Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Christmas time is supposed to be heart-warming and fun and lots of joy. But on Christmas Eve I spent it at my parents house and before dinner they had the news on. There isn't much to do when i'm at my parents house so i sat down to watch what was going on in Australia. There wasn't alot happening which, i guess is good for Christmas until they aired their last article, normally aired after the weather and sport.

It was an Australian troops in Iraq Christmas Greeting. It wasn't an unusual article to feature but it saddened me like i couldn't believe.

I'm not usually one to be affected by news articles but as i watched their greetings i just felt this great lump in my throat. I thought that it was so heartbreaking to watch them have to send home a greeting instead of spending it in the flesh with their loved ones.

Although i was really sad watching it, it wasn't until one of the last greetings that tears just rolled down my cheeks, even writing this, it still makes me feel emotional.

A grown man, probably in his late 40's or 50's sent home a greeting and started off ok but as he said things like, 'i love you all, i miss you all very much and i'm wishing i could be their to spend Christmas with you' blah blah etc etc, stuff like that, he started getting all choked up, unable to get his message across and becoming very teary. Being a man and everything he probably didn't want to cry but it was pretty obvious that he just needed to be with his family for Christmas.

Now, being at my own parents house, i was fairly embarressed not being able to hold back the tears but i just kind of did the whole coughing-i-must-be-getting-sick routine to cover up my saddness.

But it's awful to think that people are sending home Christmas greetings because they're in another country fighting a war against evil and corruption etc instead of relaxing with their families. These soldiers, these men and women shouldn't have to be sending home Christmas greetings and that's what made me so sad! They're so committed to bringing peace and safety and unity back to other countries and so committed to enforcing values and morals that they're missing out on their own families lives.

You know, war doesn't just affect soldiers and their enemies and the country they're fighting in, it affects they're families and our own countries as well. The affects of war has a chain reaction and unfortunately it's not a good one. But you all knew that!

I guess i wish that we didn't have to have war, that soldiers didn't have to miss out on Christmas and i guess alot of people probly feel exactly the same way. 90% of the time, war doesn't really impact me, i don't blink an eyelid that it's even going on, until you see something like that on tv that just completely rips ya heart in half and then you realise just how much hurt is going on in the world.

Anyway, i didn't know what to title this blog and it doesn't really seem appropriate but i'm glad that i had the opportunity to spend christmas with my family and friends and the people closest to me because it's something we all take for granted and something that alot of people have missed out on this Christmas!

I'm dedicating this blog to all the soldiers who haven't had the great blessing of a joyous Christmas with the people closest to them. You are a valued part of our society!

Everyone take care and have a safe and fulfilled new year in 2006!

Love and prayers
Tink xoxo

Colour your world

Gosh, darn it Josephine, dontcha just need a bit of nonsense in the world sometimes?!

Tehehe....

Tink xoxo

PS: I apologise to the avid fans of this site who don't live on the wild, carefree side and ARE a tad serious!

Letter to the President

Dear Mr President

It is with my utmost humble affection true that I write to you for we haven't spoke in days and yet I find myself still longing for your touch.

Mr President, I am perplexed at our lack of communication. The time is slipping away between us and we are losing valuable, precious time to be making many memories last.

I am still troubled greatly by issues in neverland such as ant disease and unfair pirate legislations, indeed it seems odd to me that you earn a greater amount of money than even I do here in the woods and forests and yet you are not willing to make an effort stop these pirates from ruining our land and taking our freedom. They may take our women and children but they will never take our FREEDOM!!! ....oh...i got a bit carried away with Mel.....Why must Neverland be like this Mr President?

The memories of our last holiday together still permeate my mind like a feather blowing from the high treetops slowly and gracefully to the ground on a warm spring's day. Although i enjoy the summertime, it brings me joy, warmth and icypoles. Oh, the fun and frivolity that was had though, what magnificent days they were! Oh the joy of laughter as you sat fishing, realising you'd thrown your line in without any bait, that was quite a giggle wasn't it?! Not a sign of a pirate for miles in sight, what joy and happiness you brought to our happy homes!!

