the great clothes swap

The Dilemma

I have heaps of perfectly good clothing that I have either grown out of (*sob sob*), grown sick of (after wearing it over and over again), stuff that just ain't flattering on me, or stuff that I thought I could pull off but... couldn't. Oh yes, the graveyard of impulse buys, clothes that have shrunk in the washing machine (I like to blame the machine rather than my weight), and garments I just couldn't let go of (just in case they a. came back into fashion, or b. are the perfect bit of clothing for a fashion-victim-themed party).

The Idea

So last week I sent an email round to all the girls with an idea that I have wanted to try out for a while. An afternoon where we all meet together, bringing all our pre-loved clothes and accessories (that fall into the above criteria), as well as some afternoon tea, and then have a swapping / trying on / giving away session while we nibble on some snacks. The response was quite overwhelming and unexpected. To date, my gmail response file contains over 30 emails! So we set a date, chose a venue (my place), and anticipated the first ever Fashionista-Sistas' Clothes Swap.

Let the Purging Begin

So with the Great Clothes Swap fast approaching round the bend (1.5 weeks away), I've started going through my wardrobe, bringing out the dead - clothes that I haven't seen for ages. So far, I have gone through most garments, trying and retrying them on over and over again to try make up my mind whether they have earned the right to stay in my wardrobe or whether they are ready for a new (but loving) home.

The purging process is quite fun. You find stuff that you had forgotten all about, stuff from 'back in the day', and stuff that used to be your uniform because you wore it that often! But I also found that a lot of stuff held memories of previous years. As I took them into my hands, memories came flooding back - events I attended, places I had visited, complements, the memories of friends, family, laughs, and sad times. It's amazing how memories can be triggered by the simplest of things.

But despite the sentiment, some of these things must be purged - others are on death row - a few have earned a second chance.

The Clothes Swap should be good and I am looking forward to it - it will be just like the op-shop doing home delivery haha! But I think more than anything else, it will be a good time of getting to know the other girls in church in a very very girly way!

vegetable soup

I made soup for the first time today - and it wasn't out of a can! That's right people - yours truly made soup from scratch - and it was edible! OK, before you all get the wrong idea and I continue to confirm beliefs that I don't know the right end of a spatula, I should let you all know that after watching hours and hours of cooking shows (love-love-LOVE cooking shows) and having a history of helping my mum in the kitchen (when I was younger), I do have some kind of working knowledge when it comes to cooking - I just don't choose to use it because I have two parents who both cook and I live at home.

But when the folks are away, Rowena will play (in the kitchen) - otherwise, she will be subjected to an endless foray of takeaway, junkfood, and leftovers. So I bought some vegies this afternoon, used up what we had in the fridge, and knocked up a pretty tasty soup - and I didn't even use a recipe!

It was pretty easy too - I just peeled and chopped 1/2 a butternut pumpkin, 2 big sweet potatoes, 1/2 cauliflower, 3 carrots, 1 and 1/2 onions and boiled them all together in a big pot. I then, added in 2 cubes of beef stock, 1 cube of chicken stock, about 2 or 3 tablespoons of curry powder, 2 beaten eggs, some milk, and some salt & pepper into the mix (tasting and mixing it up along the way). After a while, when everything was getting mushy, I took the pot off the stove and used one of those hand-mixer things to whizz everything together.

The result?

Not bad eh? If I ever do this again, I would probably add more pumpkin and less carrot, but it was still pretty good for a first-shot. And yes, much healthier than a trip to Wong's or Mickey-D's.

'I don't love it'

I have developed a bit of a bad habit of buying things on an impulse, only to find that I am faced with a bad case of buyer's remorse when I get home. I then end up going back to the shop and then returning the item soon after. A lot of the time, I let the item sit on a hanger with tags still attached in my room as I try to decide whether its a keeper. It has gotten to the point where whenever I show my brothers something that I have bought, they have started to ask when I will return the item.


However, I had a bit of a revelation when I went boot-shopping with two of the girls from work the other day (before you try to make me feel bad, I didn't buy anything OK? I just had an innocent, coveteousness-free browse - OK so there was a little incy wincy bit of coveting..). And while we were there, we noticed a customer hand back a pair of shoes after trying them on. But instead of saying something like 'no thanks' or 'not today' or doing a Rowena and buying it just cos she thought it was a bargain, she said something that we thought was pretty good...

'I don't love them'

We spent a few minutes (after she had walked away) discussing that comment - what a great way to decide whether you should buy something! OK, you (especially you, if you are a guy) may think it's not a big deal because I guess, you (and most other normal people) probably only buy things that you really really like anyway, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that it is a good way to fight impulse buys.

