24.11.10

We came to be good friends with a blow up dolphin named Frank while we were away.
He guarded our tent from humans and creatures alike in our absence. Although, he didn't do a very good job of it as Amy L found a gigantic spider by her head. You can imagine the debacle that ensued.

Anyhow, Frank came to be part of the family. Which is why it is very sad for me to tell you that he is dead. Probably washed up on a shore somewhere, pecked to bits by seagulls, deflated and alone.

I simply turned my back for one second in the water and he was gone, carried away by the wind. Amy swam after him for far too long and was also nearly carried away by the current. Seriously, she was beyond earshot. I feared for her life too. Seagulls can be scary. Especially ones brought up in the ghetto of South Auckland.

23.11.10

There is something really special about secludedness. Not just the word, either.

The Amies and I went camping for a night at a tiny little bay with no one else around.

Because it was so private we got to do things we wouldn't often do.

The whole of nature was our changing room. We could get our kit off at any moment without fear that someone would see. And get our kits off we did.

How very freeing.

I could share more of our antics but I think I'll stop there.

22.11.10

The feeling of warm sun on my back is possibly my favourite ever.

It somehow gives one a sense of complete security, like a blanky never could.

It's even better in a black woolen cardigan.

As Amy and I sat on the ledge at Mairangi Bay beach this evening, the sun was behind us as we stared at the ocean. It really was beautiful.

21.11.10

Gift-giving brings so much joy.

I gave two gifts this morning.

One was a journal to Clarissa who spotted it ages ago in the bookshop where we were buying things. I sneakily put it aside for her.

The second was a bible for this little boy at Kids' Church. He's been asking his mum all about God and she got so fed up with him she is sending him to church.
He was well pleased with the gift. His face looked all chuffed and he didn't let go of it for the rest of the morning. He kept touching it as if he couldn't believe it was his.

The feeling you get when you give something which is so appreciated is very nice. It's difficult to describe. Kind of just like a warmness.

20.11.10

Old-time baches are awesome. I visited one today.
Everything was wooden. The chairs, floors, benches, cupboards, tables. Everything.
It really was the perfect bach.
It was on poles! It had lemon trees and a deck.
Ahh such fun we could have there in summer.
If only my family owned it.

19.11.10

There is a certain ratio of guilt to the amount of time spent in pajamas during the day.

I find that if it goes past 11am I become a paranoid wreck, hearing a knock at the door at least once every ten minutes.
Life becomes difficult, and I end up changing so that my day can begin.

Even if I just sit my bum back down on the computer chair, as long as its in daytime attire, things are going to be ok.

18.11.10

I have posted it before, but I will reiterate.

Music is amazing.
It has the power to make you feel stuff.
It can move you, even if you are firmly stuck in your spot.
It can break down barriers between you and the outside world.

Tonight at Tabac, listening to Lydia Cole and Luke Thompson these things happened for me.

My eyes even welled up.
Then I remembered I was in a bar and only lame people cry in bars, usually at closing time and whilst having a whine to the bar tender. Well, they do in movies. I've never seen it. Nor have I been in a bar at closing time.

17.11.10

The moment I had been waiting for arrived today. I was afraid that the amount of hype surrounding the second-to-last installment of the Harry Potter films would mean my expectations were too high.

They weren't.

It was a pretty great film. It met my expectations. It didn't outdo itself but I wasn't disappointed.

I like that there were moments that made me jump and many that made me laugh.

If only we had dressed up.

16.11.10

Beware at semi-high tide along the walkway between Mairangi and Campbell's Bays. The water splashes and does not mind who gets soaked.

Being the gentleman, I offered to walk oceanside. Sam appreciated, especially when the water chased our ankles.

It wasn't too bad so I became careless. I bent down to a little pool to rinse my icecream tub (I highly recommend the coffee gelato from Paper Moon). I was quite happily doing so when a huge wave attacked. It completely drenched me on one side. It was such a shock. We both cracked up so hard.

We shared a beautiful moment.

15.11.10

There is so much value in chilling with people of a different age group.

I spend a lot of time with people younger than me. Kids teach me to always wonder at things in the universe, to have faith and to be able to laugh about almost everything. Youth teach me how broken this world is and how much God loves and cares for each of his children. They show me that it's not good enough just to talk about things, but we have to act on our convictions.

I don't spend enough time with people a lot older than myself. They are so wise and caring and they just want to have a conversation. It is also so easy. Many elderly people have had so many awkward conversations in their life they know how to keep dialogue rolling. If you tell them something, often they will remember it because they really do want to know how uni is going or what you're learning about with God. Many are prayer warriors and you can guarantee when they say they'll pray for you, they will. I am so grateful for Bob Rope, this man from church with a heart for kids' ministry who prays for me every day.

These thoughts sprang from having lunch with the Mainly Music team. They are a bunch of older ladies making a HUGE difference in the lives of a whole lot of mothers and toddlers from the community.

14.11.10

Church last night had an incredible atmosphere of friendliness and just love.
It was smaller and everyone kind of knew everyone else so that made the difference.
I felt like I could have a conversation with everyone easily and just laugh.

It was like church should always be

So natural.

13.11.10

Banoffie pie is incredibly delicious. This deliciousness is intensified when you mix it with two Amies and Ten Things I Hate About You.

That film is timeless. Universal themes. Just like Shakespeare.

It may have just overtaken Dirty Dancing and The Proposal to take the title of my favourite film of all time. Shockhorror!

But honestly, it has got to be the most quotable film in existence.

12.11.10

I am officially free from instituted learning for three-and-a-half months.
It feels pretty good.

On my way home I noticed some daisies. They have probably been flourishing in grass patches all over the country for a while. It was just today that I noticed though.

Daisies are one of the best reminders of summer I reckon. Once you see them, it's all on.

I was going to pick a bunch and make a daisy chain on the bus. In retrospect I really should have.

11.11.10

One of my favourite smells is freshly washed clothing. It smells like laundry powder and is all soft and clean-like. It's just so comforting.

What's better is when you iron that item of clothing and put it on straight away. The heat intensifies the smell and it's so cosy.

That happened today.

10.11.10

Fresh strawberries are so delicious. Especially when they are the first of the season.
It has been a very long time since I had eaten one. I just held the punnet and smelled them for a little bit. So delicious. So juicy.

It reminded me of when I would go strawberry picking in Albany when I was little. I'd just spend the whole time eating them and only when mum announced that it was time to go would I hastily throw some in the bucket to be weighed.

Fond memories.

09.11.10

Bubbles are really amazing.
They are so colourful and the way they float and eventually fall is amazing.
I have this bubble mixture in my room. It makes the best bubbles. They smell like mint and they make a really cool popping sound.
I could watch them for ages.



(Beware of the "bubbles" Google image search. Apparently there is a promiscuous lady with a really big bottom by that name)

08.11.10

Today was the first time I've been home alone for a while. Maybe it was the first time I realised it.
The house was empty which meant I could sing at the top of my lungs, even pee with the bathroom door open.
There is a certain freedom in aloneness.
I quite like it.
I suppose intimacy is when you are with someone and you can act as you would if you were alone.
I haven't quite reached the leaving-the-toilet-door-open-stage with anyone yet.

07.11.10

The sky was beautiful as I drove home from church. It was cloudless and blue except for a hazy pink band.

When I looked at it all at once it was outrageously lovely. A photograph of that moment could definitely make its way around Tumblr.

Just for fun I focussed my eyes on the blue part under the pink stripe. Gradually the whole sky became blue and the pink disappeared. It was incredible.

It got me thinking. Obviously I must have been feeling a tad pensive and deep.

It's so easy for us to take our eyes off the beauty.

What I mean is that we can be distracted by so many things or even just one thing in our life which takes all of the splendour out of the simplest, most awe-inspiring things. When we stop looking for things which are truly spectacular, slowly our senses are dulled to them. It becomes harder to find inspiration and appreciate small things in life which deserve to be appreciated.

Like that pink line in the sky.

06.11.10

When organising an event you send out the invitations, plan a bit, maybe make some food and hope people show up. There is usually a little bit of tension when it gets to around about starting time and no one has showed. Most of the time it happens though. People come and happiness is achieved.

I've never worried too much.

Tonight Amy's workmate had a small party. It was intentionally small but I think he expected more than just Amy, Logan and I. It ended up being ok because his niece was there and she amused us for ages and also there were fireworks.

It just struck me that not everyone is as lucky as I am to have great friends. I always know that someone will be keen to chill if I text them and if not it's no big deal.

05.11.10

Today is cool because you get to play with fire and explosions and make loud noises.
We went to the bunkers at Castor Bay when it got dark and set off fireworks. They bounce off the walls and ceiling and make huge resounding booms that echo.
It is really VERY exciting.
It's so thrilling when something goes wrong like when Nick pointed his Roman Candle behind him at people or when the big one fell over or when they bounced off the roof and towards us. We just ran screaming.

A great time was had by all.

04.11.10

This morning began with a large caramel latte, the beach, and the Amies.
It was a very nice start to the day allbeit a tad chilly.
I love that we live so close and by the beach. We are so fortunate.
Moreso that we can be such good friends.
That's the best part.

03.11.10

It is easy to act like everything is going well.

Someone will ask, "How are you?" and I find myself answering, "I'm good thanks" without a second thought.

I have said it so many times over the past few days, even when it isn't true and even to close friends. On one occasion I even said, "I'm really good!" in a very enthusiastic manner.

I'm going to make more effort to be slightly more honest in my reply to that question. Mix it up a little.

