much at all. but i am hoping to get some stuff up on it this coming week. so check it out and add me as a friend. :D

ok, ok, i know i am a geek

2007-07-12T13:21:00.000+09:30

when i miss having the internet at home even though i have it at work all day, but need it at night.

the reason for my silliness - i am back on line at home - woohoo!!! and so far have managed to config the paternal parental unit onto the wireless, now to do the maternal unit tonight.

oh, btw - am applying for a permanent job atm - scary stuff, and it needs to be in before 5pm tomorrow arvo. fun and games to be had by me!!

to you all out there - hi!!! talk with me some time soon. :)

those shining moments

2007-07-11T12:01:00.000+09:30

ok, this past week has had its shining moments and one where the clouds and rain have dampened my spirits (both figuratively and literally).

why, i know that part of it is that i have moved house in the past couple of weeks, the house settled and i feel like i have lost some of my freedom that i had until about 2 weeks ago.

things will change, things will get better, and i will manage it all better soon.

"for the grace of God sustains me" - at least this is what i hope.

I love this ...

2007-07-10T13:33:00.000+09:30

On their own, the bread and wine are nothing.
To become a foretaste and a promise
of love made real and a world made whole,
they need a story and a blessing
and a people who believe…

It would not have been God’s table
if they hadn’t all been gathered around it:
the betrayer and the friend
the power-hungry and the justice seeker
the faithful and the fickle.

When Jesus poured the wine, and the bread was broken;
when everyone could eat –
the outcast and the beloved
the arrogant and the gracious
the wrong-doer and the wrongly done by –
the table became a foretaste
of love made real
and of a world made whole.

Your company at the table,
will include the betrayer and the beloved
the wrong-doer and the wrongly done by.

It would not be God’s table without them.

And the promise is
that when you are together,
when you tell the story and give the blessing
when you break the bread and pour the wine
you will discover a foretaste
of love made real
and of a world made whole.

via here

remembrance

2007-07-10T12:37:00.000+09:30

You know it is funny how some things remind us of different moments and people who have made an impact on our lives. And the photo above did just that for me a couple of minutes.

Ok so why and what does it remind me of?

It reminds me of my birthday (of cause it is on remembrance day). So, it isn't a very deep meaning, but hey, that's life sometimes.

Irony of the independence for the US

2007-07-05T10:15:00.000+09:30

Here is this for yesterday's quote from Sojos:

Quote for the Day
But, when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
- Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776.

I am feeling that I am reading this with more than a pinch of irony.

A contest for you all

2007-07-02T16:17:00.000+09:30

You need to tell me where this photo was taken ...

The prize will be annouced later ... :D

just out

2007-06-28T16:20:00.001+09:30

was reading bill kinnon on my google reader and came across this post that he has put up.

i have got to say that i am agreeing with this in so many ways, whilst i am still struggling with the whole jesus with a skin concept because it always hits me between the eyes cause i know that i fail at it all the time, read the post by mark about what he is thinking too.

i know that instead of going to church on a sunday morning and that being my only "worship" for the week - i want to be active in my community in a way that is relevant to those in that community. i don't know how, it may be by going to visit some older people than me in a nursing home or something that helps someone overseas. but i want to show others that jesus has made a real difference in me and i don't necessarily need to get a monetary reward or a pat on the back from a fellow christian cause i am good at singing or helping on a sunday morning.

for me - i want to make a difference in this world - it is on this blog.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mohandas Gandhi

so what is it for you or me??

Greenpeace Strikes!

2007-06-28T09:16:00.000+09:30

With the whole debate about climate change going and the fact that we are now only just really taking any real notice of it now, is an interesting thing. I think the fact that we 'should' be doing more than we think.

The main reason that I was going to post is because of this photo that is on the ABC News Site currently. I have had a good giggle about it.

some fun!!

2007-06-27T12:40:00.000+09:30

i am such a geek

2007-06-27T12:35:00.000+09:30

ok, so some those that have worked with me, or know me; know that i love to find new things that will help me do what I need to do or help others. this week, i have gotten my workmates to use google maps - I now love them!! try them out - better than whereis.com.

People formerly known ...

2007-06-25T21:16:00.000+09:30

There has been a meme that started with Bill Kinnon and is still going around, with more people adding to it.

You can start here and you will find plenty of links from Bill's site to those who have continued it on.

