Back in Kent for Christmas

So after finishing my exams on the 21st, I came home from my college to my nice own comfortable... sofa. Yeah, my cousin from Malaysia is sleeping in my room. But what the hey, it was good to get away and spend time with family. There have been some real family moments, which is surprising, and good. Me and my sister get along really well, and there have been no major bust ups in the family so far, phew!
Anyway, tomorrow, well today, I have a wedding to attend, where I hope to take some good shots, but in truth, the wedding is not all about the photography. It's about the bonding of a man and woman of God and two friends also. Hmm, I wonder if there will be a free bar...
Anyways, after that, there's the reception, the after party, and the New Years' Party. Yayyy!!! So coming back in the late early hours of the morning, I plan to sleep until the early afternoon when I will awake to catch a plane to Salzburg and stay with a girl from college, and then off to Schladming to stay with Dawn on the mornign of the second. Yayyyyyy!!!
I know it has been a while, but I hope to post when I'm in Austria! Maybe with pics!
Miss you all and hope you all had a great Christmas. I guess I'll be in 2006 before most of you, so Happy New Year in advance!

This Time Last Year...

...I was in London, at Paden's dad's appartment in Victoria.
Now those were good times.
It was Paden, her dad, Kaylie, Olya, Lisa, and myself. And then we hung out with BJ and Austin most of the time, and Ben and his cousin. (Ben, what's your cousin's name again?)
I can't remember who I waited with outside the appartment in the freezing cold that time we got there and nobody was in. Someone remind me.
I got a few good pics of the changing of the guard. But that kind of bores me.
Oh, something I remember was how amazed Paden was with the Rosetta Stone that time we went to the British Museum. Actually it totally changed my view of it and how amazing that piece of rock really is.
What else... oh yah, Paden cooking for us! She was awesome. And Paden and Austin Swing dancing in Trafalgar Square at the top of the stairs!
Oh, no, wait, I remember!!!!!

For those of you that weren't there, I'll tell the story.
Dorman (Paden's dad), has this company appartment, which we were staying in, but also had this one across the hallway. Anyway, sometime in the afternoon, One of Dorman's work colleagues was supposed to arrive in London and move into the appartment, so we moved all our stuff into the other appartment.
When we came back from a day out in London, Dorman was in the other appartment still waiting for that guy. We all moved into the orignal appartment because it had wireless, and we started eating bananas and just chilling. Paden started making a video of the appartment for her family, and was adding a running commentary to the footage, when she suddenly comes out of the main bedroom into the lounge where we all were, and is white as a sheet.
She's like, "Get out! Get out now!"
So we all move into the second appartment and she explains that there was someone in the bedroom, in the bed! Apparently that guy had showed up, but had his own key! Oh how we laughed. Then somebody stopped amidst all the laughter, and said, "Did anyone buy bananas?" And we all cracked up again because we realised we had eaten this guy's bananas!
Ha fun times.

Anyway, above are some pics of those days. Oh, what fun!

Christmas Spirit

My roommate found this pic whilst randomly scrolling through blogs. Some mum and her daughter put it up on their garage door.It made us both laugh.

Jonathan Elvis Marie Wilson!!!

Yes, our favourite Northern Irish brother now has a blog!
Hooray for this side of the pond!
The link is on the side.

Mike's Limericks

My Liverpudlian roommate has just made me laugh with a variety of limericks. I thought I'd share them with you...


There was a young lady named Perkins
Who was very fond of small gherkins.
One evening at tea
She ate thirty-three
And pickled her internal workings.

There was a young martian from space
Who entered a three-legged race.
He wasn't that fast
In fact he came last
Because he was a bag of frozen potato chips.

There was a young lady from Gloucester
Whose parents thought they had lost her.
From the fridge came a sound
And at last she was found
But the trouble was how to defrost her.

There was an old man from Esser
Whose knowledge grew lesser and lesser.
It soon grew so small
He knew knothing at all
And now he's a college professor.