Sometimes it could get a tad awkward, especially if you're talking to someone who you don't know so well. You reply, "Not so great really" and in order to make it seem like they actually did care about your answer when they asked the question, they have to inquire as to why you feel that way. Then you either tell them the whole story, bearing your heart in a way which is inappropriate to your current relationship with said aquaintance, or you blow them off with an, "I don't really want to talk about it" response which is equally as awkward.

Easier just to say, "Good thanks".

02.11.11

I finished Blue Like Jazz today. It is such a good book. I have another of Don Miller's books lined up to read now.

I love the way he writes so honestly and from a different perspective.

It really made me ponder on why I believe what I do and how I live it out.

I'd love to meet him and have a chat about life. He could regale stories from his youth. I want to hear more about the time he spent with the hippies and living with the guys at Graceland.

One time I'd like to be able to write like him. It just flows so well.

01.11.10

The beach is such a lovely place. I went to two today. Orewa and Long Bay.
I had a date with Hannah. We got ice creams and went for a walk. She's so cool. We just chatted and then almost made ourselves sick spinning around on the playground. Then I just chilled at her house with her family for ages. I love them so much.

31.10.10

I am always so astounded at the willingness of people to give so much of themselves at church and my friends in general.

Tonight was the lightparty. It took so much work by hundreds of people for it to all come together. There have been working bees, meetings, baking times, and heaps of people rostered on the night.

Each of those things takes effort and time. I am so grateful to everyone who helped. To Amy for helping make toffee apples when she didn't feel great, Michelle who was at church whenever I needed her, Amy for coming to wrap apples in a time of crisis, Emily for lending her artisticness to me and walking home after, all my leaders who manned the stations in the stuffy hall, and to anyone who I just plonked a last minute job onto.

People can be really great sometimes.

30.10.10

This afternoon contained a few of the most hilarious hours in my life.

JD and Ben found this old scooter at church and started doing stunts on it, just bunny hops and jumps inside to begin with.

It escalated and things got a bit crazy. There was break dancing, spray paint, ripped clothing, the macarena, parkour and shirtlessness.

Michelle, Amy and I looked on in awe. They were being such boys and showing off. We caught many minutes of footage, most un-useable because I was shaking from laughter the whole time.

29.10.10

Gin is an absolutely fantastic card game.

I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Amy is a good teacher and herself, Logan and I played it many a time today.

I even nearly won!

Ginning is the best feeling in the world.

28.10.10

Tonight I went to Primal with Janet. It made me really appreciate my own church.

I used to go to Bays Primal and I loved it. I think it was really good for me to experience other churches which focus on the Holy Spirit more, especially in my mid-teens. I used to get annoyed with my own church for not being more like that, but tonight I realised again that Northcross is great.

We may be a bit scared of supernatural things sometimes but I think that's better than the other way around. There's too much risk of getting into murky doctrine and people pleasing.

I hope we never give into hype.

27.10.10

Human relationships are strange things. Today I have learnt again that even if you think you know someone fairly well or you think you know how they are feeling, they can surprise you.

A friend threw me a bit of a curveball today and it has me a tad concerned. She's almost a completely different person than I thought she was and I don't really know how to react or what to say to her.

Also today one of my closest friends had some stuff go down which left her pretty confused about a whole lot of deep things.

I apologise for being so vague but I'm trying to be discreet. Feelings and secrets and that jazz.

26.10.10

The glorious weather has continued into the week. What better to do when the sun is shining than go to the Donell's house and chill by the pool?
NOTHING
That is what happened.
So much lounging.

25.10.10

Have you ever picked the exact perfect flavour of icecream to how you're feeling at the time?

I find it is a huge decision and often I make a foolish choice. Often I end up disappointed.

Not today.

I can highly recommend the passionfruit sorbet from Blue in Matakana.

It will make you swoon like Ryan Reynolds holding red roses whilst reading you poetry ever could.

24.10.10

We had a real life campfire tonight around the next bay. We toasted marshmallows and sang Sk8erboi because everyone knows the words.
Studying the fire is so interesting. I feel as if I could watch it for hours on end. If there was no smoke in my eyes that is.

On the way back to the campsite we had to jump down a ledge of sand. I decided it might be fun to jump right at the edge so the part I land on collapses under my feet.
It was just myself and the Amys. We had a blast and we absolutely tore up the bank. There was no way we could quieten our laughter. We were hysterical. That is how much fun it was.

Not that it would have taken much to make us hysterical at that point. We were very tired.

(We had slept on the beach the night before. I recommend it. Just beware of the dew. You will wake up with the outer layers being soaked.)

23.10.10

Worshiping to an acoustic guitar on the beach is one of my favourite things to do ever.

That is what happened this evening. We were there for over an hour just belting it out to God, the creator of the incredible view we were soaking in.

The moon was rising, casting its orange reflection across the ocean.

In the reflection, under the moon, two dolphins jumped out of the water a little bit as if God had instrumented it himself to bless us.

Writing this I am overwhelmed with His love for us. It really was unreal.

22.10.10

Amy and I found ourselves sitting on a huge rock overlooking Tawharanui beach and the ocean. We just sat and contemplated.
At first we chatted a bit and made noises to show we were taking in the scenery but then we fell silent.
The silence went for ages. Maybe half an hour.
Words were too much and not enough.
I was imagining that we were in a scene from a film which starts with a shot of us on our rock and then zooms out and out and out all the way until the Earth is just a speck on the screen. I was thinking just how small and insignificant we really are.
Looking at the vast ocean can give you that impression.
After a while we got chilly.
She said we should pray and we did.

I love that we can just pray together whenever. I have got so much appreciation for her.

21.10.10

Two days ago I posted about people who drift out of your life after a certain period of time.
Today I encountered a friend who drifts in and out. Each time I see her I remember just how awesome she is. Usually we are passing and only get to chat for a short while. Today it was outside my lecture theatre. I really don't know her very well. I know her ok, but I wouldn't say we're super close.
Despite this, we manage to laugh and carry on like we are the best of friends.

I really appreciate this about her. She's a very cool person. And I feel alright about our limited interaction. Quality is better than quantity. Mostly.

20.10.10

Today JD was in a good mood. There were jokes even. It is nice to share an office with someone who is cheery. He even did a notice! He never does them willingly.

19.10.10

It was my last ever class with this girl I have come to sort of know today. I don't think she thought it was as big of a deal as I did.
We're Facebook friends and we have each other's numbers but other than that we only know one another through sitting together at uni. I don't even remember how I came to befriend her. Maybe she befriended me.
All I know is that our relationship probably ends here. There may be the odd comment on a page or a status now and again, but we're pretty much over.
It's strange how people drift in and out of our lives. Some do it over time so that you don't recognize that it's happening, and with others it is sudden.
Fickle fickle.

18.10.10

Tonight at band I feel like it was rather productive because we played around a bit with settings on the keyboard.
We have a really cheesy backing track behind one of the songs now. It's so hilariously awesome. Very appropriate for a song which goes:

"Jesus, you're my superhero
You're my star,
My best friend."

Funfunfunfunmusicmakingfun

17.10.10

This evening I approached the pile of mail on the bench with little interest. Usually the only mail I recieve is in the form of a charity newsletter or a bank statement.
However, to my utmost glee I discovered a postcard from none other than Clarissa Tan! She sent it while she was in Malaysia.
Oh she's so lovely.
Mail makes one so happy.

16.10.10

I had a yippity-dooh-dah time this evening at the barn dance.
Docee-do-ing and loop-de-loop-ing all night long was incredibly fun.
Who would have thought it could be so awesome.
Friends are fun. Plus there was this one where Rob and I were partners and there was so much glee on his face we laughed a lot. Oh joy.

15.10.10

Today it was actually like Summer had arrived. On the way to work I had my window rolled all the way down and I was uncomfortably hot. That's how good the sun worked.
It had me feeling the burn on my arm.
Ooooohhh I can't wait.

14.10.10

The time was 8:45pm and it was a pleasant evening, albeit slightly cloudy. The air was clear and the streetlights were on, illuminating the dark path and causing the trees to cast shadows over the ground.
I found myself resisting the strong urge to skip along the footpath as I made my way down to Britomart.
Having just completed my final assignment, I felt as if there were no pressures left in the world.
In the semi-darkness it somehow became easier to pick up a host of different scents wafting from plants and flowers freshly sprung.
The world, with all its little charms, was waiting for me to appreciate it.

13.10.10

Today I suited up. It was a pretty great feeling. And a pretty great day.

Debbie and I had a good bonding time today over broken hearts, emotions and ideas. We chatted, prayed and had a good mentor session.

She is so good at her job. Honestly. If she wasn't there I would fail a lot.

I really appreciate her intuitiveness and concern for us on the team.

One day maybe I can be as cool.

12.10.10

It is the small gestures which make a day remarkable.

This morning Amy Lloyd came to my house with a bunch of roses for me. I was expecting her but not the flowers. It certainly brightened my day. She is a very thoughtful person and I love how she goes out of her way to show people she cares.
I really appreciated those roses and they make me smile whenever I look at them.

11.10.10

Music has an incredible power to move people. I love that about it. It can be thought provoking and emotion evoking.

Mumford and Sons are these things to me. I absolutely love their lyrics. I love that they can be simple at times but impacting nonetheless. And the music has so much going on but never too much. It's always so tight and diverse and magical. They are geniuses.

This is my favourite I think.

