Art and literature.
Does anyone else think this looks like a rooster? I just drew some random lines, coloured in some bits, and VOILA! When I realised my random drawing was very rooster-like, I added an eye and a mouth.
At Mum's house, I found a paragraph of writing about Jonathon Swift, by me. I don't remember writing it, I don't remember doing an assignment about Jonathon in high school, and I don't even know who he is! But apparently I did, at one stage. Actually, it seemed to be after I had finished school, so maybe I just did it for kicks. Strange me. Here it is:
I am Jonathon Swift, explorer of the great unknown. I am inviting you on a journey to a land far, far away, a land clouded in mystery. Strange beasts have been sighted in its depths, and many have died trying to master its rough terrain. I feel that you are ready for this adventure, as I have been for many years.
Then...
Journal Entry - 28/03/02. For many days and many nights, we have been sailing this great ocean, hoping for a sight of land. Alas, not one glimpse of a shore has met my eyes. I have all but lost hope. I fear I shall never see my family again, never feel the ground beneath my feet.
This one I started about a year ago, when I was quite taken with the phrase "What say you, fool?!" As you can see, I only added two sentences before becoming bored with it. My phases are short-lived.
"What say you, fool?!?!" I shuddered as his saliva adorned my face. He was standing so close that I could feel his hot breath on my skin, and the smell... well, it was NOT pretty.
This was written as I was trying to comprehend the enormity of God's love for us. As if we'll ever understand how HUGE it is!
My love for you is so strong; it calms the raging sea
My love for you is so amazing; it transcends all understanding
My love for you is so deep; it reaches the very depths of the soul
(NB: I'm not too happy with the whole deep-depths thing, but it was just a first attempt, no editing.)
This is a story I started a while ago. There is more to it than this, but it ended up being pretty ridiculous. When I decide to keep going, I'll probably start up where this entry leaves off, and discard my previous attempt.
I entered the dark, barren room, frantically sweeping sticky spider webs from my face and hands. I looked around in the gloom, searching... There. The ornate, ancient chest caught my eye, and, heart pounding ferociously, I advanced slowly towards it. I stumbled halfway, falling onto the dust-covered floor, my mouth and nose filling with a musky odour reminiscent of mothballs and rotting cedar. Laying there, the side of my face flat against the hardwood floor, I could hear every sound the old house made - every creak and groan, every rustle, every footstep... Startled, I jumped to my feet and listened intently. Nothing. The sounds of the house were still there, but no footsteps. Maybe I imagined it, I thought. But just as I was recovering from my shocked stupor, I heard it again. Mustering up as much courage as possible, I shouted, "Is anyone there?" No answer, just the footsteps, getting louder all the time. I have to get out of here! I thought. But I couldn't leave then, not with the looming possibility that what I had spent months looking for was right there in that chest.
I raced across the room and knelt in front of the chest. My hands were shaking uncontrollably - not solely from the fear of who, or what was steadily approaching, but also from the excitement of impending discovery. The chest was fitted with a heavy-duty padlock, but I was prepared for this. I pulled a piece of strong, thick wire from my jeans' pocket, and picked the lock with the precision of a thief. As I heard the lock release, a wave of pride washed over me. I was close, so very close. All I had to do now was open the chest... but remembering that something was coming, I swept my eyes around the room. My mouth dropped open as I looked over at the door. Pulse racing, I considered my options. They were definitely very limited. There were no windows in the room, no ulterior means of escape. The only exit now was the door, and there was absolutely no way I could get anywhere near it without... I shook the thought out of my head. It was just too dreadful to consider that option. There was nothing left to do but look inside the chest. I might as well see whether or not I die in vain, I thought bitterly. I opened the lid. It was there. "Wow!" I gasped... and then I felt something touch my shoulder. Dully turning to face the enemy, my mind plunged into darkness.
Another present.
I don’t think I mentioned this – last week I ordered another birthday present for my husband, from the internet. I haven’t received it yet, though. It looks like it may arrive on Monday.
