What does 7 days without God make?

My aunt emailed me this recently. Nice, isn't it??

Without GOD, our every week would be: Sinday, Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday & Shatterday. If you are not ashamed of GOD, pass it on. Remember seven days WITHOUT GOD makes one WEAK!!

Dust storm in Mutitjulu Community near Ayers Rock, Northern Territory & Sydney

There was a dust storm earlier today, affecting the east coast of Australia. Below are pictures of the dust storm in Sydney & in Ayers Rock, Northern Territory.

The Spoiled Under 30 Crowd - so true!

I got this email recently. It's funny yet it's so very true :) Kids do have it so good today.

THE SPOILED UNDER-30 CROWD!!!

If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning

Uphill... barefoot...

BOTH ways

Yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.

You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!

And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter, with a pen!

Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our ass! Nowhere was safe!

There were no MP3' s or Napsters! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!

There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished and the tape would come undone...cause that's how we rolled, dig?

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! with games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever!

And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel! There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rats!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove........ imagine that!

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or before!

Regards,
The over 30 Crowd
(Send this to someone you'd like to make smile, whether they are under 30 or not.)

Congratulations, Terence & Catherine!

My friends Terence & Catherine had their wedding ceremony yesterday, in Kenmore Baptist Church. It's the same church where Yuan & Keileng got married 5 years ago, & also where Darren (my second cousin) & Tirza got married 4 years ago. Terence & Catherine already had their ceremony & reception overseas, in Malaysia & Brunei. So yesterday was the "Brisbane leg" of their marriage celebration.

Both of them had a few of us over to their place last month, to help with some of the planning & preparations. We helped out this past Friday nite with the seating & decorations for the wedding ceremony & also the post-ceremony refreshments. Everything was set to go, so I thought when I arrived at the church on Saturday morning. Terence was there, bright & all smiles. I helped in the kitchen with setting up the curry puffs & all that, & when I came up, everything seemed good. Then 10-15 minutes before the bride was to arrive, Terence approached me with a bit of anxiety. He left the paper plates & cutlery at home! Ohhh dear! Could I please get to his place & fetch those items? Being the compliant friend that I am, I agreed to go, & hurriedly left the church with one of Catherine's friends. By the time I fetched those items & got back to the church, Catherine & her maid of honour, Maria, were already at the front. It was almost time for exchanging of vows. That meant that I had missed the bridal march! Drat!

Anyway, an even bigger surprise was to unfold - Terence was emotional during the exchanging of vows. I never seen/heard him like that before! I always thought him as the stoic type. Catherine was a lot more composed, & managed to hold everything together when it was her turn.

Then after the group photos were taken, it was time for refreshments. I helped myself to the curry puffs & all those Malaysian goodies, some of which were made by Aunty Daisy. The hall where the refreshments was held was quite packed. There were lots of food, & I spent more time eating than talking to people.

Then at nite, Terence & Catherine had a "thank you dinner" (NOT reception, just a "thank you dinner") at nite, at Red Lantern in Caxton Street, Paddington, to thank all who helped out with the wedding. We met up at his home in Auchenflower (all up there would have been more than 20 people) & a couple of maxi taxi vans took us to Paddington. Just as well we took the cab - Caxton Street was so busy that there was no way anyone could have found parking that nite. It's Saturday nite, after all. To add to the busyness, there was a rugby league match between Brisbane Broncos & St George Dragons at Suncorp Stadium nearby.

Red Lantern was packed with the rugby league fans when we arrived - no doubt they were having a quick meal before heading to Suncorp Stadium. Anyway, we occupied 2 tables at Red Lantern. Terence & Catherine were seated with the older adults, including their parents, in 1 table. The younger adults were seated at the next table, & it included myself, BT, Ivan C, Winston & Eilen, Matthew & Serene, & Maria & a few others from Catherine's side. Alas, Nigel & Phuong could not join us as they had a wedding reception for a relative of Phuong's to go to. Mind u, the food was quite superb. I especially liked the char siew & siu yok....of course, how not to like them?

We caught a maxi taxi back to Terence's place where we dispersed & went home. Some of us had thought of going somewhere for dessert, but we were quite full from the dinner, so ended up not doing dessert.

Terence & Catherine, very happy for u both, & I wish God's blessings on your future together!

Some pictures:

Funny grave stones

These are supposedly real headstones from Spain.....dunno how real they are.

