It is christmas eve. And I am pondering about the many people for who christmas is not a time of celebration but a time of pain. So here's a prayer for those people this christmas:
For the hungry
Give them food from the tables of those with abundance
That they may celebrate and enjoy time together
For the poor
Give them the wisdom to spend their limited funds wisely
And the ability to make Christmas a special time for themselves and those around them
For the sick
Give them relief from the pain
And time to spend with their loved ones
For the stressed
Give them welcome relaxation and rest
Along with a thankfulness for what they do have
For those who are grieving
Give them peace from the inner turmoil
And hope that their world will once again be filled with happiness
For those feeling unloved or alone
Give them a place they feel wanted and people to love them
God, give all the people in this world of diversity peace, love, hope, and joy - whereever they are and whatever they are doing
And last of all, help those of us with such abundance of these things
to remember those less fortunate - and to do what we can to make their christmas time better
Amen
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Friday, October 27, 2006
Warning: it's Silly o'clock
Well it's two o'clock in the morning and I'm winding down from work before going to bed. So most likely this will be a post full of incoherent thoughts and things that I'll read later and wonder at...
My room is full of toys. It's rather distracting. There are toy cars next to my alarm clock and right now I have the urgh to pick one up and zoom it across the floor while saying brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmm. However my flatmates are in bed so I will restrain myself.
By the way does anyone know why pages with the corners folded over are called dog earred. They don't look anything like dog ears. And if they have to be ears why dog ears, not cat ears, or pig ears?
He he. Imagine a rooster with ears. Big human ears. Or massive floppy elephant ears.
My mind works in strange ways. On that note I shall stop writing and go off to bed and dream about zooming toy cars across my room.... I wonder what it would be like if I could shrink down to the height of my pinkie finger nail and hop in a toy car and zoom around on the floor of my room. I imagine it would be rather hazardous since my room is rather a mess. Oh right I was going to bed now...
My room is full of toys. It's rather distracting. There are toy cars next to my alarm clock and right now I have the urgh to pick one up and zoom it across the floor while saying brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmm. However my flatmates are in bed so I will restrain myself.
By the way does anyone know why pages with the corners folded over are called dog earred. They don't look anything like dog ears. And if they have to be ears why dog ears, not cat ears, or pig ears?
He he. Imagine a rooster with ears. Big human ears. Or massive floppy elephant ears.
My mind works in strange ways. On that note I shall stop writing and go off to bed and dream about zooming toy cars across my room.... I wonder what it would be like if I could shrink down to the height of my pinkie finger nail and hop in a toy car and zoom around on the floor of my room. I imagine it would be rather hazardous since my room is rather a mess. Oh right I was going to bed now...
Sunday, October 08, 2006
How do you switch your brain off?
Anyone else ever get the feeling that they want to turn there brain off for a little while because it just keeps chasing itself around in circles???!!!
Here's an example of what I mean:
I want to work as a social worker. I know that one of the hardest things about this for me is that I will probably care too much about my clients. But then I wonder if you can care too much and think it would be cool (for want of a better word) if I could do social work like stuff in some way that I didn't get to go home and leave it all at the end of the day - like if I actually had to live this stuff I would understand all the issues much better. But then I'm faced with the whole issue of burning out and I don't want that to happen because then I wouldn't be helping anyone at all. But then I think about the fact that the people who are actually living this stuff don't get to leave it all at the end of the day. For them it is constant - it is their life. And how can an outsider like me help them? But then I think about the fact that the reason I would be working with them as a social worker is because they can't see any way of changing their lives themselves - and so they need an outsider to help show them other options. But then I think who am I to come along and say the way you live is bad when they may not think so and try and force my way of living/my culture/my thoughts etc onto them when they might be quite happy as they are and when my culture/way of living etc is just as crap as theres just maybe in different areas . And it goes on and on and on... and it's all related, and it all goes in a big circle and I end up back where I started!!!! ARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!
