Melbourne... a month later...

Well it's well into the new year now...
I've kinda been either busy or lazy so havent posted for a while.

So... what's been happening...

Well in January I went to Melbourne for a week. This is my week:

Sat 13th Jan: Flew down on a saturday morning, dropped bags and checked into the hotel and then went straight to Kooyong for the final of the AAMI classic.
My favourite player has been Andy Roddick for a while and so it was good to be able to see him play Roger Federer in the final.
Erica (my friend whom i went to melb with) likes Safin and we were both treated cos we got to see the play-off for 3rd and 4th between Andy Murray of England and Marat Safin.
Was a great day cos Andy beat Roger in 3 exciting sets.

Sunday we went to Victoria markets where i bought heaps of earrings!! Walked around melbourne city and Docklands for a bit and then went to dinner at the Sofitel.

The restaurant at the Sofitel is on the 35th floor and boasts a really nice view over the Yarra and tennis centre, MCG etc... Also nice that I get 50% off there so i ordered the seafood platter... mmmmmm!!


Monday - at the tennis. Took heaps of photos... First match was Mauresmo and then Roger played. Since i'd seen them before, i wasnt really that fussed and didnt really stay in centre court. Went to go cheer on Ai Sugiyama who is a Japanese player i know from when i worked at the tennis... she's prob the only player that remembers me from my days at the tennis. Sat with a bunch of Japanese ppl and i think i might have been one of only a few that called out encouragement while she was playing... the Japanese ppl just sit there politely and watch. On the other hand, the swedish supports (her opponent was swedish) were very vocal!

Went round the centre collecting various freebies... It was nice to have an American express card cos u get a free radio and also free frappes in the AMEX marquee. It would come in handy the next day when i kept going back every hour for a free drink cos it was 40 degrees.

Mon night we went to Lygon st for pasta!! yummmm. there's also this lolly shop that has all kinds of unusual lollies... yummmm.

Tue went to the tennis again. Funny story... a girl was walking up some stairs and suddenly one of her thongs came off. The stairs are badly designed and she unluckily flung her thong between the stairs to the area below... which nobody could seem to get to. At around the same time... i happened to drop my program between the stairs too! So... off to ask somebody in security to help. But i was chatting to the event staff person who helped us and mentioned i used to work at the tennis in sydney... she was really nice... and i dont know how i got the info but she ended up telling me where all the important players would be that day... like when they had booked practise courts and which court they would be on at what time. Handy info to know... took heaps more photos.


Wed... no tennis... had lunch at Fifteen, which is Jamie Oliver's restaurant - the one that has been on TV... What can i say... big plate, little food. Think I paid $40 for an entree and dessert. The service was great and the staff were so polite and even offered to take photos for us.
Trev calls Fifteen "the zoo" because "you're only going there to eat so you can see the 'freaks' (his words) that work there". I think i can say i've been there but i prob wouldnt go back.



Caught up with Cath Wan at night... it's been yonks since i've seen her... had tapas and then went out for coffee. Great to catch up!

Thursday... sleep in day... no tennis today either... but lots of shopping. It's amazing how Melbourne weather changes... on tuesday it was like 40 degrees, wed 20 degrees - freezing cold and rainy. Thursday was rainy in patches. Went down to Bridge St. which is where the factory outlets are... bought lots but mainly presents for upcoming b'days and things like that.

Friday.. went shopping again... hey melb is good for shopping... this time chapel st. It's factory outlets again but more upmarket clothing brands. Not as many bargains. At night went to the tennis. I've been a bit disappointed at not seeing Andy at all at the Aust open... he played on the Vodafone arena on the first day and we only had tix to the Rod Laver Arena. So... was great that the match we got to see at night was... Roddick vs Safin... My favourite vs Erica's favourite... was gonna be interesting... although now i think she's an andy fan... a convert!! And andy won!! GO ANDY!

Sat 20th Jan... slept in and then wandered around melb city for a bit. More shopping in the city before going to the airport and flying home...

James Blake


Roger Federer


Rafa Nadal

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

Back at work....

Well... back to work today... was quite a busy morning...
It was hard getting up this morning - it wasnt that it was early but the fact that it was getting up to go to work...

A couple of things happened in the last day... My prawn died... :(
I guess i didnt really know how to look after a prawn so poor thing... i got home after going out to dinner and he was lying on his side...

Yesterday was Bert's b'day... we went out on the boat cos she wanted to go wakeboarding. She did really well and managed a few good rides.

Squibby and Narnia...

No the topics arent related... but the blog is about both...

I caught a prawn yesterday... and kept it... and called it "squibby" - dont ask me about the name... just thought it sounded cute. Anyway, i really have no idea what prawns do or eat... i only know that i eat them!

So i have no idea what to do with my prawn... this is gonna sound bad but i didnt really expect him to survive. He looked really dead in the arvo cos he just lay around... but last night... when the sun went down and all was dark in the kitchen... even my fish had gone to sleep... there was squibby swimming around happy as larry... sooo cute! this morning he was swimming around a bit but it's the arvo now and he just looks dead again... think that's what prawns do... they swim around when it's dark but stay still during in daylight.



