i have the cards...

what happens when you're mates put you on a dare...

2007-01-28T11:58:00.000+11:00

ever felt like being embarrassed?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz-jOXpssJY

see you next week...

success!

2006-12-08T12:09:00.000+11:00

so, the sideburns trick paid off!

as of 5th January, it'll be goodbye to the company car and Crows Nest restaurants; from the 22nd it'll be hello train travel & the expensive city. the suit will remain, unfortunately...

i'm actually not too fussed about train travel (blame it on 6 years at Grammar and 4 years at sydney uni), plus i'll get to read the paper a lot more. plus, heaps of people i know work in the city, which means much lunchtime catch-ups.

that's the first bit of good news.

dave matthews. in sydney. next year. tickets secured this week. not as big as U2 in front of mr. massive screen, but better music (sorry if this offends!).

that's the second bit.

australia go 2-0 up in ashes series, led by a tasmanian gambler.

that's right, the ashes are on their way home! shame for the SCG trust, though, as the series could well be over before christmas. still, 5-0 whitewash sure is mighty tempting and attractive for the sydney public!

that's the third bit.

hope all your week's have been as brilliant as today's midday sun!

while you were blogging...

2006-11-28T19:03:00.000+11:00

so, a fair bit's been happening this past month, what with forgetting this blog and seeing pearl jam & u2 in the one week!

but things could change a fair bit more in the next few months, not just the removal of these:

yeah, they were fun while they lasted, but i had a job interview this morning and so thought they'd better be gone, sad though it is. the company is Jardine Lloyd Thompson, an international insurance broker. they probably frown on massive chops!

will let you know how it goes!

... i still miss them, though :)

presenting...

2006-10-10T21:12:00.000+10:00

ladies and gentlefellows, i give you, our new little burmese kitten tadhg.

yeah, he's a bundle of joy. just doesn't know how to playfully bite yet.

hope you enjoy these videos. heather, let me know what you think of him!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfbT0OiVJEM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFWPg2Ty8jw

a day to remember, a result to forget

2006-10-03T22:15:00.000+10:00

as promised, a report on a long, tiring, exciting, exhausting, crazy saturday that took me from st. ives to randwick to mascot to tullamarine to jolimont... and back again.

the day started at the ridiculous hour of 5:30am on the weekend and i thought, "why am i getting up at this hour?" the day said to me: it will be a spectacular day.

the thought then hit me: in 8 1/2 hours i'd be at the biggest AFL game of the year, along with 97,000 other people. so, armed with my footy record, tickets, camera and my knitted scarf (ta phoebz) i headed off to randwick to pick up my aunt (who apparently hadn't slept all night) and then on to the airport.

[btw, airline food has gotten slightly better. sultana bran and yoghurt wasn't a bad way to start the day, nor was a flight full of swans fans, but there was 'hoodwinked' on the screen (which is an average film).]

anyway, we got to melbourne (cheer, cheers) and hooned down the tullamarine highway to spencer street, melbourne (past the corporate monlith of the telstra dome). one thing you notice about melbourne is how much quieter the streets are. there are very few cars around, and most of the people were catching trams to the ground.

after far too many starts and stops on an overcrowded tram, we got there. here endeth the words; here begins the photos.

one thing that amazed me about the day was how many people were walking around the ground with "2 tickets wanted" written on boards in front of them. one guy (a poor weagle fan) had come all the way from NZ without a ticket, hoping to get one on the big day. fat chance! this guy had been to last year's GF and was hoping for another ticket inside. about an hour after i took this photo, he was still walking around, and i doubt he got in.

healthy???!!!

this was one of the better phots i took. Bill Ponsford, or his statue at least, in front of the stand that bears his name. there were about eight of these statues around the ground, all created from still photos of sporting legends like Shirley Strickland-Delahunty & Leigh Matthews. this was taken at 11;30am; already, masses of fans around the ground.

the national anthems. this is when it all seemed real. the game was about to start, GAME ON!!!

the pre-match 'entertainment'. hey, lets get some old singer to sing 'flashdance', which just happens to be the advertising jingle for carlton draught! gosh, pathetic...

my seats had me in front of about 200 rabid weagle fans. in the row behind me was jano gibson, he of the swans blog fame. in front of me were about 300 swans fans (not quite rabid, but loud enough).

as the game started, there was a roar for everything. a mark, a missed shot by the other team, a sweet move by hand, the crowd was loving it. the first half, however, was terrible for swans fans. missed shots by our gun full-forward, basic skills errors and sloppy handling being the order of the day. the whole experience of the day was pretty sweet though. a massive crowd was urging their respective teams on, all basically craning their necks at everything and cheering on anything that was positive.

sadly, the bloods lost by one point. one, solitary, wasted point. we didn't deserve to win, but man, it would've been pretty sweet. enough has been said about the game. the noise in the final quarter had to be heard to be believed, as another west coast - sydney classic played out in front of us.

and so, we headed home. the day was made that much more enjoyable that we had a tight contest to watch, but that much less satisfying that we lost. but the whole experience of the day, from the MMM broadcast tent, to the traditional posters sold after the game, from the grand final sprint to the GF beers, from the tram rides to the glorious weather, was worth it all.

robin asked me on sunday, why did i make this pilgrimage?

well, while it is esssentially a meaningless event, there is something beautiful about sitting with almost 100,000 people in the biggest stadium in australia, celebrating something truly australian. it is the beauty of the indigenous game - it grips us, it draws us in, it disappoints us, it thrills us, it excites us.

well, jimmy and i anyway...

mcg, here i come!

