Current affairs

I hate hate hate when the news (not E! News, but real news, the programs on free TV during the news hour) report stories such as this:

"Kristen Stewart has confirmed cheating on Robert Pattinson ... "

Really? I mean, seriously...really? REALLY??!!!

I don't even know if those are their correct names. You know why? Coz I don't care! I do not care what, or in this case who *snigger*, that actress who ruined Snow White and the Huntsman for me and that guy from Hufflepuff are doing behind each other's backs.

If I wanted to get the latest on Hollywood celebs, I would watch E! News because:

• They have stylists (Oh...the boring news people do too? Awkward...)
• They don't follow celeb affair stories with an update on the latest National Business edition
• Giuliana is gorge
• They know who the hell they're talking about (I do not believe that Peter Williams has a clue who these  debaucherous youngsters are)
• They actually call celebs by their real names, i.e. K.Stew and R.Pats

So please, One News and 3 News, for the love of Pete and for the sake of my sanity, stick to natural disasters, heart warming stories of New Zealand's good Samaritans, and (I can't believe I'm saying this) the All Blacks.

Faceless

Faceless (adjective) - without a face(book page)
[from the official RockFob Dictionary: Insomnia Edition 2012. Italics omitted in some editions]

I deactivated my Facebook page this afternoon. Why? To free up my time to do the billion and one things that I have to do before our month-long holiday to Samoa [we interrupt this blog post to unco-dance around the room and rub your face in the fact that we three beings are going on holiday baby ... holiday ... woot ... ok, that's enough].

Back to pre-holiday reality. Where there is a billion and two things now to do. We have ten more sleeps until we fly out of this freezing cold flu-infested arty farty city of Wellington. Only ten more days to:

• finish some work for a customer that I am about a week behind on (thanks to the abovementioned flu bugs)
• write pages and pages of handover documents
• finish buying the oso for our eagerly awaiting fans (i.e. 2 years' supply of chocolates that will be compressed into an average-sized tote bag that weighs as much as King Kong but will be swung easy-breezily onto the plane to escape detection by the lovely customs officials)
• buy some summer clothes for myself (considering it's smack-bang in the middle of winter in Wellington, I would have to say even Tom Cruise would struggle to find a way out of this Mission Impossible)
• learn how to apply makeup (don't ask. I now have to dig out the email that my dear sister Donna sent me...basically a loser's guide to makeup. When will the tired washed-out zombie look ever be "the thing"??)
• spring clean the house (since someone will be house-sitting, we can't leave the house in the usual state we do when we rush out of the house for a holiday. sad face)
• do other stuff that I can't remember

So anyway, my work mailbox has finally freed up from whatever task it was doing, so it's back to the grind for me. Good times to roll on!

Miss Know-It-All

I was chatting to my younger brother in Samoa this evening, and he was telling me he was taking several computing classes this semester at the National University of Samoa (NUS). It took me back to my one year there for UPY (a.k.a. 7th form). To be more specific, a computer-course-related memory. Or not ...

Computing class was a visit to Snoozeville, to be honest. And I was a wannabe know-it-all rebel kid. (Or whatever you call a kid who lacked motivation and preferred to have coffees in the cafeteria or sleep on the stage of the fale Samoa instead of attending class).

Setting the scene...It was computing tutorial time. My partner-in-crime buddy who we'll name V (does that give it away...oops) and I were at the cafeteria (shock horror) making coffee (me) and buying monkey balls (V). We hear a voice next to us say, "Pass the sugar please." Hole in the ground, please appear to swallow me up. It was our computing tutor, coming to get her caffeine fix while her class slaved away at whatever task she had just given them. All except the two of us. Against every urge in my body, I did not run. I stood my ground, smiled nicely at her and passed the sugar. Then I added milk to my coffee, and made sure it tasted just the way I liked it. THEN I ran. Lol. Suffice to say, we had learnt out lesson: When wagging computing class, avoid the cafeteria.

By the way, kids, don't try this at home. Or at your school or whatever. You do not want to be a wannabe know-it-all rebel kid. You want to be the super kickass brainiac that never skips computing class. Even for coffee. Or monkey balls.

P.S.
Dear UPY Computing Tutor, 
On the off chance that you're reading this (and pigs fly), sorry for being an annoying little s...tudent. Believe it or not, I am now a programmer. Ha! Who would've thought. On that day in the cafeteria, neither you or I did, that's for sure. 
Regards, your favourite (?) virtual student.

