The end of an age.

Yes, I know. I have to go back for a screening next week, and I haven't had my graduation yet. But everything I have to do is over. So humour me.

The Fourth Age of the book of Raymond, chapter of Brendan, is coming to a close. He has passed through the short but sweet First Age of before school; made it past the introductory Second Age of primary school; tackled the turmoils of the Third Age of high school; and finally, has conquered the wandering traverses of the Fourth Age of university.

It's strange. I'm only 19, and I've just finished uni. By the time I graduate, I'll be 20, but still. It's a bit weird. And now, I'm supposed to find a place in the world. Make my contribution. Earn a living. Buy a place. Raise a family of future contributors, living-earners, place-buyers and family-raisers. *sigh* But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. OK, I'm pretty much there, really. I'm just waiting a little.

It's been a good three years. I've learned a lot, from staff and students alike. Both have become friends; both, hopefully, I will keep in touch with through the years to come.
I've grown a lot over these years. Not so much physically, maybe a couple of centimetres. But in terms of who I am; I'm a better person than I was when I started, and that's due in large part to many of the great friends I've made while at uni.
There's so many things I could say; so many memories I could hearken back to; so many people I could highlight. But you've all been so amazing, I really can't list them all here. Perhaps a few honourable mentions, however.

Tom, Mark, and Micky - the original crew. Some of the first guys I met, and some of the best friends I've had in the course. Also some of the best pianists I know, and all better than me, damn it. And all left handed! Strange coincidences.
Javen - for never forgetting to bring along his guitar, or his smile. Always great to laugh and jam with, my man.
Jessie and Flick - the inseparable duo of awesomeness. Ridiculous voice + ridiculous piano skills = these two brilliant girls.
Most of you at some point or another - for always having something that I can help you out with.
Josh - for singing my song, and letting me sing his. It was pretty awesome, and we'll have to do it again sometime.
Mozart - for playing in pretty much all of my performances ever; putting up with me talking to him all the time; and always challenging me.

There are many, many more awesome things I could say about any and all of you, but I don't want this to be too ridiculously long. Suffice it to say - you've all been amazing, it's been incredible knowing you all, and we will be keeping in touch. We will be. Or else. :P Or else I get annoyed, I dunno.
But it's going to be very sad saying goodbye to you all, after knowing you for all this time. I know you're all going to be amazing at doing whatever it is you end up doing, whenever you manage to find it. Just keep on searching, keep on hoping, keep on keeping on and you'll get there.

:)

Niner-niner.

Now, I'm not much of a maths fan. But I am good at it. And I am a numbers fan. Nine is one of the cooler numbers around, really. Though, admittedly, it's only so cool because it's a base-10 number system. (For those unaware, that just means that there are ten digits - 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Binary, on the other hand, is a base-2 number system.)

Now, the big cool thing about nine is to do with something called a digit sum. A digit sum is basically taking all the digits in a number, and continually adding them together until you only have one digit left. The digit sum of any multiple of 9 is also 9. As such, it's a very handy way of making digit sums very easy, even with long numbers. You can take out the 0s straight away. Then you take out all the 9s. Then you pair up other numbers to make 9s - 4s and 5s, 3s and 6s, 2s and 7s, 1s and 8s. Whatever you've got left over is pretty simple, really. Unless you've just got lots of the same number, then it's just annoying.

For example, this number - 786,050,256,256,705,202,500,575,903,598,792,256. I just randomly typed the number keys, then added the commas in. Taking the 0s and 9s out already gets it down a lot. 78652562567522557535872256. Then the pairs. 8655656525555825. Double 5s are 1. 86662825. Triple 6 is 18, a multiple of 9. Easy takeout. And we're left with 82825. That's two tens and a 5, which is 25, which is 7. Too easy.

Nine is also the first odd non-prime number. Unless you count 1. Which you probably should. :P
It's cool, OK?

Yes, I'm a bit of a maths nerd. I've also, in my spare time, attempted to figure out a formula to calculate the number of squares of any size in a square grid, and the same thing for triangles in a triangle grid. That one's hard.

And awesome was had.

Tonight was youth group again. I didn't even think I'd be able to make it; I was scheduled on for work. And then one of the leaders put up a picture of a little something they were bringing along, and I commented saying I really hoped I could make it, and would try and get work off. However, one of the other guys has another job; one has started as an apprentice; another works pizza; another I can't get in touch with; and the other one was working with me that night.
Then the head chef rings me up, and asks me if I'd like Friday night off. Yes. =D

Anyway, tonight was themed Gangster night. It was a Nerf/Risk mashup, essentially. With different regions, bonuses for each one, rationed out guns and ammo, different game styles, teams, and....awesomeness, basically. I didn't really get to spend much time firing, but it was still pretty darn cool.

And yeah. 'Nuff said.

It can, but will it?