There was a young girl from Madras
Who had a magnificent ass.
Not large round and pink
As you might think
But was grey with big ears and ate grass.

There was a young man from Japan
Whose limericks never would span.
When they said it was so
He replied, "Yes I know,
But I try and get as many words and syllables into the last line and go on and on until it is just crap."


And no, I didn't get these from the internet. Mike rolled them all out one by one. If only he could do the same with Greek vocab... (J slash K, Mike!)

My Sister Jessica

I meant to do a post about my sister 2 days ago (on her 25th birthday), but forgot.
I don't think any of you have ever met my sister, or even seen a picture of her, so here I post a couple taken on a day in July 2004.

She's a great sis to have, and she is very funny. Makes me laugh a lot.

Small Points of Notice

Here are some random things I thought I would post about:

1. I updated my photo blog (www.daveophotography.blogspot.com) for the last time in a little while. Please comment on any/all that you like. I really value you guys' opinions on my photography.
2. Yesterday I booked my plane ticket back to Austria for the first week in January. I'll be visiting Dawn and will get to spend time with Sophie too. Can't freakin' wait!
   
3. Did any of you remember playing a card game with Jonny Wilson called Happy Families? Well, those that do, let me know. I don't know if you have it in Americanadia or wherever you are, but we have it here, so if anyone fell in love with it, maybe I could hook you up.
4. Recently, I bought Family Guy (Season Three) for the second time. The first time I bought that series, my roommate (Benjamin James Kirchner) took them on 10-day outreach and they got stolen. I was royally pissed. But it's ok now, since Family Guy is the only thing that can make me laugh nomatter what mood I'm in.
5. Went shopping in Manchester a few days ago. Shopped at H&M (uhuh) and bought a couple of hats. Vee cool. Sorry, I just had to drop the H&M Bomb on you. I mean, it is my fave shop and everything.
6. Chelsea Marie Douce has now got a blog! That's right, folks! There's two Ecuadorian chicas! And yes, Janice, you did beat me to this one, but I got dibs on the next mamacita. You can all guess where Chelsea's link is. Yeah, on the side.
   
   Anyway, I hope you're doing well. I'm doing ok, myself.
   Miss You!

Breaking Point

So last night at football, i reached my breaking point. Since being here at Regents, I have wanted to get out, but even though it's bearable, I feel the lack of friends, and it kills. Especially after last year with all you guys.
I have like a few guys I spend quite a bit of time with and in my mind I kinda deemed them as 'friends', just to make myself seem worth something to others here.
Anyway, at football last night, I fall and sprain my ankle pretty bad, and instantly yell out in pain. The first thing I see is one of the guys I'm closest to smiling.
His smile wasn't a decided reaction but an instinctive reaction which wasn't put on.
I was horrified.

The thing is, that after making the friends I have last year, I know that any small ounce of pain I saw them going through would put me through pain too. I would instantly want to take the pain on myself and not want them to feel any pain at all. My instant instinctive reaction would be concern.
I know it sounds a little over dramaticised, but aside from being put out of sports until January, I came to the realisation that I didn't really have real friends here. And it cut to my core.
I'm a pretty broken guy right now and would appreciate your prayers. Talking to me would also be welcomed.

Two New Bloggers

Both Anna Reedy and Caleb Atkins now have blogs! Hoorah!
Their addresses are on the side.
In other small-time news, last night I watched two of the biggest tearjerker movies again. The Notebook and I Am Sam. I still love both of these films. Cried in The Notebook at the same place as last time, and got so much more out of I Am Sam than I did the first time round. Like, I've always seen that film as one about a mentally handicapped guy and his struggle to keep the daughter he loves. A father's love. Y'know.
Last night it struck me in a different light. Michelle Pfeifer's line to Sean Penn, "I'm worried that I'm getting more out of this than you," made me think about how the film could easily be seen as a story about a woman who learns how to love her child by seeing a handicapped man's love for his. This makes it more applicable to those of us who are not mentally handicapped. Maybe we can relate to her postition more than Penn's. Maybe we can learn some of life's lessons in the most unexpected places. Maybe we have to take a second look.