Having said that I still want to do social work like stuff. I'm sure these questions will never fully (or even partially) be answered in my mind. And I know social work is going to be an extremely challenging career. But its still very definitely what I want to do with my life :)
Here's an example of what I mean:
I want to work as a social worker. I know that one of the hardest things about this for me is that I will probably care too much about my clients. But then I wonder if you can care too much and think it would be cool (for want of a better word) if I could do social work like stuff in some way that I didn't get to go home and leave it all at the end of the day - like if I actually had to live this stuff I would understand all the issues much better. But then I'm faced with the whole issue of burning out and I don't want that to happen because then I wouldn't be helping anyone at all. But then I think about the fact that the people who are actually living this stuff don't get to leave it all at the end of the day. For them it is constant - it is their life. And how can an outsider like me help them? But then I think about the fact that the reason I would be working with them as a social worker is because they can't see any way of changing their lives themselves - and so they need an outsider to help show them other options. But then I think who am I to come along and say the way you live is bad when they may not think so and try and force my way of living/my culture/my thoughts etc onto them when they might be quite happy as they are and when my culture/way of living etc is just as crap as theres just maybe in different areas . And it goes on and on and on... and it's all related, and it all goes in a big circle and I end up back where I started!!!! ARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!
Having said that I still want to do social work like stuff. I'm sure these questions will never fully (or even partially) be answered in my mind. And I know social work is going to be an extremely challenging career. But its still very definitely what I want to do with my life :)
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Cocktail night
I'm having a cocktail night for my birthday next Saturday night (7th Oct). I don't know how many people actually read this blog but if you happen to read this and you know me then you are quite welcome to come. Bring around $5 to contribute to cost of alcohol. Starting at 7.30pm at my flat. Will head into town later for anyone who wants to come. Please let me know if you intend to come (and if you will be drinking cocktails or non-alcoholic) so that I can get the right amount of stuff. Oh and feel free to invite anyone who knows me who might like to come (I will send out an email/txt people too so some people will hear other ways).
I think that's all the important details :)
I think that's all the important details :)
Night life in Franz
So on this incredibly exciting saturday night i'm sitting in front of a computer at the youth hostel in Franz Josef. We were planning to go to the pub, have a few drinks and have some fun. But it appears that the night life here is non-existent. Weird seem as there are heaps of backpackers around. so instead we resorted to coming back here to check emails and such. A bit of a let down really :(
Today we left Christchurch at about twelve after I finally got home from work. It took about six hours to drive over here. We stopped at a few places on the way and took it slow but it was definitely good to arrive when we finally did.
Tomorrow we have an early start. Off to Lake Matheson for sunrise. Then to fox glacier briefly. Back to Franz glacier to have an explore. Then we want to be leaving here by two to be back over the Arthurs Pass road before dark. it sounds tiring just writing about it. Luckily I have another day off after that.
Hope other people's saturday nights are more exciting than mine!
Today we left Christchurch at about twelve after I finally got home from work. It took about six hours to drive over here. We stopped at a few places on the way and took it slow but it was definitely good to arrive when we finally did.
Tomorrow we have an early start. Off to Lake Matheson for sunrise. Then to fox glacier briefly. Back to Franz glacier to have an explore. Then we want to be leaving here by two to be back over the Arthurs Pass road before dark. it sounds tiring just writing about it. Luckily I have another day off after that.
