the hallmark of a great captain is the ability to win the toss at the right time

Richie Benaud, cricket commentator

just loved that quote and it is the opening day of the much-hyped Ashes test series between England and Australia.. for the record, Ricky Ponting has shown he is a great captain and has won the toss for this, the 1st test at Lord's, London's hallowed home of cricket..

well it's the sort of night that i've had the rush.. it was Life Nite and yes i had the spiritual rush.. but i also had another kind of rush.. a sort of rush that i've now discovered when ya ask a girl out..

now i apologise since it was a spiritual night but i've been wanting to ask this girl out since the start of this year.. and i thought i had to do it soon.. for too long i've sat in the background with my feelings for the opposite sex yet was just too chicken to chance my arm.. if it wasn't to be, then perhaps it may not be God's plan.. but at least i tried and wouldn't die wondering.. which is far better than thinking abt the what-ifs on ur death bed..

for the sake of this blog, i'll use pseudonyms instead of name suppression which clearly doesn't seem to work in New Zealand if u've been following the news abt this drug scandal between these sports stars in Auckland.. as i've said, since May i've started to have feelings for this girl in church called Charlotte.. and she's really beautiful on the outside with her long bright hair, and on the inside.. she's really on fire for God..

and for the first time in my life, i think i love both sides.. so it built over the next couple of months.. thought a bit abt her when i was away from Dunners and then when i came back, i saw her and i thought yeah have to chance my arm and ask her out.. and just see what happens..

now i've never asked a girl out like that before.. as u can see so i was starting from scratch.. and that's always a very hard thing esp for me.. and i've also learnt that i'm not exactly creative in that area in this afternoon's Veggie Sculpting Contest in the Union.. esp when u only learnt that u were going to be in it - or rather volunteer urself for it half-an-hour before kick-off..

when i looked around, as u do in church, and saw her, i started to think, how to approach her.. Dan, Sam, Matt and Jarod talked and then we had 5 minutes to talk with other ppl.. met up with two other guys - on that note has been p good day for that, met another Dave who knows Andrew Germann from Knox, who should be my Pharmacology lab mate.. Sydney bloke.. how weird is that.. Dave and Sydney.. in the meanwhile, Charlotte was talking with her friends as girls would..

5 minutes were up we came back and Mike, Carmi and Dan talked.. prayed for a while and that was awesome.. things are gonna big in Dunners and New Zealand and even if i may not be in NZ to see it, it's gonna be huge.. just before we came back, i saw Alex sitting next to Charlotte, and while it would be childish to think of the possibilities of a link there, i thought yeah who knows, u've got to chance ur arm and test the water..

so after prayer, i thought i've to keep an eye and see my opportunities.. it was like trying to play test cricket on asphalt.. just impossible to see a break.. she was talking with her friends - all of them girls btw.. i was talking to the guys while keeping an eye.. and then i thought she was gonna go for the desserts but she dint.. trying the little drop kick there.. then she was abt to leave and she was alone..

she was alone.. the rush was coming to me.. yeap that rush.. the guy-gal-attraction was rising as i walked up to her and then just said hie.. she smiled and said hie back and i just asked how she was.. and then i told her there was something i've been wanting to ask for a while.. then i asked her if she wanted to go out..

well she said she couldn't coz she wasn't really up to dating.. it wasn't like she dint like me.. she did insist on that but it's just she wasn't really keen to go dating.. which is understandable for most church gals.. but she did say we could get to know each other.. i just told her i dint know how to put it that way apart from that way.. she smiled.. don't think she was angry or anything..

so see how Sunday goes.. get a rush when typing this u know..

anyway, should focus on the cricket.. Australia 43-1 at this point.. Matthew Hayden b Matthew Hoggard atm..

Sam - thanks.. wonder if UVic has got the courses i want to do after the end of 2006.. then we could start our motley group there.. and Bing would be there! or maybe we could all go to Sydney!