Smile

Today has been fun - but now my lazy Monday is over.

I have a busy week ahead of me.

Try not to miss me too much kids. I will be back before you know it.

;-)

Oh My Gosh

A long time ago i wrote about a prostitute that i once knew. Her and i were close and when i left that world behind me she was the only person from that world that i still had contact with. A couple of months after leaving that world though - she stole every cent that i had which caused me to fall behind in my rent, eat pancakes for three days, struggle to buy anything for the kids that Christmas etc etc etc... It upset me very much at the time that someone who i had done so much for and helped so much would put me in a situation by stealing off me where i would be at risk of thinking that i needed to go back to that life in order to survive.

I am proud to say though that i made it through that time - Nixon and i living on pancakes and me not being able to have the kids at my place because i had no food to feed them - without looking back or being tempted to go backwards. The kids still got Christmas presents that year because i sold my gorgeous dining room chairs that i had kept in the hope that one day i would have a home that was big enough for a huge dining room table again.

We got through that time.

Not long ago when i was sent a screenshot of something that another weirdo from my past had been saying on her Facebook page - i noticed in the comments after that woman's status update that she and Tawhnee Kiwikiwi were now "friends". I laughed to myself at the time. Part of me felt slightly uneasy that this weirdo that i had cut out of my life because her friendship was poison had gone through so much of my blog that she could have found a post from way back in 2009 in relation to Tawhnee Kiwikiwi aka Tawhnee Butters- but most of me just laughed it off and figured that the two of them were well suited to be friends.

As i have mentioned in the last day or so - over the past week i have had a ton of hideous comments left on my blog. Many of them have been threatening. They have told me to "tread carefully" and have referred to me by the name that i used while involved in that hideous life. The comments have been made by someone who wanted me to believe that they were coming from a man that i had met during that time.

I laughed at that suggestion though - because i could tell what blog posts this person had been focussing on and reading prior to making the comments and they were the posts that related to the weirdo poisonous friend that i had cut out of my life - and Tawhnee Kiwikiwi aka Tawhnee Butters.

The T has been angry over the last couple of days and worried about how these comments were affecting me. I always assure him that when people make awful comments and direct insults at me regarding my past - that it doesn't bother me. I just laugh at them and i tell him to do the same.

This morning though - he felt the need to do some digging and look what he found.

I cannot believe it.

Woman admits rape claim was false

Rotorua police say they spent more than 100 hours investigating a rape complaint before finding out it was false.

Tawhnee Marywin Butters, 23, unemployed, appeared in the Rotorua District Court this week and pleaded guilty to making a false rape complaint.

The police summary of facts said Butters went to the Rotorua police station about 4pm on October 14 and told police she believed she had been raped the previous night at the Rotorua Lakefront.

Butters initially told police she thought her drink had been spiked at a local hotel and therefore was not able to recall what happened. She complained of internal pain and had love bites on her neck which indicated she must have been the victim of a sexual attack.

She had a medical examination.

Three days later she gave a two-hour video interview and said her memory had returned and she could recall what happened.

She said she met an Australian man while drinking in a Rotorua bar but she could not give any identifying details about him.

Butters said that as she left the bar with the man she suddenly became unwell and started to hallucinate.

She attributed the strange colours and visions she experienced to a spiked drink. Butters said she went with the man to the Rotorua Lakefront and after she rejected his sexual advances he left.

She claimed she lost consciousness before waking up and finding a man going through her handbag. When she asked him what he was doing he sexually assaulted and raped her. She said it was not the Australian man she had gone to the lake with but described her attacker as a Maori man in his 20s whom she didn't know.

Three senior police officers were assigned to investigate the complaint and spent 114 hours on the investigation before determining the complaint was false.

When police visited Butters on December 2 she told them she had made up the complaint but would not say why.

A reparation order for $6242.48 was sought - the cost incurred for the medical examination and the amount of police time involved. Judge Phillip Cooper has suppressed other details of the case after an application by Butters' lawyer, Brian Foote.

Butters has been remanded for police diversion to be considered and will be sentenced on May 14.

If that is not proof that birds of a feather flock together - i do not know what is!

I guess my chances of ever getting back the $800 that Tawhnee stole off me are even more slim now that the police are seeking to get six grand off her for wasting their time.

Un. Beleive. Able.

As i said in a comment earlier this morning. Sometimes the fact that my blog attracts people from that part of society troubles me. One day hopefully the sleaze factor will drop away - along with all the nutters.

I do take some solace in the fact that the most popular blog post i have done recently was in relation to retail loyalty points and kitchen knives!

Ha!

Put Your Foot Down - 2

'...So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.' Joshua 10:24 NIV

Upon entering the Promised Land and encountering five well-entrenched kings, God told Israel, '...Do not be...dismayed...' (v25 NKJV). The word 'dismayed' implies being 'torn down by fear' and 'falling apart'.

Today Satan wants to tear you down by robbing you of your peace, your joy and your confidence. He will keep pouring on the pressure in the hope that you will fall apart. That's why God told Joshua to bring each king out of the cave and deal with him decisively by standing on his neck and then hanging him on a tree. Satan often works through our five senses but God has given us a sixth sense: faith. The Bible says, 'We walk by faith, not by sight' (2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV). Faith says, 'In spite of what I see, in spite of what I hear, in spite of what I feel, in spite of what I taste, in spite of what I smell, I believe everything's going to be all right because God is with me.' Your senses, which are susceptible to all that's going on around you, can be faith-killers. And unless you put them under your foot they will steal your dream, your confidence and everything else God has promised you.

