Posts Tagged ‘Review’
Year in Review 2008
This year I’ve grown taller.
It’s mainly as a result of wearing shoes to work. When I take them off I am my normal height, and my normal self. In 2008 I chose to start a career, and it’s been a year of learning, phone calls, research and writing, business meetings, commuting.
This year I spent 20,000 km in traffic. And about 500 hours listening to equal parts stilted conversation, heartfelt fellowship, irate talkback, devotional nudgings, head-banging tracks.
This year I left New Zealand. But then I came back. The trans-Tasman travel I’ve done this year has been purely work-related. It’s almost like a cheap thrill – perhaps less cheap and more thrill – to fly on account of someone’s credit card. It’s almost like a free gift, grace.
This year my sister joined me in the amazing race. I’m still buzzing about it.
This year I started a countdown. Today it’s at 402. And when it counts down, there’s a cord of three waiting; my best friend will become my best friend with a different name.
She’s the love for a lifetime.
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This year was filled with new experiences. A new job. A new church. A renewal of my walk with God.
This year I ran my heart out. It was hard, but it was good. I made new friends, both online and offline. I kept old friends close, or at least tried to. Sometimes you have to accept that you’re thereabouts, but not in there.
I went tramping, and fell in love with New Zealand all over again.
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And now, for a Special Paperclip section!
Open with care: fragile! And thanks for the dinners and the everything.
As a reminder to how we’ve changed through the ‘ears:
LIST OF PREVIOUS Y/EAR IN REVIEWS
Dennis/Ethan 2005
Ethan Waters 2006/07
Ethan Waters 2007/08
Ethan Waters 2008
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Happy New Year everyone; thanks for reading and sharing life together!
Review: Ethan Waters, “A Demo By” EP
Ethan Waters: A Demo By EP
100% acoustic songs and the continuation of a nostalgic search-for-love narrative. A-. (Update 20/11: The fact that it’s still a repeated feature on my music playlist means I must give credit where credit is due!)
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John Lennon once said that “everything is clearer when you’re in love”, and Ethan Waters heartily affirms this in his latest EP, A Demo By.
The Auckland University graduate film student – also known as Dennis Liu in the daylight hours – made a last-minute change to an album that initially promised a graduation into the daring pop music world. A Demo By now offers five brand-new tracks: a reprise of his tried-and-true acoustic sound that’s at times familiar, but earnest and genuine all the same.
As the natural sequel of his debut EP, Crushes and Waves, this EP picks up right from where the last one ended (even carrying over some of his previous melodies). At first you wonder how much more about life and love Waters can expand on – but Waters reassures us right from The Reminder that he’s got more to sing about.
Waters presents the kind of love songs that you’d play to your significant other on a guitar, accompanied by the picnic basket and blanket overlooking scenic innocence. He’s on the verge of asking her out in Vacancy, sincerely asking “if there’s a vacancy in your heart”. And there’s Tailoring Me, a secular psalm that’s an odd juxtaposition between platonic and romantic love, the lyrics swathed with wistfulness akin to John Mayer’s Daughters.
Waters is a touch more forthcoming with his influences in this EP: All Your Different Names is tender, earnest and half Glen Hansard elegy, half David Tao ballad (without the vagaries of Mandarin lyrics). His choruses are as always full of gentle hooks, whether it’s declaring that “I’m not ready for you to relax…”, or serenading to “Constance, you’re just Constance”. There’s even the pleasant surprise of some beautiful violin-playing that introduces listeners to his classically-trained side.
Admittedly, A Demo By still has a reliance on lyric-writing that’s closer to scattered short-story prose. The words can at times drift perilously those to Evermore-style existentialism (e.g. “Floating in a ‘blind me’ kind of way | across the universal skies”). And the closing track Maybe You’ll Sing gives a less conclusive ending than in his previous EPs. Yet there’s no doubting that this is an album that’s been diligently crafted: it’s wonderfully and fearfully made in a way that captures the nostalgia of dreamy college years.
If you were anticipating from Waters a metamorphosis into a pop star, then stifle your disappointment and take some bated breaths. Waters has promised fans digital single releases for the future – in his own words, “you’re a reminder that I should never stop writing.”
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Contact the artist: waters dot ethan (at) gmail dot com
For music videos and more visit: www.ethanwaters.com; www.myspace.com/ethanwaters
Disclosure: Dennis Liu is a close friend; there are no financial relationships to declare.
