U2 Concert - Sydney 11th November 2006

Last saturday, I went to the U2 concert!!

I remember queuing up to get tickets at like 5am cos the first concert sold out within an hr. Was really desperate to go cos i dont know that they will tour again... or if they do... i might be past it with going to concerts...

They certainly dont disappoint. I was told by some friends who went the night before that it was awesome... and it really was AWESOME...

I dont know what it is that made it so good... maybe the 70000+ crowd, the buzz and energy around the stadium... or the fact that it was kinda the anticipation as i'd waited a yr since buying the tickets...

I must admit that they sound great live too... some musicians have great cd's but when the play live, the sound isnt great.... U2 certainly didnt disappoint me...

ARGH... AWESOME... i dunno what else to say... except i wish i could go to their last concert in Hawaii... would be great and they have pearl jam opening there too... wow...

Just had to add some pics from the concert. If you want to see the full photo album then email me for an invite!

Sometimes you cant make it... on your own...

No to poverty and persecution...

We need love & peace...

One...

Zoo station

Massage therapy

I'm gonna be contraversial and give you an opinion...

Last monday (2 mondays ago) there was a story on Today Tonight about this girl named Asha who had a stroke which she and her family are blaming on a massage she received the week before. I must admit, I have compassion but the way her story was done... it really infuriates me.

I've had a few conversations with people since, especially massage therapists as it seems to put their profession in bad light. Basically this is my understanding and my opinion on the matter but i think it's a professional opinion.

I'll outline the story as told on Today Tonight (which is a dodgy show anyway). Basically Asha had a 15 min corporate massage at work by a qualified massage therapist. The massage was on Thursday. She was a little sore after the massage. Through the course of the weekend she began to exhibit neurological symptoms such as sluggishness, dizziness. On Monday she had a stroke and remains hospitalised because of the neurological damage.

Today Tonight cited that the doctor said the stroke was caused by pressure on blood vessels supplying the brain that were damaged by the massage. However, the doctor refused to make any comment on camera... how dodgy is that... i mean if you're gonna say something then support it with a specialist agreeing with it.

I have major problems about how the situation is being handled... If they are blaming the massage therapist, then why are they not sueing him? They have set up a website that asks for donations to help. While admirable, i cant help feeling that the whole today tonight thing was just more publicity and all they're really after is money.

Vertebral artery dissection is probably a 1 in a billion for a massage therapist (risk factor for a chiropractic manipulation for causing a CVA (stroke) is like 1 in 25million.) Chances are that Asha would have had her CVA whilst looking up at the sky or sitting in a hairdresser's chair. Just very unlucky for the massage therapist... still the massage was thur and the stroke was monday...

I feel for Asha but i dont really agree with the parents methods of raising money. I dont feel inclined to donate as i just feel they are slagging the massage therapist, pointing fingers and scare mongering.

Epiphone Les Paul

Well I havent written for a while but there hasnt been much interesting to tell...
But... last week... i bought a new guitar... and what a dilema...

Basically been looking at buying a new guitar for a while... was looking at the Epiphone SG... it looks wicked in white... in black it's kinda a really rock guitar but in white... looks great for a girl... so i was chasing after a white one around australia.

Anyway... after looking for this guitar for a while... and stores saying they could order it in for me... i by chance saw another epiphone... the LP100!!! wow...

So after spending all this time trying to find a SG... i ended up buying a LP!!!

mmmmm love my new guitar...

The SG


The Les Paul

Dayspring

Last sunday I visited a penticostal church in Castle Hill called Dayspring.
I guess i was just visiting because i was curious. I have been to Hillsong before and i just wanted to see what it is like at Dayspring.

I was surprised to bump into a few people i already knew from Mac uni and also CCC milson's point. These are some generalisations and impressions so they're a point of view or opinion.... if you are reading this then understand that it is from my point of view and that it may be different to what you may think.

I thank God for the experience because it actually was what i needed at the time and God really did speak to me.