Emotions are problem-driven, but faith is purpose-driven. If you allow your emotions to rule your life you will be up one minute and down the next. You say, 'But I thought life is supposed to be an up and down experience.' No, God's plan for you is to get down on your knees to pray, then get up in faith and do what He's told you to do.

I love Mondays at the moment. They are my only day off to do whatever i want. The Salvation Army Church is closed on Mondays, i have no lectures and the kids are all at school.  For at least the next couple of weeks - Mondays are ALL MINE.

I ended up having an awesome weekend. T helped cheer me up until the girls got over their anger at me for giving Hugo the kitten away. We had an awesome family dinner last night that was full of laughter and i went to bed happy. I slept like a baby with a smile on my face all night.

I felt that wonderful - despite the constant barrage of psychotic abuse and threats that i have been receiving via the comments section of my blog. It would seem weird to most people that i would be on the receiving end of so much craziness at the moment when the blog is not even the focus of very much of my attention lately, but because i know who it is and what has triggered this person's psychotic and foul mouthed rage  - and i know this person's history - it makes sense to me. I won't elaborate because i made a promise to T that i would not poke sticks at dangerous nutters. I will just keep laughing.

I turned off the ability for readers to make anonymous comments last night which put an end to the abuse for the time being. I didn't want to leave it like that forever though so this morning i have installed a statcounter on to my blog.

This stat counter tells me the location and IP address of every visitor to my blog. I have never really been interested in where you lot are from or who you are before and i won't be paying much attention to those stats now either. I just don't have the time these days.

It is helpful though to be able to keep track of the IP address of anyone who feels the need to make abusive or threatening comments towards me. I wish i had thought of this earlier as i am sure that this past week's stats would have made for amusing reading. It would have also most likely sent my own personal psycho's attentions elsewhere a long time ago.

Have a great Monday you lot!

Put Your Foot Down - 1

'...Joshua...summoned all the men of Israel and said...

When Israel entered the Promised Land there were five kings with armies determined to stop them. But God helped Joshua to defeat them and all five kings ran and hid in a cave. So Joshua told his soldiers to bring them out and put their foot on each of their necks. That day God's Word to His people was: '...Be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight' (v25 NKJV).

What a promise! Are the forces of fear trying to take up residence in your mind today? Are they causing you to think the worst instead of believing God for the best? Are they telling you that you're unworthy to receive what He has promised, that you'll never fulfil the destiny God has in mind for you? With God, your victory is assured, but you have a part to play in it. You must go into that dark cave, bring each king out, place your foot on their neck and put them to death.

These five kings represent your five natural senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching, and God doesn't want you to live according to their dictates. Your senses are susceptible to every negative thing going on around you, but your faith can lift you above it and give you victory. But you can't just sit down and do nothing. Your passivity gives them the right to rule you. They have no power over you, except the power you give them. So put your foot down!

That is an interesting one for me to read today. The only thing i really have to add to that or say today is this;

To the person who has been leaving constant and nasty comments on my blog over the past few days - i will give you a hint...

When attempting to be anonymous, and hide who you are - try not to give away the fact that you have stalked me and obsessed over me for the past 16 months. When you let out in your comments just how much you think you know about me and my life - you also let out that you are not just some random person who came across my blog, disagrees with me, and feels the need to tell me so in the most insulting way that particular personality that has control of your mind at that point in time can muster.

As much as i have loved writing in my blog over the last 3 years - i am not silly enough to think that anyone other than you has read every word.

Keep that in mind next time you feel the need to post a nasty comment. Sometimes less is more so try to listen to the nice voices in your head for a change. Alternatively - you could get help for that condition of yours.

Moving on.

This week has been a challenge! I am finding that waiting to receive my Sociology grade is like being a ten year old on Christmas Eve. I am getting a bit sick of waiting and am dying to know my grade.

I have started two more papers this week and am not finding them nearly as interesting as i found Sociology so i guess that is going to be a bit of a challenge. I have also found myself getting rather depressed over someone that i have met at Uni kind of latching on to me and always wanting my help. She did not get her Sociology assignment in on time. She asked for an extension and was granted one. She wanted to come to my house today so that i could do it for her help her with it. I got out of that and now she is asking me to email her a copy of my assignment so that she can get an idea of what to do.

T is telling me to just tell her no. In fact he is offering to ring her for me to advise her that is cheating.

I just don't need the conflict. I am going to have to find a way to distance myself from this woman without offending her.

Sometimes - I. Hate. My. Life.

I love T though...he has been trying to cheer me up all morning. Those bacon and eggs were superb and so was the comfy sleep in with the electric blanket.

I am in trouble with the kids as well. Thanks to T's promiscuous cats and my inability to say no - we ended up with another kitten. My place has new carpet though and one too many cat poops later the kitten went back to where it came from while the kids were at their Dad's. I am now in trouble for giving away their pet.

I love how kids always want kittens but they never want cats - and not once did any of them clean up a pile of poop.

Rant over.

It has been a week!

Adam Parore proposes - and makes Sally Ridge look sane

Adam Parore proposes Cruise style

"She still tries to grab me in her sleep when I sneak out of bed at night which I think is a good sign. Never had that before!" Parore said.

Ugh.

That man has no shame.

Way to advertise your neediness to the world Adam.

He looks like such an old creep standing there with his receding hairline and that cheesy grin. It would appear that the proposal is not the only thing that is "Cruise style". I never realised Adam is so short.

