Strawberries everywhere!!!

Appetizer Apple and Strawberry

I loved the novelty of this so bought a 6 pack. Really bad flavour. Bad aftertaste. Bad idea. 

Body shop Strawberry Handcream

I got this from a Jewish Secret Santa. Not very secret in the end. And he was at a Christmas function on a Friday night, so rather not extremely JewISH. 

This handcream was a part of the gift he bought for a stranger, and he got it spot on!

Wow! It's yummy! It smells like real strawberries, and not like strawberry flavored strawberry things - REAL strawberries. 

Knows your B's from your C's

My curiosity around BB and CC creams has somehow fallen off the shelf in Dischem and landed up on my dressing table. Since I first took notice of this (questionably) essential complection transfoing phenomenon a few years ago - quite likely numerous seasons after the rest of the world - I couldn't spend another day not knowing…it just seems to promise so much. So much. 

The first thing I discovered in my overdue quest was that BB cream is around a third of the price of CC cream. I picked up a tube for just under R60. There were others that were going for a higher price, but why splash out on something when it could turn out to be nothing more than repackaged foundation?

So today I'm going to try it and, who knows? Maybe I'll have to introduce myself to people I see everyday due to its plasticized surgical effect, or no one but me will know my new little secret. 

Uruguay vs Costa Rica

It turns out that Costa Ricans are better at soccer that anyone thought. It's currently 2-1 and they are holding out pretty strong. Being one of the few 'no-bodies' in the tournament, it's always nice to cheer for the underdog and then see them hold their heads so high!

Now, it's great to watch and all that but my dad posed a very interesting question...where the heck is Costa Rica anyway? We knew is was near the Caribbean area...but it all got a bit blurry from there. Whilst looking for a map in Google Images, something even more interesting caught my eye - this place is BEAUTIFUL!!

So if you have any interest in my nerdy interests - this will blow your mind!

Remember the time your Geography teacher said that you could just call the whole area 'Central America'? Well, Costa Rica is one of those - between Nicaragua and Panama...yeah, just there. Here are some maps to help:

 (Okay, that is SO not a crocodile)

And here are some of it's cool features:

 Forrests.

Waterfalls.

Beaches.

Volcanoes!! (Yes!!)

Ancient things.

Things like him in the tree.

Yip...on my bucket list for sure!!

For more pics and some info, click here.

Spain vs Netherlands

It doesn't look ANYTHING like the last world cup final. The colours are all wrong; the soccer is a bit boring (until the Van Persie best header and probably best goal of the tournament) and the Spaniards are mostly, well, average looking.

But our topic of the night is: who is the manager?

Yesterday we saw this guy:

 He is the Brazilian manager. Well, he was, until we saw this guy:

He is managing the Spanish.
Comparing them together, you can see the difference but wow, on different days it's quite a spin.

Anyone else notice this?

Brazil vs Croatia

Poor Robbie Williams (Croatian goalie). He shouldn't have bothered stopping the Neymar penalty. It was perfection. Although not ENTIRELY deserved... I have a feeling the Croatians are going to have a few things to say about the ref (despite the 'cool points' he scores by possessing a can of that magic spray paint). 

Oscar's goal, however, was a give away. I think he (Robbie) was snoozing a little which is not cool. But Oscar deserves an accolade in honour of the way he played throughout. What a guy!

The highlight was the extended shots of Kaka in the crowd looking particularly yum. Here's a picture from another time, but worth it:

Brazil played a little dirty and had some excellent fake collapses. It's a skill. More games like this and it's going to be the most fun soccerish month!

Soccer World Cup - Not South Africa

Of course I have to have my say about the latest offering from FIFA. It's like I'm watching a new series of a great show in the way you fall right back into (what you can remember of) the story line. Most the characters are back - some goodies, some baddies, especially the baddies ;) Yes, only half a game has been played, but we've already seen an own goal; the new fancy vanishing spray paint; a Brazilian goal, in Brazil, in the opening game and some excellent footwork (Oscar). Cant wait for the second half...starting now!

