tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-184227642024-03-08T11:38:29.599+11:00Blog By BelleRenaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-54535646098905615402008-03-25T22:41:00.006+11:002008-03-25T23:05:44.766+11:00I'M OVER HERE!!!<span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><a href="http://renaeacrosstheworld.blogspot.com/">http://renaeacrosstheworld.blogspot.com</a></span><br /><br />Hey! For the next few months, you can find me there, at my <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">overseas trip blog</span>! I'm going to make the most of being able to record different aspects of my adventures, for you people to see. It should be pretty amusing for both people who have traveled extensively and for people who haven't at all, to read some first impressions of traveling overseas and all the good and bad experiences of backpacking solo around Europe, using an itinerary I planned myself!<br /><br />There will be photos, videos, maps and journal entries. And there's a map on there now, so you can go and check out the route I'm taking. Also, feel free to give me any travel advice you can think of, and leave comments if you're feeling nice :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">SUBSCRIBE </span>to see when there's new posts on my blog (I believe you young folks call that RSS), or just do what I do and <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">BOOKMARK</span> the page!<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 51); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br />So it's goodbye to this blog for a few months, and hello to my awesome new overseas blog. ;)<br /><br />See ya there.<br /></span>Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-9556509519423681882008-03-25T22:27:00.003+11:002008-03-25T22:37:12.453+11:00Song ListOk so I (out of boredom) wrote a top 10 movie list and top 10 book list, and promised a top 10 song list. But alas, there are too many I like. So I'm going to have to apologise to my millions of readers and leave you all guessing as to what might have made the long-awaited list :P<br /><br />Anyway, in other news, I just got back from Easter up north, which was pretty good. It's now not too long until Adrian leaves for Bolivia, and then I leave for Europe a week later. It's exciting, but I'm guessing it'll be much more exciting closer to the dates, when the whole drama of the year to come will be a whole lot more realistic and imaginable!<br /><br />That's all :)Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-32182102122380843762008-03-03T23:27:00.002+11:002008-03-03T23:44:19.973+11:00The BOOK list!Now for the second-most long-awaited list of 2008.. my Top 10 Favourite Novels. Here they are.<br /><br />1. Harp in the South - Ruth Park<br /><br />2. A Power of Roses - Ruth Park<br /><br />3. Playing Beattie Bow - Ruth Park<br /><br />4. My Sister Sif - Ruth Park<br /><br />5. The Alphabet of Light and Dark - Danielle Wood<br /><br />6. The Devil's Own - Deborah Lisson<br /><br />7. The Diary of Anne Frank (sort of a novel)<br /><br />8. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen<br /><br />9. Poor Man's Orange - Ruth Park<br /><br />10. Cloudstreet - Tim Winton<br /><br />Runners-up: The Power of One, The Potato Factory, Tommo and Hawk, Solomon's Song and Four Fires, all by Bryce Courtenay. They're exceptionally good books, I just don't like Bryce Courtenay's need to make every scene gorier than it needs to be.. he must seriously love violence. Therefore he does not make the top ten.<br /><br />Hmmm there seems to be a Ruth Park trend! And an Australian trend. And a children's novel trend. There are so many other awesome novels that are far better books than these, but these are the ones I personally like best. That was a rather boring list.. most people don't really like/care about novels unless they're a book nerd. So, coming next... top 10 favourite songs. Yay!Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-19222140102825033692008-03-01T10:06:00.003+11:002008-03-01T10:27:16.402+11:00THE Movie List of 2008! :PThe long-awaited list has now been released. Renae's Top 10 Favourite Movies. Behold.<br /><br />1. Looking for Alibrandi.<br /><br />2. The Love Letter. (It was a telemovie. I only saw it once, but I loved it.)<br /><br />3. Dirty Dancing.<br /><br />4. Across the Universe.<br /><br />5. Sliding Doors.<br /><br />6. Moulin Rouge.<br /><br />7. Amelie.<br /><br />8. Pride and Prejudice (BBC).<br /><br />9. Robin Hood: Men In Tights.<br /><br />10. Love Actually.<br /><br />Close runners-up: James Bond - all of them from Sean Connery to Timothy Dalton, Bridget Jones' Diary, The Lake House, Juno.<br /><br />You might notice a few trends! Good soundtrack (i.e. Moulin Rouge, Across the Universe, Dirty Dancing).. the theme of parallel times (The Love Letter, Sliding Doors, The Lake House). But you can't beat Looking for Alibrandi. It's a classic. The best scene: John's funeral, with U2 singing "With or Without You". Sigh.Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-10883302246748232922008-02-22T10:56:00.003+11:002008-02-22T11:13:34.406+11:00Goodbye FebruaryWhere did it go? I think that's a record for the fastest a month has ever passed. Well it's not quite over yet, but I can't believe uni goes back next week. I've finished uni but Allie, my flatmate, doesn't seem overly excited about going back. I love going back to uni after holidays, weird I know, but I love starting a new year. And this is my FIRST year I've been out of school since I was 4!! I did SEVENTEEN years of school and now I'm not going back. Oh well, one must move on eventually. As for my oldest sister, Carly, she's just finishing her PhD in Contemporary Arts (painting) and her thesis is due the end of this month. Yikes. She's a professional uni student, and proud of it. Leesa, my other sister, recently moved to north-eastern Victoria to live near our mum, but she hasn't been able to get a teaching job (she has an Education degree), so she's in the process of starting a job at a 000 call centre! Could be pretty stressful, but she's made for those situations!