University at NIGHT TIME! What?!

Right.

It's 7:40pm.

My lecture starts in 20 minutes.

I am sitting in D block labs, looking at the feature wall. It's fuschia. What kind of colour is that for a feature wall?! Who puts a feature wall in a computer lab?

Welcome to university.

I am really thinking about buying some lollies for the lecture.......I just read Gloria's blog and she said something about lollies. :-D

MSN is a waste of time. Forget it.

Hmm......I think it's someone's birthday tomorrow.......but whose, I wonder?

;-)

Dear Anonymous

Could 'Anonymous' from a few posts back please identify themselves? ;-)

I would guess who you are, but if I guess right then you'll be embarrassed. And if I guess wrong, then I'll be embarrassed. And in fact, I think it could be a couple of people. And if I guess all of them, then we'll ALL be embarrassed.

So why not save me the hassle, and shoot me an email? ;-)

Respectfully yours,

Noof.

It's On!

University, that is.

Well, it almost wasn't this morning.

I woke up, after a refreshing sleep (not to mention this really good dream...), and thought, "The sun looks quite high. Oh no! I hope I didn't sleep in!"

Fortunately, my phone told me that it was only 7:42 am.
Unfortunately, I was supposed to be on a bus at 7:30 am.
Fortunately my bag was pretty well packed so all I had to do was throw on some clothes and run.
Unfortunately my bag did not include a pen or my diary.
Fortunately some guy down the street offered me a lift.
Unfortunately, knowing about "stranger danger" I did not take it. (Maybe that last 'fortunately-unfortunately' should be the other way around)

Went to uni. Half an hour late, but since it was a 2 hour lecture that wasn't too bad ;-)

Then had heaps of time to do all the things I needed to do. Lots of good things happened. Camembert cheese being one of the good things :-)

So today was quite a good day. Well, it's still going.

See you tomorrow. On time, hopefully :-)

music

Can someone please write a song with more than 4 chords?
With lyrics that mean something?
And I wouldn't complain if it had a good beat :-)

PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAASE!

Japan

Two missionaries from Japan visited our home group last night. They challenged (and really encouraged) us to do mission. Here's what I learned:

- It's better to plan to go on mission and be willing to stay, than to be willing to go and plan to stay. If you don't go, you'll never know if you should have been a missionary. You don't want to spend the rest of your life going, "shoulda-coulda-woulda done this and that".

- God has a heart for all the nations, for EVERYONE. He loves everyone in the world.

- I asked, "What if you're scared?" (heh heh - my mum will know exactly what I'm talking about - she's spent time with me while I've cried over "I'm scared what God's going to ask me to do!") These guys chuckled a little and said, "Join the club."

- Just have a go!

So perhaps I will :-)

When it says on the autogas pump "small LPG discharge", what it really means is 'stand back!'

:-)

Ode to Tim-Tams

I looked in the fridge today
Just as I have looked
On many previous days
But you were not there.

I remember a time
When I had to forcibly move you
So I could get to the healthy food.
The fruit and vegies were buried
In Tim-Tams.

But now, it is not so.
I do not understand how people
Having once tasted a Tim-Tam
Can act as though they never existed
And why they expect me to act this way.
How can I forget the chocolatey goodness?

If Tim-Tams could read, I would write this letter:
Dear Tim-Tams,
There will always be room in my fridge
For you.
Love Noof.

Dear Chicken Little

Dear Chicken Little,

I must write to apologise.
I have been rude.
I have been unfair, because I have judged you before I knew you.
I have torn up pieces of cardboard with your picture,
Removed your background from my MSN conversation window,
Yelled about you,
And sworn that I hate you.

It isn't fair to be jealous of your great popularity.
After all, you are only a chicken
And it is not your fault if many people like you.
The fact that you have not retaliated goes to show
That you are a much greater chicken
(I mean, person)
Than I.

Please forgive me.
Perhaps, in time, we could be friends?

Yours truly,
Noof.

Tell me...

what words come to mind when I say the word 'connection'?
I want a list.

Thanks guys.

Today

It's been an interesting day today.

