1 comment | comment
Guardians
And Then There Was Silence
-
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
crevanfox in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
i_hate_twilight — Oh God, it's worse than we knew [+1] -
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif)
realliferss — strip for December / 30 / 2009 [+0] - pvpcomic_rss — Guest Strip By Tyson Hesse [+0]
- thenewleafturns — this seems to be the only thing I do on LJ these days. [+0]
- xkcd_rss — Force [+61]
- pvpcomic_rss — Jar Jar Thinks [+0]
- realliferss — strip for December / 29 / 2009 [+0]
- spally — Exciting news! [+0]
- dancingcarrot21 in i_hate_twilight — Nathaniel Jones (guywiththecoat) presents... [+4]
- pvpcomic_rss — Secret Santa [+0]
- oots_gitp — 696: Still a Long Way to Go [+0]
- tibbycat — Five years later [+2]
- xkcd_rss — Gravity Wells [+160]
- _shana — 2009 in reflection... [+0]
- mrsduryee — Tears of the Saints [+0]
- spally — Gloria! [+2]
- pvpcomic_rss — Blamimations Debut! [+0]
- realliferss — strip for December / 25 / 2009 [+1]
- pvpcomic_rss — The Cat With Two Brains [+0]
- xkcd_rss — December 25th [+185]
- rdyfrde in blindguardians — Missing Guardians [+0]
- ihearttoronto in subtle_tease — blah blah blah [+2]
- trickofthedark — Merry Stickmas. [+16]
- realliferss — strip for December / 24 / 2009 [+0]
- pvpcomic_rss — Cramming Session [+0]
-
theljstaff in
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/newsinfo.gif)
news — LiveJournal Major Notes: Get your holiday fix! [+273] - ____hejira — Mac Musings [+5]
- realliferss — strip for December / 23 / 2009 [+0]
- pvpcomic_rss — Sleighs Anatomy [+0]
- xkcd_rss — Christmas Plans [+90]
- ____hejira — blah blah blah [+2]
- realliferss — strip for December / 22 / 2009 [+0]
- pvpcomic_rss — Elf Care System [+0]
- pvpcomic_rss — Neal Inks PvP: Part 2 [+0]
- jazz_machine — The 2009 Edition of Obligatory "Hey, didn't I do the exact same quiz last year, and the year before [+0]
- realliferss — strip for December / 21 / 2009 [+0]
- pvpcomic_rss — Countdown to Blamimations [+0]
- pvpcomic_rss — Holiday Savings [+0]
- spally — Body Corporate Politics [+4]
- xkcd_rss — Researcher Translation [+68]
People continue
Calling me interesting
By which
I think they mean interested.
This, of course,
Is boredom misrecognised-
And I don’t care to explain how my hope was euthanized.
I rather prefer to sit and relax,
And watch others assume that I’m more than a tax
On their time.
And if there ever was
Weight to their words,
To bring my mind down
From the clouds,
If with proud and boastful strides
I swathed through deep thoughts and brushed aside
Nonsense, naïve beliefs and lies,
Replaced foul whispering and cries
With truth and a certainty to sting,
I still would not
-And here’s the thing-
Make a single cent,
Out of being interesting.
-Nicholas Markham
Calling me interesting
By which
I think they mean interested.
This, of course,
Is boredom misrecognised-
And I don’t care to explain how my hope was euthanized.
I rather prefer to sit and relax,
And watch others assume that I’m more than a tax
On their time.
And if there ever was
Weight to their words,
To bring my mind down
From the clouds,
If with proud and boastful strides
I swathed through deep thoughts and brushed aside
Nonsense, naïve beliefs and lies,
Replaced foul whispering and cries
With truth and a certainty to sting,
I still would not
-And here’s the thing-
Make a single cent,
Out of being interesting.
-Nicholas Markham
30 December 2009 @ 10:06 am
30 December 2009 @ 12:00 am
Deutsch30 December 2009 @ 05:00 am
I’m going to wrap up 2009 with some guest strips from a couple up-and-comers that frequent the PvP Ustream chatroom. All three artists were kind enough to do strips for me upon request during one of our daily broadcasts.
Today’s Mario themed Masterpiece was created by Tyson Hesse. I meat Tyson at SCAD a couple years ago and remain impressed with his work. Look at that emotion and fluid movement. He’s a super-star.
Thanks Tyson.
30 December 2009 @ 03:46 pm
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? - Went to China, bitches. Met the girlfriend's family.
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? My resolution was to be happy and healthy. I was happier and healthier, but I could be better at both =)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? - Not really.
4. Did anyone close to you die? - Only close to people I'm close to.
5. What countries did you visit? - Indonesia, Singapore, China, Vietnam.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? - Time.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory? - Results day, and Wheels up.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? - Getting by.
9. What was your biggest failure? - Not allowing myself to repair friendships I lost, nor to let go of things I should have.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? - Pig Flu and Sinusitis aside, not really.
11. What was the best thing you bought? - This laptop I'm doing the meme on.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? - Liv, Dave, Maria, Phil, Kols, Cim, Emma, Andrea, Helen, and a cast of thousands.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? - No-one made me appalled and depressed, though some made me appalled and depressed at myself.
14. Where did most of your money go? - Travel.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? - China Seven. Tutorials with Fiona Wood. Seeing Olivia every 3 weeks.
