So...

...You Think You Can Dance. Started last night, and we watched it on a group of my friends' weekly Vegas/Poker (formerly Heroes) night. We started thinking up other concepts for the tv show. I might just ramble some off the top of my head, as quickly as I can, starting... NOW! (9:55 AM)

So you think you're from France?
So you think you've got pants?
So you think you've got hot pants?
So you think you've got shpants?
So you think you've got shpoveralls?
So you think you've got shpoverandals? (Apologies. In-joke. Shorts + Pants + Overalls + Sandals = the greatest one-piece outfit of all time.)
So you think you can imitate a kitchen appliance?
So you think you're a truck?
So you think you're Optimus Prime?
So you're kidding yourself and can't dance?
So you think you can make up other amusing concepts for the "So you think you can..." idea, and then fail?

Well, that was embarassing. Now I'm going to Phillip Island for the weekend. And am doing my 40 Hour Famine... ARMLESS. Awesome. Hopefully I can get someone to film me doing some stuff with no arms... and hopefully not when people kick me in the back so that I fall on my face.

Armless challenge starting... NOW! (10 AM) I typed this senternmcer with mmy feet and nodzse. YAY! yes i dfid jusdt usde twoop ffeert foprt the erxccllamation mnaarrkj!!!!!!!!!

Mafia

Language warning on this one. But still, hilarious. Check out the website for some more amusing videos. I recommend the B-Boy Stance and Pennyweather Lemonade ones. Some are rather rude. But still... amusing.

Fundamentalism

This week we're doing an interesting topic in International Studies on Religious Fundamentalism.

What got me to write this post though was something someone said in my tute yesterday. They are a very (self-confessed) science-oriented person. This is what they said: "In my view, religion and religious people are just so close minded, because they're all like, 'Do what we do or you'll go to hell', blah blah blah, crazy dancing and shouting and stuff."

It made me really angry because this person had clearly not even attempted to explore religions of all types and have an understanding before criticising. They had just taken what they had seen on tv and film - like the guys in Borat, and society's stereotype and adopted it on their own to try and seem clever. How close minded was that?! Here is a clip, which is pretty much about the very same thing, from everybody's favourite show, Family Guy.



I left the beanbags bit in there because it makes me laugh.

I am hesistant to even comment on other denominations of Christianity, let alone the numerous other faiths in this world. I respect them, and I intend to do some exploration in this lifetime, but until then I am not going to badmouth them with no real grounds to stand on.

What I wanted to say at first was really angry and attacking, but I didn't say anything. Firstly, because I didn't want to start any conflicts and have to awkwardly deal with them for the rest of the semester, but also because I didn't want to seem like the crazed fanatic she was so quickly labelling those who follow a religion. That said, we are talking about it again next week, and I am thinking about things I can say that are constructive.

There have been quite a few instances of comments like that at uni. Sometimes people are just cynical for the sake of being cynical or trying to sound intelligent. It's not unintelligent to sound hopeful and optimistic. In any case, I don't mind if they are against some things, or lots of things, as long as they have grounds to back it up and aren't wildly slinging accusations or just adopting a very broad generalisation from media representations. I understand that you can't help but be influenced. But at least try and be informed too. That's one of the fundamentals of a good, constructive discussion. Instead of inviting a heated argument.

Quotes

I didn't blog much last week because I've had five assignments to knock out. Finished them all, but they got progressively worse.

With a title like "Quotes", you'd presume I'd write some inspirational things that affected me, or something of the like. No. In the week of extreme stress, I have sort of reacted by being immature and silly. Here are some things I've said:

(Before Garage)
Transvestites... men but in disguise. (to Transformers theme)

(At a play)
Person: We should give them a standing ovation!
Me: More like give them a standing ovulation!

(In German class)
If you can call someone stingy a tightarse... can you call somebody very generous a loosearse?

Am I silly? Yes. I was somewhere between amused and intrigued - amtrigued, that I didn't get angry or anything during the week. Usually that's my stress reaction. But not this time!

... and that completes today's pointless post. I am aware it is useless and there's not really much interest in it. Whatever. This one's for me then.

