Because He Lives...

What a great old song this is... and most appropriate for the time of Easter...

I never even knew there were 2 more verses till today!!

God sent His Son they called Him Jesus
He came to love heal and forgive
He bled and died to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove
My Savior lives

(Chorus)
And because He lives I can face tomorrow
Because He lives all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives

How sweet to hold our newborn baby
And feel the pride and joy he gives
But greater still the calm assurance
This child can face uncertain days
Because Christ lives

And then one day I'll cross that river
I'll fight life's final war with pain
And then as death gives way to vict'ry
I'll see the lights of glory
And I'll know He reigns

~ Gloria & William J. Guither - 1971 ~

A good week... *sigh*

It’s been a good week... *sigh* so sad that it has had to come to and end so quickly…

Took a week off work to just spends some quality time with myself and to chill and recharge my batteries…

Monday, had breakfast with my minister and his wife… was wonderful to swap stories of travelling in the land of the long white cloud (NZ)… I’m sooo itching to go back… I love Middle Earth!!! Then after breakfast went and hit the fairways with my minister… was awesome to just spend a leisurely 4-5 hours walking the fairways, sharing in God’s creation… chatting, encouraging each other… let’s not wait another year before we do this again!!!

Tuesday, was a lazy day at home… it rained and poured all day… was soo nice to be able to just sit/lie in bed, listen to music and read… It was great to just immerse myself in God’s Word for a day… still reading According to Plan… a great and simple yet most timely reminder of the importance of biblical theology… Goldsworthy has a wonderful gift of presenting Biblical Theology in such simple, bite sized chunks that are so easily digestible… I really recommend this book to anyone who wants to know and understand how the story of the Bible all fits together…

Tuesday night, went to see Norah live at the Entertainment Centre… You can read my review of the night here.

Wed was I reckon the best day of the whole week… spent all day at Syd Uni… Was great to feel like a uni student again, without having the attendance of lectures and classes to worry about (not like it’s any different from when I was at uni!! :P) Spent the day catching up and having coffee with people and friends I hadn’t seen for a while… Was most encouraged to see so many of my peers from when I was uni doing staff working for the EU… It was so awesome to immerse and surround myself with the work of the Gospel in EU for just a day… Such an inspiration and an encourage AND a rebuke to see them all on fire for the Gospel… Despite the pouring rain and howling gales, my spirits were not dampened, but rather, I felt warmed and enlivened by the fellowship I shared with those I met up with... Thanks to all those I had coffee with… You are all very close to my heart and I always keep you in my prayers… Indeed, the words of the apostle Paul spring to mind…

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Phil 1:3-6

I hope to visit uni another time again soon… (mebbe on my next RDO)

Thursday, was a pretty bludgy day... Went to Chatswood and hung out with a couple from my cell group at church, went shopping at EB games, and went back to their place to play some xbox before going to cell group that night for pizza and games night! That was a late night! Played games till 2am!!!!

Friday, slept in and missed Good Friday service at church!! :( But later that day went to NDCCC with one of my best friends from uni and visited their evening Good Friday service… Then crashed his place and played GT4 till late… Was good to visit another church and be encouraged by and encourage others this Easter time…

Saturday, some guys came over to my friends place and we played Munchkins till the late afternoon… then went and had sushi train for dinner at Makoto in Chatswood… They make the best Omelette and Oyster hand rolls there!! Then off to another friend’s place for a small get together with uni friends!! *Woah*!!! What a packed couple of days… I was soo tired, from all the late nights and not enough sleep… I’m getting too old for this!!!

Sunday, had Sunday School in the morning… teaching the kids of the meaning of Easter… So great to see they have all these pieces of information scattered throughout their little brains… It’s all about getting them to put the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together and to help them realise that it’s all related and that it all fits together for a purpose… Sunday evening after church, stayed back and played yet MORE games… this time till 3am!!! That’s nuts!!!!!!!!

