I feel sorry for an ex-colleague and friend, who is a Chelski supporter. He left Malaysia about a year or so ago, to live and work in London. He has been a supporter for years and the recent success brought about by the combination of Roman Dough and Jose Specialty has given him more reason to go on his misguided trail of watching the blues. Until this past weekend and this morning, they were close on United’s tail on the quest for the treble. It would be our second, and they have yet to get to a final of the ECL. They have to wait yet again, I’m afraid, as Rafa Benitez has, again, had the better of the “Special One” on the European scene. With the ECL journey ended and having fallen 5 points behind United on the home front after last weekend, the FA Cup looks like the only trophy they still harbour any chance of winning. Of course, United would have a say on that one too, but we have a more important battle on our hands, when we take on AC Milan tomorrow morning. The history books suggest we’re going to be disappointed but we have a team which is capable of creating its own, new, chapters in history. Recent form and momentum gives me hope.

I’m challenged in my work place. Thankfully, the form of my challenges is in the work, not the people. I’m sure I would come across people who would represent challenges, before too long, but for now, work it is. The intricacies of reinsurance treaties and actuarial pricing and the strategic front of distribution channels are the twin peaks of my Kosciusko now and much as I welcome these challenges to watching Oprah and MASH at home, I am terrified and chip away to tread each step with trepidation. Yet, having read another piece by CS Lewis recently, I try to take it all in stride and enjoy the work as much as I can. I take time off during lunch, write entries like this for my blog, and enjoy my evening tv sessions with the family at home. Speaking of which, those are proving shorter by the day and I hope they don’t get worse than last night. I got home at almost 8pm last night, having left the office around 7.20pm. That would have been totally acceptable, even great, had it been in KL, circa 10 years ago. But this is Melbourne 10 years later and as much as I enjoy the work now, I want to spend more time with my family. Hopefully this is as late as I would work, and not too often at that. My normal days (yesterday was a bit busy) end no later than 6.30pm, and I’d be home by 7.15pm, barring any gremlins’ interference with the Glen Waverley line.

 

I have been reading CS Lewis’ “Fern Seeds and Elephants”, which is a collection of talks he gave, mainly to university students. One of the topics was on the second coming. It was titled “The World’s Last Night” (or something like that). It made me think about what I have been doing, both for myself and for kiddo and Theresa. When I flipped to the front of the book, I noticed I had bought this book in December 1986. I was only 21 then. I first read this book 21 years ago. My age has doubled since then, and I’m still grappling with the issue of playing the part God has written for me. What is that part? Earlier in the book, another topic Lewis touched on was the role of individuals as opposed to the collective. The issue was which was Christianity’s focus? He suggested (I think) that an individual finds true meaning only when he allows God to take over and put him in that place reserved for him the collective body. So the role I play in this drama of life, is that which God has set aside for me. How do I discover that? Somewhere else in that book there was also a hint that this is to simply do what He has placed in front of us, faithfully and diligently. A bit like my favourite verse in Ecclesiastes 8:15, I guess.