I always think that in today's world we are always in a rush, always needing to be somewhere 5 minuted ago and always seeming to be behind schedule. It could also be said for our wants and needs. We are always wanting things but do we really need them?! in some cases 'Yes' we do need them, they are a necessity in our life, but how many of them are a 'want' rather than a 'need'...
I've been thinking about the word perseverance a lot lately and how persevering in something can lead to greater rewards. Because of the way our minds are set, we struggle to persevere and wait that little bit longer. Yet, if we do wait that little bit longer, the 'reward' is likely to be much greater, the juice is worth the squeeze.
So as western society i think we do need to persevere more, because if we do then our rewards will be greater, we will enjoy them more and it will last longer.
Yesterday i had a small lie in. Now some of you might think that this is normal, that i love to sleep in but i will have you know that i am up most days at 8am and in work by 8:30. So around 10:30am yesterday i got into work. We had a few things to do and my task for the day was to come up with a design for a new business card. We wanted to create something which was unique and a bit 'out there' so that it would be eye catching and memorable. I definitely think i have created something unique...
That night, we had men's small groups again. I'm finding this really interesting because everyone discusses their own thoughts and the book we are reading has some really interesting stories and thought provoking text.
Afterwards, as per usual we participate in a manly sporting event. The idea for this week....Capture the flag. Being a simpleton from the UK i wasn't quite sure what they meant by capturing a flag, and when would a football come into the equation...
So we were split up into two teams and placed at opposite sides of the church. we had our own flag (an empty pizza box) to hide within our own half. The idea then was the capture the other teams flag without being caught. Well they caught ours and the only way to draw the game was to capture theirs. So like a British bulldog i ran into a huge bush to find their flag, galiantly trying to hurdle the individual bushes and dodge the flapping arms of the opposition. And at first i was succeeding, until at the last very second landing on the corner of a curb, rolling my ankle and snapping the ligaments in my right ankle AGAIN!! and you may even ask "Oli, how do you know you have snapped the ligaments?!" and i woudl reply, trust me, I KNOW!!
So at the moment i'm walking like a cripple, showing off the biggest of all club foots.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Sunday, 5 July 2009
America....Yeah!!
4th of July weekend over here is quite a big deal. Families make the effort to see each other, people have barbecues, and fireworks at the end of the night are a certainty. Yells of America and freedom can be heard and a true patriotic sense is felt everywhere you go.
It also made me think about my own nation and how proud i am of it but how little we as 'Englishman' can celebrate it. St George's day seems to be a public holiday which is kept behind closed doors, restricted to pubs and a few select bars. It's a shame because we are a proud nation, but it seems that we can't celebrate this as much due to the way minorities react or the feeling of distancing foreigners that reside in our country.
So i have had a few crazy days over here, hence a late blog entry! Thursday night, Jon and Kim left for Las Vegas for the 4th of July weekend celebrations. Dave and Evan, a couple guys that i have met out here came round. After a while of watching TV, Dave came up with the great idea of driving into downtown East LA to find a taco truck. Now I'm not the smartest at the best of times, but i was definitely quizzative to the whereabouts of this so called 'taco truck'. It turns out that this is typical of white American youths to visit a Hispanic community in central La at 10pm in search of their prized taco's....
Well i have to say, the taco's were incredible, better than any Mexican food i had ever tasted. They also sold Mexican Coca Cola, which is made with real sugar cane. A must if you have the chance!!
So you could say, Oli how do you top that?!?! well on Friday i went to a beach house in Newport, Orange County for the day. Weather in the 80's, BBQ, Beach, Sea, Banter....it was an incredible day!
I have to say, the way the Americans embrace you over here is something we as Britons need to learn from. It doesn't matter who you are, what your background is and even how old you are, they will want to get to know you and see who you are. And i think if it wasn't for the way they have embraced me then i would be struggling right now. Its obviously testament to the groundwork Jon has layed before my arrival as well, which i am incredibly grateful for.