Monday (today), woke up most annoyedly at 8:30 after going to bed at 4am… :( tried to do some more reading to tire myself to get more sleep… but to no avail… instead went and played golf at The Coast at La Perouse with some friends from church… I love the course there!!! Sooo scenic! The course is set on the cliff tops along the coast (hence the name.. :P) giving wonderful views of the ocean and the craggy cliffs all around… but because it’s right on the coast, it was sooo windy!!!! Making any good scoring really really tough… but it was a good day anyway… the fellowship and company was wonderful… my game was very hot and cold… but I did manage to play a few good shots…

Now I’m totally wasted after a great week… I feel refreshed and recharged yet tired (prob from golf today)… but now I must retire to my chambers cos I start work tomorrow at 6 am!!!! How crazy is that!!!! Back to the real world…

Ahhh…. It was a wonderful week… Shame it had to end so quickly… Can’t wait to have another like it… Must remind myself to do this more often!!! :)

Aphrodisiacs Take 2

well, well, well... after posting earlier in Feb about Valentines and Aphrodisiacs, it seems there is some scientific basis for what have been traditionally known as old wives' tales...

I only really discussed chocolates as being regarded as aphrodisiacs, but it seems that there is actually truth in oysters being aphrodisiacs... An article titled Pearly Wisdom in today's SMH reports that scientists have found that the aphrodisiac qualities of oysters can be attributed to increased levels of two amino acids namely D-aspartic acid (D-asp) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA).

Maybe in the future, you'll be able to buy concentrated supplements of D-asp and NMDA! but then where's the fun in that! I'd rather have the excuse of eating more oysters!! :) Dunno if I can hack sucking down 50 oysters for breakfast like Casanova though!!

I always wondered why Austin Powers didn't eat oysters when he lost his mojo... now if only he had! :P

So the take home lesson is that seafood buffets are a good thing!! I'm soo asian!! :)

Eat Up!!! :) Bon Appetite!

Norah in Concert

Went and saw Norah at the Entertainment Centre last night...

What did I think??? Well I have mixed feelings and reviews of the show... There were aspects of the performance that exceeded my expectations, but also areas that fell short... Prior to the show I already had a degree of hesistation going to see her perform at such a large and unintimate (is that a word??) venue...

Overall, as a performer, Norah isn't an exactly animated performer who carries and hold much stage presence, which is quite crucial for a performer who sits and plays at the piano on a large stage in a large venue... admittedly, this is due largely to her style of songs and performance, which is quite laid back and easy... not overly energetic and emotive...

Great piano artists like Sir Elton, Billy Joel, Jamie Cullum, Tim Freedman and Diana Krall are all very animated and expressive as they perform at the piano and are thus very much able to captivate, engage with and hold an audience's attention... Norah on the otherhand, seemed to me to be very much in her own world as she performed at the pianoforte... in fact so much was she in her own world and so little did she engage with the audience that even when it came to more upbeat and up tempo numbers, she struggled to get the audience involved to clap!!

From a jazz perspective, she did introduce a bit of improvisation in keeping true with the genre... however, much to my disappointment, most of the improv was left to her guitarists, while she just tinkered away filling in pads and keeping the groove... I would've liked to see more of her talent in jazz piano shine through some improving... but alas it was not to be...

I was especially disappointed that she didn't even play for Come Away with Me... :( a real chance there to showcase her talents...

She performed a good mix of songs from both albums as well as unrecorded numbers... I still very much prefer the stuff from her first album though i think...

Don't get me wrong.. on the whole it was a very tight performance... and a very enjoyable one at that... however, from a jazz purist's point of view.. I felt it lacked substance... I could've been at home in my lounge listening to a cd... I didn't feel moved much by many of the songs performed... which is what music and jazz is all about...

something that also may have contributed to my failed expectations was that in the intermission between the support act (i have no idea who he was, except he looked like heath ledger) they played Miles Davis' Kind of Blue on the PA... that was a very very risky move in my mind... it certainly hyped us up and got us in the mood and frame of mind for real quality jazz... and i think certainly heightened my sense of expectation for some real jazz... and thus, this led to my sense of disappointment when Norah was not able to in any way meet or exceed my expectations from listening to Miles before hand... so in my books that was a mistake to play such high calibre jazz as Miles (the father of modern jazz) before her performance...

On the whole it was an okay performance.. nothing to really write home about and rave about... I don't I'll see her again live, and definitely not in such a big and empty setting as the entertainment centre... mebbe somewhere more intimate like the basement or side on cafe...

i'm content with listening to her albums on my hi-fi...

Careless Love

Bought the album "Careless Love" by Madeline Peyroux the other day... Was in MYER at Virgin Music, and they were playing it... At first I thought it was a new Diana Krall album (one of my favourite current jazz artists), but on further enquiry found out it was actually Madeline Peyroux.