Hope other people's saturday nights are more exciting than mine!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Things I like about my flatmates
I have five flatmates. I don't care if two of them don't actually live in the flat anymore. They are still my flatmates. Here's some of the things I like about my flatmates (in no particular order):
1. They don't mind when you invade their rooms and lie on their bed/sit on their floor and just talk
2. They bake and cook yummy food
3. They give me chocolate
4. They participate in bathroom polling
5. I can be silly with them
6. They make me feel special
This list is much shorter than I expected. But that's because the things I like most about my flatmates are things that are hard to put into words. The baking and chocolate and other stuff like that isn't really that important. I like my flat because even though it's a crusty old cold student flat with falling down curtains it's my home and it's the people who live their who make it that :)
1. They don't mind when you invade their rooms and lie on their bed/sit on their floor and just talk
2. They bake and cook yummy food
3. They give me chocolate
4. They participate in bathroom polling
5. I can be silly with them
6. They make me feel special
This list is much shorter than I expected. But that's because the things I like most about my flatmates are things that are hard to put into words. The baking and chocolate and other stuff like that isn't really that important. I like my flat because even though it's a crusty old cold student flat with falling down curtains it's my home and it's the people who live their who make it that :)
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Once again I have discovered that blogging is a great way to procrastinate!
I really should be writing application stuff for the course I want to do next year, but instead I'm posting on my blog for the first time in over a month. Maybe that's why I haven't posted anywhere near as much this year as last year - because I don't have any study to procrastinate from. Or maybe not. Anyway that's enough rambling about that.
So I don't really have a lot to say. Work is good :) I still can't believe how much I like waitressing. I've been working at the place I'm at now for over seven months now - and I've worked as a waitress at various places for another 4 months on top of that. And I still like it. So if I can't get a job in social work after I finish studying then at least I'll always have a job I like.
My flat is boring and lonely at the moment. Ruth and Sarah moved out and went on placement for the rest of the year :( And Esther went on holiday for two weeks :( So it's just me and Florent (the new french flatmate) at the moment. And he's not home very much when I'm home. But Esther gets back at the end of the week. And Stacia (the new Aussie flatmate) arrives in a week. So then it will be much more interesting and fun again.
That's about all in the life of Ray at the moment!
I really should be writing application stuff for the course I want to do next year, but instead I'm posting on my blog for the first time in over a month. Maybe that's why I haven't posted anywhere near as much this year as last year - because I don't have any study to procrastinate from. Or maybe not. Anyway that's enough rambling about that.
So I don't really have a lot to say. Work is good :) I still can't believe how much I like waitressing. I've been working at the place I'm at now for over seven months now - and I've worked as a waitress at various places for another 4 months on top of that. And I still like it. So if I can't get a job in social work after I finish studying then at least I'll always have a job I like.
My flat is boring and lonely at the moment. Ruth and Sarah moved out and went on placement for the rest of the year :( And Esther went on holiday for two weeks :( So it's just me and Florent (the new french flatmate) at the moment. And he's not home very much when I'm home. But Esther gets back at the end of the week. And Stacia (the new Aussie flatmate) arrives in a week. So then it will be much more interesting and fun again.
That's about all in the life of Ray at the moment!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
4 months later...
So it appears to be 4 months since I last posted. Almost five months in fact. So here's a summary of the important parts of the last five months:
Work is good. I like waitressing. I don't like working early mornings. And I complain about getting up so early especially because it's really really really cold at 5am at the moment. But I still really like work. And I got promoted. And it is good. And my work mates are great. And people I serve are cool too (mostly!).
I like my flat. I like my flatmates more. They are fun and lovely. And they care. And then they go away and I miss them. I get lonely with only one flatmate around. I like to be around people.
I like people. Lots. I like friends. And flatmates. And people from church. And workmates. And people I don't know. People are fantastic.
I like God. God likes me. The second bit is quite a revelation to me. And I am trying to get my head around it. And to actually believe it. But it is really great. Yay for a cool God!
I like friends. Friends are wonderful. I don't like that I don't get to do stuff with friends much 'cos of silly work hours. I don't like that I haven't had much chance to do any spur of the moment silly things with others recently.
I like sleep. And sleep in's. I think I like it even more now that I very really get to sleep in. I like getting eight hours sleep in a row. I don't like that that often doesn't happen at the moment. Once again stupid work hours. I don't like split sleeping (a few hours nap in afternoon, get up for a few hours and do stuff with flatmates/friends, then back to sleep for sixish hours).