10.10.10

So this week has been pretty lame. It has just sucked bigtime.
But through it all God has been like, "things are going to be ok cos I'm here" and I'm trying to trust him.
Then tonight at church I was just happy. During the worship I was grinning like a mad thing and I danced a bit because of that weird thing called 'joy'.
Joy is more than just being happy. It's like even when things are lame, you can still praise God because of who he is.
I can't really explain it. I just feel it.

09.10.10

You know how with some people it doesn't matter that you hardly know them at all, you just feel like hanging out and interacting with them is the most natural thing ever?

That's kind of how I feel about my friend Janet. I met her last semester in one of my papers and we both wagged a lot so I hardly saw her. Anyhow, tonight was her birthday bash and I went (along with Amy for support).

It was just fantastic to see her again. I love her to bits. She's so fun.

Amy and I had a fantastic time even though we knew no one.

A wee Korean ball of joy. That's how I'd describe her.

08.10.10

Today my brother was born. Not actually today. The today 19 years ago. I'm grateful for that.

Also today something cool happened. Actual today. The today of 2010.

I saw Relient K live. It was flippin awesome. I have loved them since I was early teens and I have all of their albums. I didn't even study and I knew all the words to the songs, barring a couple from the new album. I was so proud. It all came flooding back. And the actions. Far out. I had been waiting for tonight to come since I missed them at Parachute '04. What would have been the best is if they'd played Sadie Hawkin's Dance and played more older stuff and played for longer.

Actually, the show should have been the other way around with Paramore supporting so Relient K could play for hours.

Oh and Paramore was pretty cool. Hayley Williams is so cool. Like off the charts cool.

07.10.10

Amy Ritchie is good quality.
We had a date and we both shared things that we have never before.
It is so freeing when that happens and you unburden kinda.
Soooo freeing.
She's a pretty legit friend.
And when I say pretty legit, I mean amazingly awesome.
She just listens and then is wise and says what is needed to be said.

Then she got crunk and we laughed.

06.10.10

Today at work we watched funny YouTube clips for far too long. It was a definite while.
But oh man they were good. Here's one of the first ones we watched:



Hilarious. He's awesome.

Anyhow laughter is so good. I was on the floor shaking because of one of them.

Ohh such fun.

05.10.10

Renee is so amazing at taking photos. They make you feel things inside. And sometimes they even spill out into verbalness. For example, "awww" or "ooh".

Here are a few which I love.













For more beauty check out her website: www.pedrottiphotography.com

04.10.10

Today has been pretty sucky. I've just felt meh.
But then something cool happened.
As I was getting some paper at work a flicker of red light got in my eye and when I looked towards the source I saw that it was outside. The view was so beautiful that I went and stood on the deck.
The sun was setting in a clear sky, making it all different shades of pink and red. I watched as it disappeared into the silhouettes of the trees.
It was like a glimmer of hope.

03.10.10

For lunch I went to the Neville's house. It was cool to go out to another household as a family for lunch. It has been years since that happened. It used to be a weekly Sunday occurrence. Plus it was nice to see our pastor in his natural habitat. They are a family like us.

02.10.10

I have a very clean room. I went through EVERYTHING today and sorted it all out. There were 8 bags full of unwanted junk, clothing, shoes, and rubbish. It feels very good. Like my life had a clean-out too. Took hours though.

01.10.10

Today I realised my own insecurity.
It's pretty scary.
You think you're pretty strong, but in reality most people are fragile.

30.09.10

On the bus home from uni, Amy Lloyd and I were thinking some pretty profound thoughts about how creative God is. He made our noses have holes, our ears have weird creases, and he made the wind. The latter we noticed because of some leaves rustling on a tree. It was really beautiful. They were big leaves and they looked like petals. The way the wind was making them move was truly graceful.
We were super fortunate to have seen the seemingly small miracle of the wind causing some leaves on a tree to dance.

29.09.10

This evening has been one of those ones where it starts off pretty great and then escalates to full-blown awesomeness.

I went to Phil's songwriting/performance competition. The talent there was incredible. All of the musicians were so good. Janine Foster won. She was my second choice, after Phil of course (that's not just because he's my friend. His lyrics and dynamics or assembly or whatever you call it were freaking amazing). But Janine's voice gave me shivers. She was so happy and dancey and she talked! She doesn't do much of that onstage. I will be buying her EP for defs.

Anyhow, after this magnificent display of talent there was only one thing we could do. MEGA MAC CHALLENGE!!! Myself, Amy Ritchie, Rosie Nash and Belinda Cornish set of in my little car to Maccas. It was a struggle. Rosie finished first. There's so much meat! Now remorse is happening and it may even continue into the morning.

Having not had our fill of adventure, we decided that to celebrate Rosie's birthday we should go through a car wash. It wasn't open. The lights were on but it was just chirpin. We were so disgruntled that the man gave Rosie a free pie for her birthday. This almost made up for it.

We cruised for a bit with Amy making sure all the pedestrians knew about Rosie's special day. Some waved. Some ignored.

Frasers in Mt Eden closes at 12am on a Wednesday night. So don't go there after that time. We did.

It's ok though cos Rosie's place is good to chill in and there was fudge and freeness. We got cosy and displayed a bit of bra as a birthday treat. Milk was drunk and tea. Then it was decided that enough fun had been had.

As I dropped Belinda off there were suspicious looking people dooing suspicious looking things at her apartment. One tattoo covered man peered into our car. Not fun and unsafe for her to walk into. We drove around the block and a security man had arrived so we decided it was safe enough. Drama!

If you have read this far, I congratulate you. Top effort.

28.09.10

I caught the bus home from uni with Han. I missed chillin with him quite a bit. It was a reasonably uneventful journey. I learnt that bird is the word and I laughed a lot. Laughter is great. Usually I'm guaranteed to be laughing at least 70% of the time when I hang out with him. It is jolly.

27.09.10

It is so nice to be home.
I walked down to meet Amy in Mairangi Bay and it really was a sensory experience. I could feel the warm sun on my back and a light breeze was blowing the scent of flowers into my nostrils. The air is much purer here. I had missed that smell. I used to experience it on my way home from school every day.
It really is so good to be in New Zealand.

26.09.10

Seeing as I was greedy and gobbled up two 10ths of September, I had no 26th September. Instead I shall use this day to highlight impressions and memories of America.

- They have gross coffee. It's so strong and disgusting. On the last day I found a real one. There was a lot of rejoicing.

- Toilets have big water and a weird shape.

- Waiting for our shuttle at Sea World, Dan would ask Mum where she's from as groups of people walked past, to which she would reply, "I'm from Rrrruuussshhhhaaaaah," in the thickest accent possible.

- Pillowfights in hotel rooms.

- In Vegas there are people on every street corner handing out cards advertising 'hot chicks'. On guy offered Mum one and when she declined he replied, "20 minutes ma'am." She burst into giggles exclaiming, "What would I want a hot chick for?"

- Spending way too much money. Most of it on candy.

- The food tasted like Denny's constantly. It was yuck.

- Mum's terrifying driving. Freeways that go forever.

- Finding out I'm not actually 5'7" as I always though, but a measly 5'5" as I stood by the tallest man ever in Ripley's.

- 40 degrees in Vegas. Soooo nice.

- Never getting the hang of tipping. We made every effort not to. We hardly sat down and ate anywhere.

- Being relatively skinny.

- So much fog in San Fransisco. Actually so much. It was like a mist.

- In N Out Burger. So delicious and so cheap.

- Mum eating clam chowder in a sourdough bowl at every opportunity.

- "Shamu, Shamu!" Chanting to get splashed by him at Sea World.

- Spending time with Dan after too long being apart.

- Conning Mum into going on terrifying rides at California Adventure Park. SO MUCH FUN.



There are way more but I can't think of them all right now.

25.09.10

I find myself, once again in the Koru lounge at an airport, waiting for a flight. This time I am going home.

It has been a crazy two weeks, topped off with a very hectic day.

We hired a car today. Mum drove. It was a tad scary, I'll admit.

She did an amazing job. With Daniel, myself, and the GPS screaming at her sometimes, she mostly kept calm. Driving on the other side is no mean feat.

There were some tense situations with a bit of panic as we had no idea who gave way to who and why the cars disregarded the red lights.

We made it through. Only a 13hr plane journey between us and home. It is going to be nice to stand on Aotearoa soil once more.

24.09.10

Orcas and dolphins are majestic creatures. Today at Sea World I saw them glide, flip, flop, flap, jump, spin, wave and splash. One day I shall ride on a dolphin. I think it would be an amazing experience. It does look difficult though.

Sitting there watching it felt like a NZ summer. It was so hot and I could feel my skin crisping under the hot sun. Right now I am feeling the after affects. Mum and I got so burnt. We are very red. Not much fun. My pasty thighs have been hidden away for a long time. The exposure harmed them. It feels good in a way. Like Summer has begun.

I know this isn't true because tomorrow I shall fly home to blistering cold winds and rain. Lovely.

23.09.10

It's 11:19 and I am super dooper tired. The day has been mighty full.

We public transported it to Old Town San Diego which is a state park which has preserved the first settlement here from Mexico. It was pretty awesome. The roads are sand and buildings are rustic. It's what I imagine old Mexico is kinda like. They charged us horrendous prices for things but it was fun.
I love mexican goods and artwork. There was much fun to be had.

Then we caught the trolley (a small train) to the Mexican Border. Oh the faces you will see on the train. So many different people. Mum's got this annoying habit of always asking people where to go even if I've told her I'm sure. Twice in a row she asked and the reply was in Spanish, something to the effect of, "I don't understand sorry." It was embarassing and funny.