I had a great quiet time. You know how sometimes verses stand out to you a bit? Or, they get stuck in your mind, and you think, "why is this verse stuck in my head...." Well, that happened to me, and the verse was Deuteronomy 1:27. If you look it up, I'm sure you'll be thinking, "and WHY did this verse stand out to you?!" But I saw my attitude in it - read a bit further - the Israelites are complaining that God has brought them out of Egypt just to die at the hand of the Amorites (another nation, for those who haven't read Deuteronomy).

I was thinking - it must have seemed like a cruel joke. "Thanks a lot God," they were saying, "You rescued me from Egypt in order to kill me out here? Why didn't You just leave me alone, then?"

And yet - God didn't lead them out there to kill them, He lead them out there to go and take the land He'd promised to give them. He was fulfilling the promises He'd made, but the Israelites couldn't (or wouldn't?) see that, because they were so sure that God's intentions towards them were bad.

And I saw some of my attitude in that: times when I've gone, "God, You just brought me into this to cause me pain and trouble." And it's not true. God's intentions are good. Some things are going to be painful and difficult, but God's purpose is not to cause me pain. I don't exactly know all of His purpose yet, but I know that, like the Israelites, God isn't playing a cruel joke on me.

And you have no idea what a relief that is!!!! :-)

And I've been cleaning my room - going through my box of 'stuff' - things I've kept over the years to remind me of good times, or fun things. It's amazing, the stuff in that box. It encouraged me - God really has been working through my life. So that was today.

Driving home

Last night Chris Ryan and I were given a lift home from Nightlife by a person who shall remain nameless ;-)

This was good fun.

First, we had to find the car. It was parked in a dark alley.
"You parked in front of someone's house!"
"No, look, there's a parking thing."
"Do you think anyone lives here?"
"I reckon it's a bunch of homeless druggos. I'm scared, let's get out of here!!!"
"Quick, go, go! Burn off!"

So we did.

Our driver prayed. "Father, thank you that my car is okay. Please don't let me get abused."

We stopped at our first intersection. The driver revved his little French engine (maybe that'll give you a hint).
"Yeah punk," he said to the car next to him, "You want a piece of me?!"

Occasionally we had to use the horn. "Beep beep! Excuse moi, monsieur!" Well, when I say *had* to......

"Let's go visit a friend." So we swerved off Beenleigh Road, over the railway tracks, to go and see this friend.

On the way home we sang to the African music. We learned that the translation went something like this: "No woman no cry. Stay single. No trouble." ;-)

Maybe you had to be there - but it was so funny :-)

Oh and Valentine's Day was great too! I received flowers, chocolate, SMS's, hugs and a lift home. :-D All this without the "added stress" of a boyfriend :-p

As Time Goes By

I was watching 'As Time Goes By' yesterday. It's a comedy series on the ABC, about two people called Lionel and Jean, who were a couple way way back when the Korean war was on, and then Lionel went away to the war and she never heard from him again (due to the loss of his letter to her). Anyway, years later, they meet up again and to cut a very long series short, get married. And when this discussion takes place, they're both in their late 60's/early 70's.

Lionel and Jean are sitting down having some champagne and a discussion.
Lionel: Well, I can't say you're young and pretty.
Jean: No.
Lionel: But I think you're beautiful.
Jean: .......Have you been drinking those ales again?!
Lionel: No, no. You're beautiful, and it's got nothing to do with a few wrinkles or an extra pound or two
Jean: Or two!!!
Lionel: It's what you mean. It's who you are. I'm not doing very well, am I?
Jean: (smiling and taking his hand) Oh, that'll do very well. That will do very well indeed.

:-)

Be my Valentine!

Everyone's a lost romantic
Since our love became a kissing show
Everyone's a Casanova
Come and pass me the mistletoe
Everyone's been scared to death of dying here alone....
Switchfoot, 'Easier Than Love'

HOW TO BE COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY DESPERATE THIS VALENTINE'S DAY:

1) Sit around and complain, mope and gripe about how you are x years old, and single for yet another Valentine's Day. Life is just a trial sometimes, isn't it?