Do I love it or just like it? I have heaps of items in my wardrobe that I can safely say I don't love. It's not that they are really gross or anything, I just don't love them. And when I think about it, I don't think that when I bought it, I loved it then either. It was just another impulse buy. It was textbook lust of the eyes - far from love-love.

Though some impulse buys ended up being really good buys that have well and truly earnt their keep, sadly, there are still quite a few reminders in the old wardobe that remind me to really have a think before heading to the counter and handing over the plastic.

who dares wins

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

[Proverbs 11:30]

City Evangelism - 29 June 2008

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the four-letter-word

It's everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE...

Sales mess with your mind. Usually, I will pick up a non-sale item and then put it back on the rack because I can't justify buying it and I think to myself, if only it was $X... Other times you buy it and hope it doesn't go on sale. However, when stuff is on sale, have you ever found yourself getting into a competition with the shops? Like, have you ever found yourself walking out of the shop(or almost running in case they change their mind) after snatching a bargain thinking proudly to yourself 'man, I totally ripped them off! That top used to be $59.95, and I got it for $14.95... suckers!!'.

I say that in jest, but I actually saw a jacket I bought earlier go for half price at the shop yesterday (i.e. 50% less that what I paid!), and I actually thought to myself 'I should buy another one (in a different colour of course - I'm not stupid..) at half price just so I can cheat the system and wrangle out a saving on my first jacket'... Yes, I am a sad, sad person. The Business degree has totally sunk in and applied itself in my mind as you can see...

Worse thing is that there are just so many nice things around this season. And the cheap prices make it so hard to resist the temptation! I have already accidentally bought two pairs of shoes and some pants (before you give me grief about this, just know that I actually NEEDED work pants so there! But let's not talk about the shoes...) If I don't watch out, the plastic will get a bit of a shellacking in the next few weeks.

another book bites the dust

The whole reading through the Bible has been a pretty long process, but it has been quite a blessing in many ways. Books that I had previously written off as boring, too long, or irrelevant, have been completed one by one. The latest book to be polished off?

Leviticus.


I guess I have always avoided this book because to me, it was just a book of old Jewish laws that are no longer relevant because of what Christ did on the cross in the New Testament. However, when I read through this time round, it was actually quite interesting. However, some parts got be a bit perplexed - like why some laws are said to be kept for all future generations (or something like that), yet we don't seem to be following them today.

So I phone a friend. Well, actually, I emailed Pastor Ed. And he gave me a pretty good explanation.

As far as the laws in Leviticus are concerned, there are basically three kinds of laws: civil laws, ceremonial laws, and moral laws. The civil laws deal with the government of the nation Israel back then and are not applicable for us today. The ceremonial laws you already commented on in your email -- "I understand that this has to do with it no longer being required because of Christ's work at Calvary in the NT". That's correct. The last group are the moral laws, such as the ten commandments; they are repeated in the NT and are still applicable to us today.

The other thing I asked him about was the issue of food (you can stop your sarcastic looks of shock now). What's the deal with the whole clean and unclean animal thing? The answer was pretty simple...

Consuming blood, eating pork or beef, etc. are controversial issues due to Christians cultural and national backgrounds and interpretation. For instance, some Chinese Christians will not eat beef and some Korean Christians will not eat pork. A good guideline to follow is Romans 14:21 -- "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." In other words, if it causes a fellow believer to stumble, don't do it.

All in all, Leviticus turned out to be a pretty good read. Very interesting to see all the laws that the Jews are supposed to follow (must be really difficult to be Jewish!). It's a shame that they don't see that they don't need to do these things any more because of Calvary!

stuff that I have learnt...

I reckon one of the joys in life is to learn. And over the years, I reckon I have learnt a lot of things about myself and other things that enter my life. I have heard it once said by Elisabeth Elliot that 'If anyone fancies that he knows, he knows nothing yet, in the true sense of knowing', and I couldn't agree more. The more I learn, the more I realise that I have so much more to learn! A lot of the following are useless bits of trivia that I will never really need (except in the off-chance that the topic comes up in a conversation and I can therefore show-off my 'expertise'), some are practical, while others are things that have changed my life and the way that I view certain things in life.

John 3:16.

The telenet saver offered by BankWest is a good way to earn money without doing anything. My very smart gor gor taught me that one and it's one of the best (and only) investments I have made (lowly OTs - even ones who have done business - usually aren't the entrepreneurial-type) hehe

Pizza can be effectively reheated in a sandwich press if the lid is kept slightly ajar.

Earplugs are a light-sleeper's best friend.

The fear of man will always trap you. But if you put your trust in God, you'll be safe (rephrased Proverbs 29:25).