For me personally, it explains more and more where I feel that I am currently at, a person still trying to understand everything that has happened to me within the institutional church and whether or not I want to be apart of that or something else for a while or not.

Decisions need to be made, and the answers will come in good time for me and you.

Let the discussion and thinking and sharing continue, around the world.

New News!!

2007-06-25T16:16:00.000+09:30

Ok, I have work - well, for a few weeks, which is certainly a relief for me (and my fam and friends). No more grumpy Rose!! Am back working where I left at the beginning of the month. Great people to work with, so this tranisition is the easiest of all. Now, I just need to write the application for this job permanently - now that sounds like fun!!

Hope you are all having a great week, I get to pack and move this week too!!

Where I wish I was ...

2007-06-18T18:46:00.001+09:30

Updated and Refreshed ...

2007-06-18T18:00:00.000+09:30

I spent part of last week, updating the WISE website. Good, clean, fresh look, very web 2.0. Some new links added, and hopefully, if there is no work this week then I will put a few reviews of these sites as well.

This week finds me with 1 interview so far this week, just needing some references, and a second offer of work - but nothing else. I am beginning to understand the meaning of frustration quite well.

Also too, have managed to read quite a bit over the weekend - so there are plenty of posts that I have starred, good reading! :)

Choosing Love

2007-06-15T10:26:00.000+09:30

How can someone ever trust in the existence of an unconditional divine love when most, if not all, of what he or she has experienced is the opposite of love - fear, hatred, violence, and abuse?
They are not condemned to be victims! There remains within them, hidden as it may seem, the possibility to choose love. Many people who have suffered the most horrendous rejections and been subject to the most cruel torture are able to choose love. By choosing love they become witnesses not only to enormous human resiliency but also to the divine love that transcends all human loves. Those who choose, even on a small scale, to love in the midst of hatred and fear are the people who offer true hope to our world.
Henri Nouwen

There is something so profound in this quote from Henri Nouwen. This quote shows me that there is always a choice in how we act towards a situation rather than re-act towards it. In choosing to act with love or even to re-act with love rather than acting or re-acting with fear, hate, violence or abuse we end helping ourselves and others make a difference in the world in which we live in.

So what am I getting at? Well, basically, I believe that if we act towards those who show hate, etc with love then in the end we make a difference. A rather big difference that will show in the end, to put it simply - we win!

What's happening now ...

2007-06-14T11:24:00.000+09:30

Ok, I know that it has been a while since I posted much of anything.

The past few weeks have not been too kind in some ways but kind in other ways.

Firstly, the house has now sold - that means that chapter is closing in my life, I didn't realise til last week but this house was the only 1 of 3 permanent places that we had growing up. The other 2 are likely to be around for a while long (the farm and the tumby house). But I think also it means we are closing the door on the life that Grams lived there and what we shared there. Another family has now bought the place, so I hope and pray that they have many happy times just we did.

The other main thing that has been happening or rather not happening has been work. I finished my last temp job on the 1st of June and today (and tomorrow) is the first time that I have worked since then and I am still looking for work. Let's just say that I learning about trust and patience - both have never been my strong points.

Oh, and now that the house has sold - I am now moving back to the hills. The lovely cool (!) hills!! ;-) Please pray for my sanity!! ;-)

That is enough waffle from me, hope you are having a great day!! :D

i don't think that there is much to say - except listen or watch this if you can

2007-06-08T01:02:00.000+09:30

via

here are some photos that i have taken over the past 6 months or so

2007-06-08T00:26:00.000+09:30

The beauty of the sun breaking through the clouds at Redcliff's

Ruth's Orchid

moon over Mt Barker

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

2007-05-30T09:50:00.000+09:30

Qantas ... The Chaser's View ...

2007-05-29T12:22:00.000+09:30

ok, i am not a huge watcher of the Chasers, but they are definately good at what they do. i saw part of this on 4Corners last night.

so what have i been doing, going, etc of late??

2007-05-24T16:42:00.000+09:30

well, I have been re-connecting with people over the last week, but i have also been reading a fair bit of late too.

Have just re-read Belgarath the Scorcerer and Polgara the Scorceress by David and Leigh Eddings. I now have to go and re-read The Belgariad and The Malloreon, now I need to go and buy them for my library. In case you are wondering, I generally read fantasy novels when I am wanting something to relax with, an easy companion you might say.