PS. 40 Hour Famine is officially done, but I am still doing it. Sponsor me please? Email me if you will, you may have already. I'm considering 40 hours voiceless, sightless (again), or arms-less. Unless there are other suggestions?

Score

Just to keep you updated on my Minesweeper scores. New records in the last week. Woo!

Prejudice

It has been almost a week since last post! In the time in between, I had no less than five assignments due to uni. Incidentally I also died five times. Lucky I'd been collecting mushrooms with Mario beforehand, so I was in big mode, and didn't die. Just went to small mode. Whatever.
K and I also hit two years. To celebrate, I lit some candles and surprised K, then we sang and played piano and went out for dinner. Hooray! Here is a picture from the evening:

ANYWAY. What I really wanted to write about is another excerpt from Surrender. I went to a session called "No revolutions without anger (and shallowness)" run by Darryl Gardiner - the New Zealand YFC national director.

My reason for going to this session is that 1) I had heard Darryl Gardiner before at an SYG night and 2) because I'm a fairly angry kid, and was interested in seeing how I can use my anger positively for change.

What came out of the session was:

A quote from CS Lewis is "God doesn't make Christians nice... he makes them new." That is, as Christians, we do not have to be 'nice' or to tone down what we say or do just to avoid stepping on other's toes - Christian or not. Did Jesus? No. We should not be ashamed of what we believe and stand for, while still being open that others have the right to believe and stand for as they choose too.

At present, it seems that the inverse of that - that we are made to be 'nice' - is what is reality. Like we've become sanitized and clean and pretty and worried about floral arrangments at church. The opposite of nice doesn't mean we have to go out picking fights. But it means that we are honest, as honest as can be - and not hiding who we are or what we believe for the sake of what someone else thinks. Being 'new' requires that, it requires us to acknowledge we are not perfect, we are dirty, and not try to create an image to everyone and to ourselves that we are otherwise.

Jesus was angry and he made people angry. Darryl quoted one of Jesus' most sniping comments to the Pharisees, "You brood of vipers, sons of your father: the devil." Jesus said things that stung and were not 'nice', but they were honest. Of course, don't go calling other people sons of the devil. But what I got out of it was that I shouldn't be afraid to point out something I see is wrong, even if it's to people far more 'powerful' or 'higher up' than me in the church or elsewhere in society. Inversely, I should be prepared for anyone to come and point out things that I might need to work on too. As scripture says, I should see the plank in my own eye before commenting on the speck in another's.

I know I'm not perfect, that I'm a sinner and a fool. This is a quote that Darryl gave us, from John Newton, the writer of "Amazing Grace": "I am still a great sinner... and Christ is still a great saviour." We are not made 'clean' on our own. That's what I believe we have God for.

We talked about this in Small Group, about when to know it's ok to confront, and when not to, and when to curb what you say. It's something I like talking about.

The next day, I went to a workshop/forum where somebody was talking about how angry they are at the council/elders/higher in the hierarchy people at church, and one of the panel members - Mark Sayers - said this: "To blame your problems on 'them' or 'the elders' as a group is ignorant. It's like a form of prejudice like racism, because you've grouped them without getting to understand them."

It's definitely something I should be aware of, because I find it very easy to complain and whinge and be angry about things when I probably haven't worked out why I'm angry, or made an effort to tell the people who really need to know - ie the people involved - rather than the people I usually associate with, who share mostly the same sentiments anyway. It made me understand that if I'm truly to feel angry or upset or annoyed about something, I better be able to say I've made an effort to understand why whoever I'm angry at does what they do, what they think, and an effort to explain what I believe to them.

The result is that I am not so angry at the moment, and have not so much discontent, and have already started talking honestly and openly, and importantly - in an effort to understand - which has caused me far less frustration and more hope. This is a good thing. I'm definitely glad I went to that session. I need someone to come along every so often - whether stranger, foe, or friend - to slap me in the face and make me realise what I'm doing is wrong. So, come slap me some time. I might slap you back.

From Little Things...

After a conversation with someone over the weekend, I decided to write about this gem of wisdom that came out of Surrender: "Do little things with great love."