<br /><br />I think I'm going to go to Focus next week, seeing as that's one of the days I don't work. Just to see what they're up to! I can't let go... ;)<br /><br />Adrian leaves for his short-term mission trip on 9th April. He'll be gone for 11 months in total. I leave for Europe 8 days after he leaves, on 17th April. I'll be back on 23rd June. Exciting times. We're really kinda desperate to promote his trip, not for financial support, but prayer support and just to have people knowing about it and taking an interest. I know our church in particular is trying to be more and more mission-focused, and it just seems that this is an opportunity we should be embracing, to have one of our church members going on a not-so-short mission trip to somewhere that has so many huge needs. So hopefully Mick Elliott from SIM can come and speak at Wellspring sometime, and hopefully people will go <a href="http://www.fixmypix.com.au/blog">HERE</a> (bookmark it!!!) and read about it and learn about Bolivia and Ecuador, maybe pray about it, and take an interest. The Bible Society is making Bolivia their big project for this year, so you'll probably see their brochures and stuff in churches around the place.Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-18948286140471482192008-01-31T17:23:00.000+11:002008-01-31T18:02:25.467+11:00<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">READ THIS THEN SCROLL DOWN, COUNT TO TEN AND THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU! Yet to be proven a scam.***</span></span><br /><br />When I read the following bit of 2 Peter last night, it reminded me a lot of laziness. Because I think when we fall into laziness, apathy, or whatever you want to call it, we still know that we've been <span style="font-style: italic;">saved</span> through our faith in Jesus, but we forget what we've been <span style="font-style: italic;">saved</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">from</span>. Once we're saved, we're no longer slaves to what we used to be, when we were controlled by our sinful nature. But when we get lazy, we often revert back to a lot of our past ways, while still having faith. But this part of the Bible talks about the whole sanctifying process of adding to your faith and not going back to being nearsighted, and <span style="font-style: italic;">forgetting </span>what you've been saved from.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2 Peter 1: 5-11</span><br /><br />Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.<br /><br />Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />On another note, why are people more into Facebook now than reading blogs? Facebook is great, don't get me wrong, but blogs are far more thought-provoking and personal, and minus the pressure to add applications to see how your friends rate your hotness and whether or not he's your soul mate.. (latest applications I was invited to join - Is he your soulmate? and What kind of kisser are you?) Point made!<br /><br />***Didn't I fool you.Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-15690288655086657722008-01-30T15:04:00.000+11:002008-01-30T15:23:05.576+11:00Not long now!Well it's January.. hang on, the end of January. This summer is going too fast!! I'm still working at Sealife right up until the end of March. I've cut it back to three days, cos it was just adding up to being a bit too sleep-depriving for my liking, plus a number of other reasons too.. Especially when we were doing two tours a day - there were days when I had to leave home at 7 and get home at about 8. That just smells. So I'm back to three days!<br /><br />Most of my trip overseas is sorted out, in terms of booking airfares and accommodation, and working out the whole itinerary. The second half of the 2 month trip is going to be full on, I'm talking spending only 2 or 3 nights in some cities, then moving on! It is a holiday, but it's going to be quite tiring in parts. And sleeping in dorms with lots of other people.. I'm someone who needs space occassionally! So, for the first half of the trip, I'm trying to spend more time in each place. I'm spending about a week with a friend in Denmark. Then, unbelievably, I have a spare week to do something with! It'll be after I leave Copenhagen, and before I make my way to Berlin. I want to stay in the one place for a week. I was thinking southern Sweden, or the northern-most tip of Denmark, a place called Skagen. Not sure?<br /><br />Adrian leaves for South America on the 9th April, when he flies from Hobart to Sydney. I'm flying this part with him (well on a separate plane, but up to Sydney on the same day), so I can see him off on the 10th when he flies to Santiago. I fly out 8 days later on the 17th April, from Hobart to Sydney. Leesa (my sister, who has now moved to Wangaratta, Victoria) is coming up to Sydney to see me off.<br /><br />The first part of Adrian's trip is to spend 4 months in Boliva, working with IOU (International Orphanage Union). It's hard to get a picture of what he'll be doing because it's hard for even him to know before he gets there. But he'll be an intern, and this blog <a href="http://iouinterns.blogspot.com">iouinterns.blogspot.com</a> is written by interns! So I found it gave a really good picture what goes on at the orphanages and what the interns get up to. It seems like there's lots of 1) playing with the kids, 2) helping with building projects and 3) tutoring, talking with, and more playing with the kids! I reckon those little kids would grow up to be such interesting people - hopefully as Christians, who are so blessed in life compared to the ones who grow up without a Christian family. They'd have such a range of experiences - being abandoned by their parents, finding a home at the orphanage, finding a friend/parent in God, getting to know people from Australia and other countries (the interns), whilst still living in Bolivia, where they were born into far less fortunate circumstances. What a life, so different to anything we see here!Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-20259841120335818592008-01-16T10:28:00.000+11:002008-01-16T10:42:41.573+11:00Across the UniverseI saw this awhile ago at the State and meant to post about it when it was fresh in my memory. So instead of a well-structured, well-thought out review*, here's what I believe made it an awesome movie:<br /><br />The music! An all Beatles soundtrack. The main characters were Jude and Lucy, so you can guess at least 2 of the songs. But the classics like Strawberry Fields Forever and Across the Universe were brilliantly remade. They stayed quite true to the originals, but illustrated their meaning in the visuals of the movie. It was set in the 60s part of the Vietnam War. It seemed (ok so Adrian said this but I agreed with him..!) that they were, in the movie, trying to illustrate the real inspiration for each song but still in a really creative and often 'visually stunning' way. So in that respect, they stayed quite true to the possible original meaning of the song but also added to how much of their meaning (for the most part pretty bizarre) you were able to understand. The visuals for Strawberry Fields Forever were especially good, and very telling.<br /><br />That's all for now. Make sure you see it! Or you can look it up on <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.youtube.com">www.youtube.com</a> for a preview. Find the music on <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.songza.com">www.songza.com</a>..<br /><br />*I'm tired.. I just got out of bed.Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-47049266289426068552007-12-21T19:29:00.000+11:002007-12-21T20:29:47.162+11:00Graduating<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZoNIQeHtOGuLt8H0D6b0L1vI2j1L2YZ8xXcXGOckW1iK4Qfcza8XeysAF2QUoA6slTqqFV8_n1RgmaS73pXO-Mj_KVz9YFwEP9Zka0omF-eCq2y5R8OCAYcaoIfp8u0d-mCE/s1600-h/PC191626.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZoNIQeHtOGuLt8H0D6b0L1vI2j1L2YZ8xXcXGOckW1iK4Qfcza8XeysAF2QUoA6slTqqFV8_n1RgmaS73pXO-Mj_KVz9YFwEP9Zka0omF-eCq2y5R8OCAYcaoIfp8u0d-mCE/s320/PC191626.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146342018313148562" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjAIWXy8aTjMQWPGQ_NmhyCVMErsv3HyKhxWYnY4neg5Tdm4bYCyhjhUN_T-brFIedS8TVxxeEhwtVT_N6CkIeZ4ClMrKSBmoUZe4nUMG1kh22iqVVP8aIBrg9jTJd2XA_FGf/s1600-h/PC191657.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjAIWXy8aTjMQWPGQ_NmhyCVMErsv3HyKhxWYnY4neg5Tdm4bYCyhjhUN_T-brFIedS8TVxxeEhwtVT_N6CkIeZ4ClMrKSBmoUZe4nUMG1kh22iqVVP8aIBrg9jTJd2XA_FGf/s320/PC191657.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146342791407261858" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJkwMCy9IyNrEQ_a6PmFCd1gYrkRDoHEytdqeng6N4ZUqhJ_XtrBD2ghUnCz4uj789CiHtD3ZcrgCZ35xsy0SjYJI9YKPRSlYqKZutDwPizgTDHRLGDWzq9LYSQeRyU2hzGNX/s1600-h/PC191699.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJkwMCy9IyNrEQ_a6PmFCd1gYrkRDoHEytdqeng6N4ZUqhJ_XtrBD2ghUnCz4uj789CiHtD3ZcrgCZ35xsy0SjYJI9YKPRSlYqKZutDwPizgTDHRLGDWzq9LYSQeRyU2hzGNX/s320/PC191699.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146355448675883202" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MRX5rYxQYpU7v6jd0VpOH1wcrv1u6GstJS2z-CgXBiBdtWwvAIh178lCmNucJxCVtGSEhOmNbivOIdWR1DBh5pFDcppSJ3-IvXfbwlId9oD4n-DzvWPK18LN8m69WWPbW0Fh/s1600-h/PC191673.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MRX5rYxQYpU7v6jd0VpOH1wcrv1u6GstJS2z-CgXBiBdtWwvAIh178lCmNucJxCVtGSEhOmNbivOIdWR1DBh5pFDcppSJ3-IvXfbwlId9oD4n-DzvWPK18LN8m69WWPbW0Fh/s320/PC191673.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5146343779249739954" /></a>Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-72116914884003814252007-12-12T01:27:00.000+11:002007-12-12T02:03:47.503+11:00Why Bubbleshare is better than Flickr...You get lots more albums and photo space on Bubbleshare it seems. Come and see my photos! Just click <a href="http://www.bubbleshare.com/users/profile/416956">here</a>.<br /><br /><span style="text-align: center; width: 380px; display: block;"><embed flashvars="rss_feed=http://www.bubbleshare.com/rss/281528/feed.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" bgcolor="#ffffff" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" src="http://www.bubbleshare.com/swfs/slider.swf?4215" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="189" width="380"></embed><span style="display: block;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9;" >BubbleShare: <a href="http://www.bubbleshare.com/" style="font-size: 100%;">Share photos</a> - <span style="font-size:100%;">Powered by BubbleShare</span><br /></span></span>Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-79203760818833253842007-11-27T23:01:00.001+11:002007-11-27T23:47:17.115+11:00Back by popular demandSo just after exams I started my job with Sealife Experience. I'm working Fridays to Mondays. I did my first weekend just observing and trying to learn. The office stuff was ok, like taking bookings and doing credit transactions. But the boat posed a bit of a challenge. You see, I found out not only would I be a guide, but because it's a small business, I'd be deckhand as well! Yikes. I didn't know much about boats and was certain I'd fall in the water before too long. It was inevitable.<br /><br />So I did my training weekend, not falling in the water, and then did my first weekend taking tours (this weekend just gone). My first day was ok.. a few "deckhanding" issues, because I hadn't been shown a few things like mooring the boat, and I was just learning what all the ropes were for. But my commentary went ok. It's quite a long tour, 3 and a half hours, but really good value for what you pay. And it's an awesome piece of coastline we cover, with lots of seacaves you can take the boat right inside.<br /><br />I've taken 3 tours now, where I've been doing the commentary. Here's what's REALLY cool though. I've had this fascination since a really young age (maybe 7 or 8) with whales and dolphins, which was more like an obsession, as my family would tell you. But I'd never actually SEEN a whale, even when I was out with the Sealife guys doing training. But on my first tour, we saw two humpback whales, a mother and calf. They were so beautiful, cruising along, maybe 200m from the boat. We cut the engine and the sea was so calm, so all you could hear was the waves slapping against the hull and no sound at all as the whales surfaced, until they'd blow. Quite awesome.<br /><br />On my second tour, we saw a pod of common dolphins. On my third, we had the best day of whale sightings so far this season.. eight whales! There was a bull, cow and calf in Munro Bight, just cruising along. Then down at Cape Pillar, a calf was breaching, right out of the water! It had swam up to a fishing boat and was breaching right next to it.. the fishermen said over the radio, they thought it was going to jump into the boat. Would've made an awesome photo, the calf breaching with the huge cliffs of Cape Pillar in the background. We saw the calf and its mother again at Tasman Island, breaching again. Then on the way back, we saw three whales, slapping their tails on the water and just cruising along. We stayed and watched them for ages.