The Godfather

No no, I'm not dead. No, I haven't collapsed on the bedroom floor from an MSN overdose.

I was simply, out.

I went to my auntie's house on Saturday to visit my cousin returning back from Brisbane, Australia who was on his way to Dubai, Abu Dhabi. It has been a while since I last saw him. So to see him with his little son again was good. On top of which, he was able to tell me things about the 'universities' of Australia because he was a lecturer in Brisbane. I was there for lunch and had to run off soon after for music practice at church.

I was placed on the drums for this sunday, and I have to admit, it was much more 'demanding' this time round. No doubt, the music standard is much higher here as they try to imitate as closely as possible the way the artists of the songs play the song. This was good cause it meant good organised music where all can enjoy. And of course, being the drummer, everything I play is crucial. So when we started on the first few songs, which I have not heard before might I add, I had to be 'shown' what to do. Naturally, I picked it up in a few goes and was able to play it somewhat flawlessly. hehe, it was fun. The only thing I'm worried about is how the sound from the drums 'reflect' back because there is a 'shield' that surrounds the drums and so this makes my eardrums go crazy. Also, the people on the other side of the shield said that the volume was significantly softer, which meant I had to play louder. Ultimately, my ears were ringing everytime I walked out of that booth.

However, the music was awesome and the worship was awesome. Last night (sunday night/new year's eve), they had a watch night service and I was asked to play the drums again. At the end of the worship, the songs sang were unrehearsed so we played by ear. Despite how most of the songs were really 'intensed' as I had to blast the drums resulting in my ears to ring soon after, it was a very memorable night. As a new visitor mentioned to me after the service, "It's the best way to end the night and the year." No doubt it was.

So basically, my weekend was filled with church stuff which turned out to be quite enjoyable. At least it brought me out of the house.

I just returned from watching an English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Bolton Wanders downstairs at the local coffee shop, and as I was watching, I noticed that there was a couple with a little kid. The kid was probably 2-3 years old. The family of 3 were seated just a few metres away from me, behind the plasma screen which was suspended on a pillar, so I managed to catch glimpses of their activity as I watched my soccer match. What caught my attention was how both parents were smoking as their little toddler roamed around the horribly smokey environment. I really have a lot of sympathy for the happy child. Sadly, I doubt there would be much of a chance for the toddler to live a healthy life. I'm pretty sure that the parents smoke at home every single day which will inevitably damage the kid's lungs one way or another.

And if that wasn't bad enough, I dunno who they were, but friends or relatives of the family soon came trampling along and soon I noticed that they too were smokers. They were all smoking around the little kid, but that wasn't the worse part. The relatives were all very harsh on the kid. In those few minutes that I was there, I noticed that the kid was bombarded with painful slaps, shoutings, and of course, the unscapable smoke. I took quick looks at the kid to notice that he was simply happy and joyful as most kids are. He did nothing wrong and yet, he was bombarded with so many negative elements.

This really makes me reflect on the grateful upbringing that I have. I think our parents or guardians are what really shapes us as we approach teenage-hood. Generally, teenagers are shaped into who they appear to be through the influences of their environment. If a child was brought up in a loving, caring environment, where they are felt to realise that it is 'ok' to be who you are, they will usually turn out to be more confident and assured that they are safe, and loved. And of course, if a child is brought up in a natural selection environment, on the outside they will appear tough and hard, as they resist affection cause they know they might get hurt if they 'open up'. blah blah blah, i'm sure most of you know that. lol, I hope I'm not starting to sound like Dr Phil.

So how does this relate to that adorable kid and me? Well, I have much sympathy for that youngster and also for the many of you who are reading this and understand what the kid is going through. I can't help but feel sorry for anyone who is in this situation so I'm very glad that God has placed me in an environment where there is love. Praise the Lord!