Hurricanes

Being overseas has its advantages. Out of the reach of Sky Sport's tentacles, I was able, for a small fee, to watch the Super 14 online. This meant I got to watch most of the games played and all of the Hurricanes and Blues matches. I found the Hurricanes' season pretty exciting and I think they could've made it to the finals if a couple more things had gone their way. Here are some highlights I made to pay tribute to the joy they gave me as I watched them, drinking coffee after coffee on those quiet, relaxing Sunday mornings.

One Year Anniversary

At my 19th birthday party (in the 70s)

One sweet year of marriage. Ah, what can I say. Hannah has been my rudder, my joy, my passion. She is my love guru, my gracious ear. She knows me, laughs at me, teaches me and carves me into a more authentic myself. She is a wondrously intelligent and strong person.

She pulls me away from my useless distractions

Back into the now- the present reality to be savoured, the little things to be enjoyed.

............................

One of the most profound texts I've ever come across is Hannah's vows. Her words haunt me to this day with their depth of thought, realism and utter Hannahness. Here they are (with her permission).

"I promise to trust God and seek to live in the life that Jesus gives to us- from that place I want to serve you; to honour, trust, respect and cherish you as a gift from God for however long he decides. It is a privilege to become your wife.

I want our marriage to be one that is steeped in grace. Because of this I will seek to live humbly before God, asking Him to guide me.

I desire to see you for yourself - not as an extension of myself or as an object that orbits around me.

I desire to listen to you when you speak; to hear what you are saying, not what i think you are saying.

I know our differences will sometimes drive us crazy, so I promise to remember how these differences endeared you to me and seek to celebrate them, not try to change you.

I want you to pursue your dreams, your goals, and your hopes. I promise to support you in these and your decisions and to challenge you at times if I don't agree.

I want to love you in the hard times and seek not to control you when life is difficult, but let those situations grow us.

I promise to stay true to myself and in doing so, be true to you.

I promise to work at staying open and honest with you; to let you in to the places within myself that I am scared to show.

I want to learn to see myself honestly, to listen to God and be defined by who I am in Him.

I desire to not demand or expect more from you than you can give, and to seek to find my wholeness in God.

I promise to hold you to what you promise me, and let you do the same - I promise to own when I am wrong and seek to live in an atmosphere of forgiveness with you.

I promise to keep laughing with you and at you, to keep having fun and going on adventures with you.

I promise to not become an adult who can't see a boa constrictor eating an elephant.

I look forward to making love with you and having children with you.

I desire to never leave you or betray you - you are the most important person in the world to me.

I promise to make my home with you wherever we are.

I know I will not live this perfectly but I seek for Christ to live this through me.

I want to grow in loving you and knowing you for the rest of our lives together,

Sam, I love you, and I give myself to you".

Yia!

The Power of Nightmares

Greetings loved ones,

Below is a three-part BBC documentary written and produced by Adam Curtis. Here's the abstract from our dearly beloved and highly unreliable source of information- wikiwiki:

'The films compare the rise of the Neo-Conservative movement in the United States and the radical Islamist movement, making comparisons on their origins and claiming similarities between the two. More controversially, it argues that the threat of radical Islamism as a massive, sinister organised force of destruction, specifically in the form of al-Qaeda, is a myth perpetrated by politicians in many countries—and particularly American Neo-Conservatives—in an attempt to unite and inspire their people following the failure of earlier, more utopian ideologies'. Tada!

So! If you're twiddling your thumbs, seeking to blossom into a knee-jerking lefty or simply looking for creative and instructional ways to spend the upcoming winter evenings, I recommend taking a peak at this compelling series from the man who gave us great docos such as The Century of the Self and The Trap.

Part 1: Baby it's Cold Outside

Part 2: The Phantom Victory

Part 3: The Shadows in the Cave

Thomas Manatoa Toulouse

On this day, 10 May 2010, Mr T. for Toulouse burst forth from the womb onto French soil. With a weight of over 4 kilograms and a height reaching 52.5 cm, it's safe to say we've witnessed the birth of a giant. A man-baby with Whiley genes who will probably develop Fordian themes but who was and is-born Toulouse.