2006-09-25T21:25:00.000+10:00

it's been a while since i posted, but i'm getting excited so i thought i'd share.

see the picture above? the MCG; a construction considered almost religious by Victorians.

for those that have been there and for those that enjoy loud noises, to get to go to this place is a ticket to hold on to. apparently, one never forgets their trip there...

...i'll let you know what it's like next week.

CARN SWANS!

btw, has anyone been there? is it worth it? is some other place o/s better to go to?

"makes your hair stand on end..."

2006-09-03T12:21:00.000+10:00

cliche title? yeah, i know.

but if you enjoy afl, you'll understand why i say it by checking out this.

btw, recording was by melbourne commentators. that's why they're all saying "no, no, no" as the scg fans go "yes, yes, yes!"

flag burners

2006-08-24T19:18:00.000+10:00

serious post time.

check out this link. Helen Irving presents a very good viewpoint on the punishment handed out to a Hurstville teenager that burned an australian flag outside an RSL during the cronulla riots last year. his charge was property offences, not desecration of our nation's flag.

now, this is an issue that has always pricked my interest. if i see anyone burning our flag, i get pretty ticked off at the nerve of that person. my feeling has generally been that if you feel you have the right to burn it in australia (which we actually do in our democratic society) in full view of media, etc., you deserve to be kicked out of the country. don't like our government/rules/foreign policy? the door is there for you.

now, today i realised this is a pretty narrow minded point of view. freedom of speech and all that, any form of punsihment is "constitutionally invalid", to quote Irving.

but what is it about burning our most recognisable national symbol that irks people? are we, as a country, too jingoistic, too swept up in sport-fuelled national pride, too protective of our heritage and ANZAC culture? after all, we slowly grill the emu & roo...

you would never see anyone burning it on Jan 26, or at the Bledisloe, or in Kaiserslautern recently, or on Parliament hill. but there are a lot of issues in the world that we've taken a lot of stick for recently, e.g. the issue of asylum seekers, our involvement in the iraq war (which gets me incredibly angry), the increase in poverty, our dearth of water situation, etc etc.

another thing: if our history can be symbolised in one image, how is desecrating it OK? has our flag lost all meaning? are we too american in our view of it, revering it as a sacred?

i'm starting too think that while some may be offended by it, there shouldn't be an outrage. but, over to you.

impressions on the week

2006-08-24T18:44:00.000+10:00

ok, this week i give you a treat. two posts. post on the busy week just passed, or post, above, on your thoughts about flag burning.

there has just been so much on this week. firstly, we had our soccer semi-final last week against mt. colah. we were confident, pumped, excited, keen, but beaten 3-0. even though we were pretty happy and content after the game for the season just finished, it still bites this week that there's no soccer to look forward to this weekend. especially as i got so close to opening my account for the year... from sweeper! he he, playing out of position is fun.

not to worry, the a-league is back this week. let me just say that it's been too long since we gathered under the giant scoreboard at moore park, chanted for dwight yorke to score again and whipped our shirts and scarves about in a crazy frenzy...

speaking of things returning, i give you all: JEFF HARDY! thankfully, after 2 1/2 years out of the wwe, he returned this past monday, complete with his traditional long hair, arm stockings and dark clothes. suddenly, the world is a little more complete with him back in our lives...

...but a part of my life was taken away this week. my elder sister headed off to London on monday for 18 months, possibly two years. she'll obviously be back once her placement finishes, but it was great to have her around the house for the last 4 months or so. it was also great to get over childish rivalries we once had, too!

just before i sign off for this post, viduka scored last night, against chelsea. hmmm, why couldn't he do that in germany??? frustrating that a guy with such a great club record can't score for his country. aloisi & kennedy, anyone??

and another thing: andrew johns serves two weeks for giving it to a ref. you all know what he said, but 2 weeks??? give me a break! the guy, in my opinion, deserved to be cut for double that suspension at least. care to differ?

simple pleasures, pleasing judgments

2006-08-10T19:55:00.000+10:00

given my post a fortnight ago regarding criticism and abuse of umpires, a story this week gave me no end of joy.

st. george illawarra league coach nathan brown this week said that "ever since they booed him (Steve Clark) off the field and threw a bucket of pee over him here (Kogarah), we get hammered by Clarkey every time... we're getting judged harsher than other sides" (SMH, 8/8/2006).

result? $15,000 fine from the NRL, whose CEO David Gallop said that "it is incorrect and inappropriate to accuse a referee of bias".

damn straight.

now, on to other more important matters. there are some memories of my childhood that live on for many years. do you remember iced vo-vos? it's not hard, i guess, because they're still around, only in a different form:

you've got to be kidding me. call that an iced vo-vo?? where is the marshmallow? i'm not talking about that pathetic thin strip above the wafer, i'm talking about the mallow balls that where the hallmarks of the classic biscuit of my childhood, as well as the childhood of many of you out there.

but, last week, i found that they're back! they go under the alias of strawberry mallows, have a search for them in your local shop. that, and the 100's & 1000's biscuits. then petition arnotts to CHANGE THEIR ICED VO-VOS!!

oh well, if they want to miss out on this traditionalists biscuit dollar, then i say hard cheese!

the end...?