Yesterday was in fact 4th of July and the main day of celebration's over here. I got invited out for a BBQ in a place called Rancho Cucamonga, which i think is the best name for a town ever! The BBQ was at a Miguel and Lilly's house. A brother and sister from Grace Church. The food was really good and they had some really nice homemade Mexican dips and salsas. I still hold onto what i have said for many years now which is that its not what you know but who you know. And if you know these guys then you will taste some incredible food!! Later on i went to their uncle's house with a couple others. His house was amazing! it had a pool with a slide, jacuzzi, pool table, a bar, humongous TV etc. etc. So even though i might have been the only one there who didn't speak Spanish i still had a fantastic time, playing pool with their grandad whilst he spoke to me in Spanish and singing along to the karaoke on the TV (although i left them to it when the Mexican songs were on!)
Tonight is Company122 and a guest speaker is in which should be interesting as he has some interesting methods for remembering and learning about the bible.
It also made me think about my own nation and how proud i am of it but how little we as 'Englishman' can celebrate it. St George's day seems to be a public holiday which is kept behind closed doors, restricted to pubs and a few select bars. It's a shame because we are a proud nation, but it seems that we can't celebrate this as much due to the way minorities react or the feeling of distancing foreigners that reside in our country.
So i have had a few crazy days over here, hence a late blog entry! Thursday night, Jon and Kim left for Las Vegas for the 4th of July weekend celebrations. Dave and Evan, a couple guys that i have met out here came round. After a while of watching TV, Dave came up with the great idea of driving into downtown East LA to find a taco truck. Now I'm not the smartest at the best of times, but i was definitely quizzative to the whereabouts of this so called 'taco truck'. It turns out that this is typical of white American youths to visit a Hispanic community in central La at 10pm in search of their prized taco's....
Well i have to say, the taco's were incredible, better than any Mexican food i had ever tasted. They also sold Mexican Coca Cola, which is made with real sugar cane. A must if you have the chance!!
So you could say, Oli how do you top that?!?! well on Friday i went to a beach house in Newport, Orange County for the day. Weather in the 80's, BBQ, Beach, Sea, Banter....it was an incredible day!
I have to say, the way the Americans embrace you over here is something we as Britons need to learn from. It doesn't matter who you are, what your background is and even how old you are, they will want to get to know you and see who you are. And i think if it wasn't for the way they have embraced me then i would be struggling right now. Its obviously testament to the groundwork Jon has layed before my arrival as well, which i am incredibly grateful for.
Yesterday was in fact 4th of July and the main day of celebration's over here. I got invited out for a BBQ in a place called Rancho Cucamonga, which i think is the best name for a town ever! The BBQ was at a Miguel and Lilly's house. A brother and sister from Grace Church. The food was really good and they had some really nice homemade Mexican dips and salsas. I still hold onto what i have said for many years now which is that its not what you know but who you know. And if you know these guys then you will taste some incredible food!! Later on i went to their uncle's house with a couple others. His house was amazing! it had a pool with a slide, jacuzzi, pool table, a bar, humongous TV etc. etc. So even though i might have been the only one there who didn't speak Spanish i still had a fantastic time, playing pool with their grandad whilst he spoke to me in Spanish and singing along to the karaoke on the TV (although i left them to it when the Mexican songs were on!)
Tonight is Company122 and a guest speaker is in which should be interesting as he has some interesting methods for remembering and learning about the bible.
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
Photo's
So i know some of you will be interested to see some photo's of my trip. To make it easier for myself as i'm still relatively new to this blogging malarkey then visit my picassa page at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/omparker87
enjoy :)
Oli x
http://picasaweb.google.com/omparker87
enjoy :)
Oli x
Lunch Break
Working in a busy restaurant/bar for the last few years has taught me many things...
You will always find that despite the hours upon hours of training you have under your belt, some half-wit customer knows more. A contracted 40 hour week will mean that you will do at least this amount, but more likely surpass this mark by Wednesday! and if your leaning then you should be cleaning. However, i did perfect the famous barman lean :)
If there was one thing you longed for during a shift, it would be the precious glimpse of a break, a time to put your feet up, relax and laugh as others carried on working like mugs. It was of course a short lived bliss, cut down significantly when a margarita pizza family of 10 screaming kids walked through the door and demanded the cheapest possible dish on the menu. Oh the joy!!