I got to sleep in today (yay!). Decided to go see Narnia - The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe this morning. Went to Mac and the shops are so packed! Avoiding the sales at the moment cos i really have nothing to buy. I dont really need anything. And... really, really, really dont like crowds!

In the bible, we see Jesus speak in parables which seem like normal stories but which also conveyed other spiritual implications or meanings. CS Lewis was a Christian and "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" was written as a children's story but it also conveys many of the ideas of the gospel. (Not that i'm equating Jesus to CS Lewis but i admire how cleverly CS Lewis wrote the book.)

I must admit that that the biblical symbolism or parallelism of the movie actually made me bawl so much when they killed Aslan the lion. (That's the first time i've bawled in a movie in ages!) An innocent... killed in a traitor's place. Like Jesus dying in our place.

Anyway, i really enjoyed the movie and it very clearly shows some aspects of the gospel. Even Lucy and Susan's walk with Aslan before he is killed reminds me of Gethsemene. Aslan, the king, humbles himself and dies in place of Edmond but overcomes death and delivers Narnia from the rule of the evil Queen. Sounds familiar...

I end with a quote from the movie... "it is finished" (Aslan and the gospel of John, chapter 19, verse 30)

Boxing Day

I dont know why Boxing day is called what it is... is it because you box up your leftovers, or re-box the presents you're gonna return?
The things I think of when i think of Boxing Day are cricket and boating. Cricket because there is always a test match starting and boating cos we have been out boating on boxing day for quite a few years.

Today was kinda funny... strange stuff happened today... the trailer lights wouldnt work, i caught a prawn (which i kept - i hope it will live... calling it "squibby"), there were fish jumping out of the water in the morning and biting furiously on lines then it suddenly went quiet with no bites, and the engine wouldnt start when we were on our way back.

Wakeboarding again for a bit... conditions were a bit rough tho (not a 6am start today!) Practising jumps... got a bit of air on a couple. Next step is to try to do jump 180's. Practise, practise, practise....

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

Well it's Christmas again!
Started a great day with some wakeboarding... 7am... feeling a bit more comfortable on jumps but have to work on getting some more air.

Went to church this morning. It was good to see so many people there.... some people who are visiting and some new people. That's the great thing about Christmas - people who dont usually go to church seem to turn up. I guess there is a God-shaped hole in hearts and Christmas is a time when people seem to feel it and try to do something about it... It is a great opportunity for them to come and hear the gospel.

The bible reading was Matt 1:18-25. For the people who have been to National Training Event (NTE - Aust wide Christian training conference), you prob all remember preparing a bible study or talk on that passage. It's a great passage and so many things you could say. But Joseph was to give the baby the name "Jesus" because he would save his people from their sins.

At Christmas time we remember that amazing gift of Jesus - God provides his life and death on a cross in our place... to save us from the punishment we deserve for rejecting God.

I'm sorry if i'm rambling... just that this year i notice that the shopping centres play carols but not the lyrics... it's politically incorrect in this age to mention "Jesus". But why celebrate Christmas then? What does CHRISTmas mean if it's not about Jesus Christ?

Russ wakeboarding jump - i cant get that high...

Christmas spirit huh?

Last night i went shopping with Daph. We got to the carpark and were waiting for a spot with indicator on... A few cars were going but we'd started waiting for this spot so didnt move. Anyway, the car pulled out... and just as quickly, a Lebanese guy pulled straight into the spot we were waiting for. How incredibly rude!

So what do u say in that situation? I mean it's us... 2 girls... and the guy looked pretty mean. If we protest, there's no guarantee the guy isnt going to beat us up. So... unhappily we had to find another spot.

I'm writing this cos i'm still quite annoyed. I think it's just me... i'm kinda tired cos it's busy at work... and it doesnt take that much to make me a little cranky at the moment.

Pen Crazy

Ok... for the last week i've gone totally pen crazy. Sorry to all the people whom i've bought pens for as a present!

I lost my favourite pen a few weeks ago... and since then i've just been looking for a new fav pen... So i've actually found a few i like... and guess what... i bought them... so now i have a few pens...

Things are so busy at work that i have no time for paperwork. All my time at work at the moment is spent seeing patients so i have a stack of patient files and reports to write up... i've brought it all home to do... and my new pens are coming in handy!

Holding Serve

I just finished reading Michael Chang's biography today. I'm not a very good reader so it has taken me a couple of weeks. I've been trying to read more Christian books lately, this book I guess was just meant to be a lighter read.

I'll go back to the beginning. I must admit that I was never a big fan... maybe it was an asian thing. Cos he's asian, everybody i knew seemed to go for him. I must admit that he wasnt amongst my list of favourite tennis players... until... I found out that he is a Christian and I met him.

Think it was 2000 or 2001 when he came to Sydney. I was working at the tennis and drove him back to the hotel after a match. What struck me was his politeness and genuineness. A lot of the time when you're driving players around, they dont really talk to you or they can be quite rude (except for Andy Roddick!). I had Michael, his brother Carl and his dad in the car and they were just so incredibly nice and even included me in their conversation as we talked about Chinese Christian churches in Australia.

