ready or not...

Sometimes things just happened. Alot of the time when these things happen, they are usually not something we would classify as good, a positive spin on things would be that they are challanging, but alot of time they just spell out bad news for you. These things are usually the things you don't really have any control over, but usually are the things you are responsible for. You never know when these things will happen. When these things happen to you, you feel as though the weight of the world has been placed on your shoulders and when you are a person on the outside looking in, you do feel sorry for them.

Then in hindight, these things do make you stronger. As the saying goes, what ever doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. Through these things, you can come out on the other side wiser, & more confident. These things are there to shape you, these trials and tribulations. (Read Job 1:6-22)

On a side note, the J-league played a round yesterday. Urawa played out a 2-all draw with Shimizu S-Pulse, but congratulations Ci's Kawasaki Frontale defeated Kyoto Sanga FC 4-1

#4 Marcus Tulio Tanaka

back where it all started...

Well I'm doing an overnight shift tonight and I haven't done one around 6 weeks. I think that's the longest I have gone without working a graveyard shift since I started working in hotels. Working an overnight shift used to me the norm for me, so I can't help reminiscing about how it all started for me. Blogging use to be on of the many activities that would keep me occupied throughout the night, apart from work of cause. So because of this I decided to blog tonight.

Back at my xanga blog (www.xanga.com/ray51r) there would be the regular few who would read my blog. There was my twin cousin Waich (who actually was the one who started up my xanga blog), then there was Maria (Waich's friend), Tracey I think use to pass by it once in a while and Joanna (a friend of a friend) and of cause my Cici also began to follow my blog (2 whole post in the space of a year!!!). I'm not actually sure who actually reads this blog, to be honest with you, I don't really mind if no body reads this blog. This is really just for me, my online journal. Hopefully I can post more regularly then I did before.

lets hit some balls...

Well I went to hit some balls this morning, tennis style. Haven't played tennis for a week or two and haven't had a workout like this morning for a while actually; but it really felt good after being out on the court for 2 hours. Of cause I was a bit rusty after not playing for a while, but gradually got into the rhythm again. The plan has always been to play at least once a week, but it's kinda tough when you have no one to play with regularly. I do have several people to hit up with, but a lot of the time, our times just clash, and we don't end up playing. Anyways, Here's a few details about my gear:

Racquet: Wilson [K] Pro Staff 88
Strings: Technifibre X-One Biphase @ 57lbs
Overgrip: Wilson Ultra Wrap
Shoes: Nike Court Ballistec 1.3

introducing the urawa red diamonds...

So, I would like to introduce everyone to the Urawa Red Diamonds. The Urawa Red Diamonds; who are also referred to as the Urawa Reds, is one of the many sporting teams world wide I support. At the moment they are probably the team I follow the most. I have being following them since they came to Sydney for a training camp in 2005. They actually stayed in the hotel I was working at that time. From then I began to research about who they are and follow began to them. To be honest with you I've probably began following them more fanatically after going to Japan at the end of 2008, especially being able to head into Saitama (Urawa's hometown). Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend a game during my time in Japan; don't know if it was a bad thing because all the games they played whilst i was in Japan they lost, including the season ending 6-1 lost to the Yokohama F.Marinos.

Alright, enough about me...
Who are they?

Team Name: Urawa Red Diamonds
Team Colours: Red, Black & White
Home Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002 & Urawa Komaba Stadium

History
They are a football club which plays in the J-League; Japan's premier soccer competition. They were originally formed in 1950 as a company-based football team for the Kobe based Shin Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The club and company relocated to Tokyo in 1958 and changed their name to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 1964. The club became one of the powerhouses of Japanese company football, and was one of the 8 founding members of the first non-professional national league, the JSL (Japanese Soccer League) which was launched in 1965.
Mitsubishi's greatest period was between 1969 & 1982. In 1978 Mitsubishi completed Japan's first ever treble when they won the league, Emperor's Cup and the League cup. During this period the team colour changed from blue to red, which it has remained ever since.

During the 1980's, the team experienced a difficult patch, which also led them to be relagated to the 2nd division at the end of the 1988/89 season. The club however did bounce straight back by winning the 2nd division. The club changed umbrellas from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to Mitsubishi Motors for the 1990/91 season in preperation for joining the J-League; Japan's first professional football league, which they were also a founding member.

The club has enjoyed mixed fortunes since the J-League advent. The club finished bottom of the league for the first two seasons of the J-League with an average crowd of under 15,000. In 1999 they suffered relegation to the second tier of Japanese football yet again. The team has since improved in form in recent years, starting with a 2003 victory in the Nabisco Cup. In 2006 Urawa clinched their first professional league title by defeating runners-up Gamba Osaka 3-2 on December 2 before 63,000 supporters. This came after two close calls in the previous two years. In 2005, they finished 2nd, one point behind champions Gamba Osaka. In 2004, they finished 3rd in the First Stage and won the Second Stage. Having qualified for the two-match J-League championship decider, they lost on penalty kicks to Yokohama F.Marinos.

In 2007 Urawa won the Asian Champions League, the first Japanese side to win the title since the competition was reorganised from the Asian Champions Cup in 2003. Unfortunately, Urawa gave up what seemed to be an unassailable 7 point lead, when they earned only 2 points from there final four games, and was leap frog by Kashima Antlers on the last day of matches.
2008 was one of the worst seasons for Urawa since they were relegated in 1999. There were signs of disunity in the team. This all became evidentt in the final game of the season, where they were defeated 6-1 at home to the Yokohama F. Marinos. The end result for the Reds was seventh on the table.

