Hanging Rock

i think we all didn’t fully know what we were heading into. but the hike turned out a little more than a stroll in the park. it wasn’t bad though. the kids loved it. and there still is something about arriving at the summit. the view. the sense of looking out and everything. and the sense of where we’ve come from. the boys loved it. it was adventure. nicole kept thinking that she was scared. so i tried some reverse psychology. i kept telling her that i, instead, was afraid. and suddenly she was there helping me. she took hold of my hands and kept leading me forward – and she kept saying not to be afraid.

and i thought to myself, that’s why Jesus said to go and make disciples, perhaps. so that we don’t get so caught up with ourselves, but that as we help others make the journey, we lose sight of our own irrational fears.

nice.

Macedon Ranges II

after spending time at ‘The Memorial Cross”, we walked into this little cafe there, for some warmth, and coffee.

i had my first latte (for this trip) there.

it was nice. the weather was great – the coolness of the air, the heat of the latte, the warmth of friendship, the awareness of God with us.

complete.

macedon ranges

we were really not sure what to expect – evident of our lack of the ‘right’ attire by way of a jacket and shoes. but as we set out, we headed toward the Macedon Ranges. this trip was started by a conversation we had with aunty esther at fishing. she was talking about this country area and had mentioned that this was the dandenong’s of the west. homer loves the dandenong’s and her description made it very appetising. so this morning, we packed up and went in search of it. thanks to GPS, it didn’t take that much finding. but the journey was great – through scenic farms, and old charm houses, up winding roads lined with tall trees – this was all rather ‘gorgeous’ (that, being the word for the day).

the sun was out, but the temperature as we kept climbing went down – to 12/13 degrees! it was wonderfully cold! standing on the sun was like being full and  hungry at the same time!

and then there was the cross.

it was erected in memory of the soldiers who fought and died for their land, and to the glory of God.

it’s an amazing location. to stand beneath this towering cross.

and to remember God.

upon it

for

me.

lunch at The BoatHouse

it was a great afternoon out with the family and soo-lee. the place looks a bit like PS Cafe at home, but it overlooks the river. and there’s a boat on the ceiling. the food was nice – especially the pizzas. the conversation was light and fun, and it was great to soo-lee was on force leave so she’d had the week off. the kids loved the playground outside. actually, so did the adults!! the weather was perfect. the sky blue, with a lighter gradient as it heads towards the horizon.

the morning’s trip to the mechanic was neat too. homer and i brought our swim stuff in case the car was going to take a while, but alas, haha, ended up having breakfast and talking. it kinda felt like the monday breakfasts at macdonalds again. (except, we had some double ‘something’ brekkie burger, that wasn’t all that it was set up to be!!). more than anything i’ve missed the conversations. the sharing. the laughing. the realisations.

nice.

Lunch @ Kevin and Yen’s

it was a great time at lunch today. Kev and Yen have a great new place, right with artificial grass at the back that is kept clean by mere vacuuming! Yen cooked up a storm! and together with Kevin’s Ba Kut Teh and fruit, i was stuffed before the meal was done. It was great to have had the free flow of conversations after lunch – from family and children to church and leadership and structure. i really appreciated the candidness, the sharing of photos, of stories, or challenges and pain even. the cool breeze was the right backdrop to a great afternoon!

The Tan’s are out now, and i get to babysit (though that is sorely the wrong word for this occasion). The kids helped with setting the table, and i just had to put the food on the table and make the noodles – instant, nonetheless. The kids seemed to really enjoy it, which somehow, mattered to me. Nicole said it’s the “best noodles my daddy made”! that, was enough for me! 😀

and now we are watching “Tinkerbell” as i try and do some work, before we get them ready for bed.

i cannot believe it’s been a week already.

Melbourne city from Docklands

the view from the house is absolutely amazing. every day i wake up to this sight, and love it that i can walk out to the balcony, and take in this sight.