Have you heard of
The Normals? They are cool. Hubby and I heard their song
‘Black Dress’ (which is awesome, it’s about King David giving into temptation), and were hooked. We hadn’t heard any of their other songs, but always said that we should make them “our band”, because they aren’t hugely known in Australia, and we could introduce them to everyone (and make everyone love them). Unfortunately, we’ve never actually purchased their CD’s, because the Christian bookstores would have to order them in. But I went to their website, and they were selling a pack containing all three of
their CD’s for under $50, including postage from the US! That is a complete bargain, considering a CD in Australia is usually $30. So that’s his present. :o)
I’ll post the lyrics to Black Dress. It is such an awesome song. Man. It rocks.
Will she walk slowly
Or will she come at all
I can’t believe that I was watching
Can’t believe I made the call
I can’t get a handle on my thoughts now
Guess I’ve already made my mind
He’s a soldier in my battle
I’m the king with too much time
Will she wear that black dress
Will she wear that black dress
As holy as the night
As holy as I want to feel
I want to feel all right
What if she is angry
I know that we’re both scared
Do I look her in the eye or do I even dare to care
I’m drowning in desire
I’ve been good for so long
I know I’ve got no right now
But no one can tell me that I’m wrong
Will she wear that black dress
Will she wear that black dress
As holy as the night
As holy as I want to feel
I want to feel all right
Maybe I’ll be kind
I could be gone when she gets here
I’ve still got a chance to make this one all right
My temptation’s on the stairway
My temptation’s at the door
My temptation is before me
She is standing before me in that black dress
Uh-oh.
Ooops! I accidentally cancelled my boss’s dialup internet (for when he uses his laptop at home, for work purposes). I didn’t realise he used it, since we have broadband here in the office. But never fear, I called them back, and they opened it again straight away. Man, that was a stress attack! Praise the Lord. :o)
Newton's law.
A fairly old man (about 70) came into our office today. I got him some certificates he wanted, and included a plastic sleeve for him to put them in. He said, "You're a lovely girl! Your looks are only exceeded by your brains." Awww, how sweet!
You would not believe the cuteness of the birthday card I got for my husband. It's a '
Newton's Law' card. Newton is absolutely gorgeous! I've already sealed it up (so I can't scan the card), but here's a picture of Newton from the front of the envelope. Oh my goodness. :o)
Tonight is going to be so cool! A bunch of friends and family are coming to Fasta Pasta for my husband's birthday dinner, and then we're going to have cake (one that
I made), and then we're going to give him a
BARBEQUE! Have I mentioned that he has wanted a barbeque for so very long? So much so that he put a barbeque utensils kit on our wedding registry... We got it, too! We obviously haven't used it yet, because we didn't have a barbeque...
until now! I'm so excited. I'll tell you how much he loves it, I promise.
Blessings.
My brother is AWESOME! Not only did he update my graphics card, he also updated Direct X, installed Windows XP (I had 98 before), installed a 40GB hard-drive, and gave us a new printer and scanner! He’s also installing some games he thinks we’ll like! Man, he is a legend! WOW. Blessings galore!
I’m going shopping tonight to get my husband’s birthday present. I’ll let you in on a secret – it’s a barbeque. :o) My nanna, mum & step-dad, brother & his fiancé, brother & his girlfriend, and sister & her boyfriend, are all contributing towards it. He is going to love it SO MUCH! I can’t wait. *rubs hands together in glee*
Jobs and better jobs.
“Hi! I’m Donnie from the something something paint ball field. I’m sure you’ve heard of skirmish? We’re the largest paint ball field in blah blah blah. We’re offering four groups of people from your area to go for almost no cost! Do you have some currrrraaazy friends who would be interested in a bit of paint ball? Not really? Is there anyone else here who would be? No? Sorry about that, then. See ya!”