Ugh. I actually feel sorry for Sally.

What a dork. 

Quote of the Day

Claim elephant mentally damaged

A former circus elephant who fatally crushed its keeper yesterday lived most of its life in a small trailer and had "psychological damage,'' says an animal rights group.

The group that campaigned for 20 years to have Mila, formerly called Jumbo, released from the circus succeeded three years ago.

Director of Save Animals from Exploitation (SAFE) Hans Kriek worked closely with Mila, and said he had also worked with Helen Schofield, who died yesterday, to find a better home for the elephant.

Mila was mistreated for nearly 30 years by Tony Ratcliffe and his circus until she was so unhealthy that she went crazy.

Jumbo, now Mila, had been owned by New Zealand circus owner Tony Ratcliffe but had been sold to Loritz circus which had plans to build an enclosure for her.

Loritz circus relinquished responsibility for Mila and signed her over to the SPCA, after which she was transferred to Franklin Zoo as a temporary home.

Mr Ratcliffe told Radio New Zealand today he was the only person who knew how to handle Mila, and Franklin zoo had been ignorant of the elephant's capabilities.

"I am the last line of true elephant handlers - I doubt if Auckland zoo will be able to handle this situation. Their elephant handlers are not equipped to handle an elephant like this,'' he said.

Now Tony Ratcliffe has the nerve to go to the media and claim that it was the elephant's most recent trainer's ignorance that caused this horrible tragedy.

Never mind the 30 years that he spent abusing the elephant.

Quote of the Day

Say a Prayer for Chace

Tough call for Chace's family

Ryan and Keri Topperwien have made the heartbreaking decision to bring their little boy home from London, cutting short the expensive drug trial they hoped would save his life.

Three-year-old Chace has been battling a rare and aggressive form of leukaemia for more than a year and last month his parents flew to England to get him into the promising trial they prayed would keep him alive long enough for a second bone marrow transplant.

But this week, Chace's pain increased so dramatically that his pain medication was quadrupled, and doctors told the Hamilton couple the cancer was progressing.

Mr Topperwien said doctors recommended the couple bring their son home during a window of opportunity, before the acute myeloid leukaemia leaves him too sick to make the 24-hour flight.

"His pain has escalated quite a lot over the last four days," Mr Topperwien said. "It looks like the disease is progressing faster than we were hoping."

He said it would be at least a month before they knew the results of the first 72-hour infusion of the drug Chace received last week.

By then it could be too late to bring the boy back to New Zealand.

"He might not even last a month. We just don't want to get stuck over here."

However, the couple remained hopeful that the drug, which inhibits the growth of cancer cells, could still work a miracle.

"Our goal at the moment is just to get home and if we're allowed we're going to carry on doing the blood tests they need for the drug trial."

If Chace reaches the targets set by the trial doctors, including that his bone marrow gets down to 25 per cent leukaemic from the 90 per cent it is now, then the Topperwiens plan to fly back to continue the trial.

"If we're allowed. That's what our goal is. They [doctors] said it's not very likely but we can only ask."

However, yesterday the family were still trying to get permission from the airline to make the flight home after their British doctor suggested Chace would need oxygen to travel, despite the fact that he had not needed it at any of stage of his illness.

Mr Topperwien was still up after midnight (UK time) trying to sort the situation out so they could get on an afternoon flight today.

The couple and Chace would fly home with Mr Topperwien's father, Rod, who had been visiting the family.

Meanwhile, fundraising to help the family pay for the trial, which could cost $440,000 if all four rounds of the drug are used, continues despite the setback.

Last month, wealthy expatriates Eric Watson and Owen Glenn donated $25,000 each to the cause and urged other well-off members of New Zealand's business community to do the same.

This week, three of Mr Watson's colleagues donated a total of $10,000.

Mrs Topperwien said the support they had received from both New Zealand and London had been the extra momentum the family needed to get through the past month.

"We will carry our boy onto the plane knowing that we have tried our absolute best, that we were terrified of coming over here, but came anyway," she said.

"Chace has taught us many things, to never give up being at the top of the list. We haven't, and we never will."

I don't usually pay attention to these kinds of stories in the news. They are depressing and seem to be more and  more common these days. Recently there was a case of a young mother who was dying of breast cancer who made a public appeal for donations to pay for her to renew her wedding vows before she died. It was very sad but people die from diseases every day and what makes one story more newsworthy than the other is beyond me.

If i could help every sick person by donating money to them - i would. I can't though - so while i find these kinds of stories very sad - i don't usually pay much attention to them.

Chace Topperwien's story grabbed me by my heart though and just won't let go. I think about this little guy all the time and have prayed for him every day since i saw him on Campbell Live a few weeks ago. Through the whole segment he was struggling to keep his eyes open while out on a stroll in his push chair with his parents. Watching him just try to keep his eyes open while most kids would be smiling and laughing and pointing at the sights his parents were trying to show him brought tears to my eyes.

Today this story has me crying. Chace has been through so much in his short life. None of us - unless we have been there - can even begin to imagine the pain that his parents are going through. I think i would rather die than find out how that feels.

Please pray for a miracle for little Chace Topperwien.

Another Mental NZdating Member in the News

Man faces trial over fake net dating profile

The name of a Tauranga man accused of setting up an internet dating profile in his ex-partner's name, claiming she was available for sexual liaisons, can now be revealed.

Name suppression has lapsed for sales manager Carl Sisson, 46, of Bethlehem, who has denied one charge each of breach of a protection order and forgery.

