Snapshots of the Year 📸

Last year’s been another year of packed schedule, along with changes that aren’t insignificant, in me and also the lives of those around me. As I did my usual reflections of the year and planning for year ahead, one of the things I want to do more in 2024 is to make time to write. So yes, we can expect more posts in the months ahead. For a start though, here are just very few words and many photos as I have a quick look at some of the captured moments in 2023.

🎉 Celebrations

First wedding early in the year – yay good summer weather!
Reception at a vineyard – outdoor
Reception – indoor
Evening version of bride & groom
My surprise bday celebration at my sister’s 😄
With the cousins
Everyone’s too kind, & we had an Indo feast yum
Perfect selection: 1 pandan + 1 choc
Our bdays are close enough, so let’s celebrate together.
Gotta slice the top piece I was told
Like adopted family – it’s true, I was mistaken as their 4th child just recently!
Yay, more pandan cake 🍰
At my Growth Group ☘️ Another very kind effort
A friend’s bday
Yet another friend’s birthday to celebrate
Celebrating a sister’s bday at a Jap buffet place
When a crazy girl paid for our meals on her birthday

Celebrations are good things in life to be enjoyed with thanksgiving. Thank God for blessing us with delightful experiences in life. We can celebrate these legitimate pleasures for as long as we do not make them bigger than they are, as long as we keep things in perspective. The bible reminds us,

It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind..

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Ecclesiastes 7:2,4

Why? For good reasons. Enjoy your life, thoroughly and legitimately, just also remember,

The years of our life are seventy,
    or even by reason of strength eighty;
..
    they are soon gone, and we fly away.

.. teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:10,12

The getaways / holidays

Here are some short breaks I had at the start and at the end of the packed year.

Start of the year: January boot camp holiday – first activity on arrival was to go for a run
Holidays wih the families
The moon is bigger and lower than it looks on camera – almost wonderful and scary at the same time
Park run – yes, I tend to do more exercise on holidays (when you’re with people who do!)
We’re a family
Windy walk for a view
End of the year: December camping trip – lunch before setting off
Nephew’s fave cafe – Chit Chat cafe at Surrey Hills
Checking out the other people’s tents
One of the benefits out here is one of us went out to catch abalones and we all got to eat them fresh
Yes, prefer our comfy cabin than tents!
The river next to the tenting site
Dinner together prepared by different good cooks among us (not me!)
Here’s what I can contribute instead: everyone’s enjoying our wonderful cabin
Very windy walk on the beach before driving back to Melbourne, with much to think about

What’s with work – the colleagues

Work events and also leisure, for many of the colleagues are also friends.

Big team outing
At nearby park playing games
a little kid even joins us for the afternoon out of nowhere
Sulbing – Korean dessert place
HDL
one of the things post covid – team meeting at Chaddy
Lunch catch up close by
Thai Hainanese Chicken Rice – doesn’t sound right, is it Thai or Hainan.. ? 🤔
EOY Christmas Party

Some meals & catch-ups with friends & family

Take efforts. One of the challenges will be to go beyond the food to real conversations.

Food gathers people around the table
Always on the hunt for Yummy spicy Hunan food
@ Yang Cheng – another Hunan restaurant
Girls’ morning coffee
A reason for HDL
Auntie came fr Indo – time to catch up with cousins
2 pairs of sisters
Eat & Share w church family at one of theirs
Cute cafe ‘Mr Tanuki’ – reason for brunch meet up
Just another reason to HDL together 🙂

Special occasions

What would you count as? These would be for me.

Easter get-together
Holiday Club with nephew
Kids learn stuff and do various activities
Last session with the parents, showing overview of the Holiday Club program
If you haven’t been and have kids in Melb, come join our Holiday Club next time – fun learning for kids!
An evening of games, prayer and singing (with my ukulele!) with half of my Growth Group
Church camp
How is this not special when the last time we cousins played badminton together was more than.. 20 yrs ago?? 😮
Kris Kringle Christmas party with Growth Group at my home 🎄
Christmas dinner at friends’
Christmas Carol service – friends visiting and celebrating together at church
Carols choir, and..
.. Christmas Day Choir – come join us at Easter next at St Stephen’s Presbyterian Church, Surrey Hills
Finally, EOY get-together at my home as we ended the year.