I have also been reading some more on PFKATC, et al. and hopefully I will have something to post during the weekend.

Until then ...

My Generation

2007-05-23T12:46:00.000+09:30

I saw this a few weeks ago, I think that it is brilliant!!

the story of it all ...

a new editted version

Praying to Die Well

2007-05-17T11:21:00.000+09:30

Many people say, "I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid of dying." This is quite understandable, since dying often means illness, pain, dependency, and loneliness.

The fear of dying is nothing to be ashamed of. It is the most human of all human fears. Jesus himself entered into that fear. In his anguish "sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood" (Luke 22:44). How must we deal with our fear of dying? Like Jesus we must pray that we may receive special strength to make the great passage to new life. Then we can trust that God will send us an angel to comfort us, as he sent an angel to
Jesus.
Henri Nouwen

It is coming up to the 1st anniversary of my Grams death, this time has been acsentuated due to us selling the home that she lived in for the last 30 years of her life. I think because I am living there atm, it is making it more real for me. But it is also giving me the opportunity to remember her in a place that she loved, surrounded by people she loved. I even have a photo of her hanging in the kitchen/dining room, cause that always seemed to be the place that we spent the most time in, when we were there. The family life revolved around the kitchen, the sharing of meals, jokes and laughter, as well as stories that were told. These are good memories of my family and something that I want to pass on to the next generation of our family.

The dying part for her and us was hard but, the death for her and us was very freeing. And in that time, we grew as a family more than we had in years. It cemented some things that had not been looked at in many years, and it showed the cracks in those that had not been looked at, and it also showed the part that had already been removed by some members of the family.

I think the most important part was the reconnecting of the family that had started to disintergrate, and re-strengthened them anew.

I know this much it has made my immediate part of my family, look at each other and say - this is very important - we need to keep re-connecting constantly and not let time pass and not talk with them.

I guess the way that I look at is like this - Grams' garden was always beautiful and she spent time in it every day (rain or shine), so to do we need to tend our relationships with our family, if not daily then weekly. We need to make sure that we do something now, so that we don't regret not connecting when we no longer have the opportunity.

What do you think??

yeah, yeah - get over it

2007-05-14T11:18:00.000+09:30

so i have done another new look. while i liked the last look, i was bored with it and as winter is coming, i needed some colour - big time!!! if you have been coming here for a while - you know that i love to change things around when i can.

the weekend ... the sunday part ...

2007-05-14T11:10:00.000+09:30

ok so, mother's day ... family breakky, church, family lunch, family time, chilling, going home, sleeping ... :D

ma seemed to enjoy herself - i think it helps we were all there... ma and pa were the planners behind the service at church - they really encluded everyone, which people were really positive about to ma and pa. if you want more information - you will need to email cause i need to ask for the stuff from the olds.

now, i am knackered.

the weekend ... the first part

2007-05-13T09:55:00.000+09:30

ok - so i didn't do(?) heaps on friday or saturday but hey, i needed to rest a little bit. I did accomplish a few things. mind you i think j accomplied a bit more than me on sat, but is mainly cause he set up my wireless b/band, and that is a great thing, now i just need move a few things around and set up the modem in the right spot. you just got to love it!! so that was those 2 days, sunday - well, that is worth another post of its own.

ok, i am going to way into this debate

2007-05-10T14:43:00.000+09:30

so this person (let's call her paris!) gets pulled over and the police officer finds that she is driving without a licence because she lost her licence for drink driving in the months prior and is also on probation. do you think that she should have her probation removed, i don't.

anyway this is the petition i think that we should support, (and yes, i know there are other ones out there). there are currently 21751 signatures - wow.

ok, so why should she, you ask. well, let's see what if - she had an accident? injured herself and maybe others?? what then? personally, she has been a fool, she could have finished with this, if she actually did something that others do - take responsibility for herself and her actions.

so that is my 2 cents

Making Our Lives Available to Others

2007-05-09T09:46:00.000+09:30

I think that this explains part of the reason that I write this blog, write in my journal, and write poetry.

One of the arguments we often use for not writing is this: "I have nothing original to say. Whatever I might say, someone else has already said it, and better than I will ever be able to." This, however, is not a good argument for not writing. Each human person is unique and original, and nobody has lived what we have lived. Furthermore, what we have lived, we have lived not just for ourselves but for others as well. Writing can be a very creative and invigorating way to make our lives
available to ourselves and to others.