2006-08-02T18:09:00.000+10:00

i was having some thoughts tonight about this blog that were getting me a little concerned. i had rather a lot of things to get done before bible study (or wanted to, at least) so was compiling the list at work. a few emails, a few calls, this blog entry, much of which have now been canned, to be done later.

i wanted to write another post because i enjoy this so much. i can pretty much post away on thoughts about the world in a medium i don't really get anywhere. the only problem was, there was no 'personal prayer time' on that list. no 'bible quiet time' to ready my mind for the study.

and so, gentle readers, i ask you: if my desire to post here is higher than my desire to have some prayer time (especially as i'm more awake now than when i normally pray), should the blog go?

i'll leave that thought with you, as we recap a great week had and preview a great week to come:

one skill i've learnt this week: skiing! ok, it was my first time on the slopes ("which both sucks and blows"), but man, that feeling of fresh, deep powdery snow has got me hooked. NZ in winter, anyone?

one thing i'm excited about: swans v bombers @ SCG this saturday night. the bombers won their second game of the year last weekend, the swans are en route to another finals series, the 'G' will be packed to the rafters, it's time to stand up and thump the old enemy!

one time i was reminded of Jesus: check out this story. no doubt you'll hear more about it as the week goes on, but here's hoping the instructor was a christian. the sacrifice of one man saved another this week. how much more glorious the sacrifice of another man 2000 years ago for the entire world?

one time i really hope comes true: the chuck norris bridge in budapest. that's right, it really could! high-kicking his way into history soon.

later all, i got friday off work also! sleep is good...

give the refs a break

2006-07-17T20:54:00.000+10:00

ok, i'm a ref. i like the black uniform we wear on the soccer field (or, in some cases, the yellow tops with black collar. so professional-looking). i like the feeling of control we have over a game if anyone gets too angry / makes a shocking tackle / uses the four-letter-word language. plus we don't do as much running as the players, so it's fun to watch them sweating it out while we look neat and tidy.

but something has caught my attention this year, with the world cup and afl (just to name two sports) raising the tricky issue of umpire/referee abuse. not to forget, whinging about decisions (increasingly, by australians).

let's consider some examples. the egyptian ref, Essam Abd El Fatah, was told to "give himself a yellow card" by sbs commentator simon hill for allowing japan's goal against the socceroos. the german, Markus Merk, gave almost 3 times as many free kicks to Brazil than Australia. Graham Poll gave a Croatian 3 yellow cards before sending him off. Luis Medina Cantelajo gave, at worst, a 50-50 penalty to Italy that knocked us out of the world cup. Scott McLaren gave 14 free kicks to West Coast on the weekend, and two to Sydney.

each of these poor souls were widely ridiculed, especially in the australian media, for officiating poorly in these games and, seemingly, favouring one side over another.

with players, it's different. they are praised for playing a brilliant game as well as cut down for playing a poor one. refs, on the other hand, aren't mentioned when they play well but put on trial virtually by international media often for one bad call (graham poll quit refereeing after his game, but he DID give three cards...).

the umpires need to be treated correctly: they are there to react to the players actions and ensure it is done fairly. they are there to be virtually invisible and told not to impose theirselves on the game. they are human, however, and will always make mistakes. think of the pressure they're under when they are basically forced to make every call correct. if a player makes a mistake, it'll go unnoticed usually.

let's all treat umpires, refs, etc., with the respect they deserve. if your team loses, it is NOT BECAUSE OF THE REF! you should all be able to win in spite of a difficult ref (exhibit A: socceroos - learn to score goals against a ten-man team).

2006-07-17T20:52:00.000+10:00

I'M BACK, BABY!!!

and so too, is dx:

so very happy...

little pieces of gold

2006-06-10T13:42:00.000+10:00

when things in life go your way, when you have many experiences in your life that make you feel like everything is right with the world, what is your first reaction? are you someone that will run with it and think life is great and can't possibly go bad? or will you be someone that is thankful for the world we live in and the gifts given to us, being appreciative of it all?

here are some things this week that have made this sinful world a slightly more enjoyable place to live in for me this week:

1. the city of newcastle and toronto. these are two of the cities on the NSW north coast i was travelling to on tuesday for work. i was fortunate enough to have lunch on the waterfront in toronto, with pelicans swimming around, birds divebombing the water for their own lunch and a rainbow on the horizon. when you spend most of your time in the busy city, you tend to appreciate towns that are quieter, a bit slower paced, with an easy to reach coast line and very little traffic. plus free parking pretty much wherever you want it. very nice place:

2. hidden tracks on CDs. found one on 'where i belong' unintentionally this week. good times!

3. andrew w k. search for him on iTunes under rock. the guy's a nutter, but having said that, he has created probably the best friday night after work song in 'party hard', the type of song you put on loud to let the stresses of work be bludgeoned away.

