Change Is Good

I've become quite the John Mayer fan in the past few years. I never really listened to him until I met a guy from my church, who's blessed with mad guitar skills, who was/is a huge Mayer fan. You probably know what went through my mind..."Rob's into John Mayer, maybe I should and it will help me develop mad guitar skills too."

I enjoyed Mayer's latest album, Continuum, but I don't quite agree with just waiting on the world to change. I think the way the world is going to change is if we step up and do something about it - go through that personal paradigm shift. The world isn't going to change overnight but it can change if individuals change. It's about starting small and working up to something big. I think for the world to change, there has to be a complete change of attitude and mindset in each and every single person. That's the only way to achieve lasting change.

I've changed a lot since arriving here in Australia. Some of it had to do simply with living on my own. Other changes occurred because of adaptations to the new environment (ie. putting on sunscreen every morning before going to class because if I don't I'll get sunburned). I believe God has a lot more changes in store for me in the coming years.

Good Changes:

Eating breakfast everyday: I used to skip the most important meal of the day because I'd never give myself enough time in the morning. It's funny because I still give myself 1.5 hrs to get ready in the morning. The only difference is that I have a 10 minute walk to class compared to a 1 hr bus/train ride.

Exercising (a little...): So I'm still not getting much resistance training in but at least I'm doing a bit of running and playing basketball/volleyball here and there. Running has got to be the most boring activity ever. Motivation? Going to the beach every now and then.

Eating healthy: Back home I would easily down an entire large Costco-size bag of chips in a single sitting. My snack food would include instant noodles, frozen pizzas, pie, ice cream...you get the idea. The solution now is to just not keep any of the aforementioned foods in my apartment. Been eating a lot more fruit instead. There has been the odd box of chocolate chip cookies or Tim-Tams...

Doing my dishes right away: My parents would vouch for how I'd leave dishes lying around all the time. But I soon realized that it's so much easier to wash them right away. Actually, it's the guilt of having to share stuff with my roommates. I suspect if we weren't sharing pots and pans and the kitchen, I probably wouldn't have changed...

Started up my prayer journal: Lately, I've been trying to kick-start my prayer life once again by keeping my prayer journal updated. Without it I forget to pray for so many things. Hopefully, I can keep it updated and continue to check off all the awesome answered prayer!

Areas that Still Need Change:

Regular sleeping pattern: I'm still going to bed too late and not getting enough sleep. I really need to change this. My goal is to get on a 11pm-6:30am sleep routine by May.

Drink More Water: I think it's become worse now that I'm sweating most of the time as well. I probably only drink 1/4 of the amount of water I should be drinking everyday.

Waste less time: The guitar has been the biggest temptation in this department. In some ways, I'm glad our internet here sucks so much because I can't watch anything off YouTube or download music/movies even if I wanted to. Need to be more efficient.

Be a better witness for Christ: Living with non-Christians has been a huge challenge for me. They know that I'm a Christian and I need to be aware that I have a tremendous potential to influence them positively or negatively. It's really hard to not be lazy or to talk badly about someone or just to have a really negative attitude and complain about stuff. If I can reflect Christ in all I do, hopefully they will see what a difference it makes to have God in your life.

The great thing about not being picky when it comes to food is that I'll eat random combination leftover dishes - like this stir-fry of homemade sushi rolls, week-old bok choy and chicken.

Guitar Pick

Ever get a chance to fiddle around on someone else's guitar but they don't have a pick and you don't have one with you? Well, I've learned the solution from a guy I met at church down here. He keeps a pick inside the battery cover of his cell phone. Ingenious eh? Since I carry my phone with me everywhere I go, I don't have to worry about being pick-less!

I also have "picked" (haha...I crack myself up) up a little amp to use down here. It's a Roland Micro Cube and for an amp that can run on batteries, it's got quite a bit of punch. It's got some pretty nice amp models and is perfect for bedroom noise levels. I think I can fit it inside a suitcase so I'm planning on keeping this little guy.

No Regrets?

Living a life without regrets is a good motto to go by in my mind. It means that I go about things with the right attitude and put in my best effort so that at the end of the day I'm not left thinking, "What if I only tried harder?" It means I put my faith and hope in things that won't let me down - which pretty much means trusting in God. I have a shirt that says "Jesus is my co-pilot" but really it should say "Jesus is my pilot." If He's in full control of my life, then there isn't anything that I will do that I'll regret. But...it's really hard to do because reflecting back on my life, I realize I do have a lot of regrets. There are a number of examples that I can think of where I wish I did something instead or even worse, didn't do something.