16. What song/album will always remind you of 2009? Wheels, by the Foo Fighters.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or sadder? Happier. This year has been the fulfillment of the last 5 in so many ways. Thinner or fatter? Fatter. then Thinner, then Fatter.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? - The little things. Gone to Melbourne
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? - Stressed. Stewed. Procrastinated.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? - I had an amazing time in Shanghai.
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with? - Olivia.
22. Did you fall in love in 2009? - Already there, I guess. Though admitting it on LJ is really lame.
23. How many one-night stands in this last year? - Nil.
24. What was your favourite TV program? - House, Better off Ted.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? - No.
26. What was the best book(s) you read? - god I need to read some new books like now now now.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? - The Go! Team turned up just when I needed something like them to turn up.
28. What did you want and get? - Lots.
29. What did you want and not get? - Calm.
30. What were your favourite films of this year? - Frost/Nixon and Watchmen.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 23, and Livi took me out for dinner.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? - Living in the same city.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Whatever works.
34. What kept you sane? - Poker, Dave time, Olivia's visits.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? - I didn't.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? - Climate Change, though it's starting to piss me off.
37. Who did you miss? - Non-med people.
38. Who was the best new person you met? - Danielle.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. - Sometimes you should just let it go.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year? "Oh no I can't slow down, I can't hold back though you know I wish I could, Oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked until we close our eyes for good."
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? My resolution was to be happy and healthy. I was happier and healthier, but I could be better at both =)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? - Not really.
4. Did anyone close to you die? - Only close to people I'm close to.
5. What countries did you visit? - Indonesia, Singapore, China, Vietnam.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? - Time.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory? - Results day, and Wheels up.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? - Getting by.
9. What was your biggest failure? - Not allowing myself to repair friendships I lost, nor to let go of things I should have.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? - Pig Flu and Sinusitis aside, not really.
11. What was the best thing you bought? - This laptop I'm doing the meme on.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? - Liv, Dave, Maria, Phil, Kols, Cim, Emma, Andrea, Helen, and a cast of thousands.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? - No-one made me appalled and depressed, though some made me appalled and depressed at myself.
14. Where did most of your money go? - Travel.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? - China Seven. Tutorials with Fiona Wood. Seeing Olivia every 3 weeks.
16. What song/album will always remind you of 2009? Wheels, by the Foo Fighters.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or sadder? Happier. This year has been the fulfillment of the last 5 in so many ways. Thinner or fatter? Fatter. then Thinner, then Fatter.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? - The little things. Gone to Melbourne
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? - Stressed. Stewed. Procrastinated.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? - I had an amazing time in Shanghai.
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with? - Olivia.
22. Did you fall in love in 2009? - Already there, I guess. Though admitting it on LJ is really lame.
23. How many one-night stands in this last year? - Nil.
24. What was your favourite TV program? - House, Better off Ted.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? - No.
26. What was the best book(s) you read? - god I need to read some new books like now now now.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? - The Go! Team turned up just when I needed something like them to turn up.
28. What did you want and get? - Lots.
29. What did you want and not get? - Calm.
30. What were your favourite films of this year? - Frost/Nixon and Watchmen.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 23, and Livi took me out for dinner.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? - Living in the same city.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Whatever works.
34. What kept you sane? - Poker, Dave time, Olivia's visits.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? - I didn't.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? - Climate Change, though it's starting to piss me off.
37. Who did you miss? - Non-med people.
38. Who was the best new person you met? - Danielle.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. - Sometimes you should just let it go.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year? "Oh no I can't slow down, I can't hold back though you know I wish I could, Oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked until we close our eyes for good."
29 December 2009 @ 05:00 am
Alternate titles:
Claus-Trophobic
Message In A Bottle
Shelf Identity
Upon the Mantel with Care
29 December 2009 @ 12:00 am
29 December 2009 @ 07:01 pm
It's been on the cards for awhile but the time has definitely come to go public with this... Matt has a new job!
Starting in two weeks, he will begin a new job with the Evangelical Union Grads Fund, the organisation made up of and supported by Christian graduates from Sydney Uni who think that the Evangelical Union (EU) does a good job in sharing good news about Jesus with the rest of the campus. Matt will be part of the Howard Guiness Project, a two program that people can sign up to where they work alongside students in the EU in reaching out to the campus and try out full time Christian ministry for a couple of years. He will be one of 13 of these apprentice-type workers, affectionately called Howies, spending his days doing things like training students to run bible studies, encouraging them in their personal christian growth and and equipping them to spread the gospel in whatever way the campus needs to hear it. Matt will be spending most of his time working with students from Agricultural Science, Vetinary Science and PostGrad students from all faculties.
This will either sound really cool or really bizarre to you, depending on your own opinion of the value of Christian ministry, but I thought I would share it all anyway. And I think I would like to keep sharing stories about the things he will get to do, if they are entertaining enough!
The obvious flipside of this good news is that Matt is finishing up at CMS, which is very sad for both of us. The staff and missionaries that Matt has worked with since he started 3 years ago have been really wonderful to know and they have been inspiring models of serving God in lots of different contexts - in all sorts of occupations, all ages, all areas and communities across the world. And I'm including the accountants/ministers/techsavvy guys/writers/graphic designers that have worked in the office here in Sydney of course! So Matt's last week at work will be next week at Summer School, the big CMS conference in Katoomba. We'll be spending New Year's with the staff and missionaries who happen to be at home, setting up the next day and then madly making a conference happen. Then it will be goodbye to CMS, and hello (again) to Sydney Uni!