This is pretty awesome ->> web-use in real-time.

Click the animation to open the full version (via PennyStocks.la).">

Feelin' it right now

Obama Drama

Newspapers are intended to be a never ending stream of information and entertainment. We rely on their quest for credibility to get as much correct, current and interesting information as possible. Sales are as much a priority as in any other business and their marketing ploys are occasionally, too, rather questionable.

Regardless of how creatively or bizarrely street posters and headlines are worded, we would hope and trust that they are true and preferably highly relevant. And this is what led me to question today's paper...

On the top half of the broadsheet (as in the part intended to catch your eye) is a picture of Mehdi Ouazzani. This is an actor that plays the Devil in The History Channel's new series "The Bible". He is covered in copious amounts of make-up (think Twilight) and dressed as the Grim Reaper. Sounds legit, right?

Next to this ultimate portrayal of darkness, is a picture of a semi-scowling Barack Obama - the Pope of America himself - having their physical similarities compared. Ouch.

On first view of my primary source of world knowledge, I somehow doubted that this was the world's biggest problem for the day. Yes - many conspiracy theorists may be waiting for the ol' prez to drag their world (comprising solely of the USA) into death's pit, but for those who didn't flip the page straight away rolled their eyes questionably and realised the ridiculously desperate measures the paper went to to sell more units. Maybe. I cant really work it out.

So how uncanny is this really? A simple image search resulted in how there are actually a whole bunch of people who resemble the prince of the underworld... as well as "The Devil".

Here is a picture similar to the paper's comparison:



And here are a couple of other guys who could fit the mold:









And if they had to make a movie about Barack suing the world media over this - there is even someone to audition for the role:



And if this doesn't interest you, maybe the article with the headline announcing that 'drinking and driving kills' should have you hooked.

Happy Valentines Day!!!!

This cheered up an otherwise rotten day...

From the Owl City blog

Everything about this is beautiful.

2012

May your year be full of moments where it is impossible to deny how much God delights in you. (Jonathan Acuff)

Dude, Where's Your Bride? by Kevin DeYoung Guys...seriously - just read this.

Dude, Where’s Your Bride? by Kevin DeYoung

As I speak at different venues across the country, one of the recurring questions I get comes from women, young women in particular. Their question usually goes something like this: “What is up with men?”

These aren’t angry women. Their question is more plaintive than petulant. I’m not quite sure why they ask me. Maybe because they’ve read Just Do Something and figure I’ll be a sympathetic ear. Or maybe they think I can help. They often follow up their initial question by exhorting me, “Please speak to the men in our generation and tell them to be men.”

They’re talking about marriage. I have met scores of godly young women nearby and far away who wonder “Where have all the marriageable men gone?” More and more commentators–Christian or otherwise–are noticing a trend in young men; namely, that they don’t seem to be growing up. Recently, William Bennett’s CNN article “Why Men Are in Trouble” has garnered widespread attention. The point of the post is summarized in the final line: “It’s time for men to man up.” Sounds almost biblical (1 Corinthians 16:13).

Virtually every single single person I know wants to be married. And yet, it is taking couples longer and longer to get around to marriage. Education patterns have something to do with it. A bad economy doesn’t help either. But there is something even more befuddling going on. Go to almost any church and you’ll meet mature, intelligent, attractive Christian women who want to get married and virtually no men to pursue them. These women are often in graduate programs and may have started a career already. But they aren’t feminists. They are eager to embrace the roles of wife and mother. Most of the women I’ve met don’t object to the being a helpmate. There just doesn’t seem to be a lot of mates to go around.

What’s going on here? Why are there so many unmarried, college graduated, serious-about-Christ, committed-to-the-church, put-together young women who haven’t found a groom, and don’t see any possibilities on the horizon?

