What makes you happy?

On Tuesday night I had the fantastic opportunity to attend the Carlton Best & Fairest which was held at Crown Casino's Palladium room. It was a wonderful evening, great food, awesome company and towards the end I took the opportunity to take a few photos with a few of my favorite players from the team! I went home with a big smile on my face!

Last night I was doing my Bible reading, and i was going over a few chapters from Psalms. For those that are unaware, the book of Psalm is basically a large collection of songs that sing praises to our Lord. For example the Psalm 101 starts as follows:

I will sing of your love and justice;
       to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.

While they are beautifully written and a great words of praise to our heavenly father, sometimes I feel myself gloss over these as they can become repetitive.

But as I read through Psalms last night, I started reflecting on the attitude of the Psalmist, how much joy they had in the promises of God, the love that He has shown for us time and time again. Then I started to think about how much joy this brings me...or simply...how does the love God has for me impact my emotions.

Sometimes such trivial things have such a major impact on my feelings and emotions, while the things that really matter, they dont have the same impact. I lose sight of the big picture and the insignificant becomes more important.

But as I read through Psalm, I felt that great joy for what God has done and continues to do in my life. When the things of this world fail me, I know that my Heavenly Father will never fail me.

The particular chapter that I was reading at the time was Psalm 103, and I felt compelled to write this Psalm and put it up on my desk at work...for when I feel discouraged, I can recite this powerful chapter and remind myself of whats really important. When work is getting me down, I only need to reflect on the amazing blessings God continues to pour out on my life. For it is when my focus moves away from insignificant things, that I cant help but smile for the wonderful things of the Lord and praise His mighty name!

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits-

who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 

(Psalm 103:1-5)

Our own strength...not enough

Over the journey...there have been countless times where I have had to tell myself "Stop! You cant do this alone...you cant do this by your own strengh...you can only do it with God!"

And despite the fact that when I do lay it all before God with faith that He will guide me in the right direction, I continue to try and do things by my own strength.

Sometimes I wonder why I continually make this mistake. I know that when I reflect on my life, looking at the challenges I have faced and the amazing things that God has done in my life. There are so many occasions where I have felt things are totally hopeless...but somehow God has delivered me through!

So I guess what Im getting at is the simple fact that we need to constantly immerse ourselves in scripture that will remind of the awesome promises we have in Christ when we give our lives for Him! As it says in Psalm 16:11

You have made known to me the path of life;
       you will fill me with joy in your presence,
       with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

We need to continually dwell in His presence, acknowledging that He is always with us. In this way we will be filled with joy and a confidence that no matter what we face we have an awesome God besides us.

Too many times we immerse ourselves in the things of this world, the things that are temporary, unreliable...and when the times get tough...these things fail us. But God never fails us, as it says in one of my most favorite pieces of scripture in Hebrews 13:5 -

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
   "Never will I leave you;
      never will I forsake you."

I guess the reason Im writing all this is because lately I have felt like I have battling to swim upstream in my circumstances...trying to do it by my own strength and getting frustrated as to why I was not getting anywhere. But its times like this I must give it all to God and remember the simple verse that is Luke 1:37 - 

For nothing is impossible with God.

So simple, but so true. Things are impossible for us to achieve, but nothing is impossible with our amazing Father in heaven. We must continually put our faith in Him in all situations and praise him for he is worthy!

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. (John 15:9-10)

Always seen...

Well I have been back at work for a couple of weeks since my travels in Canada, and I have to say it hasn't been great. The work has been frustrating for a number of reasons and I feel that things dont look to be on the improve anytime soon...but I know that in our heavenly Father...there is still a great hope and assurance...

One of the things that has always gotten to me at this job is the fact that the hard working people usually go unappreciated, while those that like to talk a lot are ultimately the ones who get most of the praise. Despite what people may think about me, Im not one to talk a lot at work...unless its to complain about the way my manager is going about a certain project.

An example of this is with one of my good friends at work, he has been with us for a couple years now and I remember when we first hired him, he was so enthusiastic. As it was his first job in Australia, he would do anything that was put before him, no questions asked. I remember when I interviewed him, I knew that he was a very intelligent person, and while his English skills were lacking, his passion for the job made up for any limitations he had with communications.

Over the time I have been working, I have seen him produce some amazing things. But all the while he has gone underpaid and under-appreciated. As time has gone on, his passion, motivation and enjoyment in the job has diminished a great deal, due mostly to the treatment of the management team. This is something that upsets me.

