Fetching

Thus named because apparently, the cables twist "fetchingly" towards the thumbs. I'm not too sure about that, particularly because I made some mistakes when it came to the thumb that made one look munted.

The cables caused knitting time to decrease significantly, but it may also be due to the magic loop technique that I was using to knit in the round (no seams, baby!)

But overall, it still looks pretty, were not too hard to knit and keeps the hands warm!

Pity it's a gift for a friend...

Must make one for self.

Habit forming

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit.

I've managed to wake up earlier than usual for the last six days (not consecutively, but very close) to spend some time reading the Bible.

I guess that's 15 more days to go.

Why is it so hard to read the Bible, but oh so easy to spend hours reading a novel or a magazine?

Why is it so hard to concentrate when reading the Bible, but oh so easy to stay riveted to a book and put it down only when your eyes cannot possibly stay open?

Santa Claus? God?

I think I'm guilty of treating God like Santa Claus at times. This particularly happens when I'm fervently praying for something.

"I'd better be good (or pray, or read the Bible, or [insert appropriate 'good' action here], or God is not going to answer my prayer," I catch myself saying sometimes.

But that's really not that way God works. Whatever happens to us is really not a direct result of whether we've been naughty or nice. There is no obvious action = consequence thing here.

All we have to do is have faith and trust that God will watch out for us. And that no matter what happens (including unfavourable answers to prayer), it will all work out in the end.

Of course, that does not mean we shouldn't spend time reading the Bible or talking to God. We simply shouldn't do it just because we want to get into God's "good books" so that he'll answer our prayer requests favourably.

Chants to self, "God is not Santa Claus. God is not Santa Claus."

Vero Quant

My first forays into entrelac knitting is complete!


After the initial confusion and feel that it was a rather tedious process, I actually started enjoying knitting entrelac by the time I was halfway through. I didn't even need to really look at the pattern by then!

I really love the way the yarn looks like it criss-crosses and the texture just looks absolutely fantastic. I'm just not sure if I'll try entrelac again soon because I'm such an impatient knitter and just want to get my project down as quickly as possible, and I can't seem to really do that with entrelac.


The only problem with this project though, is the fact that I ran out of yarn towards the end. Thought I'd be intelligent and use a different yarn I had in my stash, but somehow, I feel that I now look like a smurf on one side.


I've got a smurf for a left ear...

Ackland bootees

Aren't they just the most adorable things on earth? My first baby knit!

Ok, so the baby came early (no, not mine) and will probably be about a month old by the time he receives them, but considering I made them a little big, they should fit rather well by then!

It was a bit of a challenge knitting the straps on. I couldn't really understand the instructions and honestly, I'm still not sure if I did them right. But they still look cute, so we'll leave it at that.

I knitted bobbles to use instead of buttons, largely because I was too lazy to go buy buttons and the shops were all closed when I needed buttons anyway!

Can't wait to see little baby in them.

Spending time with God

If you are a Christian, do you spend much quiet time with God?

Time to study the Bible and time to talk to him?

I find that whenever I have quiet time, I get a clearer understanding of my own life and a better perspective on whatever I happen to be going through.

My quiet time consists of a small amount of reading of the Bible, some amount of having a conversation, but for the most part, it consists of writing down my thoughts.

I relax, I calm down and I often finish with a certain amount of peace.

Sometimes, nothing gets solved, but I feel that I can breathe easier.

The only problem?

I do not do it as often as I should.

Eggs

As someone who has committed to buying only free-range eggs, I feel extremely ripped off after reading this news article in The Australian.

It is revealed that:

• Consumers who pay more for free-range eggs have been warned that more than one-third are officially stale.
• Well over half the hens described as free-range are housed in huge sheds, may never go outside and their eggs may come off conveyor belts.

It is absolutely disgusting to know that consumers can be thus misinformed. OK, so this is not the first time it's happened, but it just never fails to sadden me that people can be so dishonest just to gain some profit. Why can't people be truthful with each other?

Anyway, the silver lining in this story for me is that I very luckily have an "egg factory" next door and the eggs are definitely free range.

I know for sure. I sometimes feed those chooks with my food scraps too.

Dorset wheel earrings

What do you do when you have leftover yarn and want to make something absolutely unique for an aunt who likes jewellery?

Dorset wheel earrings!

Fandangle neckwarmer

I wanted a fast and easy project while driving west to go camping last weekend, and my entrelac headband definitely didn't fall into that category.

So instead, I decided to make a neckwarmer with some leftover yarn that I had. I wanted to play around with beads as well and so I ended up with this.


Honestly, not my proudest moments.

I had wanted to add more hanging beads, but I couldn't find beads with holes big enough that could fit through the needle that I needed to thread the yarn.

So I have a strange neckwarmer thing with some random beads hanging off it.

On the upside, it's nice, soft and keeps my neck warm without any peripherals hanging off it that make me either feel like I'm wearing a bib while eating or get in the way while I'm trying to get stuff done!

Words

I recently started learning entrelac knitting.

It's a rather interesting pattern to follow but a number of stitches sounded rather confusing.

And it's funny how people respond when you ask them questions.

"It's too hard!"

"Why would you want to try something like that for?"

They proceed to teach you, but not without some sort of admonishment that you've somehow decided to become a rocket scientist or something, mind you.

I agree. The pattern is somewhat difficult. My project was going fine, but there were tiny mistakes I knew should not be there. And I just could not get it.

But I persevered and did more research, and tried to get the thought that I was really attempting something really difficult out of my mind.

And then I got it.

So even though I was about a quarter of the way through the pattern, I ripped all the yarn out and restarted my project.

It's going beautifully now. I understand the pattern. I know the stitches, and honestly, it really isn't that difficult. Just a bit of a hassle because you need to turn your work every six stitches.

