Terra Australis

Today is Australia Day.  

On this day in 1788, the British First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove in New South Wales with the primary purpose of establishing a penal colony in Terra Australis Incognita (unknown land of the south).  I learned that from the priest at mass this morning.

There was a flag beside the altar today, the priest's homily was about Australia Day and the National Anthem was sang after the mass. The priest spoke about how the fleet under Captain Arthur Philip's command arrived in this land in 1788, and how Matthew Flinders circumnavigated Australia between 1802 and 1803.  (Seems this cartographer created extremely accurate maps of the Australian continent.)   I learned that "Advance Australia Fair" replaced "God Save the Queen" as the National Anthem in the 1970's.  

The priest talked about the Australian flag which is comprised of the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star and the representation of the Southern Cross.  He explained that the flag is very Christian, considering the Union Jack is composed of the crosses of St. George (England), St. Andrew (Scotland) and St. Patrick (Scotland).   

Cross of St George

Cross of St Andrew

Cross of St Patrick

I didn't really realise that the Commonwealth Star with its seven points represents the original six federating colonies plus the added point for the Territory of Papua (and other future territories).  Whenever I saw this star, all I could think about was the fact that 360 is not divisible by 7 so it must be difficult to draw this star.

The end of the homily was an open invitation for anyone to approach the priest on a starry night if they needed help finding the Southern Cross.

(There it is!)

(Just kidding.  I haven't seen the Southern Cross yet.

I may have to take up the priest on his offer.)

Happy Australia Day!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Using this kind of needle,

MumofFive's brother sewed up their old couch.

Some of the old stitches on the seat had become undone,

and we all know that a stitch in time,

saves nine.

I was amazed at his technique.

It's simple yet effective.

The secret is:

Two steps forward, one step back

He learned this from the guy who came in to repair their couch 

when the stitches got ripped soon after they purchased it.

(Their son liked to do some serious jumping on this couch.)

Check out the illustration below.

Imagine the two parallel lines as the edges of the two surfaces

that need to be sewed together;

the circles are where the upholstery needle will go in and out.

The broken lines go beneath the seat 

(under and over, through the holes, of course)

while the solid lines go on top

(over and under, through the holes again).

When one pulls the needle and the thread  "through the solid lines,"

the circles will meet and the gap will be closed.

If the process is repeated until everything has been sewed together,

there will be two strands of thread going across, 

making the stitches stronger.

Amazing!

Upsized Nutella

Photo c/o MyGirl's Instagram friend:

5 kg Nutella

The Heat is On

According to the news, temperatures in Sydney on Friday hit their highest levels since records began 150 years ago.  

Here is some proof.

18 January 2013 ; 3:01 PM

According to Yahoo! It was a sweltering 46 C  

(114.8 F)

High of 38 C / Low of  21 C 

(100.4 F / 69.8 F)

Huh?!

Caught on Camera

MyGirl and I were "watching" the Australian Open last night.

MacGyver said he wanted to take a picture of his girls and their gadgets.

Since this picture has already been posted in FaceBook,

I wanted to share it here, too.

Yikes!  My hair was a mess!

Brotherly Love

Brothers Conner and Cayden Long certainly deserve their 2012 SportsKids of the Year award.
Check out their inspiring story.

Better Than Sharpies

Today is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark (character) of his belonging to Christ.   (Definitely better than Sharpies, don't you think?) 

During the mass today, the priest asked if we remembered when we were baptised.  He recommended that the children call their godparents a week before the anniversary of their baptism and remind their godparents of the upcoming special event.  He added (and I'm not sure if he was kidding or not), for them to take the opportunity to remind their godparents that cash would be nice.

We chose special dates soon after the children's births for them to be baptised.  The Feast of the Guardian Angels (02 October) fell on a Saturday in 1993.  The Feast of the Sto. Nino, which is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of January, fell on 18 January in 1998.  The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes (11 February) fell on a Sunday in 2001.  

I hope the kids remember not only their baptismal dates, but also the true meaning of this sacrament.  I pray that they remember that God loves His children unconditionally and waits patiently for them to to come home. 

In the home country, there is an idiom about 'returning baptismal candles' (nagsolian ng kandila) which is used when close friends end up fighting.  I believe this is because one usually chooses a close friend as the godparent of their child, then during baptism, the godparent traditionally receives a baptismal candle;  if the godparent returns the candle because of a quarrel, they cease to be compadre/comadre (i.e., cease to be friends).

I don't know for sure if the idiom basis is accurate.  I have to find a third party to validate what I have just written.   I don't know if the return of the candle is an actual physical action or if it to be taken figuratively.  I don't think a person can simply cease to be one's godparent just because of a petty quarrel.   Who knows what they did in the olden times?