Family Group

Wednesday night I went Bowling with my Tutor group. This is pretty much the same as Family Group and I have often been caught misnaming it just that. It's not the same though, because there is not the same sense of family.
I don't know what your family groups were like, but both of mine in England and in Austria were absolutely amazing. I loved both, very much.
Here are some pics of my families.
I have very fond memories of my family groups and even though most of you weren't there, I just wanna say that I am thankful for all the happy memories, of making cookies, eating burritos for the first time, making cards with Linda, playing the animal game and Amir not understanding it, then in Austria, risking my life on a home made zip-line, sledding down a ski-jump slope on a small plastic sled, sweating it out in Christian's sauna, and then jumping in his freezing cold pool made of fresh water from the Alps, drinking from vases and jam jars instead of cups, eating those Bugles (crisps). Mmmmmmmmmmm... so many memories that I wish I could return to.




It occurred to me during one family group that as people from all different family backgrounds, with all different customs, traditions and comfort-areas, we managed to make it something more than just a meeting. Each family group was a bonding experience. It's weird. Maybe that's just me and my perspective, but didn't you guys feel any of that too? What were your favourite family group memories? I wanna know. seriously. I wanna know!

Defintion of a family:
1. A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.
2. Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.
I like the second definition.

Life's small-sized joy

Whilst pondering what makes me happy, I realised that the young kids that live on campus bring me joy. These are student's kids and they live in surrounding flats. Anyway, up until a few weeks ago (when the weather started getting mean), I used to finish class in the afternoon and go and play with them in the gardens.
We would do all sorts of things like pretend to be aeroplanes, on motorbikes, or swimming whilst lying on our backs on the grass.
The imagination they have is wild, and I wish I had younger siblings to do the same with. Man I can't wait to have kids. I feel like I was born to be a daddy.
You just wait. I'll be a rad dad yet.
Here are a few pics I took of them. There is an art pic I took which will go up on my photo blog in the next week. Oh, by the way, hardly anybody is posting comments about my photographs! Guys! C'mmon! Just write the good and bad points of each photograph, and if you don't think you have photogrpahic licence enough to comment, then just describe how the photo makes you feel. Gimme some support in this. Please! I'll be posting one photograph up each day for a little while.
P.s. Don't forget life's small-sized joys. Especially if they cry all the time. It's all good.

I feel... something?

What do you do when you stop feeling God?

One man sees Christ die and believes, but another only hears about Christ dying and believes. Who has more faith?
In the same way, what if one man feels God's presence & love and lives by Christ, and another man does not feel God's presence or His love, but still lives by Christ because he knows what is really true. Who is displaying more faith.
You'd all say the latter in both instances. But then, aren't we supposed to want more faith? Yet we still want to feel God's presence and love, right?
Ok, let's rewind...

All my Christian life I have felt God's presence, His love and His power. But for the past month I have felt nothing. What do you do if you wake up one day and it feels like God has gone. You know it's not true, and are firm in that, but you still feel nothing.
Well, that was me, about a month ago.
I didn't change anything. My praying, reading the Bible, Christian duties, attitude & behaviour. I trusted that God was still there, and I believed (and still believe) that this is a wilderness experience type thing for me.
I don't pray that this comes to an end straight away, but that God helps me endure it for however long He wants, and for me to learn from this and come out stronger on the other side.

Now I've been struggling through, until roughly somewhere in the last week, where things suddenly took a turn for the worse. I started losing feeling in other areas too. Mainly within the realm of human interaction. Like I am losing the ability to feel happy or sad, pleased or angry. I don't feel anything. Nothing
This is about the time I started panicking and wondering what to do.

Guys, I'd really appreciate your words on this one, because I'm afraid my own may not be sufficient.
All I know is I must remain thankful in whatever circumstances that may arise.