Sisson was further remanded on bail when he appeared in Tauranga District Court yesterday for a judicial intervention hearing.

He was due to be committed to trial next week. Police allege that on January 26 Sisson accessed the internet website NZDating.com and created a profile in the name of the complainant, which advertised her as someone seeking "lots of males" for sexual meetings in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty.

It is alleged that as soon as the created profile went active with the woman's cellphone she began receiving calls from unknown men. Some of the calls were received while she was at work.

Police allege their inquiries with NZDating.com and Telecom established that the source of the profile was able to be traced back to Sisson's unique internet protocol address.

Every computer or device connected to the internet is assigned a unique identifying number known as an internet Protocol (IP) address and communications are traceable

Honestly.

I don't know what is more disgusting - Carl Sisson's psychotic behaviour or the behaviour of the repulsive men  who actually answered his perverted advertisement.

Either way - NZDating - Don't. Go. There. 

20 Things i Want My Teenage Daughters to Know

I came across this blog this morning while on my morning tour of my Facebook news feed - and it just screamed out to be shared.

1.Choose a personal theme tune early on and stick with it. This is extremely useful for the cinematic enhancement of dramatic life moments such as break-ups, anniversaries and celebrations. It will also provide comfort during time spent on runways waiting for Easy Jet flights to take off (approx. 98 hours in the average lifetime), childbirth and terrible sex. My theme tune for example, is Saturday Night Fever and when my daughters were born, there was only wah-wah guitar in my head. That and the vision John Travolta’s white nylon-clad buttocks. But that’s Pethidine for you.

2. Enjoy those perky nugga nuggas. One day you will be able to tune into Radio 4 with them.

3. Laugh often. Some day this will be accompanied by small amounts of wee.

4. Whereas I could floss my teeth with your underwear, you could raise a small family of baboons in mine.

5. When you kiss someone, kiss them like you could die. Abandon all reason, climb inside the moment heart and soul, surrender to love and all its possibilites, and then steal their wallet. (I have found that being a combination of Jane Eyre and the Artful Dodger is practically irresistible to men).

6. The same boy who is currently breaking your heart will one day be capable only of breaking wind. One day, he will be an unemployed security guard living in Leighton Buzzard with a wife he hates. One day, his hairline will receed. And also his gums. (N.B. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental).

7. You are rubbish at sex and will be until you are at least 30.

8. When (if) you say, “I do”, it is perfectly normal to have an evil genius voice inside your head going, “Hehehe… or do I?”

9. The intangible feeling that you should either be doing something else, be somewhere else, living a different life or that you’ve forgotten something important, never, ever goes away.

10. It is still a man’s world.

11. Karaoke is a cure-all for all ailments for all women. There is, in fact, an underground insurgency taking place in karaoke bars around the world vis-a-vis the above fact of it being a man’s world. Fuck burning your bra. Wear a good one with decent support and SING SISTER SING!

12. If you decide to mother, do it unconditionally and with complete abandon. Thinking you can still do anything else leads to utter despair and an addiction to Jaffa Cakes

13. Also, if you decide to mother, during pregnancy, sandpaper your nipples daily. No one advises this but it is a genius idea and prepares you for the reality of breast feeding.

14. In mid-life, inexplicably, one armpit will start to smell worse than the other. (Or is that just me?)

15. Some day, you will really understand what sisterhood is all about and it will save you. Now sisterhood is all, “Can I borrow your Top Shop jeans,” and “Will you hold my hair back while I chunder up this WKD?” but one day, you will find solace in another woman’s empathic smile as you wipe baby sick off your jacket. You will love beyond measure those girlfriends who drag you out to celebrate your divorce. Sisterhood will save you when the blokes all start popping off earlier than us tough old birds. When we stop being in competition with each other and judging one another’s mothering/parenting/looks/size/shape/choices, women are awesome.

16. Whatever your age, if you have music in your bones, nothing will be as joyful as standing in a muddy field at sunset when the bass kicks in.

17. When you are a teenager, there’s a lot of hassle about best friends, boyfriends, bitchy friends, twitchy friends, new friends, old friends. In middle-age the only friend you need is good lighting.

18. That old saying about being a ‘Wise Woman’ in later years is actually a misreading of the term ‘Pies Woman’ which is what you become after you stop giving a damn what boys think.

19. Because I was born with all my eggs, as all women are, it means that when I was in my mum’s belly, you were there too. Remember your maternal grandmother’s story and pass it on. It matters.

20. One day you will look in the mirror and see me.

~ By Sara Bran

Enjoy your Saturday you lot.

21. If you decide to mother - cherish every moment of it because they don't stay squirrels forever. 

The Mana Party crack me up

The Mana Party are all over the internet crying about Police brutality in Glen Innes last night during the eviction of state home tenants that had refused to move.

Bomber Bradbury over at Tumeke and some crazy blog called Socialist Aotearoa have both been crying about the Police giving everyone the bash because there were no media at the protest to film all the violence. Apparently the Police thought they would get away with it...

And here is the best proof of Police brutality that Mana could come up with...

The Mana Party's proof of Police Brutality

I guess not only were The Mana Party very unlucky that the media did not catch their members getting the smack down on film - only one person present had a cell phone to take photos or video it and he was too busy taking photos of these two lazy constables!

The Mana Party are the unluckiest political party...ever.

They needed Sue Bradford there. At least she knows how to put on a real show.

Seriously - read the Socialist Aotearoa link up there. It is so funny. There is a photo of some dude that had crawled under a truck. According to Mana that is more proof of Police brutality, and i can't stop laughing at the text in that link. 

