The big burly security guard

Where’s the usual red-shirted staff member who stands at the entrance?

Today there was a security guard checking our bags. He was large and tanky and looked to be of Islander descent. On first sight I’d be scared of him. Though he seemed cheerful as if proud of himself for doing a service to the community and preventing crime.

On my way out I avoided eye contact, not wanting to be bothered.

“Excuse me” Yep. He wanted to check my plastic bag.

“Oh…” I swivelled around and opened up the bag.

He looks inside. “Thank you!” he says in an unusually high-pitched voice with a smile.

When it was decided that I really did want to buy those toys, I headed back toward the store. Sitting bolt upright on the black couch directly opposite the ice-cream store was the security guard with a grin on his face – holding a waffle cone with two scoops of rainbow ice-cream.

It made me smile. I laughed to myself and carried on with my mission.

Pass the happiness

Mum posts: "HURRAY!!!"

HURRAY!!! I got my daughter back today. Months after her dive into hands-on research, analysing transcripts, report writing & night hours of thesis writing. Good to hear her phone call from uni, "Mum, I have handed in the final copy to my supervisor!"
We shouted "HURRAY!" Now she can participate as contributing member of busy household again. One might assume that... BUT... no, she's not home but working today!
Before long she'll be off again on another project.
Still, as mum, I have enjoyed every season of my not-so-little-girl, blossoming beautifully & virtuously (living her chinese name translated) into adulthood. With Jesus Christ as her Saviour Lord, we can continue our journey in our promise land declaring with Joshua 24:15b,"...as for me & my house, we will serve the Lord!"



Go with our blessings, my precious princess!"

... posted by your proud mum who loves you very much always.

Dive in

So I was going to tell you all about my transcribing life. But really, it isn’t that interesting. 2 weeks, 21 588 words and 65 pages later and I’m DONE with my transcriptions! (there is something very satisfying about clicking the 'done' button on my transcribing program, it then clears the to-be-transcribed file off the screen!) Though it is probably the most mindless part of the thesis writing process (much like entering data for my Quant friends), it is very time consuming. It’s funny how you pick up on little things about how you speak when you have to listen to yourself talk on a recording! Things like how much louder my voice is than the participant’s, all the umms, ahhs, likes and you know, sort ofs, and pronunciation of certain words. When you first relisten to yourself it’s like – do I really sound like that? Needless to say, if I wasn’t used to the sound of my own voice before, I sure am now.

Just like a pentathlon athlete finishing one event and moving on to the next, it’s on to the next part of my thesis writing process. I’ve got that feeling like I have whenever I start on writing the next chapter, kind of like starting to study for an exam or starting the first sentence of an essay. It’s like standing on the blocks before a swimming race, getting ready to dive in, anticipating what you’ve got to do and how hard you’ve got to work. (What’s with all these sporting metaphors? I must be preempting the Olympics!)

Went to see my supervisor today in order to get a better of idea of what I have to do next – data analysis. And though I’ve always had a vague idea of what I was to do, I didn’t realise how FLUFFY qualitative data analysis is! ‘Immerse’ yourself in the data and extract from them phrases or sentences that directly pertain to the investigated phenomenon… okkayyy… But what does that mean I actually DO? Ask me in a few weeks time and I might be able to tell you what that actually looks like. For the moment it seems I just need to dive in and get it done and see how I go. Which is a little unnerving for list-making-show-me-the-steps-Sarah who usually likes to know how to do or organise things before doing it. I must say though, I’d rather work with text data than numbers and averages – any day.

This is the verse that has been helping me get through the last few weeks of work, and oh how relevant it is!

Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged by the size of the task, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail or forsake you.

~2 Chronicles 28:20

WYD08 :: Sydney

I’ve been watching the World Youth Day proceedings in Sydney with much interest and curiosity. Much to my mum’s surprise, she rekons my curiosity means that I could have been a Catholic. But, the ways of Catholicism are so foreign to me, all this business with the pope, catechesis, mass and all that. And it’s not that I follow the pope or any of this, no, no. None of this worshipping saints, idolising the pope or any of that for me – I walk with God in a daily relationship with Him, and worship only Jesus: THE way, THE truth and THE life.