The album is fantastic! A really good mix of soulful ballads, and upbeat jazzy numbers... Great for just lazying back and listening as background music while reading a good book...

She plays guitar and the style of the album is so very relaxing and laid back... It has a very distinctive French/Parisian feel to it... and when I play it I can just see myself in a dark, intimate jazz club somewhere in Paris...

I think I've got a new jazz idol...

Just browsing through The Basement website, I found out that she's actually going to be playing there in May!! May 16 and 17 to be exact!! I do hope I get to go!!! Would be good to hear some quality jazz in a real jazz venue again!! Anyone want to come with me??!! :)

Incidentally going to see Norah Jones tomorrow night at the Entertainment Centre!!! It's going to be awesome!! I would prefer a more intimate setting and venue.. but I can't complain... Free tix!!! :PP

Then there's Diana Krall at the Opera House in April!! Ooooh!!! Too many gigs to go too!! Ooooh... So much money!!!!

The strongest muscle in the body

... The Tongue ...

"When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." - James 3:3-12

Oh how hard it is to tame the tongue!!!!!!!

It's far easier to tame a shrew than it is to tame the tongue!!!

I have umpteen countless ulcers in my mouth from biting my tongue these last few weeks... especially at work...

It's amazing how such a small thing... a small piece of muscle and flesh, one designed to give us a sense of taste, to enjoy to wonderful cuisines of the world... how this thing can cause such harm and pain to anothers heart...

Yet despite the many many times I've tried to bite my tongue, I have failed at many times and have said things I regret... adding fuel to the fire...

"you can't fight fire with fire!!!!!!"

and yet it is so damn hard to just walk away and not say anything... my pride swells up and wants to bite back... dish back that conniving sarcastic comment... or return that slap to the face...

even in just normal, regular day to day relations with friends, the tongue is not easy to tame... it's hard enough to tame your tongue with the ones you love, let alone those you don't get along with...

one phrase apart from the quote from James keeps coming back to me...

"you have one tongue, but two ears, so listen twice as much as you speak"...

I sooo need to do this more...
Heck... I'm sure God gave me big ears for a reason!!! I'd better put them to good use!!!!

Que Sera Sera

When I was just a little girl,
I asked my mother, "What will I be?
Will I be pretty?
Will I be rich?"
Here's what she said to me:

"Que sera, sera,
Whatever will be, will be;
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera,
What will be, will be."

When I was just a child in school,
I asked my teacher, "What will I try?
Should I paint pictures"
Should I sing songs?"
This was her wise reply:

"Que sera, sera,
Whatever will be, will be;
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera,
What will be, will be."

When I grew up and fell in love.
I asked my sweetheart, "What lies ahead?
Will we have rainbows
Day after day?"
Here's what my sweetheart said:

"Que sera, sera,
Whatever will be, will be;
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera,
What will be, will be."

Now I have Children of my own.
They ask their mother, "What will I be?"
Will I be handsome?
Will I be rich?"
I tell them tenderly:

"Que sera, sera,
Whatever will be, will be;
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera,
What will be, will be.
Que Sera, Sera!"

~ Doris Day ~

The simple things in life... #324

placing a pad of just photocopied paper on your cheek....

Mmmm.....! Toasty Warm....

that is till u find out that the toner is old and has been smeared all over your cheek!!!!!!!!!!!

Fairytales

It’s been an interesting last couple of weeks here in Sydney… We’ve suddenly had a bout of “Royalty Fever” with the likes of the Prince of Wales and The Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark gracing our shores. I think that to an extent this has been a good thing… for one, monarchanism has been revived and rejuvenated… but with the recent marriage of Prince Frederik and Mary Donaldson, and the impending marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla, the latest talk has been all about Royal weddings and “Real life fairytales”…

While all this is well and good in fuelling the tabloid and women’s magazine industry, I personally think that all this media attention and scrutiny is actually causing more harm than good…

Yes, I’m going off on my rant like I did in my post about Valentine’s Day, and yes, to a large extent this is mostly to be taken as tongue in cheek… but yet, I think there is some substance of truth in it…