Obviously Donnie (who had hair like Donnie Osmond, by the way) didn’t notice the sign on the door saying ‘Salespersons
by appointment only’. A lot of people seem to miss that one. :o)
My husband lost his job last Friday. It’s all good; he’ll find a job soon. He should have no problem, he’s an awesome guy (and I’m not just saying that because he’s my husband!), and God wants us to prosper. So the odds are in our favour!
I get to leave work at 4:00 today, because I worked through lunch. I’m going to drop my computer off to my brother, so he can have a look. Hopefully he’ll be able to fix the problem. I guess it’s not a
huge deal, the sound doesn’t work on only one game. But it’s such an
awesome game! It’s ‘Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life’, and I’d been playing it for a couple of weeks before the sound suddenly disappeared. I’m almost up to the last level! It pains me so much that I can’t play it. Every day is filled with despair. :o)
Okey dokey. I guess I’ll go now. *sigh* Parting is such bitter joy! Ha ha, get it? I replaced the phrase ‘sweet sorrow’ with its antonym, bitter joy. Ah. The wonder of words. Replete with expressive potential. Ripper.
Tiredness becomes me.
As I was walking to the post office, a man asked me for directions to the bank. I said “Just go straight to the end of this street, then turn right.” He did turn right, but
not at the end of the street. Oh well, he’ll find it eventually.
Reggie Dabbs loves Australia. He said that he’s starting to love it more than his own country. He said that we have the best beaches, the best rugby (AFL), and the best weather. :o)
Kudos to God for inventing sleep. Why, yes please, if you’re offering, I
would quite like a nap. Really? Well, you too! Goodnight, sir.
ZZZZZzzzzz
By the way, I am tired for a reason. I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning trying to fix my computer. I’ve been having some problems with installing DirectX 9.0c, but I fear that after several hours of work, trying many tedious “solutions” from the Internet, I’ve just made things worse. I think. I’m going to try updating the drivers for my graphics card, hopefully that should work. My brother suggested that the old drivers aren’t compatible with the new version of DirectX. Hmmm… Crisis resolution is not fun. :o)
See you when you get here.
I just had a Very Vanilla Latte from Gloria Jeans. Yummo! The problem is, every time I drink a Gloria Jeans Coffee, I get all jumpy and shaky and caffeine-y. Come on! It was only a regular! I don’t understand. It doesn’t happen when I have coffee from the Coffee Club, or home-made coffee. Only Gloria Jeans. Strange.
I had an awesome weekend! Youth was back in action, and it was fabulous. There were 168 people, which was outstanding considering we just moved into a new building about a month ago (there are quite a few people who only come to Youth, and not church, and considering our school programs haven’t started yet, they wouldn’t know).
I am extremely bored right now. You wouldn’t believe how bored I am. I’m SO bored, that I’m emailing Kristy, pretending to be writing to her from heaven. You see, she hadn’t heard from me for a while, so she asked if I was still alive. I sent her the following email:
Nope, I'm up in heaven with God.
I elaborated in a more recent email:
Hi Kristy,
Have you received my emails today? I'm starting to wonder if YOU'RE alive! (Although I haven't seen you here yet, but it is a big place).
Everything is great here in heaven. I'm having a blast. My mansion is lovely, I'm living the high life! Well, not living... and not life. But you know what I mean. God is such an awesome dude! We've had a few chats, and you wouldn't believe what's in store for you when you get here! I've seen your mansion! Let's just say there's a certain pop star / actress who will live just next door! (Do the initials H.D. mean anything to you?) Anyway, I'll see you when you get here.
Love from Alyssa
See? I told you I was bored. Now to continue my boredness. Yay. Good times, good times.
2004 in review.
I got this 'Year In Review' meme from
The Last Five Pages, one of the blogs I frequently visit. You post the first couple of lines from the first post of each month of 2004. So that's what I'm going to do. :o)
January -
What one thing are you most looking forward to... 1. ...today? Having lunch with my boyfriend.
That's funny, back then he was my boyfriend. Now it seems very strange to think of him as having been anything other than my husband.
February -
Youth was so awesome on Saturday night! It was our first night back, and we had 150 people!