<br /><br />So God definitely blessed me hugely. I have been massively tired and it's been really hard getting used to this job for some reason, but I think I'll get into it soon. But seeing whales on my first day was awesome. Part of the reason I decided to study tourism (I once wanted to do marine biology) was that the idea of showing people God's creation appealed to me. And there was something awesome about how when we were watching the whales, we were all just standing at the side of the boat in silence, watching them, and no-one could've denied how impressed they were. Whether they knew it or not, they were looking at just one part of God's creation, and just the tiniest display of his power. If people can be inspired and excited by enormous whales splashing around in the ocean, how much more should they acknowledge God, who made them. Creation is inspiring but it's not great and powerful.. God the creator is.<br /><br />So here are some photos! All are from Google, I'm afraid. Only the first is an official Sealife photo, the others are from who knows where. Oh and guess what else.. I haven't fallen in the water yet. Emphasis on "yet" :)<br /><br />Here is our boat:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirnHQ97T_8W09JhE1JZAaIPx4ZaMhS7L7ZNtkTDIp_1aNvwk6ik9IQmcamkmV9gtViTadKd8TPKIyyjquKxHL7Y16TyBzlb0ZCCuSDWOfpFOf7gRy3zOYwI8CBY9581aMQg2m/s1600-h/encounter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirnHQ97T_8W09JhE1JZAaIPx4ZaMhS7L7ZNtkTDIp_1aNvwk6ik9IQmcamkmV9gtViTadKd8TPKIyyjquKxHL7Y16TyBzlb0ZCCuSDWOfpFOf7gRy3zOYwI8CBY9581aMQg2m/s320/encounter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137496809403634066" border="0" /></a><br />This is sort of what the calf looked like when it was breaching:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHyZAf6aA7tKJjjrlUXdaDndWLhKPLioTkD_-wrHggFkp-L0yPmVY1B2DgfVRrVyY4otQwObXEZ7913hETuRsLs3xc2adXjxDu0QJ5xFgAoSo77sFfvkJtA8b41RQbo905W37q/s1600-h/calf.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHyZAf6aA7tKJjjrlUXdaDndWLhKPLioTkD_-wrHggFkp-L0yPmVY1B2DgfVRrVyY4otQwObXEZ7913hETuRsLs3xc2adXjxDu0QJ5xFgAoSo77sFfvkJtA8b41RQbo905W37q/s320/calf.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137497148706050466" border="0" /></a><br />And this is a bit like what we could see of the adult whales:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgnec3vDCpAgR6GKAXK687cxrYVfHl1ptBdE51CVSTtwrXZC0xk4_hmVPNs2EySLyw8_3ULe4LdJrVL9a_15ZStLxfw4_jvf1Uhi4g_P-skXHqMO98kI8CAYOm9PLO-XCEzc-/s1600-h/blow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgnec3vDCpAgR6GKAXK687cxrYVfHl1ptBdE51CVSTtwrXZC0xk4_hmVPNs2EySLyw8_3ULe4LdJrVL9a_15ZStLxfw4_jvf1Uhi4g_P-skXHqMO98kI8CAYOm9PLO-XCEzc-/s320/blow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137497603972583858" border="0" /></a>Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-63076786598149850082007-11-12T12:26:00.000+11:002007-11-12T12:51:53.738+11:00EuropaI booked and paid for (in full, yikes, I'm broke) my tickets to Europe this morning. The plan is to leave in late April, flying Hobart - Sydney -Beijing - Frankfurt - Copenhagen. It was quite expensive to fly into Copenhagen, but that's where I'm meeting my friend. I think we'll go to Bornholm (island, part of Denmark, off the coast of Sweden) straight away for the weekend, so I'll be dead. Then we'll probably spend a few days together in Copenhagen where she lives. Next I'll leave her and travel around Denmark and then to Berlin. I'm doing a loop of northern Europe with Busabout starting early May in Berlin. That'll take me to Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Paris, Bruges and Amsterdam. Then I'm training from Berlin to Lucerne (Switzerland) and on to Nice in France, which I'm more looking forward to more than anywhere else. Then to Milan (Italy) where I'll fly to Athens and then straight on to Santorini. Then home via Athens, Frankfurt and Beijing again, getting back late in June.<br /><br />Got that? Good, cos I haven't! I'm super excited about it all but there's lots of planning and asking for people's advice. I've never been overseas before so hopefully it goes smoothly.. well smoothly is unlikely :P so hopefully nothing too tragic happens. What do you think, anyone who's been these places before or have thought about it? Where would you go/not go?Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-46744107628270704392007-11-07T16:12:00.000+11:002007-11-07T16:27:24.246+11:00A day 'til freedomI'm finding that after writing entries with pictures on here, any without pictures look boring. But I don't have any for this one, so hopefully it'll be exciting enough with it's content... ;)<br /><br />Well I have one more exam to go, which is tomorrow at 9am. Postcolonial Fictions. My mind is more on what comes after that though - celebratory shopping. I really want to see (as do a few others I know!) Across the Universe, a new movie that's not in Tassie yet, I don't think. So there's a few things to look forward to.<br /><br />I'm still planning Europe adventures! I'm getting myself all excited the more I find out about each place. I have an appointment this Sunday with Flight Centre, so hopefully I can book flights. The plan thus far is to fly to Copenhagen and see Denmark, then do a loop of northern Europe with <a href="http://www.busabout.com/Explorer">Busabout</a>. Then I'll have 2 weeks to spare before flying home, which I haven't yet decided on. My latest fantasy is Nice, in the French Riviera. In fact, France is interesting me more and more lately. Could've been because I watched Moulin Rouge again last night..<br /><br />All in all I'm hoping to be gone for 2 months, beginning about 15th April. My sister's wedding is the 30th June, so I'll be back for that. All of this is if God wills it of course. If these plans aren't meant to happen I'll let them go, even if it means forsaking the French Riviera and the Moulin Rouge ;)<br /><br />Aaah I have an exam tomorrow.. have to stop playing Scrabulous and writing on my blog, and START studying!Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-31647886982944480732007-10-28T12:16:00.000+11:002007-10-28T14:46:50.929+11:00You Need to Know About...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ek4OY_njYVAbVJ8rrnbhw1f2YdpglfB_uP1ytEIXt22bRkBSwewFRqtni0DCco5dm241eW8tw10T55eJbRyKTxF6Z6zjVD1iSba4_5j02dEBjcW0qOWDHkGTK00x9MYbGqwg/s1600-h/rotate.php.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ek4OY_njYVAbVJ8rrnbhw1f2YdpglfB_uP1ytEIXt22bRkBSwewFRqtni0DCco5dm241eW8tw10T55eJbRyKTxF6Z6zjVD1iSba4_5j02dEBjcW0qOWDHkGTK00x9MYbGqwg/s320/rotate.php.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126191555957283970" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.fixmypix.com.au/blog">Adrian</a>'s short-term mission trip to South America.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></p><blockquote style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >In 2008, I will embark on a big adventure, which will take me to Cochabamba, Bolivia and Quito, Ecuador. I will use this page to summarise the trip, the mission field I will be working in, and up-to-date prayer points</span><span style="font-size:100%;">.</span></blockquote><p></p><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">This is a sample from his blog, which is well-maintained and gorgeously designed. To see it, <a href="http://www.fixmypix.com.au/blog">click here</a>.<br /><br />To read about his mission trip, <a href="http://www.fixmypix.com.au/blog/?page_id=110">click here</a>.<br /><br />To learn about <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bolivia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, go <a href="http://www.fixmypix.com.au/blog/?page_id=123">here</a>.<br /><br />To learn about <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ecuador</st1:place></st1:country-region>, go <a href="http://www.fixmypix.com.au/blog/?page_id=124">here</a>.<br /><br />This blog provides regular updates on Adrian's preparation, information on South America, articles on issues such as poverty, and prayer points. Get involved in mission in South America by committing to read Adrian's blog and supporting this mission through prayer.</p>Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-20392209331805826762007-10-14T23:11:00.000+11:002007-10-15T00:08:37.861+11:00BirthdayRecently I turned 21. I usually hate my birthday, so it was a nice surprise that this one was in actual fact quite awesome! Aside from getting lots of fantastic presents, my lovely friends cooked me dinner on the day of my birthday, then that weekend my sisters made it down to Hobart, so a group of us went out for dinner at Annapurna followed by drinks at the casino. Lots of things made the whole week really cool. Thankyou everyone.. I might decide to like birthdays now! xx<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WsVNyQMbH06I17oaIihBpuAzc9BQGA6Yq4ia0zYQFiMlyR20r0CY3Wepp70Soru2cXgFqS_Mw-YOQa2vS6SKmYmXOoqGIX6_aexmIBFUq_EqfxEQkINvguPth7-chq1ckXKR/s1600-h/pressies.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WsVNyQMbH06I17oaIihBpuAzc9BQGA6Yq4ia0zYQFiMlyR20r0CY3Wepp70Soru2cXgFqS_Mw-YOQa2vS6SKmYmXOoqGIX6_aexmIBFUq_EqfxEQkINvguPth7-chq1ckXKR/s320/pressies.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121172779334101346" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_rwrRUxwbM6cqad1I-vZPC1gKnwM_noqqD1F7tbqCBVhvVanzGIqoMLikwrKyzzO5DVMNr-7uDb1UoKslea0h8wJr8SJek3riThJpvnDH8bKHX2Xyte-iPk-7njugVsqTYfT/s1600-h/cake1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_rwrRUxwbM6cqad1I-vZPC1gKnwM_noqqD1F7tbqCBVhvVanzGIqoMLikwrKyzzO5DVMNr-7uDb1UoKslea0h8wJr8SJek3riThJpvnDH8bKHX2Xyte-iPk-7njugVsqTYfT/s320/cake1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121173213125798258" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCpah58glClheXOYU3SHL9U1lexSe9-85o4WT2JjCO8ZI7JC9RFd37YVE8kieLF2MMdLYe1fVQfU9mDe5nPFBazKmQxGL3nzs7rFaMolzPfxz30IJ4QhFD7AY14WT2V_d-HkK/s1600-h/cake2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCpah58glClheXOYU3SHL9U1lexSe9-85o4WT2JjCO8ZI7JC9RFd37YVE8kieLF2MMdLYe1fVQfU9mDe5nPFBazKmQxGL3nzs7rFaMolzPfxz30IJ4QhFD7AY14WT2V_d-HkK/s320/cake2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121173926090369410" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7yETxQwCNOkkV0URreUbGaqg2ksrcj8s27gHFbI45c4JL2RSQpHG3GMlhdbQAzEfV0KRnqTlGSF838bnUIlnTq5HtFQZyUx-ncachB_vlT9hXBYFpROmGnHypPe-Geyq971S/s1600-h/meandleesa.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin7yETxQwCNOkkV0URreUbGaqg2ksrcj8s27gHFbI45c4JL2RSQpHG3GMlhdbQAzEfV0KRnqTlGSF838bnUIlnTq5HtFQZyUx-ncachB_vlT9hXBYFpROmGnHypPe-Geyq971S/s320/meandleesa.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121178160928123330" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9H113ZELOjl4WeiGxQy2u-LOGyjufijcCsqVshkL2JDZqEcv6Jh5TebIo7ksfjPn85KjKVP_xKI0d8BbTelEOrEfl_QJggc-8AoHaYH6Sy0WziTe7mBobKsVB0r5rjvNOkpVf/s1600-h/dinner1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9H113ZELOjl4WeiGxQy2u-LOGyjufijcCsqVshkL2JDZqEcv6Jh5TebIo7ksfjPn85KjKVP_xKI0d8BbTelEOrEfl_QJggc-8AoHaYH6Sy0WziTe7mBobKsVB0r5rjvNOkpVf/s320/dinner1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121176687754340754" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucYJNC1RMTba2ylt1G-LFnedFJYWzaG3rpYxo9-wF_r-ItQykAar6T8ktK2r-GNPcFFh-RBx-3s-W4Ly5Y_U3Zag1oXe_YNvPhxigsVXpol3LA56aKkCEbntQUrfa2H9Et4Yo/s1600-h/allieandgeorgie.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjucYJNC1RMTba2ylt1G-LFnedFJYWzaG3rpYxo9-wF_r-ItQykAar6T8ktK2r-GNPcFFh-RBx-3s-W4Ly5Y_U3Zag1oXe_YNvPhxigsVXpol3LA56aKkCEbntQUrfa2H9Et4Yo/s320/allieandgeorgie.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121177765791132082" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4TIbav6F5VUucpxVc0BKJKzWLsSlAfVRdMSOFGwuqR1CRJT7yk6rBgz5aK2pAWno_5rUrcgUWbQgAezFQdlOjIcSNQ_xQVnipCFthqG3AxBL-mY-eTXgKfmOXcaolxHx96Fw/s1600-h/andrea.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4TIbav6F5VUucpxVc0BKJKzWLsSlAfVRdMSOFGwuqR1CRJT7yk6rBgz5aK2pAWno_5rUrcgUWbQgAezFQdlOjIcSNQ_xQVnipCFthqG3AxBL-mY-eTXgKfmOXcaolxHx96Fw/s320/andrea.