A birthday, Jesus and Bubbles

Bubbles is my baby sister. By baby I mean 8 years old. We went to our church Christmas production tonight, and about halfway through the play/show, she tapped my arm and asked "So Jesus would have been born tomorrow, but a long, long time ago?". Adorable and shocking. My own sister didn't know the meaning of Christmas. My bad. So I told her - Yes. Then we continued to watch the show.


At the end, the pastor gave an opportunity or invitation for those who wanted to know Jesus - the Light in the Dark. I had just opened my eyes slightly to give Lyla a stern look for being rowdy, and I saw Bubbles raise her hand to accept the invitation.


Merry Christmas, Bubbles. You have chosen to accept a gift more amazing than any of the ones you will be unwrapping tomorrow. A gift of love, full of promises that are renewed every day. A gift that is endless and that you can in turn pass onto others, sharing and shining the Light.

Hurt

This is what I'm googling right now - "bible on dissapointment"

Two things can disappointment - people and circumstances.

Of the two, what hurts me more is disappointment by people.

Even worse is when people I care about are disappointment by people, especially the people they love the most. What a feeling of helplessness. I can't take the dissapointment and hurt off you. I'm so sorry.

Back to reading my Bible and praying. I pray for you and for me.

Festive Season

As each year goes by I feel less and less festive come December. As I sit here paying my bills and listen to the wild rain outside, my tired mind can't help but wonder why this is.

What did I enjoy about Christmas back then?
- Jim Reeves and Boney M faithfully rattling out the Christmas tunes on the old cassette player
- Counting the year's savings. Growing up, we (siblings and I) saved our lunch money through the whole year so we could buy Christmas presents for each other (we thought we were rich! Lol!)
- Planning the itinerary for our annual shopping day
- Walking around town "shopping", from CCK to Wai Tui, back to the Savalalo flea market, and once in a while to Janet's (for their awesome selection and the powerful aircon in the shop)
- Listening to a really fobby Christmas album by some "artist" that I don't know. This albums plays at nearly every shop in Samoa, and I recently heard it again while visiting family in Mangere. Lol! You know the one - "It's the memory, of the old Grismas garrrrd..."
- Dry curry lunch at Amani's (this became a tradition of sorts during the Christmas shopping trip)
- Aoga mea every evening
- Unfashionable tux uniforms and candles without candle holders for Christmas items
- Midnight Christmas service, with beautiful singing from the Sunday School (I so miss that), a gazillion kids crowding around one camera (non-digital), and sometimes followed by a cuppa tea and masi at the church hall
- Christmas day back at the hall where we all received a (usually budget) gift...water guns FTW!
- BBQ lunch with the family at Vailele

That was pretty much it. The memories are flooding back. Christmas then was so ... Christmassy ..?

Is it that I am just too busy now to appreciate the small things that are around me now? Am I still in Christmas culture shock? Am I not "moving with the times"? Too old fashioned? Living in the past?

I don't know. And too tired to think.

But this I do know - some things remain true. Christmas is about Christ. Christ is about love. As long as I try to keep remembering that, I'm sure I will find my festivity niche in the hustle and bustle.

Merry Christmas, my 6 followers and visitors!

Much love,

Fob

(This post was definitely more fob than rock)

The Perfect Present

Today was Briscoe's "unbeatable, unrepeatable one-day" sale. Now who would want to miss that? So off we went, Malaea and I. And boy did we have a blast!

Then Malaea decided to buy me a present, and this is what she picked. It might not look like much, but this I would have to classify as a perfect present for the following reasons:

• it's practical (very important)
• it's durable (as I'm sure Lyla will also use it as a boat/stool/toy box)
• it's cute/funky
• it's green (the colour as well as its function)
• and (this was the clincher) it was on special!!

Check it out...

I heart awesome prezzies!!

This Is Love

This morning was full of gloom - a knockout combo of stress and disappointment. And rain. Ugh. Rain on the grass and the trees, the farms, the rivers, etc - good. Rain in my shoes and hair, and on the road - not good.

But little things count, and random things my family do have already made my day better and better. Just being their random but awesome selves, each family member that I've "seen" today (in person or online) has helped cheer me up without even knowing.

So this is a special dedication to all my familydom :)




By the way, while looking for this video I found out that this guy is Samoan. I know I'm probably the last to know, but wow, I mean, he sounds good. Lol! No offence to other Samoan singers...

Oso

Malaea (mum-in-law) arrived today from Samoa, and you know what that means. Oso. Delish treats from home for overindulgence: kekesaiga, banana chips, fish (not just any ol' fish - fish caught by a fob, packed by another fob, and transported over by Malaea :D ) and sea.

Needless to say, I have already had some of everything. And now I sit here with a pissed off tummy. No matter, I have stashed my kekesaiga and chips in [secret hiding place] to repeat the process after I clear out the digestive system.

The Hangover

Just to clear things up, this is not in reference to the movie about the guys that go to Vegas for a bachelor party and wake up hung over with no recollection of the previous nights activities.

I am hung over. From the Bon Jovi concert we went to on Sunday. Maybe this is not quite the right word, but let me explain. I haven't been to many concerts, due mainly to financial constraints. The few that I have been to, I have thoroughly enjoyed and got that post-concert buzz, including the literal buzzing in the ears for a day or so. But I have to say the Bon Jovi concert was way more amazing than I had anticipated. And I had high expectations - relative to the cost of the tickets.

They didn't have crazy lighting or special effects or any of that jazz. Just the band, playing non stop for 20 songs, before taking a short break and returning for an epic encore - 'Always', 'Wanted Dead or Alive' and 'Livin on a Prayer'. So what made it so good? Just...them. They sounded awesome, and created a really good atmosphere even during the calmer moments of the gig. "Seasoned performers" someone said. I sang 'til I was hoarse and clapped 'til my hands started to swell.

It usually takes me a day or two to get over the buzz of a concert, then I can look fondly back on the memories of the night. Not this one. Thanks to YouTube, each time I watch a video from that night, I fan the dying embers and then it's the return of the buzz all over again. Epic.

iBlog

After much contemplation and many false starts...I've made it to the first post of my first blog. Exciting! All those moments when I thought "I should blog about that" and realised that I didn't blog. Is it supposed to feel like I'm talking to myself? Cool! I should be really good at this then.