Guido is so adorable...

I went to see Cars yesterday at the movies. Make sure you stay behind and watch ALL the credits, there's some really funny stuff at the end. It wasn't as funny as Ice Age 2: Meltdown, but it was definitely worth the watch. My fave car is Guido! He is soooooooo cute! Guido is this adorable italian forklift who dreams who, along with his boss Mario, follows the European racing championship. Guido's dream is to perform a pit stop at a real race! In fact, the only english Guido (who speaks fluent Italian) knows is "Pit Stop"! Ahhh he cracks me up! Look at him! Isn't he just adorable!?!?

While we are on the subject of moives, I rented Pokemon:The First Movie on DVD last weekend! Yes, I will proudly admit I was there at the movies and paid to watch this show. And I could name all 150 pokemon in order and outclassed all the kids in my Sunday school. (To put this in context, they are 8 years old and I am their teacher). Now my aim is to locate the other two movies and watch those again too! (Yes, I was there at the movies for those too). There's Pokemon 2000 and Pokemon 3: The Story of the Unown. After that the amount of new pokemon just get stupid... but I did also see Pokemon Heroes:Latias and Latios. Ok...enough about Pokemon, I think.


In case you haven't noticed, my taste in movies is more akin to that of a 8 year old than someone three times that age. The other video I've watched recently (for the fourth time) is Anastasia. I especially love the theme song 'At the Beginning', appeals to soppy romantics like myself. Anyway, I'll finish off with an abridged version of that song.

We were strangers, starting out on a journey
Never dreaming, what we’d have to go through
Now here we are, I’m suddenly standing
At the beginning with you

No one told me I was going to find you
Unexpected, what you did to my heart
When I lost hope, you were there to remind me
This is the start

We were strangers on a crazy adventure
Never dreaming, how our dreams would come true
Now here we stand, unafraid of the future
At the beginning with you

And life is a road that I wanna keep going
Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey
I’ll be there when the world stops turning
I’ll be there when the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you

Hurrah! 5pm. Home time! I might go shopping tonight - new shoes are needed. Bye!

Power Whinging!

Just as I've suspected all along. There are whingers and there are POWER whingers. So whinge with attitude!

Ramen Challenge!

221 Challengers, only 12 winners! I can think of a whole lot of guys who could probably do this. So GO for it =) Be inducted into the Ramen Hall of Fame.

*Reminder to suggest this to Ken (my bro),

You've been tagged!

I got a tagboard =)

I'm soooo proud of myself for having the skillz to get one (ie. copying and pasting html into the right spot). Funny thing is, Peter came on last night to leave a comment and he didn't see it! Given how much he loves being the first at tagging, he'll probably be sorely disappointed he missed the privelege of leaving his mark first =P

I love you more...

Take a look at the desert
Do you feel like a grain of sand?
I am with you wherever
Where you go is where I am

Just a face in the city
Just a tear on a crowded street
But you are one in a million
And you belong to me

And I want you to know
I’m not letting go
Even when you come undone

I love you more than the sun
And the stars that I taught how to shine
You are mine and you shine for me too
I love you yesterday and today
And tomorrow I’ll say it again and again
I love you more

One of my favourite songs at the moment is "More" by Matthew West. I like to think about it as God's love song, a declaration of love from the Creator to his creation. God doesn't just know each one of us by name, He intimately knows and cares about each one of us. Amazing!

RICE!!!

I'm helping out with RICE again this year! RICE is an event run by youth leaders from churches all around Sydney. The aim is to provide an opportunity for high-school age Christians to share their faith with their friends. All the organisation is hard work but it is also a heap of fun! There are two events:

Big Day Out - a fete at Sydney Olympic Park in Homebush. Live music, games and food - along with a chance to hear the gospel explained in short 10 min talks.

Rice Rally - How many people can you put in the Sydney Town Hall? Answer: Lots! And it's soooo encouraging hearing the voices of so many young people singing praises to our Lord. Skits, games, music, a short talk and a chance to link up with youth groups with you area. Awesome night with freebies galore - a must attend!

This year I will remember to write on the lolly bags BEFORE putting the lollies in! It sure is a pain writing on them after, sooooo bumpy. For those of your who haven't heard of RICE, come check it out! Oh and let me know you are coming so I can keep an eye out for you on the day! Goooooo RICE!