And who could forget the pleasant memory when we flew over the waters and in through the trees, wasn't it such a thrill?! It was a new experience for even me Mr President, to fly with you hand in hand, oh how we flew! Or what about when my purple, monkey dishwasher blew up and you got down and dirty with it, fixing up the little nuisance of a thing. You are so strong and courageous Mr President!!!

Mr President, despite the ongoing tension that seems to be swelling in this Neverland world around us and despite the sadness and despair our world of growing older seems to be right now, you are the one person that brings light and sunshine to every new morning that dawns! I thank you for that. I thank you that we never have to grow old, sorry it happened to you, but because of you we never again have to grow old (the meaning of that still perplexes me)!

Please continue to do all that you can to keep our Neverland at peace and safe from the Pirates and I pray that you will steer clear of and avoid those ever-looming intern affairs. Morning and evening.

May the votes be with you.

Signed sincerely and with many friendly and hideously hideous greetings,
Your faithful sugar plum fairy (sometimes though, i wish i were a carnie folk)
Tinkin' YOUR belle

Your Father - a treat for Mooj

Ok, don't stress, this isn't going to be one of my God-stuff emails, the title is just for fun. So now that I still have your attention, I want to draw your continuing attention to several subjects all in this one email.

The Race Riots....now, weren't they something?! Completely and utterly shameful and disgraceful Australia....what were you thinking?! As a result, not only has hatred and disrespect been stirred up, but the whole flippin' nation now has a brand name of hate and violence and countries around the world are not giving our Great South Land a very good wrap as a tourist destination at all?! This is not even to mention the disrespect we are showing to each other. I'll tell you what, i for one do NOT want a repeat of what happened in the States and in South Africa of blacks verses whites and vice versa in this country, which is basically what this flaw in our country is panning out to be. Are we not above all that??? Do we not know that we all have the same coloured blood (i learnt that from uncle rhemus)????? Even the same creator???? I'm starting to think we don't know something as simple as that. Honestly, we as human beings need to get over ourselves and look heavenward for a change coz it's not really about us now, is it?! So much for a non-religious email.....but even if this wasn't a religious email, whatever happened to love and kindness and peace???? Even the non-religious people promote those things! Deary me, have we lost our minds competely????

However, i myself am constantly battling the bad habit of road rage i have....but i AM trying!!!! I tell you what, with all this racism happening (which, Mr Howard, i feel IT IS!!!) road rage is not a smart idea anyway, so i'm learning quickly i assure you!!!!

Right, next topic.

On saturday night (17th December) I was involved in the Carols in the Domain, part of the Salvation Army choir (not songster brigade) along with two friends and a million other people from church. All up there were about 130 of us when there was only supposed to be 120 of us, so with that extra 10 people, we were a little squashed to say the least! But no sweat....actually there was a lot of sweat?! We rubbed shoulders with the likes of Shannon Noll and Paulini and Tim Campbell and Leo Sayer and Sophie Monk and Adam Brand and Georgie Parker and The Wiggles and, oh, The Hoff.....but most importantly and i MEAN most importantly, PATRIZIO BUANNE....oh, be still my beating heart!!!!! He has an ego the size of mount koziosko and yet i still love him, i'm hoping to marry him someday.....*sighs*.....don't forget me, my love!!! Anyway, enough of my swooning....a good time was had by all and we've been invited back next year....so, fun times ahead i guess.

On Sunday night (18th December) i had the awesome privilege of attending the Rockdale Salvos Carols for the very first time. It was quite an experience! They do no sit on lawn and neither do they sit on the ground....it's odd, they all sit on chairs....the most bizarre Carols i've ever seen. So a few of us 'young'ns' sat a few paces at the back and laid out our blankets and sat on the hard concrete. Mind you, none of us really listened to what was going on, we didn't even really sing any carols to be honest. We chatted amongst ourselves and lit some candles kindly provided by me and had a merry ol' time.