That reminds me - Youth starts back up again this Saturday! It's going to be huge! I wonder how many people we'll have!
March -
We went to see 'The Passion of the Christ' last night. It was... well, it was moving.
It's not as bad as it sounds! I just meant that it's something we as Christians should all see, but I wouldn't necessarily want to see it again. I did see it again, though, with a non-Christian friend. It was a great witnessing tool.
April -
It was my 21st birthday on Tuesday! And I was sick in bed all day!
Yep, that seems to happen to me. I was upset on my 20th, sick on my 21st... this year, my birthday is going to rock! Just letting you know.
May -
We're doing a Quiz Show type thing at Home Group tonight, on Luke 5:1-11. I was in charge of making the questions...
Hee hee, that was cool. And now I'm the assistant leader of our Home Group, so I'll most likely be able to do more things like this!
June -
Lately I've been trying to get into a fitness routine... well, maybe 'trying' isn't the right word. I think 'meaning', or 'wanting', or 'really-thinking-I-want-to-get-fit-but-not-willing-to-get-up-that-early-in-the-morning?'
I'm actually going through the exact same thing right now. I've even taped Aerobics Oz Style, so that I could do it when I got home from work, but that didn't quite work out either. My friend Jill has started going to the gym, so maybe I'll go with her one day. Hopefully.
July -
I am really, really confused. For some reason, my blog is listed on this page...
I still don't know why it was there. Let's just go with the assumption that someone loves me. :o)
August -
I just sent an email to my future self, through www.futureme.org. I'll receive the email on the 4th of August 2005. It made me sad to think that by then, I'll be a different person.
Only seven months to go! I don't even remember what I wrote. I guess that's the point, though. It'd be better if I forgot about the whole thing, though. OK, ready? 1, 2, 3, forget!
September -
I've been looking up various news stories on www.newstext.com.au today. It sounds like a really interesting time-waster, I know. And it is!
I'm totally over that phase. I've decided that news is not my bag. I'd rather read pointless websites. Anything with a point can count me out.
October -
I thought it was time I posted something new. :o) I'm getting married in 10 days! That's next Saturday, people!
And now... I'm married! It was beautiful, and the best day of my life. :o) Awww!
November - I didn't post anything. Oh the shame.
Yes, that's been known to happen. But not anymore! A measly one post per month won't kill me! I can be committed!
December -
So, I'm planning a Bridal Shower. I know, it's very weird. :o) It's for my friend Lexi, whose wedding is in three weeks.
It was fabulous, I tell ya. She loved it. We poured love on her, and she SO felt it. Feel the love, people!
Answers.
Here are the answers to the questions asked by Neely and Kristy, in response to the
meme I posted.
1. What is the biggest thing marriage has taught you lately?
Don’t sweat the small stuff. That sounds so cliché, but I never realised how important it is until I got married. If you spend your life with a person, chances are they will get on your nerves occasionally. I’ve been slowly learning which things are important enough to discuss further (and risk getting into an argument about), and which things are really not important in the long run (and should be forgotten about).
2. If you could have a random and silly superpower, what would it be?
I’d like to have sticky feet and hands, so that I could walk on the walls, hang from the ceiling, and climb buildings with ease.
3. What are seven reasons you would give to get someone to move to Australia?
1. The Gold Coast (
Movieworld,
Dreamworld,
Seaworld and
Wet ‘n Wild!)
2. Springwood Christian Church (the best church in the world!)
3.
Planet Shakers and
Hillsong
4.
Tambourine Mountain
5.
Breaka Iced Coffee
6.
The Mouse’s House (our honeymoon location)
7. I’m here!
4. When are you planning to have babies… not that I want u to rush???
We’re going to talk about having babies in October this year, but then Tim said he’s going to put it off for another six months. So I guess the earliest is nine months from April 2006, which would be January 2007. Of course, I’m hoping for sooner, but I can wait. :o)
5. Why aren’t you replying to my emails… R u sick today???
Nope, I’m fit as a fiddle! I was replying, but my emails mustn’t have gone through. Then I went to do some banking, so I was away from my desk for about an hour.