PS. I think its awesome that there is a pink RICE banner that matches the colour scheme of my blog =)

Cold Feet

The term cold feet signifies a pending feeling of apprehension or doubt strong enough to prevent a planned course of action. Having cold feet, generally, signifies a state of ambivalence leaning towards "no".

Mmm... its a chilly night... so perchance I am thinking about this term. For a long time, I had thought this term referred specifically to pre-wedding jitters, but according to this entry in Wikipedia, it can refer to any apprehension about making a commitment. A quick google however, (and of course, google is the most authoritative text) shows that the term is used today primarily in the context of relationships. Here's one of the more eloquently written entries:

"You feel paralyzed by fear of the future: isolated and alone, unsupported family and friends, none of whom seemed to understand what you are feeling. Your relationship has taken on a new seriousness and permanence, and that’s just plain scary. What’s more, your relationship, once intensely private, has now become public property."

Now, I've never been married before, but I'm had my fair share of "cold feet" when it comes crunch time on life-altering decisions. I don't think remaining commited itself is difficult - I see myself as a fairly commited person. What I do believe is difficult is making the decision to commit - because invariably one is plagued with self doubt about the decision made. This can happen when considering whether to pursue a relationship, choosing a career or university degree, or making a decision regarding ministry. You question whether the decision you have made/are making is the appropriate one, and agonise over details and timing.

I wonder whether it is only natural to, at the point of making a decision, revisit the whole situation with a more critical eye?
Or is it simply that we lack trust in He who holds our lives in his hands?
Is it wisdom or foolishness?
Pragmatism or paranoia?

Definitely a point to ponder. But for now, I'm just going to put on socks and go to bed. Goodnight world!

"Why did you doubt?"

Matthew 14: 29-31 (NIV)
"Come," Jesus said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

The first thing Peter did when he recognised Jesus was to move towards him. It was unconscious and without thought to the danger of the storm and sea - like a moth invariably drawn to a flame. Focused only on Jesus, he did the impossible by walking on water.

Yet, the very instance he begins to consider his circumstances and surroundings, he falters and begins to sink. It was not that Peter did not know where he was going - Peter could see his destination, he could see Jesus. It was that he stopped to consider the ferocity of his circumstances, and he doubted. In life, often the difficult thing is not in knowing what is right or where to go - often what we should do is clearly known to us. The real difficulty lies in blocking out the noise of the world and heading unswervingly in that direction. If I start to consider the circumstances instead of focusing on God, I can too easily be overwhelmed and not recognised Jesus and His hand in all my circumstances. To trust in God wholeheartedly is to recklessly abandon and step out in faith. It is where my answer is already 'yes', before I know what is asked of me - because I know that my Lord is working things out for my good and His glory.

Heavenly Father, help me to let go of self-consideration and cautious hesitation.
Thank you for putting challenges in my life so I may grow in love & godliness.
Help me to be bold in stepping out for you, focusing without falter on Christ. Amen.

In Da House!

Hehehe. I was sifting through the photos my bro had recovered from my Dell, and I found this little gem of Matt teaching Shu how to umm "look cool and hardcore". For some reason, it really tickles my funny bone. So I thought I'd post it up for the world to see.

Cannelloni

Second thought for the day... I'm craving spinach and ricotta cannelloni. It's like no Italian shop sells it! I will just have to make it myself. For later reference, the recipe is here.

Oh, and why do some people find this word so difficult to say?

Another reminder to self - don't wave at people spying on you from upper-floor windows. It will end up in being dragged out of the room and across the street.

A picture is worth a thousand words

The hard drive in my Dell is dead =( It has taken with it over 10Gb worth of photos =( My brother managed to salvage about 100 photos before the HD died for good. Sigh, its a sad day in Mary-Land today. Must remember to back up....

On a side note, the photos that were salvaged were excellent! So many memories... so much reminiscing. I'm such a sentimental fool >.<

Noooooo........

Such is the cruelty of life. I have been sooooo good lately, and not playing much etc etc. Then I try logging on and THIS happens =( I'm not gonna retain Snr Sergeant this week.

/sigh
/cry