A Heavenly Perspective

'...Great is your reward in Heaven...' Luke 6:23 NIV

Read these three Scriptures carefully: '...He shall reward every man according to his works' (Matthew 16:27 KJV); '...You will have treasure in Heaven...' (Matthew 19:21 NIV); '...You will be repaid at the resurrection...' (Luke 14:14 NIV).

God is keeping track of what you do for Him each day. You have more to gain by serving the Lord than you ever imagined. Yes, He will bless and reward you in this life, but nothing by comparison to what awaits you in the next one. When you know that, simple decisions such as how you spend your time, your money and your energy suddenly become opportunities with great promise. Once you understand that, you begin to live with an unshakable certainty that everything you do today - matters forever. And that truth can change your life for the better! Jesus said: 'Blessed are you when men hate you...exclude you...and reject your name as evil...Rejoice in that day and leap for joy...' (Luke 6:22-23 NIV).

Now Jesus didn't mean that when you're mistreated on His behalf, you'll be so happy you'll want to dance an Irish jig. No, He said, 'Great is your reward in Heaven.' Those six words reveal why you can rejoice in the worst of circumstances. You see, there's a direct connection between something you do for God on earth, and something 'great' He's going to do for you in Heaven. Jesus isn't asking you to enjoy misery on His behalf; that's masochism. He's saying that your rewards in Heaven, for certain actions on earth, will be so wonderful that simply knowing they're coming can transform how you live now. It can actually create spontaneous outbursts of joy!

What a weekend i just had. Billy's 21st was AMAZING. His Dad and their family did such an amazing job and put so much work in to it - it was unbelievable. You don't realise how much those things cost and how much work goes into them until you have to organise one. It was an awesome night. I was so happy for him that all of the people that have played a part in raising him and turning him in to the awesome young man that he is were able to enjoy the night together. A few years ago there was so much conflict due to my choices and behaviour that would not have been possible. I was reminded on Saturday night of just how much God has blessed me and changed my life in the past 3 years. It was really neat.

I spent all day yesterday paying a high price for choosing to have a few glasses of bubbly though! It's funny - a lot of people who have had drinking problems think that if they ever touch the stuff again they will fall right back in to their old habits because they will love it so much. I - on the other hand - have 3 glasses of bubbly and spend the next 24 hours with a horrible headache and wondering what on earth it was about alcohol that ever appealed to me in the first place! What a huge reminder yesterday was of just why i quit drinking!

My head is much better today and i am in no hurry to ever drink again. We had a big family dinner last night and it was non alcoholic sparkling grape juice for me!

I was very grateful yesterday that i had completed my Sociology assignment prior to being stupid enough to get myself my first hangover in at least three years.

Right - i have a filthy house from it being full of teenagers who don't know the meaning of the words dish washing, vacuum, or laundry to clean and i am a bit lost without an assignment to work on at the moment so i better get busy doing something.

God's Word is the Answer

'...There is death in the pot!...' 2 Kings 4:40 NKJV

The Bible says: 'Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, "Put on the large pot, and boil stew...". So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were. Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, "Man of God, there is death in the pot!" And they could not eat it. So he said, "Then bring some flour." And he put it into the pot, and said, "Serve it to the people, that they may eat." And there was nothing harmful in the pot' (vv38-41 NKJV).

Notice what they threw into the pot to counteract the poison: 'flour' which represents God's Word, 'the bread of life.' Instead of letting your disappointments make you sour, reach for the Scriptures. Instead of letting resentment infect your attitude, turn to the Bible and let God show you how to deal with it. Don't let bad experiences leave a bad taste in your mouth. Who was threatened that day? 'The sons of the prophets' - those with great potential, those God planned to use.

 How can you keep your heart right and your future protected? Jesus answers, '[Now] you are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you' (John 15:3 NKJV).

It has been a good week.

I managed to get my Sociology essay completed and handed in two days early. I made sure that i did this so that i could enjoy Billy's 21st this weekend. It was not due until Tuesday but i handed it in yesterday so that i could have a weekend of family fun with no stress.

All good.

I have managed to piss off Sue Bradford's followers enough that instead of offering an intelligent answer to my question regarding where the money to pay for 12 months parental leave is going to come from - their response went like "do your kids know that you are the hooker bint that rooted Laws" ...I love it when i get to those radical morons enough that they resort to that. I was a bit disappointed that unlike Annette Sykes - when faced with the truth or a question she could not answer Sue wasn't stupid enough to resort to that herself. I guess her followers doing her dirty work is the next best thing.

Irony = Sue's followers making that comment like it is the biggest insult you could give a person when they are the supporters of Sue who was once a prostitute herself and has spent years advocating for Prostitute's rights.

Dummies.

The kitten peed on my laptop keyboard and now my question mark doesn't work.

What colour is the sky

See ....no question mark.

I will continue to wait for Sue Bradford to answer why she is calling for Carl Davidson's resignation while offering no solution or ideas regarding how New Zealand society can afford to support families who make a lifestyle choice in having children and wanting to stay home with them.

Where is the money going to come from Sue

Still no question mark.

Darn cat.

Laura Moncrieff and her intelligent response to how
New Zealand can afford to pay for 12 months paid parental leave. 

No more time for stick poking at left wing radicals and that crazy old Laura Moncrieff  lady for me today. Between Annette Sykes' and Sue Bradford's Facebook followers i think there might be a couple hundred brain cells between them.