First thing i noticed when i got there was that the layout was cafe style - tables and chairs around... with coffee and biscuits. Very casual. They start their service with singing. I must admit that the singing really did blow me away. I think it's great to sing praise to God and sing fervourently (is that a word?) from your heart. I think that sometimes at more traditional churches we dont clap and really sing with passion. I looked around and thought... "wow... this is a slice of heaven, God's people singing His praises - singing loudly and passionately..." i'm looking forward to that!!

The message was in a format a little different to that which i am used to. I guess at evangelical churches... we describe it as exegetical where we have a passage explained (sometimes we have topicals too). Dayspring emphases the role of the Spirit in our lives and that came out in the message. The speaker talked about living our lives according to the spirit. That as humans we are mind, body and spirit. Dont discount the guidance that the spirit gives in our lives. There were points i didnt agree with... i could understand his point but didnt totally agree or didnt agree with the way it was put.

Why the sermon hit me... I guess i've been feeling very exhausted in ministry at my church. I felt like i pour my heart and soul into what i'm doing but i guess i was getting quite discouraged by the fact that people really didnt seem to be affected in their lives. I guess i just felt so ineffective in encouraging people and that's just been so draining.

What Dayspring made me realise is that God is sufficient for me. God's love is sufficient for me. There are many missionaries overseas who never see the fruit of their labour. God's spirit and word sustains them... not the people they're ministering to or the people who are supporting them.

I guess it's given me courage... to go back to my church and just keep going (cos over the past yr i'd been looking at changing churches) . I know that God's spirit is with me and his grace is enough to fill me. When ministry is exhausting or church is lonely then i know that God is enough, dont need to look anywhere else for encouragement.

I guess my overall thoughts on Dayspring is that i dont think it's a church i'd go to regularly. But... their singing time is absolutely awesome and i wish we could do that at church... i wish people could be passionate about singing praises to God. I think the teaching is good at my church... it's easier to listen to as i felt at Dayspring i had to listen to everything very very carefully and critically (not that i dont critique or think about the message at my church). I'd definitely go back to Dayspring and it was really great encouragement at a time when i think i needed it. God is gracious!

Been a while... Part #3 Snowboarding and more exciting... my new ANGEL 134 wakeboard

well u can tell i'm sick... and very bored in bed... although i should sleep soon cos i have to work tomorrow!!

i'll just write about my ski trip... or rather snowboarding trip.
the week before going to the snow... i was out shopping for so much stuff... eg ski pants, socks, beanie... was too tempting to visit some ski shops...

cant actually believe it... kinda an impulse buy but i fell in love with a wakeboard!! and figured since it is still winter, i can get a 2006 board for cheap before the 2006/7 season starts again. so... after shopping around for the best possible deal (i knocked $600 off last summer's price!!) i bought the Liquid Force Angel 134 with Minx bindings!! wow... love it... although the 134 is bright orange... i was looking originally at the 130 which is blue but... after talking to the shop assistants, i was told not to go below 132 for me cos under 132 is apparently kids boards... *shrug*... thought it safe to go for 134 board cos i'm riding a 135 atm... it's around the same size...

itching now to take it out...

but... back to snowboarding... well i thought that since i can wakeboard, snowboarding should be ok to pick up.... no way....
argh after 5 days i was still landing on my knees or my butt...

it's quite interesting tho... with snowboarding... ur weight is square and evenly distributed on both feet... something i couldnt do... call it a wakeboarding habit...
u use ur hips to pivot to the direction u want to go.
argh 5 days of lessons and i still cant do it very well...
came home all bruised... think i should stick to skiing...

