AM Attack!

I was sitting out the front eating breakfast this morning when 2 boys from next door crept across the garden with their plastic guns to ambush me! They were trying to be quiet, but kept laughing and squealing in the excitement of their play. Flashes of bright red and yellow clothing were clearly visible behind shrubs and pillars, even though they tried to hide. Just as they were about to attack, one boy said to the other, 'Your shoes! Take off your shoes!' This was a serious attack.... but the two-foot soldiers couldn't be so rude as to walk up to the entrance of the house with their dirty flip-flops still on their feet!

The boys opened fire and after dying a dozen deaths I backed into the house to find my own weapon. I tried defending myself with an umbrella, a wooden spoon and finally a dirty sneaker... but I was outnumbered. The bullets seemed to go straight through my enemies, while I was getting hit at point blank range. After running around for a while outside, the boys came in to look at books and play with blocks. When it was time to go home they had to be reminded to take their guns. 'And don't forget your shoes!' I called out as they retreated.

In Colour

Quote from my reading life:


Those who swim with the current finish...
Those who swim with the current finish dead...
Those who swim with the current finish dead to
What might have been
If they swam against it.

Snaps from real life:

The rainy season brings both mud and colour. Gotta look for the colour, right?

Rudd writes back

OK, so an assistant of Kevin Rudd (Felicity) wrote back with a cut and paste job which began:

Dear

Thank you for contacting me to express your concern about Australia’s overseas aid program.

...but it was a reply and that was more than I expected.

Who Could Be King?

In an ancient kingdom lived a strong, proud and handsome king. He was skilled in battle and loved by the people. There was peace in the land and people had food in their bellies. So I guess they were happy enough.

But as time went by, the king changed. He cared less about doing what was right and more about doing what was good for himself. The king was still king....but it was time for a new king. Who could it be?

One of the wise prophets went from the palace on a secret mission to find the new king. Taking a gift, he travelled far from the city. Finally, he came to a small town. He found the home he was looking for and knew his search would soon be over.

The brothers in the household were very excited. The all wondered which one of them would be chosen. They scrubbed their faces, combed their hair and dressed as neatly as they could. One by one, they were brought before the stranger from the palace. The firstborn son was tall and handsome. He stood confidently- legs firm, back straight and chest strong. Surely this was the one? But no. The prophet said that he could not be king. The second son approached and the wise man looked carefully at him. But no. He could not be king. Out came the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh sons. Each looked impressive. But no. None of them could be king.

The wise man asked the father if there were, perhaps, any other sons? Only one. But he was out feeding the buffalos. Just a young boy. Surely he could not be king?

The youngest son was soon found. He had no time to change his clothes. He splashed some water over his face and brushed his hair back with his hands but as he stood humbly before the older man, his hair flopped over his eyes again. The prophet saw in front of him a boy whose skin had been darkened by the sun. He saw a frame that was small but strong. He saw a heart that was not proud.

He could be king. He would rule with kindness and justice. David could be king. So the wise man took the horn of oil and poured it over David's head as his older brothers watched. From that day on David was filled with power.

Then the king went back to tend the buffalos.

Rudd in my Address Book

I received an exciting message today while I was doing some emailing: 1 contact has been added to your address book. This new contact is Kevin Rudd, MP.

I emailed Kevin Rudd this morning as part of the Make Poverty History campaign. It was pretty easy, really. I've subscribed to receive updates. Make Poverty History keep me in the know about what Australian leaders are doing about responding to the Millennium Development Goals and working towards ending poverty. As well as receiving info I'm also given ways to respond. So, today I wrote to Mr Rudd to say thank you for the ALP's promise to increase overseas aid to 0.5% of Gross National Income by 2015.

If you want to do the same send me an email and I will forward you the information.
Or check out the international Make Poverty History for yourself.

Here's a few more details from Make Poverty History:

On 4 July 2007, Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd MP, announced a plan to save more lives by promising to increase Australia’s overseas aid to 0.5% of Gross National Income by 2015 (which would increase the aid budget to around $8.8 billion dollars).

If delivered, the extra aid could allow Australia to fund programs to achieve all of the following: reduce child deaths by 140,000 each year, cut maternal deaths by 4,200, lead to at least 29,000 fewer deaths from AIDS and 31,000 fewer deaths from TB each year. It could also provide access to safe drinking water to almost 37 million people.

... In order to build on the momentum of this action, we need your help to:

1. Thank Mr Rudd and the Australian Labor Party for their commitment to poverty relief.
2. Invite the other political parties to match or better this important promise.

Seriously, if you have read this far, you are smart enough to write an email to your local MP : )

Best Things

This is the best thing about looking after someone's house for a while. I always gorge myself on their book collections... stories, history, theology, biography. It is wonderful!

The second best thing is having the opportunity to chat with new Cambodian neighbours. One young female comes in for a talk, I wander out the front to sit with a group at dusk and the grandmother asks me five times if I have food or if she should send someone to go to the market for me.