The title is in reference to a phrase I'll come back to later. For now, however, on to the topic I wanted to talk about.
I wrote a post a while back about Christians dating/being in a relationship with non-Christians. I believe that at that point I didn't say a whole lot about it, but did say it could get a bit of a sticky mess. I'm not exactly older and wiser - but it is something I've thought about here and there, and a thought has come to me recently that I thought I'd put up.

Probably a good way to start off. I wouldn't date a non-Christian myself. That's been my view for a while now, whether or not other people would or not, I felt like I needed that. But I didn't really have a good explanation of that. Hopefully, however, the one below will make some sense, whether people necessarily agree with it or not.

And no, I'm not just going to say "because it's in the Bible." So don't worry about that.

As I've mentioned a couple of times, I'm not a fan of religion. I'm a fan of relation. And that's what I have with God; a relationship. He's like a best friend. An all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present best friend, albeit, but best frend nonetheless.

Now, try to think of it this way. You have your best friend, and your relationship with the person you love. Imagine having to keep the former out of the latter. Completely. It doesn't work.
You don't tell them about who you're going out with. You don't introduce them. If it gets that far, you don't tell them you're engaged. They're not invited to the wedding ceremony. They have no idea that you have a couple of kids running around. They can't be anywhere near the person you love.

It would be near impossible, unless you didn't want them to be your friend any more! (Some people will now go... well, der.... but, for me at least, not an option. Not saying that to be selfish. I just couldn't do it.) It would be even harder if your friend really wanted to know the person you love. And that's how it is with God.

Now, some of you may be saying - but you wouldn't have to stop being a Christian. You can do that if you want, just don't talk to me about it. You keep your views to yourself, and I'll keep mine.
...That's not how it works. It's about relationship. Sharing. You may not agree with each other, and that's fair enough - if I found any Christian that shared every one of my views, I would be extremely surprised! - but God isn't one of those things that can be kept to one's self. He wants to know people. He wants to love people. And, being in a relationship with him; I would want that to be a relationship that I could share with the person that I love, that we could grow together in.

Well, you say. OK. But what happens, then, if you fall in love with someone who isn't a Christian?
That's where it gets to the sticky mess I mentioned earlier.

Being in love, of course, you want it to work out. And you know that you can't stop being a Christian; so the only solution that seems to present itself is that they become a Christian. Easier said than done, of course. You can't make someone become a Christian. It's a personal choice; a response that that person has to make themselves to God.

But you think, yes, it can work. Love will find a way.
*sighs* Love will find a way.

Thing is. Love always can find a way, yes. That is certainly the truth, and I believe that whole-heartedly. I believe that it can work out.
But will it?
It won't always. Sometimes people stop it, get in its way. Sometimes the situation does. It doesn't always work out. And, with these sort of relationships, as mentioned - if they don't work out, they can get quite sticky. Not speaking from personal experience here, so feel free to disagree.

Does that mean lose hope? No. Always hope, always pray. Always believe that something is possible. But, perhaps; don't start something until you know you will actually be able to continue on with it.

And, to be fair, people have made it work before. People will make it work again. Exactly what 'work' has meant has varied quite substantially; but, they have. Don't lose hope.

Distraction and diversion.

They are two things I have become quite good at. Particularly because, I now really don't like lying. I mean, I never really liked it. But now it's a lot harder for me to do. As in, if you ask me something and the answer is A, I can't say not A. I can say not not A; I can say I don't know; I can say it doesn't matter; I can say that I don't want to say; I can compliment the lovely weather; but I will do anything I can to avoid lying.

However, if I'm also trying to avoid giving the actual answer to the question - this is where my great twin friends of distraction and diversion come in. Oh look, a purple elephant!
They seem to be particularly popular with who questions. Who do you like, who do you think is hot, who's your girlfriend, who do you wish was - always the whos.

They're pretty much the most annoying questions I can get. I can talk to you at length about what I think the different dynamics are between words such as hot, attractive, and beautiful; discuss in depth the various meanings of like and love in this day and age; but ask me who, and I'll shut tighter than a Chinese finger trap. I really will. And - that's not really something that's going to change. Those sort of names are kept to one's self for a reason.

There may be a time when one name is not kept in such secrecy; but that will only be when someone thinks of me in a similar light.

CCCXXXIII.

A while ago, I did a 200th post entitled CC. I have now reached my 333rd published post, hence the title of this one.

In the roughly three years that have passed since the blog started, I have had an average of:

• 111 posts per year
• 3 more followers per year
• 4275 views per year

Interestingly, the majority of those views have been from America, not Australia. Which is strange, given that I....live in Australia.....and I don't really know anyone in America.... :P However, interestingly, over half of my pageviews have just been to the 4 Chords Song list. So it has over 6000 views by itself. Which is strange, given the video that links to it has only just passed 1600 views.... but anyway, I'm not complaining. Well, I am, actually! They should be looking at my other posts! :P

But it's been a good three years. I've done a lot of different things, tried some different schedules and techniques, even had a couple of other people contribute some bits of material.

And I intend to keep this going for a fair while longer, God willing.