Also on this same night Mooj and i noticed that we in fact have a person from a parralell universe in our midst. The topic of conversation between them was just amazing. We were awed by the experience. Imagine if you found the other you in this world and on this planet?! Wouldn't that be cool to be talking to.....YOURSELF?!?! The 'other' universe really DOES exist. It's OUT there!!!

Next topic,which roughly relates to the previous topic....amongst our crowd we had a couple of young hooligans (well actually, they are pyromaniacs, aren't they Aaron?! But the funny thing was, when i said that, he said to me 'hooligans??? we're merely trying to have a carols by candlelight?!') who kept trying to set sticks and grass and leaves on fire. That's not to mention they tried singeing people's hair and blankets as well. Deary me, people should not let children play with fire! It's not safe is it Suzie McQue?! FIRE - Let's Play Safe! Actually Suzie McQue has a very real phobia of fire doesn't she Dina?! I guess that's what happens when you witness some girls head being set on fire at the Domain carols because she got to close to the harmful effects of fire! I'd just like also to point out that Suzie McQue also has a very real crush on a certain singer called....well let's just nickname him Dinky Dino. He likes to sing. But

"you don't turn it that way, it goes the other way?!"

There are two other boys who i am apparently needing to blog about besides Dinky Dino (who i am apparently supposed to blog about 5 times during this blog). Let's call one of them Squallop and the other cuddlepops. Cuddlepops i am happy to blog about ANY time because well really, he is rather cuddly - not that i've ever gotten close enough to get a cuddle (something to do with um, personal space you could say?!). Cuddlepops is handsome and muscly and someday we are going to get married, twas supposed to be sometime in the next 10 days but i don't like my chances, so hurry up mr cuddlepops, otherwise your friend won't be the best man!!! Squallop on the other hand....wellllll....he's nice in his own unique way i suppose. Do we have to say anymore about him because a. i don't really want to, b. he doesn't deserve a mention on my site and c. what's the point in wasting time and effort on him??? Ok there, i've blogged about him?!

I'd also like to point out that you all know the meaning of Moojaguffer (well the avid blog readers do because i blogged about it!) but it has come to my attention that a new word has been made up - Joojaguffer....it does not appear to be in my dictionary, is it in anyone elses???

For those of you who are feeling the withdrawals of the Red Shield Appeal, never fear there are only 167 more days for you to sweat it out! It will be here sooner than you can say snappy and you can be the weirdo predator that you are and knock on people's doors!

Also in this blog i'd like to point out that i have been working for the Salvation Army for 4 years now and not once have i thought of the ian channel being famous - NOT ONCE! Indeed, i still don't think he's all that famous and nor have i bumped into him all that often. It has NOTHING to do with the price of tea in China but it just seems odd that people are blogging about him when i don't see what all the fuss is about?!

I was having a conversation with someone the other day and we were discussing how horrible it is to miss someone so much that it hurts. I'd like you to use the comments box (which by the way rohan now has his comments working!!!! go to Rohan's page! leave a comment but if it starts printing just click on 'cancel print') and tell me if you've ever had this experience because i definately have and so has my friend....what about you??

Also in the comments box can someone please tell me what the name of that game is called that's a piece of rubbish??? It's like some Donald Trump game, but i just don't know what the name of it is. I've heard about it and i don't think people should play it coz it sounds ridiculous and just a lot of nonsense - sort of like this blog!!! Unlike the Grape Escape!!! Now that's a GOOD game!!!

By the way, just before i finish this blog of nonsense, which is really what the title of it should be called, don't forget to pay a visit to my sim saga's page and keep yourself updated with what's been happening with them (not alot lately!!!). There you will also find some Christmas wallpapers for your desktops, they're lovely, i have the Christmas tree one at work - i love my sims!!! REmind me to tell you about the Felangi's another time....they have a terrible, TERRIBLE owner!!!! The sims should get a mannequin to shoot her with a mannequin pisstol.....but then that's not much of the peace and kindness and joy and happiness that we want to promote this Christmas, is it?! Oh well, Mooj, we'll let you get off just this one time!!! Moojaguffer IS quite the pleasant friend, you see!