For a person like me - who gets very caught up in doing projects and running things and joining things (and incidentally, finds it hard to say no to people) - this is especially relevant. It's part of the reason why I burnout so much. I get far too caught up in trying to do big things that will change people's lives or my life or the church or the world, and then forget that the reason behind doing all those things is because I care about people, and do it for them.

A prime example is from the Africa Aid dinner last year. It was a big event, and in our very naive, new stage, we were thinking mainly about raising big money (for reference, it raised $2200 in a night). We invited a group of refugees from camps in Sudan to come along, and they sang for us, and it was my highlight of the evening. Their leader, Martha, spoke about how it didn't matter how much money we raised. How when they were in their refugee camps, and heard about some sort of money coming in, it wasn't much of a big deal because they knew that, for the most part, they wouldn't see that money anyway. Martha cried while she told us that what deeply touched them was that there were people like us - young and foreign and strangers - that cared about them and wanted to help them, even though they had nothing to give us in return. That's why I do Africa Aid. But sometimes, you get too caught up in meetings and paperwork and logistics and boring crap, and you forget about the heart behind it all.

To simply have a conversation with a lonely person is just as valuable as running an aid organisation. They are at very different positions on the scale of largeness, but possibly, sometimes, the former is higher on the scale of love - if you are like me and get bogged down in stress levels. Like the old adage says, "From little things, big things grow." Whatever you do with love and with care, plants a seed that can become something much larger. For instance, Amnesty International began with a British lawyer, Peter Benenson, who wrote articles and letters to his local newspaper on behalf of two Portuguese students, who had been imprisoned for raising their glasses in a toast to freedom. This relatively small act of selfless care gathered so much support and feedback, that a commitee was started to help gather and collect it all, and use it to help free the students. From that, one of the largest human rights organisations in the world came into existence.

It is so easy to show love, if we try. Unfortunately, it's probably easier to just not show anything at all. But I think everybody has some sort of dream for a change in the world. It might not be a very big change, or a very big dream, or a positive change, but people dream. But to change the world, you must first change your world - and that includes yourself, your family, your friends, your community. They all need love in some way or another. Might I be called idealistic, a dreamer, 'weak' for thinking like this? Yeh, probably. But I don't care, because I believe it. So for all of us, to do little things with great love, instead of the inverse of big things with loss of love, is something I find to be very valuable indeed.

Depressed Ex Kids Game Show Host

Wow. Life used to be Amaz*ng, but now it's a total Wipeout. It used to be all fun and games, but nobody cares about kids game shows anymore. They want all adult things. I hate how with adult game shows It's Academic - stuff I can't handle. I want to go back to flashing lights and finding keys. Maybe I'll go Download some old episodes. That might cheer me up.

What's that Temptation? You think you're too grown up for me? You think you're awesome because your contestants pick faces off the prize board? Well. I'll Pick Your Face in a minute.

Man I miss the old days. Maybe I'll go hang out with Agro and the Cheez TV guys. Oh snap! Go Go Stop starts in ten minutes.

Minesweeper: The Movie

I found this, and it was greatly amusing.

EDIT: Sorry kids! Link is now fixed. Enjoy.

Recap

Well, this is it. It's been a month since I returned, and I've been putting this off, because it's so incredibly difficult for me to write. When people ask me 'How was the trip?', I have absolutely no idea how to respond. It's not the greatest of questions, but the answer is so great and so hard for even myself to comprehend, that I really do struggle to express what Zero Seven meant to me.

By now, you're probably reading the fifth or sixth re-write/edit of it, which just emphasises the difficulty of this task for me. I'm not going to write in great detail or length about the specifics of our activities. Too hard, too much. Stuff you can come talk to me/email me about.

The reason why Zero Seven made me so excited and reignited my fire is because I was around so many other excited, passionate people. Passion, as I have mentioned, is very contagious. Even when you disagree with someone, you are being passionate about disagreeing. It was really encouraging to know that there are so many others out there that genuinely care about a better world, and believe that we, of the First World, should not get to leave ignorantly in luxury whilst those of the Third World (which was inadvertedly created through the building of the First) suffer. I loved being around so many advocates for change, so many hearts filled with fire.