The ending of 'When Water Burns'

No, I am NOT disclosing the ending. Or any other spoilers for that matter.

But OMG I loved that part when people didn't explain the ending and all the plot twists of When Water Burns on Lani's Facebook page.

Thankfully for me, I have finished reading the book. But before I did, I accidentally read someone's comment on Lani's FB author page about some of the main twists at the end. *sad face*

Come on folks. Don't spoil it for others. The books haven't even made it to Samoa yet!! I know it's hard to contain the excitement of the revelations of Book 2, but it would be nice to allow others the same opportunity to experience those first hand. And not via some Facebook comment or Twitter update.

I am, however, more than happy to discuss and OMG with you on Facebook mail, because When Water Burns rocked my socks! I loved it. For me, it was better than The Covenant Keeper. Believe it or not, Leila has grown on me (miracles do happen). Lani, how you did that I do not know.

Actually, I will say one thing about the ending. It gave me that feeling I had after reading each of the Harry Potter books. The need to do some baking, make cups of tea, and then sit down with my siblings and have discussions long into the night, about the plot, character development, all our different perspectives on what happened, and best of all, our predictions on what was to come in the next book! And I exaggerate not. So Laura and Donna, be prepared for when I see you next month. Have your PowerPoint presentations ready, and assign the tea making duties. We have serious Telesa business to attend to.

Bugger it

Winter bugs are going around. In our household's case, it's the second time they have come around this winter.

I hate it when the Shadow is unwell. I hate that helpless feeling I get when I see struggling to breathe through her nose (coz she's a bit anal about having to breathe through her mouth...lol), or getting delirious from a fever, or trying to get that cough muck out of her throat and throwing up everywhere ... and I can't take it away.

And naturally at times I get a bit short of patience (from lack of sleep the night before due to her nonstop coughing...and the fact that I've got the same bug myself). But then I see her knocked out from exhaustion, looking like a little (sick) angel, and I'm ready for the next round.

I melt.

Holy smokes

Tonight at life group, as we were praying for one of our fellow life group members, God spoke through me like I have never experienced before.

I was sitting there with my eyes closed, waiting for one of the more spiritually mature members of the group to speak a profound word or scripture (as you do) and the next thing I knew, my mouth opened and I was talking. Babbling. Crying (yea ok, this part was not new, I cry about everything). And I had no idea what I was going to say, so I was hearing it for the first time as the words came out of my mouth. It was a short and simple sentence, but I only just managed to get it out, and I literally felt a strong force leaving from my chest and out through my mouth. I was gulping for air. And did I mention I was crying?

I have experienced many times before while seeking God, having a phrase placed into my heart. But my head had always instantaneous picked it up, and that was where it stayed. I had never public shared these words, but acknowledged privately the revelation from God. But this time, my brain was definitely kept out of the loop. From God to lungs or heart (somewhere in my chest cavity) and out my mouth. The word "awesome" is overused and often misused. This time I feel it is really appropriate. I was truly filled with awe. I am still filled with awe. There are no other words, but "wow". I have always known that God speaks in different ways to and through different people, but I was reminded tonight in a most bizarre way that I still have so much to step into in terms of my spiritual growth, and in terms of knowing God more intimately. There are fantastic mysteries to be explored with God.

The recipient of the message said it was spot on with what she was struggling with mentally, and thanked me over and over. But I forward that thanks back to the owner of those words (hi God, I know you privately follow my blog). Thank you for allowing me to be a part of that experience. Thank you that you are.

Not to us, Lord, not to us

    but to your name be the glory

[Psalm 115:1]

Wring wring

Currently reading When Water Burns by the fabulous Lani Wendt Young, and I find myself constantly wanting to ... well, not wring Leila's neck ... but to give her a little shake and say "Wake up, girl! Can't you see what's going on??"

Then I remind myself that she's only in UPY (7th form) and I'm as old as the hills. Ha!

Thinking back on when I was that age...well, I'd rather not, actually. So you go, Leila! You're doing pretty well in comparison (and I refer NOT to her man, either). Double ha!

By the way, so many people have finished the book, and I noticed some have started discussing the plot on social media sites. Ugh. Could you, like, not? Or at least give spoiler alerts? Coz I think I know a "twist" that will happen at the end as a result of someone's comment. GRRRR!!! Going Hulk now. Hulk reading When Water Burns. A sight to see.