Enough about Matt... my own news is that Anglicare have offered me a permanent full time position! Whoo!
Starting in two weeks, he will begin a new job with the Evangelical Union Grads Fund, the organisation made up of and supported by Christian graduates from Sydney Uni who think that the Evangelical Union (EU) does a good job in sharing good news about Jesus with the rest of the campus. Matt will be part of the Howard Guiness Project, a two program that people can sign up to where they work alongside students in the EU in reaching out to the campus and try out full time Christian ministry for a couple of years. He will be one of 13 of these apprentice-type workers, affectionately called Howies, spending his days doing things like training students to run bible studies, encouraging them in their personal christian growth and and equipping them to spread the gospel in whatever way the campus needs to hear it. Matt will be spending most of his time working with students from Agricultural Science, Vetinary Science and PostGrad students from all faculties.
This will either sound really cool or really bizarre to you, depending on your own opinion of the value of Christian ministry, but I thought I would share it all anyway. And I think I would like to keep sharing stories about the things he will get to do, if they are entertaining enough!
The obvious flipside of this good news is that Matt is finishing up at CMS, which is very sad for both of us. The staff and missionaries that Matt has worked with since he started 3 years ago have been really wonderful to know and they have been inspiring models of serving God in lots of different contexts - in all sorts of occupations, all ages, all areas and communities across the world. And I'm including the accountants/ministers/techsavvy guys/writers/graphic designers that have worked in the office here in Sydney of course! So Matt's last week at work will be next week at Summer School, the big CMS conference in Katoomba. We'll be spending New Year's with the staff and missionaries who happen to be at home, setting up the next day and then madly making a conference happen. Then it will be goodbye to CMS, and hello (again) to Sydney Uni!
Enough about Matt... my own news is that Anglicare have offered me a permanent full time position! Whoo!
28 December 2009 @ 07:15 pm
I'm feeling...: 
amused
amused
28 December 2009 @ 06:48 pm
28 December 2009 @ 07:52 pm
It occurred to me this Christmas that I've now been a Christian for five years. There are no medals handed out for such a feat (though I think I still have my medal handed to me in 1988 in school for the Australian Bicentenary) but I suppose it's fitting that after five years of being a Christian, I finally got around to finishing Revelation last night and thus can now say that I've read all of the bible. So basically God comes back and saves his people from death and they live happily ever after. You can be one of his people too. Don't wait. Apply now. It's free.
2005 was the honeymoon year. I was super excited about this hope that I'd discovered. I was happy. But I was also unemployed for most of the year and mostly hung around Christians that I was getting to know that year and also doing a lot of reading.
Then I faced the real world in 2006 when I found a full time job, and it was hard. Managing my time was difficult, and I didn't see as many of my friends as I had the year before. I was drinking more than I should've, attending church less, and becoming cynical. Life was busy and depression started to rear its head again.
Then came the Kristi years of 2007 and 2008. There were up and downs but I was mostly happy. I suppose I did withdraw from God somewhat during those years. When you're happy, it's easy to be comfortable in your bliss and forget about God. And what the lord giveth the lord taketh away, and those years didn't end well.
Which brings us to 2009. The second half was better than the first half. I've been attending church more frequently this year and I can see the benefit. The people there are friendly to me though sometimes I do wonder if people there think of me as too broken or too irreverent, but for the most part I think such worries are more in my head alone.
We were recently studying Ephesians in my bible study group at church. Explaining to some other people there how I interpret Ephesians 5 (i.e. I don't think that the husband is the "boss" of the wife in a marriage) was awkward. I knew what I believed and why, but I couldn't explain it well, and I realized that I'm still too much of a noob when it comes to understanding the bible. As we studied Ephesians 6 the following week, especially the bit about wearing The Armour of God I appreciated how studying the bible effectively and diligently helps you in life as a Christian. At least, I think it should, and I should be more active in studying the bible than I have been for my own sake. I want to be the type of person that God wants me to be. As it was said in the Christmas Eve sermon this year, abide to God, and God will abide to you.
So five years later and I'm still a believer, and that's something I'll never change. It's the truth. I can't deny the truth. Life can be hard, and I still fail muchly, but God is still there and he's still real and he still cares for me.
2005 was the honeymoon year. I was super excited about this hope that I'd discovered. I was happy. But I was also unemployed for most of the year and mostly hung around Christians that I was getting to know that year and also doing a lot of reading.
Then I faced the real world in 2006 when I found a full time job, and it was hard. Managing my time was difficult, and I didn't see as many of my friends as I had the year before. I was drinking more than I should've, attending church less, and becoming cynical. Life was busy and depression started to rear its head again.
Then came the Kristi years of 2007 and 2008. There were up and downs but I was mostly happy. I suppose I did withdraw from God somewhat during those years. When you're happy, it's easy to be comfortable in your bliss and forget about God. And what the lord giveth the lord taketh away, and those years didn't end well.
Which brings us to 2009. The second half was better than the first half. I've been attending church more frequently this year and I can see the benefit. The people there are friendly to me though sometimes I do wonder if people there think of me as too broken or too irreverent, but for the most part I think such worries are more in my head alone.
