Song Update

Lifehouse:
--Empty Space
--Spin
--Take Me Away
--Fool
James Blunt:
--You're Beautiful
Firehouse:
--Love Of A Lifetime
Whitney Houston:
--I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Joe Cocker:
--You Are So Beautiful
Rick Springfield:
--Jesses Girl
Bob Dylan:
--Hurricane
Guns N' Roses:
--Patience
Glass Tiger:
--Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone
Third Day:
--I Have Always Loved You
--Just To Be With You

That's a few songs i've been listening to lately, and incase anyone that reads my blog has the same music taste as me then these are good songs. Hurricane by Bob Dylan is a bit different from the rest but i added it here because i really like it. It is based on a true story and is the theme song to the movie "The Hurricane" (i think that's what it was called). It describes the life of a man who faced extreme prejudice. The movie is well worth watching. Jessies Girl is also different from the rest but i was attracted to it because the tune actually reminded me of the song "Hurricane". Listening to them both now they don't sound so similar but at the time i heard it on the radio it sounded very alike. Regardless, it is still a good song.

Just a little message for Warwick; Do you remember that first serman you did about the prayer balloons? Well, my balloon is still alive. It's dying, but it still has air in it. I've been waiting for it to actually shrivell up for the past few weeks, when i noticed it became significantly smaller so i could post a blog of the finished prayer balloon, but that time has not yet come. Do you know how long ago you preached? I certainly don't.

The Meaning of Christmas for a Modern Teenager

What Christmas Has Become For A Modern Teenager..
Chirstmas;
Time and a half to prepare for the night ahead,
Complaining bitterly of siblings being favoured by parents's giving,
Christmas Dinner with the relatives,
Spending too much money on your someone,
Complaining bitterly about having no money,
Complaining bitterly about not getting out what was put in,
Contacting older friends with special requests,
Organising car pools,
Picking up special deliveries from that older friend,
making way to rendezvous,
Light talk,
Drinking,
Drinking,
--Forgetting what happens here--,
Waking up with Headache.

How It Should Be..
Christmas;
Day of Rest,
Gratefully accepting presents without comparing,
Thanking God for Sending His only begotten Son to the world as one of us, as the scraps of the litter, to die a painful death for everyone of us,
Christmas Dinner and discourse with relatives,
Showing loved ones they are loved,
Giving without expectation of receiving,
Spending time with God in prayer, praise, and worship,
Spending time in the company of loved ones,
Going to sleep content with day, peacefully, happily,
Waking up excited about the new day, a day of Joy, a day of change, a day of what is to come.

Christmas Day!!

It's Christmas Day. Christmas Eve was really fun, i had a really awesome night. Today i didn't have to do the data projector at church (i was very thankful for a break because i was up so late last night and have had little sleep this week) and then after coming home i found myself swamped in Christmas Presents. One of the Presents was car seat covers, steering wheel cover, and seat belt covers. I ran up to the car and ripped off the old ones (only to find a tonne of dust underneath) and after vaccuming the car i put on the new ones. Arriving back down into the house i found i still had presents to open. So i continued to open more presents.

Dinner was Marvellous. Turkey and Ham (this is where i am wondering what the Taylor Family [and other vegeterian Families] had for their Christmas Roast), Cranberry Sauce, Salads, Wine, Grapejuice, Nuts, Chocolates, Jokes, and the company of my family. Today was a day where all problems, issues and thoughts of future are placed aside and life is stopped so we may gaze at our lives and look back at what has been achieved, what and who (we) have succeeded in making ourselves and others happy, joyful, and loved. It is a time where we can be joyful in our reminiscences, and the sharing of them with others. For some it is not so joyful when Christmas means eating alone, or with a spare seat at the table. For some the Nostalgia of pain and suffering is relived, and as i sit down on the computer, letting my stomach digest it's contents before i make my way to the rest home, i listen to Mariah Carey Greatest Hits and "Miss You Most At Christmas Time" starts playing, i am aware of the pain that the absence of good memories brings to some. I am aware that one day, maybe sooner than later, i will too feel that pain. But the song Changes to "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and i know that although one day soon i will feel that pain, it is not tonight/today, and today i will be happy, i will be Merry and Joyful, because today is a day to make memories that i will remember in years to come, that i may look back on this day and remember how happy i truly am.