Been a while... Part #2 TWIST

well... it's been a month since twist... i'm actually home in bed sick at the moment... have been sick all week... so this is my time to write about what's happened in the last month!!

the day after the wedding was TWIST... which is a church musicians' conference. i have to say that it was absolutely AWESOME!!!

was chatting with a friend recently and talking about the place of music in our church services... in some evangelical circles the theory is we sing to encourage each other... my thinking is that we sing to praise God AND to encourage each other as we do it together.

as i reflect on why twist was so awesome... like what made it memorable... i guess i put it down to the encouragement that i did have playing music and singing praise to God... it was great to have so many people there together worshipping in song!

bass workshop was a bit bassic! loved the band workshop... very practical with how we can play together and build the song to help people sing.

free time was excellent as it was JAM time!!! whooo hooo... so much fun... i would like to have been able to learn more from people who play guitar or bass in that time. but... i wouldnt have traded the jam session we had... there musta been 20-30 people in that room... cos nobody really had anything to do... so we played and sang our hearts out!

ps 96 says to sing to the Lord a new song... i feel excited to praise God through music... sometimes i think we lack so much passion in our church services... we sing as though we're dead... how do we get congregations to really look at the lyrics and sing with passion?? i'm challenged!

Been a while... Part #1 the wedding...

It's been a while... gee July... since i blogged...

A lot has happened since then...

Daph and Russ got married at the beginning of August. Was a very busy time... Was tiring, stressful and a lot of fun!
The tiring bit started really the day before... getting up at like 5am to go to flower markets to get flowers for the table decorations for the reception...
I was impressed that Mark and Russ' auntie managed to get up considering they'd flown in from Perth the night before and 5am is like 3am perth time...
And they didnt get to sleep all day...

Was very funny cos i had to learn to dance for the wedding!! The day before the wedding!! suffice to say on the day i stepped on the best man's toes... ow... i'm not very good at this...

Wedding day was fun but also so rushed... started by picking daph up and going to chatswood for hair and makeup. Took like 3 1/2 hrs for all of us to get hair and makeup done. Took like nearly an hr to get daph's dress on and then.... we were nearly running very late... but we made it...

Then photos before, during and after the wedding... smiling for 5 straight hrs... owww cheeks are sore!! We froze to death on the beach whilst taking photos. Was strange posing for so many photos... firstly just standing in the background of daph and russ' photos... then we had to do stuff like hold hands and walk away from the camera... then turn around and look at the camera... it was a lot of fun!!

Reception... think we were all pretty tired and hungry and then we got to Curzon hall for the reception and it was time for more photos...
It's interesting sitting there in a bridal party looking out at all the people at the reception. Feel very self conscious. Food was great... thoroughly recommend the venue.. the chef even had a special dessert for the bride... mmmmm

I could write heaps on the night... prob dont want to bore you... fun but tiring!!
if you want to see photos email me and i'll send u the link for the photo album.

Funny bits - the lighter side of work...

I've been quite cranky at work lately... maybe it's cos i'm just a lil stressed out. This morning it was cos Trev (the human garbage bin) ate all my biscuits and my stomach was grumbling all morning.

So... i have to write down some funny things that happen at work... just to balance the crankiness!!

1. We had to have a laugh at the things that patients leave behind when they leave.
The other week, Trev found a sock in one of the rooms. I guess we thought it was funny... i mean... how do u leave with only one sock on and not notice?!??! The day after the sock... one of my patients left a singlet... which was promptly thrown out... ewwwww

2. There are times we have to giggle about patient's names. Sometimes you wonder how people went through childhood with their names... still i spose it wasnt up to them and i dont want to be mean. Today was a little different... our regular post contains a lot of junk mail about various chiro seminars. Anyway the guy who was being advertised was named "Donka". Doesnt seem so funny now but boy was it funny then. I'm sure he has a lot of credentials but somehow I cant take seriously a guy named "Donka".

3. I can never get past the boss' practical jokes. At least it makes work kinda fun at times. The new coke bottle (soccer edition) is gold.... so u cant see thru it... the old bottle u can see the icky brown stuff inside the bottle. This week Trev decided to drink his wife's coke (she's addicted). Anyway, i walked into the staff room to find him filling the bottle with water to cover up the fact that he'd drunk the whole bottle... he was giggling. Oh dear... well it would probably have been funny (not for her) to see her drink the "coke" only to end up with water.

Dancing on Ice

I missed the first episode of Torville and Dean's Dancing on Ice. I did hear quite a bit about it so watched this week.