It was crazy that the border was right there. Only a fence and policemen divided two countries. I suppose it's strange for me because I live on an island not adjacent to any other country. I could have touched the fence. The Mexican flag was flying not far away and a big sign said "Tijuana". I would have loved to go there but we ran out of time and didn't have paperwork and Mum said no.

22.09.10

Tonight I shopped. I shopped so well.
The best part is when you get to the counter and heaps of it scans at way cheaper than the label. It makes me so happy.
So do new clothes.

21.09.10

I went on a rollercoaster today! A real one. It had a loop de loop!

Also on the Tower of Terror which drops you.

That feeling when you are weightless is the best. There is nothing like it.

I just want to go on faster, scarier rides now.

20.09.10

DISNEYLAND!!!

It is magical.

The best part about it was seeing the absolute joy on all of the little kids' faces as they rode around Alice's Wonderland or had their photo taken with Minnie Mouse. They were so full of excitement.

There was even a jedi training thing where they got a whole lot of kids onstage, gave them a robe and a lightsaber and taught them how to 'use the force'. They just loved their moment of fame when they got to fight Darth Vader.

Ahhh to be a kid.

19.09.10

Today I sat by a window either on a moving train or bus for hours on end.

Watching life whizz by you is a strange feeling. Really you're the one whizzing by but you feel almost stationary in your little capsule.

Its amazing how lost in thought you can become after staring at moving trees and fences for a while.

18.09.10

I have said it before but San Fran is a beautiful city.

I love the buildings. They are all crammed in next to each other, as if they are sucking in so they can fit. Many of them are painted pastel blues, pinks, even purple. There is so much history. I think they date back to the 1800s.

I can't stop taking photos of it all.

17.09.10

San Fransisco is an amazing city. The buildings are all different colours and the streets just follow the hills, no matter how steep.

Today we went to Alcatraz, the most infamous prison in the world. As I wandered down the corridors, listening to the audio tour, I tried to feel what it would have been like. There were so many bars! It would have been terrible to be a prisoner there. Only the worst of the worst were sent to Alkatraz.

The wardens had to be tough because the inmates definitely were.

I sat in the dining hall thinking about the history of the place. I love places with history. Those walls had seen stabbings, bloodshed, fistfights, chaos, punishment and a whole range of other things.

There was even a room where three men were held who had attempted to escape. In the ceiling was a hole from which officers dropped grenades on them. The floor had marks from the shells and there were dents in the wall. I was standing in the exact spot of their excecution.

Things like that just don't happen everyday.

16.09.10

When you've seen so many remarkable things in such a short space of time, a day which doesn't involve great chasms, circuses, lights or towers can seem a little average.

However, today I flew to San Fransisco. That in itself is a remarkable thing. The possibility of flight and all.

The thing that has struck me about SF so far is the number of homeless people. We walked past a whole lot of very poor people in line for the homeless shelter as we made our way to the hotel. It was so sad. They are on every street corner and lying in Union Square. I've seen people give them money and food.

I am so grateful for our welfare system in NZ. It really is up to the goodwill of the general public to keep the homeless fed and sheltered here.

15.09.10

Cirque du Soleil tonight was amazing. How they get their bodies to twist and turn is just incredible.

We saw "O" in which they have a huge pool of water in the stage and they have platforms rise out of it.

It really made me appreciate how beautiful the human body is, even if one guy kept dislocating his shoulders and doing weird stuff.

They did these huge dives into the pool. From really high. I almost couldn't watch.

14.09.10

Today I had my mind blown. I prepared my mind but it still got blown.

As I looked over the cliffs of the Grand Canyon all I could think of was WOW! What an incredible creator God we have.

The enormity of it all was incomprehensible. I don't know how anyone could look at the canyon and deny that someone had to have made it and all the other wonders of this world. It is just too magnificent to have happened by chance.

There were different layers of coloured rocks with huge ravenes and chasms.

I can't describe it adequately. Just come here for yourself.

13.09.10

I'm in VEGAS!!!

It is a whopping 37 degrees celcius, that's 100 farenheit. A ridiculous temperature if you ask me.

Walking down the Strip, which is the main road, was breathtaking. Everything is so large and so over the top. The hotels are mini cities. I don't know how they fill them all.

Far out it's awesome.

Disneyland for adults to be true.

12.09.10

Today we saw all the homes of the rich and famous. Jackie Chan, Beyonce, Al Pacino etc etc.
They are HUGE. Ridiculously huge.
It makes me think that there is just way too much greed going on in Hollywood. They work hard, yes but it is far too lavish.

And so much hype.

But still a lot of fun to ooh and ahh over, even if we could only see the front gate.

Oh! Mick Jagger was home! His Ferrari was parked outside his house.

11.09.10

Universal Studios today!!!
So much fun to be had. The log flume was about ten times more extreme than our Rainbows End one.
Mum bought the photo and we all look about to wet our pants.
I love that feeling when there's a sheer drop and your stomach shoots up to your heart. There is really nothing like it.

10.09.10 (again)

I got to do Friday 10th September all over again. It's a good thing too because much remarkableness has happened.
As the plane took off we left behind a twinkling Auckland. Lights were on all over the place and it looked amazing.
I wondered how many people were represented by each light I could soo. So many lives. So much beauty.
This was a contrast to the view I saw as we flew over LA. For ages it was just row upon row of houses, occaisionally broken up by the odd warehouse or stadium. It was a mass of brown and white with hardly any green.
I am so thankful that I get to live in beautiful NZ with parks and green!

Today I also saw my brother for the first time in 3 months. It was a joyful moment with an extra long hug. I missed him so much. It's so good to be in his presence again.

10.09.10

In approximately one hour I will be sitting on a big plane destined for the United States of America.

My current location is the Air NZ Koru Lounge where I am enjoying a casual GeeandTee before departure. It's good to have a mum with a gold card.

Airports are strange places. I think I dislike them. Things are dirty due to overuse and the air is stale.

They are sad places because of all the farewells.

They are also extremely joyful at the arrivals gate.

So much human emotion, pain, loss, excitement, and happiness all rolled up in one.

Yes, very strange places.

09.09.10

Today is Phil's birthday! To celebrate we had dinner at Nol Bu Ne, his restaurant in town. It was yum and there was great company. The cake was almost the best of my life. It was a coffee gateau and I ate too much of it.

Friends are freaking awesome. I have the best possible ones in the world. Honestly, I don't know how my life will go on for the next two weeks without them. I almost don't want to go away because I'll miss them too much. I'm kind of dreading it.
They are just so much fun. I am guaranteed a lot of laughs when chilling. And there are serious wisdom times too.

08.09.10

I have always kind of liked the idea of fighting guerilla style. It was ever since I read Tomorrow When the War Began. I likened myself to Ellie, who is pretty tough and resourceful when it comes to blowing stuff up and staying alive.

Today those dreams were shattered.

I am no Ellie.

This afternoon I played paintball. My aim was poor and I was too afraid of getting shot to risk much. Out of 200 shots, only about 5 were on target.

It was fun though. I am determined that next time I will be more gung-ho and not even flinch when I get shot.

07.09.10

One person can make a day remarkable.

Today that person was Tarien.

She made me brownies first of all.

Then she created a really fun game out of my needing to rev the car engine because of the battery. We had the windows down eyeing fellow drivers up while I revved really loudly. Then I pulled off super slowly. There was much giggling.

She also made the interaction in the drive-through very awkward. She even told the boy he had nice eyes. He was so taken aback.

To top it all off, on the way home in the car she was acting like a crazy person making all sorts of noises out the car window at people and dogs.

She's quality.

06.09.10

Today I have laughed a lot. A lot about nothing much.
It has been a good day because of it.
Even when things didn't go to plan or if I was a bit bored, there was still jovialness.

We should all laugh more often.

05.09.10

Far out God is awesome.

Tonight I gave a short message at our youth service and led into a time of response and communion. I was fretting so much. I was sitting up there while Willie and JD spoke, thinking of ways I could get out of it. I was shaking and had the worst butterflies of my life.

What if I opened my mouth and my voice failed?
What if I forget to say something really important?
What if I jumble all my words?
What if no one responds?

They were silly questions because we had just sang, "You'll Come". And He did.

People came up and took communion, grown men cried, and there was a genuine atmosphere of worship.

It reminded me that God is so faithful. He'll show up when He says He will and it'll be powerful.

I just am so grateful and humbled that He used me. Even in all my weakness and disbelief He used me.

He's that kind of God.

04.09.10

Victory for the Albany United Africans!!!

It really is such a good feeling to see your friends so full of joy. It's contagious.

As they held up the cup and had photos their faces were so delighted. It made me beam too.

EISH EISH AFRICA

03.09.10

WAFFLES!

I ate them for breakfast at Amy's house.
It was delicious.
I think the temperature this morning was below freezing so when I arrived we jumped in her bed and she read to us from The Bronze Horseman. It was cosy.
Friends.

02.09.10

This evening I went to Rosie's house with a bunch of girls from Northcote Baptist and we listened to the first of a four part sermon series on staying in love. It was pretty cool. Everyone was open and we chatted about it after. Then we prayed and for ages after anyone said anything we were still praying silently. It was so comfortable and no one jumped to say amen. We just chilled with God for a bit. I can't really describe it but it was remarkable.

01.09.10

Today was full of dates. There were five of them if you loosen the definition of a date.