6. What to you honestly personally think of socks???
They are comfortable, but I don’t like wearing them in summer. :o) Ha ha, just kidding. I know that you meant Socks as the code name for your crush. I don’t know him very well at all, I’ve never even spoken to him. But I have seen him praising and worshipping God, which gives him heaps of bonus points. And Tim seems to like him, so he must be a good guy. And I trust your judgement. So overall, he’s in my good books.
Article.
Check out this
Crosswalk article about Planet Shakers! It is very cool. You know, one day (soon) High Voltage Youth is going to have worldwide influence. There's going to be newspaper and magazine articles (even TV segments) about us all over the globe. And God's Name will be glorified through it all. :o)
One of those days.
It's one of those days. You know, the ones where every bit of work that you have to do seems terribly boring, and you try to pass the time doing other things, but realise that those things are boring too, so you should probably just do work? Yeah, one of THOSE days. And I'm tired, from staying out until late last night. Darn you,
Planet Shakers! Awww, I don't mean that. It was so very worth it. I'll never get tired of praising and worshipping God... and if I ever do, I'll just need an attitude readjustment.
My real-life friend, Kristy (of the
'smelly, burning dog food' fame...) has started her own blog! My real-life and my blog-life finally collide! I'm so happy. Anyway, here it is:
http://princesskristy.blogspot.com. Kristy is the best. Better than all the rest. Better than anyone, anyone I've ever met. Speaking of which, my Nanna, who just turned 80, has been known to dress up as Tina Turner and sing 'Simply The Best' at the RSL she goes to. She also did the Tina Turner act at her 80th birthday party. She's fabulous. :o)
Today I'm wearing a bright pink T-shirt. The fact that I'm even mentioning that just proves that I have no idea what to write. I'm sure I'll have a burst of inspiration soon, but until then... I'm going to do some work.
That's happiness.
Meme.
I got this from
Unquenchable Songs and Endless Praise, Neely & Lissa's blog. They rock. :o)
A) Recommend to me:
1. a movie.
2. a book.
3. a musical artist, song, or album.
B) Ask me three questions. Ask me anything you want.
C) Now go to your blog (if you have one), copy and paste this, and allow everyone to ask you the same.
Holiday quotes.
My step-brother, Ryan, is 7 years old. He's funny. Here are some of the things he said over the Christmas holidays.
--------------
(While playing Grand Theft Auto, and thinking the object of the game is to run people over)
"What's that? What did you say? Oh, that's right, you're dead!"
"Thank you, Lord! Thank you for letting me run over all these people!"
--------------
(After receiving a big foam rocket {kinda like
this one} for Christmas, and starting to take it into the living room)
"Not inside, Ryan!"
"But Brooke's annoying us!"
--------------
Don't get me wrong, he really is a good kid. :o) He's just a joker. Good times.
More viewpoints.
Kristy:
If you have time, I want to know what your views are on globalisation.
Me:
What do I think of globalisation? As the CEO of a multi-million dollar worldwide corporation, I am asked that question alot. My answer is always the same... 'Bring it on, baby!!!' Infiltrating more countries means getting more money. I'm not a greedy person, but I am not adverse to a trip to Paris, luxury yacht, or $20,000 Rolex watch once in a while. You know, just the necessities. Some people think that globalisation is not so great, because we 'kill local businesses'. True. We do. But they don't deserve any success! If they really wanted to be successful, they would work for me, not compete against me by trying to start their own business. We will always win. Don't they understand that? Silly people. So for now, I am content in running my 900-million-dollars-per-year, 165-countries-around-the-world, 400,000-employees global empire, earning seven figures per year. Hey, someone has to do it. The world can't take over itself, you know.
Me:
Kristy, what do you think of procrastination?
