Night out with the boys, and the Dark Franchise


Joker (comics)
Joker (comics) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I joined a bunch of guys for dinner on Friday night. It was at a Korean BBG joint in South Yarra. The food was good and the company was very good although it was mainly engineers and builders and it is the sort of company I have not had for a while. Property development is always a big thing in Malaysia so back then I mingled with engineers and builders a fair bit. Now however this sort of company is a rare treat. There’s an engineer in the cell group I attend but by and large my current circle comprise more the finance, accounting and business types.

………………………

The big story over the weekend was the massacre by the deranged postgraduate student in Denver Colorado. Other than the usual curious issue of why ordinary citizens in US need or want such high powered weapons, the continuing dark theme of the Batman franchise haunts even more. The shadow cast by the suicide of Heath Ledger who played the Joker, continues to loom large and now this James Holmes insanity, which is again tied to the Dark Knight series of this franchise. It is eerie. I don’t know if anyone can watch this movie without once looking over the shoulders or at the doors, to see if anyone in a gas mask and bullet proof vest walks through with guns hanging off this body.

 

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Tang’s, TT and Shalom


Tress and I met with TT and Maudrene last night and enjoyed a meal together. We mentioned to them the owner goes to a church they used to work in and it turned out they did know the owner reasonably well.

We always liked Tang’s on Middleborough Road, on the same row of shops where Simon’s Peking duck is. It’s a quiet and homely place with good home cooking type of food. TT and Maudrene’s acquaintance with the owner (Min) earned us dessert on the house last night so it was a great way to end the meal.

TT is a wise old man. He is old however, only in a full head of white hair. In all other respects he remains youthful. His fervour and commitment belies his seniority and health. So perhaps he is a youthful wise man. What many will readily agree is his wisdom, I guess.

So when he counsels leaders of my local church to cease fighting amongst each other it is counsel best heeded. I just wonder however, if there really is infighting. Maybe there has been. Maybe there has been no peace, in the shalom sense. Absence of conflict does not equate to peace, if peace is to mean shalom. I have chosen to walk away from a group which I had thought weren’t interested in engaging and deliberating matters on an ongoing basis for the best outcome for the church. If that is not the desired way to run this church, so it is best I be the one to exit. That is all. If my acknowledgment and affirmation is deemed insincere and selectively wielded, there can only be an absence of conflict – that is the only form of peace possible. Not Shalom.

Work, live and … live


I took the day off yesterday to bid farewell to Karina. Tress and I, like many, shed tears. We will miss Karina. We will miss her presence – that overwhelmingly encouraging presence.

Later that afternoon Kiddo followed me to test drive the XC60. It was a very good car. I’m not sure about going ahead however so will leave it be for now.

Later on we headed for Tullamarine and Kiddo took off back to Canberra. We called later that night and all seems to be fine. Semester 2 starts Monday and today, we spoke on the phone about her new timetable. She is still sorting things through.

Tonight Tress and I will meet an old friend for dinner. Tomorrow night I’ll meet some new friends for dinner.

Somehow God has put people in our lives to fill the void that Kiddo’s second semester has brought. I’m looking forward to the weekend. Yesterday’s absence from work had meant 2 busy days – on Tuesday as well as today. A midweek break sounded good initially but there’s always payback. In fact the whole outlook appears to be a busy one. I don’t mind that actually.

Work will be good, before we become the one others bid farewell to. Our voids will be filled, life will go on. We will (hopefully) be missed for a little while and then we are only remembered sporadically, if at all. Work is good, for now. Maybe I’ll go get that XC60 after all.

Lunchroom Views


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Fantastic view of iconic venues of Melbourne from the staff lunch room. MCG on the right and St Patrick cathedral on the left.

Farewell Karina


We had just finished dinner last Friday, and was settling down at home for some coffee when we heard the news. Karina Wong, an erstwhile pocket dynamite of a lady with a perpetual flame of passion for our Lord, had passed on. The rest of the evening was sombre and it took us a little while to come to terms with the news.

The next day after lunch Tress and I went to see Jimmy her husband at their home. The children were there too. Jimmy looked tired and very sad.

Karina had been in a wheel chair for the last few years, after coming down with an MS like condition which also involved a partially degenerative brain. She lost mobility and in recent months, had also lost her speech and her vision was almost non-existent. Yet through it all she had a passion for God like no one I know. Through it all Jimmy was always by her side, attending to her every need.

On Saturday night at a dinner in Jason’s home, we all remembered her. We shared our fondest and most distinct memory of her and the impact she had on our lives. It would be a dinner I will remember for a very long time.

On Sunday in church we specifically remembered her again and many – men and women – cried unreservedly. She was someone you wanted to hug and greet for the love she has shown – to you and all around her.

