Are you a believer?

‘’I don’t care what you believe – just believe it.’ Shepherd Book – Serenity.

Come on guys, I wanna hear what you have to say about this. Do you believe in something? It doesn’t have to be a god, a higher being or anything related to religion. But have you ever risked everything in the name of something you believe? Something you think to be an important truth in your life?

It could be anything, like – I believe that whale hunts are cruel, so I donate to (insert name of charity organisation), or I believe John Howard is the devil’s spawn so I choose not to vote for him, or I believe that LTS (life’s too short) so I’ve devoted my life to crazy stunts and beer.

I know some of you may have a lot of little beliefs about important things, but what’s the one big thing you believe and follow every day? It could be some goal you’re working towards or it could be something simple like – I believe in treating everyone as I would like to be treated myself, so I endeavour to do that throughout each day.

And what is it about belief? Does it drive us? Can we survive without it? What happens when you don’t know what you believe in or worse still, you are scared to follow it?

The almighty Joss Whedon believes in belief. Check out his film Serenity, it looks at the philosophy of belief, but not in some dull, deep and meaningful way - in a gunslinging kinda way.

It’s… It’s…

[cue trumpet music]

Rhian Fuller’s Domestic Circus! (Otherwise known as the adventures of Rick, Bo, Ni and me – for those of you who know what the hesmana I’m talking about.)

Part One: You’re no fun anymore.

Apparently, now that I’m working, I’m no fun anymore. Well at least that’s what my beloved Rick, Bo and… well Ni doesn’t tell me because Ni can’t talk (although he does kinda clack his claws together as if to say that I’m no fun anymore).

Anyways, because of my lack of fun-ness the three of them decided to sail off around the Atlantic aboard the Sea Shepherd ship Farley Mowat, for a few weeks. Which left me in peace and quiet. It was nice, but I gotta admit I kinda missed the toddler tantrums and the grumpy old man gripes, not to mention Ni’s crabbiness (haw, haw… hilarious ain’t I?).

They had a great time standing on ice caps waving flags. Bo has inherited her father’s love of furry seals and blubbery whales – not to mention hermit crabs. As far as I can tell, Ni did nothing but play poker in the ship’s hold Casino. I think he may have a gambling problem, but that’s between me and the rest of you guys. Ok? Peachy.

Things will be getting’ wild this wkend as it is Bo’s fourth b’day tomorrow! Four! Good lord she’s growin’. Rick has big ideas for the day which may or may not include – a bike ride, lots of red jelly, mini-golf, a silly walk parade, magnets, blue kiwifruit, huggin’ tigers at the sanctuary, and a Spanish inquisition (which nobody will expect). And then there’s the mega party from beyond the moon that he has planned. There’s goin’ to be masks and juggling and a jumping castle in the back yard! I swear he spoils that girl.

Since I’m no fun anymore I’ve decided to take Bo to the hairdressers for her b’day. Exciting eh? If I’m feelin’ generous I might even buy her a turtle ice-cream! Bo has invited all her friends from the Heroic Trio to her party as well as a number of seals she met on the ice, and possibly a big honkin’ whale (I’m lookin’ forward to see how he will go no the jumpin’ castle). She’s incredible that kid – she’ll talk to anybody…

More news on the domestic front as soon as I recover from the b’day shindig. Wish me luck.

To Her Majesty the Queen, Prince Edward, the Honourable Premier Steve Bracks and Lord Mayor So *loud cheering*,

Originally I had planned to do many shifts at the Comm Games, but things got a little mixed up. However, I was lucky enough to work the closing ceremony at the last minute, which was a lot of fun. Ruth and Quentin from Barwon Division were also there and we got put in the same room, which was good. My partner for the night was Bev, a St Johnnie from Tamworth who was much more experienced than me and very helpful. Thanks Bev!

It’s a shame I didn’t get to work more of the Games, ‘cause being a part of such a huge event is definitely an eye-opening experience. The magnitude of the organisation and planning that goes into these things is astronomical. And on such a large scale it’s only natural that things will go wrong. With so many different people involved on all different levels, there tends to be wads and wads of miscommunication and so on. However, despite all that, I thought things went relatively smoothly on duty. No major planning stuff ups, we all got along well and the fireworks were mighty shiny.

