Hey dudes.
So a lot has been happening lately. A lot a lot.
Christmas, New Year...we're in 2013, peoples. It's weird. Really weird.
And I have a new job, which is awesomeness :D It's a trekking/camping/expedition company thing. And I've got a two year apprenticeship with them. Full time job. Going all over the place. Lots of Duke of Ed trips. Learning quite a bit. So yeah, I'm really looking forward to how this year is going to pan out with that.
But that's just kept me very busy of late - intro camps and such, another of which is this coming week, and then another camp the following week. So yeah, busy busy.
Then this weekend, youth leaders got together to plan what youth is going to be looking like for our church. And it's looking pretty awesome, I think. Really looking forward to that as well.
Then I've had a wedding of a best friend, another one find someone to hang out with and such, and a 21st. Got another of those coming up too. Hopefully work won't make that difficult.
So yeah, had a bit of stuff happening.
Oh, and I've been working on a little project. Hopefully you guys will be seeing the fruits of it within a few weeks. :)
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Sunday, 20 January 2013
Integral to One's Self.
Sorry I've taken an age to get to this one. Things like happening all at once, and I'm lazy. :P
Trust, honesty and integrity. Perhaps before I wax too lyrical on these three, I should briefly on how I define them. Essentially; trust is what you put in someone else when they're honest with you because they have integrity. I'll expand on that in bits within this post.
Trust is sometimes called the basis of all relationships. After all, if you have no trust in someone (on some level, at least - there are many levels of trust), how could you relate to them?
And many try to seek out the trust of other people - it's one of their foundational things, that they have to do. It can become an obsession for some. And what starts as a search for friends can easily spiral downwards into something quite desperate - a cry for attention, or a deep desire to be loved or valued. In some senses, these aren't inherently bad things in and of themselves; but they can sometimes drive people to a point that is not too great.
Honesty is an interesting one. It can be taken to some very different places. You can have a sort of radical honesty, or be a bit less...harsh.
Radical honesty teaches to be always honest, even when it seems blunt, direct or impolite. Fairly simple idea, quite difficult to keep up. Depending on your personality, of course. However, this sort of honesty can lead to a rift between you and other people; this won't always be the case, and some have and do use this successfully, but it's very difficult to pull off.
But just because you always tell the truth, doesn't mean you have to be blunt, rude or critical. You can instead try to be helpful; uplifting and more choice about the fashion in which you tell the truth. That doesn't mean sugarcoating something that hurts so that it goes down easier; but it does mean helping someone get up from the blow.
Integrity is a bit more difficult to put your finger on. It's like a sort of morality, or moral fibre - a sense of needing to do what's right, because you should. Something like that.
And honestly, it's a bit hard to fault. Perhaps the best way of putting it is that, even if you have this integrity and you always do something for the right reasons - you can still do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Sometimes other things have to come first, like trusting someone else's ability, or someone else's integrity. That's where, really, these three kinda weave together.
Because each of these three by themselves can be good, but you really need all three - they're made for each other, that's how they work at their best.
So essentially, each of these can have their individual drawbacks, but these are largely overcome when used together.
Trust, honesty and integrity. Perhaps before I wax too lyrical on these three, I should briefly on how I define them. Essentially; trust is what you put in someone else when they're honest with you because they have integrity. I'll expand on that in bits within this post.
Trust is sometimes called the basis of all relationships. After all, if you have no trust in someone (on some level, at least - there are many levels of trust), how could you relate to them?
And many try to seek out the trust of other people - it's one of their foundational things, that they have to do. It can become an obsession for some. And what starts as a search for friends can easily spiral downwards into something quite desperate - a cry for attention, or a deep desire to be loved or valued. In some senses, these aren't inherently bad things in and of themselves; but they can sometimes drive people to a point that is not too great.
Honesty is an interesting one. It can be taken to some very different places. You can have a sort of radical honesty, or be a bit less...harsh.
Radical honesty teaches to be always honest, even when it seems blunt, direct or impolite. Fairly simple idea, quite difficult to keep up. Depending on your personality, of course. However, this sort of honesty can lead to a rift between you and other people; this won't always be the case, and some have and do use this successfully, but it's very difficult to pull off.
But just because you always tell the truth, doesn't mean you have to be blunt, rude or critical. You can instead try to be helpful; uplifting and more choice about the fashion in which you tell the truth. That doesn't mean sugarcoating something that hurts so that it goes down easier; but it does mean helping someone get up from the blow.
Integrity is a bit more difficult to put your finger on. It's like a sort of morality, or moral fibre - a sense of needing to do what's right, because you should. Something like that.
And honestly, it's a bit hard to fault. Perhaps the best way of putting it is that, even if you have this integrity and you always do something for the right reasons - you can still do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Sometimes other things have to come first, like trusting someone else's ability, or someone else's integrity. That's where, really, these three kinda weave together.
Because each of these three by themselves can be good, but you really need all three - they're made for each other, that's how they work at their best.