We have to trust that our stories deserve to be told. We may discover that the better we tell our stories the better we will want to live them.
Henri Nouwen

Signposts on the Way to God

2007-05-08T17:53:00.000+09:30

How do we know about God's love, God's generosity, God's kindness, God's forgiveness? Through our parents, our friends, our teachers, our pastors, our spouses, our children ... they all reveal God to us. But as we come to know them, we realise that each of them can reveal only a little bit of God. God's love is greater than theirs; God's goodness is greater than theirs; God's beauty is greater than theirs.

At first we may be disappointed in these people in our lives. For a while we thought that they would be able to give us all the love, goodness, and beauty we needed. But gradually we discover that they were all signposts on the way to God.
Henri Nouwen

ok, why do i think that this quote is important - cause it is!! for me, this has been the main way that i have been shown the 'how to' of walking with Jesus.

tell me what you think??

Bayeux Tapestry

2007-05-07T13:22:00.001+09:30

Found this, this morning, it is brilliant!!

let's dance today!!

2007-05-02T13:54:00.000+09:30

enjoy ;)

Happy B-Day Ma!!!!!

2007-05-02T10:36:00.000+09:30

my weekend

2007-04-30T16:24:00.000+09:30

ok starting with friday night - went to herbie hancock concert (he was playing with the ASO), which was just brilliant!! Loved it totally. The drummer was sublime, the guitarist - awesome!, and the bass play, pretty darn good. Basically if you missed it, bummer, next time he is here - you have got to see him play - cause he can certainly do that!!

saturday - had breaky with T and then went shopping at word, managed to buy 2 books which were different to the 2 that i was going to buy. soul cravings by erwin mcmanus and out of bounds church by steve taylor (who, btw is in adelaide next week - see here for more details). I then changed and went out to a "open house" at semaphore which turned into a wedding for the jeffs!! very cool!! My last 2 stops for the day was my place and the parentals, to spend time with the bro and s-i-l!

sunday - mmm... lacking sleep (majorly), saw the last few balls of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, went to church at the parentals, lunch, then in the car for the journey home, so the bro and s-i-l could catch the plane home. then went to bed rather early.

anyways, that was my weekend - i am not ready for a long sleep!! ;D

bring it on!!

2007-04-26T12:06:00.000+09:30

i am going to love the next 2 or so months, i think that i will be having a movie fest!! there's transformers, spiderman 3, harry potter (no 5), amazing grace, history boys, pirates of the caribbean, shrek the third, ocean's thirteen and one that sounds interesting is Bridge To Terabithia.

what do you all want to see?

i love to find these things

2007-04-24T18:31:00.001+09:30

classic calvin and hobbes - put to music. :D

Henri Nouwen Meditation

2007-04-24T17:55:00.000+09:30

I wrote this post a week or so ago, and thought that I would share it here with you. :)

Friends as Reminders of Our Truth

Sometimes our sorrow overwhelms us so much that we no longer
can believe in joy. Life just seems a cup filled to the brim with war, violence,
rejection, loneliness, and endless disappointments.
At times like this we need our friends to remind us that
crushed grapes can produce tasty wine. It might be hard for us to trust that any
joy can come from our sorrow, but when we start taking steps in the direction of
our friends' advice, even when we ourselves are not yet able to feel the truth
of what they say, the joy that seemed to be lost may be found again and our
sorrow may become livable.

What do I think of this meditation:

I think that it is easy to forget that it is in the hard times that we truely become who are, not through the easy. While it can at times feel like the whole world is against us, and that we have no friends, it is in these times that we truely learn to rely completely on God alone and His strength rather on our own and in our strength.

this i think sums it all up for me atm...

2007-04-23T16:46:00.000+09:30

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

By Robert Frost (for more poetry)

this poem has stayed with me since i did year 12 (yep, a long time ago), and funnily enough it really spoke to then and it does now, but in different ways. at the time it spoke to me about having different beliefs to others around me.

and now it talks to me about making a choice about where i want to go in life and how the choices that i have made, have made me who and what i am - right here and now.

where i will be in even 12 months comes from the decisions that i am making, so i need to focus and make sure that i make the right choices for my future and what i want it to look like.

definately food for thought for me. mmm... i know this much i never ended up expecting that i would be where i am today, even 2 years ago.

food for thought.

the truth about it all...