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5121177276164860322" border="0" /></a>Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-40178964314184050452007-09-24T15:39:00.000+10:002007-09-24T16:12:00.573+10:00StoriesI was just remembering today some things I heard when I was growing up that have stuck in my memory and which I often recall. My family went to a small baptist church up north for about 13 years, and among other things, they'd sometimes have a time in the service where the person leading would say "turn to someone and welcome them" and everyone would get up and hug practically everyone else and start chatting away, with the poor person up the front having to try and get everyone sitting down again. It was that kind of welcoming place. Anyway, most of the people who led the services were middle-aged farmers and they all made a habit of sharing stories. I can remember three, and they're really good! So here they are.<br /><br />There was a flood coming and the town had to be evacuated. Eventually, everyone reluctantly left, except for one guy who said "I have faith in God and he will rescue me." So the water rose, until his house was flooded. A rescue squad came to get him, but he wouldn't leave, repeating the same thing. The water kept rising and a rescue boat came for him, but he'd moved up to the roof and refused to leave, saying "God will rescue me." When the water rose higher, a helicopter came to save him, but he refused to leave, saying "God will rescue me." Eventually, he drowned. He got to Heaven and asked God, "what's going on? Why didn't you save me?" And God replied, "I send you two rescue crews and a helicopter, but you didn't seem to notice."<br /><br />A guy drove a schoolbus packed full of kids everyday. One day as he was driving the bus down a hill, the brakes failed. He knew that if he kept going straight ahead, the bus would plough into the ocean and the children most likely would be killed. But his own house was approaching on the left, and he knew that if he turned sharply into his own driveway, the bus would come to a stop and the kids and himself would be saved. He decided on this course of action. As he got closer he remembered that his son waited everyday at the end of the driveway to wave to him. This guy was a Christian and he knew that his son was too. If he turned sharply into his driveway, his own son would be killed. If he kept going, his son would live but the whole busload of children would die. If they weren't saved, he would be condemning them. At the bottom of the hill, he turned into his driveway.<br /><br />A man, his son and one of his son's mates were fishing out at sea. A storm came up and a wave threw the son and his friend into the sea. The man grabbed hold of the life ring. Both cried out for him to save them. He thought to himself.. he knew his son was saved, but his friend wasn't. By throwing the life ring to his son, he could hold onto him for several more decades. But by throwing it to his son's friend, he could offer him another chance at eternity. Life is precious, but not for the reasons some people think; family, friends, happiness. There is a choice to be made. The man and his son were assured eternity, but the son's friend wouldn't be, unless he was given one more chance.Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-65940666124805577052007-09-24T15:28:00.000+10:002007-09-24T15:39:32.873+10:00THE MYER FIRE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mKKaDhQTRSLdyV7sovpEWQtPs7_9n0lz9-fXac_AUaDCs8hG9CZhKZ_fpf2KGZe_ahHVyxKGxxj5pngPchtsTWh1mP4RME0UzO9uCxMXYkZojNVT9-tQzJDD4tfP_GxhcueF/s1600-h/fire.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mKKaDhQTRSLdyV7sovpEWQtPs7_9n0lz9-fXac_AUaDCs8hG9CZhKZ_fpf2KGZe_ahHVyxKGxxj5pngPchtsTWh1mP4RME0UzO9uCxMXYkZojNVT9-tQzJDD4tfP_GxhcueF/s200/fire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113640523388414290" border="0" /></a><br />It seems it's the most talked about piece of news at the moment and everyone with a blog is posting up the latest fiery inferno pictures, so I thought I would too. The Myer fire is quite an odd piece of news. No-one was physically hurt (although some emotionally no doubt - all those designer labels, what will some women do?) Not to forget the managers and people who worked there, who it'd be a good thing to pray for. So it's not really on the whole devastating, or shocking.. just a bit weird. It seems everyone's a bit weirded out by it. There'll be a big hole in the streetscape and lots more people going to Eastlands' department stores. But those things aren't really that unsettling. I think it was just the sight of the middle of our city going up in flames.Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-78423250566249691142007-09-23T02:28:00.000+10:002007-09-23T02:40:18.014+10:00A trip to the "far south", job interviews and girly chats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgIuKlpd6vrR9tlUx7Q0CH2kumSt9cbpNeUx86Fi3j7TGA2rLm6MZ2-KcYYPA24dxWI7etHwDbh4MPD1dr4QSW-S3UWrxSPbq-Tacvk9CRNKOlvomI2Jb7Sznorh2N5MHg-wD/s1600-h/PICT1382.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgIuKlpd6vrR9tlUx7Q0CH2kumSt9cbpNeUx86Fi3j7TGA2rLm6MZ2-KcYYPA24dxWI7etHwDbh4MPD1dr4QSW-S3UWrxSPbq-Tacvk9CRNKOlvomI2Jb7Sznorh2N5MHg-wD/s320/PICT1382.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113068167456614706" border="0" /></a><br />It's been awhile. I haven't written here since becoming addicted to Facebook, plus I have mountains of assignments coming up in the beginning of October. Since the last post, Adrian and I have been on a weekend trip to Dover, which was simply for the purpose of having a holiday. Good enough reason, I say! Yes, the residents of Dover are proud of where they're from (see above). It really is a beautiful place though.<br /><br />I may have a job. I had 3 interviews in one week. The first I didn't get, the second I got an offer but didn't accept, and the third (dream job) I got an unofficial offer from and I'm just praying they don't change their mind! Keep you posted on that one.<br /><br />Tonight was fruit and veg night at Christine's, a get-together for the Focus girls. We had a really good chat and made healthy drinks. It was a great night.Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-80922050901317542862007-09-11T12:20:00.000+10:002007-09-11T12:25:53.477+10:00It's too cold for a picnic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWrCU1iC31Sg3dqoh2myY2L6ND4wuMUwE6FCMWEIslgCVdu6kfgrynAxjscdIIgEApNacoPuAGHYLs-W8E_CMeL84y7fa_xqRynZsxR8vXyxl32Slx14WQda1g9wUZo6B9Gp2/s1600-h/PICT1356.