For those interested, who were around about this time last year; I've resolved to have another go at this NaNoWriMo this year. Don't think I'll finish it, but this is a fun story that I've been wanting to write. Should be good :)

Star Wars...7?

You may be aware, through your various social media outlets, that Disney has bought LucasFilm for a few billion dollars, and are planning to make Star Wars Episode 7, set to be released in 2015.

As can be imagined, this has made some people lucratively happy, and others somewhat outraged/annoyed. And both sides are fairly easy to understand; one the one hand, MOAR STAR WARS!!! On the other - all the bad guys died. The people who played the good guys have, erm... aged a bit... so where on earth can another Star Wars film go, and live up to the previous ones?

Thought I'd give it a bit of a look.

For the positive.

1. Another Star Wars film is being made. Possibly three; I believe one thing I read mentioned 8 and 9 as well.
2. Disney also currently owns both Pixar and Marvel. Did anyone have a problem with The Avengers? Anyone? Anyone?
3. With the massive fanbase behind the Star Wars franchise, Disney know what will happen if they put even a toe out of line with the film.
4. Maybe we'll get some bad guys who can actually shoot this time...

For the negative.

1. The Star Wars series effectively sealed itself off. The Sith are all dead. You can't say, "Oh no! Darth Sidious didn't actually die!" He died. End of story, bye-bye!
2. All of the actors for the main characters in the last movie have gotten a bit old to play those roles again. It would be manufacturing a whole new story arc, just within the same universe. And if they didn't....
3. Then other actors would be playing those parts. No. Just no. It's bad enough in a movie no-one's seen, like Dinotopia. (Great movie, as an aside.) It's just wrong in something like Star Wars. (They can get away with different ones for the trilogies because of the time difference. Both of them. :P)
4. What are they going to call it? "A New New Hope", "A Newer Hope", or perhaps; "Attack of the Feral Ewoks"? That would be amusing, at least.

In summary. There are a few bad points, and a few good points. And a lot of possibilities. At present, this is fairly fresh news, so I think I'm going to withhold judgement and let it play out a little. At the very least, I think it should be interesting to see how it works out.

Space.

I was thinking about what to post; contemplating on what issue I should look at, what words of wisdom I should write, how I should interpret something that's happened to me recently -
And then I thought, no. How about, for once we have a little gap.

Ponder on space, and such... http://www.thealitybites.com/?p=96

Don't Change.

It's an expression you hear sometimes. Usually after you've done something nice, or funny. I laugh uproariously at a joke, and more laughter then ensues, more from my laughter than the joke. "Oh, never change, Brendan!"

To me, it's a bit of a bittersweet turn of phrase.

In some ways, it's good. Means that you're doing something right. People are liking something about you enough to tell you not to change.

But then....none of us are perfect. I know I'm not. I know that very well. And I know I'm wanting to change for the better. I know there are things that if I don't change, are going to become massive problems for me down the line.
And, of course, if you don't change, you don't grow, you don't learn. And those are very important.

But, obviously, when people typically use that phrase, they're usually referring to a specific part of you, not all of you.
I still think it's an important and interesting point.

So I suppose, when people say that to me; I think two things. Firstly, fantastic! I'm somewhat on track. Secondly, there is actually a fair bit I'd like to change. For the better, but still a significant amount is left.

I'm too tired to write any more just now. That will do at the moment. A decent amount there, at least.

Just one rule.

One of the fairly important ideas of Christianity is that God gave us free will. He didn't want us to be robots. After all, if you can just click your fingers and something happens, there's not much reward in it! He wanted us to choose him freely, not be forced to. That way, it would mean that much more if we did.
A book that I've read also suggested that it meant that Satan has no excuse - if even we, as mortal, tiny, stupid humans that don't know God that well will still choose him; then a grand, powerful, and mighty angel who has witnessed firsthand God's power cannot plead innocence.
But that's by the by.

Anyway. God gave us free will. Which means we can do absolutely anything. Well. We can't walk on water, or jump over a building. But we can make our own choices.

Often, man tries to impose a lot on that free will. And sometimes, for good reasons. Don't kill people. An extreme example, but that's a good reason. Don't steal from them. Don't cheat them.
Essentially, don't hurt them. Which is good.

But then...people started imposing a lot more rules.
If you do this in this particular way, or say this thing at this place, or go here, or don't do this obscure thing, then you're stuffed.
We've become the Pharisees. We have. We call ourselves free, and yet give ourselves more rules to live by than God ever did. And considering how many rules people seem to think he imposes on us, that's pretty impressive.

If a rule isn't there to stop people hurting each other, or to help people (and not their wallets) in general, then there's something distinctly wrong with the rule.

Jesus managed to sum it all up in one rule. Can you imagine that? Only ever living by just one rule?
Here it is: "Love your neighbour as yourself."

Love. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Cause it's pretty darn important.

Note: Yes, Jesus actually gave two rules; that was the second. The first was, love the Lord your God with all your soul, all your heart, all your mind and your strength. I just wanted to focus on the second.