9am: Emma
12pm: Sarah
1pm: Nana & Poppa
2pm: God
3pm: Michelle

They were all fantastic, however the best was definitely with God. Because of the spring wonderfulness I went to the beach and read the bible a bit. It was so cool to be reading and hear the ocean in the background. I then went on a little walk with my iPod and found a bridge over a stream. It was beautiful and secluded. I cant get it into my head how huge and awesome God is and yet at the same time he cares about each person so much. I really felt like I was chilling with Him just chatting and having a date. The best first day of Spring ever.

31.08.10

Today is the last day of Winter. This is fantastic news. To celebrate in true Winter style I watched Coffee Prince all day with Han. It was great. We set up the projector in the pad and had snacks.
What a journey. So many happenings. Watch it.

Also, this evening at Lifegroup I once again appreciated friends who are always there to help out. When you go through stuff it would suck bigtime if you didn't have friends, especially Christian ones there to help out and pray. I don't think I would be able to stay faithful to God without mine. They're pretty great.

After Lifegroup Han, Emily and I frollicked in my bed and judged each others' Tumblr dashboards. I love just chilling. I don't even mind that Han shed half his hair and scalp in my bed on purpose. Plus it's warm. I love getting into a warm bed.

30.08.10

Driving by yourself can be a fantastic time for pondering and reflection.

Up until this evening I hadn't been alone in my car on the motorway for a very long time. I admit, not much pondering or reflection happened but I did turn up the music really loud and sang along, even made up some sweet harmonies. It's good when it's just you because you can belt it out all you like without having to consider anyone else.

Solitaryness can be very nice sometimes.

29.08.10

This evening was the Talent Quest at church. Far God has given people some amazing abilities. There was singing, dancing and even a circus act. It was so flippin awesome.

Before one of the girls went on she was so nervous so I got to pray with her. She did a flippin amazing job. She was the best in my opinion. Her dance was soooo good.

Afterwards a group of us went and danced in the back hall. We were learning the Single Ladies dance and it was hilarious. Even the boys did it. To a surprising standard actually.

Ahhh dancing is good for the soul.

28.08.10

So I'm filling up my water bottle when I spy an envelope addressed to me on the bench. It was a curious shape so I immediately ripped it open to discover a mix CD full of indie goodness.
Honestly, there are 20 ridiculously top notch songs. The taste is impeccable.
The only message with it was the word, "smile" in vivid on the case.
It sure did make me smile.
I reallyreallyreally just want to know who it is from now though. I have my suspicions.
I'ma keep the envelope so I can cross-check handwriting samples.

Receiving spontaneous gifts, especially in the post is one of the best things ever. They make you feel so special. I need to treat people like that a lot more.

27.08.10

I had millions of fun at LJ and Sophies 21st tonight. It was in such a good venue. Once we cranked the dancing it was really awesome. I love being a fool and not caring.

The best, most hilarious thing happened on our way home however. We left the 21st laden with platters full of sausage rolls. We must have looked a sight, most of us teetering on stillettos, trying hard enough to balance ourselves, let alone a huge plate of savouries.

The car ride was for the most part, pretty quiet. That was until one of us had the brilliant idea of tossing the mini quiches out the window at signs and cars. It started with just Amy in the passenger seat whooping and yelling as she missed practically everything she aimed for.

It wasn't long until we all had our windows down to fire pastry bombs at things.

The best shot was a cheesecake bite which planted itself on the brakelight of a car. It was very satisfying to see it land and stick there. I bet it hasn't even budged. That cheesecake is strong, gelatinous goodness.

26.08.10

Spring is so close!

Today I noticed so many trees that have just begun to blossom. The city is a much nicer place when there are flowers about. Each one smells so good too. You walk past and are hit by a delicious scent.

Isn't it strange how smells can bring back memories so powerfully. Also today as I was walking along and I smelt a strangely familiar smell. It took me a few seconds to place it. It reminded me of when I had rabbits as a little kid. Far out it was awesome. Such vivid recollection.

25.08.10

Today I embarked on another journey. The 1st Shop of the Coffee Prince. I can already tell it is going to be an amazing season. It's so difficult to stop. I have laughed out loud, almost cried and the subtitles aren't even that great.

Pretty much everything Korean is awesome.



P.S. He's a looker.

24.08.10

I had my remarkable moment for today planned. Before I went out I made my bed perfectly with clean sheets. It was going to be a glorious finale to a full-on day, especially given my freshly shaven legs. ALAS! Someone other than myself has rumbled in my bed thus separating the remarkable from the moment.

It is ok though because I had a most enjoyable evening catching up with old friends.

It was so refreshing. Sometimes I need Ana's enthusiasm and life to wake me up a bit. When life is getting dull I just need her to inspire me and make me laugh. It is such a blessing to have her in my life to be one of those people.

She has an incredible gift.

23.08.10

I just finished watching the fifth season of How I Met Your Mother. It is a thoroughly enjoyable tv show. I always appreciate when writers think about what's coming and what's passed in a series and use ongoing jokes.

HIMYM is very good at this. There have been many a chuckle.

Also, there's some good advice for living in there somewhere. Definitely not from Barney. He's got issues. But from the others some things can be learned about relationships and suchlike.

There is one theory about in every relationship there is one settler and one reacher. The reacher has ended up with someone who is out of their league and the settler has, well, settled for someone below theirs.
I can see some truth in this although I think that once you love someone there is none of that. You both feel like the reacher. Unlike Lily and Marshall who each thought they settled.

One more theory which was pretty good is titled 'on the hook'. It states that a person may be 'on someone's hook'. This occurs when on person strings along another, usually in order to get things like foot massages, chocolate cake, or like Robyn, laundry done by Bob the cameraman.
It's definitely difficult to tell if you're on the hook because of a level of infatuation you have developed for the other person. It's hard to know when you're being used.
It's can also be tough to determine if you've got someone on your hook. Sometimes it's unintentional and can feel good. But you have to be like Ted and let the other person know that nothing will happen between you.
Lily found this difficult and kept adding the "for now" to the end of that sentence. Wrong thing to say. Instead she needed to say, "never ever".

Thus concludes Dating 101 as told by How I Met Your Mother, delivered by Katie.

22.08.10

Lydia Cole is my friend on Facebook!

Following her beautiful set this afternoon at The Copper Room I worked up the courage to click that little button. She accepted!

That in itself is remarkable. However, her music is more so. I love how it pulls you in and has you feeling stuff and that. She is just so genuine and her lyrics are so simple and lovely.

I really, really want to get good at the guitar. I'm just too lazy. And writing songs. That'd be amazing. One day.

The afternoon was made even more enjoyable by the antics of a certain Han-Gyul Cho who entertained with Tabasco sauce and made his own work station at church complete with a cardboard computer. It was pretty impressive. I wonder how long it'll last after Debbie notices.

21.08.10

I fell in love with a song today. It happens sometimes. You just connect with it. The lyrics are beautiful. The melody is lovely. Listen.

20.08.10

Has anyone else noticed that this year is slipping away super duper fast?
It is ridiculous. Apparently as you get older time speeds up and suddenly you're 50! Wow.

On a completely unrelated note, I watched a film today. It was called The Road. At the end of it I felt like I had been to the gym. It was so full of suspense that my muscles still haven't relaxed from being all tensed up for almost two hours straight.
Besides that, Viggo is such a freaking good actor! And how it managed to be so beautiful and bleak all at the same time, I do not know.

It pretty much blew my mind.

19.08.10

This evening was freaking awesome.

I spent it with Amy Ritchie.

First of all we spent a couple of hours talking and chilling in her room which was absolutely lovely.

Then we decided we were hungry so off to Maccas we went and had Big Macs. I'd been craving that special sauce for weeks. That first bite was incredible. The experience was even better because we were at the beach, parked up in our spot on the boat ramp. It was like a summer night. Except it was cold.

Amy got out of the car, ran down to the sand and danced in front of the car. She was doing leaps and spins. It was hilarious. I laughed at least half of the calories from the burger off.

After we had both put on a show for each other it was time for Momos. On the way I remember saying, "wouldn't it be amazing to sit on the couches with our watermelon milkshakes AND have SuJu in the background?"

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED!

Momos had this awesome vibe. It was like a camp just before bedtime when everyone is having milo. People were playing board games and hanging out. Flip it was cool. And SuJu!!!

18.08.10

Some days are just better than others. For no real reason.

Today was one of those days.

A positive day.

Even the gross weather made me happy. It sounded so soothing on the roof.

17.08.10

Tonight at Lifegroup my caramel slice was very well received.
It made me feel so happy even though there was none left to take to work.
When you make something and then people rave it makes you feel so good.

16.08.10

You know that amazing feeling when you finish an assignment?

Yeah that's me now.

15.08.10

I just got home from church. It was amazing. Actually, this whole day has been amazing.
I've been feeling sick all week in anticipation for leading worship tonight.
It really stresses me out.
But this morning when I got out of bed I had this peace about the day. It's been incredible. I didn't stress out about running late this morning or getting notices done or even singing tonight.
It was all in God's capable hands and far out he came through.
I love it when God does that.
I am just reminded of how small I am and how small all my worries are compared to how freaking awesome he is.

14.08.10

In the wee hours of this morning I was playing the most hilarious game of Risk.
It was the Lord Of The Rings version.
Amy and Logan vs. Katie and Sophie.
There was so much cheating going on it was insane.
Sophie and I sucked at it though. We just kept giggling. The later it got the more cheating and giggling happened.
It was the best five-and-a-half-hours-long game I have ever played.

13.08.10

Today is Friday the 13th.

In other news...