It was to my surprise yesterday when Jon announced our 'lunch break'. I don't think i can think of a much better way to spend the middle of the day than a dip in the pool and bacon sandwich, followed by an episode of Top Gear. I couldn't help but think of my Dad, spending his lunch times eating school dinners, followed by his playground coin collection route after the kids went back to class. The question definitely answers itself.
Yesterday was a productive day. I got up early and spent the morning and early afternoon putting together a promotional video for an upcoming trip to Lake Isabella. We are camping and water skiing for the weekend. And they say working for the Lord is a hard job!
The latter part of the afternoon i became a fully fledged American citizen. And before you ask, no i haven't purchased a 'fanny pack', but rather a 'cell phone'. Yes that is right, i am the newest member of the Metro MTS cellular network family. Its a pretty good deal and hasn't set me back too much. In fact, since my purchase i have been contacted about allsorts of things. For one i will be attending a beach house party in laguna beach on Friday for 4th of July weekend and a trip down to San Diego next week for a gig.
That evening Jon and Kim went for a meal with some family friends. This left me to fix up my own dinner. Mother would be proud to hear i fixed up a very healthy meal in a butternut squash risotto.
Later on i got invited out with a couple guys called Evan and Chad. We watched some TV at Chad's before venturing to the church gym for a game of basketball horse. Now i think that because i was British, they assumed that i sucked at Basketball, little did they know i had my own hoop from a young age ;)
The stake....loser buys Slurpee's. Now a Slurpee is basically a slush puppie but wayyy better. I don't even want to know the sugar level!
So after pummeling them at horse we went to the nearest 7/11 for Slurpee's. On arrival we witnessed a lovely fight outside between two youths. One gallantly reached for a baseball bat from his car whilst the other rather quickly slumped back into his. Needless to say i think the latter might need to take his car into the garage for a new brake light. You can't beat a bit of violence to end the night!!
Today, i was rudely awakened by a text from Jon to hurry my backside into gear and help fix up a video for the junior high group. After i had fixed that little problem for him we were both in need of a morning coffee and drove up into central Glendora to a coffee shop. A double espresso later and i was bouncing off the walls...
Tonight i have opted to stay home, the thought of a 3 hour 'walk through the bible' lecture has tired me out. Not to say I'm anti, but at the best of times my brain capacity only lasts about 15minutes and I'm sure i will run out of daydreams during the other 2hours and 45...
Thought i would cook a traditional British dish tonight in the shape of a Cottage Pie. It's a shame i have had to resort to American beef gravy paste to lay the brickwork with..
You will always find that despite the hours upon hours of training you have under your belt, some half-wit customer knows more. A contracted 40 hour week will mean that you will do at least this amount, but more likely surpass this mark by Wednesday! and if your leaning then you should be cleaning. However, i did perfect the famous barman lean :)
If there was one thing you longed for during a shift, it would be the precious glimpse of a break, a time to put your feet up, relax and laugh as others carried on working like mugs. It was of course a short lived bliss, cut down significantly when a margarita pizza family of 10 screaming kids walked through the door and demanded the cheapest possible dish on the menu. Oh the joy!!
It was to my surprise yesterday when Jon announced our 'lunch break'. I don't think i can think of a much better way to spend the middle of the day than a dip in the pool and bacon sandwich, followed by an episode of Top Gear. I couldn't help but think of my Dad, spending his lunch times eating school dinners, followed by his playground coin collection route after the kids went back to class. The question definitely answers itself.
Yesterday was a productive day. I got up early and spent the morning and early afternoon putting together a promotional video for an upcoming trip to Lake Isabella. We are camping and water skiing for the weekend. And they say working for the Lord is a hard job!
The latter part of the afternoon i became a fully fledged American citizen. And before you ask, no i haven't purchased a 'fanny pack', but rather a 'cell phone'. Yes that is right, i am the newest member of the Metro MTS cellular network family. Its a pretty good deal and hasn't set me back too much. In fact, since my purchase i have been contacted about allsorts of things. For one i will be attending a beach house party in laguna beach on Friday for 4th of July weekend and a trip down to San Diego next week for a gig.