Lest i forget that Today is the day of Life, Death, Love, Rejection, Humility, and so much more. And because of that i know that not always things will be so joyous, but regardless, it will all be essential for a greater purpose, so for those who do feel sad tonight Fear Not for the sadness you feel is essential for Joy, As Elizabeth said so well in one of her blogs Joy goes hand in hand with Sorrow. Likewise you could not be overwhelmed without at some time being lonely, Just as Jesus had to be Humble to be a King, and had to be Rejected for us to be Accepted, That He had to Die to Give us Life, That the Life that was before He came was as Death to the Life after. So Today we must all be content for what we have, or what we have had, because that is (although not the main focus of the day) an important part of Christmas day and what it has become.

Mobiles, Eve of Emmanuel, Sleeping

Mark and Rach bought the vodafone mobiles motorola E770v the other day because of the by two for the price of one deal going on at the moment (in order for vodafone to get a large video calling network running) so they paid 300 each and now they have two really nice $600 phones. I was originally planning on going halves with Mark but then decided i would just keep my old mobile. However, after i have seen the new capabilities of the E770v (espesially the planner/organiser, which is much better than my present phone [i feel i need a better one because i need to know what's going on and don't want to miss out on something or double book]) i have i have decided that i now also want one (video calling is free until the end of january too!). The only problem now is i need someone to buy the second phone because it would be pointless me buy two phones for $600 and not ever using one. I asked a girl at work who was interested but she is waiting on her boyfriend as to whether he will go halves with her (as i can understand). She will hopefully get back tomorrow, otherwise i have a few other options (like my sister's friend who is waiting on a pay check and christmas money). The deal runs out at the end of this month or until the promotion stock has run out.

On other fronts; It is Christmas Eve! and tonight and tomorrow i will be a very busy boy. Tonight i am going to the Family Service at church (and to tak part in a 2 minute play where i get to say three lines!), then i'm being picked up and taken to the Carols By Candlelight and then redropped off at church to attend the Midnight Service. After getting home (i haven't worked out the style in which i shall leave, at present) i will sleep, glorious sleep. But that will be, however, rudely brought to a grinding halt by my wretched alarm clock (if i happen to sleep through then No Fear for a Father's voice will awaken my slumber) and i will get up to sit at the sound desk at church and work the data projector, which i am hoping tomorrow will be more awake than i will be. After going home and eating a decent sized meal with my extended whanau i shall cut the gossip short by driving down to work at Santa Maria Resthome (which i have worked thursday, friday and today also) then i shall go home and sleep (no evening service tomorrow or until next year or some such ridiculous time).

In other news; I have family from Nottinghamshire, England staying over as well as my Grandmother, and thus have been obliged to leave my room for the comfort of others, i don't mind, however i was sleeping in a tent (Mark also) and i left the window open because the night was warm. After going to work early thursday morning i was not in the mind of thinking it was to rain, and thus left it open. Arriving home at 2 i never thought of the situation that was growing, so off i went back to work without a care in the world. Getting home from work a second time my sister made a joke about me sleeping out in the wet, when it suddenly occurred to me that the window was open. too late, my half of the tent was wet. fortunetly not too wet. The joke turned on her because i shifted my residence to her room floor. after an uncomforatble night thursady evening Mum got me a matress and i had a very healthy sleep last night and and rejuvinated, although still slightly tired (from staying up playing on Mark and Rach's new Phones). Tonight my residence is unknown as the sun has come up and the inside of the tent is drying up. But all in all i am Happy and not the least stressed. And also i should be getting a pay check next week which will cover the cost of my soon-to-be new fone :)

The OBY Formal

the OBY Formal was a few weeks ago and i've got hold of some photos from it with me in them.