In addition, I have to check with Mother if I was really baptised on Father's birthday.  (That may just be my personal urban legend.)

Shibuya Station

When we reached the end of the Hachi movie, I found out that the real Hachiko waited at Shibuya Station and this song came to mind.  

Since our move to Australia, our Benoit CDs (and most of our other CDs) have been in storage.  My boys think I am living in the Dark Ages when I tell them I want to listen to my CDs.  I don't even try to defend myself because I still feel 1 MB is pretty huge considering I remember our first Apple compatible PC running on 64 K.  Gigabytes still sound like giant numbers to me having lived in the age were I was already amazed at 3 1/2" disks (with 1.44 MB)  replacing 5 1/4" floppy disks.  

Oh well, let me go look for sticks so I can start a fire.

Loyal to the End

We watched a DVD last weekend which was based on a true story.  Hachi: A Dog's Tale  is a story of loyalty and friendship.  Admittedly, I was watching more because of Richard Gere than because of the dog; but in fairness, it was a nice movie and there was a part or two where I couldn't help but shed a tear.

I guess what I really liked about it is the fact that it really happened.  That makes it simply amazing!

In 1924, a Japanese professor took in a golden brown Akita (a breed of dog) as a pet. Hachiko  ['hachi' meaning 'eight', a number referring to the dog's birth order in the litter, and 'kō', meaning prince or duke]  would greet his owner at the Shibuya train station everyday.  The pair continued this routine until May 1925 when the professor failed to turn up at the station because he had suffered cerebral hemorrhage and died while at work.  Every day for the next nine years, Hachiko waited at Shibuya station.   

Hachiko's legendary faithfulness became a national symbol of loyalty.  A bronze statue in the dog's likeness was erected in the location where Hachiko faithfully waited, in front of one of Shibuya Stations' five exits,

Catch Me If You Can

It is very difficult to get the boys to pose for pictures these days. 

 So I just try to catch them if I can.

This was taken yesterday.  We went to the nearby mall to cool off. 

Summer temperatures were originally forecast to reach the forties

 and we didn't want to be cooped in the house.  

Fortunately the sun was not out most of the day 

so it wasn't really THAT hot.

We wanted to check out a store across the street and 

GI sat down while we were waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green.

Stop and Snap the Flowers

This flower shop display reminded me of a story and a song.

Sadako Sasaki  (January 7, 1943 – October 25, 1955) was a two year old when the atomic bomb was dropped near her home in Hiroshima, Japan.  Though she survived the explosion, she developed swellings and purple spots on her body as she grew older.  She was diagnosed with leukemia and was hospitalised in early 1955.  While in the hospital, a friend of hers came to visit and cut a gold piece of paper into a square and folded it into a paper crane.  It is an ancient Japanese belief that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by the gods.  It was Sadako's wish to live and she had hoped to fold a thousand cranes.  The book Sadako and the Thousand Cranes based on her story relays that she was only able to fold 644 cranes before her death, and that her family and friends helped finish her dream by folding the rest of the cranes which were then buried with Sadako.  In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peach Memorial Park.  The plaque at the foot of the statue reads, "This is our cry. This is our prayer. For building peace in the world."

Every year on 06 August, Japan celebrates Peace Day.  On that day, the City of Hiroshima holds the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony in the hope that nuclear weapons will never be used again.  At 8:15 AM (the time of the atomic bomb's explosion), one minute of silence is observed in honour of the victims of the 1945 bombing. 

The song is entitled "Thousand Cranes" by the American band Hiroshima.  My personal favorite from that band is the song "I've Been Here Before" from their album 'GO', but that is for another day.

I OFFERED A PRAYER TO GOD

[London Eye sent this to the family before Christmas. 

 I believe it is a fitting message for the start the year.]

I OFFERED A PRAYER TO GOD

I asked for strength.

God gave me difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for wisdom.

God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity.

God gave me brawn and brain to work.

I asked for courage.

God gave me dangers to overcome.

I asked for patience.

God placed me in situations where I was forced to wait.

I asked for love.

God gave me troubled people to help.

I asked for favors.

God gave me opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted.

I received everything I needed.

Today is the last day of your life........so far.

* * * * *

AND GOD SAID NO

I asked God to take away my pride,

And God said "NO"

He said it was not for him to take away

But for me to give up

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole,

And God said "NO"

He said her spirit is whole

Her body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience,

And God said "NO".

He said that patience is a byproduct of tribulation,

It isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness,

And God said "No"

He said He gives blessings,

Happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain,

And God said "NO"

He said, "Suffering draws you apart 

from worldly cares and brings you closer to me."

I asked God to make my spirit grow

And God said "No"

He said I must grow on my own,

But he will prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked God to help me love others

As much as He loves me,

And God said, "Ah, finally you have the idea."