That evening Jon and Kim went for a meal with some family friends. This left me to fix up my own dinner. Mother would be proud to hear i fixed up a very healthy meal in a butternut squash risotto.
Later on i got invited out with a couple guys called Evan and Chad. We watched some TV at Chad's before venturing to the church gym for a game of basketball horse. Now i think that because i was British, they assumed that i sucked at Basketball, little did they know i had my own hoop from a young age ;)
The stake....loser buys Slurpee's. Now a Slurpee is basically a slush puppie but wayyy better. I don't even want to know the sugar level!
So after pummeling them at horse we went to the nearest 7/11 for Slurpee's. On arrival we witnessed a lovely fight outside between two youths. One gallantly reached for a baseball bat from his car whilst the other rather quickly slumped back into his. Needless to say i think the latter might need to take his car into the garage for a new brake light. You can't beat a bit of violence to end the night!!
Today, i was rudely awakened by a text from Jon to hurry my backside into gear and help fix up a video for the junior high group. After i had fixed that little problem for him we were both in need of a morning coffee and drove up into central Glendora to a coffee shop. A double espresso later and i was bouncing off the walls...
Tonight i have opted to stay home, the thought of a 3 hour 'walk through the bible' lecture has tired me out. Not to say I'm anti, but at the best of times my brain capacity only lasts about 15minutes and I'm sure i will run out of daydreams during the other 2hours and 45...
Thought i would cook a traditional British dish tonight in the shape of a Cottage Pie. It's a shame i have had to resort to American beef gravy paste to lay the brickwork with..
Monday, 29 June 2009
Grace
For me, Monday had throughout my school years been known as the worst day of the week, a day marred by greyness and the heavy cloud of another 5 days before the weekend.
I only truly discovered Monday once i had left school and was able to live out my weeks in a different way. In fact, during my time out in Canada, Monday proved to be my favourite day of them all...
So you may ask what do i find so fascinating about Monday and why does it matter. Well Monday is the start of another week, the chance to start something fresh and do something different. It is also the day that you can leave behind the previous week. I always think that it's a good way to view Monday, to start the week off with a positive, rather than the negative we seem to associate it with.
Yesterday i had my first experience of Grace church. It was a slightly different set up than a usual service in the sense that they ran a forum. They also provide a chill out time at the end where people can socialize and enjoy snacks. Jon was the master of ceremonies, if you can say that?! He has a natural gift in his voice. It's quite incredible to look around the room and see the focus people have when he speaks....they were chatting and texting the whole time!!! im joking...
Afterward's i went out with some people to Denny's. Now for those of you that have never heard of Denny's then you have been blessed with luck. I can't even start to describe it, but i will try....think of a run down service station wimpy, crossed with a breakfast van at the side of an A-Road...I think its far to say i felt slightly disappointed to find that our end location consisted of food poisoning. But, In the end, the company were great and we had lot's of laughs... i just made sure i stuck to the coffee :)
Today i started my job as an intern. So what does an intern involve you may ask?! well as Kim and Dave (one of jon's close friends) kindly explained to me... "your basically his bi-atch"
And true to their word....i was!
He kindly asked me to fetch some milk from home so he could have a brew, edit some photo's for him, which were uploaded to picassa and speak to his family for him on skype, whilst he drew the latest news from bbc sport.com.
Tonight i'm going to a meeting, some food, fellowship and ultimate frisbie. Im slightly worried about ultimate frisbie as i've never played it before and i've seen some of the guys here, their not small!! I'm sure it will be a good laugh.
I only truly discovered Monday once i had left school and was able to live out my weeks in a different way. In fact, during my time out in Canada, Monday proved to be my favourite day of them all...
So you may ask what do i find so fascinating about Monday and why does it matter. Well Monday is the start of another week, the chance to start something fresh and do something different. It is also the day that you can leave behind the previous week. I always think that it's a good way to view Monday, to start the week off with a positive, rather than the negative we seem to associate it with.
Yesterday i had my first experience of Grace church. It was a slightly different set up than a usual service in the sense that they ran a forum. They also provide a chill out time at the end where people can socialize and enjoy snacks. Jon was the master of ceremonies, if you can say that?! He has a natural gift in his voice. It's quite incredible to look around the room and see the focus people have when he speaks....they were chatting and texting the whole time!!! im joking...