But I was nearly discouraged and wanted to give up trying because of the words of some, who gave me the impression that I was simply too ambitious or stupid to try something like entrelac.

Had they simply given me instructions and encouragement, I may actually feel better about working through my pattern. Instead, I was constantly shrouded with a feeling of dismay and impossibility.

Our words have an impact on people. And we need to be careful of what we tell them.

Yes, their dreams may seem impossible, even ridiculous to us.

But perhaps we need to take time to see the possibilities, and support them as best we could. Instead of cutting them down before they have even taken root.

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 12:18

Human trafficking

I wrote this as a script for a show we do at work, but it's such an important issue I felt I needed to write about it here as well.

Did you know that up to four million people are victims of human trafficking each year?

People who are trafficked are exploited and this can mean anything from forced labour, slavery to prostitution.

Women, when forced into prostitution, generally work seven days a week, 12 hours a day. Many are not free to reject a client or unsafe practices and live under constant fear of contracting HIV and other diseases.

When forced into labour, victims are paid far below poverty wage in sweatshops where only two bathroom breaks are allowed in a 14-hour workday.

My word, are we as Christians doing anything to stop this monstrous atrocity against God’s children?

We need to use our voices and resources to raise awareness of human trafficking in the community and educate others.

And we also need to become more conscious of the things we buy. Enslaved persons can be directly or indirectly involved in the production of goods and services that we use every day.

We can help them by becoming ethical consumers who support businesses committed to offering Fair Trade certified products.

Do something to help your brother and sister in Christ today.

Links

Anti-slavery Project

The Jammed (movie)

Act Now

Fairwear

PR vs News

Ahhh...good old journalism is no longer what it used to be thanks to the rise of public relations...


While not exactly accurate, I have to say that there is some element of truth in it.

Being in the PR industry now, I'm no longer able to view news the same way. I'm always watching/reading news going, "wow, the PR rep did a good job on that one" or "hmmm, I think they need to get their messages right".

As for objectivity in news, I'm not sure it exists anymore.

Source: Nicholson Cartoons

Analysis...over-analysis?

It's not every day that one sees her work being analysed like a literature text by others.

Right in front of her.

Had a meeting this afternoon about a weekly current affairs/talk show that we do. In it, I wrote a 70 second editorial and we were discussing the contents of it today.

It was the most bizarre experience.

Two of the team members were having a rather heated discussion about what "the author is trying to say".

Yes, I'm the author, and I'm sitting right there. But it was not a matter of "what are you trying to say Melody?". It was more like "this is what I think she's trying to say."

Somehow, I felt a lot like Virginia Woolf or Shakespeare or someone, whose literary piece is being critiqued and anaylsed by a classroom of budding English literature students.

I also wanted to put my hand up and say, "Guys, you don't have to guess what I'm thinking, I'm right here. I'll tell you."

The only problem was that some of the analysis, while it made sense, was certainly not what I was trying to say. In fact, far from it. I had no intention whatsoever of giving any of that kind of impression.

And yet, there was a logical argument backing it up, like any good English essay should.

But it made me sit back and smile and wonder (yes, all this while the discussion was still going on) as to whether we tend to over-analyse what the great writers are trying to say while in English Lit classes?

Fluffy maner headband

I'm learning how to knit with circular needles for the first time.

It seemed utterly confusing at first. I just couldn't picture it in my head how it would actually work.

But I've done about 3 rounds now and it's actually really easy! It literally is knitting in the round. It's like a never ending circle of knitting, which makes it rather interesting when you're trying to stop knitting "at the end" because well, there isn't actually one. Will have to discover how to really end it later.

Bought a set of interchangeable knitting needles at a sale last week. They're absolutely gorgeous! Love the multicoloured-ness of them and they're really easy to knit with as well.

Anyway, am trying to knit a headband with my circulars now, we'll see whether it actually turns out the way I hope it would.

If it's a success, the headband will be incredibly soft and fluffy with the yarn I'm using. Can't wait.

Art

Australia’s artistic community is up in arms over actions by the police. Prominent Australian artist Bill Henson’s images of naked children have been confiscated from a gallery in Sydney.

Police are investigating the possibility of laying child pornography charges, but Henson’s supporters are outraged, saying that art should not be policed.

I agree that we should be allowed to express ourselves freely through art. But if we were to allow everything to be done in the name of art, it will not be long before murder was accepted.

Maybe I’m exaggerating, but I think you get the point.

How do you define art? Tattooed pig skins? Preserved human body parts?

Human beings have a natural tendency to enjoy creative and beautiful things. Many of us love creating, and art is a wonderful way to express our thoughts and even make a statement.

But we also have a responsibility to society. Whatever we produce, whatever we display, we need to consider – Are we highlighting a difficult issue that needs honest examination or are we in danger of celebrating humanity’s darker inclinations?

Read related news articles here.

Deranged hippie scarf

It's finished! And I don't think it actually looks quite as deranged as I was half afraid it'd be.

I had a lot of fun knitting this scarf, largely because it was so random and it was great to be able to change to a different yarn at almost every different row.

The ribbons were rather easy to work in and the Patons Powder Puff that I was having so much difficulty knitting with for the fingerless gloves turned out to be rather easy with this one. Probably had to do with the fact that I was using a needle at almost double the size.

It was really interesting knitting lengthwise as well. I had all these stitches squashed into a needle. Thank goodness the needle was long enough!

You can take a joke too far

Here's proof:

German police are investigating a couple after they offered their eight-month-old son for sale on internet auction site eBay.

Renee Beck, a police spokesman in the Bavarian town of Krumbach west of Munich, said on Saturday the 23-year-old woman told them it was only a joke.