Contact the author: lemmingz@gmail.com
Church Review: St Columba Presbyterian Church, Botany Downs
Website: http://www.stcolumba.org.nz; Ph: (09)274-4864; 480 Ti Rakau Drive, Botany Downs, Auckland; Senior Minister: Andrew Norton; Speaker: Simon McLeay; Sermon topic: “[Re]visioning”, Part 3 of “[re]mix”; 25.5.08, 8.30am.
Rating: AA
(A=return worshipper, AA=excellent and growing; AAA=must be my home church lol)
You’ll like this church if you: seek to serve in strong “love your neighbour” ministries, believe in “the priesthood of all believers”, have a family with differing views on worship to cater for, want a modern, relevant church with the backing of Biblical soundness and Presbyterian support
You won’t like this church if you: don’t agree with splitting the congregation based on worship preference, aren’t comfortable highly organised leadership hierarchies setting church direction, disagree with the finer points of Presbyterian theology/tradition, don’t like altar calls as a way to expand the church.
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One of the reasons many non-Christians give when they feel uncompelled to “do church” is this: “there’s too many denominations, and we Christians aren’t able to agree between ourselves.” Many people point out that every suburban centre have over a dozen churches claiming to be the one true vine, some big, some small – yet what exactly do these churches disagree upon?
With this in mind we visited St. Columba Presbyterian Church to step into another denomination, wondering how different things really are.
Worship: We chose to try an early 8.30 service for a change, and walked into a half-full auditorium where we were pretty much the only worshippers under 50, bar a gaggle of youth groupers doing a weekend-long 40-Hour Famine event at church who joined the service briefly for the singing. Traditional Presbyterian worship ran along the lines of respectable organ-led hymns such as “Crown Him Lord of All”, Frances Havergal’s “Who is on the Lord’s Side?”, “Be Thou My Vision”, and the quintessential hymn of English nationalism, “I Vow to Thee My Country”.
It was exciting to sing some time-honoured phrases and praises, though without modern music you could see the reasons behind the selective age-representation at the service. Talking with a churchgoer after the service revealed that the 10.30 services are pretty much in the contemporary vein: nationally, Presbyterian worship can range from gospel choirs to café worship, as noted on the national church website. It’s nice to see a church structure that’s embracing various ways of worshipping God to stay relevant.
Speaker: We had the pleasure of listening to Rev Simon McLeay share part 3 in a series on restoration, derived from the book of Nehemiah. The preaching was topical and very much a 1st speaker presentation: assured and prepared. McLeay shared about the prophet Nehemiah urging the Jewish people to rebuild their wall, and not to be accustomed to living defeated – he drew in some real-world analogies such as his son’s soccer game, the “bold vision” of the US moon missions culminating in Neil Armstrong’s man-on-the-moon success, and some of the social struggles of modern-day society such as father role-modelling and maintaining a cohesive family unit. McLeay’s approach was to encourage, rather than shame the congregation into seeking out the new changeleaders and Nehemiahs: a very inspiring and uplifting view of purpose-driven living. The sermon notes added an extra dimension to McLeay’s teaching, and I was able to take away something of practical value rather than merely a collection of verse quotes. He challenged the congregation to draw insight, and more importantly take action from God’s word.
Church history: The Presbyterian church began as a reformed branch of the Protestant movement, evolving primarily in Scotland, before being first introduced to New Zealand through the settlement of Otago and Southland. St Columba itself has quickly grown from its early beginnings as a Panmure house church to a regional hub for the Presbyterian denomination. Despite being named after a 6th century virgin martyr from Cornwall, this church isn’t bogged down by trappings of tradition: its Presbyterian heritage is more evident in its leadership structure, with the church part of the PCANZ. The denomination’s name comes from the Greek word presbuteros, which means elder.
Other faculties: This is a service-focused church: bible studies, fundraising projects, a wide range of age-appropriate youth groups, and so on. I was a little disappointed to read that partaking in communion was relegated to a between-services time, given the primacy of this ordinance in the Bible – though perhaps a drop-in service may work better in a cross-service context.
Visitor treatment: Despite standing out immensely among the Grey-Power demographic, we weren’t approached after the service in any way, shape or form, and there was no meet and greet time that’s common in other church services. We were able to chat with one of the youth leaders briefly before we left to enjoy the Sunday morning air.
