now you understand why our athletes have trouble remembering the words....
Incidentally, the original words can be sung to the tunes of 'Gilligan's Island' and Jimmy Barnes' 'Working Class Man', both of which are far superior peices of music!

At the recent Commonwealth games, Australia won vaste hordes of gold medals, mainly because we are better at games than Nauru, Cyprus, Lesotho and Belize und so weiter... As a result, our national anthem was heard around 82 times. I thought, as a service to my readers, I would present you with the words... In German!:
Australier, den alle lassen daß uns uns freuen, Für wir ist jung und frei;
Wir Haben goldene Erde und Reichtum für Mühe, Unser Heim girt durch See ist;
Unser Land ist reichlich vorhanden in Geschenken Natur der Schönheit reich und selten;
In Seite Geschichte, läßt jede Stufe Fortschritt Australien Messe!
In freudigen Spannungen lassen Sie dann,
daß uns singen, "Fortschritt Australien Messe!"

Translated back into English that would be:

Australier, that everyone lets that us please us, for we is young and free;
we have golden earth and wealth for effort, our home fermented through lake is;
our country is amplly available in gifts nature of the beauty rich and rare;
in page story, lets each step progress Australia fair!
In joyful tensions, you let then that sing us,
"progress Australia fair!"

You gotta love these internet translation services!

eek! has it been so long since I blogged? Disgraceful! And it's not because I have nothing to say! It's just that mere blogging hasn't been my highest priority lately! I could've talked about Australia losing to New Zealand in the soccer, and STILL wanting to put in a bid for the 2014 or 2018 World cup... Or Australia beating NZ all blacks with last kick in the Rugby to win the Bledisloe cup, or Aust beating NZ with a golden goal after extra time in the Commonwealth games netball final... did we beat them at the Hockey final too? I think.. Anyway, not mentioning any sport, even if it means famous victories over New Zealand, or ignominous defeats... lot's of other things have happened in the world too y'know!

It's three years today since I met Daniela... i wonder how different my life would've been if that hadn't have happened.. How much of my German obsession is because of her?

Went close to setting a personal record for 'steeplechase'... Friday was FNC (friday night church) run by Boxhill Salvo's at Surrey Hills Salvos, Saturday was at Ringwood Salvos for the wedding of mr & mrs space, and Sunday, One service and a sing-a-long at Ferntree Gully Salvo's, MSB at the night Sevice at Waverley Salvo's, then a fairly punky Divy Youth Crush run by Rowville salvo's... I could've done even better than this if I went to Waverley Salvos on Saturday night for the MSB concert, I could've gone somewhere else on Sunday night, maybe Mooroolbark salvos or, ahem, Ashburton Baptists!

hehehe, I'm not still in Guben, was only there for two weeks! As I said, I'm tired. I will not confuse you any further...

oh yes, its three years yesterday since I arrived in Guben... nice town, if you like 50% unemployment and neo-nazis...

Dear avid Honzablog reader.. eek! my 'puter went *ping* and stopped working for a week.. but alles gut now! (its amazing what a difference a new motherboard can make to a dead 'puter...). Now, if only I had things to say...
Today I saw Space get married. It was his second time. His last wedding was last week in Canada... That's on the other side of the world, but that's where Mrs Space hails from... Anyway, they are not living in Oz OR Canada.... Estonia will be home for the Spaces.. and good on 'em... Nice Day for a White wedding!! Okay, it was a bit damp, but the guys all wore white suits, so the bride wasn't the only one.. hm.. I'm tired. my grammar is suffering I will not inflict any more Honzablog on you tonight! tata!

Okay, nothing particularly german happened today, except when Nicholas, one of the young guys from church, tried some of his school-boy German on me. Hmmm... I taught him the term Kartoffel-Kopf. He will have fun with that one!
Just been checking out http://www.bookcrossing.com Interesting idea. You leave books laying about the place for others to pick up, read, and pass on. The books are registered on-line, and thereby can be tracked on their journey. Might give it a shot. Now, what books do I have to give away...?

July 6th Always a significant date for me, and for travel.

On this day in 1998 I made a fairly epic journey. At 1:30am we got into George's van in Dunlo (Western PA) and drove to Pittsburgh to catch a 6am flight to JFK (New York) in an American Eagles airline SAAB 340 (that's quite a small plane...). From there an American Air 757 to Miami. At Miami airport the flags of many nations were displayed, but no Australian flags... At 4:30pm it was on a 727 to Kingston, Jamaica, where we arrived shortly after sunset. From there it was a 3 hour drive on windy narrow blue mountain roads in a Christian Services International Mazda van to Port Antonio in the north of the country (good thing it was dark and we couldn't see the precipitous drops...). Definitely bed time when we finally arrived...