I got new shoes!
They are spectacularly beautiful. It really is very sad how much it brightened my day. As soon as I got home I put them on my feet. Over my socks. This looked dreadful as they are sandals. Oh dear.

But really. Paulo Nutini was onto something when he sang that song about new shoes and how they make everything better.

Back In Black

I have recently been thinking how awesome this project was and how I miss noticing remarkable occurrences in my days.

Reading over my blog, I am amazed at how much of last year I had forgotten. The daily snippets were a reminder about God's power, blessing and creation. I hate to think how many awesome things have happened this year that are lost, fallen out of the back of my memory.

This is why I am going to start One Remarkable Year again, but this time it will be One Remarkable Life.

This is where I will document my days.

It will be casual and fun, mainly for my own enjoyment, but I hope that if anyone reads, they will be inspired not only to notice the remarkable but also to praise God because of it.

Katie

What's next???

Well, we are definitely well into 2010 by now and it pains me to say that I did not complete One Remarkable Year.

I am so utterly disappointed in myself. I was pretty close too.

From now on you can visit me at katiedid536.blogspot.com
I shall attempt to post semi-regularly and about semi-interesting things.

Farewell.

27.10.09

You know when you have a million things going over in your mind and it's just racing, preventing you from sleeping?
That's how it was when I laid in bed tonight.
Instead of sleeping I thought I had better put my brain to good use and I got up, sat at my computer and typed an essay.
I felt very proud and like a true uni student doing my essay at 2 in the morning.

26.10.09

I slept for soooo long today. It was crazy.
Sleep is an amazing thing. So refreshing.

25.10.09

Dan got baptised today out in the wide ocean. It was so awesome.
What an amazing setting for a baptism.
All his family came to see and it was special.
People said lovely things and then we went out into the sea and he got dunked.

24.10.09

There was such glorious weather today at Tawharanui. It was so gorgeous. It felt like Summer!
What a relief after we all thought it was going to be torrential like last year.

23.10.09

On the way to Tawharanui for Labour Weekend I could feel the stress fade away the further from home I got. It really was the best feeling ever.
Life felt more and more peaceful.
I didn't even realise how stressed I was until I felt it all drain away.

22.10.09

Tonight I went to Esther's house and we watched James Dean look hot in a film.
He's one mighty fine man.
Then we looked through her James Dean calendar which we pretended was their family album and were in fits of laughter at his bedroom eyes.
Esther is such fun.

21.10.09

Amy and I stopped for frozen cokes late last night.
Sometimes the only thing which will satisfy is a good fro' co' from Maccas.
We were going to park at the beach but there were millions of police.
Then we played Tik Tok and had a right giggle at the line, "the popos shut us down."
We are infinitely cool.

20.10.09

I woke up to the most beautiful text from Tarien this morning.
Things like that really brighten your day.
It put me in a good mood right from the beginning.

18.10.09

Ben's parents are away so we poured a whole lot of dishwashing liquid in his spa and created a whole heap of bubbles. It was a whole heap of fun.
The foam went everywhere.
It was a beautiful sight.

17.10.09

Sarah and Rose did it!
The leaped from a plan up high in the air.
I just filmed from the ground.
It certainly looked like a mixture of fun and absolute, sheer horror.
When they were gliding down it would have been the best feeling. Like in some small way you were defying gravity.
In your face, gravity.

16.10.09

Today Rose, Sarah and I set off on a great adventure to Pihea where they are going to jump out of a plane! Insane.
Anyway. Adventures are fun and I'm pretty excited and a tad worried for them.

15.10.09

This evening I went to see An Education. It was a very lovely movie.
It really made me think about life and why I'm doing what I'm doing. I totally agree with her decision to go to Paris. Why not take an opportunity like that?
Except maybe not with a seedy older man.
But yeah. I reckon the way life is and the expectation to go to uni to get a job to stay in it for the rest of your life is so silly. How dull.
LIVE!!!

13.10.09

I'm not sure what happened today that is remarkable.


That is the truth.

12.10.09

Term 4 has officially started. Holidays are over and everything is back up and running. It actually feels pretty good. I am ready. Bring it on Term!
I have even already made a song schedule for band and reorganized my folders.
Don't act like you're not impressed.

11.10.09

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday.

This was a lazy one indeed.

I didn't go to church this morning.

Shocking!

But man it was good.

I jumped on my trampoline and did the washing.

It was fantastic.

Church tonight was great fun as well.

Friends are great.

Ahhh...life.

10.10.09

Dusk is a beautiful time of day. The sun was setting as I drove over the harbour bridge this evening. The sky was a beautiful orange colour which made everything else look so dull in comparison. The water was shimmering and the little island which looks like a mouse was just a black outline.
As I drove further, more colours were added to the sky. I was so distracted by the silhouettes of the trees and the pretty sky that I missed the turnoff and had to take the next one.
Never fear! Because, being the human compass that I am, I made it to Sarah's place going the back roads. I'm pretty proud actually.

09.10.09

Amy came over this evening. It really was lovely just to hang out. We watched two films and had a good old yarn.
If you ever think of watching Easy Virtue, don't. Colin Firth is the only good thing about that film. Jessica Biel kills everything, including the dog. She sits on it and crushes it with her J-Lo bum. Seriously, why did costume department give her those pants? Honestly. It was terrible.
But Amy is always good fun and even bad films can be entertaining in the right company.

08.10.09

My brother is eighteen today, can you believe it!?
I can't. It's awesome though because now he can come to gigs with me. Hurrah!
He's not home though because he's at Kidzcamp. They made him feel special I think. He got to kiss the fish and eat cake. They also got eighteen girls to give him a kiss. He would have enjoyed that.
He's cool is my brother. They've been eighteen glorious and fun years.

07.10.09

Today I was in the strangest mood.
First I cleaned my room,
Then I put out the washing,
Then I soaked some of my clothes,
Then I made dinner,
Then I cleaned up after.
How domestic is that!
It was a doing stuff day.
I also noticed that the shower is due for a clean.
That's as far as that got though.
There's always tomorrow.

06.10.09

This evening I went back to Kidzcamp for a farewell for Garth. He runs the whole show and he's up and leaving to Tauranga.
It was so weird to be back and see everyone again. I thought I wouldn't recognize any of the kids but it was all the same people, just a bit taller and older.
It was really awesome to hang out with friends I made there. Kidzcamps were always happy times. I met so many cool people. Some of my closest friends I met there.
After the speeches and stuff, while all the kids were going to bed, us visitors went over to the gym and played on the green machines.
It was fantastic. They are little pedalled kart things which are made for ten year olds. We squished into them and zoomed around, playing some sort of handball game which involved a lot of crashing into one another.
I can't believe how fun it was to be back there, playing the same games, with the same people, five years later.

05.10.09

Praying is awesome. Tonight was the prayer meeting at church. It was cool to sit with a group of people I don't interact with all that much and just pray. It's cool to hear what's on people's hearts and minds about the church.
It was a focus on children and youth so it suited me perfectly.
I must make more of an effort to get there each month.

04.10.09

It's school holidays!
Which means I got to join the big kids in the main service this morning.
It was so good just to sit back and enjoy the service. I had nothing to do with how it was put together and I could just take it all in.
Wahoo! It sure felt good.

03.10.09

This morning I did a most terrifying thing.
Debbie and I held a workshop at a conference.
It didn't go down too badly either, which is good.
I think we made it sound like we had masses of kids coming each Sunday and a super-ministry to beat all others.
We don't. There's no such thing as a super-ministry.
I realized just how lucky we are to be so supported by the rest of the church.
Kid's ministry can be ignored by people so often. It's seen just as a kind of babysitting service.
It's not!
But yes, many other churches don't place as much emphasis on it as we do so it's nice to be able to encourage those who are trying really hard to make things happen.

02.10.09

Ryan Reynolds can act. I realize he's done far too many romantic comedies for a good actor, but Chaos Theory isn't bad. He does well I think. He's not bad to look at either. Just sayin'.
Anyway, it was a pretty good film. You should also watch it if you haven't.
It's so good to see a film which ends with a happy family. The good old nuclear family. Warms the cockles of the heart. Usually these days the film ends with everyone happily separated. Goodness me. What is this world coming to?

01.10.09

If you haven't yet seen 500 Days Of Summer, you should. It is such a good film. The best I've seen in a while. It's hilarious and sweet. I don't know how to make it sound more enticing.
Just watch it.

30.09.09

This morning I got a call from Mum which woke me up. She told me that a Tsunami was coming. I jumped out of bed and sat at the window so I could watch the sea while refreshing Twitter, Facebook and Stuff.co.nz. It was so exciting. It was also the biggest anti-climax when 11:12 came around and Mikey Havoc announced on the radio that the Tsunami warning was cancelled when a wave which measured a whopping 40cm rolled onto a beach just up North. How disappointing.

29.09.09

Lifegroup was all about how glorious God is. It was flippen cool just seeing some of the verses in the bible which talk about God's glory or his character and putting it all together. Goodness me. Sometimes I think it's so easy to make God so small. He deserves waaaay more than we could ever give him. We can't worship enough. Mmmmm.

28.09.09

Tonight I went to the cinema. It's a fantastic thing to do.
I saw September Issue. It was good.
It confirmed how absolutely stupid fashion is. But then I love it because it's about art. It's expression. The photos are awesome. I love fashion photography. No matter how absurd it is, the pictures look amazing.