2007-04-20T13:34:00.000+09:30

was watching tv last night, and saw this program, called 'Tony Robinson: Me And My Mum', on the ABC.

for those of you, who have been reading this blog for a while, will know that we put my grams into a care home at the end of 2005, this was due to the fact that she could no longer be at home because of the cancer that she had.

i found it really difficult to watch this program, just due to the fact that I can really remember the process and the fact that my grams never wanted to go in a 'home'. the scariest thing for me, was that grams no longer smelt like grams, she smelt very antiseptic, which is fine if you are a health professional, but not a child or grandchild.

i personally, never ever want to end up in a 'care home', i want to drop dead somewhere, or go out with a big bang, i don't want something that makes me linger and wish that i had a gun close by.

in many ways (i know that i am going to put someone offside with this next comment), i fully support euthenasia, if the person in question wants it - not the family. why? simply because i have been the family that sits beside the bed watching someone fade away, and that hurts more than suddeness of a shock death.

if my grams had dropped dead like her dad, i think (in fact, i know) that i would have coped a better than i did at the time. i know that it was she actually wanted to happen but she still had to fight till the very end, which was as ugly as it can get.

there are so many memories swimming around in my head about what was happening at this time last year. preparing for grams b-day on the 25th - yeah, grams was born on 25 April. which in many ways if very cool.

so this next wednesday, is a day tinged with remembrance for people who fought and lost in the wars that Australia has been apart of and it full of family memories with lots of laughter, joy and peace of being a child in my gram's house while we celebrated her birth.

so if you are going to ask, what am i going to do this next wednesday, i am planning to go the dawn service in town - at the war memorial on north terrace and then go home and prepare for friends (& family, i hope) to invade my place for a bbq, to help me to celebrate and remember a very special person who helped to shape my life.

new post up

2007-04-20T13:16:00.000+09:30

there are 2 new poems that have just gone up on bilbo speaks.
cheers!

Update
there is also a new look for bilbo speaks. :)

are we entitled too anything??

2007-04-17T12:00:00.000+09:30

read this post this morning about entitlement within american society and i really believe that this rings true within australian society too.

i have certainly thought that i am entitled to a lot of things during my life time.

but i'm not!

i am rich by the standards of this world, i have money in the bank, a roof over my head (and i don't share my place of residence), i have i own a car (all mine!!), i have a job, i am employable and want to be employed.

so this is my question - what am i doing about what i feel and how am changing what i do and say to change the way in which i think about entitlement?

this is my question to ask you - do you think that you are entitled too? and if not, what do you think we all should be doing about how we act and react to situations in regards to entitlement?

you need to read these

2007-04-12T13:52:00.000+09:30

i know this is a rather lame thing to do but go and check out this post at achievable ends. and here at emerging grace (part 2) and then here at emergent voyageurs (part 3) and then finally here at radical pastor (part 4). also mark berry has some comments here also.

i think that these people are far more coherent in the way that have approached this subject than i could.

so go and have a read - and don't ask me - i am still trying to work what i think but this whole resonates with me rather strongly.

Update
alrighty, i have now managed to read all the posts that i mentioned above and i am slowly processing what i have read, in fact i think that i will re-read them before i make too many comments here. so i will update again and hopefully soon this week.

Update 2
Greg Laughery at Living Spirituality now has part 5, and Live with Desire has part 6. Hope that you enjoy the reading. I am sure that this discussion is going to continue for a while.

I personally am now more interested in ways in which the "People Formerly Known As" are effecting their communities. Food for thought...

something new

2007-04-12T13:42:00.000+09:30

found this menu in a box today in my lunch time reading, now as i am single and live on my own, it would work but in a smaller way than others.

found via.

an update

2007-04-10T10:00:00.000+09:30

hi all, here is a very quick update about me.

i am currently working at one of the uni's in town for around 4 to 6 weeks doing general admin work, nothing too scary or hard - so a nice quiet change for a little while. and i am really enjoying the people and the work.

in regards to me going forward (workwise) i am still looking at the courses (indesign, photoshop, html & css) and help me to work towards what i really want to be doing in the long run, i will give you more updates on this as time goes by (sounds like a tv show).