We were recently studying Ephesians in my bible study group at church. Explaining to some other people there how I interpret Ephesians 5 (i.e. I don't think that the husband is the "boss" of the wife in a marriage) was awkward. I knew what I believed and why, but I couldn't explain it well, and I realized that I'm still too much of a noob when it comes to understanding the bible. As we studied Ephesians 6 the following week, especially the bit about wearing The Armour of God I appreciated how studying the bible effectively and diligently helps you in life as a Christian. At least, I think it should, and I should be more active in studying the bible than I have been for my own sake. I want to be the type of person that God wants me to be. As it was said in the Christmas Eve sermon this year, abide to God, and God will abide to you.
So five years later and I'm still a believer, and that's something I'll never change. It's the truth. I can't deny the truth. Life can be hard, and I still fail muchly, but God is still there and he's still real and he still cares for me.
I'm feeling...: 
contemplative
contemplativeEchoing about...: Hayley Westenra - Abide With Me
28 December 2009 @ 01:55 pm
So I haven't posted for months:
Posts on LJ in 2009: 6
Posts on LJ in 2008: 3
Posts on LJ in 2007: 76
And as a result I can't be bothered remembering how to do LJ cuts. Apologies. Here is the obligatory meme. I deleted the questions that were stupid, boring, or that I couldn't be bothered answering!
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Be THE music teacher at a primary school to 210 kids, learn more about looking after a husband, teach scripture, play bass guitar at church, go kayaking at Cott beach, go to the beach at 6.30am on a Friday for months straight (through winter), and other things.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make resolutions. I do like the fact that at the moment 2010 is a perfect year. There are no disappointments, no sad days, no days where I didn't quite achieve what I wanted to. I almost don't want it to come.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope
4. Did anyone close to you die?
My Pa died early in the year. He was a gentleman.
5. What countries did you visit?
I visited more of WA :) Went to Kalbarri, Collie, Yallingup, Ledge Point and maybe some other places.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
More active, outdoorsy activities. More work-life balance. better organisation. Better health for Matt.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really. I was remarkably healthy. Usually get more colds in winter than I did. Battling through health with Matt though.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Friends and family. I have great friends and a great family.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Hmmmm... don't know! Probably a tie between photography gear and living expenses :P
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My sister's wedding, going down to Yallingup with family about a week ago, the holidays
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? sadder
ii. thinner or fatter? about the same
iii. richer or poorer? possibly richer
20. How will you spend Christmas?
Church, Matt's family lunch, My family dinner :)
22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
I was already in love, but it's not a stagnant love, it's a love that keeps growing.
24. What was your favourite TV program?
So You Think You Can Dance and Man Vs Wild
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 23 and I taught scripture, read the bible with Jennie, hung out with Pam and Mum/had lunch? and then had dinner with some friends at Sienna's.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Rushed? Confused? I never know what to wear in the morning. It's one of the hardest decisions of my day!
36. What kept you sane?
My logical and reasonable brain. It stops me getting emotional about stupid things. Friends. Family. My perspective on life. God.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Everybody's got things in their lives that they have to suffer through. Life sucks a lot of the time. Nobody is perfect. Everyone is very flawed, even me. But there is a hope at the end that makes it all worthwhile.
All in all, I'm more than ready to give 2009 the boot. Bring on a newer, better year :)
Posts on LJ in 2009: 6
Posts on LJ in 2008: 3
Posts on LJ in 2007: 76
And as a result I can't be bothered remembering how to do LJ cuts. Apologies. Here is the obligatory meme. I deleted the questions that were stupid, boring, or that I couldn't be bothered answering!
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Be THE music teacher at a primary school to 210 kids, learn more about looking after a husband, teach scripture, play bass guitar at church, go kayaking at Cott beach, go to the beach at 6.30am on a Friday for months straight (through winter), and other things.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make resolutions. I do like the fact that at the moment 2010 is a perfect year. There are no disappointments, no sad days, no days where I didn't quite achieve what I wanted to. I almost don't want it to come.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope
4. Did anyone close to you die?
My Pa died early in the year. He was a gentleman.
5. What countries did you visit?
I visited more of WA :) Went to Kalbarri, Collie, Yallingup, Ledge Point and maybe some other places.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
More active, outdoorsy activities. More work-life balance. better organisation. Better health for Matt.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really. I was remarkably healthy. Usually get more colds in winter than I did. Battling through health with Matt though.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Friends and family. I have great friends and a great family.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Hmmmm... don't know! Probably a tie between photography gear and living expenses :P
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My sister's wedding, going down to Yallingup with family about a week ago, the holidays
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? sadder
ii. thinner or fatter? about the same
iii. richer or poorer? possibly richer
20. How will you spend Christmas?
Church, Matt's family lunch, My family dinner :)
22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
I was already in love, but it's not a stagnant love, it's a love that keeps growing.
24. What was your favourite TV program?
So You Think You Can Dance and Man Vs Wild
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 23 and I taught scripture, read the bible with Jennie, hung out with Pam and Mum/had lunch? and then had dinner with some friends at Sienna's.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Rushed? Confused? I never know what to wear in the morning. It's one of the hardest decisions of my day!
36. What kept you sane?
My logical and reasonable brain. It stops me getting emotional about stupid things. Friends. Family. My perspective on life. God.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Everybody's got things in their lives that they have to suffer through. Life sucks a lot of the time. Nobody is perfect. Everyone is very flawed, even me. But there is a hope at the end that makes it all worthwhile.