And that is rounding up.

Serenity and Doc Murdoch are on the move

They must have run out of New Zealanders with addiction issues to rip off so they are off to the Gold Coast. Either that or he is running from a rather large IRD bill. Who knows...

I would love for Doc Murdoch to elaborate regarding why he thinks a tourist destination is "perfect for his type of clients" and exactly what type of client that is ie; Dumb? Foolish? More money than sense? etc etc - but he wouldn't answer me if i asked him anyway - so i won't waste my time.

Watch out Australia. Addiction's answer to Jim Jones and Brian Tamaki is on his way. 

Stop Trying To Control Everything

'...A man of two minds [is]...unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything...' James 1:8 AMP

Do you have a compulsive need to find a solution to every problem, and to control everything? Do you always have a back-up plan in case things don't go the way you think they should? Have you noticed that the more you try to 'fix' things, the more anxiety you experience?

The Bible says, 'The mind of the flesh [sense and reason] is death...But the mind of the...Spirit is life...' (Romans 8:6 AMP). 'Fixing' is the opposite of 'trusting.' Now God doesn't want you to be mindless or helpless, He just wants you to live by faith, not head knowledge. When you learn to trust God and operate in 'the mind of the Spirit,' you experience peace even when you're surrounded by tough circumstances. One of the pitfalls of human reasoning is that it causes you to become double-minded and stuck: 'A man of two minds [is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything.'

What frame of mind do you live in? Instead of always trying to figure everything out, learn to be comfortable not knowing and trust the One who does. Decide that each time you feel anxious you'll stop and pray: 'Lord, I'm not going to try to figure this out myself, I'm bringing it to You, trusting You for the answer.' When you stop struggling with the whens, wheres, whys and hows, you start experiencing God's peace in a way you never have before. You also put yourself in a position where God can intervene on your behalf. So stop trying to control everything.

I needed to read that last paragraph like it is no one's business at the moment.

It  has been 1000 days today since i changed my life and walked away from the pit of despair and shame that it had become. Time has gone fast. It sure doesn't seem like a thousand days ago - but at the same time it seems like a different lifetime ago. Time is weird like that.

I am glad that i wrote about it, and blogged things back then - even if i have now reverted most of those crazy first posts to draft -  they are still there for me to read.

They have helped over the last couple of days as i have approached this milestone. It has not been the best few days that i have had over the past nearly 3 years but they have been a heck of a lot better than back then.

I guess sometimes we need reminders of what a bad day feels like in order to appreciate the good ones.

If all else fails - i have Lisa Lewis comparing herself to Bill Gates, Einstein, Winston Churchill, and Walt Disney - and her reality script to their inventions -  to keep me smiling.

Life is mostly cool 1000 days on.

Back to my assignment i go.

Meet the Cockers

Someone asked me the other day whatever happened to Lisa Lewis. My answer went something like - the last i had heard / seen of her she was selling her underwear on TradeMe to pay for new teeth after her fiance's family had knocked them out at a house warming party.

I spoke too soon. Less than 24 hours after that comment - this link appeared before my curious eyes in my email In Box - Thanks Ms. K - I think!?!

I appears that Lisa Lewis and Drew Cocker tied the knot on March 12th. Lisa proudly announces that she is now Mrs Cocker on her latest Trademe Auction.

Congrats to both of them. They look very happy.

I have to wonder though - exactly what the heck is it - that she is selling now?!?!

A TV script for a reality show based on their relationship? Meet the Cockers - that no television station or production company wanted to buy so now they think that someone who will be able to do absolutely nothing with it will want to start the bidding with no reserve at $1000.00???

"MEET THE COCKERS" 

This time un-scripted - pure reality; first of it's kind in New Zealand... life as newly weds - NZ's risque; a mother, ex industry girl trying to fit into society while career searching, including relationship with typical kiwi country boy Drew Cocker. The reality show would include past, current, drama, family turmoil, court, extravort, scandal-etc. 

2 weeks later.. 

According to the Stuff Entertainment website, NZ is set to get its very own version of hit US TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians with Sally Ridge & daughter Jaime (Sonny Bill Williams ex-flavour-of-the-month) set to star in their very own reality show. 

4 the record Lisa and her mum R also very close knit. 

Lisa has now determined that NZ's appetite for TV Reality is NZ's replica of The Kardashian's, & understanding that society is maybe not ready 4 some1 like Lisa back on their TV screens again (after Naked News - but this time as a wife with clothes on!) Lisa has also done her own 20/20 interview, Outrageous Fortune, Jonos Show, Nightline with Drew and with the profile life experience could have her & Drew's reality show create enough interest. 

Lisa & Drew are marketing off the original script 2 the original TVshow idea "Lisa loves Cocker" 2 the most curious bidder. 

Opinions in the Q's are most welcome; Drew & Lisa will answer every Q with their view 2 follow

Hmmmm - whatever it is that they are selling - it even comes bubble wrapped so i thought i would give it a bit of free advertising.

All the best to the happy couple!

Time has not been kind to Charles Manson

New photo of Charles Manson released

How will he ever get a job with that tattoo in the middle of his forehead!?!

What was he thinking? 

Enough Technology - I can't handle any more

Smartphones get ready to swallow your wallet

The days of the wallet may be numbered as consumers and retailers look ahead to a new era of the "virtual wallet".

Paymark, which processes the bulk of New Zealand's electronic card payments, has joined forces with telecommunication companies to set up a system whereby people need only their mobile phones to make purchases, collect loyalty points and access public transport.

