I've missed a few Christmas' over the last 22 years. By missing I mean not going back to Malaysia, which is generally an annual trip. This will be my first Christmas in New Zealand, I've been too busy with house stuff to miss going back.. till now. When i can reflect back on how the whole "experience was".
My family... one of the things which I'm most proud of and blessed to have 10 uncles and aunts and 13 cousins. Its great how there are lots of us(cousins) whose ages are closer together three of us are one year apart, three are two/three years older and another two are 2/3 years younger. Basically, theres a bunch of 8 of us who are not too far apart in terms of ages. The rest are quickly catching up though... This translates to lots and lots and lots of fun when we get together, especially on our annual family trips.
Not being with them sounded real sad, especially when all the cousins look forward to going back so much. For us we hardly go online and reply emails, etc etc. For them, most of their friends are on hold, and its pretty much just family from Christmas till new years. I know... we are quite obsessed with one another ;)
Chrsitmas didnt really start till like 30 mins before our Christmas even BBQ, coz we were so busy with the house. The BBQ itself was nice... Dad's pastors family came (we went on ski trip together), and we each had a few friends come, as well as dad's cousins family. So it was nice, sorta like back home, but it was good because it was with people we are closer with. We sang carols, played taboo, played on table tennis table, overall a nice night.
Right after that, I went for a coromandel trip with some of the chruch leaders and Angela's family. 3 days, 2 nights, kinda what would happen in Malaysia. That was a good trip, we picked oysters, pipi's and cockels. I'm not much of a shellfish person, but I survived!! It was also good spending it with them because they are the people I see almost as much as family here, they too see my ups and down and have to put up with me.
After that, we spend some time with Dad's friends from Brunei, two couples are at our place. So all three of us boys are in Colin's room, its our little refugee camp. They're real close and fun to be around. So its all good ;)
We spend New Years together... we are in a restaurant with live music and a few drinks. They even got me on to the dance floor, something which many have tried and very few have succeeded. I tried to dance, then i stood around, then I sneaked off ;) NEVER AGAIN!!! Then we had a train, and some random person in front of me... We ended doing our countdown on the dance floor.
I realise how much of a family person I am, looking at both Christmas and New Years, I'd do Christmas agian, not so sure about New Years.
Looking back, I enjoyed my holidays, it wasnt the same as it wasnt with family and I miss them HEAPS (and they owe me huge presents next year from his years savings). However, I spent it with special people here too and for being able to be surround by great people whether I go back or not, I am thankful to God for.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Blogs...
A place for people to share their thoughts and feelings; basically to share their lives online. I used to think that it was absolutely pointless, basically that if you wanted to get to know someone, then go and spend time with them. I never saw the point of one. The same rule applied to me with friendster, facebook and any other peer to peer websites; I just created accounts for other people's sake.
Then came bible college... My New Testament lecturer, Mark Keown talked about Paul and how he was adept in the culture of his day. The letters he wrote and the messages he preached was directed to his audiences in a way they would understand, accoring to their culture and times. For example, his letters(epistles as we now know them) follow the format of the times. In Acts 17, while preaching to the Athenians, he showed knowledge of what their poets have written and even uses what was inherently their culture against them (Acts 17:28). He also understood their mindset and their thinking (Acts 17:22), he even commended their attention to spirituality.
That basically set me on the course of rethinking what we mean by "we are in the world, but not of the world". Surely we are to understand the things of the world if we are to connect with the world.
Long story short, that was my motivation for facebook and now the blog. Amazing what bible college can do.
--Kev
Then came bible college... My New Testament lecturer, Mark Keown talked about Paul and how he was adept in the culture of his day. The letters he wrote and the messages he preached was directed to his audiences in a way they would understand, accoring to their culture and times. For example, his letters(epistles as we now know them) follow the format of the times. In Acts 17, while preaching to the Athenians, he showed knowledge of what their poets have written and even uses what was inherently their culture against them (Acts 17:28). He also understood their mindset and their thinking (Acts 17:22), he even commended their attention to spirituality.
That basically set me on the course of rethinking what we mean by "we are in the world, but not of the world". Surely we are to understand the things of the world if we are to connect with the world.
Long story short, that was my motivation for facebook and now the blog. Amazing what bible college can do.
--Kev
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