Conclusion: Throw out your “stiff-neck Presbyterian” stereotypes: this is a relevant congregation that’s revisioned its outreach and Christ-centred purpose for the 21st century.
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(Disclosures: None.)
Next week: East City Wesleyan @ Burswood.
(This review may not be representative of all of the church’s ministries, or their overall teaching. Opinions expressed in this review are that of the author, and may not wholly reflect all aspects of the church or its national body: nevertheless, comments have been humbly made in both truth and love as much as possible. Please contact the church for more detailed enquiries about their services.)
Church review: Elim Christian Centre (East)
Website: http://www.ecc.elim.org.nz; Ph: (09)534-5142; 159 Botany Rd, Howick, Auckland; Pastor: Luke Brough; Speaker: David Peters; Sermon topic: ”The Father’s Love” part 1, 11am service, 18.5.08.
Rating: none given
(A=return worshipper, AA=excellent and growing, AAA=must be my home church lol)
You’ll like this church if you: enjoy contemporary music in worship, seek a well-tuned, vibrant atmosphere, believe in the continuation of spiritual gifts from the Holy Spirit, love the corporate fellowship across multiple Elim churches on Sundays
You won’t like this church if you: hold beliefs of cessationalism, prefer smaller congregational sizes, question topical and seeker-sensitive sermons, prefer Biblically-thorough messages.
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In all fairness, I didn’t expect to visit Elim (ECC) so soon – it was about 8th on my list of churches to see. In Christian circles, saying you’re from Elim will draw pretty strong debate. The strongest objectors treat Elim as a dirty word, dismissing their beliefs on spiritual gifts and their fixation on the Holy Spirit as deceptive, or even demonic; others are genuinely passionate about fully enjoying God’s exciting healing and gifts from the Holy Spirit, and zealously love their church.
The church has also been in the media spotlight after the recent canyoning tragedy that took 7 lives. The fact is though that doctrinal differences aside, they all accepted Christ as their saviour and have a place in heaven. And with all the swirls of right-wrongs cast aside, and from testimony of people who “just don’t know enough”, I decided to see what it was like for myself.
Worship: Due to a misunderstanding on start time, we bundled into a rapidly filling 500-seater auditorium a few minutes after 10, at which a 7-piece worship band and a 10-person chorus coordinated by worship director Boyd Ratnaraja was already getting things started and gathering up momentum with a couple of enriching Hillsong numbers. There’s no chance of hearing an organ hymn in here. I found the words a bit repetitive after repeating the chorus line for the 10th time, but you have to admire their slick sounds and immense enthusiasm for singing God’s praises (complete with synchronised swaying from the chorus group). I did recognise delirious?’s “Majesty“, which was sang with much fervour by the congregation – much oranty hands all around. An old school colleague Amos Ling delivered a beautiful improvisation on Amazing Grace in a refreshing piece.
Speaker: David Peters runs his own prophetic and teaching ministry, and also teaches at the Elim’s Ministry Training College alongside a busy schedule of preaching at plenty of other churches. Other than that he’s a stalwart of the Elim leadership team, and we managed to catch his first message back from a 5-week trip to the UK.
Taking notes on his 20-minute sermon (part 1 of 2) gave me the following: “We should rest in the Father’s love”, and not have a master-slave view of our relationship with God. Peters spent the rest of the time powerfully expounding on making “the Spirit real” and sharing his experiences of meeting people during his trip that were “digging a well in the supernatural”. He’s got the charisma and persuasion of a seasoned preacher, relating well to the audience. His oratory ranges from jokes on GPS navigational errors to thoughts on “not having all the answers”, and I appreciated how he humbled himself so.
Some concerns I did think of at the time were: sweeping generalisations of revival movements during the 20th century, an almost blasé view of sticking to his notes, and a period at the end where Peters said: “I’m going to pray for the impartation of the Father’s love”. I was a bit wary about this declaration that anyone can “impart” the Father’s love on another – perhaps it’s hard to know what it actually means when you’re only given Bible quotes about the Father’s love (Eph 3:17b-19; Deut 33:12; Col 1:21b-22) that don’t mention any sort of impartation. Nevertheless Peters was faithful to his message and effective in delivering new truths to an appreciative audience.