But he said police were nevertheless continuing their investigation and the baby was put in state custody.

"She says it was a joke," he said. "That's not yet clear. Detectives are investigating on suspicion of child trafficking."

A number of people called authorities across Germany after seeing the offer on eBay that read: "Baby - collection only. Offer my nearly new baby for sale because it cries too much. Male, 70 cm long."

The opening bid was 1 euro ($A1.60). There were no bidders during the two hours before the offer was removed, police said.

The mother was quoted in Bild newspaper saying: "It was only a joke. I just wanted to see if someone would make an offer. They've taken my son to hospital and I've got to take psychiatric tests next week."

Poor baby is going to grow up wondering if his parents really do love him.

The search for meaning

New article published!

Clucky?

Can a person think children are cute without being actually defined as being "clucky"?

I have never had intentions of having children. It's not that I have a problem with children, I just don't see myself at the stage of my life where I want or will or can provide for any offspring.

Almost everybody who knows me, knows this.

But for some strange reason, for some people, the fact that I don't want children somehow equates to me hating children.

I don't want children because I don't want the responsibility of having to raise a child, not because I hate their guts or would rather eat them or something. Nothing of that sorts!

I think children are cute little things. I like playing with children and I enjoy being around them. Although I don't really know what to do with them at times, I like children.

I just don't want any of my own.

But somehow, to some people, that just does not make sense to them. And so when I comment on how cute a child is, they immediately go, "oooh, she's getting clucky!"

Must I want children, in order to realise they're cute?

Can I not simply admire from afar?

Why do people assume they know me simply because of something I say, or what I like?

Your identity is...

A few days ago, I finally found the movie that gave me my name.

Yes, my parents watched a movie that was released way back in 1971 and decided that the name of the main character would be a beautiful name for their daughter. Or something along those lines...

The movie itself was called Melody, and one of the soundtracks of the song is Melody Fair, by the Bee Gees. Now, my dad was a really big Bee Gees fan so I've grown up with the song and have always thought of it as "my soundtrack".

But it wasn't only till a few days ago that I actually found and watched the movie.

And the feeling I got while watching the movie is a little hard to describe. It was weird, warm and fuzzy all at the same time. And I just felt like a part of me is complete or something.

The movie is really sweet and cute, but certainly not award winning. But I want a copy of the movie, simply because it feels like it's "me". Not that any of those involved in the movie, or anybody else who has watched the movie knows that.

It's really crazy isn't it? But isn't it funny how all humans like to know their origins, where they belong and what actually constitutes their identity?

We cannot just live and go through life without wanting to know where we come from (and I'm not talking about the birds and the bees), or where our names come from, even if it were something as trivial as a movie.

And I start to wonder about those who have no identity. Those who are unable to know who their parents were, why they were thus named or even where they belong...

Do you know the origins of your name? Drop me a comment. I would love to know.

And for those wondering,

• Wikipedia entry for Melody
• Melody, the movie
• Melody Fair, the soundtrack

Adamant fingerless gloves

I finished all four rectangle pieces!! And even learned a new way of knitting.

Kind of still struggling with it at the moment, but I'm now able to wind the working yarn over the left needle without actually letting go off the right needle. Still trying to master it, but it's so much more time efficient!

Thinking of knitting another rectangle piece though. The first piece I made kind of has a hole in it because of some knitting drama...it won't unravel, just doesn't look all that nice...probably will knit another piece. Too much of a perfectionist not to.

Adamant fingerless gloves

Three rectangles completed!

One more to go and I'd be ready to sew them all up to make a pair of gloves!

Actually finished knitting almost half of the third piece at the Chatswood blood donor centre waiting for Daniel while he donated blood.

The all new Aussie Adventures!

New blog look to go with new blog organisation!

Categories to come:

• Seeing the world - how I see and experience life in general
• Walking with God - my relationship with God
• Knitting - the ups and downs of knitting
• Blogging logistics - anything to do with this blog in a technical sense

More categories may come, but that's all I've got for now!

Adamant fingerless gloves

I actually completed another rectangle piece and I think it's getting easier. Or it could just be wishing thinking.

Do not judge me by my race, my gender or the way I speak.

Do not assume you know me simply because of what I do.

I do not and will not fit into a mould.

Just because I am Asian does not mean I only have rice or noodles for my meals.

Just because I work as a public relations officer does not necessarily mean I'm an extrovert.

Just because I am female does not mean I do not care about politics.

Do not stereotype me based either on common knowledge, or on 10 other friends you know who happen to also be Asian and female.

You will be surprised how different I am.

In fact, you will be surprised how different everybody is.

This video brought a tear to my eye this morning.

Adamant fingerless gloves

Finished one rectangle piece, three more to go. This is still hard, but I'm still stubborn.

I went to watch a Christian Rock Eisteddfod over the weekend. Six high schools came together to present the story of Samson.

The story was separated into six different parts and each high school performed their own interpretation of the part, mainly done through dance.

Honestly, I'd always felt some sort of aggravation towards Samson. I thought he was just completely hopeless.

The way he just kept rebelling and disobeying God, even though he was the anointed one really annoyed me. I just cannot understand how he could be so bad!

And the thing that got to me the most was how God continued to choose him as the anointed one. That really irked me. "Choose someone better who actually obeys you!" I would think.

But then it hit me over the weekend - I am just like Samson.

I try to obey God, I try to be good. But boy, do I fall short from being this wonderful, perfect person. And yes, I still continue to make mistakes.

And if God were to treat me the way I wanted Him to treat Samson...boy, would I be in trouble.

So I'm glad God was patient with Samson. And God continued to love Samson and use him.

It just gives me that little more hope that He would be the same to me.