All in all, I'm more than ready to give 2009 the boot. Bring on a newer, better year :)
I'm in the vicinity of...: Matt and Ali Unit
I'm feeling...: 
good
good27 December 2009 @ 09:45 pm
Christmas came and went much too fast for my liking this year. It was my first full-time-worker Christmas, and it was so different. There was no long holiday before Christmas to organise presents, clean the house, enjoy the pleasures of advent and squirm in the pain of pre-Christmas commercial madness. I worked right up to Christmas Eve, the next day I woke up and it was Christmas - BAM! - and then the next thing I knew I was falling asleep and Christmas Day was over. Way too fast!
That being said, advent in full time work still has its moments, especially at Anglicare. There was the annual office decorating competition, a lovely and silly staff party with trivia and costumes and a fantastic church service for all the workers and volunteers. All those things added something special to work in December. To decorate our little section of the office, we decided to string over a hundred little angels made out of recycled brown paper and foil. They looked so good and made the office feel very Christmas-y:
As well as that we had the annual Anglicare Christmas chocolate sale, which involves the selling off of all the chocolate that people donate to go into Christmas hampers. Remember this: Chocolate counts as a 'perishable good'. (The chocolate melts in the vans that they transport the hampers in, so they can't use it at all.) I scored some very nice chocolates and biscuits for gifting, and also a very nice High School Musical advent calendar to decorate my desk with.
Christmas Eve was uplifting (dinner with friends, spontaneously seeing more friends, a beautiful and encouraging church service)
Christmas Day was tiring (driving around Sydney to multiple family events)
Boxing Day was up and down (a nice day with my Mum's family but coming down with some awful allergies)
Today was mundane (sleeping off the sickness and watching TV)
Tommorrow will be the last day of my Christmas holiday (then it's back to work!)
That being said, advent in full time work still has its moments, especially at Anglicare. There was the annual office decorating competition, a lovely and silly staff party with trivia and costumes and a fantastic church service for all the workers and volunteers. All those things added something special to work in December. To decorate our little section of the office, we decided to string over a hundred little angels made out of recycled brown paper and foil. They looked so good and made the office feel very Christmas-y:
As well as that we had the annual Anglicare Christmas chocolate sale, which involves the selling off of all the chocolate that people donate to go into Christmas hampers. Remember this: Chocolate counts as a 'perishable good'. (The chocolate melts in the vans that they transport the hampers in, so they can't use it at all.) I scored some very nice chocolates and biscuits for gifting, and also a very nice High School Musical advent calendar to decorate my desk with.
Christmas Eve was uplifting (dinner with friends, spontaneously seeing more friends, a beautiful and encouraging church service)
Christmas Day was tiring (driving around Sydney to multiple family events)
Boxing Day was up and down (a nice day with my Mum's family but coming down with some awful allergies)
Today was mundane (sleeping off the sickness and watching TV)
Tommorrow will be the last day of my Christmas holiday (then it's back to work!)
26 December 2009 @ 06:55 am
Hey! the inaugural episode of “Blamimations with Kris and Scott” debuted today at PATV. Kris and I are so honored to be asked to be a part of Penny-Arcade’s next big push into expanding what independent media is all about.
Check it out! We couldn’t be more excited to share this stuff with you guys. We’re having SUCH a blast making these.
25 December 2009 @ 12:00 am
24 December 2009 @ 11:38 am
A post from Hansi via the official website ;)
http://www.blind-guardian.com/popups/ne
http://www.blind-guardian.com/popups/ne
I'm in the vicinity of...: Work
I'm feeling...: 
giggly
gigglyEchoing about...: Raskasta Joulua - Sylvian Joululaulu
24 December 2009 @ 08:23 am
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, GUYS!! :D
I wanna welcomeeighties as a new maker here :D
andhinkydoodle, are you still gonna make here? you've not posted in two months :(
I wanna welcome
eighties as a new maker here :Dand
hinkydoodle, are you still gonna make here? you've not posted in two months :(24 December 2009 @ 11:30 pm
Recession on and you don't feel like buying a $40 tree that'll be dead soon anyway? Waited too long to catch the cheap trees on sale? No problem! Saw a branch off the giant pine monster at the end of the garden and stick it in your tree bowl. Decorate as usual or go all Martha Stewart and fill the tree bowl with flowers. Plant your guests on the couch so they only look at your 'tree' from the 'front'. It's fine! No one will notice! Really!
*cries with laughter*
*cries with laughter*
24 December 2009 @ 12:00 am
23 December 2009 @ 11:37 am
Holiday debuggery
We know there were a few kinks with the holiday promotion. We've been working very hard to get them ironed out. If you have a paid/permanent account, keep on sending those coupons. Here's an update:
- If you were unable to send out multiple coupons at a time, please perform a hard refresh, and you should be good to go.
- If you redeemed a coupon to upgrade your account and the balance at checkout was $0 instead of $9.95 or $15, this means your upgrade did not go through (nor were you charged). We've straightened this out, so you can now apply your holiday coupon toward the purchase of an annual paid account.
- If you tried to redeem a holiday coupon and had trouble using a gift certificate to cover the balance of an annual paid account, we identified the root problem. If this happened to you, you can now use your holiday coupon together with your gift certificate.
- If the number of holiday coupons you have available suddenly goes up (instead of down), this might be due to recipients declining the coupons, at which point your pool of available coupons will be replenished and, therefore, increase.
- If you need assistance with holiday coupons or pretty much anything else (well, LiveJournal related), please open a support request and we'll be more than happy to help!
Tweaks
- There were some initial glitches displaying results on My Guests, but we've worked them out. We hope you'll check out who's been checking you out!
