Re: The final installment

I'n not finished yet. But in anticipation of the book, Complainr sent me this fun video! I thought it's worth sharing if you are a Harry fan (my guess is 75% of you are).

Presenting "The Mysterious Ticking Noise."

A delightful break from academic readings about technosocial behaviors and such. On second thought, I wonder, if Harry Potter puppet videos on YouTube would make a good topic for a research paper... Hmm... There's gotta be a way...

A life map - of sorts

Alex never fails to get me thinkin':

"Have you ever mapped out your life? Just recently I was thinking about the Ideas that have stayed with me over the years. Some of these are from books, while others are from conversations. Though some ideas are difficult to separate from the experiences that carry them, these are not primarily experiences that have shaped me. That’s a different list. Nor is this a list of my favorite books. Another list. These are ideas that have stuck with me over time."

Heck. Why not?

1995 or 96. My former prof. Dr. R said, the aesthetic sense is most transcendent. More than the religious or moral sense, or others. This makes a lot of sense to me. Though as individuals we have different standards of taste, our sense of (and our pursuit of) the beautiful is most arresting, most uplifting, most heavenly.

Dr. R also taught me to dedicate time and energy to asking the right questions. Finding the answer, which is the worthiest cause to be sure, isn't going to matter much if we don't ask the right questions. Dare I say: he started a revolution in my head.

Urbana, IL, 1996. (And so here are some questions:) If Jesus wasn't the One and Only, why did he have to die? Wasn't there another way? How come no one told me this before? And he wants me to go to the world, on his behalf? This changed everything I thought I knew; this grounds everything I now know.

PK, my friend JK's brother, when talking about marriage and future spouse, was quoted as saying, "I'd like my wife to be... captivating."

1997-8 At SU. Attending weekly meetings of Campus Crusade. Ric and his apologetics dossier. Know the reason you believe and be prepared to give an answer to those who ask. Barriers (intellectual or otherwise) can and should be addressed; don't fear them.

Took TRF 345 at SU. Prof. T believed in teaching critical thinking skills using low-brow, pop culture. Why not use texts that students are already familiar with, like The Simpsons, Friends, and Baywatch? Wow. And it was, believe it or not, one of the toughest classes ever.

The thing must be loved before it is lovable. Love hinges on the lover, not the beloved. From GK Chesterton's Orthodoxy. The revolution continues...

2001-2005. House on 6th St. Total unorthodox living with 3 other women. Building community by watching Alias and playing Settlers of Catan; throwing many different kinds of parties; letting people do laundry; no chores - ever; rotating rooms and "unfair" rent allocations; hosting small groups and guerilla filmmaking. Let's outserve one another. May everyone win.

2002/3, Los Angeles. StrengthsFinder. If only people know their strengths and play accordingly: we can all be happier AND we can all play together better! And yes, these are strengths! I'm not weird! I've been created this way for good reason.

"What you do as small group leaders is closer to Jesus' ministry here on earth than what I do," so said Erwin McManus, Lead Pastor, Christmas 2005.

Conversation about criteria:
Me: "#1: Someone I can serve with. I have fun serving with people. Fun is a must. #2: Speaking of fun, he should be someone I can hang out with, talk to, laugh with, etc. All the silly, daily stuff. I guess he should be a friend. #3: Someone who aspires to be like Jesus - and in doing so, inspires me. I need to admire him. In love-ness, after all, isn't going to last. #4... "
God: "Ehem, Fae, do you want to be the kind of woman who deserves this man?"
Me: "(embarrassed laughter) .... um,... yes..... ??? "
God: "Good. There ya go."
Me: "Ah, crap."

Places I've been

Brunswick St. on a rainy day















Prahran Station















Melbourne Central




















Victoria Park




















Richmond - for dinner at friends' house!