RIP Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze has died at the age of 57, of pancreatic cancer. He was diagnosed with the cancer almost 2 years ago, & has finally succumbed after a long & brave battle.

I heard news of his death on the way home. I remember Swayze best from the 1990 film Ghost, which also featured Demi Moore. I saw that film back in 1990 on the bus, while I was on a high school field trip. Quite an enjoyable (though, for me, sad) movie, too.

I've seen photos of Swayze just months before he died. He really lost a lot of weight, & it was only a matter of time before he would pass on. I don't follow his career closely, but it does seem that he is well liked & that he will be missed.

RIP, Patrick Swayze.

Blonde jokes

FLORIDA V MOON
Two blondes living in Oklahoma were sitting on a bench talking, and one blonde says to the other, "Which do you think is farther away..... Florida or the moon?"
The other blonde turns and says, "Helloooooooooo, can you see Florida?????"

CAR TROUBLE
A blonde pushes her BMW into a gas station. She tells the mechanic it died. After he works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly.
She says, "What's the story?"
He replies, "Just crap in the carburetor".
She asks, "How often do I have to do that?"

SPEEDING TICKET
A police officer stops a blonde for speeding and asks her very nicely if he could see her license. She replied in a huff, "I wish you guys would get your act together. Just yesterday you take away my license and then today you expect me to show it to you!"
RIVER WALK
There's this blonde out for a walk. She comes to a river and sees another blonde on the opposite bank. "Yoo-hoo!" she shouts, "How can I get to the other side?"
The second blonde looks up the river then down the river and shouts back, "You ARE on the other side."

AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE
A gorgeous young redhead goes into the doctor's office and said that her body hurt wherever she touched it.
"Impossible!' says the doctor. "Show me."
The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left shoulder and screamed, then she pushed her elbow and screamed even more. She pushed her knee and screamed; likewise she pushed her ankle and screamed. Everywhere she touched made her scream.
The doctor said, "You're not really a redhead, are you?"
"Well, no," she said, "I'm actually a blonde."
"I thought so," the doctor said.... "Your finger is broken."

KNITTING
A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the freeway. Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the blonde behind the wheel was knitting!
Realizing that she was oblivious to his flashing lights and siren, the trooper cranked down his window, turned on his bullhorn and yelled, "PULL OVER!"
"NO!" the blonde yelled back, "IT'S A SCARF!"

BLONDE ON THE SUN
A Russian, an American, and a Blonde were talking one day.
The Russian said, "We were the first in space!"
The American said, "We were the first on the moon!"
The Blonde said, "So what? We're going to be the first on the sun!"
The Russian and the American looked at each other and shook their heads. "You can't land on the sun, you idiot! You'll burn up!" said the Russian.
To which the Blonde replied, "We're not stupid, you know. We're going at night!"

IN A VACUUM
A blonde was playing Trivial Pursuit one night. It was her turn. She rolled the dice and she landed on Science & Nature. Her question was, "If you are in a vacuum and someone calls your name, can you hear it?"
She thought for a time and then asked, "Is it on or off?"

FINALLY,
THE BLONDE JOKE TO END ALL BLONDE JOKES!
A girl was visiting her blonde friend, who had acquired two new dogs, and asked her what their names were. The blonde responded by saying that one was named Rolex and one was named Timex. Her friend said, "Whoever heard of someone naming dogs like that?"
"HELLLOOOOOOO......," answered the blond. "They're watch dogs!"

Little Johnny jokes

Little Johnny's at it again......

A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses. She started her class by saying, "Everyone who thinks they're stupid, stand up!" After a few seconds, Little Johnny stood up. The teacher said, "'Do you think you're stupid, Little Johnny?" "No, ma'am, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself!"

Little Johnny watched, fascinated, as his mother smoothed cold cream on her face. "Why do you do that, mommy?" he asked. "To make myself beautiful," said his mother, who then began removing the cream with a tissue. "What's the matter?" asked Little Johnny. "Giving up?"



The math teacher saw that little Johnny wasn't paying attention in class. She called on him and said, "Johnny! What are 2 and 4 and 28 and 44?" Little Johnny quickly replied, "NBC, FOX, ESPN and the Cartoon Network!"



Little Johnny's kindergarten class was on a field trip to their local police station where they saw pictures tacked to a bulletin board of the 10 most wanted criminals. One of the youngsters pointed to a picture and asked if it really was the photo of a wanted person. "Yes," said the policeman. "The detectives want very badly to capture him." Little Johnny asked, "Why didn't you keep him when you took his picture?"