Adamant fingerless gloves

Oh my goodness, how hard is it to knit with this yarn?!?! I’m only persisting because of sheer stubbornness…

Today is going extremely slowly for me.

And really, all I had wanted to yell was "I'm not getting out of bed!".

During worship at work yesterday morning, a colleague shared about how God had already planned our lives way before we were born.

In a way, it's great to know that God has a plan for me right from the start. And as he has promised, this are plans to prosper me and not to harm me.

The colleague also went on to talk about how God did not only favoured the Jews back in Bible times, even though that's all we get to read about in the Bible. God was working with the other nations as well, moving them around the world and placing them just where he wanted them.

And all this for their own good.

The thing is, I can't help but feel a little bit like a pawn. That the only reason why I'm living is to be moved around by God.

Does it make a difference that the reason why he moved me around is for my good?

I suppose it makes the experience a little more pleasant....but yet, I still can't shake off the feeling that I'm just a chess piece.

Yes, I should be thankful to God for giving me life and sustaining me and all that, but why even create me in the first place if only just to move me around?

I don't have an answer for this, besides the fact that I can't exactly change the fact that I've been created, and I'm currently living and since God deemed it so, I suppose I should try to live my life glorifying and sharing him as best as I can.

Does anybody have any further insights to this?

I think I'm developing an overdose of news.

I've been away from my office for about a week and a half on a work trip to New Zealand recently. Since I'm the only one in the office who has a subscription to The Australian, the rolls of newspaper were piled up in some sort of strange pyramid (as can be seen in the pic) when I got back.

The rolls naturally went untouched when I got back since there were emails to respond to, media release/articles to write as well as a whole variety of smallish tasks that seem to take up the most of one's time.

But since I have to read the news for work, I've decided to read all 10 rolls of unread newspapers this morning.

My head is swimming.

And the most frustrating thing is, I'm trying to find a positive article to reflect upon for a weekly editorial I have to write for a TV show.

There are no positive news articles that I can find. Everything in the news has a focus on the negative. "The worst", "neglect", "fears"...no wonder people avoid reading the news. It'll cause them to sink into depression!

One wonders if this somehow reflects the world we live in, or perhaps shape the way we see the world. That life is simply one bad news after another and the only thing we can look forward to is well, something bad.

So I'm still struggling to find a bright light in the shadow, and I'm considering writing an editorial based on something else.

It's funny how life is so much more positive and happy than the newspapers would portray...

To me, at least.

I've been wondering about the need to continue blogging and I'm just not so sure anymore.

As Kenneth said, "blogging seems to have lost some of its allure from previous years".

And it's kind of is true. Well, for me at least.

I started this blog years ago when I was in England and wanted to keep in touch with my friends and family without actually spamming their inboxes. And the secondary purpose was to share an insight on how I see life and interpret it as a Christian.

It was my ministry, in a way.

But over the last few years or months, it seems to have descended into something more like a personal diary. The posts are about where I've been, what I've done, etc. But there's Facebook for that.

And strangely, I think as I get older, I feel like I've come more private. So I no longer have the desire to scream to the world what I'm doing on a private level. (That is on the assumption that the entire world reads my blog....)

Then I also tried to venture into the realms of communication, public relations and what I do as a job. But that just becomes too personal and too risky as one day, something may come back and bite me and cause me to lose my job.

So should I keep writing?

I tend to think that I want to, because I like the idea of having a forum that I can share what being a Christian means to me. How Christianity shapes me and helps me to see and interpret events and issues happening in the world.

The problem with that though, is that for some strange reason, I'm losing my muse. Or something like that. Or it could simply be being completely overwhelmed by work and being distracted by knitting.

So maybe this is how it's going to be. If you want to know about me on a personal level, say hi to me on Facebook.

This will become a platform for when I get the inspiration to talk about what being a Christian means to me. Oh, and possibly a few communication insights/tips that I may be able throw in as well.

Should I continue blogging?

That is the question...

I’ve been told you are very creative!

Someone wrote me to tell me this today. Well, not exactly just tell me this. There were other things in the email as well. Nobody writes emails to tell people just good stuff anymore (wink). But I digress.

Does anybody actually sit down and acknowledge, "I think I'm rather creative"?

I don't know. Somehow, it just doesn't seem to fit in the same category as "I'm pretty good at math" or "I'm quite analytical".

I guess I like to create stuff. Write, knit, make beaded jewellery, take random photos and do stupid things on Photoshop and InDesign...but I've just never actually saw myself as being particularly creative.

It's not as if I play a musical instrument (except the CD player), draw, paint or well, other creative stuff that other creative people do.

But do those people think they're creative?

People have told me I'm creative before, and more often than not, I've always felt like a bit of a fraud.

I really am not, I want to tell them. But would that simply be seen as a false humility, or perhaps even a sincere case of humility?

How do you actually define creativity anyway? The ability to create stuff.

By that category, everybody's creative. We think of new things to do, new recipes, the way something is displayed, how we dress...so why is it that only some people are actually labelled "creative"?

Am I rambling here? I suppose I am. It's Isabel Dahousie's fault.

As well as the fact that I'm actually wanting to blog about something really profound that someone at work said yesterday. But I don't remember what it is anymore.

Maybe it's not that profound after all...

I'm currently reading Alexander McCall Smith's Friends, Lovers and Chocolate (yes, he's the one that wrote The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series).

I'm thoroughly enjoying it, even though I've only read the first 30 pages of the novel.

Isabel Dalhousie, the lead character, is a philosopher, and the book is filled with various thoughts, perspectives and philosophies. Really intriguing. Highly thought-provoking. It's a book that makes me think. And I love it.

One of the observations she's had has made me think more than others.