So why do I support Urawa...
On of the main things I have noticed is that you either love them or you hate them and for me I love them. They are not the most successful club in Japan (that would be the Kashima Antlers) but they are the most popular (avg crowd of 46,000 at their home games) and it's because of the fans that I am such a big fan of the Red Diamonds. I don't know how to explain it, but when I went to Urawa I felt as though I just connected. My next aim would be to attend an Urawa home game at Saitama Stadium 2002.

And what about 2009...
So what do I expect from the Red Diamonds in 2009?
To win the J-League

just another number...

Don't you just hate it if you feel just like another number? At uni/college we have a student number, at work we have our employee number, we have a tax file number, a bank account number and to day I think I made a friend feel like as though they where just a mobile number. How horrible is that aye? Well I do have my excuses; like I don't have anyones mobile number on that phone except for my immediate family, I had just finished a 9 hour day at work etc. but nobody likes to be "just another number".

Some one who doesn't make me feel just like another number is going to kill me if I'm not in bed 10 mins ago! Got another early start in the morning

from this to that...

Well if you asked my yesterday what my plans where for today, it would have been completely different to the answer to what I actually did today. Its funny that; sometimes you can plan all you like for life, but it doesn't always turn out how you planned it. It's not always a bad thing though. I know that there are some people out there who would plan there lives to the minute detail, but being human and living amongst humans, it is virtually impossible to plan your life to the tee. Now I'm not that type of person, but I felt so much like that today though. After 11 hour day at work, the last thing I want to do is "wait" to do something. I'm tired and really; if there's nothing planned, then what's the point. So it was from plan A to a plan B. Yesterday there wasn't a plan B really, but since there wasn't a definite plan A, plan B needed to be devised. And so that was my day...

And on another note; Urawa defeated JEF United 1-0.

#24 Genki Haraguchi

I'll introduce you to the Urawa Red Diamonds soon...

waiting for you...

So what did I do today? Not much; which felt good (I was able to rest), but also bad (felt as though I wasted a day) at the same time. I think that's one of the things you have to deal with when working shift work. The days you have off aren't always the same as other people; and then when other people have something on, you have to work. At the moment it doesn't seem to bother me that much as I do enjoy having my own time but I do miss out on a lot of time spending with family, friends and of cause my special someone. Sometimes my mind does begin to wonder what it would be like if I worked a 9to5 Monday to Friday job and whether that would be the "perfect" set up. But then again I have always worked shift work, so I guess I wouldn't know any better and besides what would I be doing if I was working a 9to5 job.

So what would be my ideal job? I do have some ideas of where I want to go next in my career, actually I've being wanting to do this for quiet a while, and it always seem the time isn't right or I've been to scared to try it. But what am I waiting for? Now I am waiting for the right opportunity to come up; which actually at the moment seems to be obtainable. But it still doesn't fell quiet right and I can't explain why. Could it be that I want to be in control of my life. I plot and scheme of where I want to be and if it seems to be beyond me, I know I tend to shy away from the challenge. Ironic isn't it?

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. - Colossians 3:23

These are two favorite verses but it seems that I haven't being living by its truths. So what am I waiting for? I've known these two verses for many years. The youth use to know that the verse that I would use regularly are these 2 verses, but what am I waiting for? I think I'd stick with it for a few months, but then I tend to veer away and start doing it my way again. I know the verses in my head inside out, but why doesn't my heart start believing in it 100%? What am I waiting for? Why do I feel as though I am stuck again in the same cycle? Why am I afraid to get out of this cycle?

Alot of the time it frustrates me to be contiually going around in this cycle. I know it doesn't just bother me, but those around me, especially when everytime something is up, it is this. This is the last time...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light , not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make and manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

- Marianne Williamson

so this is me...

Ok here's a little thing so anyone who doesn't know me will get to know me a little bit more... it's fun doing these profile thingys because when you read back you can see where you where at that point in your life. I was looking at my old blog just now and it's kinda amazing to see how far I have gone since 2004...

so this is me 23Apr09...

The Basics
Name: raygun
Nicknames: rayray, raysir, raymond
Birthday: 30th May 1983
Place of Birth: Jakarta, Indonesia
Height: 5'9
Weight: 165lbs

Favorites...
Number: 7
Food: NASI GORENG!!!!
Drink: Sapporo, Ebisu, Heineken, Stella Artois & Amstel
Colour: Blue, Red and Orange
Bible Verse: Col 3:23 & Jer 29:11
Clothing Brand: Modern Amusement, Oakley, Lee, Nike
Cologne: Bvlgari Aqva
Sports: Tennis & Snowboarding
Bands: The Killers, Augustana, Linkin Park, Switchfoot, Death Cab for Cutie, The Birthday and many more...
Movies: Cool Runnings, Cars, Toy Story (1 & 2)

Sporting Teams I support
Urawa Red Diamonds (J-league), F.C Barcelona (La Liga), KNVB (Int'l football), Brisbane Broncos (NRL), Collingwood Magpies (AFL), Houston Texans (NFL), Portland Trailblazers (NBA), Standford Cardinal (NCAA)

This is where is starts...

Well hello there...

Welcome to my little blog site. I don't really know how this will turn out, but unlike my old blog site, this was started by myself, so hopefully I will be able to keep it running. The plan is to use this blog as some what of a personal diary; keep a track of what I do. Sometimes it feels like there isn't any news in my life, but that's possibly because I look at my life a week at a time and forget to see the small things that make me smile; and these moments are important!

So it's the 23rd April 2009... and here's the start of my blogging...