On this day in 1999 we left Singapore at midnight on a Lufthansa Jumbo to Frankfurt. (on the previous day we went from Geelong to Melbourne in a Salvation Army Mazda van and caught a Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore) About 12 hours later at around 6 in the morning we arrived in Frankfurt, and one hour later we were leaving for Prague in an A320-200 Airbus. Just a one hour flight this time, we were picked up at the airport by an Armada Spasy Mazda van and taken to the top end of the city. By now it was 9am. We had till 5pm to walk through the streets of the most scenic city in Central Europe and find the Praha Hlavny Nadrazy (main Station). We weren't expecting temperatures of over 30 deg in Prague, so we were tired and hot, but excited to be there. The Skoda train took us across the length of the Czech countryside and we got off at last in Ostrava in the eastern edge of the country. We were picked up by the Armada Spasy in their mazda van, a nine seater, it needed two trips. By the time we had much needed showers it was midnight and bed time

On this day in 2000 I was in Sydney for the Hillsong conference and being transported about the place in Ringwood Salvo's Mazda van. We were also being transported through the medium of Praise and Worship music into the very throne room of God.

On this day in 2001 I was preparing to fly to Hillsong in Sydney, took the day off work, can't work on the 6th of July, afterall! I think I went for a bit of a drive to feel in travel mode...

And so July 6th 2002 what shall I do? Too poor to get an international flight, too disorganised to get to Hillsong, too scared of the rain to go for a walk... at least I don't have to scam a day off work, as it's SATURDAY!!! Still, should go do something...

En-route to Africa Mr. Howard pops into Athens (the only city in the world with more greeks than Melbourne, apparently...) to get chummy with the Greek PM. He tells him that Australians want the English to hand back the Elgin Marbles, as he told his very good friend Tony Blair a couple of months ago... I just saw the Steve Martin movie 'My Blue Heaven', I think if Rick Moranis went bald, he'd look like our John Howard. Of course, Moranis would have to take a course in nerdiness.

Our Prime Minister little (I don't know why everyone calls him this, He's not really THAT short...) Johnny Howard has been visiting Berlin this week. Many thousands of other people are visting Berlin too, for the Love Parade, a huge Rave event. But Johnny will be in Afrika by the time the party starts, I really can't see him in his leopard print and leather rave shorts partying till dawn when there is a chance to get chummy with another world leader elsewhere. George Dubya and The German Chancellor are very special friends now, let's add to the set!

July the fourth, the fourth of July. In 1998 (that was in a previous millenium) I spent the 4th day of July in the Western Pennsylvannian county of Cambria. There was much excitement, people gathered from miles around to watch fireworks at the mall car park near Johnstown. Such a big event to celebrate Independence Day, which is a fairly cheesy, but fun movie about alien invasion. Why do these movie Aliens always decide to invade Amerika? If I were an alien I think I'd pick somewhere a bit less obtrusive and gain a comfortable foot-hold. Somewhere large and isolated. Maybe Antarctica. Aliens never invade Antarctica. You think if they could cope with the cold and vast emptiness of outer space, they'd feel quite at home in Queen Maud Land. Or maybe they want a change from that, so they go to Amerika for the bright lights and movie stars, and the chance to blow things up with full media coverage....

On Sunday night, after Ringwood Salvo's eight o'clock church, I sat in front of a big screen in the main hall watching the Cup Final. On the other side of the world, at Korps Friedenau in Berlin something similar was happening. A big screen set up to watch the world game, the third best team in South America playing the fourth best European to see who would be best in the world. And the result is history. If winners are grinners, you saw a lot more Brazilian teeth. But still the German team could still be winners if they ask some of the Brazillian team to explain their T-shirts (I allude to the Jesus Loves You shirts). They could also ask those at Ringwood corps with their big screen (where all but I was supporting Brazil) or those at Korps Friedenau with their big screen. They all understood the Brazillian shirts. They know the reality of the love of Jesus and know that even if you come second in a World Cup (or not even GET there, 2006 Australia!), you can be a winner

I wore my flannelette shirt to work today in support of National
Bogans Day, even though I never have, or are never likely to be, a bogan. Someone at work however thought I was supporting Red Nose Day (also today), but it's just my cold is at that terribly attractive sniff sniff stage...