It was hard to make goodness - and good people - sound interesting. Yet the good were worthy of note, of course, because they battled and that battle was a great story, whereas the evil were evil because of moral laziness, or weakness, and that was ultimately a dull and uninteresting affair.

It does seem to be in our human nature to be evil. By that I don't mean all of us have a natural tendency to murder or robbery.

But how many of us have smirked and felt vindicated when someone we dislike fall into misfortune? How often do we go back to the cashier to tell them they've given us more change? Talked bad about someone behind their back? What about speeding when we know that we can get away with it?

It's the little things (evils) that we seem to do so easily.

Is it a curse of sin?

And is doing good really an everyday battle?

I suppose it sometimes is. There are times when I've to fight against my own self, slap myself on the hand for being "evil" and remind myself that there are certain moral imperatives that I have to live up to.

At least, as a Christian, I have full faith that my sins have been redeemed by Jesus Christ, and that He at least gives me the strength to triumph over evil. Not all the times I suppose, because carnal nature is so much stronger it seems. But I feel empowered somewhat still.

It's just interesting to note that doing good is a battle, while being evil is just being...lazy...

Seems like a father and daughter over in South Australia have had a sexual relationship (yes, with each other) and she has given birth to a baby girl.

I'm not going to go into how wrong and disturbing it is because I'm sure we all feel the same way.

What I would like to talk about, however, is the comment from the police at the end of the article.

A South Australian police media spokesman said: "The couple is being monitored."

I have visions of a policeman skulking around in the bushes with a radio going, "Yup, they're holding hands, roger." Or "I think they're hugging a bit longer than what would be normal for a father and daughter, roger."

I mean, how exactly is the couple being monitored? Surveillance cameras? Bugged phones?

Article here.

Poynter Online recently shared the best writing tip of all time - sit.

Judging by the amount of blogging I've been doing lately, it's quite obvious I haven't been doing quite a lot of sitting.

It's difficult at times though. I'm sitting in my office all day, doing writer-ly stuff. It can be hard to finish work and still want to sit down of the computer and write some more. I'm going blind as it is.

But the thing is, it's even harder to walk around with all these ideas banging against each other in my head. I've got all these things to think about, all these things to write. And it's only through writing that I know what I really think.

So if I don't actually sit and write, I end up becoming this really confused and confusing person.

And it really is quite amazing how words just flow, and how the world makes sense again, the minute you start to write - anything.

Freecycle

Do you like free stuff?

Are you ok with not-so-new stuff?

If you've answered yes to the above, let me go on and introduce you to....Freecycle!

It's basically a web-based program that brings together people who have stuff to give away and those who would like to get stuff from people who have stuff to give away.

And it is all free.

All you have to do is indicate your interest, collect it, and viola! Free stuff!

I've seen DVD players, fridges, bed frames and more on offer on Freecycle now.

And I've gotten some knitting needles, yarn and a yoga mat for free since! And tomorrow evening, I'm going to go pick up a box full of books and magazines. Yes, for free.

It's the most amazing thing on earth! I'm addicted!

Check it out now!

I now believe there is such a thing as timeless architecture.

The Rose Seidler House is one such piece of art. Built in 1949, it still looks amazingly modern from the outside.

The inside looks great too, except because it's a historic house, the furniture are somewhat retro and I'm more than dubious as to whether they actually work.

But all in all, I've been utterly amazed by how such an old construction can still be something that is so charming now.

Ben Harper, musician, Sept. 2007:

“It’s not like you have to or can do everything, but do something. Do anything other than nothing.”

How often have we thought about giving up the fight?

Maybe we have already done so.

At various stages of my professionally and personal life, I have had to fight battles. Maybe it's because of the naive belief that I can somehow change the world, combined with the childlike confidence that with God on my side, I can make this world a better place.

I want to make a difference. I want people to pay more attention to human rights issues, to the environment, to poverty, to...stuff. But more often than not, my cries fall on deaf ears and I just want to give up.

But should I? Should I just put everything aside and not do anything?

Wouldn't that make life just a little meaningless?

Besides, just because I've got a passion doesn't mean I'll actually win the race right?

As a friend once told me during my moments of "I just want to curl up into a ball and rot in a corner", and as veteran muck-raker I F Stone explained it:

The only kinds of fights worth fighting are those you are going to lose, because somebody has to fight them and lose and lose and lose until someday, somebody who believes as you do wins.

In order for somebody to win an important, major fight 100 years hence, a lot of other people have got to be willing - for the sheer fun and joy of it - to go right ahead and fight, knowing you're going to lose.

You mustn't feel like a martyr. You've got to enjoy it.

Ben Harper quote from Relevant Magazine's Ideas that changed the world.

So I'm back home after three weeks of being back home.

That statement did not make sense did it, but neither does my mind at the moment.

I've been in Singapore, the country I spent the first 19 years of my life in for the last three weeks.

I'm now in Sydney, the country I've adopted for almost seven years now.

Where exactly is home? I don't know anymore.

They say home is where the heart is. But my heart lies both in Singapore and Sydney. How do I solve that dilemma?

How can a person be completely happy in two different places for two completely different reasons? But am I actually completely happy?

I love Singapore for the close network of friends I've got there and of course, the fact that my family is there. And on a more superficial level, the food, the shopping and the ease of convenience.

But I love Sydney too. I love my friends here, and I love the lifestyle I've been able to develop for myself here. It's a lifestyle that cannot be duplicated in Singapore.

So I choose Sydney. I choose to live and work in Sydney because of what I love about it.

And yet, I miss being Singapore. But when I'm in Singapore, I miss all that Sydney is that Singapore isn't.

What do I do? What do I choose?

Am I asking for too much? Am I simply wanting to have my cake and eat it? Or am I simply getting a little too emotional?