Men are highly visually driven creatures… We will salivate at a boodilicious blond, any bit of skin, or even a titillating seductive gaze… Women on the other hand aren’t visually driven… Instead, are more emotionally and ideologically driven… Just look at the recent reaction to Prince Frederick and Mary… Women all over Australia are salivating and swooning at what a lovely couple they make… But it’s more than just that… All these last two weeks or so, the media has been exploiting and playing up the “fairytale” that is Mary Donaldson’s new life… Showcasing how she is now a princess, with her Prince Charming, etc…

What effect does this have on the average Jane Doe? This is making them believe that “fairytales do come true”… that if it can happen to Mary Donaldson, then maybe it too can happen to me! Now there’s nothing wrong in a bit of dreaming and the like… but this can start to have an effect on the expectations that women have of their normal “down to earth” relationships and what they’re looking for in their future partners…

Just these last two days, the local papers and news bulletins have been running stories about the average woman to coincide with International Women’s Day. One of the headline stories has been that women are finding it harder to find their ideal partner… Why is this? I have numerous female friends in their mid to late 20’s and early 30’s, most are still single and unmarried… And I also know numerous guys in their mid to late 20’s and early 30’s who are also single and unmarried… What’s going on???

I think the issue comes down to the operative word… “ideal”… what/who is your ideal guy/girl? Is there an ideal guy/girl? Does such a person exist?

I think one of the contributing factors to this issue is what I’ll term the “Fairytale/Prince Charming” syndrome… I’ve been in discussions with a couple of my female friends these last few months, and it appears, that the women of today are very much influenced by the media and tabloids of the kind of ideals they should be imposing on their relationships and partners. Many of my female friends still cling to the belief in fairytales. To the romance of the damsel in distress, being swept off her feet by her Prince Charming. I can understand this, because as I said earlier, women are emotionally driven, and romance and the romantic notion of fairytales is no doubt a strong influence on women’s ideals of relationships that has been grounded in their psyche since childhood…

Being a romantic is a very attractive quality to some people I’ll admit… but sometimes our notions and ideals of romance may cloud our vision, and judgement of what is reality, and may indeed often cause us to miss out on other opportunities that though may not necessarily be as romantic, but may definitely be more healthy and beneficial and good… If only people would take their heads out of the clouds and stop to smell the roses…

The other effect that this “Fairytale/Prince Charming” syndrome has is that it affects and determines unconsciously the threshold of “how much I like him” that determines how much one must like or are interested in a guy before they say yes to going out with them. How? I hear you ask… Well when a girl is under the influence or spell of the Fairytale/Prince Charming Syndrome, then all she sees and looks for are such fairytale relationships… when she finds someone who matches her perceived ideals of Prince Charming, her eyes are fixated on that person… Over time, in her mind this notion that he is Prince Charming develops in her mind, dreaming and wishing for him to sweep her off her feet and ride off into the distance… This creates a form of tunnel vision… She no longer considers any other guy except Mr Prince Charming… And unless another guy suitably fits into this mould, no matter how much she likes him “as a friend”, she will not go out with him purely because she does not see him to be able to sweep her off her feet…

Even without a bad dose of the Fairytale/Prince Charming syndrome, women are sufficiently influenced by the media and tabloids and movies such as Ever After, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Pride and Prejudiced that they have a preconceived ideal of their Mr Right in their head, that they are not necessarily willing to compromise on.

This leads me to the question… How much does a girl have to “like” a guy, before she will go out with him? Where do you draw the line? Do you have to “like” a guy before going out with him??

One of my friends said to me the other day that they’d read in a book that suggested that women shouldn’t worry so much about the guys their interested in, but rather consider and take interest in the guys interested in them… Interesting…

If women are always fixated in the guys they like and are waiting and holding out for them to ask them out, but are themselves not willing to take the first step, cos it’s not the thing to do, or cos it’s social norm for the guys to ask the girls out, then many will run the risk of never finding the man of their dreams, or have to settle for “second best”… also many guys will be left in frustration and rejection as they don’t know how to win their affection… but rather if as this book suggests, that women consider the guys that are interested in them, then they may have greater opportunity in meeting and getting together with someone who is good for them, and who has their best interests at heart… and maybe women will also not feel as disgruntled or dissatisfied with their relationships when the men they pursue don’t give them the attention they seek…

On the whole though like I’ve said before on A’s blog, mebbe we should stop worrying about looking for Mr or Miss Right/Charming out there, and worry about looking at ourselves, and how we ourselves can be making ourselves better persons to eventually be that Mr or Miss Right for someone else…