Kristy:
I love procrastinating. For example.... when you're supposed to be doing 10 assignments due and the computer is screaming at you “play Sims 2, play Sims2”.... you, of course, procrastinate and play Sims 2.... in fact you have more fun playing Sims 2 when you’re procrastinating than when you’re playing it for pure pleasure. But then after three hours of Sims 2, you look at the time and go “oh boy, now I have even less time to do those assignments” and you say “I am so not going to procrastinate again...this is really important and urgent.” But what happens the next day...yep you guessed it. The TV guide yells at you, and makes really cool shows lined up next to each other for 6 hours jump out of the page at you. And it attacks you and you have to give in, coz the pressure is too hard. Do you want to know where procrastination lands you... it lands you in major freak out mode, you get stressed and cry and take it out on everybody else. It’s like sin.... procrastination feels so good at the time, even though there's a little bit of a butterfly in your stomach every now and then when you remember what you're supposed to be doing. But the butterflies go away and they never win, coz you know why, it's coz your brain is in control. Sin and procrastination both feel so good at time, but they both land you in a big pile of smelly, burning, past-the-used-by-date dog food with all it's fungus and growths.
Lovely imagery, Kristy. :o)
Viewpoints and dreams.
I am so glad it’s Friday! I get to sleep in tomorrow. I know, last week I was on holidays, and got to sleep in every day, but I really miss it. Sometimes my husband would wake up early and
let me sleep while he did housework! I love that man!
Planet Shakers next week!!! I’m pretty darn excited. Hubby and I only get to go to the night sessions (we’re both working during the day), but it will be awesome. It’s at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, so it’ll be HUGE!
My friend Kristy, via email:
I’m gonna give you a topic of conversation and you have to give me your views on it. Feel free to make it silly....'What are your views on paperclips'
Me:
I use paperclips all the time. You would not believe how fast I go through them! I end up having to buy three new packets every couple of weeks. It's crazy. Don't tell anyone, but I have a secret paperclip collection. I've made a chain out of them. When it gets long enough, I'm going to clip one end to the desk and throw the other side out of the window. Then I can climb down the chain and get out of this wretched place! Or another option is to attach one side to my head. My Prince Charming (i.e. husband) will walk by, and I'll throw the other side out of the window, so he can climb up and rescue me. My "boss" won't be laughing then! His best employee will be out the window (literally!), and I'm sure the others will take a leaf from my book, and fight back against his evil schemes. I can't take this any more! I'm going to get some more paperclips today, and complete my chain. Then we'll see who's boss! MWA HA HA HA HA!
Me:
Kristy, I would like to know what your favourite cereal is, and why you like it so much.
Kristy:
My favourite cereal is coco pops. This is because they are chocolaty. But I, like, never have them coz all we really have in the cupboard is weet-bix. But I’ll tell you a secret. I don't eat coco pops publicly, but I do have a secret stash under my bed. Every night I have to eat 2 boxes, coz they give me my super powers to go out fighting the world and also coz they taste nice...hehe...you see the reason I’m so tired this morning was because last night I was out saving the world, which means I was saving your butt from the Evil Eggplant man. He tries to throw eggplant bombs into people’s homes. If I didn't stop him last night, then you would not have woken up this morning. So I think a special celebration in honour of me should be on the party cards. You could call me coco pop princess who fights crime and evil doers who try to take away the serenity.
My favourite part of
The Dreams Of Hannah:
“…he was always randomly handing out lollipops. If anyone got the right answer in class, he'd give them a lollipop. As you left, he'd give you a lollipop. Me and a few friends were all sad because Mr. Che didn't have a girlfriend.
So one day I brought him a box of lollipops. His eyes lit up and he grabbed the box and said, "Thank you... thank you..." Then he took out each lollipop, unwrapped it, kissed it, wrapped it back up, and put it back in the box. (In hindsight... EW.)
Then I went back and wrote this in my online blog:
"I always thought Mr. Che would never get married. But now I realize, all he has to do is to meet a girl with a really big round head and a tiny stick-like white body whose hands are always down at her sides, and they'll be really happy together."