"The names Bond, James Bond"

I know all the pictures star me (save the last one where i have to say Lydia takes all the glamourous glory), but after all this blog is about me, and where would this blog be without me as the host? (it's also because i only asked for the pictures with me in it so as to not invade other peoples rights..hmmm hope Lydia and Nick don't mind staring on my blog, oh well)

An Interview With God

Music Update

Recently i have been listening to a different band than the usual. I heard a song on my sister's car radio (she is getting her mp3 player and speakers installed this week) and i really liked it, so i downloaded some of the band's songs and i really like them. The band is quite old, but still popular today. Started in 1988 i think, They sing songs like "Bad Day", "Shiny Happy People", "Night Swimming" and "Everybody Hurts". If you havent already guessed it the band is R.E.M. Their most famous song however is called "Losing My Religion". What i realised when i heard this song was it didn't speak to me as losing God, but was infact the transition between believing God is a religion as Him being the supreme being, to the realisation that putting your trust in Him, relying fully on Him, and Depending totally on Him is a faith, and thus 'losing your religion' is really losing the label that anyone can use to say 'yea i'm a christian' to saying 'i believe in God and am willing to give my life to serve Him, and honour Him, and Love Him and His creation."

Here is a list of the songs i have heard from R.E.M, top being the most reccomended, bottom being still reccomended but not so much

Losing My Religion
Everybody Hurts
The One I Love
Shiny Happy People
Have You Ever Seen The Rain
Bad Day
Stand
Radio Free Europe
Night Swimming
Man On The Moon

Oh also, i did some peer mentor training today at the Christchurch College of Education. It's for the year 9s (Third Formers) next year that i'll be looking after. It's going to be approx. 6 of us per class. There are about 400 year 9s coming to Cashmere next year. I've been told it's the second largest secondary school in Christchurch, second to Burnside of course. It was a fun, but very sweat filled, day.

That's about all i have to say

Over and done with

Finally Exams are over!! i didnt get too much study done, but lets hope my results don't show the amount of study i put in. I'm hoping that next year i can get way more organised and set up a roster early in the year to do my homeowrk and revision, and then i wont have such pressure at the end of the year. Well now ive got holiday plans.
im hoping that by the end of the holidays i will have (a) learned to play the guitar, (b) learned year 12 biology, as im picking up year 13 bio next year (c) successfully fundraised atleast $500 for the Opawa Parachutians (people going to parachute 06) and (d) got a few more hours work for holiday pay.

I want to play the guitar because it sounds good and ive got one to use, supposably if you learn the guitar then singing will come naturally and i want to improve my singing, so its really a win win, if i can achieve this goal.

When i got my subject intention sheet signed at the end of this year, the biology teacher signed based on the assumption that i was going to study over the christmas holidays, i don't wanna let her down.

I have been administered (hmm is this the right word?) the role of setting up fundraising for the parachute trip, cos its quite expensive to get up there, but it's definitely worth going to! Ian Munro gave me heaps of ideas for fundraising and i hope to do most of them. Seeing it's summer BBQs are a great option for fundraising. Also Carwashes, and hopefully if i'm allowed to, i will hire out the church car park for people to park in while the cricket games are on. The cars will be watched during the game and a van will drop people to the stevens street gate ( i think thats the name) and pick them up again afterwards. (im hoping that i'm allowed to, and that i can borrow the waltham youth trust van) The games are on the 10th december [this saturday] and the 4th? of january.

I'm thinking of trying to get a kitchen hand job at Archer resthome, seeing ive been told that they are in desperate need of them. I might see them on monday, the only problem with getting a new job is i always have a fear that i'll offer to work a day that ive already got plans on. I have a diary on my fone, but unfortunetly i don't document everything on it, so there is still that possibility. It would also be interesting to find out about my Granddad and the work he did at Archer. I know that there is a photo of him hanging up somewhere so he must have done something, but i'm not sure what and it would be really interesting to hear what he did.

Well i guess thats about all for me. Until next time,
janeii