4. long weekends. yeah, three days off is pure joy right now.

5. "Mr Messy becomes a Year 12 English Text." front page of the weekend australian today (10-11/6). how good is that headline??!! oh, to be a student again...

6. afternoon naps. yeah, that's where i'm off to now.

7. 645 mens event. so helpful to have a christian perspective on worldly events and issues, while sharing a truckload of pizza!

while the world is a fallen place with a lot wrong with it, be grateful that there are these moments of God's blessings every day.

not pretty, but very effective

2006-06-05T08:39:00.000+10:00

if any of you have been wondering, it's been pretty crazy the last few weeks, so i have some time now to post (plus, procrastinating uses up a lot of time).

and what a time to post! the st. ives div6 reserves had their 2nd win of the year on saturday (first since round 1) in one of the best wins i've ever been involved in.

mt colah beat us 5-2 on their patch five weeks ago, coming 2nd in the comp, and took on us, who had lost last week 5-0. we had no subs, one of our defenders arrived 10 mins late, three guys had to carry injuries through the game, the goalboxes were full of mud and sludge, we defended our goalbox the entire second half, and we won.

1-0.

tiddy, i thank you for a cool finish. belza, thank you for some schwarzer-esque saves. boys, thank you for a ripping effort. and for those people that brought the doughnuts to the game afterwards, THANK YOU!! it made those bowling-club beers taste that little bit better. plus, all three boys teams had wins on saturday, so it made for a good lead-in to the world cup next weekend.

p.s. AUSTRALIA 1 - NETHERLANDS 1 sounds just as good. bring on japan!

social conundra #1

2006-05-19T09:19:00.000+10:00

last friday i was getting myself some lunch at the forum in st. leonards when i found myself in an interesting social situation. read on, then let me know what you'd do in the same situation and how you'd handle it.

so i went to order myself a grilled chicken focaccia with lettuce, cheese and sweet chilli sauce from the sandwich shop. i placed the order (i.e. told her what i wanted, she didn't say how much it was yet), the kind lady picked up the sandwich, sliced it, put it in the griller and then went on to serve some other customers.

i go to get my drink from the fridge as she serves other people.

about 4 minutes later my lunch was ready. i'm standing at the counter, waiting for her to ask for payment, with my money clearly in hand and the bottle of drink. the lady puts the meal in the bag, wraps it up and then hands it to me saying "there you are sir, have a nice day" and deadset starts to look for other people to serve.

she never asked me for payment.

do you say "excuse me, i think you'd want me to pay for this now"? do you walk away because, in her mind, i'd already paid and she would, therefore, quickly forget about me? are we obliged to give her or someone else the money in any case?

let me know what you think, and i'll let you know what happened next later next week.

is anything sacred?

2006-05-10T11:01:00.000+10:00

so, there i was last saturday night, taking my cousin out in sydney-town to some bars and pubs (so that she can say she's been 'out' while here) and we ended up at the cabana bar. now, while it's an average bar (don't mention the grilled bega cheese pizzas), it does have the super 14 projected onto a side of a nearby building whenever it's on (deadset, at two stories high, those south africans are big boppas). but i heard some tragic sounds that night...

guns and roses' Sweet Child of Mine had been remixed into a dance song.

is nothing in this world sacred anymore? must everything be 'mashed up' or remixed into a bad version of the original, legendary song for teeny-boppers that are too young to know what good music is? this is one thing that really ticks me off about radio stations, young people and what they think is good music, as well as what are the most popular/downloaded songs going around. usually, they've ripped off a classic, sped it up, added in some useless singer's warblings and voila!, you have yourself a new #1.

the only silver lining i can see in doing this is people may think "hey, that's a good song, i might look into it, hey wait it's a remix/cover, i'll buy the original and say that i knew them before they were cool." but that's as faint a hope as the lions winning the flag this year.

call me old-fashioned, call me a rock dinosaur, but my point is this: if you can't write your own lyrics, get off the airwaves! the recording industry is there for people that want to express their creative minds musically, not for unimaginative people to rip off and tarnish the good name of others that has been built up through years of hard work.

they'll be shown up for who they really are soon enough, i guess.

now, while they've got to guns and roses, please please PLEASE don't get to the kings of seattle, pearl jam:

these guys are the kings of rock worldwide, in my opinion (DMB doesn't count, they're not 'rock'). the fact that they keep punching out the albums continually, they don't keep their fans waiting years and years for them to tour (they're coming back in november this year!) and staying true to what made them good in the first place (while more and more stating their dislike of america) earns them my respect, even if their album covers don't! seriously, does a half-avocado mean anything? does it have to?

plus, any song that is still great to listen to years after it was initially recorded means, by definition, the band is awesome.

are there any favourite bands of yours that you would like to be kept off the dance club scene?

powderfinger is another one...

milk, not steak

2006-05-04T09:51:00.000+10:00

sometimes it's best to digest the simplest of foods...

it's often the best thing to do, to reaffirm the basics of what you believe in. i'm pretty glad that, having come out the other end of the tunnel this week, it looks fantastic.

i was a little worried earlier this week that my trust in God was pretty fragile. so i decided to, firstly, go back to what Christianity is all about: the cross. this is an inescapable truth about Him. he really died and really rose again. he carried out what he said he would, showing to the world He was the Son of God.