Anyway, going back to his book... i hope i'm not breaching major copyright laws but here are a couple of exerpts that really encouraged me:

"As I have thought about why I became a successful tennis player, I have come to the realisation that I cant answer that question because none of us can know the mind of God. Yet I have always held a strong feeling that God granted me a measure of on-court success because that allowed me the chance to tell others about Jesus Christ. That's why I have seen myself as an evangelist with a tennis racket ever since I won the French Open"

"It is often said that God cant do anything with you until He has broken you to the point where He can rebuild you. That's what He did with me. I had be holding on for so long. Trying too hard. And now I was going to relinquish it all to Him."

"If I have been able to draw people to the Lord through my tennis, then the fame and the money and the rankings wont compare to touching people's lives and encouraging them in the Lord, because that's someting that lasts a lifetime and beyond."

I guess in a world where we idolise pop, filmstars and sports people... I dont want to sound like that... but I must admit that I really admire Michael. I admire his honesty in everything he wrote about success, money, singleness, and his heart for Jesus' ministry. So I end with another quote...

"Be ye fishers of men, You catch 'em - he'll clean 'em."

U2

Yay... I got tix to U2.

I've really liked this band for ages... mainly for the way the Edge can turn 3 chords into an amazing song.

Woke up at 5am to go get tickets... sounds crazy but i'm figuring it's now or never... I didnt see them when they were here last and they're prob not likely to tour again anytime soon... I'll prob be like 40 if they decide to come again... and really they are gettin on too...

Now for the wait... So pumped to go see them... Resisting the temptation to turn my guitar amp up really loud and play Vertigo!

Blog Neglect...

Once again... blog neglect has struck... I havent blogged for quite a while. Mainly because i've been really really busy lately.

So what's new?

Work is same ol, same ol'. Today we were thinking that we seem to attract "home and away" ppl... not the stars... mainly their families.

Incidentally, I bumped into a guy off home and away about a week ago at Castle Towers. he plays the dad of lucas and the police guy on the show. i literally bumped into him, then thought he looked familiar... actually thought he was a patient whose name i prob should have known but couldnt remember. then he joined the queue behind me at the checkouts... i turned bright red when i realised where he was from... how embarrassing!

What else...

Well i have now paid for my course for next year. i'm studying the international chripractic sports diploma. it's gonna be weird.... and i dunno if i'm up for studying again but we'll see. it's gonna mean i'll be quite busy next year.

Big decisions...

decided to take a break next year and not lead a bible study group at church. more for me to just have some time to myself - i've been feeling that i just havent had that lately... when i dont get time to myself then i find i get kinda exhausted being around people all the time (esp with work)

Looking forward to a great wakeboarding season... went yesterday... not for long but the ol' body is feeling it... i'm sore from arms to toes!

Other than that.. my life is boring...

Norwest Chiropractic is driving me carzy....

I realised that working here is slowly driving me crazy... I am developing a very lame sense of humour... not yet rivalling Trev's but coming quite close...

Last friday... I took our model spine and put it in the staff room... I was with a patient and Trev was looking for it... so he came into my room and asked where the spine is... "...other than in the back..."

I made myself a sandwich and it was very yummy... i said "this is really good... i could work at subway..."

Today i was showing a patient some neck mobilisation exercises... one looked like a chicken move... so i said... "if anybody asks you have birdflu..."

Told you my humour is getting worse...

WKC

I will update this shortly...

The state of Health care...

Reading the SMH this morning... This article was kinda interesting...

The state of health care huh? This guy's opinions actually make me shudder....
I guess it's the bit when he's talking about "physician assistants" doing examination and diagnosis. Or nurses doing anaesthetics...

I mean as a chiropractor, i've trained for like 5 years at uni to be pretty much a specialist at some health and spinal problems. Manipulation can be a dangerous thing when not done properly or with the right training.

I guess i dont know how much training it takes for these people to assume these roles... but as a practitioner... i wouldnt let anybody not fully qualified touch one of my patients!

Display homes... now display churches

Ok take #2.... i dunno where this post went. i posted it last week.

Display homes are a bit of a norm now... i work out in baulkham hills and there are a lot of display villages in kellyville and near blacktown.
Last week i was driving back from manly when along the side of the road i saw a sign.... display units... and a display church!

Call it my sense of humour... it just made me laugh... a display church... I was thinking... so can you go in and pick your colour schemes and the layout of your church. Whether there are normal windows or stained glass ones...

Anyway, just thought it was odd. i'd like to go visit sometime and see what a display church looks like. I think though that I should be thankful... if there is the need to have a display church then there must be a lot of people building church buildings. If so then God is really blessing us in Australia!

England's Ashes

Well i'm at work this morning mighty glad i didnt stay up too late (mind u i did stay up) to watch the end of the final test.

England finally won the Ashes for the first time in 18 years. Their win was well deserved and Australia certainly fought for this test. The whole of Australia would be disappointed though because Australia really should have done better through the rest of the series.

Anyway, well done England!

Acupuncture and babies

I was reading this article yesterday in the SMH on acupuncture and babies.

