Lacitiz Baciliti

I can almost count the number of weeks left at uni on one hand … how crazy is that? I was thinking about this the other week, and a nostalgic feeling sunk-in – I feel as if I’m finishing high school all over again! I know I’m going to miss seeing my uni mates nearly every day of the week. It’s a shame that it only clicked in the last few weeks that I should make the most of my time that I have – I will probably never have the opportunity to meet such a diverse group of people in such a casual setting – and I should build into these relationships as much as I can so that they will last once we all graduate and go our separate ways (although I’m sure some of us will meet again under the PathWest banner at some point).

A few of us visited UWA to kill a bit of time. We went with the purpose of sizing-up our rival university, and were pretty impressed with the scenery. We’ve all been there at least once, and are still taken aback by the architecture and lush greenery. We managed to track down a peacock, and it obligingly partook in some photos with us.

We met up with Phil and Ashkan for some Korean food in the city. The second time I’ve been to this place and I’d more than likely return – it’s relatively inexpensive and tastes good! We asked the host what a particular dish consisted of, and he gave a good explanation, but could not translate one important word into English – apparently something that aids digestion. He wrote it on a napkin:

”Lacitiz baciliti”

Ash: Oh he must mean laxative!
Priya: They can’t legally put that into food ya!
Ash: But it helps digestion.
Priya: No I’ve got it – Lactobacillus ya!
Us: Oh … ya!

It seems that wherever we go, Microbiology stalks us. We made a new discovery (well, I already knew it about myself) – besides Phil and Ash, we all fail at pool. Marie did attempt to show off with her ‘behind the back’ shot:

Pffft. Show off.

Check out more photos from the night on Picasa.

The Lego Cradle

Works like a charm! I might mix up the colours a bit now that I know it works.

Audrey’s 21st was on Saturday night:

And I did relish the opportunity to dress up! Jono’s theme was ‘inside-out’ – pretty good idea! Although I must admit that this guy was probably the coolest:

If you can’t tell, he is dressed as a Lego block. Pretty cool indeed. I have ideas for another party like this in the future …

The Minimalist Effect

I’ve been told by a handful of people over time that my wallet is too fat. And personally I think it is too. So whenever the wallet-nazi’s comment about the thickness that my wallet presents, I usually justify the cards I have in it.

And I think that it’s a ‘hoarding’ gene that I’ve inherited from my mum. A while back I was in a spring cleaning mood, so I decided to turn my wardrobe upside down and throw out some of the junk that had been accumulating. I made a lot of progress and was pleased with the end result. What I wasn’t pleased with was the next day when I discovered things that I had thrown into the bin beginning to pop-up over the place. What had happened was mum went to the bin after I had finished and fished-out the things that she didn’t deem worthy of disposal!

And my wallet has taken a similar course. There are just some cards that I feel I must keep in my wallet – ‘just in case’. I’ve adopted the Scout's’ motto of ‘Always be prepared’ and applied it to the sea of plastic in my back pocket.

So tonight I have decided to be a minimalist. I’ve decided to down-grade my wallet. I wish I could say that this movement was instigated by my turning from the emotional attachment I seem to have with the pieces of plastic and their magnetic strip. But sadly it was mainly brought-about by my sore leg from sitting on the stupid wallet!

So I’ve moved from 15 cards to just 6. And I consider these six cards the bare essentials:

• 2 x ATM cards (one is a Visa Debit)
• My driver’s licence
• My student ID card
• My Smart Rider
• My Fly Buys card

OK the Fly Buys card probably isn’t an essential per se but out of all of my cards, it’s one of the most frequently used.

So we’ll see how long I can last without my other cards. I have a feeling I will much prefer this new cardless approach … time will tell.

Rest.

When it rains…

The weather has been pretty miserable lately – it’s just under 9 degrees Celsius as I write this. It was so cold that today while I was at work it hailed. I haven’t seen hail for a while now – usually because it happens in the wee hours of the morning while I am fast asleep in my electrically-heated bed.

So while it was hailing I decided to open the door and take a look outside. Hail was depositing at the base of the door and there was a moment where I stopped to think – have I ever touched hail? And to my amazement, the answer was no! Not in any of my childhood had I picked up hail before. Is this yet another missed childhood moment? I seem to be racking-up a list of them.

I shall add a new item to my list of things to do: Be snowed upon. (And of course to accompany that is write my name in the snow).

Uni is starting to get busier – weekly lab reports on top of assignments! The pressure is building, but the light is getting oh so closer, which draws me to my next fork – what next?

Only God knows…

Numbers

OK so I may have lost a little bit of interest in blogging lately. I’m reading a book at the moment which I got for my birthday (it’s taken me this long to get around to reading it) and the one thing I love about books - well just writing in general - is the ability to express ourselves through (mostly) carefully chosen words. It’s quite unlike a verbal conversation where words kinda just flow, and once they leave our mouths and enter the air, they cannot be retracted. But no, these words can be revised, replaced or just deleted until they effectively convey the meaning within the author’s mind.