the second truth i realised is that prayer is not just looking to the roof and talking; Jesus Christ, in the garden of Gethsemane, in His hour of need, spoke to His Father and laid it all out there to be seen. he was really struggling with it all, but realised that this was God's will. if the Son of God prayed to God, asking for his loving goodness, then surely we can approach Him in this way as well.

so if Christ really did all that and showed that He was more than just a really, really nice and morally upright guy, it's time for me to "sit up and pay attention". whoever believes in him shall not perish but have what we all hope for, eternal life with the creator and saviour of this world. his death meant something real in our world, it was not just a freak occurrence.

the final challenge i had about this really shook me around a bit, but in the end was a bit of a no-brainer: did i really want Jesus Christ as Lord in my life? all i could think of was "yes, yes, yes!" how could i not have Him as Lord of my life?! this realisation was based on three things: firstly, because he loved me first and it's all i can do to show that love back to Him; secondly, because my God is deserving of my love, unlike us for His love; and finally, because of the reality we all have coming for us by taking one or the other path - eternal life or eternal punishment.

it really does mean everything, doesn't it?

sometimes the more complex of foods are best left for later...

not long to go now...

2006-05-01T17:19:00.000+10:00

so, given it is now almost 5 weeks to go, what should be our starting line up on June 11 in Germany? here's my team:

Forwards: Aloisi, Viduka

Midfield: Kewell (left), Bresciano, Cahill (middle), Culina (Right), Grella (Defensive Mid)

Defence: Chipperfield, Neill, Beauchamp

Keeper: Schwarzer

Bench: Kalac, Vidmar, Emerton, Thompson, Skoko

my reasons for this were based on who's been playing recently, who played well in the a-league, and who is just very large (v-bomber and aloisi, exhibits a & b).

your thoughts? should emerton be on the park? should popovic play? should the blonde, david carney be the roughie that starts the games?!

(is that shorter for you, bono?)

tv, hoo-ah, good god, what is it good for?

2006-04-21T08:47:00.000+10:00

49 days to go...

so, this is an idea i've thought about ever since starting full time work in july last year, but a lot of people have already realised before. work has given me less time to watch tv, but more time to think. so...

"TV is only good for sport and the ABC."

as far as i'm concerned, there is nothing else worth watching on free-to-air and pay tv than sport and those foreign correspondent shows on the ABC. now, you're probably going to say "yeah, but you're a sports fanatic dave, so that's all you think about". true, but have a think about it.

if you wanted to watch some good current affairs, for the love of God do not watch today tonight or aca. their insular, ratings-driven stories appeal to the lowest common denominator and are only on because the hosts 'look good'. the actual news programs are worse. as anyone who's been o/s would confirm, our news programs only focus on local stories and have been so driven in the last few years to out-do each other (7 vs 9 vs 10) that they've forgotten what they're on air for - to let us know what is happening in the world! not on whether tom and katie had a silent birth or whatever. WHO CARES!

there is so much more going on in the world than whether some rich schmuck sped last week, or whether some celebrity is in town. unfortunately, the real world affairs are on the news for one week and then thrown out due to lack of interest/not being newsworthy anymore. shame.

now, onto prime time commercial tv. what a joke. everything is reality tv, everything is produced on low costs using low wage actors with bright lights and repulsive themes and dodgy storylines. with enough good shows on, surely the tv companies would invest in some actual actors. but no (consider love my way, blue heelers) and when they get a good show on their laps, they rip off the public by shunting it to a late night timeslot (e.g. the west wing, arrested development (i think), ncis, etc.) or cutting out half the season altogether.

i hear you call out "what about LOST and PRISON BREAK, dave?" if you can get over the networks delaying the end of the series till midnight on a friday night, these series seem to go nowhere slowly. wow, the guy got out of jail, but we have a few series to go. ok, put him back in then. seriously...

and remember the sunday night movie? ha, no more people! crime shows dominate, reality shows dominate (e.g. aussie idol, big brother #4 - groan - etc), no-one stays at home anymore awaiting the latest blockbuster to be shown by a network. the movies are all repeats now also, with true lies, the old bond films, parenthood (though that is bloody funny) on repeatedly. what has caused this? dvd. people can buy what they want and watch it when they want, without having their viewing times dictated by the networks. why would you bother rushing home from an important conversation or meeting, just to see the start of a movie, when you can either wait for the dvd to come out or download it off the net? ah, freedom, feels good.

what's left? sport, and the ABC. this year, if you're fortunate enough to have pay tv, you can gorge yourself on live afl, rugby league, super 14, wwe wrestling, cricket from south africa and bangladesh, the world cup, tennis, golf, premier league football, american football, horse racing, swimming meets, commonwealth games, the a-league, etc etc etc. on the ABC, you have current affairs from people actually overseas, relevant news items, political interviews, shows imported from the bbc, documentaries, etc etc etc. is there anymore one could want?

besides, does any of us have the time to follow a series of shows throughout it's run? do we not go out and experience the real world?

but is sport and good current affairs all that is worth watching? is there anything not worth waiting on the dvd for? enlighten me, people.

postscript: just heard that fox sports is picking up rights for the asian champions league, all a-league games, asian cup qualifiers and finals. sweet.

moving on

2006-04-11T10:23:00.000+10:00

three thoughts from some interesting happenings this week:

1: last sunday, the game between the swans v port adelaide was a great day. or at least that's what i thought it was supposed to be. they unfurled the 2005 AFL premiership flag which flew high over the members stand for the second half. it was paraded around the ground by former players, then hung over the current players as they ran out to the ground. it was pretty good to see it in sydney. we kicked the first two goals...

