Archive for April, 2007

Pondering

Monday, April 30th, 2007

Burnt
I am still quite burnt out from my time in India. Sadly I have not been afforded the luxury of being able to leave my time there behind me as I still need to do some technical support. I am finding it hard to motivate myself to do what I know I should and need to do for that. It makes me feel a failure when I think about all the loose ends and my incomplete training of my replacement. I know that rationally I did a reasonably good job, but getting that knowledge into my heart is so much harder.

Fashion
I am becoming interested in fashion and experimenting with it a bit. It can be a real source of power I think. At least I feel a bit of power when I think I am well dressed.

What I don’t like is $200+ shirts and the self image problems it can create. The sizing of clothing is a concern of mine. I felt really good when I got a pair of jeans that was 32 Waist vs the 35 waist of my last pair of pants. Then when getting some other jeans that week I had to go for 34. It made me feel a bit sad and fat when I realised I was not a true 32. It concerns me that I am worried about being fat.

Friends
I know I would not cope without my friends.

God
I need to trust and love God more.

Looking Forward

I miss having exciting land marks to look forward to. That was a really nice thing about India, I always had coming home to look forward to.

Music
I think I would not cope in this world without music. It helps me so much emotionally.

Sydney
One of my big questions I am working through is my place in Sydney. I am fairly committed there for the next year and a bit but beyond that I don’t know. I still have to work out what I am doing now.

Up vs Down
I have been sampling a little of the upwardly mobile life over the past while. I have been testing myself with it from time to time. My holiday in Malaysia and Singapore was probably the best example of this. I stayed in quite posh hotels and a bit of the high life. This weekend I got a glimpses of what my life could be like as a professional working for profit. It is quite pleasant in many ways. I know that I still have the chance to pursue an upwardly mobile kind of life, but it ain’t me babe. I am becoming comfortable with choosing a downwardly mobile life.

Wine and Word
I have been involved with an experimental experiential bible study and I have really been enjoying it. Organising it made me start to get some illusions of grandeur and in the first bit of it I was steering it one way and then gently another person pushed it in a different direction which was better. Groups really can work well and I have friends with so much wisdom I can draw on.

Melbourne

Sunday, April 29th, 2007

Well I am in Melbourne now at my sister and her partners Docklands appartment. It is rather nice. Yesterday we went shopping in Richmond which was quite fun. Then for dinner we got rather lost trying to find our way to Spirit of India an Indian restaurant. We caught a tram that went the wrong way and ended up walking for at least 30 minutes before we found the place. When we got there we found out that it had been booked out for a 50th birthday. We were not impressed. We decided though to get some takeaway there, and after Jeanette had paid they told her it would be a forty minute wait. So rude. Anyway we went and got a drink and some chips whilst we waited and then got a cab back here. Thankfully the food was actually quite nice after all the waiting.

After dinner we played some Buzz on their playstation 2. It was the first time I’d played it and I lost each game. The game is fun, but Buzz is so annoying.

Melbourne Bound

Saturday, April 28th, 2007

Well I am off today to go visit my sister Jeanette in Melbourne. I haven’t seen here for like more then a year I think, so it will be good to catch up. I think my plane count this year could end up being OK, not sure what it means for the environment. Maybe I should buy some carbon credits, but I wonder which groups doing it are just scammers. (Any thoughts Ben?)