I thought it was very interesting that people are only now catching on to what natural therapies can do. I mean i've only been practising chiro for nearly 3 yrs but i've seen some amazing stuff. We've had great results with babies who dont sleep, or have colic or digestive problems. We have great results with children who bed-wet or with asthma.

I'm very interested in acupuncture. I think that chiro can work in a similar way, utilising pressure points etc...

Anyway, the article was interesting and i'd really like to learn what they do... but i am thinking... i hate needles... i dunno if i'd ever have acupuncture for my child. Guess i lean towards chiro... but i am biased!

Another chat medium... Google talk

Today the SMH got on the bandwagon with an article about Google talk. You can download the program at http://www.google.com/talk/

I'm thinking... great another chat program. At the moment i have Miranda which combines ICQ, IRC, MSN, Yahoo and AOL. Just cos otherwise i'd have 3 different programs open. It's just easier to have one contact list.

However, while online chat is real-time, it's prob a lil less personal (even though there are emoticons etc) and easier to misunderstand somebody. Incorporating voice chat is a good idea but it's just so done... i mean MSN does have it... but also you have ur specialist programs like Skype that are pretty good too.

I think this is just another excuse for another program and for Google to jump on the instant messaging bandwagon. The hype i think is the thing that will make it popular or a flop.

Back Pain

Today's Sydney Morning Herald has a liftout section on backpain and exercises. IT is actually really interesting. For the more technically inclined... it's on the net too.
I thought a really interesting article was this one titled "twist and shout" just about the epidemiology and important factors in back pain.

The state of Australian cricket!

The state of Australian cricket must be pretty bad if we're celebrating a draw (and not a loss) to the Poms.

RICE

Yesterday night was the RICE RALLY!! @ Town Hall.
Was encouraging to see so many youth of sydney there to hear a great gospel talk. Each year RICE seems to get bigger and bigger... and also bigger without sacrificing the message of Jesus Christ.

It was much the same as last year... When they interviewed the speaker, Al Stewart, he said he is really asian... So he had to do some tasks to prove he's truly asian...
Firstly, he had to show he could squat!
Secondly, he had to show he could do kung-fu. So they got somebody up on stage and he had to copy their moves. It was really funny... almost as funny as last year when they dressed the speaker in street clothes and made him hip hop/breakdance!

The message was really great too. Al challenged the youth to think about what things hold them back from responding to the gospel and giving their lives to God. His analogy was great... he brought out a jar of lollies... and got Steve to try to get the lollies out... Steve got his hand in the jar but when he grasped the lollies, the fist he made was too big to get back out of the jar and he pulled and pulled. Naomi did the same thing... but she let go of the lollies and was able to get her hand out and get free... so she was given the jar of lollies too.

I guess there are things that we do hang onto that hinder us from responding to God and living for him. Things like study, relationships, work.... In the end tho... it all is in vain... we cant take anything with us when we die. What is important is being in a right relationship with God.

I was sitting next to a year 7 girl who decided to commit her life to Jesus that night... really really encouraging.

Vox pop

How nerve racking!!
I went vox-popping yesterday.... out on the street to ask people about.... RELATIONSHIPS!
This is for a video for the women's evangelistic event at church on the 13th Aug.

What was interesting was... we got a lot of young ppl who were willing to speak on camera... but when we tried to ask some asian ppl... they all said no...

Revelation

We've just started studying Revelation in bible study. I'm actually very excited about it. But it's also a very hard book to write bible studies for.

I guess the reason I think Revelation is so encouraging is that it gives us a picture of what's going on behind the here and now that we tend to get caught up in.

It's just so encouraging to be reminded of the reality of heaven. Jesus' death and resurrection means that God has triumphed over evil. I guess it's a great reminder of what is now and what is to come... especially when things are tough and we suffer the downs of this life.

Trevor's jokes.... oh dear!!

Today i got to work and trev was trying to write up patient files....
He said "how do you spell skiing? Does it have 2 'i's??"
So i replied yes.
He then said "of course it does... otherwise you wouldnt be skiing in a straight line"

oh dear... I think his jokes get worse and worse....

What's the difference between a raisin and a sultana?

I have no idea!!

Back at work...

Well after being on holidays for 10 days... i'm back at work... waaaa
I must admit it was very very very very difficult getting up at 6:45... in the cold!! Sydney is f-f-freezing...

ND Church Camp

Just got back from camp... bit tired cos i havent had great sleep at camp due to the uncomfy bed. Was really cool tho cos i was in the disabled room (no jokes pls) which was like twice the size of the other rooms and had a couch...

We looked at the book of Amos. The youth talks that I went to were really great. The adult talks were like topical talks using Amos to support main points.

I was really encouraged by the youth bible studies and talks. The talks looked at the main themes of Amos - judgement and repentance. I was reminded about how scary God's judgement is. God is a roaring lion who will not tolerate us rebelling against him. But it's so great that he saves us through Jesus Christ. We were reminded that repentance involves being sorry but also doing a 180 and turning from sin.

I sat in on a bible study with yr 7-9 girls. I was totally blown away with their understanding of the bible and how to read an old testament book like Amos. Their understanding of biblical theology and how everything is fulfilled in Jesus Christ is absolutely amazing. The way they were thinking about how God's word applies to their lives is really great and i'm so encouraged by them.