My mum's got a neighbour like this in Sydney too- who brings over soup in the winter, pops in for a cuppa and always has a couple of drinks with me when I'm in town. Remember the best things.

Made In China; Only In Hong Kong

Recent news headlines would suggest that China's State Food and Drug Administration is struggling. Toxic toothpaste, dodgy toys, contaminated meat and lethal antibiotic injections are some of the products that have sparked safety concerns around the world.

However, there are still some great, cheap, cheap.... (did I mention cheap?) goods that are made in China and still sure to be on offer at a bargain shop near you. Last week I was given a packet of LITTLE BEETLE LIKABLE. These four, plastic, wind-up toy beeltes revolve 360 degrees and flip over on their backs. Hours of fun. (Not suitable for children under 3... small parts are a choking hazard.) The blurb on the packet says that it contains:

MANY COLOURS A LOT SELECTED FREELY BY YOU!
SIMULATING THE STYLES AND MAKING CAREFULLY.
EVERY STYLES FULLY WONDERFUL!

At the other end of the spending scale, Terminal 2 in Hong Kong's airport has a newly opened "Bar with No Alcohol." Instead, customers can spend about US$10 for high quality Aromatherapy Oxygen Service. (15 minutes.) The brochure claims that this colourful, fragrant oxygen pumped through a plastic tube up your nose will:

highten concentration
calm your mind
remedy headache and migraine
neutralize the effect of alcoholic drinks
fat burning especially on diet
counter aging

All this for ten bucks with FREE drinks/ snacks. If you are passing through HK airport just head to unit 6P013 at Terminal 2.

Play

What do you like to do in your free time? It seems like a simple question. What do you like to do for fun? Thinking back to when you were growing up, what kinds of things did you used to enjoy? What hobbies or sports might you have listed when you were 10 years old?

This week I have been reminded that children from different cultures respond differently to the question, "What do you like to do in your free time?" Some examples from Australia and Cambodia highlight the differences.

10-year-old Joshua lives in Australia. He likes bike riding, skateboarding, Playstation, running, soccer and swimming. 12-year-old Breanna lives in Sydney with her mum, dad, 2 sisters and pet bird. She likes, "reading, dancing, singing, partying" as well as, "shopping, skipping, monopoly and Rummy-O". 7-year-old Amy likes to do handstands, play tip and play with her Bratz dolls. Luke, 5, likes going to the park, riding his bike and singing.

In comparison, 12-year-old Veurn lives in Cambodia. In his free time he says he likes to carry the water. Hoky, 9, does housework. 15-year-old Srey Mom stays home. Srey Lis, 9, waters the crops and looks after her younger brothers and sisters. Others say they wash dishes, cook food for the family and care for grandparents. A few Khmer children reported on things they do apart from jobs. Some read books. Srey Toch, 14, likes to play with the cows.

Play. It doesn't have to be with i-Pods and Playstations. It could be playing catch, climbing a tree or swimming in a creek. I've said it before but I believe that it pleases the heart of God when kids play.

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age. The city will be filled with boys and girls playing there." Zechariah 8:4-5

Investments

Some time last year a friend asked if she could borrow some money so that a relative could invest in a cow. I agreed. For several months, therefore, I was part-owner of a cow. (Just don't ask me which part of the cow I owned....)

Last week this same friend asked if I could loan some money so she could pay her university fees. I asked her a number of questions and didn't answer her at the time. However, early this week I contacted her by phone and asked if she still needed some money. She did. I told her that I would be willing to lend her the full amount. My friend had obviously been thinking about how her family could pay back a loan for she immediately responded, "Oh! And don't worry. Mum is raising a pig which will be ready to sell at the end of next month, so I can give you the money at the end of August."

Maybe this is an opportunity to invest in a young woman's education. Perhaps it is an investment in the future of a nation...but I like the sound of a low-return investment in a provincial pig.

Cooking Culturally

Yesterday I made the African Peanut Soup featured in the last Resonate magazine. It is the same issue in which Lisa describes Steve as the guy with "tight buns, sharp mind and devastatingly good looks" and he speaks of his first impressions of "the cute blonde chick" at the Young Adult Bonfire Social. But I digress....

The soup was very good. I had it simmering on the stove by midday. As I did some odd jobs and listened to the news over the sound of the drizzling rain, the soup filled the house with a delicious aroma. We ate as soon as it was ready and both my flatmate and I went back for seconds. Good stuff.

Saturday night Special

Last night I stayed home to make vegetable stock. I know. Saturday night. Not cool. But I'm staying with a friend while I look for a new place. She's got a kitchen with all the essential kitchen stuff. She has a fridge. She has a gas cooker. And....bonus for me...she doesn't really like cooking!

This week we will sample dishes from across the continents. I've already written a daily menu plan and stuck it to the fridge. I've never been so prepared. (I don't think I've ever made stock.) But it feels good to be a stock-maker. Slow food. Real food. People to eat with. All worth giving up a Saturday night for.