My New Art Photo Blog

Decided to host a blog just for my art photography.
These are not fun pics. This is photography. No digital manipulation (for the most part.)
Anyway, I created it last night and I will post on here every so often to let you know about the new photos I put up (for those who are interested).
The few photos on there right now are old ones from Capernwray that you have already seen.
Please feel free to comment and give your artistic opinions. Criticisms are just as welcome. (You know me).

www.daveophotography.blogspot.com

Noteworthy Phone Call to Minnesota

Today I made one phone call and got to speak to these 5 people...

Awesome, huh!

"Seriously, I'm fine."

So yesterday morning I threw up like 8 times before going to preach a sermon in Sermon Class (Like a homiletics class, but only the practical side). it had nothing to do with the fact that I was preaching, but it might have been to do with me staying up all night to write the (poorly presently) sermon. Or I might have eaten something dodgy. But I had to preach because there was gonna be a bunch of prospective students 'just looking' and sitting in on that class.
So, I told my lecturers for the day why I wasn't gonna be in class and went back to my room to sleep.
But, later that morning, loadsa people came in to see me, and give me food 'n' crap and to see how I was. What had happened, was that my lecturer mentioned it in class and they prayed for me. It was really weird cos people came in as if to pay their final repects at my deathbed.
Turns out it was probably just a 24-hour-bug or probably less than that. No big deal. But I think people are still praying for me even though I was like, 'Seriously, I'm fine. No, really.'
Later that evening i went and played fooball for like 2 hours and people couldn't understand it. Heh. I didn't really care.

In other news, I sent off my Moody application a couple of days ago, which is a huge weight off my mind. I'll find out if I got in by January 15th. Much prayer would be appreciated for this people. Thank you and good night.

Shannon Neufeld

Shannon has joined the blogging world!
Her link is on the side.

Original Sin v Original Innocence

Today in my Pentecostal Theology class there sparked a discussion on whether we as humans are born with original sin or original innocence. i.e. are we born as sinful beings or as innocent beings because we have not yet sinned?
Moreover, if a baby/child dies do they go to heaven or to hell? Original innocence suggests that if they die before committing their first sin, then they get into heaven on their own merit of a sinless life. However, Christianity teaches that nobody bar nobody gets into heaven on their own merit, but it is only through Christ's atonement of their sinfulness/sinful nature that gets us in. There is no biblical evidence for us being born innocent until we sin. Hmmm... Is not every person that enters the world doomed to sin?
What are we therefore saying? That young babies/children who die without accepting Christ are going to hell? That's a bit strong, ain't it? But are we always looking for a theological loophole to make us feel better and fit our circumstances? Also, what about God's grace?

In the 3 minutes that this discussion lasted, I concluded that we are born with original sin and that God is still the judge of all people, of which we play no part in, and He is a just and fair God.

I hope that this, my Torchbearing buddies, provides food for thought, and I'd love to hear those thoughts...

My God Reigns? In Me?

This morning at devotions we sang 'Over all the earth' (or 'Lord reign in me'), which, if I'm honest is not my fave tune in the world. However, as we were singing it, I thought, "is this just lip service that I'm paying?"
I came to the conclusion that I didn't want it to be like that, so I decided to concentrate on the words. I didn't get a big message from the Lord. I just concentrated on the words.

There's a line (as you know) which goes, '...over all my dreams, in my darkest hour...' and I asked myself, 'Does He reign in those areas?'
As of late I have entertained realisations such as that God really isn't the boss of this area or that, and He isn't really the number one thing in my mind when I am doing this thing or that. But the sad fact is, I realise these things and don't do a thing about them.
How many of us need to ask whether God rules in every area of our lives? I often ask God to do just that, yet somehow I find myself living against that request.
I also realise it will all be ok, and I understand it's a journey I have to continue walking, and so onward I press.

I conclude that even though God may not truly reign in all areas of my life, He is still there and still knocking at the door, asking to come in.


"Lord, my one request,
Lord my only aim
Is that you'd reign in me again.