As a note: their statement of faith is pretty clear on a separate baptism of the Holy Spirit, with associated things like tongues, being slain in the spirit, prophecy and visions. These things do “freak people out” who haven’t seen it before, a friend shared. He added that this sort of thing shows up more during more “revival”-focused services, and particularly when special guests such as Steve Foss come and do their thing (“You see like, half the church fall over and everything…”).
Church History: Elim is a Pentecostal church, and proud of it. The “Elim” term comes from the first Elim Pentecostal Church founded in 1915, strongly influenced by the Welsh revival. In 1949 the Pentecostal Church of NZ linked up with the rapidly-growing Elim Church of Great Britain – ECC’s site in East Auckland is the flagship church of a NZ-wide outreach that now extends to 50 churches. Sunday teaching is meant to focus on what they term “practical life-related teaching from the Bible”.
Other faculties: Ads at church? Well yes – announcements of upcoming conferences and groups come in the form of video presentations between worship time and the message. Looking through the Elim information pack reveals a host of ministries and outreach groups, ranging from children, business groups, dynamic youth movements and so on. Elim runs a well-stocked Christian bookstore, and a Ministry Training College. Mid-week Connect groups are what ECC uses to foster closer study and fellowship together.
Visitor treatment: Crunchie bars. Yes, the chocolate favours are back in force, for anyone with special occasions and newcomers to the church. You raise your hand to indicate you’re visiting and you get a glossy info-pack with a monthly newsletter, feedback form and programme details (and the pheromonic treat). You can pick up sermon notes at the door from the hand-shaking greeters, but it’s probably easy to get lost in the crowd after the service.
Conclusion: Refreshing, energised and growing, though vague life-story messages didn’t work as well for me. Bring your Bibles with you to make sure everything checks out.
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(Disclosures: 3 friends are existing worshippers.)
(This review may not be representative of all of the church’s ministries, or their overall teaching. Opinions expressed in this review are that of the author, and may not wholly reflect all aspects of the church or its national body: nevertheless, comments have been humbly made in both truth and love as much as possible. Please contact the church for more detailed enquiries about their services.)
Church review: Howick Baptist Church
Website: http://www.howickbaptist.org.nz/; Ph: (09)534-5142; Cnr Piction St & Wellington St, Howick, Auckland; Senior Pastor: Peter Somervell; Sermon topic: ”Leading with Love” (1 Cor 4:14-21), from Adventures in 1 Corinthians series. Communion service, 11.5.08.
Rating: AA
(A=return worshipper, AA=excellent and growing, AAA=must be my home church lol)
You’ll like this church if you: appreciate/can handle expositional preaching, have family service requirements, prefer an exegetical approach to doctrine/Bible reading, enjoy mix of traditional and modern hymns.
You won’t like this church if you: need to worship and pray with professional musical backing, prefer wholly-topical insights to sermons, are seeking a Spirit-led experience.
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As part of our church jaunt/visiting tour/period, we (Cheryl, Kim and I) decided to attend a local (defined as in the area, not as the Lord’s recovery) service at Howick Baptist Church. After returning a camping pillow in the carpark to a friend I knew, we were given warm welcomes from greeters at the door. Being Mother’s Day, there were hand-made bookmarks being given out at the door to any woman that looked old enough to be a mother. We sat in the middle of the wooden pews, and noted large banners declaring God as creator of all things (Rev 4:11) – definitely not a church shy about who they are (I say this in light of the various churches and groups that remove the term “Church” or “Christian” from their names).
Worship: I appreciated the thought that the worship leader (Calvyn Jonker, assistant pastor) had for mothers as per the occasion, as well as his earnestness to pray for and encourage the 200-odd congregation. The careful thought put into song choice also bears mentioning, with a mix of modern songs like “How Great is Our God” thrown together with faithful hymns like “Blessed Redeemer”. Largely negating the “worship wars” that’s fractured a great many congregations and caused some tension at the very least, it’s reassuring to know that you can focus on worshipping God with a broad spectrum of respectful lyrics and music (HBC gets it in that order, which is another plus). Adding in Scripture-reading and a solemn, almost guarded Communion service, it was a very respectful experience.