Things I Wish I did or didn't do... (in no particular order)

1. Not learn to speak Cantonese

I'll have to clarify this with my parents someday but I remember that they tried to enroll me in Saturday morning Chinese school as a child and that somehow it didn't work out. I was under the assumption that I made such a fuss every time they took me that they just gave up (I picture myself holding on to the car door for dear life with both hands as my mom tries to pull me off to drop me off in the morning). Why do I regret this now? Well, I see nothing but good stemming from being multilingual. Sure, I would have had to give up Saturday morning cartoons or whatever I did on Saturday mornings (actually, I think I ended up practicing piano instead so maybe it would have been better to go in hindsight) but the benefits of knowing a second language is invaluable IMO. A prime example is being able to communicate effectively with my grandparents. Knowing Cantonese would enable me to speak to them so freely and probably develop a better relationship. It would even help with sharing the gospel with them as well.

Luckily, it's not too late for me to learn now. It might be much harder but not impossible...

2. Not finishing up my piano

If my mom read this, she would definitely have the "last laugh". Unfortunately for me, taking piano lessons growing up was more of a traumatic experience than a cherished one. Part of this was my own fault. But anyway, regardless of why they are not a fond memory of mine, I do regret not finishing my grade 10. I quit right before writing my grade 9 exam to make a point - to spite my parents in fact. To me, it was a way of showing that I was in control. I remember thinking to myself at the time, "So you think you can still dictate my life? Well you're wrong and I'll prove it by quitting piano and there's absolutely nothing you can do." And so whoopdeedoo. I was right. I quit and there really wasn't anything they could do about it. My mom told me that it was a huge waste since I was like a month away from writing the practical part of the exam and I had already done all the history and harmony required. But I didn't care.

The irony behind this is that I now fully appreciate my opportunity to take music lessons. All those years of piano and theory has given me a general understanding of music and has helped in my appreciation of music. It has also allowed me to learn the guitar and just worship God through music. None of that would be possible if I didn't have some music background (or at least not as easily). In fact, I tell my friends now that I will "force" my kids to learn a musical instrument as well. It definitely is an invaluable skill and studies even show it helps with brain and motor development as well. Similar to learning Cantonese, it isn't impossible to go back and complete my grade 10 piano. It would be super super hard to get back into it after so many years but who knows?

3. Not playing football in high school

Okay, so this is one that truly will remain a regret since I can't go back in time. But ya, wish I played football and hurt some people back then. I don't know if it's because i'm a guy or because i'm just sick and twisted but I really wanted to get on that field and to be not only permitted to, but encouraged to hit someone as hard as I could. Linebacker would have been the position of choice but I guess cornerback would have been okay. Oh well.

4. Buying Farmland Choc Chip Cookies

Worst cookies ever. Nuff said.

5. Eating Farmland Choc Chip Cookies

Okay, so I'm super cheap and I hate wasting food. So I leave them sitting on my desk while i study with hopes that I will get hungry/desperate enough to eat them. It's working ever so slowly. So I guess this isn't really a regret in itself but more of a reminder of #4 - buying them in the first place.


The list really goes on. Little things happen everyday when I wish I said something or didn't say something to someone. I'm not sure if I will ever reach that point where I'm truly living a life with no regrets but it's definitely something to strive for.

Trust and Obey

When I think of this song it reminds me of Uncle Mark, an elder and worship leader back at South Gate. He would often lead this song and it has some great lyrics. I love how this new church I'm attending here in Brisbane sings a lot of contemporary Hillsong and United songs. But I guess I'm still a bit old school since I love a lot of hymns too. The words just blow me away.


Trust and Obey
Words by John H. Sammis

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor he shows, for the joy he bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we'll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Matt's New Aussie Vocab: Part Deux

There might be some overlap from part one. This is a lesson in communicating down under.

Understanding an Aussie Bloke:

G'day mate = Pleased to make your acquaintance
He's blotto = Inebriated beyond the capacity to stand up
You little ripper! = Words of praise fail me
Rack off = Your presence is no longer required
Fair dinkum = Of course I'm telling you the truth
Pull ya head in = You may be correct in your assertion but shut up
Wanna rage? = Would you like to drink large amounts of alcohol with me until we both drop?
You dronge = A rather dimwitted person
Your shout = If you value your well being you should buy the next drink
Go on = I'm not entirely convinced you know what you're talking about
Whadayawant? = Might I enquire about your needs?
Have a chunder = The delicate act of regurgitation
You pong = Dear me, we do smell don't we
Bloody oath! = I'm in total agreement with you
Howya going? = May I enquire about your welfare?
Give it a go ya mug! = Are you perhaps incapable of performing this act?

Understanding an Aussie Gal:

Wanna cuppa? = Would you care for some tea?
Go and tart yourself up = Please dress in your best clothes
Wanna come to our piss-up? = You are invited to our party
How ya goin' luv? = I hope you are feeling well
Don't get your knickers in a knot = Don't upset yourself
What's the latest goss? = Any juicy news?
The old man's shot through = My husband's left town
Shut ya gob! = Tell someone who cares
Don't crap on = Aren't you exaggerating?
Could I bot a fag? = May I have one of your cigarettes?
Grouse lippy = What a nice shade of lipstick