The Daveo Photo Smile

In response to Marisa's comment on the last post (Life in Green) about my fake photo smile, I decided to teach the tricks of the trade to you all.
For those of you who are baffled, an example is shown in the previous post.
I challenge each of you to take a photo of yourself doing The Daveo Photo Smile and then post it on your own blog under the title "The Daveo Photo Smile" for all to see. Then I will collect them and put them all in one blog-post.
Hoorayyyyyyy!

"But Daveo! How on earth do I do that crazy, sexy, lovely smile of yours??!" I hear you cry!
Alas my Torchbearer siblings, I will give you a step by step (play by play)...

Step 1: Relax (don't do it, when you wanna go through it)
Step 2: Now press your upper lip lightly against your upper row of teeth (but don't concentrate on this too much. It's not that important.
Step 3: Smile slightly by raising your cheeks a little.
Step 4: Let your lower lip hang slightly away from your lower set of teeth.
Step 5: Move skin between bottom of chin and lower lip in a downwards direction.
Step 6: Take the Photo

Other important notes to uphold are to not frown; make sure your lower and upper sets of teeth are together; look lovingly at the camera (it loves you back); and finally, remember, if this doesn't work out, it's ok. You still have to post the best one(s) on your blog, and you don't have to give up your day job.
Allison is the first to try it, so if you are confused about what to do, then just look at her blog.
Good Luck fellow smilers!

Life in Green

Today no less than 8 people used the exact phrase, "You're looking very green today,"
Here is a photo of how I look on Wednesday 16th November 2005.

Yes the T-shirt is from American Eagle (in some American Mall in San Diego) and in truth, the only reason I bought it was because I promised myself I would buy something from AE to take home with me.
Oh, and If you're wondering why their is an indent in the hair on the side of my head, it's because 1. I'm growing it again (picture Daveo at the beginning of Capernwray, but sexier), and 2. because i was wearing a matching green visor all day.
And before you start on the unfashionability (new word to add to my dictionary of discombobulated words) of visors, it was from H&M (Regent St, London). Phew!

Justin Nanfelt

The main man himself has started a blog too! Wicked Awesome!
The link's down the side...
I'd check it out if I were you. There are some great pics there.

This is the pic we had on our door in Austria, in honour of you Justin. Maybe i'll get one sent over to you sometime.

Elin Austbø

Our Norwegian friend Miss Elin Austbø has joined the world of blog. Her link is down the sidebar, for all you Elin fans...
Also, she has joined Skype, as has Jimmy! Hoorah! Anyway, here is the lovely lady herself.

My Longest Skype

Tonight I had my longest skype with Miss Janice Rae.

It was 3hrs 58mins 4secs.
Anyway, I thought I'd post some sexy pics of the lady from Winter School because she is so wonderful.

Excuse me, have you seen my motivation?

Today is a slow Sunday.
Lately I have been comtemplating my existence. Purpose in life, mainly.

I am a very goal-orientated person, and as of late have been looking at my goals and aims in life, and I ask myself, 'How badly do you really want these things?'
Do I just say I want to achieve something and then not apply myself to fulfil this achievement? I dunno.
Maybe it comes down to motivation.
I remember Rob Whittaker's lectures on Personal Evangelism, (which I do look at from time to time), and he said the greatest obstacle in converting non-Christians is a lack of motivation. The same applies for work, and menial tasks. Am I not even bothered to do anything about this obstacle? Of course I am! But it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything.
When I was at Capernwray and T-Hof, it felt like I had such a motivation to do stuff. What was my motivation there? I think it was you guys.
I'd really appreciate some of your thoughts on this one.