Just prior to this I logged-in to Google Reader to check out my blog subscriptions. There’s one thing about subscribing to blogs that has always been a bit of a thorn in my side – I don’t like to have huge numbers of unread blog posts. At the moment I have 334 unread items. That’s just too many. It' feels threatening, as if I have a to-do list of 334 items. But as uncomfortable as this makes me feel, I cannot muster up the strength to simply mark all of the items as read. What if I miss something important? I have been culling some of my subscriptions lately so I guess that will help alleviate the situation somewhat.

In other news I’m hoping to buy a new digital camera soon :) I’m liking the Panasonic Lumix FS-15. Photo-snapping pro’s will probably shudder at my choice of camera – but I just need something stylish, slim yet practical that I can carry around easily. So that quite easily rules-out SLR’s. It’s had pretty positive reviews and I just reckon it looks hot!

It’s back at uni – last semester! The light is getting closer and closer. No time to stop now.

Loveful

Wow. It's been over a month since my last post - it's been a very busy month!

And I wanted to write this post about my pencil case. I love my pencil case. Not because of its looks, or its durability (I've had it for a good six years now) or its convenient size. But because it carries all of the stationary I could need whilst at uni. Pens, highlighters, stapler, correction tape, scissors, pacer, eraser - and more - are all stored within my little blue and grey friend.

And yesterday after uni I was motivated to tackle some of my dreaded homework. I reached into my bag to grab my trusty stationary-swiss knife ... and he was missing.

"I must have taken it out already" I assume.

Further investigation of my bag, desk, floor and underneath my bed reveal no clues of my pencil case's whereabouts.

My heart starts to drop a bit.

"Where could I have put it?" I ask myself.

I search the living room and kitchen, finally returning to my room to have a double-take.

Nada. Zilch. Zero. No pencil case to be found. At this point I'm surprisingly upset that I have lost my pencil case. Not only did I not have a pen to use at that precise point in time, but I would then have to go an purchase stationary to replace what was lost - costing both time and money - two things that I am rationing-out at the moment!

I sit down that night and ponder - what could I learn through this circumstance? Should I install some form of GPS tracking system to my pencil case? Should I hang it on a chain like some people do with their wallets? Should I wear my lab coat with convenient breast pockets all day?

I don't know about you, but God seems to like to teach me things through experience. And then it hit me. I turn my ear and listen intently.

I had such a deep sense of loss about something so materialistic as my pencil case. Seriously - it's just a bunch of pens and pencils - all replaceable. And I was deeply convicted that I didn't have that same - if not more powerful - sense of loss over a friendship. I watched it slip right through my fingers and didn't even think to cup my hands and catch it. I didn't mourn over the loss as I did with my pencil case.

God must get tired of reminding me to love. Paul tells us to be devoted to each other in brotherly love, and to honour one another above ourselves (Rom 12:10).

I'm sorry brother, I will endeavour to love you so abundantly.

Oh and I found my pencil case the following day - it was right where I left it in the Microbiology lab. Phew!

Crime and punishment

A mum and her son board the bus and take a seat in the priority seating area in front of me.

"Do you want a drink of juice?" inquires the mum.

"Yes please," replies the little boy. He has an olive complexion with short, dark curly hair. The mum is caucasian, but judging by the child's appearance, the father was probably african.

The boy sucks on the bottle for a few seconds. "Mmmmm orange juice - my favourite," he says. In a way I think he knows that he is slowly becoming the centre of attention - and generally that would be enough for me to lose interest in someone, but he is just so adorable that I allow myself to remain amused.

He pulls-out what appear to be his two favourite toys - Spiderman and Superman figurines. He starts playing, prompting his mum to take the role of Spiderman while he assumes the personality of Superman.

"Spidey, we've got to save Mary-Jane from Venom," yells Superman.

How cute. He's even gotten his superheroes mixed-up. It seems Lois Lane has been shafted for the time being.

"Spidey, let's go to Venom's house and rescue Mary-Jane," commands Superman.

* Ding dong *

"Oh hello, Viper. It's me - Superman. I haven't seen you in a long time," says Superman.

At this point, it seems poor Spidey is just an accessory - taking no formal role in the rescuing of Mary-Jane.

"Why are you such a bad man, Viper?" asks Superman.

"Well I just don't know, I try my best," he replies.

"Here, I'll take you out of prison - I want you to be a good person," says Superman.

I smile at the child's perception of right, wrong and redemption.

Can the act of freeing someone from unfavourable circumstances that are completely as a consequence of their own actions instigate change? Can it encourage reformation?

It can. But only if there is a price - such that there is some form of value associated with it. A sacrifice has to be made - a sacrifice that the reformed will be able to remember and be forever grateful for. A sacrifice that is so great, that the reformed cannot repay it, but can only say the words, "Thank you" over and over again.

The lyrics of a song from Kids Church come to mind:

Jesus you're my Superhero

You're my star

My best friend

He took me out of prison and gave me a brand new start. May I never forget that.

We approach uni and under instruction from his mum, the boy jumps back into his pram - ready to continue his adventure sometime later.

Whoever hates his life in this world will find it.