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.

OH&S rebels

So we decided against waffles.

Marie: "They'll take too long"

Me: "How about pancakes?"

Marie: "Sounds good ... but how do we make them?"

Me: "On the sandwhich press?"

So we decided it was worth a shot. And what better occasion than for my 21st Birthday to have our pancake day! We've actually been planning our pancake day for like two years, but it never actually eventuated .. until today.

Talking across the bench to Nishe and Marie in Micro about our pancake party earlier in the week sparked a few people's interest - Brittany offered to bring the cake, Katie said she'd bring bananas and a few others would simply come along and help celebrate.

And dude, what a great party it was! I feel privileged that I was involved in the first party ever held in our common room. I don't think it will be the last either - other ideas such as omelettes and bacon and eggs were being thrown around. Next week we're playing board games during our Friday break.



And of course the cake:



Katie and Julie bought some new posters to decorate the common room with, and I being the tallest person in the room at the time had the kinda dangerous task of putting them up!



Patience. Love. Peace.

For the fellas

A poem I found on one of the blogs I follow. I'm not entirely sure who wrote it, but it really struck a chord with me. It's a tad lengthy, but I encourage you to read it all.

When I became a Christian I said, Lord, now fill me in,
Tell me what I’ll suffer in this world of shame and sin.
He said, your body may be killed, and left to rot and stink,
Do you still want to follow me?
I said Amen - I think.
I think Amen, Amen I think, I think I say Amen,
I’m not completely sure, can you just run through that again?
You say my body may be killed and left to rot and stink,
Well, yes, that sounds terrific, Lord, I say Amen - I think.

But, Lord, there must be other ways to follow you, I said,
I really would prefer to end up dying in my bed.
Well, yes, he said, you could put up with the sneers and scorn and spit,
Do you still want to follow me? I said Amen - a bit.
A bit Amen, Amen a bit, a bit I say Amen,
I’m not entirely sure, can we just run through that again?
You say I could put up with sneers and also scorn and spit,
Well, yes, I’ve made my mind up, and I say, Amen - a bit.

Well I sat back and thought a while, then tried a different ploy,
Now, Lord, I said, the Good book says that Christians live in joy.
That’s true he said, you need the joy to bear the pain and sorrow,
So do you want to follow me, I said, Amen - tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Lord, I’ll say it then, that’s when I’ll say Amen,
I need to get it clear, can I just run through that again?
You say that I will need to joy, to bear the pain and sorrow,
Well, yes, I think I’ve got it straight, I’ll say Amen - tomorrow.

He said, Look, I’m not asking you to spend an hour with me
A quick salvation sandwich and a cup of sanctity,
The cost is you, not half of you, but every single bit,
Now tell me, will you follow me? I said Amen - I quit.
I’m very sorry Lord I said, I’d like to follow you,
But I don’t think religion is a manly thing to do.
He said forget religion then, and think about my Son,
And tell me if you’re man enough to do what he has done.

Are you man enough to see the need, and man enough to go,
Man enough to care for those whom no one wants to know,
Man enough to say the thing that people hate to hear,
To battle through Gethsemane in loneliness and fear.
And listen! Are you man enough to stand it at the end,
The moment of betrayal by the kisses of a friend,
Are you man enough to hold your tongue, and man enough to cry?
When nails break your body-are you man enough to die?
Man enough to take the pain, and wear it like a crown,
Man enough to love the world and turn it upside down,
Are you man enough to follow me, I ask you once again?
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said Amen.

Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen; Amen, Amen, Amen,
I said, Oh Lord, I’m frightened, but I also said, Amen.

Aliens that break your heart

"Turn around - the girl behind us in pink", says Mila.

I discretely turn around and spot the girl in pink and guy in red sitting about 5 metres behind us on the lawn outside the library. She's crying. And not the kind of polite sob ... but like fully crying. She's pretty upset. Trying not to eavesdrop, we take a stab that there's a break up in the process.

It's very awkward indeed. Is the highly populated lawn outside the library really the best place to break up with someone? Is there an ideal place to do such a thing?

Just before we get up to escape the girl storms off in tears, leaving the guy sitting there, head in his hands. A pretty sad thing to witness. To lighten the situation we amuse ourselves by imagining what was really happening. He was an alien allergic to fimbriae, of which she had heaps, forcing them to have a long distance relationship which was just too difficult as the mobile phone reception on the mothership was a lot to be desired of.

Heh.

Later in the afternoon on our way to the Careers Fair (which we ended up missing - it finished just as we arrived), we stop by the ANZ ATM to grab some cash (which we didn't get to use because the girl at the front of the queue got her card stuck). The queue for the ATM goes along the International Students Office, and the lady at the desk closest to the window is counting down until she leaves to travel around Europe.