Cards kept in a wallet can be replaced by applications securely stored in the virtual wallet on the mobile phone.

At checkout, customers will be able to pay by holding their mobile phone within a couple of centimetres of the adapted payment terminal. The phone communicates with the terminal to complete the transaction, and banking information is transmitted.

New Zealand Retailers Association chief executive John Albertson said it was great to see New Zealand catching up with other countries by launching its own scheme.

"Certainly I can see a day where a significant portion of the market will be operating with the phone being a base for transactions," Mr Albertson said.

"It's one of those moves that's going to probably take time for all parties to really appreciate benefits. The early adopters are probably going to be the younger generation, who are... certainly happier working everything off their phone.

" Low-value transactions could be "just a pass of the phone over the terminal". But for higher-value transactions, there would need to be security measures such as a PIN number, Mr Albertson said.

Paymark chief executive Simon Tong said his company's collaboration on the new system with Vodafone, 2degrees and Telecom would focus on providing a product that was available to all and safe to use.

A trial is expected soon, with the goal being to have it in stores late next year.

2degrees chief executive Eric Hertz said: "Over the past decade, our mobile phone has swallowed our newspaper, our map and our camera to become an essential all-in-one device. The logical next step is to make it even more convenient by having it swallow our wallet, and making it the only thing you need to grab when you leave the house in the morning".

Enough. Enough. Enough. This is just too much for my technophobe brain to handle.

I have done my best to keep up with technology. I really have.

I email instead of posting letters. I pay my bills online. I observe my friends' Facebook activities and pages instead of actually picking up the phone to talk to them - or getting out of the house to actually visit them. I communicate with my sister in America via Skype which is actually really cool because now i can see my little nephew and he loves dancing for his Auntie Jackie. I don't buy the newspaper - i read it online. I don't pick up the phone to order a pizza - i pick up my laptop. I even finally upgraded to a smart phone when Telecom offered me one for free on a contract - now my camera, emails, text messaging, blog, facebook all follow me everywhere i go - in my back pocket.

I have tried to adjust to our changing world - BUT I WILL NEVER GIVE UP MY WALLET!

What will happen if my phone falls out of my back pocket and lands in the toilet - like it has nearly done every day since i have owned it?

What happens if i can't pay my bill on time and i get disconnected?

What happens if someone is not on a contract and can't afford credit for a few days?

What happens if someone drops their phone and it smashes in to pieces like mine nearly did at Uni the other day?

What happens if someone steals your phone? I already worry enough about someone getting a hold of my phone and just being able to touch a button and have access to my Facebook, emails, blog etc...but now i am going to have to add bank account to that as well?

I swear - i will NEVER give up my cards and my wallet.

EVER.

No way Jose.

Enough of technology. Someone make it stop!

Don't Give In To Bitterness

'Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others...' Ephesians 4:31 CEV

When it comes to bitterness, here are two things you need to keep in mind:

First, it is contagious. You are a part of the body of Christ. So what happens to you, and in you, affects those you are connected to, both positively and negatively. The Bible says, 'If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it' (1 Corinthians 12:26 NIV). A snake bite doesn't just affect the body part that gets bitten; the venom spreads through the entire system. 'See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many' (Hebrews 12:15 NIV). Don't get upset and leave the church God has placed you in. You need them and they need you. By overcoming bitterness you spread God's blessing to others.

 Secondly, it can be overcome. Here's how: (a) Acknowledge and admit it. (b) Don't rehearse it in your mind or recite it to others. (c) Repent and renounce any attitude that's not Christ-like. (d) Ask God to give you self-control, then submit to His leadership. (e) Don't infect others and don't let them infect you. (f) Without waiting for admissions or apologies, verbalise to yourself, God and a trusted friend, your decision to forgive all wrongs against you. 'Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you' (Ephesians 4:32 NIV). This will set you free to enjoy your relationship with God, yourself, and others. (g) Look for practical ways to 'be kind...[and] tenderhearted' toward those who hurt you (Ephesians 4:32 NKJV).

I get the day off today. I dropped the girls at school and it was nice to see them so excited that it is their last day before their Easter break. Two whole weeks off school. I love the school holidays these days. It is nice to not have the early morning rush in my home. It is nice to not have to make sure there is lunch food in the cupboards for two weeks. It is nice to not have to make sure that i am in the area to pick them up at 3:30 every day. It is just nice to have a break from our normal routine - i guess.

For the first time ever though - i am having an issue with the celebration of Easter. The T's kids have not been raised as Christians. I think their mother is a Buddhist - or something like that. I am not entirely sure but i know that they do not believe in God. I know this because they have announced this to me many times. Last weekend T's youngest announced to me that she knows Jesus is not real because there are no photos of him. My response to that was to just continue washing the dishes while i smiled at her and told her that there were no cameras two thousand years ago.

Easter has become a big deal to me. I do not waste money on chocolate or Easter eggs. My kids get enough of that junk all the time - i am not about to pay 10 bucks for the same junk that they eat all the time just because it is in the shape of an egg or a bunny. Easter is a big deal to me though because it is a celebration of Jesus dying for all of our sins. Lord knows i have my fair share of sin - so i am very grateful to him.

My issue with Easter this year is this;

How hypocritical is it for people who are not Christians and who do not believe in God to be celebrating Easter with their chocolate eggs and bunnies? The same child that looked at me and told me that there was no God or Jesus the other day - is excited about Easter and will spend her day filling her gob with Easter Eggs and chocolate. Part of the reason this child will do this is because the parent / s have acknowledged that God does exist by encouraging them to take part in a celebration of a huge part of the Christian faith  - all for the sake of commercialism and fancily wrapped and over priced chocolate - while at the same time telling that child that God does not exist.