- Some of you reported formatting issues using the Rich Text Editor (i.e., line breaks were being removed incorrectly). We've implemented a fix! Thanks so much for your patience.
Give a little extra!
We're pleased to report that we've already sold over 100 virtual red ribbons in honor of National AIDS Awareness month. Remember, for each charitable vgift you purchase for $2.99, we'll donate 100 percent of gross proceeds to IAVI.org (the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) to fund the development of an HIV vaccine. Once again, we thank you for your generosity.
Celebrate with holiday vGifts!
Stop by the Virtual Gift Shop and share some holiday magic with your LiveJournal friends.
Photos of the week
We're back with more dazzling pictures from around the world. Congrats to marlenemcc, who has been awarded a virtual blue ribbon as the winner of our fourth photo contest. We hope you'll click over to LJ_Photophile poll and tell us your picks in pics!
For more fantastic user content, we'll meet you under the cut. ( Read more... )
Curtains
Thanks, again, for reading. Here's wishing you the very merriest of holidays. We'll see you next year!
23 December 2009 @ 11:33 am
I'm posting this from my new shiny MacBook Pro. I am confident that in time, I will get better at using it.
Right at the moment though, I fail on an epic level. I did set it up correctly, but there are simple things I feel I should be able to accomplish that I can't seem to figure out.
1. I want to go to the menu bar in an application… Why can't I figure out what command this is?
2. I want to expand items in a tree view, (IE. Itunes Radio).
3. IChat made my account in Jabber (even though I don't even have a Jabber account), not Google talk…and now I can't fix it or delete the account or create a new one.
4. Apple Mail isn't receiving mail…
I feel that I have a good understanding of how to effectively operate Voiceover… It is the Mac itself that seems so foreign. I know there are keyboard commands built into the Mac that aren't necessarily VO related, but figuring out what those are is a challenge.
I don't remember having this much trouble when I rented the Mac.
Is there a command to go to a regular Mac Help menu? For some reason I remember command M being the menu bar command, but that is clearly wrong since that minimizes applications.
All of that said, I expected a learning curve, and there are resources out there for anyone thinking of making this transition. It is a completely different way of viewing things, but all in all, it has been a positive learning experience.
Right at the moment though, I fail on an epic level. I did set it up correctly, but there are simple things I feel I should be able to accomplish that I can't seem to figure out.
1. I want to go to the menu bar in an application… Why can't I figure out what command this is?
2. I want to expand items in a tree view, (IE. Itunes Radio).
3. IChat made my account in Jabber (even though I don't even have a Jabber account), not Google talk…and now I can't fix it or delete the account or create a new one.
4. Apple Mail isn't receiving mail…
I feel that I have a good understanding of how to effectively operate Voiceover… It is the Mac itself that seems so foreign. I know there are keyboard commands built into the Mac that aren't necessarily VO related, but figuring out what those are is a challenge.
I don't remember having this much trouble when I rented the Mac.
Is there a command to go to a regular Mac Help menu? For some reason I remember command M being the menu bar command, but that is clearly wrong since that minimizes applications.
All of that said, I expected a learning curve, and there are resources out there for anyone thinking of making this transition. It is a completely different way of viewing things, but all in all, it has been a positive learning experience.
I'm in the vicinity of...: Mom's Couch
I'm feeling...: 
accomplished
accomplished23 December 2009 @ 12:00 am
22 December 2009 @ 11:49 am
Real life ate me.
My run intherealljidol is complete for now. I hate that for the second season in a row, I'm not out due to lack of votes, but due to other issues. I had exams, then I traveled to Virginia, and have been a lot more busy than I firt thought I would be.
I'm going to continue to vote and play the home game. Who knows. Maybe I'll make it back in later in the game.
I am alive though, and my MacBook Pro comes today! I, needless to say, am most excited.
If anyone has any resources on how to use GarageBand with Voiceover 3 and ILife 9, please let me know. I just can't find any. I found a lot about ILife 8 and Leopard... but other than that, nothing.
Huggs to all, and a merry Christmas/OtherSignificantHoliday.
My run in
therealljidol is complete for now. I hate that for the second season in a row, I'm not out due to lack of votes, but due to other issues. I had exams, then I traveled to Virginia, and have been a lot more busy than I firt thought I would be.I'm going to continue to vote and play the home game. Who knows. Maybe I'll make it back in later in the game.
I am alive though, and my MacBook Pro comes today! I, needless to say, am most excited.
If anyone has any resources on how to use GarageBand with Voiceover 3 and ILife 9, please let me know. I just can't find any. I found a lot about ILife 8 and Leopard... but other than that, nothing.
Huggs to all, and a merry Christmas/OtherSignificantHoliday.
I'm feeling...: 
excited
excited22 December 2009 @ 12:00 am
21 December 2009 @ 05:27 pm
Continuing in our live video diary of Neal’s work on the PvP Christmas arc. In Part two we hear Neal’s family give him a hard time about his “ancient art tools.” This is a lovely inside look into the family run Continuity studios and it’s not to be missed. I’ll be posting part 3 on Wednesday.
21 December 2009 @ 07:22 pm
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Got my driver's license
Graduated from uni
Joined a fencing club
Spoke in front of the Church
Walked from Rockingham to Coogee
Was a groomsman, twice
Dressed as Uncle Sam and toured the suburbs
Got published in a magazine
Made a second home at the Moon
Printed my own Tshirts
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
With the exception of finding myself a lady friend, yes I actually have :)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Pretty much everyone! It's baby central around here these days,
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not close.