2) Check your mobile phone for text messages from him/her. Maybe he/she really will message. Hopefully?

3) Forget all about the fact that you are loved unconditionally by God. Insist that the most important thing you can receive on this day is a tacky red, white and pink card in the shape of a heart. INSIST!!!!

4) Check your mobile phone again. Still no messages? Oh well.

5) Go and sit in Queen St Mall and watch couples stroll by hand-in-hand. Mourn the fact that there is no-one sitting next to you - except that strange old bloke with his cigarette.

6) While you're trying not to become a passive smoker, check that mobile again.

7) And again.

8) Once more.

9) Debate whether or not you are going to message/call/prank him/her.

10) Chicken out.

11) Buy yourself flowers and chocolates and then stuff yourself sick with them (the chocolates, that is........heck, if you're that desperate, then the flowers too :-p )

12) Call all your single friends. Have a whinge-fest.

13) Say "I'm going to die alone! With cats!" several times, to your mother.

14) Listen to sad songs over and over again.

Disclaimer: These are all things that will help to make your Valentine's Day experience worse than it usually would be. If you don't want that, I suggest trying the opposite ;-) *especially about that eating the flowers thing :-s *

:-(

Just a grumpy day.

Satire

Satire is a form of humour that is supposed to provoke, or prevent, change. Ultimately its aim is to get people to think about the way things are and how they can change things for the better.

Satire can push the boundaries, but that isn't its aim. I have a problem with humour that sets out to push boundaries, or simply to laugh at a situation, without doing something to change it.

I've been thinking about this a fair bit after watching and reading so much about humour. Humour is constructive if it is a catalyst for positive change - otherwise it can be really destructive.

DARE GREATLY
by Theodore Roosevelt

It is not the critic who counts;
Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled,
Or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena;
Whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
Who strives valiantly;
Who errs and comes short again and again;
Who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause;
Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement
And who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly
So that his place shall never be
With those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

The Goodies

I decided to get this out of my system once and for all - yes, I am going to talk about the Goodies, in an attempt to stop liking them so much! :-)

'The Goodies' was a TV show that ran in England on the BBC from 1970 - 1982. The three main characters were:


Bill Oddie (left) - the very out-there, crazy musician, always up for a good time.

Graeme Garden (middle) the very intelligent, slightly eccentric scientist

Tim Brooke-Taylor (right) the patriotic, kind of cowardly 'nice guy'. Actually, 'Mummy's boy' would be more accurate. But it's so funny watching him - he's so naive :-)


Incidentally, those are also their names in real life.

Bill and Graeme wrote most of the episodes, which mix satire and silliness perfectly :-)

Yeah, and they also had a few hit songs, I believe. Bill was a bit of a muso - he wrote a lot of the music for the series too. This picture is from a song they performed called 'The Funky Gibbon'. And no, I haven't heard it yet........





Haven't seen this episode, but it looks interesting.











Here's a list of their episodes (which I borrowed from http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/tv/comedy/goodies.htm)

EPISODES
• The Tower of London • Snooze • Love the Police • Caught in the Act • The Greenies
• Cecily • Pirate Radio Goodies • The Goodies & the Loch Ness Monster • Sporting Goodies
• Pollution • The Lost Tribe of the Orinoco • The Stolen Musicians • Culture for the Masses
• Kitten Kong • Wicked Waltzing • Farm Fresh Food • Women's Lib • Sex and Violence
• Charity Bounce • The Baddies • The New Office • A Hunting We Will Go • The Winter Olympics • Black Magic • The Lost Island of Munga • Way Outward Bound • Superstar
• Camelot • Rabbits on the Moon • Hospital for Hire • The Goodies & the Beanstalk • The Stone Age • Goodies in the Nick • The Race • The British Film Industry • Clown Virus
• Chubbie Chumps • Wacky Wales • Frankenfido • Scatty Safari • Kung Fu Kapers
• Lighthouse Keeping Loonies • Rome Antics • Cunning Stunts • South Africa • Bunfight at the OK Tea Rooms • The End (Encased in Concrete) • Goodies Rule - OK? • Lips, or Almighty Cod • Hype Pressure • Daylight Robbery of the Orient Express • Black & White Beauty
• It Might as Well Be String • 2001 and a Bit • The Goodies - Almost Live! • Alternative Roots • Dodonuts • Scoutrageous • Rock Goodies • Royal Command •Earthanasia
• Politics • Saturday Night Grease • A Kick in the Arts • U-Friend or UFO? • Animals
• War Babies • Snow White • Robot • Football Crazy • Bigfoot • Change of Life
• Holidays • Animals are People Too

Hmm....I own 16 of these. Crikey.