I yearn for the time when distance no longer matters. And that's what my belief in God promises (that, and much more, of course).

I believe that one day, God will take away all this pain in my heart. Remove all the yearning for being with people I hold dear to my heart. The day when I can be in Singapore and Sydney at the same time, but yet, in a completely different context.

But that day just seems so far away...

Well, I'm off to Singapore for holidays for the next three weeks now.

Maybe I'll blog, maybe I won't.

Maybe I'll be too busy catching up with family and friends, feasting on the wonderful meals and celebrating Chinese New Year.

Catch ya in March!

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets this morning when I saw the news headlines on smh.com.au

Heath Ledger dead.

The actor, Heath Ledger.

I'm not really a fan of Heath, but I did like a couple of his films and although I don't keep track of his life, it's still a bit of a shock to realise that the dude is dead!

I'm still trying to figure out if it was a mistake or an early April Fool's joke....

I like alpacas. I really do!

Boy throws party for a few friends while parents were away.

Few friends turn out to be 500.

500 friends end up scaring neighbours.

Neighbours end up calling the police.

Police end up bringing in the riot squad and get this, a helicopter.

Now parents are possibly facing a $20,000 fine.

This is insane. And somewhat hilarious, especially when you watch this interview with him, post party.



News article here.

The giant’s garden in Tasmania

I was exhausted, sore and desperately needed a shower.


But I also felt alive and strangely refreshed.


I had never done anything like this before. Throwing on big backpack and hiking in nature.


Being completely self-sufficient, relying only on what I can physically carry.



Pitching a tent virtually anywhere I wanted and setting up camp for the night.


I had just undertaken a three day hike into the Walls of Jerusalem National Park in Tasmania, an hour or so drive from Launceston airport.


For a girl who grew up in the city and worked in an office, heading into the Australian bush was an experience I would never forget.


I was afraid I would get gnawed on by a Tasmanian Devil, or even worse, be the one to discover that the Tasmanian Tiger isn’t extinct, by being eaten by one!

I consoled myself that at least I was on the hike with a friend who lived and breathed outdoor adventure and would most likely wrestle the thylacine away from me if that happened.


Unfortunately, my introduction to the hike was far from pleasant. The first morning was pure agony. The two kilometres of gradual uphill nearly killed me. After all, my only form of training for the hike was sporadic visits to the gym.


But everything changed when we emerged from the dense forests into a clearing.


The beauty of my surroundings hushed my voice but awakened my senses. The bright green of the grass,


the brilliant blue of the sky, the many clear trickling streams and the fresh mountain air caused me to wonder if I had stumbled into an artist’s painting.



There were moments when I felt like Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk, trespassing and exploring the giant’s magnificent garden.


All around me were trees and scrubs, some that I hadn’t seen before.


There was a sort of random order about the place. The cobalt blue lakes sparkled to my left,


the rocky peaks of the Walls towered over me on my right


and the scattering of pine and gum trees all around me made me feel as if, like Jack, I had entered a place I really shouldn’t, but it continued to draw me on because of its promise of more beauty.


We spent three days and two nights in the National Park, hiking, strolling, laughing, panting and simply soaking up the awesome beauty of a place relatively untouched by man.


Three days I will not forget in a hurry.





This is the second time that I’ve visited Tasmania, but I don’t think it will ever be the last. The beauty of the island continues to call out to me. The friendliness of the people will never fail to make me feel welcome. The amazingly sweet supply of fresh cherries, raspberries, nectarines and apricots available for purchase right by the road during summer will always be a drawcard.


Of course, there are also plenty of other hikes to conquer.


1 February 2010 update: This article has been published!

Interesting food for thought over at Church Marketing Sucks.

When you preach salvation, people come to know Jesus.
When you preach about loving Jesus, people become better lovers of Jesus.
When you preach prosperity, people want to be prosperous.
When you preach about the second coming, people get ready.
When you preach healing, people will be healed.
When you preach hope, people are more hopeful.
When you preach about tithing, people tithe.

What you talk about is what people are going to respond to. In other words, you get what you preach for.

This is not about communication manipulation. This is about communication transformation.

So, friends, what are you preaching for?
What are you communicating for?

Indeed, what am I communicating for?

What am I communicating about?

New article published! Read it here.

When you think Will Smith, you think action.

You think save the world type of movies, along the lines of aliens or malfunctioning robots.

You envision explosions and guns, not the horror, zombies out to eat you type.

So when Daniel and I saw the trailer for I Am Legend, we thought it would be another one of them "armageddon-esque" kind of movie.

We were really looking forward to the day it opened, so that we could go watch it.

There really was no need to read the synopsis of the movie, because well, it's Will Smith. You kind of know what to expect.

But when less than 30 minutes into the movie, the character Will Smith plays looks at his watch and races home before the sun goes down, I started getting slightly suspicious.

Imagine our horror (pun unintended), when the sun does go down, he had to bolt lock his doors and use metal roller thingies to close his windows.

Then the horrible screaming typical of zombie movies started.

And everything just went downhill from there.

We ended up sitting through 1.5 hours of horror. Of people turned into monsters that eat other people that were not turned into monsters.

Should have watched Alvin and the Chipmunks instead.

Should have read the movie synopsis before we decided what we were going to do yesterday evening.

I feel duped by Will Smith.

I only have one question - what are we going to do about Kenya?

It feels strangely like Rwanda all over again...

For almost three years, I've talked about the place I've worked in, but have never actually mentioned the people I work with.

I think this may be a good time to introduce my team to you.

(and believe it or not, this is the creation of my boss.)

Things to consider as I prepare to go on a hiking trip in Tasmania.