But while it is very easy to become disillusioned in these situations, there is one reason we have the strength to keep going...the fact that God see's all. While we may feel underappreciated by those that we are serving, we can rest assured that nothing goes unnoticed by the Lord. We should rejoice in the promises we have of the rewards that await us in heaven, for as Jesus said in Matthew 6:2-4

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

So its my prayer that anytime you feel you are serving in vain, your works going unnoticed by those you are working to help, fear not. For the Lord works good for all those that love Him. Our heavenly father does not forget our hard works and when we arrive in heaven the reward for our life of hard work will be awaiting us.

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (Hebrews 6:10)

Oh Canada! Day 25

Well I couldnt stop my wrap of Canada a day early...so despite the lack of events that actually went on today, I still feel compelled to write in the event that something of actual quality escapes my mind...although its unlikely.

Since I was up very late (or early) to hit skype, I really struggled to get out of bed...but with the temptation of pancakes on the horizon...I pulled myself out of bed and it was off to church.

After church, there was just enough time to have one last visit to IHOP....so thats exactly what I did! After yesterdays disappointment in the way of the Five Stack, I opted for the banana and Strawberry combination, which is lowly four stack....but with an amazing stack of cream on top! Despite the presentation again lacked a lot... the taste was still awesome and I polished off the plate in record time!

Then it was off to the airport for the LONG trip home. After a wonderful 3 and half weeks, I was headed for home...back to my wonderful friends and family...and I guess in someways, that was something that made it actually feel good to head home after my time away. Typically people dread going back home after a fantastic holiday, and while this trip was fantastic...I still did miss certain people back home...and the thought of seeing them again soon brought a happyness to me.

So after checking in my two very heavy bags, I headed to the gate, stopping to grab one last Iced Cap from Tim Hortons.

But thats not where the story ends...

So there I was, sitting on the flight down to LA...looking forward to 3 hours of relaxing and thinking about what was waiting for me in Melb. Now basically as soon as the flight took off in Vancouver, the lady in front of me slammed her seat back. Not that it worried me, but when the drink service began, the hostesses didnt ask her to return her seat to the upright position, but still this didn't worry me either. But what did bother me was when I was given my cup of Juice, as I sat there relaxing, the lovely lady in front of me decided she would slam the seat forward...causing my full cup of juice to go flying into my lap where the contents gave me that lovely cooling sensation you can only imagine! Now if I was only looking at a 3 hour flight after which i could take a nice shower and change my clothes, it would almost be bearable...but unfortunately for me...that wasnt the case. After this 3 hour flight, I was looking at a 4 hour stay in LA before a 15 hour flight back to Melbourne...all without a chance to change or shower!

So it was off with haste to the plane bathroom where I spent the next 15 minutes attempting to clean up the mess of juice that had drenched my crutch region.

Oh well at least it left me with a lovely orange-y scent for the remainder of the trip home.

So I made it to LA...which gave me the opportunity to dry out. Luckily for me, no stains remained on my shirt.

By this stage I was getting very hungry, so it was off to the only option available in the terminal I was waiting in .... Burger King =(

Then the four hour wait till my flight to Melbourne, which I spent watching Futurama and again thinking of what was waiting for me in Melbourne.

It rolled around to 8:30pm and we were on our way to Melbourne! The flight was relatively smooth for the most parts, I slept as much as possible, knowing that as soon as I landed in Melbourrne, it was be off home for a quick shower and the straight to work. But that didnt stop me still watching two films on the flight =)

After 15 hours, we touched down in Melbourne to what was a very chilly morning...but a very warm welcome. It was good to be home!

Oh Canada! Day 24

My last full day in Canada! Its been an amazing three and a half weeks, I have seen many beautiful locations, tried many delicious foods, attempted many exciting activities. But being the last full day didnt mean I was going to take it easy...I had a long flight home to catch up on my rest.

It was up early to hit IHOP for one of the last times. I had been hungry to try their five stack of pancakes, but I was little disappointed when it came. The pancakes were not very well presented, all irregular shaped and haphazardly put together. Luckily they still tasted good, but the presentation let down the team.

After a big breakfast it was off for an activity that I had really been looking forward to, even before I arrived in Canada. That is Wind surfing! As much as I am indoors kind of guy at home in Melbourne, since I have been in Canada I have done quite the opposite, trying out varying outdoor activities that I havent attempted before.

Since it was no longer summer over here, the number of people out for some wind surfing action was quite low, which ultimately proved to be a good thing. This meant more time with the instructor and more time on the water. The morning was slightly overcast, but there was a nice bit of wind going around which would make it great windsurfing weather. The way its run is you go through a bit of lesson on the beach, before hitting the water and windsurfing it up!