Funny how five months of life can be summed up in six paragraphs. There are lots more 'I like...' sentences than 'I don't like...' sentences. Makes me realise how much I have to thank God for :)
Work is good. I like waitressing. I don't like working early mornings. And I complain about getting up so early especially because it's really really really cold at 5am at the moment. But I still really like work. And I got promoted. And it is good. And my work mates are great. And people I serve are cool too (mostly!).
I like my flat. I like my flatmates more. They are fun and lovely. And they care. And then they go away and I miss them. I get lonely with only one flatmate around. I like to be around people.
I like people. Lots. I like friends. And flatmates. And people from church. And workmates. And people I don't know. People are fantastic.
I like God. God likes me. The second bit is quite a revelation to me. And I am trying to get my head around it. And to actually believe it. But it is really great. Yay for a cool God!
I like friends. Friends are wonderful. I don't like that I don't get to do stuff with friends much 'cos of silly work hours. I don't like that I haven't had much chance to do any spur of the moment silly things with others recently.
I like sleep. And sleep in's. I think I like it even more now that I very really get to sleep in. I like getting eight hours sleep in a row. I don't like that that often doesn't happen at the moment. Once again stupid work hours. I don't like split sleeping (a few hours nap in afternoon, get up for a few hours and do stuff with flatmates/friends, then back to sleep for sixish hours).
Funny how five months of life can be summed up in six paragraphs. There are lots more 'I like...' sentences than 'I don't like...' sentences. Makes me realise how much I have to thank God for :)
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Weekends, marriage proposals, and other ramblings
English is a confusing language. The opposite of the word 'out' is the word 'in'. So it would make sense that the opposite of the word 'without' would be 'within'. But it isn't. Instead the opposite of the word 'without' is the word 'with'. And just to make things even more confusing the word 'within' means something completely unrelated.
Anyway that was a tangent. What I was actually going to post about was the fact that I have an entire weekend off. To many people that will seem like a strange thing to be excited about but when you work shift work, and you only normally get one day off, sometime in the middle of the week, having both Saturday and Sunday off is a very unusual, and very exciting occassion! It means I can sleep in. And I can do social stuff. And I don't have to be asleep by 9.30 to get 8 hours sleep.
Last night at work one of the customers told me that if he wasn't already married he would marry me. Slightly disturbing coming from a man who is probably 70+, it certainly breaks the half + 7 rule! Of course he was only joking. Someone else told me that I was their favourite waitress! And another person said that I'd be the manager soon. Lots of warm fuzzies for one night :) Good thing too because this morning was crazily busy and the buffet wasn't set up when the first group arrived because the early starter slept through her alarm (and her cellphone was turned off). No time for warm fuzzies this morning, I was running around like a maniac!
Anyway time for me to go and have a nana nap now. I have to work again tonight and tommorrow morning - and I'm already really tired!!!
Anyway that was a tangent. What I was actually going to post about was the fact that I have an entire weekend off. To many people that will seem like a strange thing to be excited about but when you work shift work, and you only normally get one day off, sometime in the middle of the week, having both Saturday and Sunday off is a very unusual, and very exciting occassion! It means I can sleep in. And I can do social stuff. And I don't have to be asleep by 9.30 to get 8 hours sleep.
Last night at work one of the customers told me that if he wasn't already married he would marry me. Slightly disturbing coming from a man who is probably 70+, it certainly breaks the half + 7 rule! Of course he was only joking. Someone else told me that I was their favourite waitress! And another person said that I'd be the manager soon. Lots of warm fuzzies for one night :) Good thing too because this morning was crazily busy and the buffet wasn't set up when the first group arrived because the early starter slept through her alarm (and her cellphone was turned off). No time for warm fuzzies this morning, I was running around like a maniac!