That's all the nonsense i can handle for now!!!

Tink xoxo

PS: Patrizio is not a sleaze and you should all learn to spell!!!! P-A-T-R-I-Z-I-O......if only the REAL Patrizio would comment on my blog!!!!

PPS: I apologise for censoring comments.....Ian Channel made me do it!!!

ScHoOLiEs

Since it's been pointed out ever so kindly that it has now been 10 days since my last blog, I thought i'd blog about the one event that i've been meaning to blog about for a long time now - Schoolies!!! Even if it IS three weeks late in coming!!!

Wow, i'm actually at the blogging part. I've been procrastinating about doing this for three weeks because i just don't think that blogging about it will do my experience any justice at all whatsoever and i'm sure there are going to be parts of it i'm sure to miss out and that will suck. I should start. I'm procrastinating.

Procrastinating's a FUN word isn't it, so is pre-warn, it's a word in the dictionary apparently......still procrastinating.....

Rightio...here we go.....

Schoolies was a fun event, many a laugh was had, many a name was learnt and well yea, it was a fun experience (this is bad). The annual piercings took place as per usual which as you can see, its an awesome photo, awesome piercing. Killed a whole heck of a lot, but proves that no matter what the pain is, i can do anything when i want to...it's called the hook of your ear, also had my left tragus done but unfotunately haven't got any pics of that being done, very cool piercing though and according to Monica, one of our Schoolies, it makes most people look like lesbians, but not me, she said it looked good. Thanks Mon! The guy actually pierced BEHIND where i wanted it pierced but no sweat, i'll just get that done next year up above my left tragus.

Oh, oh, oh.....PLUG TIME.....

If you ever happen to be on the Gold Coast and want to get anything, and i mean ANYTHING, pierced, you MUST (that's right, it really shouldn't be an option) go to Flesh Impressions they are brilliant in what they do and are extremely clean and professional, that's not to mention they are extremely well priced (indeed NOT expensive!!!). It's a small but straight to the point studio. I HIGHLY recommend them!!! So if you're up that way and you have the urge to put a hole in yourself, make sure you look them up!!! They're located in Broadbeach. Guys from there if you're reading this, you did an AWESOME job, thanks soooo much!!!

Ok...end of plug....

So it all began with about 10 of us catching the train/Coach to the Gold Coast which was an experience in itself. I'm not much of a traveller. I think i hate it because as a kid i travelled so much and squashing into a back seat with two brothers is not much fun, so it kind of killed my sense of adventure. But much to my surprise it wasn't as bad as i had anticipated. I have a habit of doing that, making things out to be much worse than what they are so that i am not disappointed when it's not as bad....different story....but yes, the train/coach trip was eventful and not too stressful.

Some fun things .... what were they ... hmmm .... i guess meeting up with my 'bestie' Aaron was good, that was exciting and entertaining (hOOrAYYY, ick)....always fun times when Aaron's around, although he's not as fun when he's tired.....

Ya mum was pretty fun...lol.....ok so i wore out the phrase 'ya mum' and no-one made me smile more than when i got home and was driving with Matty G and he said 'ya mum is?!' in reply to one of my statements...wow, it was an awesome thing to be back home and hear someone else other than me talking about 'ya mum'.....so what, i get ripped about stealing people's phrases - I DON'T CARE?!

Some other things i learnt from the Schoolies themselves are:

• Don't put shirts with collars in the dryer....they just end up being ripped up and looking like a fluffly scarf....pretty funny though.
  
• I learnt that the word 'rank' is the equivalent to yuck/dirty/disgusting/gross/feral/chat. I like that word actually....
  