Couldnt believe the number of injuries... although skating is really dangerous at times... ice is a hard surface to fall on! A dislocated ankle, injured knee ligaments and a hand laceration later... i guess the stars get that too...
I think the problem with it is... too little time... i mean it takes professionals years to perfect those moves. The lifts etc that they're getting the stars to do are really quite dangerous when they havent been grounded in the basics.

I'm really impressed with Karl and must say he's my favourite. His basic skating looks good technically and it's good to see he's building up his tricks around that.

Another thing that really gets on my nerves is the stupidity of the judges.... ok maybe not stupidity but maybe inconsistency in marking etc... Alissa Camplin is just as blonde as she seems... nooo idea about skating... just there to complete the asthetics of the judging panel.

Last week's results were an indication of the poor judgement of the judges. It came down to Tricia Broadbridge and Michael Slater. Take the personal stuff out cos i really admire Tricia. But... her skating... i'll give her marks for grace on the ice but a lot of her routine with her partner was lifts. I failed to see any great skating from her... when she skated (not during lifts), it was only on 2 feet. I thought her basic skating - crossovers, three turns, mohawks etc etc were severely lacking and fail to see how anybody who knows anything about skating would vote for her over Michael Slater. Slats, though he lacks grace at times, demonstrated some good basic skating.

It's funny to read the paper and messageboards about the show online. There are calls from the public to can the show cos it's just too dangerous.
I think it's fine but i think they should just work harder on more basic skating and not get caught up with the more difficult lifts. I dont think that public interest would be lost... just the health of the stars might be preserved!

Ginger Meggs

Went to visit Phil and Fiona yesterday in the hospital because Fiona just gave birth to a baby boy.
He's so cute... a very quiet baby... with reddy/brown hair... kinda like Fiona's... they dont have a name for him at the moment but phil has been calling him "ginger meggs".
Fiona said it was ok for me to post these images so here is a pic of the new baby...

It's been a while...

it's been a while since i've blogged anything.
for 6 weeks i was working a crazy 5 1/2 days... basically was really tired so all i was doing was work, eat, sleep, with church and bible reading inbetween. thank God that's all finished now.... feeling less stressed out but still quite tired at the moment.

there's a bit of sport on tv... with soccer world cup and wimbledon on atm. since i didnt need to work today, i stayed up to watch tennis for most of the night so that is also making me tired.

today i went to the independence service for the branch church (well not branch anymore) in Gordon... was extremely encouraging. there was a slideshow about how the church started. from a handful of people planting a church, it's grown into a large group. from having to drive the kids to epping to go to an english service, to having an english service of their own every week... it's really great to see how God has blessed and provided for the growth of the church - both in number and in the spiritual growth of the people.

cos i've been working so much, it's been hard to just catch up with people... was good to go and hang out with vic, joey and spamo this arvo too.

tomorrow it's back to the grind of work... fun!

The DaVinci Code

i went to see the movie today with a couple of girls from church...

my dad was meant to borrow the book from the library for me but cos there was such a long reservation list, he ended up getting the audio tapes instead. so i'd listened to the book read on audio tapes... so thought it would be interesting to see what kind of movie they make of it.

actually i didnt really like the movie... it was actually quite disjointed and i kinda wondered if somebody who had not read the book would follow it ok.
i'm thankful that a lot of the sexual references in the book were left out. and the storyline seemed different somehow... i spose for a 2 1/2 hr film you have to leave bits out.

the movie was quite believable tho... which i guess makes me wonder who will take it seriously. basically the book claims that Jesus was married to mary magdeline and they had a child... the holy grail is the documents that relate to the bloodline of Jesus. it also questions the authenticity and origin of the canon.

while i can see how the catholic church might be offended and the story might make people question christianity, i guess i pray that it might create opportunities to talk to people about the gospel. i think the movie challenged me to read more apologetics so that i might be able to have conversations with people who are interested...

as a post script... carolyn is such a cack... we were talking after the movie... and she was referring to leonardo da vinci as leonardo di caprio....
no carolyn... leonardo di caprio isnt a dead painter!