5. What countries did you visit?
I don't think I've left the city limits this year! Not even the obligatory trip down south, though I am going to Albany on the 30th, so that just squeezes in :)
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Wife
7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory?
Vicki and James' wedding.
4th of July road trip
Seeing Handel's Messiah at WASO
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting my driver's license
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting a CV organised in time for jobs starting next year
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Me sword! And a whole pile more books/tea/DVDs. Oh and enough bookshelves to house my library
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
James and Vicky getting married
Karen for getting gold
Don for the success of the Gestures
Matt for proposing
AJ for accepting
Amy for a bunch of reasons
Kristy for being brave and moving church
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
"Same answer as last year, as its so true: No one really. I mean, I’ve been disappointed by a few people but I think I’ve learnt that when people let you down its largely because you’ve built up an expectation of them in your head that they can’t possibly measure up to and ultimately its really yourself who is to blame." - Don
14. Where did most of your money go?
Strawberry pizza
Icey Ice
Whiskey
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Gestures performing live at the Funk Club.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Brother Man live at the Swan Lounge, heard it so many times this year, but with addition of The Brow and the powerouts and other issues, that particular night is hard to forget :)
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
Happier, which is a nice change
b) thinner or fatter?
About the same.
c) richer or poorer?
About the same
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading, since escaping public transport I've found myself with a lot less reading time
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sleeping in and being late to work
20. How will you spend Christmas?
Church in the morning, family coming over for lunch, and escaping to the air conditioned comfort and guitar shredding fun at Matt's house
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Fall? No. More like when you trip over your own feet and then go back and look for what you tripped on
22.How many one-night stands? Let's try, how many plays?
20+
23. What were your favourite TV programs?
Watched a lot less this year. But I did really enjoy Big Bang Theory, Glee, and Castle
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't think I hate anyone. Its a veryintense emotion hate, I don't have that kind of energy
25. What was the best book you read?
Love in the time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Kafka on the shore- Haruki Murakami
Ulysses- James Joyce
The Mabinogian
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Von Iva
Munchausen by Proxy (Ala Yes Men)
Edith Piaf
Uchihashi Kazuhisa
Stevie Wonder
(I would list the Gestures but I discovered them AGES ago ;P)
27. What did you want and get?
Graduate
Driver's license
28. What did you want and not get?
Repetitive= Wife
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
City Lights -Charlie Chaplin
Red Balloon -Albert Lamorisse
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Too old. We devoured a cow at the park, and consumed large portions of 'Tree Juice'
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
*cough* Wife *cough*
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The hero worship over Obama despite him being the most extreme pro-choice president in US history
36. Who did you miss?
Many people who I didn’t really get to see as much as I’d have liked.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
The folks at Cavaliers
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Stop wishing, start doing.
Got my driver's license
Graduated from uni
Joined a fencing club
Spoke in front of the Church
Walked from Rockingham to Coogee
Was a groomsman, twice
Dressed as Uncle Sam and toured the suburbs
Got published in a magazine
Made a second home at the Moon
Printed my own Tshirts
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
With the exception of finding myself a lady friend, yes I actually have :)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Pretty much everyone! It's baby central around here these days,
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not close.
5. What countries did you visit?
I don't think I've left the city limits this year! Not even the obligatory trip down south, though I am going to Albany on the 30th, so that just squeezes in :)
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Wife
7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory?
Vicki and James' wedding.
4th of July road trip
Seeing Handel's Messiah at WASO
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting my driver's license
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting a CV organised in time for jobs starting next year
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Me sword! And a whole pile more books/tea/DVDs. Oh and enough bookshelves to house my library
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
James and Vicky getting married
Karen for getting gold
Don for the success of the Gestures
Matt for proposing
AJ for accepting
Amy for a bunch of reasons
Kristy for being brave and moving church
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
"Same answer as last year, as its so true: No one really. I mean, I’ve been disappointed by a few people but I think I’ve learnt that when people let you down its largely because you’ve built up an expectation of them in your head that they can’t possibly measure up to and ultimately its really yourself who is to blame." - Don
14. Where did most of your money go?
Strawberry pizza
Icey Ice
Whiskey
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Gestures performing live at the Funk Club.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Brother Man live at the Swan Lounge, heard it so many times this year, but with addition of The Brow and the powerouts and other issues, that particular night is hard to forget :)
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
Happier, which is a nice change
b) thinner or fatter?
About the same.
c) richer or poorer?
About the same
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading, since escaping public transport I've found myself with a lot less reading time
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sleeping in and being late to work
20. How will you spend Christmas?
Church in the morning, family coming over for lunch, and escaping to the air conditioned comfort and guitar shredding fun at Matt's house
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Fall? No. More like when you trip over your own feet and then go back and look for what you tripped on
22.