After a lot of fun on the water, it was time to grab some lunch before heading to Stanley park. That meant a quick Japanese lunch in downtown which was between destinations.

Stanley Park is a 404.9 hectare (1,001 acre) urban park bordering downtown Vancouver. Basically you can liken it to the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, but much much bigger. Being such a popular and well known tourist attraction, I couldnt leave Vancouver without taking a look. You could very easily spend hours there, either strolling along the many paths, or cycling along the seawall. But I was a little short of time for those things, so I just did a quick lap of the park stopping along the way to get some shots of the beautiful scenery.

From here it was time to do some more shopping for last minute gifts and the likes. Then I headed over to a recommended Taiwanese restaurant. With the large number of Taiwanese in Vancouver, there is also a relatively large number of Taiwanese restaurants as well. With quite a large selection on the menu, I found it quite hard to decide...until I saw a pork selection...something that I dont usually order and for which I am constantly reminded by someone...so that was my choice! And it was very tasty!

From here it was time to get back and pack my luggage for the return trip to Melbourne...and even with my newly purchased luggage, it still proved to be quite a task!

Oh Canada! Day 23

The word is that things are much cheaper in the USA and despite the fact I already had purchased in abundance during my stay in Toronto, I wasnt going to give up the opportunity to do some more shopping before heading home...so today it was off to Seattle!

With Vancouver being just on the border with the USA and Seattle not being far down from the border, it was off early for the drive down. Being a Friday morning and after the peak hour rush the wait at the border was only about 5 minutes and very few questions were asked as to why I was entering the USA, although I did enjoy the final remark by the USA border guard, when he said to me "You are only allowed to stay in the US for a maximum of 90 days, so please dont overstay your time or I will come and look for you!" ...I like to think that if I did overstay my welcome, that exact guard would come looking for me =)

Anyway I was in the USA for the second time in my life and headed for Seattle, but before getting there I decided I needed a coffee but with the limited options I decided to swing by a McDonalds to grab a coffee. This proved to be an awesome idea, due to the fact that when I got inside I noticed they were still serving breakfast and looking up at the menu, my eyes were drawn solely to one thing...HOT CAKES! So it was an order of Hot Cakes and a coffee for me and it was an awesome choice...although I should probably have ordered two serves of Hot Cakes, 3 pancakes just isnt enough for me =)

After polishing off the 2nd breakfast for the day, it was back on the road and continuing the journey to Seattle. A bit after 11am I  found myself in down town Seattle, the first destination being the Space Needle. For those unfamiliar with this, the Space Needle is a tower located in Seattle Center and was built for the 1962 World Fair. The Space Needle is 184 m high at its highest point and 42 m wide at its widest point and weighs 9550 tons. With limited time to see the city, I felt this was a good way to take in the city in a short amount of time.

After spending time looking out a cross the city from the observation level, it was off to grab some lunch in the center of Seattle...today it was "The Cheesecake Factory". Im quite fascinated by trying all these chain restaurants in the US as you hear so much about them in TV shows and movies. But one thing that stands true across basically everything in the USA...the serving are all HUGE!! And The Cheesecake Factory was no exception. Known for their amazing selection of cheesecakes as well as standard menu, I started out with a variation of a cheeseburger, then I ordered a slice of the Caramel, White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cheesecake! All selections were delicious...but I left there feeling totally stuffed!! My body is already starting to hate the USA, with all the crap Im eating here!

From here it was off to the Seattle outlet mall for some shopping! Initially I was only really planning to buy another luggage, since my main luggage case was totally overloaded. But anyone who knows me, will be aware that shopping is a love of mine! But luckily i didnt spend too much today...although I still bought quite a few things =) This include the luggage, underwear (another CK shop...more selections...how could I stop myself!?) and some more gifts for people back home.

After hitting all the shops in the outlet mall it was time to head back to Vancouver, but not before grabbing dinner. Still feeling quite stuffed from my two breakfasts and lunch, the choice was fast food...this time it was Jack in the Box, another fast food chain that only operates in the USA.

Now by this stage of the day I was feeling quite tired and really just wanted to get my food, eat it and get going. So I opted for the double cheeseburger meal with a vanilla shake. But as I ordered, the guy serving me kept asking too many questions, do you want this, do you want that...so I just kept answering away "yes" ... "yes"...."yes"...so when he asked me "do you want regular fries, or curly fries" you can imagine his reaction when I came back with the response "yes" =S In his head he was probably thinking along the lines of "dumb aussie" guy. Oh well...after making myself look dumb, I quickly recovered by going with the curly fries, which proved to be an excellent choice as they were delicious!