Afterward's i went out with some people to Denny's. Now for those of you that have never heard of Denny's then you have been blessed with luck. I can't even start to describe it, but i will try....think of a run down service station wimpy, crossed with a breakfast van at the side of an A-Road...I think its far to say i felt slightly disappointed to find that our end location consisted of food poisoning. But, In the end, the company were great and we had lot's of laughs... i just made sure i stuck to the coffee :)
Today i started my job as an intern. So what does an intern involve you may ask?! well as Kim and Dave (one of jon's close friends) kindly explained to me... "your basically his bi-atch"
And true to their word....i was!
He kindly asked me to fetch some milk from home so he could have a brew, edit some photo's for him, which were uploaded to picassa and speak to his family for him on skype, whilst he drew the latest news from bbc sport.com.
Tonight i'm going to a meeting, some food, fellowship and ultimate frisbie. Im slightly worried about ultimate frisbie as i've never played it before and i've seen some of the guys here, their not small!! I'm sure it will be a good laugh.
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Transformers
It's early evening and its still in the 80's....this California weather is hard!! day after day of sunshine!! sorry to rub it...
Went for a walk yesterday to see whats in the local area. One thing i did notice, i was the only one walking!! nobody seems to have working legs over here because they all drive everywhere. Which is strange because within a 2mile radius i found the following:
McDonald's (about 300m from Jon's house)
Taco bell (next to McDonald's)
7/11 (the equivalent of a co-op local)
In-n-out burger (the best fast food place ever!!)
Weinerschnitzel (hot dog fast food place)
Albertsons (supermarket)
Subway
Fresh and easy (supermarket)
KFC
About 10 car garages
Starbucks
Book store
2 thrift stores
am/pm (similar to 7/11)
And that's just from what i remember...
Got invited to go to the cinema last night with some of Jon's friends from his church. We went for some food first at a place called chili's. the food was your typical American food; wings, burgers, fries etc. The waiter found my driving license hilarious upon checking it for a beer. i think he thought it was girly because it was pink.
American cinema is incredibly different from British cinema. You will find people in the audience comment throughout the whole film. In most cases i would probably find it annoying and most likely want to tell them to quietly hush their pie hole, but i actually found it quite funny. Oh and transformers 2....WOW!! Brilliant film...
Woke up today and have just chilled out at the house, catching some rays and doing some reading etc...think i needed a day to relax and re-energize the batteries.
Tomorrow Jon and Kim return and it will be my first experience at grace church. I'm quite excited to see what it's like, no doubt many people will want to meet the new guy with a strange exotic Mancunian accent :) not to forget the endless quotes of Oliver Twist that they seem to have under their belts.
Not entirely sure what plans are ahead of me just yet. i will start my volunteer work on Monday most likely and get to meet more of the church staff then. Going on a camping trip to see the giant sequoia's in a couple weeks which i honestly cant wait for. No doubt it will be a main highlight of my stay here.
Went for a walk yesterday to see whats in the local area. One thing i did notice, i was the only one walking!! nobody seems to have working legs over here because they all drive everywhere. Which is strange because within a 2mile radius i found the following:
McDonald's (about 300m from Jon's house)
Taco bell (next to McDonald's)
7/11 (the equivalent of a co-op local)
In-n-out burger (the best fast food place ever!!)
Weinerschnitzel (hot dog fast food place)
Albertsons (supermarket)
Subway
Fresh and easy (supermarket)
KFC
About 10 car garages
Starbucks
Book store
2 thrift stores
am/pm (similar to 7/11)
And that's just from what i remember...
Got invited to go to the cinema last night with some of Jon's friends from his church. We went for some food first at a place called chili's. the food was your typical American food; wings, burgers, fries etc. The waiter found my driving license hilarious upon checking it for a beer. i think he thought it was girly because it was pink.
American cinema is incredibly different from British cinema. You will find people in the audience comment throughout the whole film. In most cases i would probably find it annoying and most likely want to tell them to quietly hush their pie hole, but i actually found it quite funny. Oh and transformers 2....WOW!! Brilliant film...
