Illustration friday... SACRIFICE

Eeek! It has been so long since I have contributed anything to Illustration Friday! This week's topic is Sacrifice! Wow, such a deep topic, and one, as someone who tries to adhere to Christianity, I should really attempt to portray. You know, trying to share a bit of subtle light in the on-line illustrating community. But how do you portray sacrifice in an illustration without being preachy or obvious? You want to make people think and not just get a meaning at a glance, then move on to the next website.
And also, and more to the point? How can I produce a net-worthy illo when my computer is playing up as it is? I mean, really I could go out and buy a new computer tommorrow. I would LOOOOOOVE a new computer!!!! If I could buy one largish item this month, thats what it would be. However, I am in a place where I really need to squirrel away as much money as i can this year, because I am hoping things will be very different for me in January. A new adventure beckons. I must harken to the call. But to do this I must look at my priorities, and that means... sacrifice. No new computer. Hoping my old car will last another 6 months.
Huh. Sacrifice. Maybe I can't draw sacrifice, but perhaps I can illustrate it with my life... Sacrifice isn't cool, isn't part of a post-modern lifestyle, but it does build character, and in the long run it's the better path to take.

Oh, and I know I've talked on Germany a bit lately, but I found this blog on a Salvo kick-off site that mentions meeting up with the Fusion guys in Leipzig. If you want to improve your bilinguality, or have an interest in Australian Salvos meeting Fusion Aussies in Leipzig, then check out:
http://heilsarmee-leipzig-wm2006.blogspot.com/2006/06/siegesfeier-und-aussie-treff-victory.html
If you don't want to you don't have to, but it's not a big sacrifice...

R.E.S.P.E.C.T. tell you what it means zu mich

I was strolling through my local shopping mall yesterday when a young Credit-Card salesman buttonholed the Dad with a young daughter in from of me.
'excuse me, Sir...' he began till he got the brush-off. Then he turned to try his luck on me.
'Hey, buddy...' he started, but my only interest in credit cards at the moment is which scissors are best at cutting them up!

But why did the other guy rate a 'Sir', yet he felt he could address me as 'Buddy'? Do I LOOK like his buddy?

But it made me think of something that happened in Germany, not once, but twice.
Both at Hamburg and in Hannover, while being involved in festivals, children came to me and said 'Du bist ein Clown!' (you are a clown) Yes, I admit I had some face-paint on, and a funny hat, and yes I was acting up at the time, but the point is, to correctly address an adult in German, especially one they don't really know, shouldn't they have gone with the more formal 'Sie sind ein Clown...' ?

I get no respect...

a rare day

It's 6th of June, and for the first time since about 1997 I went to work! I thought I'd better, I probably wont be there next June 6, if all goes well. On previous 6th junes I have taken days off, and remembered travelling to places. Its a good day to travel. In 1998 I started in Dunlo in Western Pennsylvania, and by bed time, and two vans and three planes later, was in Port Antonio in Jamaica.
In 1999 I left Singapore at midnight, and after two planes, two vans and several hours on a train was in Ostrava in the Czech republic. In the middle of that was 8 hours of walking in Prague.
in 2000 and 2001 I was in Sydney for the Hillsong conferences.
Since then it's either been a weekend, or I have taken the day off.
This year, I thought I had used all my allocated holiday days off, what with two weeks with the Commonwealth games, then three weeks in Germany for the world cup, but, as I discovered today, I still had a few days up my sleeve.
So, June 6, 2006, memorable only for being not memorable in any way...
I need less days like this!

Next year I will be somewhere else doing something different.

singin' the Azzuri...

This morning I did a silly thing. I got up at 5am to watch some football. I wanted to see Germany exact some revenge for Australia on the Italians. Or maybe I just wanted to hear some German singing. There are German people I love to hear sing, but in hindsight it was very unlikely that they would be in Dortmund for the game. And even if they were, I don't think I would hear them anyway.
So, about 2 hours of playing time after I got up a goal was finally scored. Unfortunately it was by the Italians. To make sure of it they scored a second one a minute later and the game was over... If only Australia had managed to last out 'til extra time last week, we might've won and found ourselves in the last eight, then beaten Ukraine, Germany, and whoever wins tomorrow and being world champs! What ifs and might've beens. If only... if.. if... If my Grandmother had wheels, she'd be an omnibus....
Still, the singing lasted the whole game, although it was more Italianate rather than Germanic at the end. But soccer songs sound much the same whoever sings them, I think. Thousands of people in full voice, though not a lot of harmony. Singing on the train in Berlin was a wonderful experience (see a previous blog), the feeling of adding your voice to a whole and creating a sound that's bigger than all of you. And the pride of singing for your country in a foreign land is special too.
One day however I will sing with a vaster crowd, inumerable. With people of all nations,including Germans and Italians, singing a song with one accord. We sang 'Ich will von deine Liebe singen, immer von deine Liebe singen' and in English 'I will sing of your love forever..' and 'our God is an Awesome God' and felt a touch of the hereafter in the here and now. But to sing 'Holy Holy..' with the angels will beat anything.