to the Temple, ending with the King

Today I woke up in such a rush.Literally, got ready in about four minutes. Because I didn't want to miss the bus to go check out the Nan Tien Temple with some other Kooloobongers! It's supposedlylargest Buddhist temple in the Southern

Hemispshere... also referred to as the "Southern Paradise". Hm, I m

ean I was thinking that Fiji could be called that, but a temple? Er, okayy, I guess this lil Buddha looks like he's quite enjoyinghimself in paradise, on a fake rock, in a fake river shrine.

Anyways, it was actually really beautiful, and I feel like I learned a lot about Buddhism from our tour guide. I was feeling pretty ignorant upon entering, but after our first go of taking off our shoes and walking into the first shrine room, I felt a bit more ease because

our guide kindly answered all questions. One thing that I found especially interesting about Buddhism, is that it's centered around the

self. You don't really worship Buddha, you just perform rit

uals respecting him, and you strive to achieve his values. But it's all about you, and anyone can practice. Personally, I would feel a lot more comfortable knowing that there's something much higher than a just a really good and meditative man that I can be like and worship. Ohh

yeah... I do serve a God like that! My man, Jesus Christ. Don'tworry folks, I didn't convert. But it would be nice to go on their grounds and spend some quiet time on the rolling hills n such some time. Here's a few pictures... (takin with my iphone, so they suck). The one on the far left really captures my immaturity. He's pouring out water and it's funny (get your mind outta the gutter). And the other on the left just blows my mind! Some monks carved this out of sandlewood just like 20 years ago, so it's not quite an ancient relic. It's just terrific though. Who has that much time on their hands?! Anyways, the trip to the temple ended with some yummy fried tofu and some sort of delicious sauteed greens, so I left happy indeed. A lot of Kooloobongers seemed very interested in Buddhism, so it'll be interesting to strike some conversations on that topic soon.

Pretty soon after coming back, Holly and I decided to head to the beach.... absolutely perfect day for it! It was hot and breezy, and Fairy Meadow (local beach spot) was populated with a pleauthera of other Uni students who were thinking the same thing. After getting pummeled by the strong waves of the ocean deep, I baked out a bit, and then got bored so I went for a jog down the beach and back. My calves are sore now, but ohhh how beautiful and effortless it feels in the moment. I'm planning on doing that much much more. Nothing more liberating.

The night winded down with Holly and I making some dinner and browsing through some magazines, which we planned on cutting up and putting on our walls for a bit of decoration frenzy. However, within about four sips of wine and two flips of my mag, we had gotten a stream of Kooloobongers coming in, urging us to go out to karaoke with us. Well, peer pressure won, and we endedup going. Glad I did, because I wouldn't have wanted to miss my pal, Lulu (real name: Liam) from Ireland, singing this terrific song. I even learned how to hold a pool stick more effectively! It was a nice, chill night, finished off with some glorious Tim Tam slams (little chocolate biscuit cookies, which you bite off each end of and then use as a straw as you sip up warm tea... gooey yummy goodness), but I'm still craving to get a better night's sleep, because nomatter how late I stay up, I can't sleep in much because I feel like the birds outside my window are always yelling at me.

On another sidenote, Psalm 46 was especially encouraging today. Check it out. We've heard it all before, but let it run over you again right now like fresh rainwater after a long day of

heat. Mmm, delicious Love from the King Himself.