Speaker: While chatting with a lady named Kathy after the service, she told us that one of the strong points of HBC was its preaching – strongly grounded in the Bible. Like other expositional preachers (going through a book of the Bible verse by verse), senior pastor Peter Somervell methodically moves through the Bible (in this case, the 1st letter to the Corinthian church) with clinical exegesis and thoughtful insights at each verse (adding a few useful Greek definitions to augment). Rather than a dry seminary-style overview, Somervell is astute in tying each verse to a key word, and insightful in applying each to the congregation. In this case, chapters 4 verses 14 to 21 came under the points of Admonishing, Mentoring, Modelling, Teaching and Correction/Discipline. Plenty of notes to take and reference to other Bible passages, and his theme of spiritual leadership was explained to include elders, pastors, parents and older Christians. Particularly encouraging was his statement that “love for Jesus Christ should be the driving motivator for all of his points.” Definitely strong and (more importantly) relevant Bible-based teaching.
Church history: There’s not much of an overview on their website, but a friend shared that Somervell has been particularly good for the church, having moved up from Wanganui East Baptist Church after HBC had a tumultuous period without a fulltime pastor. HBC is part of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand, a collection of like-minded congregations that share some pastoral and NZ-wide resources and cooperate on outreach and ministry training efforts (more information on the Baptist movement in general can be found here.) – it’s notable though that the church also has strong links with the Reformed tradition, evidenced by their theological perspective as well as participation and cooperation with other Reformed churches in Auckland.
Other faculties: There’s a definite sense of close community at HBC, with groups and services catering for all ages (birth-college age), family news, giving and going opportunites all listed in the church flyer. Strong involvement/association with the Baptist Union of New Zealand, as well as Creation Ministries International.
Visitor treatment: A discreet card can be found in the back of each pew, where you can fill out details and drop it into the offering bags. Chatted with one lady, and three people which we knew (2 fellow visitors), all amiable and very friendly discussions.
Conclusion: A very God-focused, Biblically sound church with evident spiritual growth and maturity.
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(Disclosures: 1 friend is an existing worshipper. EDIT 25/7/08: Howick Baptist Church is currently our home church.)
Next week: Elim Christian Centre (East), Evangelical Formosan Church of NZ.
(This review may not be representative of all of the church’s ministries, or their overall teaching. Opinions expressed in this review are that of the author, and may not wholly reflect all aspects of the church or its national body: nevertheless, comments have been humbly made in both truth and love as much as possible. Please contact the church for more detailed enquiries about their services.)
Review: Ethan Waters, “Crushes and Waves EP”
Ethan Waters: Crushes and Waves EP
A college pop audio film about fleeting short distance relationships. B+.
Up and coming singer-songwriter Ethan Waters, who also goes by the pseudonym of Dennis Liu, is onto something. His first EP, Crushes and Waves is a self-described concept album in true singer-songwriter vein providing a well-rounded mélange of college pop.
Centred on the ubiquitous “that girl” narrative, Waters (currently an Honours film student at Auckland Uni) sings earnestly. He dubs and redubs subtle-yet-significant layers of thoughtful guitar-based instrumentation through the songs. He plays it safe with pleasing acoustic riffs and a rather conservative range of keys, accompanied with smart lyrics that draw on frequent music and film references. His voice is mellow and the music is all him, down to the almost toy-like drum loops. But don’t be surprised to hear clarinets and strings mixed with victorious brass buildups when he sings about spaceships.
Crushes and Waves is an admirable achievement that explores love. He asks, “What do we have to lose anyway?” in Untitled, a mix of Bloc Party rhythm and Jay Chou-style sensitivity. He talks about what’s missing in life in Before we wake, in true never-been-jilted fashion. This is very much a collection of tracks with an underlying, infectious enthusiasm – One Day stands out with its optimism and fairground-fun beats.
Waters doesn’t shy from the soulful or the reflective however – with Where to go’s nostalgic echo drums underpinning heartfelt lyrics, he asks “Am I close to the place that everyone calls love?” The EP’s arc draws a journey of budding love, from the first “Let’s do this before we wake…” to the last “…you were part of every doubt” – almost a tear-jerking moment as the CD spins down.
Yes, there are concerns – Heart on my sleeve could have broken ranks from its Green Day-Time of my Life guitar strums and step towards a new and daring youth anthem (in the “Oo wo-oh, oo wo-oh”). There’s voice-range issues, just a bit too much of recitative-like lyrics in One of those girls, and some awkwardly sung meter (like when the girl has “absolutely no acting chops”). But maybe Waters’s bold musical enjambments are just what we need in among today’s recycle-pop and hollow top 40 tracks. And if his upcoming music and film works are any indication, this guy’s just getting started.