am going well in the new house and it is starting to look better (inside and out), and it will be completely unpacked sooner rather than later, progress is steady(need to do the spare rooms up).

my easter break was good (& quiet), i visited laurie and chilled out with her for most of the weekend and i will be seeing her (i hope) this weekend coming.

with all the changes that have happened with people going overseas and interstate, then for me with changing houses then jobs, oh and moving church, you would think that i would have had time to blog more recently - haha!!! but now that my broadband is now online at home, so i hope that i will be more regular in the coming months, so look for some more thoughtful and thought provoking posts than it all being about me! ;)

quote for the day

2007-03-21T14:00:00.000+10:30

this is via sojourners verse and voice of the day - 02.28.07

In essence, what Jesus imparted to his disciples was that they
must strive for true justice on earth as in heaven, as their righteous service
to God; that they must honor God by doing indiscriminate justice, by lifting up
"the least of these" on the altar of God's justice and mercy; that they must set
into motion a revolution of love and holistic spirituality that demonstrates
love for God by treating the needs of even the least of God's children as
holy.
- Obery M. Hendericks, Jr.excerpt from The Politics of Jesus.

So what does this mean for us? Do we make a stand against an injustice that is served against a fellow human being (and that means no matter the country!)? Or do we let the unjust ways of our leaders and rulers of the world do what they like just so they feel good about themselves?

Please, don't get me wrong, there are people who need to be punished if they break the law but I don't think that making people wait for justice to prevail or run its course, is this the right way to go about it all?

I also think that there is more to Jesus than judgement and fighting the war that isn't of flesh and blood, I really think that one of the ways that we can make a difference and show who Jesus came to show us to be. Is to stand up and make a difference starting in your local community but also to stand up and fight for those who do not have a voice all around the world.

Tell me what you think?

so about me - again or rather still!

2007-03-21T13:21:00.000+10:30

Ok, I have now finished at my old job yesterday and am now on holidays until the end of next week. But during that time I get to come and do some work for WISE, so hopefully that will get updated in the next few days or even today.

I have some work Thursday and Friday this week, and I need to finish writing some applications today so that I can email them today for a couple of jobs that I have been looking at.

Not having work isn't really exercising my brain atm but the moving and unpacking that I am doing is though. So I probably should (that word), get to and do some of it before I have someone come and stay at the weekend.

So if you need me, email and I will try and back to you but I won't have email till the end of next week that is easy to use apart from my dial-up (and yes, Telstra are bastards!) or you can try the mobile if you have it.

Anyway, that is all from me, the one on holidays!!!!! :D

an update - as requested

2007-03-12T19:38:00.000+10:30

ok you guys... here is an update as was requested in the comments on the previous post.

i have been working (as I leave in about a week, that has been fairly important), moving house (yes, again), J & A moved to Melbourne, Dad has gone O/S (Israel, this time), am looking for a new job (am thinking that it needs to be something easy this time), am also not in the best place for posting what is going on - cause well, it is a little too personal atm not to mention that I really should be focusing on other things.

ok, my excuses are now out of the way, the main reason is this... i currently don't feel so great - my head isn't in the best of places and no, i don't really want to talk about it - please understand that i just am in that place atm. i will get passed this, i always do, it is just a valley time not a mountain top time for me. and for those that are worried - don't be, i have been beating this beast for a while, am just in a place where i need to work harder at it, that's all.

anyway, i hope and pray that you are feeling better than i am, in fact i certainly hope that you are feeling a lot better than i am.

hope to be back on line soon, and if you are posting then i will try to read it.

well, it is about me and where i am

2007-02-21T19:00:00.000+10:30

where am i and where have i been??? well, i could say that i have to london to visit the queen but that would be a lie. iand no i haven't been hiding under a rock either.

i have been around but work is very crazy atm with pancake day and more pancake day. we survived and had a great time yesterday. i definately think that it was a good day, and having seen the photos that were taken it certainly seemed that everyone there had a great day. so maybe now work will start to slow down a little but that doesn't seem that likely, cause it just never does at work.

i was also away for a weekend recently over at redcliffs - great place, and the people weren't too bad either. suppose that i will have to upload some photos for everyone to peruse at their liesure.

one thing that i have managed to do is to update the wiselink website a bit lately, so go and have a gander. one of the things that i am mainly doing there is reviewing some websites for useful insight and some good reading.

have fun y'all!!

