The Train of Thought

IT was a lovely day for a ride through the field of thoughts, the train speeding through the countryside. Beautiful scenery was a blur through the windows and thoughts swirled around the train, bouncing off each other, new ones appearing at every bend. It was a masterful display of the inquisitive and intellectual mind.

But then, one glance away and the train is lost. The thoughts are gone and one cannot remember the beauty of any they had just seen. A glisp of one but then its gone. The frustration is overwhelming, with a longing to just remeber those thoughts one could see seconds before.

This is a frequent display. An often lost train and often forgotten thoughts. But those thougths still exist, do they not?

Concise and to the Point - I like

You know who I admire? Writers.
Now i could stop there and leave you wondering. You could choose your own adventure, decide for yourself why i admire writers (good ones mind you) but I won't. You can still do that, but I will at least explain my reasoning.
Firstly, if you didn't know already, I like words - a lot. Not sure what connectin that has really, but . . .
Authors, poets, essayists, people who can express thoughts so concisely, yet make a phrase sound so beautiful. People who can express a thought concisely and capture the exact nature of a thougt precisely alone astound me, let alone combining the right mix of words to make that phrase roll of the tongue and sound great. Poets, really. However, as I stated before, they don't have to make it sound beautiful to recieve my praise, and that simply because I take many words to express my own thoughts, and even then cannot capture the essence of a thought as I would wish to.
So, having shared that pratcically useless piece of information with the world, i shall leave with the words of Robert Frost, who helped me to give poetry another chance, and even attempt some myself! (No matter how terrible the product)

Two paths diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

-The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost, 1920

My Tins

I have six shiny tins
They look at me and grin
They know they are my favourites, yes
I have six shiny tins

We're just too young - and relaxed

Okay, so our governments obviously think kids aren't learning enough of Australian history, or something like that, seeing as how their planning to put even more hours of history into the already bloated curriculum. They're always saying that kids don't learn enough of our history. Thing is, we do. Ho ho do we ever. Over the last two years i have been treated with enough Australian history to last me at least 5 years. The thing is, we just forget it. On the majoritie's side i'm sure it's just the fact that they're kids, who don't care about it when they're 14, 15 or 16.
However, I believe one major factor in Australian kids not "knowing" some important parts of Australian history (think dates of the first fleet, first to discover the country, first prime minister etc etc) can be boiled down largely to the fact that we have a short and boring history.
Think about it. Our biggest scandles and such things in politics are the Whitlam dismissal (which I never want to hear another word about, ever again in my life) and the disappearance of Harold Holt. I was taught nothing about the latter in school (and i'm sure most kids would have no idea of even how the guy disappeared).
And if we're not taught nothing about it, the subject is taught to death, a sure way to kill a students enthusiasm for a subject.
But really, having been watching Monarchy lately on the ABC, a programme which traces the histroy of English monarchy, i have realised just how deathly borign our history is. Of course this is due to our late start as a country, when democracy was already THE western government system, religion was not controlled by the state and we had a well established, powerful mother country to look after us through a good deal of our development.
There's just no blood in our history, and it makes us boring.
England had kings, queens and all other associated being killed left, right and centre over any slight claim to throne that they possessed and a whole load of countries in Europe and beyond, not to forget America of course, have had revolutions and civil wars which have shaped the history of their nation, nto to mention assassinations of powerful figures, which in some cases sparked wars - world wars.
In any case, i believe Aussies are too relxed to have started any major, politically centred, conflict - we jsut don't care. Of course, if we'd had a longer history i'd probably be eating my words, but the fact remains, that is one reason kids just plain don't like Australian history.
I would just like to know, why doesn't the government look at taking stuff out of the geography course that isn't geography??

I know a story sounds complete . . .

Having learnt all about evolution and the big bang theory this year (from both sides), i came to the conclusion that it was ludicrous that people should believe in either theories when they had so many holes in them. However, while recently listening to a song by Paul Colman Trio (Move On) and something clicked. Well, really one line was so explicit that it couldn't help but click. The people who hold so firmly to these theories obviously haven't looked at the other side - or they're just stubborn atheists. Here's the line that made it click - Because i know a story sounds complete, until you've heard the other side. and that applies to many things. In this song it applies to Christianity and stuff, but I'm taking it and using it for my own means. So, although i can see obvious flaws in such theories, other's can't, because they simply have not looked.