Fishing, Friendship & the Great Commission

so today after church we went fishing. Joshua was perhaps the most enthusiastic of the lot, but clearly all the kids seemed keen to go fishing. i had remarked that we’ve got to figure out how to make church a little bit more like fishing for them, because they certainly were not that excited about church this morning.

but fishing was truly an experience.

the weather was perfect. standing by the maribyrnong river on that little pier, with the sun out and the constant cool breeze was heavenly. it really felt like being at a resort.

the boys jumped to it. and off they went.

i got to finally meet uncle ollie and aunty esther who so generously opened their house to us, (and to me, in particular, a complete stranger to them, other than the fact that i was homer and viv’s house guest at the moment!!). they live along the river, and their backyard slopes down to this pier that we were fishing from.

ny first attempt at fishing.

not very successful.

as i tried to throw the hook into the sea, it caught the tree next to us!!!

so yup, it will go down in infamy, that my first catch, fishing was a tree!! go figure! oh well! haha!

but as the afternoon went on, we hadn’t caught anything yet.

but tirelessly, the boys (or rather the men) baited their hooks and the we cast it out again, and waited.

and waited

and waited.

i couldn’t help but think of Jesus that day, walking along the beach, speaking to the disciples and saying to them, that He would make them fishers of men. what an apt metaphor. you painfully make attempts to find the right bait – what is the right way to reach this particular person. and then you throw the line out and you wait and wait and wait. and more often than not, what comes back are seaweed, leaves, junk, and in my case, a line caught in the tree.

but then suddenly, there is a tugging, and you reel it in, and it’s a fish. no matter the size, the celebration is grand.

i don’t think i’ve been that patient or consistent in reaching out to people far away from God.

Father help me.

and the other thing that really struck me today was the kindness and hospitality of Ollie and Esther.

they opened their house and hearts to us. and there is really nothing like it.

they took us out for dinner. (great asian food!!) and then back to their place for desert. (she made puluk hitam, and curry puffs) and then we sat round the piano and worshipped as Ollie played and sang and led us in song.

and i kept thinking to myself – this is church. The kindness of people expressing the Love of God in very practical real , tangible ways, and the desire to bring glory to God in everything.

i am really grateful to have met them and have been so much blessed by their hospitality and kindness.

and i want to desire to do likewise to others.

my life was touched tonight – ironically – a little more than it had at church this morning.

the life

well it’s truly been a break here.

i’ve vacillated mostly between eating, sleeping, playing (games and piano) & hanging out with people.

but it’s been so cool to stay up and talk till the wee hours of the morning,

get up super late. (i got up at 12 yesterday!!! in the afternoon!! hoooo!)

go for walks and drives and such!

this morning, joshua made breakfast for me. i was quite duly impressed.

he took care of all of us at home, coz mom and dad had gone out!

met Homer, Viv, David and Lynn at Costco and then sent them off at the airport! it was really neat to get to hang with them a bit!

__________________

i’m wondering how church went today. it’s the first service of 2010!

twenty ten

so it’s arrived.

and with great pomp too!

standing at the balcony at Docklands, the new year was ushered in with a flurry of fireworks that went on for a good whole ten minutes – to the sounds of Beyonce and the Black Eyed Peas.

‘limnetto’ – the ice-cream place on the harbour. and the long line to quench the thirst from the initial heat.

around 9 pm, the cool air comes in and together with it comes this layer of dark clouds.

the amazing night dance of the clouds as the heavens prepare for the new year.

the night of fireworks at midnight

thanks homer for these great shots.

my life would not be where it is today, if not for the generosity and help and support and encouragement and friendship and opportunity of so many!

and so i want to say thank you.

and as we start a new year, in a simple way, i want to offer my life afresh to God – to be of service to Him for whatever He wants of me.

the heat is on

it’s been day two in melbourne and apart from the evening that i arrived, the weather has gone hot on me. to be fair, however, i did pray and ask if it be possible that there be a nice breeze these 23 days, and yup true to form, there is. the only thing is that the air is hot, so the breeze is hot.

but that is not going to stop me.

i’ve really started to have a holiday.

been catching up on sleep. been getting up at 11 am!! but that could also be due to the time difference, and a little bit of a jet lag.

it’s been awesome to hang out with the tans again. the kids are really growing up – especially nicole. but it’s been neat to just hang and talk and stuff. the first night we stayed up till 4 am!

david and lynn are here too. so was nice to see them yesterday.

tonight’s the NYE party at the Tan’s house! and there’s fireworks!! nice!

had my Nandos for lunch today! nice!

going to go practice piano! and you won’t believe it. there was this one jazz book i was thinking of bringing from singapore. but it was kinda thick so i didn’t. and one of homer’s friends heard that he had a piano and that he liked jazz so he got it for him. so it sits on the piano right now! how cool is that! so yup i’m taking that as a sign, and i’m going to do my best to practice! haha!