No wonder children in this country grow up so confused about their own belief system.

If you are raising a child and you are imposing your belief that there is no God on them, then why encourage them to acknowledge a Christian holiday? If you are going to teach your kids to celebrate Christian holidays then at least teach them to have an open mind regarding the Christian faith - and at the very minimum - at least keep the atheist opinions that you have imposed on them to themselves while they celebrate it.

I. Don't. Get. It. And that has kind of annoyed me this Easter.

I get on really well with the mother of T's children. Our multi cultural version of The Brady Bunch has come together wonderfully. We don't have any "ex" issues from either side. She actually warned him not long ago to don't stuff it up with me because she and the children like me so much. So i have to wonder if it annoys her that i tell the children that Jesus is real - as much as it annoys me that she tells them he is not.

It's complicated to even think about.

Now that i have let that out on here - i can go have a nice Easter break - while i bite my tongue and remind myself of just how innocent and impressionable 8 year olds are.

The Power of Perseverance - 2

'...We shall reap if we do not lose heart.' Galatians 6:9 NKJV

There's a legend about a soldier being court-martialled before Alexander the Great. Believing the verdict was unjust, the soldier asked to appeal it. The conqueror informed him that there was no one higher to whom he could plead his case. 'In that case,' the soldier replied, 'I appeal my case from Alexander the Small to Alexander the Great.' In each of us there is a lesser self and a greater self struggling for supremacy. Your lesser self says, 'Not enough people believe in me. I'll never make it.' Your greater self says, 'My faith in God and in myself is enough; I can make it.' Your lesser self says, 'It's taking too long to realise my dream.' Your greater self says, 'Dreams are realised one day at a time.' Your lesser self says, 'Enough is enough! I've taken too many hits.' Your greater self says, 'I've come too far to give up now.' Your lesser self says, 'I don't have the strength to hold on to my dream.' Your greater self says, 'Hold on a little longer; the darkest hour is just before the dawn.' After speaking about being shipwrecked, stoned, imprisoned, betrayed, hungry, thirsty, sleepless, cold and naked, Paul, who was resolute in his purpose and relentless in the pursuit of it, writes: 'Who is weak, and I am not weak...' (2 Corinthians 11:29 NKJV).

Where does that kind of strength and tenacity come from? God! The assignment God gives you will never be greater than the grace He provides. So draw on His strength, keep pressing ahead, pursue your goal and you will prevail.

It is supposed to be my only day off this week - but instead i am heading off to the Salvation Army to spend my day putting a delivery of donated food away and making up food parcels.

I turned up at community service last Thursday to find out that the lady who organises all of us dog fine accruing and other naughty things - people - had suffered a stroke the previous Sunday. She never misses Church and when she did not turn up her friends and family went looking for her - and found her on her bathroom floor.

She is not doing well and won't be back at work any time soon - if ever.

This really upset me. She was a grumpy old thing sometimes and i know i have complained that she sometimes talked to me like i was a five year old. She always had a grumpy moan at me every time i walked in the door at that place - but she also always had a big "Thank you" and a hug as i walked out.

She has a heart of gold. I never thought that hug she gave me two weeks ago would be the last.

Anyway - they have no one there now to organise all the huge deliveries of donated food that they receive from all the local supermarkets so i told the receptionist to just give me a call if i was needed on a day that i am not normally there...

So off i go.

I think i will keep volunteering there even after my hours are up. They are a pretty cool bunch of people that do some pretty amazing things at The Salvation Army in Howick. There have been many days when i have turned up there feeling down, and lacking in motivation and after a day working with them - have left there feeling the exact opposite.

My community service has been a pretty cool experience.

I have two weeks off from lectures starting at the end of this week. I have an assignment due during that time and then i add two more subjects to my schedule starting on the 18th...so...back when i am back.

My mountain of boxes of food is waiting...

The Power of Perseverance - 1

'Let us not grow weary while doing good...' Galatians 6:9 NKJV

One of the great themes of the Bible is - perseverance. Paul, who refused to quit, wrote: 'Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.'

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, 'The great majority of men are bundles of beginnings.' Are you merely a starter, or are you also a finisher? When the enthusiasm for a new idea fades, when the odds against you increase and the results diminish, when it looks as if success is impossible, you must keep forging ahead. Admiral Robert Peary attempted to reach the North Pole seven times before he finally succeeded. Oscar Hammerstein produced five shows on Broadway that were flops before staging Oklahoma, which was seen by almost five million people during a record-breaking run of 2,212 performances. Quitting is more about who you are, than where you are or what you're up against. We all have our excuses. The truth is, external things don't stop us; it's what happens to us on the inside! Most of us stop ourselves from reaching our potential. We can pretend that people, things and situations outside of ourselves are to blame, but in reality most failures are just the result of a lack of bulldog-like tenacity.

Leonardo da Vinci said, 'Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star, does not change his mind.' You must have a mindset to tenaciously pursue your dream. The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying. There is no insurmountable barrier, except your own inherent lack of purpose and persistence.

I totally NAILED my Sociology presentation today. I could not be happier with how today went.

Glad that is over - but so happy.

Looking forward to the next presentation. For now though - next challenge - essay due on April 17th.

I wish i had known how good this felt 20 years ago. I am at a real risk of getting addicted to education now.