I dont know what to call this post...

It's been quite a long, busy week. My boss at Eastwood is away and i'm managing the clinic by myself. It's long hours and physically tiring... but this week it's also been emotionally tiring.

Over the past few years i've learned to leave work at work. Dont get me wrong because i do honestly care about my patients but at some point i have to leave their problems at work, otherwise i might just go crazy.

A couple of years ago my boss at Baulkham Hills was sick with cancer and eventually passed away. During that time i was visiting his house and doing what chiro i could to alleviate his pain (i couldnt do much because of his bone mets). I do remember tho that i just felt like crying all the time after seeing him. I was saddened because he wasnt Christian and also i guess it was just hard seeing him in so much pain.

This week i found myself getting so sad again. Great thing about my job is that i get to meet a lot of people and have some great chats. Over the past couple of yrs i've had great talks with one patient who is an amazing woman. Her hope is seen in her absolute trust in God and His will amidst her suffering. It's encouraged me no end.

Recently, she and her husband tried to move overseas but had to come back to Australia for her health. She told me that she was in hospital in Germany, delirious on pain medication and her husband told her later that she had been asking for me. At that point i really wanted to cry.

I guess i cant say too much but i've just been thinking and praying so much for her and her husband. In all this she just reminds me each time i see her about the hope we have in heaven. She really is such a huge encouragement for me and I praise so much God for that.

ND Women's Dinner and Talk

Well i'm writing about this more than a week later. It's been very very busy but I did want to write about this a while back.

On the 29th Apr we had the women's dinner and talk at church. The topic was 'gossip' and the speaker was my fren Reg.

I'll just say a little about her talk which i thought was really great. She'd really thought about it a lot and made very good practical suggestions on how we can watch our speech.

Firstly Reg defined gossip as talking about somebody behind their back or disclosing somebody's secrets or talking about their personal life. I guess the underlying fact is that gossip is destructive conversation. Proverbs tells us how distructive gossip is and that it breaks fellowship between Christians.

It was a good topic because it is such a prevailent thing... i mean society tells us it's ok to gossip and whole magazines rely on gossip to boost their sales. We want to gossip because we are proud of knowing something that somebody else may not. Either that or we gossip slander because we are unforgiving and we want to whinge about another person. Either way, gossip is destructive conversation.

I guess the challenge for now is to remember that as Christians, we should be looking to build up the body of Christ and not tear it down. Our gossip can cause a fellow Christian to stumble and so it is important to watch our speech. Also for non-Christians, what we say shows what is in our hearts. It is not wise for a Christian to talk badly about somebody else as it is not a good witness to a non-Christian.

There were practical examples that Reg gave about situations where we tend to gossip. I think i was really challenged and it's been on my mind since. I've been in those situations and know there is the temptation to say something that i think is ok but really when i think about it, it's gossip. It's also very aussie i think to make jokes especially pay-outs... am rethinking what is and isnt appropriate. I think the world would be a boring place if we couldnt share a joke but i guess the challenge is not to take it too far. Still learning... please pray for me.

thanks

also a little post-note.

wanted to say thanks to my frens for spoiling me on my b'day.
thanks for all the calls and prezzies and for lunch today.

so sweet...

An eventful Easter

Well it's already been an eventful easter!!
Yesterday the weather was beautiful and i went up to cliftonville with daph, russ, ngi and shannon. Last wakeboard of the summer as it's getting way to cold to be jumping in the water. I'm feeling quite good about my improvement over the summer. Did 3 good jumps to end my wakeboarding season for 2005/6. YAY!

Yesterday was Good Friday. I was asked by a friend about eating meat on Good Friday.... more whether i eat meat on Good Friday. I kinda shrugged and said yes... which shocked her i think. It kinda got me thinking about where that tradition came from. I know the not eating meat thing isnt a biblical thing... or at least not to my knowledge. I had a chat to a patient this morning about it. We're both not sure if it's a catholic tradition. I guess we agreed that we can eat meat on Good Friday but we dont if it's going to cause a brother/sister to stumble.