Tomorrow we’ll bid her farewell. How we will all miss her. Goodbye Karina. See you again on God’s celestial shore.

 

Beer O’Clock


The weekend’s here again – well shortly. It has been a busy week. Yet it has been sort of fun. My routine now is to be up by 5.30, catch the 6.00 train and get to the gym by 6.30. I’ll be at my desk shortly after 8 and start my workday with a packet of Uncle Toby’s oats.

Just after 10 I’ll go get a coffee with my team members. There’s a shop about 5 minutes stroll away with fantastic coffee. 65 Degrees is a shop on Exhibition Street, between Little Lonsdale and La Trobe. There’s usually a bit of a queue there so the round trip to get that much needed and wonderful coffee usually takes around 20minutes. Back at work 10.30 then lunch at 1pm – a 15min cheap and nasty thing if it’s something from home – eaten while still sort of working. Sometimes I take a quick walk for a block or two after that. After all that it’s a slog on to just after 5. I then start to plan for the next day, make notes of unfinished tasks for the day and think about what I needed to pick up on the way home (if any) for dinner or any other reason.

On a day like today, it gets a bit hectic – the pace hasn’t let up all day. There were 4 or 5 matters being juggled – meetings, emails, phone calls, drafting etc such that before you knew it, it’s edging close to 5. Suddenly it feels like beer o’clock (a Friday version) and that is when I downed tools, start to pack up and see if there’s a group in the office I can steal a drink from… I need one…

Ongoing smolder


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Having just read John Howard’s account of September 11, when he was in Washington, I walked toward my office building this morning and wondered…

Let’s do the walk


English: A chronically homeless individual inh...
English: A chronically homeless individual inhabiting a bus shelter in Porter Square (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I took a walk during lunch today, and went for a couple of blocks towards the QV building and wandered around inside. It was just to get away from the office for a bit. I like doing that particularly in winter. After a whole morning sitting down at my desk or in meeting rooms, a walk for just a couple of blocks always feels good. Somehow the cold invigorates me. Thankfully lunch wasn’t heavy – a roll with one of those pre-packed Campbell’s soup –the arvo was a lot less slow going as a result. The walk sort of just refreshed things a bit for the onslaught of a busy arvo.

I walked past a couple of homeless people, just sitting in recesses of building facades along the laneways. TT Quah’s sermon last Sunday came to mind but I didn’t know what to do. Give them money? Is that what they really want? Maybe. Maybe there is something else they wanted, or needed. I think if I was homeless and alone, I’d want more than just money. Presumably I will have money through the welfare system, and there will be soup kitchens I can go to for a feed. What would really make a difference perhaps is just warmth. Not necessarily physical warmth although I am sure that would be welcomed too.

I would want the warmth of family and friends, of people I can turn to regardless of whether I am happy or sad. The warmth that doubles a joy and halves my sadness. The warmth that makes my less than perfect clothes, hygiene or health something less of a worry. The warmth that enables me to brush aside a rude and accusing look from a passer-by. The warmth that tells me I am well enough to deal with the knocks of life.

Maybe hope too, would be great. Hope that life can be more than the park benches, the laneways and the shopping trolleys. Hope that each day can see some meaningful task performed other than looking for the perfect spot to shield the cold winds at night. Hope that there can be relationships that bring warmth. Hope that one day, there can be love again. 

I walked past the homeless persons and wondered if warmth, hope, love and such other “things” I can say to them God will provide. I wonder if they knew God once and whether the same was promised them. Maybe I’ll ask them. I need to take those walks more.

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For Another Ring Was Made…


Kiddo and I sat down and sat through the FOTR last night. We reminded ourselves what a great movie it is.

As we witnessed for the umpteenth time the slaying of Boromir by the Urukhai’s at Amon Hen by the river Anduin, the enormity of the task confronting our little heroes (Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gangee) was as fresh as when we watched it for the first time.

The grimness had descended at Moria as soon as Balroq fell off the bridge of Khazaddum and dragged Gandalf with it. We were watching the extended blue ray version so it included scenes of Gandalf doing the metaphoric descend with Balroq.

Up on the remains of Khazaddum, the Fellowship was broken and was hanging by a thread. Urged on by a focused Aragon, they had pushed on, only to be attached at Amon Hen which saw Boromir shot by Lutz’s extra thick arrows.

FOTR ended with Frodo and Sam proceeding towards Mordor on tCheir own, while Aragon, Legolas and Gimli went on pursuit of Pippin and Merry, who had been captured by the Urukhai’s who thought they were the half-lings Saruman wanted.

We were again enthralled and it didn’t take a lot of persuading to put on The Two Towers straight away after that, although we only watched about 15 minutes of it. As much as I enjoyed the pilgrim with Kiddo, there was work the next day. Sort of my Shire.

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