Compass

It isn’t quite state of the union address but I thought I’d take stock anyway.

Tress and Kiddo

All 3 of us have been busy. Tress was particularly busy at work these past few days. She gets home about an hour and a half before me and gets a lot done in that time. Dinner is mostly her show now. Occasionally I cook a bit on Sundays and stock up in the freezer. She must still attend to the preparations – decide what to have, defrost, microwave, etc. A range of chores keep her busy, usually right up to 8 or 8.30. She will then curl up on the couch and drift to dreamland in no time.
Kiddo has been busy with schoolwork, as well as her music stuff – piano and guitar lessons as well as playing keyboard in the church worship team.
Both are generally well, although we all think we can use a family holiday. Our January trip to Sydney feels like it happened ages ago. It has been just over 4 months but whatever good that break did has been undone within a couple of weeks of our return and the weariness has accumulated.

Feel Forty Four?
Yes I do. I’d do a 50-minute 9+ km run and be knackered. I’d feel the tightness – in my bum, groin, knee and calf. I’d have to do no more than a trot the next day, usually a 5k brisk (but steep) walk. I still hit the gym at least 4 times a week, spending about an hour or 1:15 each time – usually 45-55 min cardio (run on the treadmill mainly) with some stretching and slight weight work to round things off.

My hairline recedes as though it is escaping a tsunami by running up the island. Up top, the foliage feels trampled and is rapidly thinning. There is very little white but I’d much prefer a thick white plumage than barren and thinned but jet black cover. I sleep ok, and all other functions appear to be running well. My appetite appears to be particularly flourishing and I continue to ensure that any thirst I have is well doused by the offerings of Aussie vineyards.

Nearer to Thee?

I guess. I continue to spend time reading the Bible and praying, mostly in the morning – very early in the morning. Apart from the nearly forgotten Sydney trip (way yonder in January), I haven’t missed church. The discourse with church members on theology continues and I guess until our church has a pastor, this “debate” will continue. I guess even if we have a pastor and that pastor is of the “pneumatic” rather than the “noetic” sort, we’d still have discussions and I’d still be animated but that is a by and by.

I am still struggling when it comes to the main event – that of fulfilling the Great Commission. I have thus far done next to nothing to share the gospel with people I know. It is worse than drawing blood – it just feels extremely difficult. If and when I fulfil that part of my dues, I will be much happier.

AIG

Remains ill, is recovering and will be better. Work continues to be busy and the sooner I get a break (say a week or even 2-3 days) the better I’ll cope. We should be moving office in Oct sometime, provided NY approves the lease (for next door, actually). In practical terms this doesn’t change anything for most people. St Kilda Road in South Melbourne is a very nice are to work in, but the big disadvantage is access. If you rely on public transport, tram is the only way to go and this old school carriage is very slow and can be jam packed, especially in the morning – inching towards what the mini buses in KL used to be.

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Quite apart from how things are with me personally and my family, my mind and feelings are often tied to what’s happening in Malaysia. To that end it has been a miserable period these past 2-3 months. To see Najib Razak – one so badly saddled with heavy baggage in the form of the Altantuya murder case and also in cases of very large scaled corruption – assume the helm of the nation’s leadership was sickening.

His ascendancy validates feudalism where patronage overrides rule of law. By his assumption of power, Malaysians see that as long as someone has power and connection, he can get away with anything. That may have been par for the course in day-to-day Malaysian life but must never be formally endorsed. Najib Razak’s becoming PM does that. Najib Razak has demonstrated no virtue throughout his political career. Increasingly he has demonstrated that he has no time for principles. If one can has serious inference of being involved in major criminal activities hanging over one’s head how can he ever be credible or respected?

This basic mistrust and non-credibility will always plaque the present administration. Malaysia will always pay the price of allowing a very bad person to become PM.