Trains

I like trains. I said that today as we caught one up to Sydney for an excursion, and one of my friends looked very strangely at me; said i was crazy. Now i'm interested as to whether i'm alone in this interest. Really, i have no idea why they appeal to me - things, often strange things - just do. Anyway, just a thought for the day.
I particularly like train riding by night.
Minus the scary people. Haha.

In the Words of . . . Someone, Meh

Okay so yeah, Kevin Rudd got elected. Prime Minister elect (that title really makes me laugh, simply because president elect sounds better, anyway) as he now is. So anyway, i don;t really care what you think, you won't change my opinion and it doesn't really matter anyway. I like what my minister had to say about it last night. He had three points.
One, we need to respect John Howard for his long service to the country, not just as Prime Minister, whatever our political views.
Two, we need to honour the incomign government and respect it, whatever our political views.
Three, we are belssed to have the opportunity to vote for our leader at all, and at that, either way our country will be pretty stable.
So, although i'm happy with the elected government (yes i do believ i may be a labour supporter! Shock horror), i do respect what John Howard and his government did for the country.
NOW we need to move on and get over the whole thing, me included!

So, what did you get up to on the weekend??

Election Satires

I love elections i really do. simply because they provide so much scope for satirical humour amongst everyone. The Chaser's, randoms. Oh and there's always good old fairfax media videos on youtube.
I really like one.

Politicians Make for Great Laugh Sessions

Today is election day. In Australia.
It's the day that holds the possiblity of change.
Change of government.
Which could change alot.
Who will win?
That's the question on everyone's lips.

Personally, i'm up for some election coverage-watching tonight.
Yes, straight away that defines me as a nerd, geek, consci.
Whatever you like.
But hey, whatever.
Why can't a 15-year old kid enjoy politics?

Rudd or Howard?
Which one is better?
Or really should i say, Rudd or Costello?
Either way, watch this, it's funny.

Claim it!

WARNING: Biblical themes follow, but i suggest you read them anyway. Especially the first, it is quite touching.
This is an excerpt from the minister's letter in my church bulletin last Sunday. It is sad! And i just wanted to share it. As a background to the story, it is about Dr. Criswell a pastor from America, and a well known theologian at the time (he is known simply as the theologian in the text). The two were seated together on a plane, and got talking and the theologian told Dr. Criswell that he had recently lost his son to meningitis.
I quote, '. . . The child was beyond medical help and was going to die. The loving parents did the only thing that could do, which was sit with their son in a vigil.
Less than a week later [after he had been diagnosed], in the middle of the day, the illness began to cause the little boy's vision to fade. He looked up at his daddy and said softly, "Daddy, it's getting dark isn't it?" The theologian repelied, "Yes, son, it is dark. It's very dark." And for the father it was. The little boy said, "I guess it's time for me to sleep, isn't it?" The father replied, "Yes son, it's time for you to sleep."
The theologian explained to Dr. Criswell how his son liked his pillow and blankets arranged just so because he liked to lay his head on his hands while he slept. So, he helped the child fix his pillow and his boy rested his head on his hands and said, "Good night Daddy, I'll see you in the morning." With that the little boy closed his eyes and fell asleep. A few minutes later his little chest rose and fell for the last time. His earthly life was over all too soon.
The theologian stopped talking and looked out the window of the plane for a good long while. Finally he turned to Criswell and, with his voice breaking and tears spilling onto his cheeks, he gasped, "I can hardly wait for morning to come!"'

I wish i could claim these parts of the poem following that i understand, but i can't. Much to great for me to claim to have written. No, i rightfully acknowledge this as th work of Emily Bronte - No Coward Soul is Mine.
"No coward soul is mine, No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere! I see Heaven's glories shine,And Faith shines equal, arming me from Fear.
O God within my breast, Almighty, ever-present Deity!Life, that in me has rest, As I, undying Life, have power in Thee!
. . .
There is not room for Death, Nor atom that his might could render void Since Thou art Being and Breath, And what Thou art may never be destroyed."