In free time, some yr 10 girls went geocaching. They found the cache and put RICE badges into it. I'm really encouraged by their standing up as Christians and wanting to tell people the gospel by promoting RICE.

Brisbane to Sydney

Well I made it down to brissie. Apparently i've been once before but i dont remember.
Went visiting rellos... i've never met them before but they're really cool. Was good to see my cousin from Adelaide... she and her husband are now living in Bris.

Note to self: confined spaces with my parents for a period of time arent a good idea. My dad's driving always bugs me cos he drives 80 in a 110 zone... in the right lane!! Anyway so i ended up driving... and got pulled over by a cop for a random breath test. My parents are like "were you speeding?" So anyway i wasnt... just my dad drives sooo slow that my driving must have seemed fast.

Went visiting all these places i've never been to before. Byron bay, kempsey(south west rocks).
Anyway, back safely in Sydney. Ready to head off to church camp on thur.

Brynyn and Rachelle's wedding

Got back from Queensland yesterday. Had a great time... and the weather is warm... mmmm
Brynyn and Shell got married last sat at Maleny which is in the Hinterland north of Brisbane. The countryside is really picturesque and they got married in a gazebo overlooking the glasshouse mountains. They both looked so good and have lost a lot of weight each. Shell designed her own dress and it was absolutely beautiful.

Was really cool catching up with people i hadnt seen in yonks. During the father-of-the-bride speech... he asked ppl to raise their hand if they are a chiropractor... basically it was like everybody who wasnt family! He said "Good. If you talk about chiropractic then they can claim the wedding as a tax deduction."

At the reception, there was this really cool french game. Shell and Bryn had to sit back to back and they each had a paddle that had "moi" (me) on one side and "il" (him) or "elle" (her) on the other. They were asked a bunch of questions. The funniest must have been "who wears the pants in the relationship" and both of them raised their paddles to "moi". The next question was "who thinks they wear the pants in the relationship" and Bryn said "elle" (her) and Shell said "moi". Another question was "who is the best chiropractor?"

The next day, we all had breakfast with the newlyweds! Then I drove with some friends to Brisbane to meet up with my parents....

Wimbledon

Well... i fell asleep and didnt see most of the final! But Andy Roddick lost :(
I did expect Federer to win but hoped it might have been closer than the scoreline showed.

Oh well... at least Andy reaching the final justifies his 2nd seeding cos i think ppl (maybe lleyton) were bagging the committee for seeding him 2nd above hewitt.

Anyway, it was great that he reached the final. The matches leading up to the final were really good. Maybe next year.... 3rd time lucky...

Pride and Prejudice

Grace had a P&P party this arvo. It was heaps of fun.... I must have seen the BBC version so many times that i can actually recite a lot of the dialogue... how sad...
I havent watched the whole 6 eps through in one go tho... the first three are actually a bit boring.

It was funny cos ppl were ooohhh'ing and aahhh'ing at mr darcy... he's really quite funny at times. I actually never really liked mr darcy that much but i guess watching the whole thing through, i've started to warm to him. I still like mr bingley better because he starts off nice and is nice at the end... he doesnt have to change at all.

Anyway, i missed the end cos i wanted to get home... the wimbledon final is on!

What a colossal waste of time!

Yesterday I had to go to see the eye specialist... not because i felt there was something wrong with my eyes... but basically to get my mum off my back.
Anyway what an absolute waste of my time. And in the end he said... your eyes are perfect cya in 2 yrs...

My appointment was at 3pm... so i rocked up and waited around half an hr to do some visual field testing... The receptionist actually sent me home for a while cos she said it would be a bit of a wait... so i went home and came back at 6pm like she told me to....

I didnt actually get in to see the doctor till 8pm... and considering my appointment was like 3pm and i sat in the waiting room from 6-8pm so i was pretty pissed off. I mean if there was actually something wrong then i'd have felt ok waiting but i feel that my eyes are fine.

Far out... all i have to say is that even when i'm solidly booked out i dont overbook and cram too many people in... and my patients are unlucky to have to wait 30min... actually they rarely wait more than 5min to see me cos i try to run to time.

ARgh... i'm so annoyed about what a big waste of my day off that was. I had so much stuff to do. So i'm back at work this morning... and i'm already tired and annoyed!!

WFC Conference

WFC... what's that... well it's the World Federation of Chiropractic. And this year the conference was held in sydney!

The first day talks and workshops were mostly on the cervical spine and in particular headaches. They had presentations by a neurosurgeon, radiologist, physiotherapist and a multidiciplinary panel discussion which was quite interesting.

There's a medical doctor who doesnt like chiropractors and he came and spoke on headaches (cervicogenic, migraine, tension-type). The funny thing is his reseach supports a lot of the scientific basis of chiropractic... just that he prefers to stick needles into somebody's neck and do a nerve block to relieve their headache. The problem with this is that not all doctors have this equipment in their offices - i mean you have to give the person a local anaesthetic anyway and also have them in a CT or MR scanner to visualise the area you're putting your needle into!! Personally i'd prefer a chiropractic adjustment - takes 10 sec and it does relieve the headache!