Maybe women have impossible standards. That is a distinct possibility in some circumstances. I’m sure there are guys reading this thinking to themselves, “I’ve pursued these young women, Kevin! And they pushed me over the edge of the horizon.” Some women may be expecting too much from Mr. Right. But in my experience this is not the main problem. Impossible standards? Not usually. Some standards? Absolutely.

On the other end of the spectrum, some women may be so over-eager to be married they make guys nervous about showing any signs of interest. There is a fine line between anticipation and desperation. Men don’t want to spot the girl they like inside David’s Bridal after their first date. The guy will panic–and be a little creeped out.

This path of prolonged singleness is a two way street. But I think the problem largely resides with men. Or at least as a guy I can identify the problems of men more quickly. I see two issues.

First, the Christian men that are “good guys” could use a little–what’s the word I’m looking for–ambition. Every pastor has railed on video games at some point. But the problem is not really video games, it’s what gaming can (but doesn’t always) represent. It’s the picture of a 20something or 30something guy who doesn’t seem to want anything out of life. He may or may not have a job. He may or may not live with his parents. Those things are sometimes out of our control. There’s a difference between a down-on-his-luck fella charging hard to make something out of himself and a guy who seems content to watch movies, make enough to eat frozen pizzas in a one room apartment, play Madden, watch football 12 hours on Saturday, show up at church for an hour on Sunday and then go home to watch more football.

I don’t think young women are expecting Mr. Right to be a corporate executive with two houses, three cars, and a personality like Dale Carnegie. They just want a guy with some substance. A guy with plans. A guy with some intellectual depth. A guy who can winsomely take initiative and lead a conversation. A guy with consistency. A guy who no longer works at his play and plays with his faith. A guy with a little desire to succeed in life. A guy they can imagine providing for a family, praying with the kids at bedtime, mowing the lawn on Saturday, and being eager to take everyone to church on Sunday. Where are the dudes that will grow into men?

The second issue is that we may simply not have enough men in the church. Maybe the biggest problem isn’t with nice Christian guys who lack ambition, maturity, and commitment. Maybe we have lots of these men in the church, but they’re all married and there aren’t enough of their brethren to go around. I don’t know which is the bigger problem, the lack of good men or the lack of men in general. It’s probably a combination of both. The church needs to train up the guys it has. And by “training” I don’t mean “clean ‘em up, plug ‘em in the singles ministry and start matching them up with a spouse.” I don’t believe most unmarried Christians are looking for a church community full of Yentas. But a church full of godly, involved, respectable, respected, grown up men? That’s a project worth undertaking.

So, what can be done about the growing tribe of unmarried women? Four things come to mind.

Everyone, pray. Pray for a joyful accepting of God’s providential care, believing that godliness with contentment is great gain. If you are single, pray more for the sort of spouse you should be than for the sort of spouse you want. Pray also for the married couples and families in your church. If you are married, pray for the single people in your church, for those never married and those divorced or widowed. All people everywhere, pray for ways to start serving the Lord now, no matter what stage of life you are in or wish you were in.

Women, don’t settle and don’t ever compromise on requiring solid Christian commitment in a husband, but make sure your list of non-negotiables doesn’t effectively exclude everyone outside of Mr. Darcy.

Churches, don’t make church one giant man cave or machismo, but think about whether your church has been unnecessarily emasculated. Do you challenge and exhort? Do you sing songs to Jesus that men can sing with a straight face? Does “fellowship” at your church always focus on activities men don’t typically excel at, like sitting around and talking about how you feel? Does your church specifically target the discipling of men–particularly young men in high school and college? Grab them young and get them growing up in their teens instead of their twenties.

Men, you don’t have to be rich and you don’t have to climb corporate ladders. You don’t have to fix cars and grow a beard. But it’s time to take a little initiative–in the church, with your career, and with women. Stop circling around and start going somewhere. It’s probably a good idea to be more like your grandpa and less like Captain Jack Sparrow. Even less like Peter Pan. Show some godly ambition. Take some risks. Stop looking for play dates and–unless God is calling you to greater service through singleness–start looking for a wife.

Fun stuff!!

Cool pics :)