27.09.09

It's remarkable that I woke up at 7:30 this morning.
It's also remarkable that I'm still awake at 11:30.
But the most remarkable thing happened at about 8:00pm.
Ben was playing football after church when my brother jumped on his little toe. I don't think it was on purpose but that wasn't very comforting to Ben as he was in excruciating pain and his toe was jutting out at a strange angle. It looked so painful. It's weird. I couldn't imagine how much it hurt but I could definitely tell it did. I dunno about you but a strange sensation comes upon me when someone is in agony. I can't handle it. Heebyjeebyies.

26.09.09

Tonight I went to three 21sts. THREE! That's a ridiculous amount for one night.

Anyhow, I got home rather late and as I jumped into bed I noticed that mum had washed my sheets, made my bed AND put my electric blanket on.

It's my favourite part of the night. Almost.

The best was when the guys danced for Kelly. It was freaking hilarious. Words cannot describe, I'm sorry. You will forever be in the dark.

25.09.09

Today Dan was at Barbershop and I needed the car but he had parked it just by school so I walked to go pick it up.
It was so weird walking the same route as I used to every morning. I felt oddly nostalgic. I can't say I miss it really. All I could think was to wonder why I didn't get more fit walking up all of those hills and stairs.

24.09.09

I went to a gig tonight. A whole load of NZ bands played and it was really quiet cool.
My favourite by far was The Artisan Guns. They are so lovely. I loooove his voice. Honestly, I could listen to it for hours.

23.09.09

Baking is so much fun. I baked mini muffins this afternoon. They came out so weird. They were boysenberry, banana and white chocolate but the bananas had been frozen so they made the batter kind of brown and then when I added the berries it went the most foul colour.
They came out as a greeny, bluey, brown colour. It was really very odd.
They tasted yum though.
Mini muffins are fun. They are very cute.
But you have to be careful because it's so easy to eat a lot of them.

22.09.09

The glorious sun wash shining this afternoon.
I was either half an hour late for a lecture or half an hour early for a tutorial. It depends what way you look at it really. Glass half full or half empty kind of thing.
Anyway, I used my spare half hour to chill outside in the sun. It was warming my back as I sipped on my peach nata with pearls from Momo's. It was a lovely feeling.
Every time the sun creeped behind a cloud I shivered but it wasn't long until it emerged out the other side and heated me up.

21.09.09

Tonight we didn't have band practise because it's school holidays. Sometimes it's very refreshing to just take a break. Even if you spend it watching a bad film (Smart People).

20.09.09

This morning was chaotic. We had a food frenzy party at Promiseland. It was so much fun. We played many food-related games, iced biscuits, made funny faced desserts, and managed to get sprinkles everywhere. It was great.
I knew that the morning would be absolutely crazy so I just chilled and let it all unfold. It was great not to get panicy. We just had fun.
ALSO, the best part was when John gave the gospel message and there were six kids who responded. How cool is that!? That's the most exciting part.

19.09.09

Today I picked up Michelle and we went to church to make up 19 packets of instant dessert. Don't worry, we didn't eat it all. It's for Promiseland in the morning.
It was loads of fun making so much mess and just getting to hang out.
Michelle is really cool and she's easy to chill with. It was heaps of fun. And I got to help her procrastinate from doing homework. Wins all round.

18.09.09

I think it's good to start the day early. It puts you in the right frame of mind. I got up early and caught the bus into town. I was there at 7:30! This is amazing.
Things are just different at that time in the morning. The air is crisp, ready for the sun to come out and warm it up. The shops aren't open yet. Even the people are different. Hardly any students are up and Queen St is bustling with people buying coffees before work.
I was early for breakfast with Sarah so I bought a hot chocolate (with marshmallows) and just watched people rush by.
It was really most interesting.

17.09.09

Isn’t that period of time when the sun is preparing to set and the air turns slightly chilly so amazing. I love it..
I was in Albert Park this afternoon and it had been beautifully sunny all afternoon. All of a sudden at around 4:30 I noted the air change.
As I was walking through it felt so good to be outside and walking about. There were flowers and leaves on the trees and just the right amount of crispiness in the atmosphere.
Summer is coming!

16.09.09

As I was walking down Shortland St I saw a bunch of about 40 police men and women getting their photos taken in a little courtyard. When I got closer to them they started crossing over to my side of the road. I met up with the mob as we all turned into the entrance to the escalators to take us to the bottom of town.
It was so incredibly weird to see my reflection in the mirrors as we travelled down the escalators. I stood out so much. I was wearing red in a sea of blue.
It's not every day that you are surrounded by 40 odd police on your way home.
Maybe if you had just escaped from prison.

15.09.09

Tonight at Lifegroup a couple came to visit and share their wisdom. We were talking about what it really means to be a Christian, especially in our culture.
I loved just discussing current issues and learning about what they thought. Even though they are slightly older (a bit older than my parents) they were really contemporary, they understood where we are coming from. It was so great just to get some advice on how we can live out our faith.
Calling yourself a Christian is a HUGE responsibility. People already have preconceived notions about what the word means so you have to be careful how you use it.
I mean, it's bearing God's name. It's like having a different surname. Kind of. But yeah. You have to be so careful.
I think what it really boils down to is being able to say, like Paul, "follow my example as I follow the example of Christ."
How cool would it be to be able to say that and be confident in what you were saying.

14.09.09

Uni is back.
But it wasn't actually so bad. I felt pretty proud at getting through the whole day.
It was really nice to see everyone and to feel like I was part of the uniness again.
I'm going to make more of an effort to like it.
Here goes...

13.09.09

I was scrubbing the shower this afternoon and I was reminded of a time when Sundays used to be do-things-around-the-house day. We used to be knocking walls down, watching Dad dig trenches, banging nails in or just doing chores on Sundays when we were little.
I felt oddly reminiscent as I was squirting Shower Power everywhere. It felt kinda good to have that feeling back. Family Sundays are well-spent Sundays.

12.09.09

Isn't it great to hang out with old friends.
Tonight Esther came around and we drooled over Gerard Butler in The Phantom Of the Opera. He has an amazing voice. His face isn't that bad either, apart from the weird thing his lips do when he speaks.
Anyhow, my point is that it's nice to just be so comfortable with someone and so truthful. We talked for aaages before going to sleep. It felt great to have a good old heart to heart. Once in a while it's lovely to share everything with someone.

11.09.09

CAUTION: Parts of the following may or may not have been embellished c/o Daniel Ward.

My brother was awesome to me today. It's nice to know I'm related to pure fabulousity.


But no.

I watched The Kite Runner today. It's one of the best films I have ever seen. It was amazing. Just so beautiful. I feel like I understand the Arab culture a bit more. The kids are so gorgeous.
I love the way it was filmed too. The cinematography was subtle but it was beautiful.

10.09.09

Today there was a package come in the post. Mum brought it into my room and said it was addressed to me. I knew what it was and told her that I actually got it for her.
A month or so ago I was in a cafe in Mt Eden where I picked up a magazine all about chairs. I thought to myself, "Mum would really enjoy this because she loves chairs a hang of a lot."
Since then I did some research and tried to find out what the magazine was and where I could get it from.
Turns out it's called Design Folio and it was the first issue of the NZ magazine. It's pretty cool.
Giving it to Mum was the best though. It's so nice to surprise someone. Especially because I had put the effort into finding and ordering it.
Gift-giving is splendid.

09.09.09

This evening I had a terrible headache. It came from staring at a screen too long. It was the kind behind your eyes and in your temples.
It felt so good to lie in bed and close my eyes and feel the darkness surround me and my pain fade away.
Sleep is definitely the cure for square eyes.

08.09.09

Today I went through the prayer box we have at Promiseland and I always love reading what's really going on in the kid's hearts and minds. Today was no different.
There were some questions like "why dose God love us" (spelled like that).
There were prayers of thanks for healing in response to ones a week or so ago asking for healings.
There were prayers of thanking Jesus for being their "forever friend."
There were prayers thanking God for a bed and a house and family.
I love hearing them ask God for things but even more I love that they can recognize the blessings too.
Reading their prayers is so encouraging.
It's what makes me so excited to do my job.

07.09.09

Tonight at band everyone was not focussing at all. They were really all over the place. I let them be. It was actually quite fun. Barry kept being trouble and making everyone laugh when we were trying to do devotions. I couldn't be caught finding it too humorous or he'd try it again.
He did anyway.
Ahh well.
Sometimes it's good just to have fun and laugh together even if we don't get all that much practising in.

06.09.09

Father's Day!

I gave my dad a little package of goodies.

I also went to see my poppa who is in hospital because his legs won't move when he tells them to walk. I hate hospitals. They are so depressing. Especially on Father's Day. I only went to see him for a wee while and we were just chatting. It was so horrible telling him that it was time for me to leave. He tried to keep conversation going. Poor Pops. Hospitals aren't much fun. Not even with a remote for the bed which moves up and down. The novelty must wear off. He really appreciated the visit, I could tell. It felt good that I did end up going. I was trying to talk myself out of it because I hate hospitals so much. I'm glad it didn't work.

05.09.09

I am no longer a fiery red head.
My hair is a rich dark brown.
I quite like it. It's a change but it looks cool.
I love dying my hair. I thought it would be annoying once I started. I love the idea that it can make a person look so different.
Plus my hair was looking so terrible what with the regrowth so it was refreshing to have nice hair again.
Next colour = platinum blonde.

04.09.09

Everything I said yesterday is true. My life is consumed by Alias. I keep thinking there are agents lurking everywhere.