One Day Music Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbvw0q6h-1U
Website – http://www.ethanwaters.com/
Artist contact – waters dot ethan at gmail dot com
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This review was published in Issue #3 of Craccum magazine on 17 March 2008.
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Review: Atonement
Director: Joe Wright. Producer: Tim Bevan. With James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, Ailidh Mackay, Keira Knightley.
Based on a 2001 novel by Ian McEwen, Atonement is very much a film about the power of the written word, allied with the impact of some beautifully presented cinematography.
Set in London in 1935, aspiring 13-year old writer Briony Tallis, through a series of misleading events, makes a decision that separates her sister Cecilia from her lover, named Robbie. The film then transitions into a moving war drama a la Saving Private Ryan, as the story follows Robbie’s conscription into the army. Retreating to the beaches in France and awaiting evacuation, we see some tough and realistic scenes of British soldiers involved in the famous Dunkirk evacuation. Cecilia and Briony end up working as hospital nurses for different reasons: Briony in particular seeks atonement for her childhood mistake that ultimately resulted in tragedy.
The most fascinating part of this movie would have been the wittiness of the film – the opening half-hour is a collection of mis-interpretations, half-truths and a near-sitcom like narrative (albeit set in pre-war England). The acting is impeccable, and Briony especially shines so much that one can almost see her fanciful imagination running riot in the story. The various changes of tone from whodunnit to war drama to psychological thriller seem intriguing, but the pay-off is that much sweeter once you realise their purpose.
The cinematography is masterfully crafted – one scene in particular sweeping across the war-torn beach in France tied around Robbie’s search for water, and showed various aspects of living conditions before the evacuation all in one take. This was shot beautifully and was my favourite scene. Another creative plot line showed Briony playing the fiction game in going along with a wounded Frenchman’s dying testimony – subtle plot details emerge and you realise his banter about having met her in France stems from a brain injury, and their conversation is (once again) a work of fiction.
The question the film poses tests the very nature of fiction – what is its purpose? Can a writer, in his or her mind, really change the past?
Anyways. Very clever, A.
Review: Spice I am, Sydney
Website: http://www.spiceiam.com; Ph: 92800928; 90 Wentworth Ave, Sydney 2010; lunch from $7.90, mains $14-26.
Rating: A
(A=return customer, AA=worth every cent, AAA=someone else must have paid for it)
Taking my now-usual route home from work, I chanced upon a small, well-presented restaurant – no fancy tables, plastic chairs packed in front of a small but bustling kitchen. Staff run between tables and clear them fast for the queue of patrons waiting outside patiently for a place. Apparently the foodies share this sense of regard, the LA Times rating it “one of the best 10 restaurants in Sydney”; the Morning Herald naming it “Sydney’s best Thai food – don’t go unless you expect the real thing, chillies and all”.
As most of you are well aware, I’m not a chilli aficionado – their dishes included basil pad kra prao (stir-fried with chilli, vegetables and Thai holy basil), their famed crispy pork belly (either in a pad prik king or with chinese broccoli and oyster sauce), and even signature dishes such as hoy tod (pan fried mussels with bean sprout and crispy flour served with chilli sauce) and whole fish dishes with even more spice.
I was in a hurry so I tried the safe option of chicken praram (stir-fried chicken and steamed kangkong vegetables topped with satay sauce, $13.90). The food came presented in gourmet-style plating removed from its hawker-table feel. The speed of delivery was amazing too – highlighting the amount of customers that come through each service a la wagamama. The satay flavour was delicious, not too peanuty – and the portion was large enough to eat without rice. The staff were a bit touchy about photos, but all in all the place was bubbling with a lively atmosphere. Probably would need to have spent more time (and money) to affirm without doubt its reputation, but overall spice i am was impressive nonetheless.
Incidentally, a table next to me had patrons matching a marvellously-presented whole fish main with an Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc all the way from good old New Zealand. Good to see some solid proof our savs are exportable.
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Yarrr in Review
This year I’ve found many things.
I’ve found that living at home this year has really tested and challenged me. Who I am, who I want to be. Who are important to me.
I’ve found that people make time for others only if they really mean it, and there’s no sense in routine for the sake of it. I’ve found that if you seek to satisfy yourself, your friends won’t tell you about it but you will still see that you are left behind. I’ve discovered my love for music currently exists not as a passionless career but a careerless passion.