Last night was the Good Friday service at church. After i went home and half watched "The Passion of the Christ" (The reason i half watched it was cos when i saw it at the cinemas i bawled my eyes out and so couldnt really watch it again). At the end when Jesus dies, they show the earthquake and temple shaking. The biblical account talks about the temple curtain ripping.

It got me thinking... basically inside the temple was the holy of holies. Man is separated from God's holiness by a curtain. The high priest would go in once a year to make sacrifice for God's people but he had to cleanse himself first. Anybody who entered God's presence in a manner they werent meant to would die. So... when Jesus died on the cross, and the temple curtain was torn then wouldnt the Jewish people in the temple know something significant had happened because they were standing there in God's presence but not dead.

I wonder what the reaction of the people in the temple was at the time. What would the Jews have thought? Are there any Jewish accounts cos wouldnt the ripping of the temple curtain have been a big deal to them if they took God's holiness seriously??
Anyway... food for thought...

Today i worked... i turned up and said to my assistant "whose brilliant idea was it to work easter saturday??". Was actually a good morning... had a good chat to one of my patients who is a Christian.

Met up with daph and ngi in the arvo to look at bridesmaids dresses. Actually bought the dresses today... YAY!!

Ok now i'm really tired cos it's already been a pretty busy couple of days.

Religious revival huh?

Well i'm sitting here in my lunchbreak reading the paper online as i sometimes do...

One article i came across was really interesting and encouraged me.
It talks about Australia's religious revival amongst the young population.

What made me laugh was the takeoff on the Australian ads that say "where the bloody hell are you?". A church noticeboard had "where the bloody hell were you last sunday".

If what they say is true then i think its really great that more people attend church each week than any other event like sporting events etc. It sure doesnt seem that way amongst my uni and school friends.

There was an interview with Nathan Tasker who said that people seem to be searching a lot more for something these days. Might be the modern lifestyle... nothing seems to satisfy that God-shaped hole. It was great that he said in the end that it's not so much church the fact that people are drawn to a God who came to earth to interact and relate to us.

I scrolled down and looked at the piccie too and realised that it was Liz!! how cool that they interviewed her.

If you have time, have a look at the article. It's interesting and if the growth of Christianity is as they say then i'm really encouraged!

Stressed and tired!

I havent blogged much lately just cos i've been so stressed out and really tired.

Started my new job so am now going between clinics in Eastwood and Norwest. It's kind of exciting. A bit slow at Eastwood to start off with but it's getting busier.

Some great news... Daph and Russ got engaged. Daph is having only 1 bridesmaid and she's asked me so i feel extra special. Have been out and about looking at bridal gowns and bridesmaid's dresses. I actually never realised how stressful it is to plan a wedding until now! They've set the date for August but wedding dresses take 6 months to be ready... we have 5 months... hence the rushing around and stress.

I never realised what an industry weddings is... it's actually a very costly thing... from the dress to the flowers, photography, reception... argh...

Vicker's dessert arvo/kitchen tea was yesterday. It was really fun just to hang out and eat! Vic's wedding is in 3 weeks time. She already has her dress so we had fun making her put it on and do a catwalk.

So i'm here today... enjoying what little lunchbreak i have... my boss at Norwest is away at the moment... had to fly to Melb for a funeral. Argh... work, work...

Women's ministry at ND

Well it's been a slow start to the year but things are finally getting on track with women's ministry at ND.

This year we want to try to continue to promote the mixing of the different ages of women at ND. I have been meeting up with an older lady in the congregation and have been finding it so encouraging.

Also this year, we have had a lot of new people join us on sundays. When you are new, you dont know people really well so it's hard to open up to people about how you are going as a Christian. I think that the first women's event will be good for new people just as a social event where they can get to know people better. First step to accountability!

Have my fren Reg lined up as a speaker for the first event on the 29th Apr. Also want to form a band for the night... so we can also have some singing. It's all very exciting!