Little Johnny attended a horse auction with his father. He watched as his father moved from horse to horse, running his hands up and down the horse's legs and rump, and chest. After a few minutes, Johnny asked, "Dad, why are you doing that?" His father replied, "Because when I'm buying horses, I have to make sure that they are healthy and in good shape before I buy". Johnny, looking worried, said, "Dad, I think the UPS guy wants to buy Mom".

And they say: coffee is the answer

Recently we hear in the news, the issue of medical professionals being overworked, which poses risks to lives of patients. It is said that doctors who have fatigue are likely to make mistakes, which could in some instances cost the lives of patients. Queensland Heath therefore has suggested that doctors drink coffee to keep them awake.

There u are - drink coffee. Simple as that. That's their answer. Pffffhhhh. Well then, why stop there??? Why not go further & allocate different coffee brands to the different medical types?? For instance, they should tell get anesthetists & oncologists to drink only Gloria Jean's. They should tell neurologists & dermatologists to go only to Zaraffas. The should tell cardiologists & podiatrists to only take Starbucks. And they should tell oncologists & radiologists to only drink Hudsons Coffee. Anyone who drinks outside their allocated coffee brands will face disciplinary action. There, that should work, eh?????? Whooops, I forgot to mention dentists & psychiatrists. How they must feel left out......poor things. Surely the powers that be can come up with better & more constructive solutions for overcoming fatigue than simply telling medical professionals to drink more coffee. Sheeeessshhhh.

Why overseas newspapers are more fun‏

Good luck my friends

My friends from our Southside congregation, Mikey Tai & Ivan Fung, are soon going on a short-term missions trip to Taiwan for 2 months. They had a fund-raising nite this past Sunday 30/8/2009, at the Southside church. The fund-raising evening had a Mexican & Indian theme. I came in neither - I wore my Barcelona shirt, which is Spanish so it's much more closer to Mexican than Indian. Mikey got me to be their spokesperson for the St Lucia congregation, so I will be making announcements & updates to the St Lucia congregation on their behalf. The fund-raising evening had quite a good turnout. Mikey shared a bit about the trip, their plans & goals etc (Ivan was away that evening), & I was able to catch up with some people whom I have not seen for a while.

Anyways, I was really encouraged that both of them are able & willing to serve God with this missions trip, & also the fact that they are very passionate to see God's Kingdom grow. I wish them all the very best of luck & will keep them in prayer.

Feeling a little battered....again

I'm feeling tired & sore from the weekend. Why??? Because I helped Nigel & Phuong with shifting on Saturday. They just moved to their home in Jamboree Heights, which is just near where I currently live. Nigel had joked that he moved nearby because he missed me. I joke back by saying that when I buy a home somewhere in Southside, it would be to get away from him. Nigel's response was that they might eventually move to Southside in a few years, so he'll be near me again!

Anyway, the helpers on Saturday were Nigel himself, Jin (Nigel's best man at his wedding), Uncle Harold (Nigel's dad) & myself. We had loads of things to carry from Nigel's grandparents' home in Coorparoo (they had a few things for Nigel & Phuong to take away) & also Nigel's parents' home in Stretton (I think his mum will miss him!). Nigel's desk was so heavy, it needed all 4 of us to load it onto the ute! There were a few trips back & forth. Mind you, moving houses is no joke! Phuong's family bought us some Vietnamese lunch (yum!). Just after lunchtime, I knew I would not be able to make it to Yuan & Keileng's afternoon tea, so I SMSed my apologies to both of them & explained that I was helping Nigel & Phuong move. I felt so bad to have to pull out, but this was a case of needs must. Nigel & Phuong really needed my help. My 3 siblings (Ryan, Brendan, Valerie) & brother-in-law (Andrew) all did attend the afternoon tea. They told me that Yuan & Keileng's townhouse in Yeronga was really nice. A shame I missed out, but perhaps I will get a chance to catch up with them next time.

Anyway, we were back at the house in Jamboree Heights in late evening. We helped out with setting up & assembling some furniture items. There were some dirty jokes when Jin, Nigel & myself assembled the dining chairs. There was a minor stuff up when we put together the bookshelf (the top shelf was inside out), & the 3 of us each pointed the finger of blame on anyone but ourselves. It was definitely not my fault! Anyway, we had dinner together. They persuaded me to join them (I was the only one not part of Nigel & Phuong's family), so I did join them. By the time I got home, it was close to 11pm, so I was out for almost 14 hours!