Hard Nuts

Someone said to me the other day that I was a hard nut to crack... This took me quite by surprise... I'd always thought I was fairly easy to crack. I'd never thought of myself as being a particularly hard nut like a walnut or chestnut... I thought I was probably a bit softer... Not as soft as those asian peanuts, or cashews... Mebbe more of a Macadamia or better still a Salted Pistachio...

hmm.. yeah.. salted pistachio... cos you know.. sometimes they're really easy to open, other times you get those hardly opened ones, that just refuse to budge and crack open.. then sometimes just get those that aren't even opened at all!!! But 8/10 you get a decent easy to open pistachio that takes so good, and is so addictive... AND finger licking good... the ones that u just can't help yourself from eating and eating and eating... then need to wash down with several glasses of water or lemonade... :)

But i digress... :P This comment got me thinking... Why are some nuts (meaning people) harder to crack than others?

Is it a matter of strength? or technique? like pistachios or chestnuts? u need to know where the hinge is and apply the pressure in the right place... pistachios are fairly easy cos u just squeeze the part that is still hinged and it opens a bit more, allowing you to rip one lid open... chestnuts are much harder... u need special equipment here... and need have enough strength to apply pressure on the weak point...

but again I digress... why are some nuts harder to crack? what do u need to do crack some of them?

we all set up natural defense mechanisms against things we don't like or feel comfortable with... but when it comes to people and relationships with them, we put up walls and masks to prevent people getting too close to us... to stop them getting to know the real me... why? to protect ourselves? maybe... or is it more out of selfishness? that we don't want to share our whole lives with them? I'm not talking about husband and wife kind of sharing whole lives thing.. but just normal everyday to day sharing our lives with each other...

thinking about what that person said about me being a hard nut... i guess in some ways I am a bit of a hard nut to crack, in that often I'll only open myself up to those I can relate to, have common interests with and the like.. people i'd want to share my life with... In a way I know that this is a selfish and snobbish attitude and so i'm not making any excuses...

I've also had the shoe on the other foot however... and know what its like to work away at cracking a nut, only to find it to be stubborn and steadfast in refusing to open... you pour all your energies into trying to get someone to share their life you, to try and get to know them but yet they refuse to budge... it can be most infuriating and frustrating...

some people are more like clams and oysters than they are nuts... sometimes, you just have to wait and be patient and let them open up at their own accord letting them reveal and share the pearls hidden inside... any little suprise will spook them and they'll just clam right up again...

but even so, having said all that... we all posses a bit of nuttiness in us as well as clamminess... mebbe we should try and be more like clams and oysters than nuts... and be more willing to share the pearls of our lives with each other... rather than be all hard and walled up within our protective shells... or at least be a bit more soft shelled and willing to let others into our lives and share our lives with them...

Mmmmm... Pistachios... :P

Martha and Mary

Luke 10:38-42

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I need a little less Martha and a little more Mary in my life....

Going too far???

This article was in today's SMH entitled Mouse will have brain of Human while I find it completely fascinating how science has developed in such leaps and bounds in the area of cellular biology and biochemistry over the last 15-20 years, I cannot help but also be astounded and definitely appalled by how far we are prepared to push the boundaries of science. How far is too far? Where do we draw the line?

The jury is still out on the stem cell research debate. As a biochemist myself, I have my views and opinions about stem cells... they are a wonderful opportunity to manipulate and generate and re-generate other cells of the body, which give great hope and promise for the curing of many diseases... And this research does indeed hold great excitement. However as a Christian, I have both moral and ethical issues with how far this should go... I am categorically against the use/exploitation of embryonic stem cells for research... Yes i agree that these cells hold the most promise and potential for the development of critical cells.. but are we really in any position to determine if one human's life is worth trading for the hope of saving or prolonging another's?

I have no issues with experimenting on normal stem cells... as these are found in normal healthy adults. However with embryonic stem cells, the name says it all... to extract them embryos have to be destroyed... ie. murder....

now when it comes to articles about advances in science such as this, where we are transplanting human cells into animals for cultivation, I start to hesitate when we start to deal with brain cells... Why? you may well ask... aren't they just the same as any other cell in the body when it comes down to it? what's the difference between a liver cell and a brain cell?