1. Will I be able to keep up with super-fit outdoor maniacs Belinda, Joel and their one year old daughter? Yes, she is one and she will probably last longer than I can.
   
2. Will I be able to escape being gnawed on by the Tasmanian Devil?
3. Will I be so "lucky", I'll discover the one and only remaining Tasmanian Tiger, proving to the world that it isn't extinct, by being eaten by one?
4. Will I thoroughly enjoy myself, absorbing this wonderful view?

Be back in 2008.

Merry Christmas everybody!

Is it Christmas yet?

The silly season has certainly descended on me and I cannot wait for the Christmas holidays to actually begin so that I can actually get some rest.

Can't keep up with all the Christmas parties, gathering of friends, Christmas shopping and what not that have cropped up over the last few weeks.

I don't think I've had a free weekday evening, or for that matter, a free weekend in a while. I'm truly ready for a decent holiday where I don't get to do anything.

That will probably only happen next year though....hmmm.....

Met up with a bunch of friends at a national reserve for brunch, a game of cricket and generally just to hang out yesterday.

The day was sunny, warm and just that bit on the humid side. With all that rain we've been getting over the past week, I'm not surprised.

Who would have thought that by about 4pm, storm clouds would start to roll in, making it seemed like there was early nightfall that afternoon.

A few minutes after helping Daniel get the washing in, I started hearing pounding on the roof. It was like as if really big and fat raindrops were pelting it.

That was when Daniel sprung up, exclaimed "hail!", rushed out of the house, rushed back in yelling at Kylie-Anne to move her car under shelter, ran out of the house, ran back in again, ran around the house, emerged of the house with a couple of blankets to cover the car of his other housemate who was not home at the time.

The hail stones came fast and sudden and in an enormous amount. The ground was covered with the hail stones in a few minutes.

And as I stood there gaping at the hail falling from the sky, I got hit right square in the chest by one, leaving a rather nasty red mark.

The damages from the hail around Sydney were rather high.

Random pics of Sydney hail back in 2004.

Who would have thought there would be quite that many bats in the Botanical Gardens, located in the Sydney CBD?!

As Brentyn commented, "Sydney spent so much money on APEC, this is the only Christmas tree they can afford."

Evel Knievel has passed away.

A somewhat strange but true fact - I first learned of Evel Knievel from a Robbie Williams song. I have no idea which song that is now, but I'm sure there was a reference to him in it.

The only thing I knew about him was the fact that he was a crazy motorcycle jumper. I didn't realise he actually crashed that many times though.

But for those who may want to find out just what this dude was famous for, here's a cute little vid.

Initially, I was curious when I chose to read the news story about how a LG mobile phone battery had exploded, killing a man in South Korea.

I grew slightly more concerned when I read that just yesterday, a Nokia phone belonging to a man from New Zealand had also exploded when he was charging it.

The news article went on to mention that Nokia has acknowledged that there are faults in some of their batteries and that they may indeed explode.

I own a Nokia phone. Who knows when it may explode and kill me?

But I was really impressed with the news article because at the very end, there was an actual link that took me to the Nokia battery replacement announcement so that I can find out if my mobile phone battery is actually a murder weapon.

That was when I nearly had a heart attack because my battery model is the same faulty model.

However, after punching a few ID numbers found on the battery, it seems like it was not actually manufactured during the faulty period, so it's supposedly "safe".

I can only hope it's true.

Read the news article here.

Visit the Nokia website if you want to find out if you have a potentially exploding mobile phone battery.

I went to the stadium to see David Beckham yesterday evening in the Sydney FC vs LA Galaxy match.


It was good fun and I'm sure the rain actually stopped simply for the game. It was raining for most of the drive to the stadium and back, but the 90 minutes or so of game time was beautiful.

I could not help but have a bit of a giggle though. It was bizarre. Here are all these Sydney FC fans cheering for their team, but yet, the entire stadium will erupt into cheers when Beckham gets the ball.

How does one support one team and a player from the other team at the same time? Strange stuff. But it seems to work.

It was a fun night out, particularly because of the unbelievable amount of goals.

More photos here.

This just out - you cannot believe everything you read in the newspapers. Oh wait, you already knew that.

But visit the Regret the Error website any way.

Regret the Error is a highly entertaining website that publishes the various mistakes that newspapers around the world have been caught making.

Samples:

The president of Latvia, Valdis Zatlers, is a man. A graphic on Page A2 Tuesday incorrectly identified him as female.

Correction: Because of a reporting error, a review of the new Boyz II Men album in yesterday’s Sidekick incorrectly said that Four Tops singer Levi Stubbs is deceased. Stubbs, who is alive, no longer tours with the Four Tops

Read more at Regret the Error.

After working and living in Sydney for almost three years now, I think it may be time for me to consider settling in this country.

I'm thinking of buying a house.

To be more precise, I'm thinking of buying this house.

And in case the website gets taken off by the time you view this, try this instead.

This recent report I read about how Sesame Street, the Sesame Street that I grew up with, is now deemed unsuitable for young children.

Seems like it's because "Cookie Monster smokes and eats a pipe during 'Monsterpiece Theater.' And other characters may seem too grouchy, depressed, slow, or drugged."

I'm trying to decide what to make out of this report. I cannot help but wonder if we're perhaps "cotton-wooling" children of this generation and wrapping them in bubblewrap.

I grew up with Cookie Monster. Yes, the Cookie Monster who eats far too many cookies. And I liked Grover. Endearing, silly, somewhat slow Grover. I didn't even mind Oscar the Grouch!

And well, at my current state of adulthood, I'm neither obese, stupid nor grouchy. Sure, I feel fat at times, I do some unspeakably silly things at other times and friends tell me I am far too cynical and snarky for my own good. But I do not eat pipes during my spare time, for that matter.