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWrCU1iC31Sg3dqoh2myY2L6ND4wuMUwE6FCMWEIslgCVdu6kfgrynAxjscdIIgEApNacoPuAGHYLs-W8E_CMeL84y7fa_xqRynZsxR8vXyxl32Slx14WQda1g9wUZo6B9Gp2/s320/PICT1356.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108767148630441202" border="0" /></a><br />Been neglecting the blog on account of having joined Facebook. So here's the latest.. Allie, Simon, Andrea and I went to the beach for a picnic last weekend to make the most of that bit of sunny weather. But it really was still freezing.. I don't recommend having a beach picnic until maybe mid-October, unless you plan on sitting in the car to keep warm. But we had a great time, and will no doubt do it again soon! (Just wear more clothes or bring a portable heater!!)Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-35338245930340505602007-09-01T14:10:00.000+10:002007-09-01T14:12:56.761+10:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NHOyZYo_Z4AceJ7-vQbgQlHWPYvlWoaOxwj1A3IOL3-IwrNz0kJyiW8fAA6-qfQRtB1tDly4elMMYUGimluNKqqFEazvideLakx4NjBMNgYDzTv32MlRV-iDkqba303CXnjV/s1600-h/After+Eden.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NHOyZYo_Z4AceJ7-vQbgQlHWPYvlWoaOxwj1A3IOL3-IwrNz0kJyiW8fAA6-qfQRtB1tDly4elMMYUGimluNKqqFEazvideLakx4NjBMNgYDzTv32MlRV-iDkqba303CXnjV/s320/After+Eden.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5105083746022685922" border="0" /></a>Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-76180679162609135332007-08-27T22:50:00.000+10:002007-08-27T23:23:56.559+10:00The long and winding roadIt's funny.. I went up north to visit my family this weekend and missed a few classes to get back later today. It was a nice long 4-5 hour (not sure, can't remember) trip, but I went up there with Adrian, whose parents also live up on the coast, so I didn't actually have to drive.<br /><br />Funny thing is (I mentioned it was funny) that home up there doesn't feel at all like home anymore! At the beginning of uni I used to get a buzz going that final leg of the journey up north, driving up the hill to the house, thinking I was going home, but now the buzz is (believe it or not) driving back over that hill on the Brooker coming into Hobart, where you see the city and river and mountain all of a sudden. It was a definite realisation, this time round.<br /><br />On an unrelated note, I've been going back to this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukcV-xtU3hc">video</a> a lot lately, to watch it again and again. (Don't know how to post youtube videos yet). Oh and the topic of this post? Well we drove a long way today on a long (maybe not so winding) road.. Oh the joys of the Midlands! Sheep. Tree. Hill. Sheep. Ned Kelly. Tree. Hedge animal. Sheep..Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-71903950031134491232007-08-22T14:31:00.000+10:002007-08-22T17:23:04.574+10:00Blogs I read..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82_TinOWJVUtWeEtueJxThF9T0ZaXAT5L4q0xONb-rA6Pd6o6G2a0uojdRihk_qdx_gdl3ySRiST5NgGAGq1GWEQy7EBvvoByNXYosZ5mcZth-BKZrtgWHPqcVpDyEen_TMGg/s1600-h/stars.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82_TinOWJVUtWeEtueJxThF9T0ZaXAT5L4q0xONb-rA6Pd6o6G2a0uojdRihk_qdx_gdl3ySRiST5NgGAGq1GWEQy7EBvvoByNXYosZ5mcZth-BKZrtgWHPqcVpDyEen_TMGg/s200/stars.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101422011524938962" border="0" /></a><br />Sitting around waiting to go somewhere, but it's not quite long enough to actually do anything substantial.. so I'm gonna tell you about some other people's blogs that are worthy of your attention.<br /><br /><a href="http://blogbybelle.blogspot.com/">Mine</a>.. You're here already, so that's a great start!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fixmypix.com.au/blog">Adrian</a>.. This main page is his blog. Go there, then follow the link called "My Mission". Adrian is going to Bolivia and Ecuador next year. Here you can find out more about those countries and what you can do to pray for him in the lead up to next year, as well as how you can pray for Bolivia and Ecuador. It would do you well to read this! You can also find some thought-provoking stuff on poverty and who we are as Christians.<br /><br /><a href="http://mikejolly.blogspot.com/">Mike</a>.. is one of our AFES staff workers at FOCUS. This one's always interesting and regularly updated too!<br /><br /><a href="http://ckjolly.blogspot.com/">Christine</a>.. is Mike's wife and I've been reading her blog for quite awhile now. She has a lot of wise things to say. I've learnt and been provoked to think about a lot of things from reading her blog. She writes about heaps of issues including ministry, women and life in general. Very awesome.. read it.<br /><br /><a href="http://bsj-rom.blogspot.com/">Jerome</a>.. is also a guy from FOCUS. This blog is updated very regularly so you'll always have something new to read. He's off on a bit of a tangent at the moment with some new and creative posts about.. something.<br /><br /><a href="http://ibmutas.blogspot.com/">IBM</a>.. now has a blog, so here you can find out what it is and what we do!<br /><br />That's all I can think of for now. More later maybe :)Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-76794678151414197402007-08-10T09:46:00.000+10:002007-08-10T09:58:30.151+10:00My technological advances!Up until a month or two ago I had a clunky old computer with a big heavy monitor sitting on this wobbly little desk in the loungeroom. I'm not much of a nerd, so these things just didn't bother me. But a month or two ago I got an LCD screen and relocated the computer to a proper desk in my room. I also was given an optical mouse (for free!) to replace my old roller one which was so broken it required a huge effort to get the cursor from the top of the screen to the Start button. And NOW, as of yesterday, we have broadband! This is very exciting. So I downloaded Skype and with much convincing from Adrian changed to Mozilla Firefox instead of Internet Explorer. (It's so much better.. I didn't want it to begin with cos I'd used it on the Macs at uni and those things are so hard to use, but it really knows how to do so much more than Internet Explorer). So there you have it. LCD monitor, optical mouse, broadband, Skype and Firefox, and didn't pay that much for any of them, except the monitor. I sound like a nerd, but really I'm not! Just excited to be leaving the stone age :)Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-52715967866390410042007-08-07T16:44:00.000+10:002007-08-09T22:34:31.696+10:00Europe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkime6DVL6BCuSGtFlUbEK2OlNP3fVtrFmYtGF4BiJCzs0Lu3sNBqGByrBhsyDz1P0uUECgCZ3csLLDWyGtwjjDmOPUc1Xj3MoA1-hypo5jgLV2LVp98mj3XWbc_bOSKwnAx7/s1600-h/vienna.