My new job

Well it's kinda old news now... but the last couple of weeks have just been so hectic. A couple of weeks ago... on the same day actually... i was offered 2 jobs...
One is a teaching job i applied for at Mac uni and the other another position at a chiro clinic 5 mins from my house!

The clinic is called Absolute Care Chiropractic. It is fairly new and located on Balaclava Rd Eastwood. Such a great location and opportunity. Just really tough atm cos my other job is also very busy and i cant really afford to quit that one just yet. So... i've rearranged my hours around and cut a day at Norwest...

Will be working 3 days at Norwest and 2 1/2 days at Eastwood. So... i can see that in the next few months... while i'm getting used to it all... i'm gonna die!! argh!

Missing bible college... *sob sob*

After talking to some college people at a party on saturday nite, i've relised that i really do miss bible college. Even tho i was only there a day a week and for a very short time, it really was an awesome time. SMBC morning teas were always yummy and a good chance to say hello and for me (being a newbie) to continue meeting ppl at college.

The classes were great too... When you study at uni, there are a heap of subjects that you just find boring and useless. Bible college is good tho because you really do appreciate and enjoy what you learn.

i'm excited about the series we're doing at church now on Romans. i always enjoy it when our pastor michael speaks. yesterday we were looking at Romans 1:18ff and he commented that our understanding of sin makes us realise our condition but also God's amazing grace.... it reminded me of college because that's what my lecturer said when we were looking at the doctrine of man and sin.

Casting Crowns

My mum has 6 sisters, only 1 is left in singapore now and all the rest have moved to aust. I really enjoy spending time with the extended family - my mum's 2nd eldest sister's family.

My cousin is the minister of a church called Cornerstone and so u'd think he'd be like really serious but he's soooo funny... a practical joker.. and he has quite a good falsetto...

It's nice to be around that side of the family during holidays cos they are Christian. Last Christmas we had a sing-a-long and my cousin's kids sang this song which i'd heard before but really liked. The band is called Casting Crowns.

I just got their old album and cant stop listening to one of their songs called "Who am I"

So i thought i'd paste some lyrics here:

"Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You're

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind

Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours"

Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

If you want to hear what it sounds like... i have the album or you can download a snippet at their website www.castingcrowns.com

God really is a gracious and loving God... who are we that He should save us. We are His not because of what we've done but because of what God has done and who He is...

Arrrr i love this song...

Hervey Bay & Fraser Island

Well i'm back at work again this week... but last week was kinda fun cos i went to hervey bay and fraser island.

It was quite nice to getaway for a bit. Hervey bay is just north of the sunshine coast and fraser island is an island just off the coast of Aust.

After arriving in hervey bay we were picked up by steph and taken to the outrigger resort where we were staying. The first day we just relaxed and walked around hervey bay for a bit and swam in the pool at the resort. Our apartment was on the 6th floor (top floor) and had a spa and a great view of the marina below.



The 2nd day we went to Noosa... which sharon calls "double bay by the beach". It was actually quite a hot day and we were trying not to get burnt. Typical tho cos sharon and i spent the arvo shopping all the boutique shops along the beach. Had dinner at this italian place that had just opened up along the beach at hervey bay (closer to steph's place). The place is so new that our waiter actually didnt really know what was what... which was quite funny. But he was a nice guy and shared that he played in a Christian band that had just finished touring around aust playing at schools and clubs.

The next day we made our way over to Fraser Island by ferry. Fraser island is the world's largest sand island. The entire island is one big sand deposit in the sea! Which makes it totally amazing that so much vegetation and wildlife exist. Apparently many years ago it was one mass of sand but seeds blew over from the mainland and some salt-resistant grasses started to grow. As the grasses died and decomposed, a humus layer was formed and other trees could start to grow.

Kingfisher resort is one of the 2 resorts on the island. The landscaping and pools are beautiful... but sadly the room is a bit of a disappointment and i think i wouldnt be staying there again.