I also love having connections to people. You may have experienced this before, but sometimes on camps and holidays and anything that is removed from everyday life - people interact differently. They're more open, they hide themselves less, and they are more honest. Zero Seven was like that for me... but times 100. The rate at which you could build friendships with people, without any pretense or predetermined image, was incredible. The only sad thing about these sorts of trips (for me: Germany, GYLC, Zero Seven), is that once they're over, people go back to everyday life, and slowly the excitement begins to fade.

Luckily, I've been able to still hang out with excited people such as myself, which keeps my fire well and truly burning. Admittedly, I became passionate on my own, but that is another post for another day. Nowadays, what keeps me burning a lot of the time is other people.

Zero Seven was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It has encouraged me that my hope for a better world is not alone, and not unreasonable. It has re-excited me, and re-inspired me to continue doing what I do, and challenged me that I can still do so much more.
Zero Seven is not over. We are a campaign for change and for 0.7% GNI and for awareness and many other great things. And it's not over till change has happened. Which means I have a lot longer to finish this post. The end... for now.

Team Chong: Pretty much the best team of all time.

T3xT

OMFG!!!1!!11!! t0d@ii !n unI w3 spk @bt h0w txt sp3@k !$ b3c0m!nG """N0rm@L!""" LOL! ROFLMAOQUACK. (XcU$3 m@I dUck LOL-LIPOPS)

Sum p33p$ 3V3n S@i T3xT sp3@K 0uT l()uD!!!!

... to those people, you're on notice. I'm going hunting. Or should I say, hUnT!nG!!1!

Duke

Beknownst to most of my readers, there is a very special person in my life. This person has been there for me through thick and thin; has shared in my tough times and in my happiest moments. I have seen this person grow and reach new heights... achievements that I could only have dreamt of. I cannot wait to spend many, many more happy adventures with this person. Of course, this holder of much love in my life is none other than... DUKE.

The GREATEST blob of all time, and the winner of Blob Season 4!!! Before I go on, let us hold a minute of silence for all his blob friends that he had to eat/kill along the way...

...and now that that's done. HOORAY! DUKE WINS! In case you do not know, Jono Croxford is a man of many talents - one of which is emailing a group of people daily with the adventures of a blob of their own, in which the blobs can eat, get rich, get healthy, grow, evolve, and of course, FIGHT.

That's all there is to say really, so below I'll just post all the different stages of my buddy Duke from his Season 3 self, then Season 4 baby through to his monstrous stage. Although, with the next season of blob starting...Duke will go back to his little baby stage. No matter, he will be great once again. Watch out blobbers. Duke's on the prowl.

River

I wrote the other day, that I'm in a weird, fairly crappy state. It's getting gradually better. But I was speaking to a close friend about how at times like these it's not that I don't feel like there is anyone there. I know there are people there. It's that I find it hard to appear weak and lay myself bare completely.

I am very often open with a lot of people, often before I even know them well. But somehow, I fall into a situation where I feel I appear as a strong individual, and a capable sort of person. Which is true sometimes, but I also have a weaker side, as does everyone. So when I am in this sort of state, it is hard to express that I am feeling weak, and am very much floundering in a sea of thoughts. I am also really happy too, so sometimes I'm not feeling weak. Weirdness.

I feel like I should pray more. I don't pray very often. But I feel like I should. Know I should even. Like I should tell God how I'm feeling, even though it is already known. I think I struggle with that too. And with laying myself bare to God. I don't think I'm very good at doing it to anyone.

The following are the lyrics of two songs about that very thing - being open to God, especially in times of pain and suffering and emptiness. I like them both. (Note: I am one who often doesn't really connect with Christian music. Well, the Hillsong-esque stuff. It's because, sometimes, I find the lyrics shallow and barely graze the surface of how I, and others, feel about God. I know it's easy to criticise, and anybody could challenge me to write a better song. But the point of this note is, though I sometimes struggle with Christian lyrics, I still like these ones.)