It was great to meet international and interstate Johnnies. From what Ruth told me there was a lot of swapping going on during the week and a half of events. Because international and even some interstate uniforms are different, people were exchanging British, Canadian, New Zealand and Western Australian (they wear green instead of black and white) items such as hats, belt buckles, pins, epaulets, patches etc. Ruth scored a fair bit of new stuff and some phone numbers too. Way to go Ruth! Apparently, however, the thing to score was the Canadian pants. I never saw any but was told they looked like Mounties pants, with stripes down the sides. Nobody from Barwon got any as far as I know, but we certainly had fun thinking of ways to garner a pair! Unfortunately there were no lumberjacks in our room.

In terms of the ceremony, I got to see most of it. Parts were spectacular, but overall I thought it was a little slow. I’ll be totally un-Australian here and say that the best part was actually the Delhi part (Delhi is hosting next Comm Games). Their music was upbeat and the costumes and dancing were elaborate. They weren’t trying to tell some complex story or get any deep and meaningful msg across. They were just rockin’.

The funniest thing was the cheer Lord Mayor So got. Clearly three quarters of the crowd were Melbournites. But considering I don’t watch the news or pay attention to politics, don’t ask me why they love him so much. I guess he must be a good Mayor. Or maybe they’re just proud of their city.

Purdey was also workin’ the entire Comm Games for M2006. Unfortunately she was outside the G when she called me and we were restricted to our detailed stomping grounds, so couldn’t budge. I’m sure she had an interesting experience anyway and hope she enjoyed her stay in Victoria. Hey Purdey, hope you’ve had some sleep since you got back home to Darwin.

Finally, I just wanna mention all the volunteers that worked as part of the Comm Games, including the Johnnies. It’s amazing to see how many people actually commit their time and effort for something like this. I know a lot of Johnnies sacrificed work time, home time and personal time to help out with organisation and shifts etc. I bet they’re glad this sorta thing only happens once in a blue moon.

Things I’ve pondered during Comm Games: Why are Aussies so sport mad? Why are we so fiercely patriotic when it comes to sport? Should we become a republic? Should runaway athletes be allowed refuge in Australia? What would life be like for those few athletes from the small countries such as PNG – experiencing something like the Comm Games and receiving a medal? Do Johnnies from Australia get to go to Delhi for 2010 and when can I sign up? How can I get a Canadian’s pants?

PS: Pics may be added at a later date.

Ze Meanin' of Life

It’s a hot and balmy Friday night in Autumn. I’ve just returned home from work and Cadets. It’s been a long, icky day, not to mention the week, and I have an even busier weekend lined up (gotta be at the hall at 5.30am morrow). But I’m sitting in my room writing, a can of beer and a packet of chips beside me (healthy, I know), music playin’ (Patty Smith) and the window open with a nice cool evening breeze drifting through. Now, that’s the meaning of life!

Okay, okay, let me explain this post. Damian and I were talking about philosophy and shit when he came to stay. And surprise, surprise, like any philosophical discussion we got onto the meaning of life. To cut a long story short – he decided he would want to know the meaning of life. He would want to know his purpose in life so that he could achieve that purpose and then go on to do other things, or something along those lines… (I’m sure he will get on here and clarify my interpretation of his POV).

I didn’t decide anything (big news there), but I did sorta come to the conclusion that I wouldn’t want to know the meaning of life, ‘cause then it would either be too boring, or too linear, if you like. If you knew the purpose or goal then you would do everything to achieve that and you’d miss a helluva lotta other stuff along the way, if that makes sense. Also, if you didn’t achieve what you were meant to achieve, imagine the sense of failure you would suffer!

The other thing is… I don’t know for sure of course, but maybe there is no larger, all encompassing meaning to life. I find that if I achieve something, anything, in a single moment then that gives meaning to my life. This is rather awkward to explain. Basically, if you live life by each moment then you can achieve your purpose from moment to moment. It doesn’t read well, I know. For example, I have many goals/purposes at work from moment to moment. Part of it is customer service. So, if in one moment I can make a customer happy by giving them what they need/want, then to me that’s the meaning of life - accomplished. It’s not a very good example. Maybe you guys can come up with something better.

Anyway, the point of this post is to get your response. What do you think? Would you want to know the meaning of life? Or would you rather live in blissful uncertainty? I would love to hear what you have to say on this matter. As Damian and I agreed - all questions, discussions, everything at some stage returns to this very issue – the meaning of life. Why are we so obsessed with it?