• i learnt that schoolies start as young as about 5 years of age and that they can dance (pretty well mind you) to songs such as 'my humps'....which i didn't agree with (whatever happened to 'The Wiggles'????). The bit about the little girl being a schoolies was a tiny bit of a falicy, she was a sister of one of the schoolies just staying with her and her mum for one night of schoolies. Which was odd in itself to allow a parent to stay with you for Schoolies???? Ok so teenagers are getting soft - GOOD FOR THEM!
  
• I learnt that drunk people can end up in ANYONE'S room and that when travelling back to their own hotel room in an elevator they could be likely to drop their dacks at ANY moment, eh Nick?!
  
• I learnt that it is FUN to tell meaningless jokes!!! REALLY FUN!!!
  
• I learnt and slightly enjoyed how to be girly...(this is not something i am proud of though!)
  
• I am the best iced coffee maker.
  
• I was reminded of how muh of a sypathetic spewer i am.
  
• Schoolies don't stop at beer walls, they go one step further to invent the beer fan!!!

Hmmmm i had a fun time watching schoolies acting odd and wonderful. The diversity that each one of us has is AWESOME!!! I love that each of us is comepletely different in our own unique way.

Rohan Nowell amused me when he sat in bird poo.....tehehe that really was funny! And the amount of people who get my age wrong is interesting to say the least, the average guess was about 18 - 22....i'm gonna age well, yea??

The last night of schoolies was interesting, about 4 schoolies and 3 of us walked back from church in the pouring rain. Alice made me feel bad coz she only had thongs on and had an infected toe, i'm soooo sorry!!! But it was good chatting time on the way home especially trying to hail for a maxi taxi, oh i will never look at one of those vans quite the same ever again!!!

What else about schoolies??? See there is just too much to possibly put it in words.....

I guess Adam and Carina's room was the most exciting coz we did lots of things with them. We had dinner with them, watched tv with them, chatted with them, played imagination games with them (oh i have the best fridge imagination game?!)......Carina amused us for hours with her tales of how she stole a beach ball sexy dancing with adam with the ball between them so that the ball would deflate, accidentally hitting it out the window of their 9th floor hotel room....was it 9??? Cec telling us about her rapping mum and other things her mum has done (don't worry i won't go into details)...

Yea but it was just so much fun. We even swam in the pool of our hotel complex while it was pouring rain, that was unreal?! i LOVED that!!!

I met more wonderful people from the Salvo's in Queensland and got to know people better who were only aquantances beforehand. Nickey, Craig and Jacqui being some people i met and Nicko and Sarah being some people i already knew of but had a chance of getting to know much better - woohoo!!! Actually YAY - woohoo is not an appropriate word in Simlish!!! Oh QLDers are so much fun it's such a shame that we don't have more opportunities to catch up with them and get to know them more!!!

Anyway, i'm positive that there were more funny events and stories to tell but well, it HAS been three weeks so, sorry, but that's all you're going to get from me this time around!

SCHOOLIES - I LOVE THE EXPERIENCE EVERY TIME!!!

Tink xoxo

An awesome thing happened on the last night of Schoolies!

The best thing and the most asked about question - my highlight of the week from Schoolies, would have to be seeing two of the schoolies in our hotel come into a relationship with God, that just made my week i think....and two weeks after Schoolies i am still buzzing with the excitement of their new-found relationships.

Somewhere this week i was reminded that the excitement of a new Christian and the excitement that they now know God intimately often rekindles the flame for God in our own lives. Because for the past two weeks i haven't been able to contain my excitement for them and am trying hard to get further into the word and into God than i have recently before. I have to remind myself to be quiet because other people must be getting sick of me always talking about it and always informing them of stuff that's happening with them. Either that or they just don't share the same excitement and joy that I seem to. Weird. But yea....i read Jeremiah 20:1-9 the other day and the 9th verse stood out to me, but you need to read the whole passage to get what it means....i think....the joy of God is uncontainable. Sorry to those who are sick of me telling them about our Schoolies....