So essentially, each of these can have their individual drawbacks, but these are largely overcome when used together.
Friday, 11 January 2013
The Hobbit: A Journey worth making.
The Lord Of The Rings has created quite an epic to it. In more senses than one - if you want to watch all three of them, you will need all day. Particularly if you are watching the Extended Editions (which are amazing, and make the movies make so much more sense - but once you've gone there, you can't go back). Once I heard that Peter Jackson had decided to split The Hobbit into three movies, I knew that these weren't going to be short episodes either. And the first one, An Unexpected Journey, certainly lives up to that.
If you're not used to Lord of the Rings, you may want to see at least one of the movies beforehand. Not so much for the backstory - because these are prequels, after all - but because of the pace. If you're expecting it to be all action in the first five minutes of the movie - you will be disappointed. There certainly is action, but the movie likes to tell a good story first; it builds up to it very nicely.
If you're not familiar with the story of The Hobbit, it's essentially thirteen dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard going on an adventure to a faraway mountain to fight a dragon and get back their treasure. Sounds simple enough - but, of course, a million things lie between them and the mountain. Trolls, goblins, and wargs (big wolves) all waylay them in this section of the journey. The eponymous hobbit is your typical Reluctant Hero, who eventually finds his self-worth, along with the One Ring and a mysterious riddling Gollum. The dwarves are each quite unique, if you can manage to keep count; you have old battle-scarred ones, young fiery ones, blunt Irish ones, hearty Scottish ones, wiser and whiter ones, and ones that eat everything. To name a few. Their leader is essentially a dwarf prince, trying to reclaim his lost kingdom from the dragon. And the treasure, of course. If you're wondering where the wizard comes in - well, he basically makes sure they don't get in too much trouble.
Old fans will recognise a few familiar faces, as well as a couple of ties in to the original trilogy - most notably Frodo going to wait for Gandalf, whom he then sees minutes later in the Fellowship of the Ring. But also squeezed in are Saruman, old Bilbo, and Galadriel. There's still plenty for new Ring buffs, however - Radagast's Rhosgobel rabbit sled, the gargantuan Goblin King, the general dwarven antics (particularly Bombur), and the hobbit's constant grumping.
While the Lord of the Rings trilogy was very Men-dominant, this story is very Dwarf-heavy; a refreshing change of character for the series. The feel is also very different; it's a little more light-hearted, and a bit more of a family tale. It's very well done, and the use of 3D is integrated extremely well - it's never used gratuitously, but instead really fills out the amazing landscapes that the movie uses.
All in all, though this movie may seem very slow-starting and very long-lasting (particularly new Ringers), this is defintely worth a watch; and certainly in my top 5 releases of 2012.
If you're not used to Lord of the Rings, you may want to see at least one of the movies beforehand. Not so much for the backstory - because these are prequels, after all - but because of the pace. If you're expecting it to be all action in the first five minutes of the movie - you will be disappointed. There certainly is action, but the movie likes to tell a good story first; it builds up to it very nicely.
If you're not familiar with the story of The Hobbit, it's essentially thirteen dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard going on an adventure to a faraway mountain to fight a dragon and get back their treasure. Sounds simple enough - but, of course, a million things lie between them and the mountain. Trolls, goblins, and wargs (big wolves) all waylay them in this section of the journey. The eponymous hobbit is your typical Reluctant Hero, who eventually finds his self-worth, along with the One Ring and a mysterious riddling Gollum. The dwarves are each quite unique, if you can manage to keep count; you have old battle-scarred ones, young fiery ones, blunt Irish ones, hearty Scottish ones, wiser and whiter ones, and ones that eat everything. To name a few. Their leader is essentially a dwarf prince, trying to reclaim his lost kingdom from the dragon. And the treasure, of course. If you're wondering where the wizard comes in - well, he basically makes sure they don't get in too much trouble.
Old fans will recognise a few familiar faces, as well as a couple of ties in to the original trilogy - most notably Frodo going to wait for Gandalf, whom he then sees minutes later in the Fellowship of the Ring. But also squeezed in are Saruman, old Bilbo, and Galadriel. There's still plenty for new Ring buffs, however - Radagast's Rhosgobel rabbit sled, the gargantuan Goblin King, the general dwarven antics (particularly Bombur), and the hobbit's constant grumping.
While the Lord of the Rings trilogy was very Men-dominant, this story is very Dwarf-heavy; a refreshing change of character for the series. The feel is also very different; it's a little more light-hearted, and a bit more of a family tale. It's very well done, and the use of 3D is integrated extremely well - it's never used gratuitously, but instead really fills out the amazing landscapes that the movie uses.
All in all, though this movie may seem very slow-starting and very long-lasting (particularly new Ringers), this is defintely worth a watch; and certainly in my top 5 releases of 2012.
Monday, 7 January 2013
I Just Don't Know.
I've always got the answers;
Practiced all the questions.
Done all the research -
I don't need your suggestions.