...the rest of the game bit. hard. we got trounced, and my family and i left at 3/4 time (first time i've ever done that). the whole experience of the day kind of made me realise how futile sport and that sort of thing is. there really was nothing special about seeing some fabric with the words "premiers 2005" flap in the breeze, despite the fact i decided to leave HP early for it. i thought by going to the game i could say "i was there" and there'd be some worth in that. but towards the end of the game i was thinking 'what was the point of being there?' maybe it's only worth going if your team wins (e.g. the socceroos):

maybe it's all a meaningless triviality we're given to enjoy our days with here on earth. in the end, my thoughts of a great party were built up for no real reason. the whole day was kind of over-rated.

2: our much-loved family burmese cat, norgay, was unfortunately run over sunday night. after seeing that he had a broken jaw, broken front leg, bleeding eye socket and massive head trauma, we decided it would be better for him to be put down.

for those of you who knew him, you'd know of the incredible energy he had, whether it be climbing things, like our legs and trees, or bringing in wildlife from around the area (see tally below). he was also the only cat we've had that's really let us pat him. he was so much fun to play with, and he'll certainly be missed by us all, even more so given he was just three years old.

the cull count:
live bandicoots
live birds (cue freaked out parents trying to get a live bird to fly out the door, instead of slamming into the closed window next to it)
water lizards (almost - he chased it though the bushes until it escaped into our pool)
snakes
live possums
live baby mice
rats
countless tiny lizards

makes me remember that our lives are so fragile, easily taken away, breakable. we, as a creation, are nothing and we should never believe that we are powerful. farewell mate.

3: possessions are fleeting. i thought my new pair of ray-bans had been lost on tuesday, when it turned out i'd left them at the car service centre. all these thoughts of "what will my mother think now that i've lost her gift for me?","my week will suck now that i've lost a pair of glasses" and "guess i'll fork out a ridiculous amount to replace them" were running through my head tuesday morning.

but for what? why? i was worrying about some insignificant piece of glass and metal when the majority of the world is lost and in darkness - a far greater worry. something, though, that came out of this 'problem' was that the guy who found them at the servo was really nice about it all and very co-operative, so cheers to him.

but as for priorities and treasure - where are these?

something i'll treasure this weekend: it goes for four days!! three of these will be spent in the blue mountains, so i'll have some pics next week. enjoy your break people, happy easter.

come, Lord Jesus come

2006-04-05T11:10:00.000+10:00

ok, so you'll work out that this posting stems from my relationship with God this week and how it's been brought into focus by a few things. please excuse the inward-focussed ramblings for this week.

last sunday we were looking at ecclesiastes 4, as many of you would know. a few verses from this have really smacked me around this week as i've struggled in my walk with God. 4:2 says that "the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive". i've looked at this verse many times this week (even right now) and it's having a pretty strong resonance with me. as i've struggled in a few things this week, i can't help but feel like i want to be with God and all his people right now! i hate this world and all that is wrong with it. how much better will eternal life with God be than life on Earth now, even though that's often brilliant?!

there is so much wrong with the world now that it feels like i can't help but give in to it all. life would be, obviously, so much easier if i just did what the world told me to and not listen to God. at work, with my own private computer, it's as if God does not matter there and i can do what i want, when i want. but at church on sunday nights, on housepartys in the past (and, most assuredly, this weekend) and in bible studies, it sinks in deeper that God is a great and worthy King and that i love Him and He loves me. this brings up another problem i guess: how do we be sunday - saturday christians, not just sunday nights when all is rosy?

4:10 says also that "If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up". this is so crucial in our lives, i guess. attempting to be a Christian living alone in a cave, while not being something that we are called to be, would be incredibly hard, missing out on all the encouragement we receive from our fellow Christians. it just shows how helpful and loving our brothers and sisters in Christ are, helping each other up when we fall down (jodi, we're here for you now!). much love to tiddy and belly, you guys are swell.

but what about those many times through the week when you in fact are on your own? in the car, at work, stuck at home, studying, etc.? well, lunch has blogged a bit about this to do with your trusty ipod, but, for those with the old clunky discmans, i highly recommend the latest garage hymnal cd (ok, this post was not meant to be a free plug for them, but hey). was listening to it this week and realised how much greater God is than us, as well as how i need more Christian music in the car! greg cooper's song "on that day" tells us that "on that day, you loved us, more than we care to know, o Lord; and on this day, you love us, may we remember now, o Lord". remembering this week that God loves us all, more than we care to know, has hit home because i've felt like i could not get any lower, yet God still loves us. there are other good songs on this cd, but this is the only one i can remember of the top of my head.