So that's the Goodies They're funny. If you want to watch some, let me know :-)

And another picture!!

t*x

T*x over. (have to censor it, it's not a nice word)

Headache started.

Life after tax and sunburn

Today was my day into the big smoke.

Took my sister to her nanny college - just so we knew how long it took to get there. Then we had lunch at Sushi Train. Now we both like deep fried salmon skins very much :-)

Tiffany: "So what do you feel like?"
Me: "Oh, I could really go a deep fried salmon skin, how about you?"
Tiffany: "Yeah, definitely a deep fried salmon skin!"

Did some TAX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't want to talk about it. It's not finished. That's tomorrow's job. Don't want to think about it.

Bought a harmonica. Picked up some music for leadership camp. Received some cheese :-) Came home utterly STUFFED and kinda sunburned.

It is ridiculously hot today. I need to go for a swim. I hate tax. How can I improve my attitude towards this task I have to do? *maybe just get it over with!* but, contributions welcome. Things like "throw your computer against the wall" will not be accepted.....seriously, don't tempt me :-p

TAX IS A DIRTY WORD.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Work antics

This is my second day at work this week.

This is my last day at work this week! Hooray.

It's going better than Tuesday, despite the fact that I discovered the photocopier doesn't like having staples put through it. Sorry, photocopier. That, and I sent someone for another box of A4 paper, when we had a ream of it in tray 3! Sorry, Anne.

On Tuesday, what made the day so un-good (ahem...that would be bad) was that I sat there for 4 hours printing stuff to pdf.

If you could have any job in the world, what would it be? Seriously, anything.

I think I'd be on TV. Or on the stage. Something with lots of creating new ideas, then getting them to work, and performing them. And it would have to include some music :-) Kind of like Bill Oddie (he was on the Goodies - sorry, I'll stop soon!) He co-wrote the script, co-wrote the music and performed in it. That would be so cool :-)

So over to you! Your dream job?

Shiny shoes

Last night at Lisa's, I think a lot of us were stuffed. Well, I know 3 who were pretty darn tired - me, Pat, and Trev.

"You look tired," Lisa said to Trev. "That's not cos you're tired, is it?" To which Trev replied in the affirmative.

"You look tired," someone said to me (I can't remember who it was, I was tired.) "Yeah, I am," I said.
"That's cos you're old," said Trev.
"Listen, you geriatric, don't you think it's time you were going to bed? It's past 7:30!" I said. "Get your walking-frame and off you go."

It took a lot of sugar and hype, but in the end we all perked up - enough so that Pat, even though he looked like he'd lost a fight with a steamroller (which is what I told him today ;-) challenged me to a game of pool.

PAT AND NICOLA'S CHEATING RULES:
#1 If you sniff before you take your shot, your opponent gets 2 shots on their next turn
#2 If you sink the cue ball, you have to hop for your next three turns.
#3 If you knock the cue ball off the table, you get 50 points.
#4 If you make the cue ball jump over an opponent's ball, then you get 7 points.
#5 You can take random extra shots with the permission of your opponent.

Poor Pat sank the cue ball 3 times. 9 turns of hopping! But he still won.

You'll be pleased to know I didn't watch the Goodies today. Thankfully their songs are no longer in my head.......uh-oh

If you want to know
How to judge a guy
Don't look at his shirt
Don't look at his tie
If you really want to know him....
Look at his shoes! (Shiny shoes)

The devil has the smartest suits
That's what they say
But just take a look at those daisy roots
"Oh, cor-blimey, what a giveaway!"
~Shiny Shoes

Couldn't resist.