Henri Nouwen

2007-02-16T21:13:00.000+10:30

The Meal That Makes Us Family and Friends

We all need to eat and drink to stay alive. But having a meal is more than eating and drinking. It is celebrating the gifts of life we share. A meal together is one of the most intimate and sacred human events. Around the table we become vulnerable, filling one another's plates and cups and encouraging one another to eat and drink. Much more happens at a meal than satisfying hunger and quenching thirst. Around the table we become family, friends, community, yes, a body.

That is why it is so important to "set" the table. Flowers, candles, colorful napkins all help us to say to one another, "This is a very special time for us, let's enjoy it!"

This comes from my daily meditation yesterday (yep, only just got to read just now), and thought about what it means for us. We (Christians) can hide behind all sorts of things when relationships with others are not intimate, but meals and the sharing of food helps to encourage or foster the intimatcy that is needed in real relationships. You know the type of relationships that help to grow and change and to help you to see the world differently.

I realised this week just how much these relationships are needed, especially with my bro and sis in law moving this weekend to Melbourne. The intamcy that we share because we are family and because we spend time together learning about each other over food, drink (esp the coffee). That we are granted a closeness that wouldn't be there otherwise.

There are a few relationships that I have some small regrets over but in the majority i don't, which for me is important, i want to encourage the relationships which i value to grow into more. Its the relationships that make us who we truely are.

ok, i know i haven't been consistent of late ...

2007-02-04T21:09:00.000+10:30

this post is really all about goodbyes and new beginnings ...

my biggest news for the past week is that my little bro and his loverly wife are moving to melbourne!!! very out of the blue, but they are really pumped to go, so i am. don't get me wrong, i know that them leaving sucks in many ways, and i guess i always thought that i would be the first one to leave this town behind with all its trappings behind but my bro is trail blazing before me which is kind of cool too. so j&a - good luck and have lots of fun!!

on other notes - i have to reapply for the job that i have been doing for the last few months as the person who has been on leave has now decided that she returning to africa instead of south australia. so that is certainly adding to the whole scope of my life as i currently am!

and the 3rd big thing (they seem to come in 3s don't they) to happen in the last week was that it was my last week at the church community that i have been attending for the past 17 years of my life!! big change for me! i have no home community currently so i am learning to seek God in this whole situation on not being in control of my life!!!

so from this recovering control freak - have a fantastic week!

btw - there have been some fantastic things that i have starred in my reading today. :)

So I am a cat mmm... who'd have thought it possible!!! :)

2007-01-31T10:04:00.000+10:30

You Are: 10% Dog, 90% Cat

You are are almost exactly like a cat.You're intelligent, independent, and set on getting your way.And there's no way you're going to fetch a paper for anyone!

http://www.blogthings.com/areyoumorecatordogquiz/">Are You More Cat or Dog?

Thursday Thirteen #11

2007-01-27T12:56:00.000+10:30

Thirteen Things about my Australia Day

1… I had a BBQ at my place

 2… I had some great friends over to share the day

3… We listened to the Hottest 100 on Triple J
4… We watched Australia annihilate the English Cricket team (it was shockingly bad!)


5… We taught 2 new friends (from Canada) how to plan cricket


6… We made pancakes

 7… We definitely enjoyed ourselves

 8… We talked a lot

 9… We laughed a lot

 10… I made a wicked watermelon salad (with feta, red onion and mint)!!

11… We played our own version of cricket on the local school oval

12… I cleaned the house before they came & I will clean the house now they have left
13… I had a brilliant day


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Thursday Thirteen #10

2007-01-18T10:22:00.000+10:30

Thirteen Things about my 2006
1… That I lost someone close to me

 2… That I moved jobs twice

3… That I moved house twice

 4… That I had friends move to another country

 5… That I proved to myself that I can do anything I want too

6… That I realised that I can't be everything to everyone I can only be me

 7… That I spent lots of time with family (on both sides)

 8… That I wanted to travel more and didn't

 9… That I still have 2 cities on my to do list - Perth & Darwin

 10… That I was going to make a difference in this world

 11… That I started to buy food, etc more ethically

 12… That I supported people who needed it more than me

13… That

2006 sucked in many ways

PS - I know I have been slack in the last few months - am back now!! (I hope)


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