Crazy Pills

Occasionally I like to unwind with a viewing of a mindless, but nevertheless, hilarious movie on DVD and gorge on junk food till I feel like munting. One such occasion was the other day, when I decided to pull out an old favorite, Zoolander. As a pharmacist, one of my most loved moments is when Mugatu (his part ingeniously interpreted by comic mastermind, Will Ferrell) exclaims: 

"Who cares about Derek Zoolander anyway? The man has only one look (Lord's name taken in vain deleted)! Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigre? They're the same face! Doesn't anybody notice this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!" 

Having spent a few hours at work today, I can relate to how he may have felt. Once in every blue moon, there are moments when I wonder if I am the only sane person alive. Most of the time our customers are great, or at least ok to deal with. But today felt like Rudd had declared a nationwide "idiot day", in celebration of all things ignorant, half-witted, and self-absorbed. To aid my recovery from this shocker of a shift, I thought it may be therapeutic to publish a list of things I'd love to say as a pharmacist, but can't cause I really shouldn't:

Things I'd love to say as a pharmacist, but can't cause I really shouldn't:

- please control your children

- will you just stop talking?! or Can I please get a word in?!

- your prescription took this long because we keep going over the same point/how are you not getting this?!

- who cares what flavour it is? It's medicine! It isn't supposed to taste good!

- the generic is the same. Same drug, dose and strength. Equivalent, No different. Identical. Parallel. Analogous. Synonymous. This means the different writing on the box will not improve your condition, since each tablet is composed of the same number and type of atoms arranged in matching configuration! 

- the generic didn't cause that reaction. It's all in your mind

- spare me the victim routine

- it's such a minor problem - you don't need this medicine/it will go away by itself

- you need to wash more often

- it's disgusting when you eat fish and chips while I'm trying to talk to you

- you don't look cool when you wear sunglasses indoors

- put a shirt on. Nobody wants to see it

- Hey kid! This is a pharmacy, not a playground

- I can't sell you this sudafed since I believe you will sell it to an unlicenced backyard amphetamine lab

- I'm having a hard day, just gimmie a break

- I'm not sorry at all - that wasn't me, it was my colleague

- You're rude. Why should I put you ahead of everyone else who is waiting/I'll do yours first if you can get all these people who have been waiting 30 minutes agree to it

- if you're gonna talk on your mobile, then I'll serve someone else

- that guy is a bad doctor. You should get a second opinion

- just cause it helps you lose weight doesn't mean you can eat more

- instead of the morning after pill, I would prescribe self control and ditching your jerk boyfriend

- not you again!

- That's the price, and that's it! I didn't study for five years to work in a shop and argue with you about whether or not it costs less in Greensborough

- Just because you've been coming here 30 years doesn't mean you can have anything you want

I'm sure I could come up with more, but am starting to feel better. Maybe the crazy pills have a shorter half-life than I originally thought!

Cheers - Nath

From www.philbaker.net

Progress on Goals for 2008

So I've been doing some ruthless self-analysis and I gotta say I've done a lot better so far on this years goals than at the same time last year, when everything kinda fell apart! Maybe the goals I set were more realistic this year than 2007's. Or maybe I'm well on my way to becoming a truly goal-oriented person. Who knows? Anyways, here's a summary report of my progress thus far:

Read one Christian book a month - on track, ready for next month's book which I'm gonna source in the next day or 2

Involvement in social justice - I'm enjoying this so far - only touched the tip of the iceberg though - I've gone Fairtrade (there's a dedicated cupboard for coffee, tea and chocolate in my house now), encouraged workplace and others to do so too, spent less/donated more, read up on SJ topics. Looking at writing some letters and campaigning type stuff soon.

Recommit/stick to soldiers covenant - the recommitting part was easy, sticking to it is hard - have messed up on a few of the articles, enjoying the battle though

Cooking hobby - learned how to do a lamb roast and it was delicious. Need to investigate more recipes and ideas to add to the repertoire

Savings - worked out a system where my savings can grow, while simultaneously being able to donate more each month

Healthy/environmentally responsible lifestyle - been running (bought new shoes and ipod earphones that don't fall out every 5 seconds) a bit but slacked off when it was hot, need to eat better foods, got alarmed after watching that Al Gore doco about global warming, using less power/water, recycling better, offset my carbon emissions (sounds suss doesn't it?!) when booking a flight recently 

Can't believe nearly a quarter of the year's gone already! Hopefully the next progress report will have even better results...

Cheers - Nath

Quote of the Day

"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want togo to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick', and 'Colon.' Need I say more?"

  Chris Rock

Elevated!

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

  Though he was God,
      he did not think of equality with God
      as something to cling to.
  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
      he took the humble position of a slave
      and was born as a human being.
   When he appeared in human form,
     he humbled himself in obedience to God
      and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

  Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
      and gave him the name above all other names,
  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father.

  Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Philippians 2:5-13 (NLT)

Bottled water is bad, mmm'kay?

We have become accustomed to being told that things are bad for us. As a kid, it was junk food. Growing up, suddenly drinking, smoking and other habits were identified as being harmful. Despite his fictional nature, Mr Mackey (of South Park fame) has opposed illicit drugs, declaring passionately and often that, "Drugs are bad, mmm'kay?" These days, we are told it's bad to use too much water or power, or to buy Nestle, Cadbury, and other products that are not Fair Trade certified. 

Now, with good reason, the Victorian Government wants to add bottled water to the list of things we must avoid. I never would have imagined such an apparently innocuous item could be considered detrimental to the environment. That was before reading this recent article from the Herald Sun, which quotes some alarming statistics, and encourages folks to switch to simply drinking plain water from the tap:

- studies showed it could take up to seven litres of water and a litre of crude oil to produce one litre of bottled water.

- discarded water bottles accounted for almost 38 per cent of general waste, with thousands of plastic bottles fished out of the Yarra River each week

- TAP water had only 1 per cent the environmental impact of bottled water.

- BOTTLED water production generated an estimated 600 times more CO2 than tap water.

- AUSTRALIANS spent more than $500 million on bottled water last year.

- ONE bottle of water had the same impact on the environment as driving a car 1km.

- MORE than 65 per cent of water bottles end as landfill.

- AUSTRALIA'S love affair with bottled water was costing the planet 314,000 barrels of oil a year

- About 76,000 tonnes of plastic bottle waste went to landfill or ended in our environment as rubbish in recent years

Through all this, Mr Mackey whispers to my conscience: "Bottled water is bad, mmm'kay?" The choice is clear for me! I will drink tap water preferentially to bottled water wherever possible, and will encourage my mates to follow suit.

Cheers - Nath

The Suffering Servant

Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?

The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, 
   a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him, 
   nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over, 
   a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away. 
   We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— 
   our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself, 
   that God was punishing him for his own failures.But it was our sins that did that to him, 
   that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole. 
   Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. 
   We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, 
   on him, on him.

Isaiah 53:1-6 (MSG)

The eastern divisional youth meeting at Mitcham tonight was excellent. It's been a while since I have seen so many young people confronted by the cross, and challenged to respond in the light of Jesus' sacrifice. Matt Kean delivered a prophetic word from God about the reality of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Using the example of Peter, he concluded that we are not a true follower unless we are prepared to stand in for Jesus on the cross, and join with him in His suffering. Then, what an amazing time as the choir sang words like, "...the wonderful cross bids me come and die..." and "...love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all...". Simultaneously, youth from the division all but drowned out the singing with the hammering of their own polaroid photo to a large cross - to signify their willingness to be a true disciple. It was so great to be there - praise God for being able to reveal something new every time I revisit the story of the cross!

Cheers - Nath

The Wonderful Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
O the wonderful cross, O the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace draw near and bless
Your name

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all

Isaac Watts originally composed this hymn in 1707, and it has been recently updated by Chris Tomlin who added the chorus. I love the words to this song - it is so meaningful - from the introspection of the first verse, to the confrontation of Christ's sacrifice in the second, and the humbling conclusion that Jesus' love is so huge and my efforts are so insignificant. I've reflected on these words leading up to Good Friday, and continue to find blessing in them. And challenge too. It puts me back in my correct place - a reminder that it's not just about me. And it illustrates the perfect love that God has for his people, calling me to follow.

Why not spend some time looking through these words for yourself, and meditate on their meaning? I reckon it's a great way to prepare for easter!

Cheers - Nath

A Jihad on The Veronicas!

Grrr! I can't believe this puerile and unmusical piffle is the latest thing shaping the minds of our teenage girls:

"Untouched"
I go ooh ooh, you go ah ah 
lalalalalalalala
lalalalalalalala
I wanna wanna wanna get get get what I want
Don't stop
Give me give me give me what you got got
Cause I can't wait wait wait any more more more more
Don't even talk about the consequence
Cause right now you're the only thing that's making any sense to me
And I don't give a damn what they say, what they think think
Cause you're the only one who's on my mind
I'll never ever let you leave me
I'll try to stop time for ever, never wanna hear you say goodbye (bye bye bye)

I feel so untouched
And I want you so much
That I just can't resist you
It's not enough to say that I miss you
I feel so untouched right now
Need you so much somehow
I can't forget you
I've gone crazy from the moment I met you

Untouched
And I need you so much

See you, breathe you, I want to be you
Alalalala alalalala.....

