Life's struggles

Just read this from a friend...

We must activate our wills and command our soul to submit to our spirit. It is easy in life to do all kinds of good things to skirt this level of brokenness. It is just too devastating to the flesh. We want our way. We have our plans. We are afraid of the brokenness and out of control feeling that God is requiring of us. We are afraid to let Him be in absolute control of our lives.

Radioio

I recently commented to a friend here that I would really like to start getting into more Jazz music but just don't know where to dive in - its such a broad range and I wanna skim the surfaces and find out the types that I do like.

So I started getting into a little www.radioio.com but had a few technical difficulties getting started (unusual for an IT guy!) and a few emails later, Dr Mike Matheny, the Jazz DJ, offered me a year's free subscription which also fixed the problem! An extremely kind gesture and I'm very grateful - thank you Mike!

Now I'm streaming jazz away quite happily and enjoying a lot of the tunes that make their way to HK.

Time to get myself edumacated!

Vacation dates

I'll be coming to the UK, 24th June until 25th July. Looking forward to catching up with everybody again!

I'm a ... blogger

Dave Heath posted an interesting article on his blog about the types of bloggers out there.

• Referential - linking the guts out of pages
• Experiental - churning out the depths of your heart into bit and bytes
• Newscaster - his own construction of a "Just so you know" blogger, rather sporadic posting
  

Read his post here

I think I have referential tendiencies [example post] as well as experiential (well not to its fullest) [example] but also newscasting potential (example not available because I haven't blogged for 66 days - I think you get the point)

Might I suggest my sub categories:

• Sporadic blogger
• Guilty sporadic blogger - know he/she has a habit of not posting. Most blogged about topic - the fact that they haven't blogged in a while".
• In-denial sporadic blogger - gets it together everynow and then, likes people to think they have a healthy blog.
• Mindless sporadic blogger - really hasn't got a clue about the whole blogging thing, but remembers a conversation with a friend that convinced them to start anyway.

I tend to morph into one or many of the above categories in some strange anarchistic flux. I really resonate with "sporadic", sorry guys. My most blogged about topic really is 'sorry for not blogging recently"

Update: perhaps I should be called a "Belated Blogger?" :o)

Hidden Holes on the MacLehose Trail

MaclehoseStage9_2006_Hidden_Holes
Originally uploaded by Helen & Mike.

This is a classic photo from my fellow workmate and partner in crime - Mike. He and his wife have recently been trotting along the 10 stages of the 100km MacLehose trail in Hong Kong. I often go jogging along stage 10 as it passes right above where I live (yes it's up a mountain!)

There's something about translated sign posts in Hong Kong that reminds me of "Lost in Translation" Think that more to do with the title than anything else though!

Oxfam hosts an annual trailwalker race that ends on our premises. The current record for the 100-km MacLehose Trail is 11 hours 57 minutes! (2004)

Update: Mike's blogged his own photo!

Firewall

oops!

We just installed a new firewall at work - does really clever stuff like actually looking at webpages before you read them - just to check you're not looking at dodgy stuff. The technical term is "content filtering" - letting through the good stuff and blocking the not so savoury stuff.

Only one problem... someone made the filters a little too aggressive and oops...I couldn't get to my blog and the reason for that was made very clear - "pornography" apparently.

I challenge anybody to find the porn on this blog - its clean I assure you! :o)

Anyways, so had a good laugh, plugged in the admin override password and hey presto...I'm here now! :)

But isn't it ironic how the password defeats the point of the filtering!

FART (Fire Action Response Team!)

And the acronym of the day is ... !

... well then there's also BAIT (Blonde Astronauts In Training)

I love Balderdash and you can even play it online!

Mr Darcy - a German spy?

hmm...my average posting rating for this month has followed the trend of previous months and continued to be down at a very low rate depsite my strong encouragements to friends to start blogging cause its the best way to stay in touch.

Freaky Movie Sequence
In the last week I have watched 3 films in what turned out to be a rather freaky sequence to watch... Try this...

• Pride and Prejudice - the one with Rosamund Pike (an ex. Oxford girl nonetheless) Keira Knightley not the BBC version which is better!
• Emma - the one with Gwyneth Paltrow
• Enigma - about the Bletchley Park code breakers

So what's the link? What has Jane Austen got to do with a World War 2 fact-based drama?
The much anticipated answer, my friends, is in the actors...and it F-R-E-A-K-E-D ME out!

• Is Mr Darcy really a German spy?
• Does Mr Collins truly exhibt the enormous skill and intelligence required to be numbered among England's finest code breakers?
• Is Mr Knightley actually working for MI6? Does Emma know this?
  

People aren't what they seem anymore!! If you're wondering about my choice of films for last weekend, thinking Hong Kong life is making me soft, then let me assure you that Munich is currently on the list of 'must sees' :o)

Oh and if you're into code breaking then this bbc arcticle might be of interest to you.

New York / Geneva Trip Photos

Its now officially released - here are the shots from my New York / Geneva trip with Mr Blue Man as your host. Stealing the show as always ...

Its starts off in the baggage...

Feeling hot?!
Originally uploaded by Steveybabe.

... and then gets rather chilly up on the Empire State Building

Its cold up there
Originally uploaded by Steveybabe.

But Mr Blue Man conquers the top of State...here's his victory pose.

Feeling satisfied
Originally uploaded by Steveybabe.

...and then a little snow ball fight breaks things up slightly!

Snow ball fight
Originally uploaded by Steveybabe.

For more photos, check out the set

Diligence

“The state or quality of pursuing one's goals with conviction, persistence and dedication.”

- Wikipedia