Well, she was, until some punk came along and altered her sign a tad:



I must admit, it was pretty darn funny. Some students have way too much time on their hands, but do keep the rest of us ammused.

Trust. Obey.

The rhythm

University carparks, I beseech of you to be vacant. My experiences of travelling to uni this week have been somewhat varied:

Day 1 - Catch the train and then bus.
Reasoning: I will never find a parking spot on day one of semester at 2pm.
Experience: Jam-packed bus, bum in my face nearing the end of my trip as people need to move down the aisle. Unpleasant.
Lesson: Grab a window seat next time.

Day 2 - Drive.
Reasoning: It's day two, and I should be able to get a spot at 12pm - especially at Hockey Stadium - nobody likes to walk 15 mins to class. Besides, I don't want to get the train home at 7pm as there are rail replacement buses - too inconvenient - and I need to be back at uni at 8am the next morning, so I want to get home in the shortest amount of time.
Experience: Hell. Every single carpark is full. Even the overflow carpark was full. The thought of looking seedy and asking if the people that look like they're walking to their car want a lift so I can steal their spot comes into my mind. After 25 mins, I find two people walking in the carpark, ask if they are leaving, and stalk them to their car. Turn up to lecture 20 mins late. Because I was that late and there are so many people enrolled in the unit, there are no seats available. I sit in the aisle. Can't see the screen but I can hear the lecturer's voice. Good thing I printed the lecture notes.
Lesson: Get to uni half an hour early, just to find a parking spot.

Day 3 - Drive.
Reasoning: I have to get to work by 1pm after classes today.
Experience: After yesterday, I vowed to get to uni at least 20 mins early - the carparks can't be full at 7:40 can they? Nope, they aren't. But in my effort to be early, I am 30 mins early for my lecture. What's there to do at 7:30 in the morning at uni? Head to the computer lab to waste some time I guess...
Lesson: I'd rather be early than late. But I'd also rather be on time than half an hour early.

I'm getting back into the rhythm of uni - the study, the labs (I'm finding Transfusion labs pretty interesting) and the homework =/ But it's ok - this is my last year and I'm determined to end on a good note :)

What is true worship?

It's like ...

The life of a Christian is like ...

Someone who goes to Church every Sunday
Someone who is a nice person and does good things
Someone who doesn't drink or smoke or swear

That's what a lot of people would say of Christians.. heck, even Christians themselves may say that! But Paul the apostle says something a bit different in 2 Timothy 2.

According to Paul, the life of a Christian is like...

A soldier
An athlete
A farmer

A soldier...

Obeys their Commander
Lays down their life for the cause
Is always ready to fight
Understands the risks of fighting, and still chooses to
Fights for more than themselves

An athlete...

Understands that there are rules to obey
Lives a disciplined life
Is always training for the race
Is focused on the prize at the end
Understands that their choices today lead them to future success

A farmer...

Understands the concept of seasons
Sows expecting to reap a harvest
Doesn't give up - even when facing adversity such as fires and drought
Pours their life into the crop

Food for thought.

Summer clean

I pretty much spent all day cleaning. Uni is only a week away and I find that I'm most productive at home when everything is organised well. Otherwise by week three I have pieces of paper everywhere and never have the things I need with me.

I re-organised what was on my bookshelf - moving my books for casual reading down, in favour of having uni-related books close at hand. I filed all of my bills and documents sitting in my 'filing' pile and threw out a lot of rubbish that has been accumulating over the summer break.

The result is a nice, clean and organised workspace! I've also labelled my files and writing pads ready to start uni.



The worst thing you can ever do is to start uni unprepared! Work starts piling in from the word go and you can easily find yourself overwhelmed. It's taken me three years to realise this, so for those that have not yet had the revelation, I'm saving you some time - good preparation lays the foundation to success!

I also invested in some new equipment for Jethro - the Logitech Alto Cordless Notebook Stand to raise the height of my screen (and add a few USB ports), and the Logitech MX 1100 Wireless Laser Mouse for comfort. Both cost me a bit of money (both I got for half the RRP on the Logitech website ... score!) however, I realise that I need to make my workspace as ergonomic as possible. I spend quite a bit of time in front of my computer, and the last thing I want is an RSI when I'm older ... that could interfere with being a scientist and all! I also need to improve my posture, and I found that having Jethro flat on the desk didn't really help with that.

The invites for my 21st are all done now .. I just have to wait for RSVP's! It's really creeping up on me - only three weeks away from today.
(Drey: Yours is here, I didn't post it to Sg because it's too much effort doing the Customs Declaration!)

I was saddened to hear this week that Amanda Bennett is studying in Melbourne now .. :( We will all miss her!

Eat the right stuff.