They bang on a bit longer, read the rest here if you want

My issues with the song and the "artist" are manifold:

- The song lacks musical inspiration. It is not even really a song, I'd classify it as a "track". The melody in the chorus is infantile and in the verse is absent - chanted gibberish forms the bulk, employing pesky stammering for added impact

- It is being played everywhere. This ubiquitous drivel has defecated all over the perceptions of ordinary unsuspecting Australians in all manner of radio and TV shows, printed media and even my own workplace

- The Veronicas skanky image. Embarking on a simple Google search for "Veronicas pictures", one is instantly aware of an unwholesome pretense - every pose is the same: the girls typically in a quasi-sapphic embrace (often with a kiss thrown in), wearing excessive makeup. It is a terrible image for teen girls to aspire to, and perhaps also designed to arouse males far too old to appreciate the music

- I have mates who won't stop singing it in my prescence, all too aware of my hatred for it

- The whole thing is symptomatic of a market seemingly aimed at an audience too young to comprehend the manipualtion and deception they expose themselves to by listening to such excreta. 

Let's hope the next release is an improvement

Cheers - Nath

No drink? No porn?

Nobody's left a comment on my blog since Jan, so I guess I can write about whatever I want, confident that nobody actually reads...

Once a week, a good mate (who is also a Christian) and I go for lunch, since it's the only day we are both at work together. It's a tradition which goes way back. Originally, the marketing guy from work would also join us, and we'd talk about the footy and get a counter meal at the pub and exchange jovial banter. Sadly he left for another job a few months ago, and was replaced by a female. We kept the lunches happening though, and the newbie chick (let's call her Kim) has joined us on a semi-regular basis since. 

This week, the three of us took ourselves to Hungry Jacks for some hearty grub (a side note: they couldn't possibly get more red colouring in red Fanta if they tried). It was a fun time chatting, gorging on food, swatting flies with the newspapers provided, and analyzing the nutritional content of our meal. On the way back to work in the car, we got onto the topic of drinking, then to my recent soldiership recommitment, and finally onto the Articles of War, which happened to be sitting on the rear seat next to Kim. Halfway through reading the document, partly astounded, partly amused, she exclaimed, "You can't drink, or use porn?! What's with that?". I was caught off guard a bit, and I'm pretty sure my answer was pathetic. I was a bit annoyed at myself. If I signed the thing, surely I should be able to explain explicitly why soldiers abstain from drink and porn. 

The conversation ended and we got back to our jobs. Of course, five minutes later, all the things I should have said before flooded my mind! I decided in order to be better prepared for next time, I better do some research and list my ideas on why soldiers avoid:-

Alcohol:

- we agree in our covenant to not drink. It's only one of many points in the soldier's promise and abstaining for life is a low cost considering the potential cost of not signing up at all

- It dulls the mind and spirit and reduces our ability to communicate with God

- It reduces inhibitions, potentially resulting in anti-social, uncharacteristic and regrettable behaviours

- Many alcoholic drinks are high in energy content and can cause weight gain

- Hangovers cause nasty symptoms like nausea, headaches, and light sensitivity

- Once under the influence, driving is out of the question, transport becomes difficult/become relient on others to drive

- Time is wasted sobering up, lack of sleep after a big night out reduces productivity the next day at work, or can affect relationships

- Our organisation rehabilitates people recovering from alcohol addiction. To drink would be hypocritical, and may cause such people to be tempted to drink again

- To drink would be to support an industry that cares little about the people affected by adverse effects of its product

- My body is God's/not mine/I was bought at a price therefore I am to honor God with it

- It is expensive - the money would be better spent supporting a cause

- Tolerance develops, more drink is needed to achieve the same effect, due to proliferation of alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes in the liver (which metabolise it), thus exacerbating many of the above reasons

- The above apply to mild-moderate drinkers; heavy drinkers can become addicted, and the effects are potentially catastrophic, to the individual, their relationships, employment and society as a whole

Porn:

- ditto many of the above eg: addictive, wasted time, financial cost, enslaved soul, tolerance develops, it's in the covenant, honour God with your body

- It demeans women, treating them as objects, altering one's view of women - focus is on the image, not the woman as a unique and emotional/spiritual being loved by God

- The women depicted may be under oppression 

- Inflames lust and sexual feelings, which result in the sin of adultery and separation from God

- progresses from soft to hardcore, mild to obscene

- It is tacky, and lacks class

- Images can be difficult to erase from memory, providing Satan with grounds for accusation

- It causes shame and hiding the sin becomes a preoccupation

- Damage caused to relationships and marriages

- As morality in society has deteriorated, availability/accessibility of porn has increased

- Extreme cases lead to more extreme and often illegal perversions and paraphillias, such as child pornography, violence, and others that are less mentionable

I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons I've left out (and gentler ways of communicating them to non-believers). But these ones would have been a good start, had I been able to think quickly enough! Seriously, hang out with non-Christian folk more and have these conversations. They will challenge you and cause you to grow!

Cheers - Nath