I like it that way – there is no expectation of fitting a marketable mould and castrating your sound for the sake of selling it. I write music when I can, and I enjoy it. I can record a tune that no one but myself enjoys, and that is my prerogative. This year I’ve had more time to pursue other challenges in my music – ATCL, CCM, other acronyms that translate to metaphor and melody, a tapestry of love and care.
This year I chose to be more of a pragmatist. My dreams are not rock-star fashion, not even town hero. I want a house and a family, to lead and to serve. I tell myself my fantasies are frivolous, and that these are things worth working for, earning a salary for.
This year I learned Chinese. I may not remember my vocabulary, but I remember my heritage.
This year I enjoyed building up friends and family. This year I churned through house and life-work, trying to balance keeping a fractured family reasonably together yet holding firm to who I was and who I stood for. This was hard and sometimes I wished I had more strength and resolve to challenge those around me. But slow and steady wins the race, and when others fall by the wayside, perhaps you accept they alone chose that path. So this year I was sad to watch them go.
This year there was great fun in cooking. Gastronomic awareness is a life-long journey, and there are no limits save your wallet and appetite. I am happy to say that I can cook and I would have loved to have cooked my mother dinner.
If you read this, I would encourage you to make one meal. Just one. For your parents, your mother, your father, your step-parents, your bio-parents, your sister, brother. Try it. When you cook for someone else you think of who they are, what they would like. Do they like pepper? What about those tomatoes? You craft a personal serving of humility and servitude for another.
I would have love to have cooked her something today.
As others have pointed out, Jesus is the reason for the season. That’s my Christian plug.
This year I have grown to love the life ahead of me. I like my friends. My family. Writing and singing. Cooking and cleaning. Working, phasing between social circles. People love to be listened to. We all need each other.
This year I have lived.
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Uni in Review
So it’s a bit early to make any posts about the year in review, right? I mean, things are just starting to pick up. Holidays are starting, end of year is imminent. Life starts now! For me, on Tuesday I walked out my last undergrad exam with a distinct feeling of “don’t look back, let it go”. And from now on? The wide world awaits – new job, Albany-based, starting January 7th, new people to work with, and a new phase in life where money makes your mortgage go round.
Four years of Uni, and life went on through all that. Here’s a recap…
(DEEP VOICEOVER: Previously on …)
- I wanted to be a pop star. When you’re young and impressionable, you have crazy dreams. This was one of them.
Funnily enough, most recent Saturday it turns out one of our singers at NY called Selah Mahe came 9th in Season One. It turns out I didn’t envy her singing ability (high notes are for those than can do it well), and didn’t envy her gigging lifestyle either (singing 70′s and 80′s hits a la jukebox style. creative independence?). Either you make it as a pop artist or you don’t – leave out the manufactured mess in the middle.
- The Four of us. It was the close friend-group that you’d swear you’d hold on to for the rest of time. We were all striving for ambitious degrees: BA/BFA, BSc(CompSci), BMus/BSc, BA(Psych)/LLB. The latest from Paul is that he works full-time at Harvey Norman and lives for his weekends. The last time I saw him was at RB’s 21st. The latest from RB is that she works 6-7 days a week running a cafeteria at Whitford Golf Club. Alive? Yes. Well? Who knows.
- Music was easy, Sports science was a revelation. I still had laughs on Fridays at Andrew Fellowship. RB was formerly the Youth Fellowship leader who was headstrong and sure about walking with God. We all dreamed of bigger and better things, yet fractures in relationships grew.
- My mother passed away. I stopped being a child. My faith had never been more tested. Our family ceased to be nuclear, and grief-scarred, I saw my father, my brothers, sisters in different lights. You look around and see people take for granted their mothers, everyday.
- Old friends, new friends. Paperclip, Sportsci, NY, and soon in vivo. I achieved what I had set out to during my time at NY, and hopefully I’ll aim to do the same at in Vivo (my new workplace).
- My time at uni certainly shook things up and let me decide who I wanted to be – a dreamchaser, or a realist. I could be unemployed, let the government fund my chase after a fantasy of song-writing and soul-searching until I “make it”. Or I could fund it myself… it’s not to say that I don’t have dreams. I do. But they’re less wild, more picket-fence, less fame-fondling, more altruistic. I hope.
- I hope.
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