Aust day and we went on a one-day tour of the island. When i first arrived i didnt expect that much but the history of fraser island is certainly fascinating. and you can drive a kilometer and find that the vegetation changes from bush to rainforest. poor sharon was really motion sick tho on the 4wd bus that we were on.



Interesting fact... one of the common trees on fraser island is the ring pine. they've stopped forestry on the island cos it's world heritage listed but ring pine is the stuff they make paddle pop sticks out of.



The day after was the last day of the holiday :(
Headed back to hervey bay and back to sydney.

Sharon's Oyster record

Went to the Four points Sheraton for seafood buffet lunch yesterday (have been going every week).
Our school friends know how incredibly much sharon can eat... even tho she's as thin as a rake and we dont know where it all goes... She's also famous for eating a lot of oysters at buffets!

My dare for her yesterday was to eat her record 62 oysters... and she did it... wow...
I think i had about 4 and was nearly puking (i dont really like oysters).
Well done shaz! We'll rename you "Sharon 'Oysters' Lee"!

Twenty20 Cricket

Last night i was meant to be studying... but i couldnt resist watching the 20/20 match between Sth Africa and Aust.

On sunday arvo i went to NSW v QLD 20/20 match. thought that both sides did well to score 167 (and NSW 168).... but the Aust side did even better scoring 208 at the gabba.

I think that 20/20 cricket is a great promotional game.... like not to replace the regular limited over matches but it is really exciting to see so many 4's and 6's being belted everywhere. And it seems to be played in very good spirit.... i liked how the commentators were able to talk to the captains on the field at times.

Here's an article from the SMH after the NSW v QLD game... everybody seemed to be in good spirits... so much so that they made a beer-cup snake...
I think the funniest quote on that page is "players wore tops emblazoned with the most unimaginative nicknames.".... sorry just my sense of humour...

The year so far...

Well i've been back at work since last wed. It's been quite busy but today is actually not too bad. I have a breather and am able to catch up on work left over from last yr!

I got new fishies last week... Ok that might be boring news for some but i really like my fish. My tank has been brightened up with the addition of 2 dozen neon tetras and a new clown loach. I already have one loach which seems to be lonely at times so thought i'd get another one. At the moment tho, they dont seem to be getting along. The little one follows the big one around but the big one doesnt seem impressed. Have a swordtail that is heavily pregnant at the moment so expect some baby fishies anytime soon. It's actually quite peaceful sitting there watching the fish swim around.

I've recently gotten into harry potter and in the last 2 weeks i've read 3 of the books. Currently reading the 4th book - HP and the goblet of fire.

Also currently reading a book on Evangelism by John Dickson. he talks about relativism in society and i like a bit at the end of the chapter where he talks about religious tolerance. He says that tolerance for Christians is not agreeing with somebody else's point of view or looking like you're agreeing if you think it's wrong. It's about loving the person and showing respect even when disagreeing.

I think that's a really hard thing to do. Sometimes if you dont say anything it seems like you are agreeing. If you disagree then it can alienate people and even result in arguments. Sometimes it's so hard to show love and respect for someone when at the same time you're making it clear that you dont agree.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Well it's now 2006!!

It's been an eventful year for 2005!
Yesterday was sooooo hot. Had a great new years eve tho... Sharon had a party and we watched the fireworks from her rooftop. It wasnt really a closeup view but we could see the fireworks all the way along the waterside from Glebe to the Opera house.

Stayed up all night and then went to watch the sunrise with some people from church at Freshwater beach. The sunrise definitely didnt disappoint as it was a beautiful red sun. Drove back from the beach blasting "New years day" by U2... trying not to fall asleep!

I think there were a lot of sleepy faces at church this morning. We heard a sermon on how to grow as a Christian. It is important not to stay in nappies but to grow and mature as a Christian... and the way to do it is under God's word. Was a good talk to start off the year... I am currently trying to read through some of the minor prophets...

Today was such a hot day... +40 degree heat... spent the day at Vic's... in the pool or chilling out in airconditioning...

Ok.. the lack of sleep starting to catch up with me... zzzzzz