Ah, the football, it's nearly time! We will soon find out who the 202, and 203 FIFA ranked teams in the world will be, when Bhutan host their traditional rivals Monserrat. The world holds it's collective breath!

My skill as a prophet is undisputed! Yes, I picked this; Germany to beat Sth Korea 1-nil. Am I a marvel or what??? Actually a) I only THOUGHT they'd win by such an amount, but was too chicken to say so, because I'm never wrong, and I didn't want to start now... and b) They win ALL their games 1-nil (except perhaps that one against the Saudis... unless that was 8 mini games..)
My prediction of the final?? AT some stage the score will be 1-nil...

I promise that most of my blogging will not be as sport-centred as these last few have been...
Not only was SBS showing a German movie during the Germany/S.Korea game, but as I was changing channels during the game to check on the movie, I saw footage of the Reichstag in Berlin on Channel 2. Also yesterday, the fall of the Berlin Wall was mentioned on both the 'Today Show' and 'the Simpsons. Everywhere I look it's Germany. Weird

The World Cup We're getting down to the sharp end now, and can you believe that South Korea are still there? Everyone seems to be jumping onto the South Korea Bandwagon. I think most people in this country want to see them beat Germany. Germany who have won the cup three times before, Germany who are a major power of World Fußball, Germany who are the most boring team in the whole competition, Germany who have been a bit off their game for awhile now, but still do just enough to win, Germany the team who score one goal, and then leave the rest of the game in the hands (I don't mean that literally...) of their defenders versus the New Kids On The Block, the exciting and refreshing Koreans...

I'm supporting Germany.

SBS isn't showing the game tonight, it's one of the games the NINE Network grabbed, instead SBS are showing a movie in German. I don't know why, most of the German population will be watching the game!! I will too, but I might videotape (shh, its for my own personal use) the movie anyway. It may help me in my quest to learn a bit of the German language. So what is this obsession with all things German I am developing? What can it mean? Is God giving me a 'heart' for the country? Am I being called to serve Him there? Or is it because a certain young lady lives there... It's something I need to pray about, certainly.

..but then, you can't believe EVERYTHING you read on the net..

er, abstemious and abstemsious apparently are the other two...

News just in. Australia just lost the International Challenge Hockey final to South Korea! I bet THAT will make front page news in Korea, forcing their football onto page two. (facetious is one of only three words in the English language that contain every vowel in alphabetcal order. Intereting, hey? But that's wonder of Honzablog!)

ah, the world cup. A world Class sporting event... and no Australian team in sight!! What is with that??? Even the Amerikans were there!!! Ah well, we're best in the world at three other football codes....

just checking, does this work too? I'm new here...

This site will be a place of vast spirituality, and insights into the mind of God. Theology delved into deeply and sense made of things beyond the ken of the man in the street. Things like... um... er..
Well, tomorrow is Sunday, something shall occur to me then, I'm sure!

Well, that was easy! except for not putting in the address for the website.. What is with that? anyway, if it's not too long, and you have a vague interest in what I talk about, try typing or pasting this into you browser.. http://www.angelfire.com/wy/murray/home1.html I think it's worth a look, it's full of colour, movement, ommph, espegliere... and small gorillas.

The blog. Long have I thought of doing this, long have I put it off, now, on a cold and damp saturday night, I, Honza, am sticking my thoughts up onto the Net for all (or those so inclined) to see. So who am I? I guess introductions are in order. Mein name ist John aber Ich heise Honza. Honza is the Czech form of John. I spent a couple of wonderful weeks back in '99 (that was a previous millenia) with eight wonderful young women who discovered that 2 out of every three guys they met was called 'Honza', so, I too became a Honza. I don't live in the Czech Republic, wondrous though it is. I live in Melbourne, the one in Australia, not Florida, and dream of the day when my bank balance recovers enough to let me travel again and see more of God's wonderful world.
Bits of the world I have seen include the Czech Republic (of course), mainly around the Ostrava region; Germany, especially Guben and Berlin; Jamaica especially around Port Antonio and Fruitful Vale; Western Pennsylvania, Cambria county mainly; New Zealand but that was back in 1987; and most of Australia. I have also seen airports in Tokyo, Singapore, Frankfurt, München, New York, Miami, Prague, Dubai and a few other out of the way places...
If you want to see more of my travels from the viewpoint of my Gorilla travelling partner, feel free to check out
Murray's World
Okay, here goes nuttin'! I am now going to push the 'post' button and see what happens....