Archive for April, 2007

rubbles

Sunday, April 29th, 2007

My good friend, David Hunt, in one of his sermons used the following illustration:

rubbleImagine that one day someone comes and proves, beyond any shadow of doubt, that Christianity is not true – it is a fairy tale, wishful thinking, one more product of human speculations.

Would your life be in a complete ruin, or would you put the pieces together, get over it and start rebuilding your life?

I want to be in such a place, that I could not, in any way or form, rebuild my life – my life would be an utter ruin without Christ. [my paraphrase, as much as I remember]

As I was thinking about this today I sadly had to accept that I am not in such a place. That quite probably it would not be too difficult to find my new place in a Christ-less world.

What a lack of understanding (heart-knowledge as Nick would put it) of the cosmic difference that Christ’s incarnation, death and resurrection made to the world and to my life, here and now. The message of Christ’s salvation is either completely irrelevant or so important that it changes absolutely everything – who I am, what I do and what life is about.

lunch: the beginning (?)

Saturday, April 28th, 2007

Saturday. Time to do some food shopping. I have done the tour of local shops and found one with good and fresh vegetables. Kasia recommended a good organic butcher, which I will check on Monday. One more trip to Tesco. I have to give credit to Gosia – this time I found more spices, even saffron. (This said spices are sold mostly in paper bags – I will need to procure some air-tight containers for them). I also found ricotta, mozzarella and near-enough parmesan. So I am slowly finding my way round the shops.

lunchToday I have also managed to cook my first meal from scratch (ie not using any food cooked by my kind family and supplied to ease my settling in). It was a simple mozzarella, lettuce ad tomato salad with vinaigrette, served with a side of mashed potatoes and spring onion pancakes (a great way to use-up mashed potatoes in my humble opinion).

I was also reflecting on my eating habits of last two weeks. Various people provided food for me – be it at their homes or meals to reheat. This made the beginning easier. But it was a little bit like a aid for the third-world; it was shaping my eating habits in a different way than they would naturally develop. I was relying on it and going for the easiest/quickest way of cooking, ignoring a balanced diet or trying to develop a ‘good cupboard’ that would enable me to cook easily and sensibly.

Could it be a small-scale argument for a thought-through aid, one that works with the natural development?

RE: meta-blognition by Lucie

Thursday, April 26th, 2007

lucieSome time ago, over a cup of real coffee (or was it tea?), I had a chat with Lucie about blogging. She had this wonderful concept of consuming people lives when we just read their blogs and the like – she wrote about what she called meta-blognition. And she encouraged herself not to be consumer-like in the attitude but to give back – to write, reply.

PhilMy RSS reader just aggregated two new posts about it, that sprang from another real conversation, this time between her and Phil. Read their blogs: Lucie’s and Phil’s.

Now that I am in the land of blogging I will put in my opinion; for better or worse.

For me blogging is to a degree about transparency. I want my various friends, from the UK and Poland, from work and university, from church and school, to know things about me. I want them to know that I am a committed Christian, that I enjoy photography, and am sometimes hyper (OK, often). I want them to know what I have read and maybe ask me about it, what I like listening to. etc.

But why? Would it not be easier to talk? Am I taking the easy (and safe) option? Well, maybe. It (blogging and the like) is a relatively new (still) tool. And as a tool it can be used, misused and abused (do you remember the beginnings of mobile phones, when there was no etiquette how to use them in a polite way?).

facebookWith friends in distant geographical locations and who do not share the same stories blogs and web 2.0 (like facebook) gives us the common references we need for communication; it gives the context to our conversations. Or it can. We can share, construct a private language. So when we meet after a long while, we are not completely lost. We recognise names and places. Stories and situations.

And consuming? Well, it is great to know that all this stream of gibberish is read. But it can be done via a reply on the blog, e-mail, or in may other ways. As in a conversation, when someone says he saw a great film with a superb music, we can react by saying: ‘really? who wrote it?’ or by buying him the CD or by going to see the film.

Consummation? Maybe, but even that is a potential beginning of a conversation.

describing a simplepole

Sunday, April 22nd, 2007

meFriday 30th March was my last day at dragonmobility. Three and a half a year is hard to describe – it was a great place, interesting time and, most of all, full of wonderful people. And they have sent me off in style.

We had our customary lunch in the Old Spring (where else!). And towards the end I was showered with gifts. I mention it here mostly because they build a most interesting (in my eye) image of their recipient (ie one whom the author of this blog is in the habit of defining by means of the perpendicular pronoun). So I thought I will tell what they were.

my presssssents

The list of items:

  • tangerine t-shirt, designed by Robin
  • a box of organic tea
  • a bottle of vintage port
  • leather arm patches for my tweed jacket
  • a bottle of single malt
  • a small ‘designer’, pink bag with necessities like sharpener, pink stapler etc
  • a set of Green&Black’s chocolates (including the yummmmmy Maya Gold)
  • The Bluffer’s Guide to Teaching
  • a mat for a cup of tea or drum of whisky
  • tangerine tie
  • ‘This is your life’ book with various documents and photos from last three years. (You can see the cover above.)

So, is it me?