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095853897422282274" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="134" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkime6DVL6BCuSGtFlUbEK2OlNP3fVtrFmYtGF4BiJCzs0Lu3sNBqGByrBhsyDz1P0uUECgCZ3csLLDWyGtwjjDmOPUc1Xj3MoA1-hypo5jgLV2LVp98mj3XWbc_bOSKwnAx7/s200/vienna.jpg" width="200" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJDI6oEBfd9SBv7IH6ht2RUTpme1ptS18sWkoZwl560l6tRuPBv8fo8RfBZsBDGAQ-ujBO3AMrwkg8Wl8AEUTZG_u9_GGeiu4Dc2cfh2weP5FclcXKb9-a2ndrsuwzijlX_L4/s1600-h/prague.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095855538099789362" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px" height="135" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJDI6oEBfd9SBv7IH6ht2RUTpme1ptS18sWkoZwl560l6tRuPBv8fo8RfBZsBDGAQ-ujBO3AMrwkg8Wl8AEUTZG_u9_GGeiu4Dc2cfh2weP5FclcXKb9-a2ndrsuwzijlX_L4/s200/prague.jpg" width="200" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgjiFw3HVVPWuN-pC34oCvQDfSALSPRkUxEbi01aqXuKbkyZz8x0NZAsPhyC-cEn_4AF8e1eEEgtBYPRZMWZWjNFEgX8AJ4b9mnIbdjJG4MyQLU9S9Z41CzAw2J_VdOBwzcXI/s1600-h/amsterdam.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095852196615233042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="134" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgjiFw3HVVPWuN-pC34oCvQDfSALSPRkUxEbi01aqXuKbkyZz8x0NZAsPhyC-cEn_4AF8e1eEEgtBYPRZMWZWjNFEgX8AJ4b9mnIbdjJG4MyQLU9S9Z41CzAw2J_VdOBwzcXI/s200/amsterdam.jpg" width="200" border="0" /></a><br />I wasn't actually going to bother writing about this on here, but I was talking to some friends about it last night and they actually had lots of travel tips to give, so maybe I will! At the moment the plans are (if God wills it of course!) to go to Europe next year, about May. I'm finishing my degree this year and I'm aiming to spend the summer and 2008 building up the industry experience that I don't really have, especially for someone studying tourism. I haven't traveled overseas before so I know I'm gonna come back and wish I'd done several things differently, but hey, that's the point of the first trip. And after a month or two at most in Europe I'll try to get seasonal work for the rest of the year in the area that I'm particularly interested in (marine ecotourism). Hopefully by 2009 I'll be equipped for a permanent graduate job, having finally traveled and having had some variety of experience.<br /><br />Here are the places I'd like to go: Denmark first, starting at Copenhagen, then to an island called Bornholm, then Esbjerg in the holiday region. I have a friend in Denmark I can stay with. After this I'd be on my own. Busabout have these things they call "loops" and I'd like to do the northern one. It does a loop of these cities, but you do it all in your own time and independently: Berlin, Dresden (Germany), Prague, Cesky Krumlov (Czech Republic), Vienna, Salzburg (Austria), Munich, Stuttgart (Germany), Paris (France.. duh), Bruges (Belgium) and Amsterdam (Netherlands). It's still very much in the planning stage.<br /><br />Images: Vienna, Prague, Amsterdam.Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18422764.post-76050297112411755712007-07-27T00:36:00.000+10:002007-07-27T01:22:42.335+10:00What's been happenin' lately<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YBBq5sE6_6krHrVr0FeWkeagW-K364dp6hd_oklC4iWEOIdKahfSizJ1qDNgjGg7tvjR0qx4CLykjxAfDSEM-yHz7-kKSkiOvzDItfy2EOwiL2480JBrKMACgHeVCeIhTZ0M/s1600-h/dolphin.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091525184568237570" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" height="162" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YBBq5sE6_6krHrVr0FeWkeagW-K364dp6hd_oklC4iWEOIdKahfSizJ1qDNgjGg7tvjR0qx4CLykjxAfDSEM-yHz7-kKSkiOvzDItfy2EOwiL2480JBrKMACgHeVCeIhTZ0M/s200/dolphin.jpg" width="163" border="0" /></a><br />FOCUS WORLDVIEW SURVEY - our mission. This is gonna be interesting. People can answer questions to get an indication of what their worldview is, eg Deist, Theist, Existentialist, Nihilist.. I wonder what you have to answer to get Nihilist??<br /><br />UNI.. my last semester! My timetable is ok, only one clash, and not too many classes. But there's a ridiculously large amount of readings to do each week!<br /><br />IBM (international bible meetings) - it was great tonight. We had a question time at the end and it was just such a good, open, honest time. I know I felt enriched, so maybe others were too!<br /><br />LOST SEASON FINALE, also tonight. I was less shocked than I thought I'd be! But they shouldn't have killed off Charlie. He's been my favourite since the start. Lost needed a smiley little hobbity creature with an accent.<br /><br />LAINE'S 21ST, also today! Happy birthday!! Not that you read my blog..<br /><br />BUTTERFLY EFFECT - I saw this movie recently. It was very scary on a number of levels, but compelling and fairly thought-provoking too. One of the weirdest movies I've seen in awhile! But definitely a good one. If you haven't seen it (you probably all have) get to it.<br /><br />FOOTBALL - Go Hawthorn.<br /><br />NEXT YEAR - Trying to work out what I'm gonna do!<br /><br />SIMPSONS MOVIE.. I don't even watch the Simpsons! Don't even really like the idea of it. But the few times I have watched it, it was funny as. So this should be super-funny.<br /><br />SUMMER is nearly here! Not too many months now til the air is warm, and smells like mown grass and flower pollen, and you can go swimming in the sea without dying, and all that summery stuff. Only 4 months away! Have to think positive..<br /><br />OK.. that's all!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091521284737932770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjGOj44f2xrYzco3BWGDRkrdFCfy_LtuptttfeNRKW2GLB9L0VIf_SbaeiMaxHiuQRu4crxdmYywj4_2fwxXY4MPOojIe8dJHkr_VTzwenzrVNSTWS9DgcnCOWjfLx52zpYaV/s320/bay+of+fires.jpg" border="0" /> <div><p align="center"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">Bay of Fires, Tasmania</span></em></p></div>Renaehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05993035628161957173noreply@blogger.com5