After dinner, again my body was feeling like crap from all the food I had fed and was telling me to never come back to the USA! But overall it was wonderful day and really great chance to see another US city

Oh Canada! Day 22

First day back in Vancouver and into the final few days of my Canada adventure. Today the plan was to head up to Whistler, one of the more famous locations in Canada...although much better known for its winter attractions. So it was off early for the drive to Whistler which is close 2 hours.

For those that are unaware, Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately 125 kilometers north of Vancouver. The activity of choice for today was Zip Lining, similar to a flying fox, consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline. The incline in this case being the mountains.

It was quite a nice day to head up there and the scenery on the way there is magnificent!Arriving just before lunch, it was time to check in for Zip Lining and then off to grab some food. Todays selection...unfortunately...McDonalds.

After an "average" lunch, it was time to head up the mountain and get started on the zip lining fun! There are about 5-6 lines that you take as you make your way down the hill, with varying lengths and inclines...but all giving beautiful views as you make your way across vast gully's and through the trees.

After a lot of fun zipping back down to ground, it was time to make the trip back to Vancouver and again it was beautiful to pass the amazing scenery.

On the way back, I had a big desire to hit Grouse Grind one more time before I left Canada, and this evening was the perfect opportunity. I was extremely determined to beat my previous time of 46 minutes and so off I went.

Being later in the day and not the warmest weather, the trail was much less crowded than my first time up the mountain. It was a lovely climb up the mountain and I was extremely pleased to reach the top in a time of 42 minutes! I can go back to Melbourne happy with my two time up the trail.

After a day of zip lining and hiking, there was little more I wanted to do than get to bed and sleep...and that is exactly what I did!

Oh Canada! Day 21

Back to Vancouver today via Toronto. It meant an early start and lots of travelling. The train from Montreal to Toronto was scheduled for 6:30am, but after I almost missed the train from Toronto to Montreal, I decided to leave extra time in order to have no problems...only to discover when I arrived at the station that my seat on the return trip was reserved...so there was no real reason to get there so early.

One of the good things about the long distance trains is that they provide free wi-fi ...but this morning I discovered that despite the fact its a nice service...it runs as slow as a snail and is barely useable...I mean it was worse than dial up!

So after a reasonable relaxing 5 hour ride I was back Toronto. With a few hours to kill before the flight back to Vancouver, I decided to hit Cora's for one final feast...this would be visit number five =) Today I chose something a bit different, I went for the "french toast, crepe and fruit combination" and it was fantastic! A lovely final meal in Toronto. From here I grabbed a coffee at Tim Hortons and it was off to the airport for the long flight back to Vancouver.

Now on the way over to Toronto I slept almost the entire flight, so I actually didnt notice how long the flight took...and so it wasnt untill I boarded the flight and I heard the captain say it was a 5 hour flight that I realised I was in for a long haul...especially since I wasnt tired so sleep wasnt an option this time. Luckily I had a fully charged laptop and I had just finished downloading "Hot Tub Time Machine" so it was time to have a laugh! And that was exactly what this film delivered...although a quick warning..this is 100% a guy film!

So eventually we landed in Vancouver...at around 8:30pm...although for me it was 11:30pm (Toronto/Montreal) time...so there was little else I wanted to do besides get to bed and sleep =)

Oh Canada! Day 20

After yesterday being a public holiday in Montreal, today things were back to normal in this city so we got to see thing with a bit more of a workday business feel to things.

Today for breakfast I was off to Cora's for only the fifth time...which is not enough in my books. Today I decided that I should venture away from my typical two choice, the fruit loaded crepe and the blueberry pancakes. Hearing a waiter previously mention the high standard of the waffle...that was my choice for today. Now Im not one to venture far from my trusted favourites...so with this potentially being my last trip to Cora's, I was flaunting with danger in going for a new selection...but again Cora's failed to disappoint! Basically what I got was a massive waffle smeared with custard and then stacked with fruits of various descriptions and then smacked with quantities of cream on top...delicious!

After breakfast it was time for a stroll through what the locals call "the underground city" which is basically just a series of shopping malls that are both underground and above ground...but all connected allowing for you to cross the city with out even leaving the indoors...something Im quite fond of. But I prevented myself from buying anything on this occasion as I bought way too much in Toronto and my luggage is struggling to close anymore...although I like to use the excuse that I have bought too many gifts.

After a bit of window shopping it was off for lunch at Schwartz's Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen which claims to have been serving the best smoked meat from the original recipe of spices since 1928. As one of the most recommended locations in Montreal, we couldnt miss the opportunity to endulge in a smoked meat sandwich. And it truly was amazing! So much meat slapped between a very small amount of bread with a couple of sauces smeared in there...one appeared to be mustard, the other a Schwartz's creation. Although it looks relatively small...I doubt I could have got through another.