Cringely

Friday, April 27th, 2007

I, Cringely this week has a column about Posted in About stuff | No Comments »

Shuffle bandwagon

Thursday, April 26th, 2007

IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
Outside Help (B.B. King)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Revolution (Grandaddy Cover of Beatles)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Mlk (U2)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
For you (Sarah Blasko)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Heart full of wine (Angus and Julia Stone)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
How blue can you get (b.b. king)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
The breaking of the fellowship (Howard shaw)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Any colour you like (Pink Floyd)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
All I want is you (U2)

WHAT IS 2+2? - That’s a stupid question
Almost Independence Day(Van Morrison)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BESTIE? –
Far from me (Nick cave and the bad seeds)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Yell Fire! (Michael Franti)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Slow train (Bob Dylan)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Belle Star (Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Talking about a revolution (Tracey Chapman)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Born Slippy Nuxx (Underworld)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Blowing in the wind (Bob Dylan)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Sadder then you (Angus and Julia Stone)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
See you in the light (Michael Franti)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Sexual Healing (Ben Harper)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Don’t let me down (Sterophonics Beatles cover)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Helter Skelter (U2)

WHAT SONG WILL BE THE SUBJECT WHEN YOU REPOST?
Remorse (Sarah Blasko)

Dimapur Mob Violence

Tuesday, April 24th, 2007

Oh dear… 30 homes were set on fire by an angry mob in Dimapur this week.

Comments are good to go

Monday, April 23rd, 2007

Looks like the comments are all working now, so that’s nice.

Comments

Monday, April 23rd, 2007

Some people have been having problems commenting on my blog.

I have disabled AJAX with the commenting, and I have also removed the Maths Quiz.

Can people post a test comment and see if it is now working.

Progress

Monday, April 23rd, 2007

Hillsong and the AOG churches are now blessing the divorces of domestic violence sufferers. I didn’t even now it was an issue but some people are quite upset about this relaxation of the rules including the Family First member Andrew Evens.

Non Violent Dream

Friday, April 20th, 2007

Last night I dreamt on my way home I ran into a gang. At first I tried to avoid them, but couldn’t. One of them ended up grabbing me and starting to beat me up. For the first few seconds I tried to respond physically but then I decided to try non violence. I ended up asking him questions about why he was doing it and the like. In the end he pretty quickly stopped and said something about me being one of “those Christians” and let me go.

I’m pretty proud of that dream. I hope if I ever get the chance I can live up to my non violent ideals, that I actually do it and that it works well.

Hate as Luxury

Friday, April 20th, 2007

“We can’t afford the luxury of hate”

From Got to do Better by Eric Bibb

Non Violence

Thursday, April 19th, 2007

I have been reading a little about the latest shooting in the US, this time it’s a university. It’s pretty bleak. I understand the teen angst behind high school shootings, but that should be gone by the time your in university surely.

Why did this person decide they wanted to kill 30 odd students at Virginia Tech?

From the SMH

“Do you know what it feels like to be humiliated and impaled upon the cross? Thanks to you I die like Jesus Christ, to inspire generations of the weak and the defenceless people,” Cho said, adding that, “When the time came, I did it. I had to.”

Sadly he missed the point of the cross. It was not Jesus killing people, but dying for them. Jesus embraced the path of non-violence and sacrificial love, and in doing so has inspired people for two thousand years.

Cho choose the path of violence, revenge, and insanity not the way of the Jesus.

I am wondering now how the concept of non-violence could be applied in the school yard, and in University. The idea of refusing to co-operate with bullies and the injustices within a school/university system appeals to me. I want a Ghandi of the school yard. I wonder if there was just one person who overcame the school system and turned their misery into victory. However I doubt they would get one line in the local newspaper for doing that. So their story would never get out.

It makes me think of how the crises driven media makes it easy to spot and make famous villains, but rarely shows a single hero…

Hmm… Our society is so sick.. Anyway better get back to work now.

Indian Helpdesk

Tuesday, April 17th, 2007

Some days I feel like I am going against the trend. Most people call or contact India for tech support. Today I am acting as tech support for people in India. I love going against the trends..

chork

Friday, April 13th, 2007

The chorka hybrid of the fork and the chopstick.

Getting a cold

Friday, April 13th, 2007

Oh dear I think I am getting a cold… It’s a shame I thought I might of avoided Ryan’s and Keith’s cold from Bluesfest. Maybe I shouldn’t of hung out with Ryan yesterday…

Oh well it’s not a bad one.