Woke up today and have just chilled out at the house, catching some rays and doing some reading etc...think i needed a day to relax and re-energize the batteries.
Tomorrow Jon and Kim return and it will be my first experience at grace church. I'm quite excited to see what it's like, no doubt many people will want to meet the new guy with a strange exotic Mancunian accent :) not to forget the endless quotes of Oliver Twist that they seem to have under their belts.
Not entirely sure what plans are ahead of me just yet. i will start my volunteer work on Monday most likely and get to meet more of the church staff then. Going on a camping trip to see the giant sequoia's in a couple weeks which i honestly cant wait for. No doubt it will be a main highlight of my stay here.
Friday, 26 June 2009
Post Numero Un.
Currently struggling to accept that I'm wide awake at 7am in the morning here. But more than happy to go to bed at 9pm....
Arrived slightly early on the Wednesday at the airport. Jon and Kim picked me up which was nice as i hadn't met Kim yet. She's a lovely girl and full of enthusiasm. I'm sure we'll have some great laughs together during my time here.
The first port of call was food. Jon knowing his cousin well took me for a burrito at Chipotle. For the uneducated, Chipotle is a Mexican burrito fast food chain. The difference is that the food is fresh and the burritos are huuuge!!
The original idea was for me to stay with a family in their self contained flat but for the first two weeks i am staying with Jon and Kim as the family entertain a guest. I feel extremely grateful to them both for the way they have welcomed me into their home and made me feel so comfortable...
Yesterday we woke up early and hit Magic mountain; By far the best theme park i have ever been!!! Let's just say, in terms of rides, Alton Towers has nothing on this place. I don't think i have ever spent so much time upside down, spinning in weird and bizarre directions, traveling at what i felt was the speed of light!
Like most Theme parks, everything was expensive so we ventured out in the car for lunch. Now, most of us know that cars over there are big but we managed to fit 8 of us comfortably in this car and drive off without anyone saying a word...so my second meal in the USA consisted of...yes that's right, another burrito.... and i promised myself that i wasn't going to get fat!! however, i do like the fact that everywhere has free refills on drinks. You get thirsty in this heat!!
All in all it was a brilliant first day over here. Today will be much more laid back, i think i might be going to the cinema later with some people i met yesterday and possibly run off my burrito belly if it's not too hot. (i have glanced at the weather forecast and I'm expecting 28, 31, 31 and 30 degree weather over the next 4 days! what a shame.... :)
Arrived slightly early on the Wednesday at the airport. Jon and Kim picked me up which was nice as i hadn't met Kim yet. She's a lovely girl and full of enthusiasm. I'm sure we'll have some great laughs together during my time here.
The first port of call was food. Jon knowing his cousin well took me for a burrito at Chipotle. For the uneducated, Chipotle is a Mexican burrito fast food chain. The difference is that the food is fresh and the burritos are huuuge!!
The original idea was for me to stay with a family in their self contained flat but for the first two weeks i am staying with Jon and Kim as the family entertain a guest. I feel extremely grateful to them both for the way they have welcomed me into their home and made me feel so comfortable...
Yesterday we woke up early and hit Magic mountain; By far the best theme park i have ever been!!! Let's just say, in terms of rides, Alton Towers has nothing on this place. I don't think i have ever spent so much time upside down, spinning in weird and bizarre directions, traveling at what i felt was the speed of light!
Like most Theme parks, everything was expensive so we ventured out in the car for lunch. Now, most of us know that cars over there are big but we managed to fit 8 of us comfortably in this car and drive off without anyone saying a word...so my second meal in the USA consisted of...yes that's right, another burrito.... and i promised myself that i wasn't going to get fat!! however, i do like the fact that everywhere has free refills on drinks. You get thirsty in this heat!!
All in all it was a brilliant first day over here. Today will be much more laid back, i think i might be going to the cinema later with some people i met yesterday and possibly run off my burrito belly if it's not too hot. (i have glanced at the weather forecast and I'm expecting 28, 31, 31 and 30 degree weather over the next 4 days! what a shame.... :)
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