Bono: "Jesus can you take the time, to throw this drowning man a line, peace on earth".

postscript: mp saw the attack of the marson coming, when no-one else did.

blast off

2006-04-03T17:25:00.000+10:00

so, the season is underway.

division 6 reserves: 3-0 win.

that says it all really, great start gents.

marso...

love your work my friend, top of the goal scorer's list already. (for those few in the world that don't know, christopher marson started the season with a hat-trick).

as for the swans? don't mention it, especially if the freight train belly is within ear shot.

a time for... the festival of the (size 13) boot!

2006-03-27T09:52:00.000+11:00

greetings all again.

you may well be confused by the title of this entry, but read on, this will make sense by the end.

last sunday at CCSI Robin Kinstead gave a really great talk on Ecclesiastes 3. Some quality verses from this chapter are here: verse 1: "For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven." verse 12 - 13: "I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil - this is the gift of God." verse 20, 22: "All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return... So i saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot."

this gave me great joy sunday night, knowing that God has approved a time and a place for everything, provided we keep a Godly perspective on these things. we all come from dust and return to dust in the end, so while these may be meaningless things and that each of us will return to nothing in the end, God has given us this gift of finding satisfaction in meaningless things, "because that is his lot".

there is a time for peace, a time for war, a time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together, a time for max brenner, a time for green vegetables, a time for 'the byrds' (!), a time for nicky webster...

while i could go on on the Godly perspective of these things, it's about time i posted something a little less serious. so, this weekend, given that there is a time for everything, it will be a time for... the festival of the boot! (yeah, about time i posted something to do with sport!)

that's right people, this weekend will go off with the commencement of two different football seasons, plus the annual 'showcase of the immortals' (no, not old rugby league codgers wheeled out at grand final time, but i'll get to that).

firstly, at 1pm this saturday afternoon the mighty emerald green division 6 reserves team kicks off our season against the poor hacks known as Lindfield B. but, in the interests of space and the fact that lunch has already blogged this, i'll move on...

...to the return of the kings of the AFL, the Sydney Swans (and the crowd goes wild)! now, i know most of you will groan with boredom and flick over to jimmy's page or something, but he'll probably back me up when i say that the swans winning last year was the greatest day in the history of the team playing in sydney (as will lunch). there was just something different about seeing your team that you support playing in front of 100,000 people at the MCG, contesting the greatest prize in the game, throwing their bodies around (exhibit A: leo barry!) when for the previous 71 years they had never won anything. plus, the summer season isn't the same, it's just spent longing for the sound of leather on leather.

now, the reason why i'm excited is that my boys that i barrack myself hoarse for are, for the first time ever in my life, the champions. while it is a meaningless pleasure, it is a good meaningless pleasure. also, the last time i saw them in action was about 10 minutes into the last quarter of the grand final, when paul rees turned off the telly at club 5. man, was that ever tough...

so this saturday night, when other people are heading out on the town, may i encourage you to get a group of mates around and tune in to see the best team in the land do battle with the hacks from essendon. i guarantee you won't regret it.

now, what about that showcase of the immortals that i was talking about? the greatest sports entertainment spectacular of all time? oh yes, on monday, it is time for wrestlemania XXII! no, please, don't log off. it's ok, i know it's fake. i know the results are pre-determined. i know the wwe is no longer as good as it was, what with the rock, stone cold steve austin and, god bless him, jeff hardy no longer competing. i know that many of the wrestlers have died of drug OD's in recent years. i know that there is a lot wrong with that industry and that, even for me, it is far too brainless to be a regular form of entertainment.

but, as em campbell will attest, this is theatre. that's right, pomp and pageantry, glitz and glamour, music, lights and a lot of confetti. plus, you just try and fake this:

that's right, that is jeff hardy, the master of the swanton bomb, jumping off a ladder and performing his party trick at wrestlemania in 2000. this is a guy that had fans holding signs saying "don't die jeff" whenever he peformed. for the record, he hit his target... just.

now just try and tell me that this does not excite you. bear in mind that this picture does not do his stunt justice. before jumping, he stood on top of the ladder for a few seconds and gazed around the crowd while camera flashes went off everywhere. it is truly a crazy moment. for me, a gift from God that people dare to be this ridiculous.

"there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven." this weekend is that time.

cheers

what we are called to be

2006-03-20T14:46:00.000+11:00

ok, we're back.

before i start, can i just say that i'm pretty annoyed to miss out on MP's Blogies awards this year?! although, i will smoke you all next year, provided we're still alive and kicking.

firstly, you'll notice that the URL has been fixed. hurrah! sorry for the problems earlier this week in getting here. i think the links from other sites have been updated. nice work boys and girls!

ok, this week just wanted you share with you all a cracking verse we came across last week in our bible study that has got me thinking a lot this week. it comes from 1 Thessalonians 4:3,7-8, and goes a little something like this: "It is God's will that you should be sanctified... For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit."

firstly, we had a lot of discussion on what 'sanctified' actually meant. the general idea we got was that God's will is for us to be set apart from the rest of the world. not like living on our own island away from the rest of the world, but as if we lived like birds in a sanctuary compared with birds living out in the open (kirsty saunders' example!). that's what we are called to be; to be people set apart from the rest of the world, living a holy life, living as the citizens of heaven that we are.