20+
23. What were your favourite TV programs?
Watched a lot less this year. But I did really enjoy Big Bang Theory, Glee, and Castle
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't think I hate anyone. Its a veryintense emotion hate, I don't have that kind of energy
25. What was the best book you read?
Love in the time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Kafka on the shore- Haruki Murakami
Ulysses- James Joyce
The Mabinogian
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Von Iva
Munchausen by Proxy (Ala Yes Men)
Edith Piaf
Uchihashi Kazuhisa
Stevie Wonder
(I would list the Gestures but I discovered them AGES ago ;P)
27. What did you want and get?
Graduate
Driver's license
28. What did you want and not get?
Repetitive= Wife
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
City Lights -Charlie Chaplin
Red Balloon -Albert Lamorisse
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Too old. We devoured a cow at the park, and consumed large portions of 'Tree Juice'
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
*cough* Wife *cough*
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The hero worship over Obama despite him being the most extreme pro-choice president in US history
36. Who did you miss?
Many people who I didn’t really get to see as much as I’d have liked.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
The folks at Cavaliers
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Stop wishing, start doing.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Don't be afraid, just knock on the door,
Well he just stood there mumblin' and fumblin'.
Then a voice from above said--
"Horace Wimp,this is your life,
Go out and find yourself a wife.
Make a stand and be a man,
And you will have a great life plan."
Don't be afraid, just knock on the door,
Well he just stood there mumblin' and fumblin'.
Then a voice from above said--
"Horace Wimp,this is your life,
Go out and find yourself a wife.
Make a stand and be a man,
And you will have a great life plan."
I'm in the vicinity of...: Australia, Perth
I'm feeling...: 
contemplative
contemplativeEchoing about...: Stevie Wonder- Village Ghetto Land
21 December 2009 @ 12:00 am
21 December 2009 @ 08:06 am
On Christmas morning, everyone will get to see the first episode of Blamimations with Kris and Scott over at Penny Arcade. Right now you can watch the first three episodes of their reality show which is actually four episodes because the pilot was split into two episodes.
It’s good. And it’s a candid and amazing look at life inside Penny-Arcade HQ. It’s hot stuff. But it’s missing something. And that something is around six minutes of flash animation set to improvised comedy bits by Kris Straub and Scott Kurtz.
But don’t worry. You get to unwrap that present on Christmas.
Please Christmas, don’t be late.
21 December 2009 @ 06:45 pm
Maybe the term politics is too dignified for this story.
You may recall an entry I posted a while ago about the number of cats, both owned and stray, that live in our apartment complex.
Over the month or so, this problem has given rise to some hilarious community correspondence. In the lead up to our scheduled council clean up, the body corporate chairman issued instructions on where different types of rubbish were to be left. Rather interestingly there was a specific reference to the disposal of dead cats. They needed to be wrapped up and then left in the garbage bins. Matt and I were concerned that the cat problem was that bad! Were people poisoning cats? Or had our apartment complex become some kind of feline slum where cats were now prone to diseases related to urban overcrowding like malaria and dysentery? A week later however there was another notice apologising for the reference to dead cats. He meant rats.
This week, a new notice appeared. It read like this:
Hehe! Morbid but hilarious.
Well, of course, it turns out that our chairman didn't write that notice. It was some punk making fun of him. In my opinion it is kind of justified. This body corporate gets a little uptight over some silly things. But the chairman didn't think it was very funny. The prank was followed up by yet another notice dropped in our mail boxes:
I am sitting here now thinking the following:
- This is kind of funny
- Our chairman sounds like a drama queen
- What do the 50 other households in this complex think about this? Are they laughing too? Or have they been mislead by one of these letters and started burying dead animals around the property (or hiring a lawyer!)?
- Does the chairman think I am a suspect? He put this letter in my box and threatened me with legal action!
- I didn't know that we had a communal freezer
You may recall an entry I posted a while ago about the number of cats, both owned and stray, that live in our apartment complex.
Over the month or so, this problem has given rise to some hilarious community correspondence. In the lead up to our scheduled council clean up, the body corporate chairman issued instructions on where different types of rubbish were to be left. Rather interestingly there was a specific reference to the disposal of dead cats. They needed to be wrapped up and then left in the garbage bins. Matt and I were concerned that the cat problem was that bad! Were people poisoning cats? Or had our apartment complex become some kind of feline slum where cats were now prone to diseases related to urban overcrowding like malaria and dysentery? A week later however there was another notice apologising for the reference to dead cats. He meant rats.
This week, a new notice appeared. It read like this:
Reference to Dead Cats and Rats
From my previous correspondence where dead cats should have read dead rats, it has come to my attention that there are now a number of dead cats found on the property. Could residents who find dead rats or dead cats on the property dispose of the rats and cats in the usual manner, by double wrapping then and burying them near the letter boxes.
Over the Christmas period, if you are unable to dispose of the dead rats or dead cats, freezing is suitable and the carcasses can be left in the freezers in the communal garbage area.
Thank you for your understanding during this busy period.
John Citizen
Chairman
Hehe! Morbid but hilarious.
Well, of course, it turns out that our chairman didn't write that notice. It was some punk making fun of him. In my opinion it is kind of justified. This body corporate gets a little uptight over some silly things. But the chairman didn't think it was very funny. The prank was followed up by yet another notice dropped in our mail boxes:
To the person who done the malicious letter drop in my name.
Re: Dad cats and rats and the disposal of them
If and when I find the person who wrote the malicious letter to residents I will take legal action against you
John Smith (not Citizen)
Chairman
I am sitting here now thinking the following:
- This is kind of funny
- Our chairman sounds like a drama queen
- What do the 50 other households in this complex think about this? Are they laughing too? Or have they been mislead by one of these letters and started burying dead animals around the property (or hiring a lawyer!)?
- Does the chairman think I am a suspect? He put this letter in my box and threatened me with legal action!
- I didn't know that we had a communal freezer