Mr Brent Potter

Most of you already know this from Pam's blog, but Brent now has a blog. Hooray!
Brentsu, you were the first of my roommates I met whilst catching the coach up from London. And then to find you with all your crap sprawled across the floor in Austria only to be told I was roomming with you again! Man, apart from with my sister when I was a youngster, I have not shared a room with anyone as much as with you.
Bro, here are pics of Room Thir-ee and Room 1:

Abortion in Britain

Ok, so devos was good. A guy called George Verwer (from OM) was speaking to us about some interesting shiznit. He mentioned a topic which was all on the news in Britain yesterday, and following Marisa's rant on it on her blog, I thought I'd let you people know what the dealio-yo is in your much beloved Britain. I don't know exactly what the law is in Americanadia, but this is what it is in B-rizzle. I got this info from a BBC site aimed at educating teens. I copied and pasted some lines straight from it...

Facts and figures
In Britain about 180,000 pregnancies are terminated every year. Teenagers account for 20% of these. More than half of pregnancies in under 16s end in abortion.
...500 women die each day from illegal abortions worldwide. Take no chances with your body - do it properly...
Is it morally right?
This is the difficult bit. Some people know immediately what to do when they get pregnant. For others, it’s a confusing, scary time. Many people have strong views on abortion. But it’s your life, your body, your decision and your right to request one.
What does the law say?
Up to the 24th week of pregnancy an abortion is legal, with the agreement of two doctors. It is not legal in Northern Ireland, except under exceptional circumstances.
If you’re under 16, you needn’t tell your parents if both doctors believe you fully understand everything involved. The docs won’t tell your parents (although they may encourage you to do so) unless they believe you’re in danger.
How do I get one?
Go to your GP, local sexual health centre or nearest Brook Advisory Centre (see below). A (very) few doctors don’t agree with abortion, but they are duty bound to refer you to someone who does, without delay.
They will arrange for you to be seen in a special clinic, usually fairly quickly, at your local hospital.
Is it free?
The majority of abortions are free, done on the NHS. In a few areas the NHS may not pay for all abortions. If you go private, you can expect to pay around £400 for an early pregnancy abortion.
I'm scared
You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t. This is the biggest thing ever. And all those questions, prying and prodding... it’s enough to put anyone off. It isn’t going to be easy. But be brave. No professional you meet will judge or lecture you. They are on your side.
After the abortion, what next?
You may feel relieved, sad or a bit of both. You’ll never forget the abortion. Most women never regret it either. If you need to talk some more, counsellors are there for afterwards, too.


Can you believe that!! For those of you who didn't read all that, This is the law and some stats in Britain...
- If you're under 16, you can get an abortion without your parents knowing. If you're 16 or over, you're not under anyone's jurisdiction on this issue. (Oh, by the way, at age 18, you cannot obtain an aspirin from the school nurse without phoning your parents and getting consent.)
- In Britain, 180,000 unborn babies are murdered each year.
- Doctors are required to appear pro-abortion, or refer you to a doctor who is, straight away.
- They are free to get done.
and this is what a top educational site advises teenage girls...
- It’s your life, your body, your decision and your right to request one.
- All those questions, prying and prodding... it’s enough to put anyone off.
- It isn’t going to be easy. But be brave.
- No professional you meet will judge or lecture you. They are on your side.
- You’ll never forget the abortion. Most women never regret it either. (bullshiznit)

So there you have it.
And you all thought Americans were stoopid!
People! We have a contender!

Stuck in a Moment

So apparently, this is my 100th post. Who gives a damn.
Hmm, so last night I had like the worst night of sleep like ever. Or should I say non-sleep. I don't know what was up with that, but today is supposed to be a 'Day of Renewal' where we aren't allowed to do any work at all. Which should be good. I dunno what they have in mind, but I was thinking like a day spa and an hour long massage. (I'm still hopeful, but I'll find out in like 10 minutes.
Oh, here are lyrics which I thought summed me up at my present place in life:

You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it.
Don't say that later will be better
Now you're stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it.

Bono -You Too

That pretty much sums me up in my life right now. Dude what is up?
Here are some pics I took with Stephen Morris at Capernwray one day whilst trying to capture a moment. I'm trying to illustrate how I feel...





This is where I'm at...












...and this is where I want to be.