Close to Schwartz's is a bakery that is well known for its Bagel's, so while in the neighborhood it was off to pick up some bagel and see what all the talk is about. Unlike Australia, North Americans have a big thing with Bagels...although I still think of them as a bread roll. The name of the bakery we headed to is Fairmount Bagel and by the solid line developing out front, it was obvious that something good must be coming together inside! Some of the selections that are on offer include your regular savoury bagels, but also some sweet options like Blueberry, Cinnamon and Rasin as well as a Chocolate variety.

After picking up a solid selection it was off to Jean Talon Market. This market place is very much like Queen Victoria Market back in Melbourne. Although they do have a small offering of French style baked goods. After spending a bit of time strolling the aisles, I decided to grab a crepe and after some serious hard work trying to make sense of the all french menu...and I mean NO ENGLISH...I settled on the lemon and sugar option and it was very nice.

Afterwards it was back to downtown Montreal for a stroll through before dinner. The selection for the final day in Montreal was a bar style restaurant where I ordered something that resembled a pizza, but the base was much thinner than your standard variety pizza.

Then it was back to the hotel for an early night. Tomorrow morning I need to be up early for the train back to Toronto which will be leaving at the crack of dawn...6am! Good times! Overall Montreal was a lovely place to visit. Being predominantly French oriented...it was an interesting look at a different part of Canada. Although the French Canadians are no where near as nice as your regular variety and the French really do like to do things a bit different to other people...it was still a lovely place to visit and I have many lasting memories...be it food and sights. I definitely recommend that people make a stop here when travelling in Canada, although you can easily see most things within a couple of days.

Oh Canada! Day 19

One restaurant in Canada I have taken a real liking to is Cora's...and the city it originated in was Montreal. Cora's is a restaurant that continually turns out plates of delicious pancakes, crepes or waffles covered in a variety of tasty fruits. Despite the wide range of options on the menu, I have stayed true to two dishes...the first being the crepe that is loaded with fruit and custard and cream. The second being the stack of Blueberry pancakes. Today I decided to go again with the crepe....and I wasnt disappointed! Polishing that off accompanied with my morning coffee...I was very satisfied.

After breakfast it was off to Old Montreal...well known for its historic buildings and sites. Some of the structures date back to the 1600's in this area. Some of the more amazing things to see included buildings such as Montreal City Hall, Bonsecours Market, and Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel. Luckily the weather was really nice this morning so it made for a lovely morning in this area

 Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel is an amazing and beautiful chapel and one of the main attractions in this area. One of the oldest churches in Montreal, it was built in 1771 over the ruins of an earlier chapel. Walking through the chapel was really nice and peaceful, this is definitely a place to visit when in Montreal.

After browsing the market stores within Bonsecours, it was off to try a recommended sweet that goes by the name of a Beaver Tail. What that actually means is some sweet dough deep fried and then smeared with a topping of your selection...mine was half nutella and half maple syrup. Not bad overally...but not a scratch on what Cora's had served up for breakfast!

From here it was off to get some real lunch...and that would be Poutine for today. Now this is a dish that is well known in Montreal and its a combination of fries with gravy poured on top with cheese curd. My first reaction when hearing about this was...how simple! But as Im in Montreal...I couldnt pass up the opportunity to give it a try! And while it was not too bad...it was at the end of the day very simple. But that didnt stop the locals flocking to that particular store to order Poutine in large quatities! The line for takeaway alone stretched well outside the front door.

After our lunch of Poutine it was back onto the train and on route to Oratoire St-Joseph. Montreal's St-Joseph Oratory is the largest roman catholic church in Canada and second only to St-Peter's Basilica in Rome as the largest basilica in the world. And as can be seen by the photos...it is pretty awesome to see. One of the interesting points I noticed on arrival was that the most faithful pilgrims climb the center staircase — 103 steps — on their knees, pausing to pray and reflect on each step. Upon seeing people do this...I really had to fight the urge to run past someone as they were reaching the top and saying something like "I won"...but my maturity prevailed.

After spending a good slab of time strolling the Oratoire, it was late in the day and by this stage it was time to get back to downtown Montreal and grab some dinner...tonight a French restaurant close to the hotel. My selection was a Scallop and Prawn Risotto.

The weather started to turn ugly after dinner so it was straight back to the hotel for some well earned rest. Really got so see some great things in Montreal today. Tomorrow will be dedicated to eating more of the foods Montreal has on offer =)