Anyhow, although not being aware of the massiveness of this event prior to last week, I have been keeping an eye on the WYD reports through the news. Scenes of school halls being set up to house all the pilgrims, and I have flashbacks to setting up camp at the school hall in Adelaide during Planetshakers conferences. And the four showers we had between 70 girls or so.

So the point of all my observations is – what fascinates me most is that an event like this can bring together so many people from all over the world to celebrate Jesus. And young people too – 500,000 of them or so. That’s HUGE! But what puts a smile on my face is the joy and passion that these people exude, crowds of people singing and dancing on the streets. It shows that these people have hope in God amongst a generation which is largely searching.

Although there’s much to do with the Catholic Church that I don’t agree with and find honestly- boring, I applaud their ability to gather so many young people from around the world together to celebrate their faith. I also take it as a positive sign that the name of Jesus is being spread all across the world. And for that I thank God.

'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.'
Acts 1:8

In every season

Hopped into the car today, and was on my way to uni.
And then I felt God say… “This is my gift for you.” And I love it =)

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

I will bring praise, I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice, I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favour and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be emptied again
The seed I’ve received I will sow

~Desert Song
Hillsong Live

The song just... says so much and mirrors many of the revelations of God that I have had of late. Through ALL things I will acknowledge him as Lord and God of all... He is good.
Take a look at the video too… it adds such a depth to the song knowing a bit of the background to it. Another testimony of God’s goodness. Just... leaves me smiling in a bittersweet sort of way =)

*yay* Eastlink...

OR maybe not so... *grrr*

This time yesterday I was singing the praises of Eastlink (er well… not literally). The much anticipated tollway has opened with much interest and fanfare, judging by the recent road show open day and the every-which-way-traffic encountered on a (not-so) lazy Sunday afternoon. Having claimed the Eastern Freeway as ‘my freeway’ given my regular commute on it over the last 4 and a half years, the extension of the road bringing me all the way down to 4 small streets away from my house has been a welcome development. I can now bypass all the Springvale Road traffic (esp. around Nunawading station) and instead replace it with a 10 min no stops trip at 80-100ks.

Though it seems many people have their reservations about it given that it is a tollway (when it was a promised freeway - *pshh*… politicians), I think it’s worth it given what seems to be a good quality, ahead of schedule construction of the tollway, and sufficient systems to keep it running smoothly. Ask me that again when the toll-free period is over =S

I think the tunnel is pretty cool too, the lights at the entrance and exit of the tunnels look even better at night. The Eastlink bike trail, the flora design at either end of the tunnels, the coloured panels… yes I like all those.

So it took me 30mins flat to get to uni yesterday – where it might usually take me an average of 40-45 mins at that time of day. I was impressed and jubilant at the time I saved – the biggest plus of the tollway. Although I don’t anticipate to be making regular trips down that way again, I will still use it on the occasion. That’s just how it happens, it opens when I don’t really need it as regularly anymore?

So I was all happy about it… until this morning. Having hopped onto Eastlink at Burwood Hwy and glanced at the clock to time my travel along the tollway, I spotted all too last minute a sign saying ‘Tunnel closed: Detected vehicle exceeded height limit’ – or something along those lines – just as the final exit before the Melba tunnel passed by me. Ok – who was the bright spark who thought they could fit their oversized truck through the tunnel? And what were they going to do with all the traffic heading towards the tunnel? With the tunnel just in sight all the traffic came to an inevitable halt. No where to go. After waiting I got frustrated and followed the other frustrated ones heading up the emergency lane of on ramp to the Eastlink. Eventually finding my way around the surrounding streets which brought me back over the Eastlink, I saw then that it was open again. I had just wasted all my effort of going around the traffic to find that it was all clear. *ARGH!* An hour after leaving home I arrived at uni.

Ok now that I’ve spillt that all out onto the keyboard, it doesn’t seem any where near as dire as I felt it to be at the time. But overall – Eastlink = less time driving, and less trucks on the local streets. Still in the honeymoon/fascination period...

Now if only I could write my thesis as easily as I wrote this post....