If you're interested in reading more about chiropractic and headaches then this is an intro to a scientific study done at Mac uni recently.

I really got into the 2nd day of the conference... was all about sports and especially the shoulder and how to treat shoulder problems. One of the speakers was the Davis Cup team chiro and his presentation was a bit more theory but it was helpful. Kinda wanted a bit more practical input tho. Did quite a bit of networking within Australian sports chiropractic circles. I am already a member of the international sports organisation - Fédération Internationale de Chiropratique du Sport (FICS).

My number plates got stolen

Last night my number plates got stolen during Theos.

It's kinda annoying. Today i've been running around getting new plates for the car. They're remaking my old plates but i have dodgy yellow ones in the meantime... but at least i can drive my car around now.

The RTA told me that if i get my old plates remade then the police might pull me over cos the plates are reported stolen. I'm actually hoping i do get pulled over cos it means that the police are on the ball.

It's all kinda ironic tho cos our study last night was on the Christian and Litigation. So anyway... for the ppl who understand this... i forgive the person that stole my plates...

Trev at the gym

Well... my joke backfired... he actually likes all those songs that i put on his mp3 player...

He was at the gym and just happened to be looking at this guy when the song "Jitterbug" by Wham started playing (another one of my 'joke' songs). Trev started laughing and the guy thought he was laughing at him...

Trev's new MP3 player

today i got into work late (intentionally) and trev was waiting for me to come in to show him how to get songs from the computer onto his new mp3 player...

i thought it would be a funny joke to download a heap of daggy songs (like abba's dancing queen and you're so vain by carly simon) and put them on his player so that he could listen to them when he goes to the gym...

anyway... the joke backfired... it turns out he likes the songs i put onto his player.... doh...

Sydney Guitar Show

i went to the sydney guitar show yesterday with karina and ben cos karina had free tix....
quite disappointing actually cos it was actually quite a small show. there were 3 pavillions and all of them were really small and most of the guitars on display, you can see at any music store anyway. there were however, special prices for the show and my fren was looking at a pedal board that is usually over $1000 in the shops and they were selling it for $875 which is a nice discount.

we were looking for a bass for karina but there werent many on display so that was disappointing. i did see some nice guitars but didnt look too hard cos i cant really afford to buy a good one at the moment.
it was fun trying to convince karina (not very seriously) to buy a daisy rock bass. if ur bored check out the daisy rock site . was thinking maybe we should start up a girly band... and buy the daisy guitar and the heart bass...

the next disappointment for the day... i really like a sydney guitarist called stuart fraser and was really looking forward to hearing him play. he plays in a few bands but you rarely hear him play lead except for in noiseworks. he plays in the john farnham band and also i've seen him with another guitarist named brett garsed. anyway... they were running late so must have axed him... i'm so disappointed cos i think he was gonna demo some marshall products.

we did see this guy called jeremy barnes. he's apparently in the elite list of the fastest players in the world (think he plays like 40 notes per second). so we watched him on the outdoor stage for a bit... the guy is a nut... pretty impressive... i mean he's no malmstein... then again dont think he smashed his guitar either... anyway... wow!

News Today

Well... i woke up this morning... and checked out the scores from the French Open overnight...
Very disappointed to see that Andy Roddick lost :( . Was a 5-setter against a Frenchman whom i think is a clay-court specialist so Andy didnt do too badly. He hasnt done well on clay in the past and Roland Garros hasnt been that great to him in his career. Hoping for better things at Wimbledon which isnt too far away either.

Today we hear about Schapelle Corby's fate... I cant imagine how she would be feeling at the moment. An indonesian poll showed that most indonesian people think that she is guilty. Very different to the common opinion in Australia. I guess it goes to show the influence the media can have. I'm really not sure where i stand but i am hoping she wont get life in prison.

Phil's game

Last night at leader's meeting Phil wanted to play a game....
You basically have to think of a character (from a movie, book etc) that best represents you... and one for your co-leader...
Was quite funny....

Blog Neglect...

I must admit i've neglected my blog for little bit... it's been quite hectic lately.
So... what's news... well i got a new computer...
It's all pretty exciting... new toy... except that i couldnt get the bluetooth to work, the wireless networking wasnt connecting up and i managed to delete all my msn contacts (even off the server... dont ask!!) all on the first day...
Well it's all working now... the bluetooth is great cos i can connect my pda wirelessly!!

Yesterday i did my PTC exam on doctrine... the exam was a bit of a SHOCKER!! There were 4 essay/short answer questions to be done in 2 1/2 hrs. I got thru 3 of them and then couldnt find a 4th topic that i knew something about that i could write about. Anyway... it's over... i know i passed but i wont have done especially well...

Yesterday night i went to see Star Wars... was my lil reward for after the exam... The movie was ok. Not sure why i wasnt entirely satisfied with it... although i did like the way you get to know some of the characters better. Like... YODA totally rocks... how cool is Yoda...
And... in these... R2D2 actually has a personality... too bad it loses it in the 4th 5th and 6th movies.