we also discussed the idea of purity and us, and it is interesting to hear of that purity that God calls us to be when you think of examples from the world around us. such as, water streaming down a mountain is far purer than the bottled stuff we get, but it's purest form is the springs it comes from at the very top. fruit picked and eaten from the natural crops is, apart from being incredibly juicy and 'yum', the purest form of fruit we can get (and far better than Goulbourn Valley). and, to choose a delightful example, beer tasted at the brewery tastes so much better than from your local bottle-o! (seriously, try it next time you're in tassie or wa)

now, this created a bit of a problem in our minds. how can we be pure? sure, we look at guys like the apostle Paul or even people in our lives today and think "i can't possibly live up to their standards". but the way i've been feeling about it is that in God's eyes now, as he looks down on us, he sees sinful, wretched people made right with Him because of Christ's blood. he sees Christ when he sees us and that, if i haven't made a colossal heresy here (and please tell me if i have), is the greatest thing in the world. he sees us as sanctified children of God!

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! (Romans 6:1-2)" God wants us to be sanctified and to live a holy life, set apart from the rest of the world. a thought we had during the bible study, related to that, was that we should aim for this, not out of guilt stemming from our sin or fear of his final coming, but out of love for the one who saves us by his blood.

this week i've really started to think about living my life as one who is set apart by God. he's called me to live a holy life, blameless and honouring to God. He didn't call me/us to be impure, but to be pure in this world of rotten peaches, VB (sorry but it's true) and contaminated water. i've realised how powerless we are to attain purity and how sovereign and powerful Christ is in making us right before God.

that's got to provoke a reaction in me, in everything that i do. whether i'm at work, on the soccer field, chatting at basketball to non-Christians, or with my parents, i need to realise that i'm a child of God and i need to act as though i'm set apart from the rest of the world.

would appreciate any comments you folks had on this; how we are to live as sanctified people, how to live pure lives, but, more importantly, also how to trust in God's eternal salvation, regardless of how pure we may or may not feel , etc. it's just a big issue i'm starting to feel the gravity of now.

anyway, catch you all next week.

should be about the swans next week. that's right, they're only one week away. (so good to be back, it's been too long! jimmy, dust off that tear-stained scarf of yours and i'll see you at the scg!)

keep safe, god bless.

say goodbye to eliza-beth

2006-03-17T10:13:00.000+11:00

ok, this is something that i've only just recently taken much interest and thought in (put it down to The SpoonMan on MMM radio, or a book i got for Christmas entitled A Short History of the 20th Century), but it seems to me to be pretty relevant, especially with this big sports carnival happening in melbourne right now.

like simon katich and anthony mundine, i believe it's time Australia, as a country, got rid of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth as our head of state and we became a republic.

why? well, ask yourself: what is the point of her being our head of state now? what relevant purpose does she serve now, other than, of course, making dreary speeches to her 'loyal' subjects, like the one at the G on wednesday night and every year on Christmas night? (before i go on, please note this is not intended to be an attack on the Queen herself, but on Australia as a monarchy.)

i wonder: would life in Australia be any different if we were to become a republic? would we go off fighting our own wars without Britain's advice (we do it now)? would we start to manage our own affairs without their consultation (ditto)? would sporting contests against the old enemy have the same appeal? would we have a cooler flag (here's hoping)?

in any case, we are now pretty much a republic in all but name and flag. our major ally in international defence is the US, Europe has their own trading group known as the EU (although, i know little about how this affects us), and we're involved in massive conferences around the Pacific Rim (e.g. APEC, ASEAN, ANZUS, etc.) with our major trading nations Japan, China, Indonesia, USA, NZ, etc.

plus, the FFA is in the Asian Confederation now. we are our own nation!

we were founded by them in 1788 as a place to house their convicts, and abandoned by them in WWII (where were they when Japan came knocking on our front door? heading home to defend the mother land!). colonialism and imperialism imparted their ways on us; it seems we've grown out of them. If anyone remembers Paul Keating's speech in Parliament in 1993 (or so), you may agree.

don't get me wrong though, i love Britain itself. the premier league, the clean country-side, the pubs on every road corner, and, of course, Sean Connery. it's just that colonialism is out of date and useless now. Hong Kong had the same idea a few years ago. why are we going against the tide of independence, when we supported East Timor's independence?

which raises the question: who to be our new head of state? and if you are a staunch monarchist, i would love to know why.

a counter point: we wouldn't dominate the empire games anymore!!

cheers.

p.s. i hope to have photos up on the weekend. don't know if future posts will be as political as this. sure hope not!

(btw, i realise it should be http://johnnyspeaks.blogspot.com, not johhnyspeaks, but i'm too far into it now to change it)

yet another one..

2006-03-16T16:29:00.000+11:00

yeah, thought i'd join the online fun.

just so you know: "i have the cards" - don't mess with me on the soccer field this year, because...

ok, now that those questions are done with, greetings! expect a post once a week, usually to do with either God, soccer, family or my poker playing buddies.

later all, this is a quick one while at work, but there will be more to come.

standard simpsons quote: Bart: "I've got a scary story that'll wet your pants".
Grampa: "Too late"

...

...