I know all the possibilities;
Thought of every contingency.
I'm the master of back-up plans,
But this is an emergency;
And I have to say the words I fear the most.
I can recite endless facts and figures;
Dance a dazzling ring around your brain.
Think and puzzle with the best of them,
But can I go through this pain?
And I have to say the words I fear the most.
But He does;
He knows present, future and past.
And He knows and loves me;
Even though I am the last.
But perhaps - a little glimpse?
A ray of hope from my future?
Something that can get me through these times of uncertainty....
Joy and suffering....
To you.
Practiced all the questions.
Done all the research -
I don't need your suggestions.
I know all the possibilities;
Thought of every contingency.
I'm the master of back-up plans,
But this is an emergency;
And I have to say the words I fear the most.
I can recite endless facts and figures;
Dance a dazzling ring around your brain.
Think and puzzle with the best of them,
But can I go through this pain?
And I have to say the words I fear the most.
But He does;
He knows present, future and past.
And He knows and loves me;
Even though I am the last.
But perhaps - a little glimpse?
A ray of hope from my future?
Something that can get me through these times of uncertainty....
Joy and suffering....
To you.
Friday, 4 January 2013
On Pies.
Or, more specifically, having fingers in a fair few.
I've mentioned before my diverse, multi-faceted nature. I'm the sort of person that could live out a cat's number of lives and still have things left that they wanted to do.
Not having that many, of course, makes things difficult. For example.
At the moment, I work at an Italian restaurant as a kitchen hand. Usually three nights a week, maybe another shift thrown in. Then I have church, Sunday afternoon/night - afternoon because I'm also on the worship team, communion team, tech team and leadership team. Then I have choir on Tuesday nights. Then Bible Study on Thursday nights, though that might change this year for all I know.
Then I've got a few music projects I'm going to be involved in - firstly my own writing and performing, plus getting involved with someone else who's gotten in touch, plus possibly writing some music for a short film, plus a composition competition (Ha!) I'm hoping to do.
Then I've got this new job starting in just under three weeks, and someone else asks me about possibly doing another thing that I'd love to get involved in.
And that's not counting the innumerable things that I've picked up and dropped over the past couple of months, and will probably continue to do.
Also hoping to get involved with a play this coming year. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the CTG have any decent ones until the end of the year, so I might have to look a tad further afield. See how we go.
I've mentioned before my diverse, multi-faceted nature. I'm the sort of person that could live out a cat's number of lives and still have things left that they wanted to do.
Not having that many, of course, makes things difficult. For example.
At the moment, I work at an Italian restaurant as a kitchen hand. Usually three nights a week, maybe another shift thrown in. Then I have church, Sunday afternoon/night - afternoon because I'm also on the worship team, communion team, tech team and leadership team. Then I have choir on Tuesday nights. Then Bible Study on Thursday nights, though that might change this year for all I know.
Then I've got a few music projects I'm going to be involved in - firstly my own writing and performing, plus getting involved with someone else who's gotten in touch, plus possibly writing some music for a short film, plus a composition competition (Ha!) I'm hoping to do.
Then I've got this new job starting in just under three weeks, and someone else asks me about possibly doing another thing that I'd love to get involved in.
And that's not counting the innumerable things that I've picked up and dropped over the past couple of months, and will probably continue to do.
Also hoping to get involved with a play this coming year. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the CTG have any decent ones until the end of the year, so I might have to look a tad further afield. See how we go.
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Another Year.
Hello readers. We've found ourselves at the beginning of another year - 2013. That's pretty cool. I don't know what you did on New Year's Eve, but I had a seafood dinner with some of my family at their beach house in Dunsborough. And it was quite nice.
But at the same time, it just reminded me that another year has gone by without me managing to find someone to spend it with. Though, admittedly, I'm not the sort of person that actively looks - but I don't think that's something that you should do. Perhaps I'm a bit idealistic, but I think that the right person finds you, not the other way around. You kind of stumble across them when you don't expect it.
But yes, that's one of the main things that the time had me thinking on. I'm hoping that it won't be something I'm dwelling on again at this time next year - that would be really great - but it will be what it is. I can't really make it anything else, you know.
But I do think that this year is going to be a big year for me. Whether it will be because of this, I have no idea. But whatever happens, I know that God has it figured out. And he's got my best in mind.
But at the same time, it just reminded me that another year has gone by without me managing to find someone to spend it with. Though, admittedly, I'm not the sort of person that actively looks - but I don't think that's something that you should do. Perhaps I'm a bit idealistic, but I think that the right person finds you, not the other way around. You kind of stumble across them when you don't expect it.
But yes, that's one of the main things that the time had me thinking on. I'm hoping that it won't be something I'm dwelling on again at this time next year - that would be really great - but it will be what it is. I can't really make it anything else, you know.
But I do think that this year is going to be a big year for me. Whether it will be because of this, I have no idea. But whatever happens, I know that God has it figured out. And he's got my best in mind.
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