In Good Company

I went to the movies tonight with D. Was quite funny cos i actually went in my pj's cos i couldnt be bothered to change... just chucked some clothes on top!

Anyway... ppl had recommended seeing this movie "In Good Company". All i can say is that the ending had a twist and was actually very disappointing... i walked out of the cinema thinking... "i'm not very happy with that ending..."

Hmmmm might have been better to stay home and watch Star Wars tonight...

Kingdom Of Heaven

I went to see the movie "Kingdom of Heaven" yesterday. I must admit i was vaguely aware of the storyline beforehand... I only really knew it was set around the Crusades. But u know... Orlando Bloom is in it!

As with Troy... i'm not sure how much of the movie is historical and how much is fiction. Joyce didnt really like it cos she thought the scenes seemed to jump and it was harder to follow. I must admit some of the fighting bits were a lil too gross for me.

However, we did talk about it after. Like why the movie is called "Kingdom of Heaven"? It was an interesting movie tho... Seeing the "Christians" and Muslims fighting over Jerusalem.

Joyce and I talked about the theology afterwards. A lot of the "Christian" viewpoints put across were still very "salvation by works" orientated. Through the movie Balian (Orlando Bloom's character) struggled with the idea of how he could earn salvation and God's will. I'm very thankful that now we can know God's will by reading His word and know that salvation can be ours simply by faith in Jesus Christ.

In the movie, the "Christians" and Muslims are fighting over Jerusalem - which is their holy place and place of their temple or mosque. I guess in the end we were just really joyful and thankful that we know now that Jesus is the true temple. I could ramble about some of the other thoughts we had... but i wont... go watch it for yourself...

Quote of the movie... one of the people (not sure if he was meant to be a priest) says to Balian "Surrender now, become Muslim... repent later..."

Do Taxpayers Pay for this Research??

I'm again browsing through the Sydney Morning Herald online... there's just so many pointless articles....

This article is about how Napoleon died...
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Trousers-fit-cancer-theory-of-how-Napoleon-met-his-end/2005/05/05/1115092628889.html?from=moreStories
Swiss doctors have apparently been doing research about the cause of Napoleon's death by looking at his trousers...
The size of his trousers showed his weight loss leading up to his death... leading them to the conclusion that he died of a stomach tumour.
So anyway... if you read the facts at the bottom of the page... apparently an autopsy conducted by Napoleon's personal physician and some other doctors concluded that he died of stomach cancer (that was done like 184 yrs ago)...
So... what's the point of the latest research?? Other than to conclude what they found 184 yrs ago...

May the 4th be with you

It seems that there's not much interesting stuff to write on in the newspapers today....
I was browsing the Sydney Morning Herald online... and there must not be much to write about if all they can write is Shane Warne is going bald!!
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Sport/Warne-going-bald-says-county-teammates/2005/05/04/1115092543294.html

Anyway, I thought the article was funny... the last line was the punchline... "Cricket has no law against wearing hairpieces."

Mailing Lists...

Does anybody know how you get on random mailing lists??

I just signed up for a new hotmail account... and before I'd even used it... I find i've been put on numerous mailing lists AND i havent even signed up to anything using my new email address?!?!?

The funny thing is the email address is something related to chiro... and they're all chiro adverts and stuff but still.... i'm kinda annoyed...

Thorpedo's hair....

Watched some of the Logies last night. Did anybody see Ian Thorpe's hair?? What a shocker... he looks like he has been shot out of a torpedo tube... U know... it shaved the sides and just left a big mop on the top...

Argh... enough said...

Geocaching is fun!!

Lately i've been into geocaching. For ppl who dont know... it's kinda like a treasure hunt. people hide caches somewhere and give u gps coordinates to find them. The point is finding the cache not what u find. Although when you do find it... u can swap things in and out of it.

Today I went geocaching in Lane Cove. I found it after bashing thru some bush... think the worst bit was the cobwebs. Gee i hate spiders.

Anyway i'm really excited cos today I found a travel bug... they're little things u put in the cache... and ppl take them out and put them somewhere else... so these lil bugs travel around the world from cache to cache. This one had just come from NZ and the owner is hoping it will make its way to the UK by 2007.

Moi is totally spoilt!!

Today is my birthday. I feel like i'm getting old so i didnt really tell many people. Kinda kept it low key... just dinner with a few close friends.

I was really surprised today.... i got sooo spoilt today!!
This morning i got some really nice flowers and had a really yummo cake at work. And the phone calls and text msg's were just such a nice surprise.

Daph and Vic already gave me an early b'day prezzie of a Rip Curl lifevest that i've been using when we go wakeboarding.... so i didnt expect any other surprises... But Vic bought this really delicious tiramisu... it was from a shop in double bay... really nicely done... and very sweet... and Shaz got me these really cute butterfly earrings...

And then... to top it all off... I just got home to find a package waiting for me. So curiously i opened it... and it was from Julie... an Australian Open historical book. Kinda makes me nostalgic... cos if u know me u know how crazy i am about tennis and how i used to work at the tennis every summer... well Julz was my partner in crime... i think we went around collecting heaps and heaps of autographs and taking heaps and heaps of photos with tennis players. We really did have a lot of fun all those summers...
So i opened the book... and inside there's a happy b'day message and it's signed by John Newcombe. Argh... such a cool prezzie... thanks so much Julz!!