I honestly don't think the Sesame Street characters have had that much of an impact on me, besides helping me understand phonics and spelling!

My values and principles came from my parents, not Elmo.

What have we become that we need to "protect" children from such "horrors"?

Maybe if we actually tried to spend time with children instead of letting television do all the educating?

To all those ebay-ers out there, you will appreciate this.


Link via Kristin.

Craig Stoltz made a very accurate observation about online communities at the moment.

I ... and (I'm guessing here) you -- are beginning to suffer social network circuit overload. It is the '07 version of the '06 RSS feed flameout, the '04 bookmarking debacle, and the '02 e-mail catastrophe...It's getting to the point where I hardly have time for my full-time job...My point is that this is unsustainable, for me and for all of us who by virtue of good intentions have been sucked into the social network vortex. We have become servants of a networks of networks of our own making.

I cannot help but agree with Craig. It's crazy what I've gotten myself into that I no longer have time for, well, a proper life!

I end up trying to keep up with all my online social networks that my relationships with people around me seem to be deteriorating.

Currently, I'm spending a lot of time in Facebook. But even so, there are certain things that I just cannot keep up with (like the various groups that I've joined).

My blog is now getting updated only sporadically and let's not even talk about my RSS feeds. I've got about 500 unread feeds now.

Have I become too sucked in?

Read Craig's full article.

Am I Right?

I believe that spicy curry is one of the tastiest dishes in the world.

I believe that books need to be arranged according to their height on the bookshelf.

I believe that the church should be more tolerant and accepting of homosexuals.

Am I right?

I think I am, but what I’ve just said is going to result in two general kinds of reactions. One of support, and another of disgusted uproar.

There can’t be two rights can there? And if there isn’t, who is right?

I’d like to believe that I’m right. I like to believe that my world view, my opinions and the way I approach certain matters is the right way to do it. After all, it’s worked for me and got me this far hasn’t it?

So when someone disagrees with me, when someone approaches something differently, and most of all, when someone doesn’t subscribe to my values, my opinions, my methods, I get frustrated, annoyed and somewhat disdainful of them.

And may the heavens show mercy on the person who does not understand what I’m saying. How can they be so stupid as to not see my point of view? How can they be so thick and not realise what I’m trying to express?

Haven’t I been just a tad egotistical, measuring everything against how I would think, feel, see, do? Just when did I become the yardstick of everything? Not since I last checked a second ago.

As far as I know, God is still in charge and I’m nothing more than a fallible, sinful human being.

So why am I demanding that everything be done according to my standards?

Maybe it’s time I start realising that we have all been created differently, with different priorities and different opinions. Maybe it's time I start realising that we all process things at a different rate and are guided by different value systems.

Maybe when I do that, I'll start being more tolerant of others.

Am I right?

I'm a public relations officer, but what is actually expected of me? I'm not sure.

I think I have an identity crisis.

I spend the majority of my time writing news articles for our internal publication. Chasing news stories for our internal production.

Occasionally, I come across a news story that I could also use to pitch to the external media.

But is there all there is to it? Nothing more than a news generating machine?

Isn't there more to public relations than simply news clips?

This is a shameless plug, but I think I can afford that sometimes.

Seventh-day Adventists will be featured on the ABC Radio this Sunday. Would be interesting to find out what non-Adventists think and have to say about Adventists and their emphasis on health!

Find out more.

As a writer, I realise the importance of actually researching a topic before going into writing about it.

This after all, makes the story more true to life, hence making it more believable.

This, however, is a bit too much. Excerpt:

Maybe you heard about the arrest of Jose Luis Calva, who is described as an “aspiring horror novelist.” Police found a draft of his manuscript Cannibalistic Instincts, along with pieces of his girlfriend stashed in various places around his apartment, including in the frypan. I know, I know, I had the same reaction: it’s pretty unfair to call him “aspiring.” It sounds like that draft was finished.

Seventh-day Adventists have an inferiority complex.

We like to shy away from telling people who we are, from saying that we belong to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Instead, we prefer to dance around the topic.

"Er..well..I'm a Christian."

"You wouldn't have heard of my church."

mumbling "I'm a Seventh...."

This lack of pride has led to many church members deliberately avoiding mentioning the dreaded words "Seventh-day Adventist Church" on any materials that they produce and even for events they plan.

There's no "proudly brought to you by the Seventh-day Adventist Church". Instead, it's usually "brought to you by [insert obscure non-descriptive name]" or "we are a group concerned about your happiness" or something like that.

And only when we are cornered, only when we don't have a choice but to voice up, do we hesitantly admit that we are from the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Why this lack of pride? What are we afraid of?

Is there truly something wrong with the Adventist Church? And if so, why are we still in it? Don't we need to ask ourselves some serious questions if we are staying in a church that we don't actually believe in, don't actually pride ourselves in?

And surely we have a responsibility to be honest to the public so that they know exactly whose materials they are reading, whose events they are attending?

It's not about overwhelming them with the Seventh-day Adventist Church logo or plastering the name of the church everywhere. It's a very simple common courtesy to inform people that something is sponsored by the church.

If we don't do that and only choose to fess up because we don't have a choice but to do so, or if the public finds out through their own investigation, wouldn't they feel duped? Wouldn't they feel that they've been deceived?

And wouldn't it spiral into a vicious cycle where Adventists develop a reputation of being devious and deceptive?

We choose to believe that people don't like Adventists and so we skulk around corners, hiding our identity.

However, we need to be more confident about who we are as a church. The Adventist Church has done good things and there are people out there who feel positively towards the church. And that is what we should reinforce, not the fact that we have an inferiority complex and are out to pull the wool over people's eyes.

I just found out why Mr Potato Head is so happy...


Full story here.