This is hard

My friend A wrote about a girl (or, at least on the onset it's a girl - but we should know by now it is always more than, right?). A and Girl had incredible connection - the kind you should want and do envy: "six-hour conversations that only end because it's getting late, not because we have nothing more to say." She is witty, beautiful, smart; but afraid of and hence refused to take the next step. My friend has a hard time with this. Not angry or shaken - just... confused. What are you up to, God? What does this look like? How should it look like? Why are you silent?

My friend B shared about some struggles and a possible major change, so naturally it is difficult but she says: "Trying to let God father me, which is weird and scary cos I've never grown up with that."

I've been reading and re-reading e-mails from these two good friends who are - not vastly but - quite different in their upbringing and personalities - and yet, they echo something that has been brewing in my own heart for a while. Which is such a comfort, really; not only to know that you are not alone in this, but also having the assurance that yes, no matter who you are, this is a hard thing!

This is about trusting God.

Why is it hard? Why is it hard for you? Or is it?

More later. Oh yes, so much more...

Waiting to discover

Some of my curiosities about Melbourne:

• Which newsletters/zines to look up for upcoming shows (music, that is) or non-mainstream movie showings?
• Where does one get good, affordable sushi?
• Where does one get great used CDs for $5 or less?
• Is there a KCRW-type of entity?
  
• What pulls people to and keeps them in the city? What dreams, what disappointments?
  
• What roles do we play in the Australian political, economical, social, artistic, spiritual scene(s)?
  
• What does God see?
• Where do I fit in?
  
• Should I get a bike?
• Should I get an umbrella or a poncho or a raincoat?

What are yours?

The cutest teacher

We were nearing the end of Casino Royale on TV - they, my hosts, hadn't seen it before; when from next to me on the couch, I heard:

Tim (8-yr-old): She's using him!
Tony (Dad): And he's using her!
Tim: What a couple.

Thanks Timmy for the laugh. And for telling me the rules of footy (though I felt like Marlin in Finding Nemo when Squirt tried to explain how to exit the EAC: "You're really cute but I can't understand what you're saying?!").

I'm looking forward to the next lesson though.

A DUH moment

I turned on the radio to an oldies station to serenade me while eating breakfast. The DJ came on to announce the playlist and I thought: hey, he has an accent. Oh wait. Of course he does. Duh!

It's winter here down under. I busted out my sweaters and jackets (some of them newly bought to update me to 2007) this morning to brace the weather outside: intermittent rain and wind, and 12 degrees (celsius!). People say this is the worst winter Melb has seen. But yesterday, my first day here, the sun was shining all day, as if to say, Hello, Don't worry, The sun comes out sometime, See?

When I first moved away to a 4 seasons locale, my mother said: "You'll like it. You'll feel really small in the midst of it. And you'll like it."

There's a time for rain and a time for sunshine.

And a time to get off my butt and go outside!

Adventure

I went to my grandparents' house earlier today to take my leave. They were hangin' out on the front porch entertaining a guest - well, mostly my grandma. My grandpa's health and mental capacity has been deteriorating the last year or two. He still recognizes me but is quite unable to carry a lengthy conversation. He smiles, says hi, kisses me, pats my arm or my knee, asks me questions and then repeats them a few minutes later.

Suji, my mother's helper/driver, went up to shake his hand and say hello. I teased my grandpa, "Do you know who this is?" He looked at S, then back at me, "Mom's driver." We all smiled and nodded. Suji pointed to me and said, "Tuan, who is this?"

Grandpa, still looking at Suji, pointed to me and said, "Petualang."

Adventurer.

Suji laughed, "Petualang! What a great word!" Indeed. It's not everyday language. It's poetic.
My grandma overheard and laughed. "He still remembered!"
"Remembered what?" I inquired.
"When you were really young, elementary school, the car broke down on our ride back to Jakarta, we had to take a trans-city bus at night. I remember this too, that you said: 'Grandpa, this is like an adventure!'"

Grandpa was smiling at me. I nodded. Yep. Thanks for the memory and the vote of confidence, Grandpa.

So off I go again.