I've had questions, without answers
I've known sorrow, I have known pain
But there's one thing, that I'll cling to
You are faithful, Jesus You're true

When hope is lost, I'll call You Saviour
When pain surrounds, I'll call You healer
When silence falls, You'll be the song
Within my heart

In the lone hour of my sorrow
Through the darkest night of my soul
You surround me and sustain me
My defender, forever more

When hope is lost, I'll call You Saviour
When pain surrounds, I'll call
You healer
When silence falls, You'll be the song
Within my heart

I will praise You, I will praise You
When the tears fall, still I will sing to You
I will praise You, Jesus, praise You
Through the suffering still I will sing

When the laughter fails to comfort
When my heart aches, Lord are you there?
When confusion, is all around me
And the darkness is my closest friend
Still I will praise You, Jesus, praise You

"When The Tears Fall", Tim Hughes

Find me in the river
Find me on my knees
I've walked against the water
Now I'm waiting if you please

We've longed to see the roses
But never felt the thorns
And bought our pretty crowns
But never paid the price

Find me in the river
Find me there
Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare
Even though you're gone and I'm cracked and dry
Find me in the river, I'm waiting here

Find me in the river
Find me on my knees
I've walked against the water
Now I'm waiting if you please

We didn't count on suffering
We didn't count on pain
But if the blessing's in the valley
Then in the river I will wait

Find me in the river
Find me there
Find me on my knees with my soul
laid bare
Even though you're gone and I'm cracked and dry
Find me in the
river, I'm waiting here... for you.

"Find Me In The River", Delirious?

Kid Who Ruins Primary School Games...

Kids: "What's the time Mr. Wolf?"
Kid: "A quarter past freckle!"

Kids: "...What's the time Mr. Wolf?"
Kid: "Time to get a watch! hahahahaha... guys?"

Consumption

Two of my subjects at uni, International Studies and Anthropology, are both focusing on the topic of 'Globalisation' this semester. Specifically, they are focusing on the spread of consumerism and the Western attitude that is dominant over the globe.

For both subjects, we watch a weekly video on the spread of consumerism as a major attitude amongst world cultures, and how it is overriding past values. It is sad to see how money/utility/material oriented we are as a society. For instance, in a supposed bid to eliminate the widespread branding of everything in society... Disney branded itself a town. Nothing in the town is a brand name... but it's owned by a brand name. The place is called Celebration, Florida. How crazyfull is that? If you want to investigate... the town's website is here, and the Wikipedia page (I love you Wikipedia) is here. Brands have not only extended their range.. they've created a whole new market. The people who live in Celebration are not exposed to a flood of brands - they are living under one entire one. Weird.

At Surrender, I felt compelled to buy something from a stand. It was the Klong Toey stand - a collection of bracelets, necklaces and other jewellery made by men and women under fair trade principles, with the profits going towards helping improve their quality of life. Klong Toey is a desperately poor slum in Hong Kong.

So. I wanted to go buy something. BUT I asked Simon this: "Was it because I genuinely wanted to help give money or just because I was a consumer and wanted to gain?" The answer is both. I wanted to do both.

For the record, I didn't buy anything, but it led to Sime and I discussing how even Christian culture is full of consumerism. Christian shops are a market of their own, as is Christian music and clothing and even Bibles. Even church itself can be consumed. Some go to church for their weekly dose of Christianity and feeling like a 'good person' (which is rubbish), and then they have consumed for the week and go back to other things. I am ashamed to say I do too on occasion. Used to much more than I do now.

I am not here to say that buying Christian goods is all bad. They have mostly a good message, and can help people connect with each other and with God. It is merely an observation of how much our society is about consumption and gain, rather than giving and sharing. Even Christians, who are not better people, but who often say they believe in the calling to rebel against the norm; to be real, true, God-like representatives in community; to be radicals against the injustices of society. So this is not a diatribe against Christian goods. No. This is saying that there are those out there who are in need. Every single day. And whilst we might see them on the tv one day, or read about them in the odd magazine, they are always in it. The tv goes off, but they stay in poverty... while we are off buying things and spending more money than we need to. We might even be in a Christian shop.

How to change the attitude of those with the power to help change the lives of those in need? I don't know for sure. But I'm not going to be like those people at uni who are ridiculously negative - "It's already screwed up, so why bother even trying?" or, trying to be intellectual, "Globalism might be able to help fix things, but really... it was Globalism that screwed it up in the first place." (Insert smug smile.)

I'll still try to do something. Anything. It's always better than nothing.

Ramble over.