The worth of a piece of clothing will always be determined by the amount of wear you can get out of it. For example, an $80 dress worn once will have costed you $80 for that one wear. On the other hand, a $10 tee that has been worn 10 times will only cost you $1 per wear, and the price will decrease with continued use. Therefore, it is advisable only to invest in clothing that will yield a return that is reasonable - considering intended frequency of wear. [Several items in my wardrobe, were sound investments and continue to depreciate in costs per wear!]

Earthworms are hermaphrodites - they are both boy and girl so they can make more earthworms by themselves. That's amazing. I learnt that when I was in Primary School, and it still gob-smacks me when I think about it.

Guys will never understand why girls enjoy shopping, and girls will never understand why guys enjoy computer games.

Soap gets rid of oils through a process called emulsification (?). I think. Not sure if the word is correct, Chemistry was never a strong point for me. But basically, to get rid of oily stuff, soap is required - oil and water don't mix unless soap comes in to play. That's why you need suds when you do oily dishes. On a related note, plastic stuff will always need more soap to wash them clean - oil seems to like plastic for some reason. Also, soap is made out of animal and plant fats - which is disgusting when you think about it.

Spaghetti bolognese will always taste better the day after it is cooked - ALWAYS.

The christian isn't a problem solver, rather, he is one who has The Problem Solver living in his heart.

Breaking in new shoes can easily be done by wearing them around the house with a pair of thick socks. No friction, no blisters, no people laughing at your temporary fashion trend (except your family). Also, vaseline (applied on the usually-blister-prone-parts-of-your-feet) is a good way of preventing blisters when wearing new shoes initially.

If the greatest commandment is to love God with your heart, mind and soul, then the greatest sin is to not do so.

When making a hot drink, you should always pour the hot water last to eliminate / minismise the need for mixing!

It's good to try and be stingy with yourself, and generous with others.

Dogs know when you are scared of them - so the trick is to act brave if you are scared of them. If you stare down a dog, you gain authority over them (or something like that). On a related note, dogs are better than cats - because cats always think they are better than you. You need to prove yourself to a cat, and even after that, they will still hate you. On another related note, if one is allergic to cats, one must not pet a cat and then rub one's eyes. Furthermore, if one tries to alleviate irritation in one eye caused by cat-allergens with a piece of cucumber, it is not advisable to then use the infected cucumber on the remaining good eye, as this will cause spread the irritation - resulting in temporary vision impairment.

Even though I am stupid - God loves me. Nothing I can do will make Him love me less, and nothing I can do will make Him love me more. God's love for me is unchanging.

Everything happens for a reason. This is not just true in LOST, but it is also true in the Christian's spiritual walk. God moulds us and shapes us with trials. Things may hurt in the present, but the future will yield something greater than we could ever imagine. God's purpose for me is Christlikeness.

Whenever unsure, we can find an answer in the Bible. God's Word to me is the final, right answer.

And if it all seems too hard - God's grace is sufficient.

prince caspian

The second installment of The Chronicles of Narnia will officially be released tomorrow in Australia - but Mez, Timbo, Sel-Belle and I had the blessing of going one night earlier courtesy of Darrell (thanks mate!). As I had mentioned before, I was pretty excited about going to the movie, because I really liked the first movie (how sad was it when Aslan got killed on the cement thing??). You know how sometimes when you are looking forward to a movie and then when you see it, it is less than what you had expected? Well, for Narnia II, though I was looking forward to seeing it heaps, it still was way better than I thought it was going to be!

The kiddles have grown up quite a bit in this one, but it has only been a year (in movie time) since the last movie. With the kiddles growing up more and more each year (in real life) I kept wondering how they were going to make the rest of the movies, but I'm sure they will figure that out.

What is coolest about Narnia is the parallels it draws to the Bible. Wikipedia has some interesting observations:

Aslan is portrayed by Lewis as the Christian Jesus Christ. Aslan's father (the "Emperor-Over-Sea") is God the Father. Some believe the story is a parallel to Moses and the freeing of the Israelites. Edmund and Lucy assist Prince Caspian in his attempt to get to Aslan's country (over the sea) in Lewis' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

More obviously, the new Narnia can be seen as a parallel to the modern world, in which old beliefs are scoffed at. "Who believes in Aslan nowadays?" asks Trumpkin when he first meets Caspian. Those who "hold on", like the badgers, are praised: this links with Lewis's views on religious faith. Faith is another of the major themes of the book.

So true.

In the end, I give the movie Rowena's tick of approval! (or in Alan's rating scale - FIVE cheeseburgers)

PS
- It's nice to see New Zealand, and her pretty self, in the movie
- I want my own Aslan! He is so cuddly!
- I wonder why all the baddies are Mediterranean...
- I will never look at mice the same way again :D

- Is it just me or does Peter sound quite girly?