Anyhow, today I went to the bank and gave them the biggest cheque of my life. In truth, I'm not meant to spend it. It's for paying back uni fees BUT it still felt very cool.
I've been carrying it around for far too long. Now I can't lose it because its in the bank.

03.09.09

I started watching Alias today. It is amazing.
I used to watch it when I was at intermediate. I loved it. I would have to have silence while I watched it. If anyone so much as cleared their throat I would tell them not so politely to leave the room.
Nothing has changed.
Each episode is full of plot twists, intrigue and many cliffhangers. Oh the cliffhangers kill me.
When an episode finishes I cannot help but click into the next one. I can tell that my holidays are going to be consumed with Alias.
There are five seasons.

02.09.09

Giving gifts is such a cool thing to do.
Just ones which say thanks.
I did that this morning.
It felt really good to appreciate someone in that way.
It went down well too.
It just made me feel like I'd done something nice and people like to know that they are being recognized for what they do.

01.09.09

Today I have had the worst day of my life. That may seem melodramatic but it sure feels that way.
I dunno what went wrong. My theory is lack of sleep + hormones. It doesn't equal something fantastic. I've been so snappy and I even cried. What the heck!
Anyway, in an effort to calm myself down I put on the soothing tones of Taylor Swift and I made myself a hot vanilla drink. It was so amazing how much I calmed down.
Who woulda thought Taylor would have that effect

30.08.09

Tonight we had people over after church. It was so good to be doing that again. We watched Changeling and just hung out.
We used to do it all the time but then it just stopped so it felt good to be back in the swing of things.
Just chillin' is awesome.

29.08.09

Today, driving home from Sarah's I was stuck in traffic and I was crawling onto the onramp. Normally I would be doing 100km/h over that spot and it struck me how different things look at that speed.
I looked ahead of me and a few cars up someone was taking a photo. I looked at what he was photographing and I realised that it was beautiful in that spot with the cars and the city and the trees. I would never have seen it if I was going 100.
That's kind of an analogy for life too. Especially at the moment. Sould Out camp helped me to stop and find the beauty in people and in nature. It seems silly but everything has been going so fast lately.
There's my little spiel.

28.08.09

Tonight I stayed over at Sarah's flat. It was so funny. When we finally got to bed it was like our fourteen year old selves took over. We got all giggly and we talked about boys. It was quite hilarious.
I secretly think that whenever you have a slumber party it's like you get transported back into your early teens. We did anyway.

27.08.09

This morning when I woke up I had the best prayer time ever. I'm starting a prayer journal. I really hope I'll be able to keep this up. Morning devotions don't work easily but maybe I can get in a pattern.
They just start your day off on the right note and put you in such a good attitude for the day.

26.08.09

I discovered Little Boots today.
Every time I find a new artist or band to love I can't stop listening to them for a few days.
It's going to be like that this time.
She's so cool.
I love her popiness and her lyrics are sweet.

25.08.09

Tonight at lifegroup we had the most delectable cheesecake in the world. It really was delicious. Cheesecake is one of the most scrummy desserts on the face of the earth. The texture of this one was perfect and it just was so creamy and tasty.
Oh wow.

24.08.09

My friend, Ana turned 26 today. 26! But it's ok because no way does she look that old. Or act it actually. She's too much fun to be that old. She'll be so proud if she ever read this.
I think her birthday is a pretty remarkable occasion. We went out for dessert and there were heaps of people there. I'm glad too because she's a pretty remarkable person and deserves to feel special.

24.08.09

I love the feeling when something just becomes clear to you, something you've been confused about for ages.
It happened to me today.
It was the first of my extra Tongan tuition and I asked Melenaite to go through pronouns with me and when you use each one and where in a sentence.
It just clicked.
It was amazing.
I felt so good after that. Two semesters of struggling with it and now I have it down pat.
It's a great feeling.

23.08.09

So camp has been amazing. Honestly, I love these kids. They are loads of fun to hang with.
This morning worship was actually amazing. As it was the last morning of camp they had got to know the songs and they were singing so loud.
It was flippin cool to see some of them still at intermediate but having that real heart for worship. They really meant what they were singing.
It's so exciting to see because I love that I've been part of that journey. One girl who is in yr 8 now has been through Promiseland and I've watched as she's built up that passion for worship each Sunday.
What a privilege to see God at work in these kids lives. Ahhh man.

22.08.09

Today I preached my first sermon.
Except it wasn't really a sermon at all.
Let's call it a sermonette.
It went ok. I felt a little jumbled.
But yeah. I threw out some lollies which they seemed to enjoy. Made them a little excited though.
Mmmm.
I'm pretty proud of myself. For a first attempt it wasn't too shocking I don't think.

21.08.09

Today it felt like summer. The sun was shining. I love driving when it feels like that. It's so great to have the sun beating down on you.
I didn't even mind that I was wearing jeans and a winter top. It made me feel like summer had snuck up on me. I was so hot but it was a welcome change to the freezing cold of the past few months.

20.08.09

Today Amy baked cupcakes and I iced them. We took them in to some of the girls from church who were at school.
It was so weird to be back. My brother forced me to go see my old drama teacher, Mr Roberts (Robdog). He has a manky ginge beard now. It's bad.
It cracks me up that high school was such a made up world. It was this messed up hierarchy of social order and you are afraid to stick a toe out of line. I wish I had.
I know I haven't been out of school for long at all but it seems like eons ago I was wondering what the popular crew thought of me and I was so afraid not to break any rules.
It's crazy how much I was scared of the rules at school. It's so stupid now I look at it. Teachers hardly know. I'm pretty sure Amy and I weren't meant to be handing out cupcakes all over the school during lunchtime. It was fun though.
So many looks. People thought we were insane.
And they cut down the flagpole! They did a Hone Heke all up on my grill.
So much has changed.

19.08.09

I have been watching Ally McBeal Season 1.
It's the best sitcom ever. The only one to do with lawyers I will ever be into.
Apart from the fashion it's so fantastic (honestly, she wears suit jackets longer than her hemline). It's so witty. And just so nineties.
I couldn't stop watching till it finished.
I totally got sucked into the romantic drama. I'm so terrible for that.
If you ever get the chance, watch it.

18.08.09

I went to a pub quiz this evening. We severely lost. It was fun though.
It's so crazy to see what people know in the back of their minds. Jono surprised me by pulling out the title of an old 80s hit and my own father knew that it was Whitney Houston who got busted carrying marijuana into Hawaii.
Who woulda thought.
I was actually very impressed with him.
Odd surprises are the best.

17.08.09

I had the most glorious piece of carrot cake today.
It was simply amazing.
Remembering it is almost as good.
Almost.
I'm salivating.
It made the meeting far, far more endurable.
Although, meetings aren't too bad.
But that cake.
Oh man.

16.08.09

This afternoon was the church AGM.
AGMs are generally very interesting experiences. They are definitely dead boring for long stretches of time. But then it's usually worth all that when they get subjects of doctrine or music. Those two subjects are rather controversial at my church.
I was supervising the kids watching a movie during all this (We got through one and a half films) but I heard about it after.
I just love that everyone was congratulating one guy for standing up and sharing his mind. People were punching him on the shoulder and saying, "well done" and, "good on you." It was as if he had stuck it to the man.
I will never get church politics.

But it does amuse me.

15.08.09

Today was remarkable because I woke up around midday and had a lack-of-sleep bleary eyed headache for the first few hours afterwards.
I love that I actually got to bed late enough to cause one.
It felt so great to be tired for an actual reason.

Another remarkable thing about today is having friends over and singing along to Chicago, Moulin Rouge, and The Lion King. It's so great to have friends with which I don't care about what I look or sound like. It sure is fun.

Isn't Ewan McGregor such a looker?

14.08.09

I just got home from the BEST gig ever in the whole world. It was Teacups, Solomon, Phil Austen and the Bayonets, and The Great North.
What a lineup.
They were all amazing.
Plus I love going to Solomon gigs because there's the weirdest mixture of school and church friends and this time because of the other artists there were friends from all over there. Man it was cool.

My favourite was Phil Austen and the Bayonets. They were so mellow and so beautiful. I could have listened to them forever even though my feet were aching because of standing up too long.

Afterwards we chilled at Denny's. It really was a fantastic evening.

13.08.09

We had a reunion meeting for Tonga tonight. It was cool just to hang with the team again and reminisce. I quite enjoyed myself.
It's amazing to be able to share an experience like that with other people and know that we all grew and learned new things together.
Also, Shona made these amazing muffins. They were to die for. I couldn't believe myself. The whole plate was gone by the end of the meeting and there was quite a platter. I helped there a little bit. Undid all the good exercising.

12.08.09

I actually did some exercise today.

You should all be so proud.

I certainly am.

It felt so good.

I hurt now.

The good kind of hurt.

Exercise definitely makes you cheerful.

11.08.09

I watched Step Up 2 this afternoon and man they can dance. The last scene where they take to the streets is amazing.
I wish I could move like that. I'd like to think that if I had carried on with dancing and gotten really committed I could do it. I'd like to think so anyway.
It's amazing how they can combine classical and hip hop like that. It blows my mind. It's not in the final dance but yes. The main guy does it. Chase.

WATCH

10.08.09

This evening at band I handed out a new song, Happy Day by Tim Hughes and we worked on it most of the practise. By the time practise was over we almost had it down. It was such a cool feeling.
The song is awesome too. I can just feel that the kids are gonna love it. It has such powerful lyrics and not too much for them. Wooo!
I love making worship as a band. It's awesome cos when something sounds good or works out really well it's like glorifying God right there. I don't know how to explain it but it's cool.