S.R.V.

Overheard by my wife during her recent MYOB training session:

Lady: “This country is taking in dogs.”

I couldn’t agree more. But then, that’s old news. This country took in the convicts over 200 years ago. - RJ

The most important lessons I learned in school were the subjects of discipline, perseverance, and common sense. The most meaningful trophies I got were the best of friends. - RJ

Movies are my favorite teachers. I learned something cool tonight.

The Aborigines made a song for everything — every rock, every tree, every mountain. It is said that they can find their way through the bush by their magic song(s). They wish for things through song. They celebrate through song. Their lives are lived as a dream, told as a story and shared as a song.

It brings me to understand that this ’song’ is some sort of prayer to these people. I do not know much about their religion, but I do know how it is to yearn for something and express it in a song.

One of the themes of the movie ‘Australia’ is the issue of the miscegenation of the Indigenous Australians and the British Settlers. The kid Nullah pictured above is ‘not white, but not black either,’ hence he is called ‘creamy’. He is in constant search for identity and belongingness. And in one scene where he is taken from Lady Ashley he says “I sing you to me.” As the ship sails to sea she promises to find him.

I dig this. I too have taken a ship to sea (albeit, this one is of my own choosing). I too feel in-between. I am a Filipino, but I am getting Australianized, although I will never totally be. Like the boy, I love singing.

Sometimes I feel so far away from home, even though where I am is home…

So to my mum, dad and brother, grandparents, uncles, cousins, in-laws, friends and loved ones…

I sing you to me.

Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dear Racist Bitch,

Last night when you badmouthed me, my wife and two of our closest friends because we were speaking in our own vernacular, perhaps your pea sized brain did not bother to consider the following points:

1) We were not talking to you; we were not even looking in your direction. In fact, we were all smiles as we were happy that none of our friends were badly hurt in the accident that happened a couple of hours before. Civilized people mind their own business.

2) It would be awkward and stupid for us to talk in English amongst ourselves because we are all Filipinos. I’m sure that if you and your friends would go to France or Germany, you would not talk in French or German between yourselves.

3) We do know how to speak English. In fact, I would bet my ass that I can even spell better than you. Take the IELTS exam that the British council made for us immigrants and beat my bandscore. I dare you.

It’s a sorry sight to see your kind of people — and I don’t mean Australian. I love Australia and its people. You, however, belong to a different kind, one that has been constantly crushed by civilized and morally upright people. I’m saying that you are a racist. And just like the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan before, your kind has been made passe.

It’s a new world. Nations are becoming multicultural. As of 2006, one fourth of the Australian population were born outside of Australia. If you didn’t notice that, you better crawl out of the cave you are living in and look at what’s happening outside.

Please do not push us around. Your government opened up your doors to us because of the lack of skilled laborers here in Australia. Our contribution to the Australian economy is invaluable. I reckon some of my taxes even end up in your pockets or your children’s government dole out. Without us, most of your hospitals would be empty, and less people will be working night shifts and holidays, among other things.

I apologize if I raised my voice together with my middle finger. It’s just a natural and fitting reaction to your verbal tirade. I hope that our little encounter last night would inspire change.

Hoping for the best.

Rhys

Screw the zoo.

I am not going to pay $145 (each!) for an Elephant Encounter or $500 for a photo shoot with a Bengal Tiger. I love watching these animals (the Komodo Dragon rocks!) but I don’t have a fortune to spend. Sorry Bindi.

Having scrapped our planned Australia Zoo trip, we focused our sights on Mt. Tamborine. A number of friends have recommeded that to us, so we decided to give it a go.

It was definitely worth it. We had a blast in the Botanical Gardens. Tat loved it.

This was taken in their ‘Cherry Blossom Walk.’ Absolutely lovely. Would have been lovelier under the moonlight.

There was a bunch of Camellias here too. Unfortunately they were not all blooming. They look a bit like roses to my untrained eye. Beautiful flowers. I told Tat if we have a daughter we’ll name her Camellia - Camel for short. She punched me. 

After lunch we went on to Curtis Falls on the other side of the mountain…

A tree was getting in our way so I had to use my hadoken.

Finally, we got there…

We made our way back to the shops and had a slice of cake and a cuppa. So much for burning calories — we replaced what we lost right away!

Thanks for joining us. Hope you enjoyed the walk too…

My hands were as big as plates and heavy as a gallon of milk.

This is what I felt last night as we prayed after Bible study. It’s the second time I’ve felt like this while praying in a group.

I used to feel like this years ago when we prayed as a group in YACC (Youth Annual Conference for Christ) or in overnight prayer gatherings. I thought it was just because of the cold. Last night it wasn’t that cold at all. I wasn’t with a big group, and it certainly wasn’t YACC.

I’ve always felt good praying with heavy hands. It makes me relax more. Because it feels heavy, I can’t move it much and it calms me down, helps me stay put (I’m hyperactive — ask my wife) and focuses my mind on just praying.

Looking forward to next week…

Winning needs no explanation; losing has no alibi. - Greg Baum

I should’ve seen it coming, but I didn’t. I’ll bet you didn’t too.

Guess who made the cover of the November 2009 issue of Playboy? Here are a few clues: She’s a mother of three kids – one boy and two girls, her husband works in a nuclear power plant, her family lives in the town on Springfield, somewhere in the United States and have their own TV sitcom and recently, a full length movie.

You guessed it, it’s none other than Marge Simpson! (D’oh!)

(Disclaimer: I don’t normally search Playboy Stuff, but I do Google the Simpsons once in a while)

Considering the Simpson’s have been running for 20 years, all of us devout fans would be of legal age to read Playboy already, but to tell you the truth, I don’t like it one bit. Putting Marge on the cover proves that Playboy’s grasp have transcended the real world and onto the animated world. They’re starting to take perversion to another level. Marge is one of the most endeared women in cartoons – a caring mother to three very peculiar children, a supportive wife to a total oaf of a husband, and a voice of order in a chaotic community called Springfield.

So, who’s next? Leela? Lois Griffin? Princess Fiona? Belle? Daisy Duck (gulp!)?

Please, let’s not make this worse than it already is.