My newest entertainment

There's this cool little button, at the top of the blog, that says, "Next blog". So you click it and it takes you to someone else's blog. It's really fun! I'm serious. And it seems to pick the next blog based on common tags with the blog you're currently on. Here are some cool things I have noticed:

a. Clicking "Next blog" from my blog or Sam's usually leads to a mass of Christian family blogs (this makes sense coming from Sam's blog... but mine?). Eventually the Christian family blogs peter out into just family blogs, then to crafty blogs and then to some seemingly random blog theme (like outdoor adventures).

b. Once, the theme went from Christian family blogs (x lots), to family blogs (x many), to Spanish blogs (x 3ish) to Spanish football blogs (x 1 million... I got bored and quit long before the theme changed).

c. Both Christian and non-Christian families alike tend to have a son called Cooper.

d. Cooper usually has a brother called Jack.

e. If I have kids I will not be calling them Cooper or Jack. I'm not sure if I'll even start a blog for them (kids should make their own blogs, I say! Slackers).

f. A lot of family blogs have a countdown for when the next baby is due. This freaks me out, because the countdown looks like some alien floating in the vacuum of space. I think it's meant to be the baby. But it's not cute. Embryos are cute.

Cute embryo.


Aliens floating in the vacuum of space are... how to put this delicately... freaky (sorry Sam, I know you want one of these).


People should make a baby countdown with something cute in it, like embryos, or puppies, or maybe your husband... you know. Cute stuff. Not the Alien.

ANYWAY, it's fun to look at people's blogs. It's kind of relaxing, and it's a good substitute for actually updating your own blog. I'm off to click that favourite little button... hee!

Helping my friend

I was having emotional problems. A good friend of mine, Arman Filat, has started doing naughty things because of issues with his family. Naughty things such as stealing the bread and having noisy parties. It really stressed me out, and not just because I was getting the blame for stealing the bread. I was really worried about Arman Filat, and the worry grew worse when I couldn't think of a way to help him. Then God revealed to me this while I was studying 2 Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 1:23-24
I call to God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.

The church in Corinth was unhappy with Paul for many reasons, one of which included his change of plans. He didn't visit them when he previously said he would. In these verses he reveals that he wasn't going to visit in order to benefit them. As a leader Paul wanted to work alongside them and help them grow in their faith. They weren't going to grow very much if every time they had a problem he showed up and dealt with it for them. They were at a stage where they were quite capable of doing things themselves, even if they were still prone to making errors (e.g. 2 Corinthians 2:5-8).

What this means if you're leading someone: Sometimes when we love someone and want the best for them we have to do things they will not like, they will not understand and they will not agree with. The church in Corinth didn't understand why Paul changed his mind, and they weren't happy with this or his previous letter. When you have spiritual authority over someone, or you are looking after someone, you need wisdom. You need to know how to act and what advice to give. You need to know when to act and when to offer advice. You need to know when to intervene, and when you should take a step back so they can deal with it themselves. You need wisdom from God. If you rely on your own wisdom, your own reasoning and your own understanding you will probably make mistakes.

Sometimes you don't need to do everything for them. You just need to work alongside them.

What this means when you come under someone else's authority: Sometimes when someone loves you they will do things to you that you will not like, you will not understand and you will not agree with. Even if you don't quite understand, you still need to submit and act in obedience.


Okay, so this is some rebellious emo kid and not Arman Filat (Arman Filat is a possum) but hey, I'm just trying to make this aesthetically pleasing.

For me this means that I can't just fix Arman Filat's problems for him. I will help him when God opens the door for me, but until then I will just pray for him and just be a good friend. Stressing over it won't help anyone.

Art- tips for young players

Firstly, Sam, I did not steal the bread. I don't like bread. I like easter eggs and shopping bags.

Moving on. I share a room with someone weird. I can't tell you who. She will get upset. One day I came home from school to find this:



That's right. A drawing of Jared Leto. And from this angle it doesn't look too bad. BUT IT IS! YOUR BRAIN IS TRICKING YOU!

Closer examination revealed that it was actually pretty bad, and because I'm pretty good at criticising artworks I thought this would be a good time to point out some things to keep in mind if you ever take up drawing with pastels.

1. Proportion is important.


Jared Leto should not look emaciated. His pretty face should be more rounded. Being a little more conscientious when shading could have saved him from the starving orphan look.

2. Take care with fine details.


Surprisingly, this mouth is the best mouth our amateur artist has ever drawn. It isn't bad. She likes pretty mouths; maybe that's why. The nose, however, is shocking.

3. Don't cheat. It looks ugly.


Just because your subject's hair gracefully falls over one eye does not mean you can slack off and do a dodgy job. People can still see that eye.

4. Pastels are smudgy. Be careful.


This is especially important if you enjoy drawing dark haired pretty boys with pale skin. I know for a fact that our friend spent an awfully long time trying to make the skin nice (she has skin tone issues normally), and then all her hard work was destroyed by accidentally smudging black hair onto the skin. It's a good idea to use something like blank paper to protect your picture from smudging while you work. It's also a good idea to be patient, and not rush to get it finished.

Overall, the picture isn't really good enough to submit as an art piece (poor Jared Leto!), but it's not bad considering it probably only took two hours to make max. And even though I didn't show this, word on the street is the awful artist is actually very pleased with the way his neck and shirt turned out.

My economic crisis (when I die it's Sam's fault)

With the world economy in crisis many people are left asking "can it get worse?", "when will it get worse?", "how long will it last?", "how will it affect me?" and "how will I survive?"

We can only speculate on the answers to such questions. This isn't a class test where we can go and sneak the answer sheet from the teacher's desk. No! This is real life, and we won't know the answers until we live it out.

While I hate to be a pessimist, I find that sometimes the best way to get through hardships is to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. So how does one prepare for the complete economic downfall of the world? The answer... squirrels!

Think about it. Every year they make a secret stash of goodies to get them through the times when goodies are scarce. I'm ingenious and modest, and realised this was the only way to survive. Following the Way of the Squirrel, I made my own secret stash. Actually, I had two secret stashes. I carefully hoarded baby chocolate easter eggs (only the fruit and nut kind because they're more nutritious) so when things get rough I'll be able to survive.

Sam found my chocolate caches. Sam threw them away. Sam does not understand the Way of the Squirrel. Now I'm doomed and it's all her fault. She can pay for my funeral.