Awww... so i'm sitting here at the end of a really great day... i just feel so spoilt... just wanna say thanks to everyone for the thought... it means a lot to me.

Lotsa Luv

Mel =)

Cliftonville

Well today was a beautiful sunny day.... and a great day for WAKEBOARDING!!! I think we're all a little bit bored of going to Roseville every week... so today... we went out to Cliftonville on the Hawkesbury River.

I dunno if I prefer the freshwater of Cliftonville or the saltwater of Middle Harbour. Oh well at least there's no sharks at Cliftonville. The water's kinda dirty tho...

This is possibly the last outing for the season cos the water is getting a little cold. So... we had to make it good. I think we did ok... everybody practised some tricks and took some nasty spills.

I think the most fun was when Daph and I rode tandem (although I think the boyz were getting bored). Was sooo much fun... I was going under her rope and doing surface 180's and taking photos... Cool fun!!

cliftonville

Cliftonville lodge

The Ring 2

I went to see the Ring 2 tonight. I normally dont watch scary movies cos I do get really scared and have nightmares.... but I cant work out why everybody thinks the Ring is a scary movie.
I watched the first one and nearly fell asleep. It was just dark and weird. The second one was a little scarier but it was still just dark and slow and just a lil gross when they show the dead ppl.

Crimson Room

I recently got sent this... it's a good exercise if ur kinda bored... it's also kinda frustrating...

Basically ur in a crimson room and you have to pick up 13 items to get out.
So anyway I managed to get 12 then got stuck. The thing accompanying the email said... if you get 0-6 items ur a total idiot, 6-8 still an idiot, 9-10 items and ur normal, 11-12 and u have an above avg iq...
Anyway dont believe that at all... it's really a matter of dumb luck and getting so frustrated you click anywhere and everywhere.

Dont read this paragraph if you dont want it spoilt. Basically I was able to get to the bit with the safe... but couldnt get the combination... so i had to cheat after that... anyway the combo is 1994 if u want to know...

You can try it out yourself...
http://flash.qbol.net/pl;p/youxi/images/04042203.swf
have fun!

M :)

Strange but true...

Part of my daily routine is to sit down and read the SMH online for a while. Trev prefers to buy the Telegraph... mainly to look at the pictures and read the gossip.
I cant help looking at the "Strange but True" section to see what funny or mildly zany things have happened....

This one is just unlucky! Talk about random! Poor guy... and a sausage of all things??!?!?!
Daph would say "lemma lemma?!!??!"

Flying sausage on the nose
April 20, 2005

A British motorist has had his nose broken by a flying frozen sausage as he was driving with his car window down.
The 46-year-old man was driving near his home in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, east of London, when the sausage came through the window and hit him on the nose, a spokesman for the Essex Ambulance Service said on condition of anonymity.
"The man said he was making his way home after work and had the window down because it was such a nice afternoon," the ambulance spokesman said.
"He said he saw a car coming the other way and felt a searing pain in his nose.
"His nose was undoubtedly fractured and he had lost quite a lot of blood.
"It must have been an incredibly lucky, or unlucky, shot to get the sausage through a moving car window. I have never seen or heard of anything like this before."
Essex police said they were investigating the incident.

Layout

Ok the pink is getting to me now too... this layout isn't very subtle is it...
I'll improve it and create my own when I get a chance...

Mel :)

Strange customs

I've been given the task of reading thru the whole bible in 2 yrs. I'm a little behind but I was reading thru Genesis not too long ago.

I just thought this was funny... In Genesis 24:2 (and 24:9) and then again in 47:29, there are two people... one asking the other to make a promise to them. It's just really funny cos the way the promise was made was by the person putting their hand under the other person's thigh... how strange is that...

I was just thinking... i'm glad that custom hasnt been passed on...
like could u imagine it now: "hey put ur hand under my thigh and promise me this...."
or at a wedding: "i put my hand under ur thigh and promise...."
or in a courtroom: "i promise to tell the truth..." actually how would that work??

Funny??

Trevor thinks he's funny... he usually says "i'm the funniest person i know"...
Usually i dont laugh at his "jokes" but today he was so not funny that it was funny.
A patient cancelled because they were going to have an angiogram. One of the massage therapists asked what an angiogram is... So he said "that's when they stick dye in you to find angios".

Ok so it's so not funny... but i cant help it... it's the funniest thing i've heard all day!

Next blog...

Since we're going totally random here...
Did u know... that if you click the button at the top of the screen that says "Next blog", you dont get to the next blog that's either alphabetical or sequential... no it's totally random.
So if you're bored and want to read some totally random person's blog then i spose that is useful.

I actually kept clicking on it just to see what would pop up... It didnt land me on Chris's page tho...

Geez i'm bored...

New Blog Page

This is my second attempt at a blog page. It was time for a new one... I was getting bored of the old one.
Bright pink (or is it purply pink) seemed to be the colour. (maybe i'll change it sometime).

Right now i'm at work... a bit bored... but it's lunchtime!