I have no issues with transplanting and cultivating liver cells, skin cells, etc in animals like mice, pigs and monkeys... but brain cells are a totally different kettle of fish... the brain is in my opinion not like any other organ in the human body... sure when its lying on a bench dripping in formaldehyde it looks no different... but the brain acts as the bridge between our physical being, and our metaphysical being... no other organ is able to make the billions and billions of calculations that the brain is capable of every second... no other organ is able to control other bodily functions both physical and chemical like the brain does... no other organ is intimately connected with our personality, our character, our moods and emotions like the brain is... above all, i believe that no other organ is bridged to our soul and conscience like the brain is... for in the brain is where our mind resides... (this is itself another lengthy discussion/arguement, one i'll leave for a psychologist)

the article itself acknowledges this danger where we don't know if the mice will develop the ability to think or show "human-like behaviors"... i am troubled by, as the article says, "how much science can blur the distinction between man and beast."

As a Christian, I believe that Man was created different from the rest of the animals. Animals were created by the spoken word of God, Man was shaped out of the dust of the ground, made in the likeness of God, and had God's breath breathed into us (See Genesis 1&2).

Man was also commanded to subdue the earth and was given dominion over it. To me, to be dabbling and blurring the lines between man and beast is not living up to our responsibility of maintaining dominion over the animals, and is in fact throwing dirt in God's face... we are dangerously close to crossing the line where we are virtually taking our God given uniqueness for granted, and thinking that we have the right to start to "share" that with other beasts... effectively proclaiming ourselves to be God...

We are in effect, really creating another Tower of Babel are we not? I mean, let's stop hiding behind the guises of saying that we're trying to find a cure of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. What we're really trying to do is create a name for ourselves... to show how wonderful and intelligent we are... that we can create "life" from stem cells, or cloning, or giving animals intelligent thought! Are we not really just shaking our fists at God, showing Him, that we too can do like he does???

Where do we draw the line? We know that there are ethical issues with many of the experiments that we do, and we do not know what the consequences of them will be. And in part that is what drives us to further explore, and experiment to find out, in our never ceasing quest for knowledge and understanding... But sometimes we just need to admit that we don't need to know everything... sometimes it may be wiser to let things be left unknown an unfathomable, rather than play with fire and mess with God...

Sometimes its just better to let go and let God...

What more can I say???...

I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
He moved my heart to seek him, seeking me;
It was not I that found, O Savior true;
No, I was found by Thee.

Thou didst reach forth Thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the storm-vexed sea;
'Twas not so much that I on Thee took hold
As Thou, dear Lord, on me.

I find, I walk, I love, but O the whole
Of love is but my answer, Lord, to Thee!
For Thou wert long beforehand with my soul;
Always Thou lovedst me.

~Anonymous~

Missing...

Can anyone answer this quandry...

Where are platforms 1 & 2 at Wynyard Station???
I have searched high and low, inside and out, round and round but to no avail...

*scratches head in great befuddlement*...

The Fig Tree

A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any.

So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

"Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down."

From Luke 13:6-9

Nostalgic

Dropped in at uni today on the way home to catch up with an old friend... very weird feeling walking back in through the gates seeing the walkways chalked with invites to various societies.. like HASH, Beer appreciation soc, etc... seeing marxist and socialist posters on trees and notice boards, seeing Left Wing people selling their papers...

weird how it's so easy to spot the first years... u can see them a mile away... 16/17 year olds walking towards redfern station with a spring in their step... eyes all bright and wide, dressed like umm first years.. :P carrying numerous showbags and all chattin excitedly about their timetables and the societies they've joined... ahh.. let them have their blissful fantasy... wait till week 3 or 4 comes around... then we'll see how many lectures they attend!! and wait till stuvac hits them! Muahahahaha!! little do they know...

walking in from redfern, i realised today was the first time i'd been to redfern station, walked down abercrombie st, and into Sydney Uni for the first time in almost 3 years!! How time flies...

Seeing the beautiful biochem and microbiology building (the ugliest building on campus) brought back memories of long 4 hour labs, and vegging on the lawn outside waiting for the polyacrylamide gels to run... or the wentworth building... ahhh i love the wentworth building.. level 4 to be exact... hanging in the terrace cafe, sipping coffee after coffee, playing Big 2 and skipping lectures... playing pool, and pigging out on hot chips... :)

ahhh.. i miss the uni life... :)