But for the sake of my blog, i need to tell you what's happening in one of their lives.

Adam is hilarious (hi Adam if you're reading this!!!! You rock my sox!!! haha, actually no, yo mamma does!!!). Him and his bestie Carina invited Jesus into their lives (WOOOOOO, PARTY, PARTY). Since schoolies Adam has thrown his drugs away, started praying, exchanged/sacrificed being paid at work for taking a day off to go to church, been to his (Christian) sister's church, been to a conference with his sister in Brisbane and is coming to Planetshakers in January - ALL GLORY AND PRAISE TO GOD - THANK YOU JESUS!!!!! Hey Adam, add reading your bible to that list!!!

He inspires me to get passionate (hahaha....personal joke between Carina and Luke, that one!) and to be whole-hearted in what i believe.

It doesn't come with out a price and satan's already tried to attack him through friends and through work but GOD has the final say not satan - PHEWP, THANK YOU JESUS AGAIN - and God is already making a difference in not only his life but his families life as well through Adam's prayer and also through his sister's prayer as well I'm sure.

An awesome story and one which just goes to show that God's not dead NO! he is aliiiive.....hehehe...ok, that kinda takes me back to Sunday School....hmmmm....

As fellow brothers and sisters in Christ can you please pray for these guys (both Adam AND Carina) that God will direct them in their thinking and in their speech and in everything they do? Because we always need to be upholding each other in prayer. If you wanna leave a message of encouragement or whatever for them, feel free to use the comments box, eh?! Ahhhh, not only for me, nifty, isn't it?!

Hey Adam and Carina, again, if you guys are reading this - legends in Christ i say, legends in Christ!!!!! Always look to God for whatever it is you need - strength, someone who'll listen to you, energy, forgiveness, power, wisdom, love, comfort, red frogs.....hahaha, ok, maybe not the red frogs but just keep focused on him!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!! God made a good thing when he created you both!!!

Tink xoxo

A NOTE TO ALL:
Stay away from fridges and bicycles.....there IS logic at the end of the tunnel!!!!

A comment about comments

For those of you who can't seem to get over my screening of comments, this is just a quick note about publishing your comments....

Keep them coming!!!!!! Don't stop (yes, even you Gypo woman)!!! Screening my comments is just an extra safe guard against those dumb comments....i mean, spam comments from robots.

The majority of your comments will always be published so long as they're nice and not embarressing ones, otherwise, i'm the only one that sees them - which sucks for you!

Anyway, keep up the comments, i appreciate and love them heaps!

Tink xoxo

PS: Stay tuned, more schoolies blogs to come! When i get motivated they're gonna be absolutely rivetting!!!

Tellin' it how it is

When emailing a friend this week there have been two new things I have been reminded of...

1. Always be prepared to give an answer for what you believe. It says that in 1 Peter 3:15. I'm a firm believer of telling your faith how it is. But to do that you need to know what it is and why you believe it. See, if someone asks us about God my opion is just tell 'em your honest answer that comes from your heart, sometimes it's not all the bible knowledge in the world that you need, sometimes it's simply your very own experience that people find more interesting. But to do that, you need to have a sound answer to the 'why' question of your faith.

2. A whole heap of us Christians are all at different stages of our walk with God and in 1 Corinthians 3:2 it says that as a child you are fed milk not solid food because you're not ready for it and in the same way as a Christian there's stuff that some of us are just not ready to learn yet, whether you're still learning the basics of being the best Christian you can be or whether you've been walking the talk and talking the walk with God for donkeys years, we are all at different stages to each other, although some of us might be a little closer to each other of where we're at with God!

So, i guess, when you're giving an answer to your faith, just say what you know - give them your very own experience. Talk to people where they're at, relate to people, come alongside them and at the same time, don't be afraid to tell people what you know, no matter how much or how little that might be because in the light of eternity, every little word you've spoken about God will make a huge difference!!!

Tink xoxo