Anyway time for me to go and have a nana nap now. I have to work again tonight and tommorrow morning - and I'm already really tired!!!
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
I forgot...
...if anyone has a few spare hours on Monday morning/early afternoon next week me and Ruth would appreciate some help to move. Also if anyone happens to have a trailer that we could borrow for four or five hours or so that would be great. Otherwise we will hire one :)
Monday, February 06, 2006
Ruth is really awesome :)
Ruth told me to call this post that. But it's true anyway. I like Ruth. She is lovely and fun and happy and other good stuff. This sounds like Ruth is writing this. But she isn't. This is actually Ray.
Maybe you can tell I don't have anything much to say. Today was my day off. And tommorrow too. It is exciting to have two days in a row off. And exciting not to have to get up at 5.30 in the morning for two whole days.
Today I did lots of packing. My room is looking quite empty. The lounge on the other hand is getting rather full of me and Ruth's boxes.
I also washed my car today. Now the windows are streaky. I will have to fix them tomorrow. It is hard to wash car windscreens when you can barely reach the middle of them anyway :)
I really don't have anything much to say. I bought some drawers the other day. I have lived without drawers for the last two years. I'm not sure how I did it. Especially this year when I had no wardrobe as well. I am quite excited about having drawers.
We still have a calendar from last year on our wall. Maybe I should take it down.
Okay enough rambling from me for now. I told you I had nothing to say.
Maybe you can tell I don't have anything much to say. Today was my day off. And tommorrow too. It is exciting to have two days in a row off. And exciting not to have to get up at 5.30 in the morning for two whole days.
Today I did lots of packing. My room is looking quite empty. The lounge on the other hand is getting rather full of me and Ruth's boxes.
I also washed my car today. Now the windows are streaky. I will have to fix them tomorrow. It is hard to wash car windscreens when you can barely reach the middle of them anyway :)
I really don't have anything much to say. I bought some drawers the other day. I have lived without drawers for the last two years. I'm not sure how I did it. Especially this year when I had no wardrobe as well. I am quite excited about having drawers.
We still have a calendar from last year on our wall. Maybe I should take it down.
Okay enough rambling from me for now. I told you I had nothing to say.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Work and stuff
It has been a long time since I posted anything. Mainly because I'm normally a positive, cheerful person and the last few weeks have seemed to be pretty crap and I don't want to make others feel bad by complaining. Although I have been doing a fair amount of complaining to people in person anyway (I'm sorry)!
For those who don't know what is up I'm just going to say work troubles and explain briefly. Sorry about the lack of details but a number of people who read this blog know more anyway, and those who don't can ask me if they want to know :) Basically work isn't going well, which makes me feel useless and means I worry about work a lot and dread going to work, which in turn makes me feel bad because it is only a minor thing especially compared to problems so many other people have to face every day.
Today I moved to another hotel in the same chain. I don't want to comment on this because I've only had one shift and that's not enough to know if it's going to be any better or not.
So that's whats up in Ray's world at the moment. Sorry about the negativity of this post but I'm just saying it as I see it at the moment. And sorry it's all about work but work and work worries seem to be consuming my life lately so I really have nothing else to say.
For those who don't know what is up I'm just going to say work troubles and explain briefly. Sorry about the lack of details but a number of people who read this blog know more anyway, and those who don't can ask me if they want to know :) Basically work isn't going well, which makes me feel useless and means I worry about work a lot and dread going to work, which in turn makes me feel bad because it is only a minor thing especially compared to problems so many other people have to face every day.
Today I moved to another hotel in the same chain. I don't want to comment on this because I've only had one shift and that's not enough to know if it's going to be any better or not.
So that's whats up in Ray's world at the moment. Sorry about the negativity of this post but I'm just saying it as I see it at the moment. And sorry it's all about work but work and work worries seem to be consuming my life lately so I really have nothing else to say.
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