The Pretender
I may have mentioned another short story a couple of months ago... I can't remember. In any case, here it is.
For those who have wondered, or asked me in the past, what my novel is about, this short story is one of the threads or themes that I want to explore. Where I may draw out only a few concepts or ideas in a short story, the intention is to draw many together in a longer story. However, it's been in the back of mind for at least 7 years now, constantly evolving and maturing... I don't know if it'll ever be told, but at the very least, I have a few short stories planned for the next few months.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, though for those who read the last one, I know I made it clear that fairytales are not usually within my domain.
As always, I'd love to hear from you, so drop me a line and say "hi"... I know I haven't kept in touch with everyone lately.
Hail Storm in a Teacup
Last Thursday there was an amazing amount of hail, so much so that I could have built myself an iceman (i.e. snowman of ice)...
Anyway, the very hectic days have continued, as expected, since I last posted. And despite needing to spend some time at home to settle in, I've been out and about. Last weekend was only home for a couple of daylight hours... which might explain why I haven't unpacked anything at all except things I have needed.
On Saturday I played my first outdoor cricket match since Year 10 (Year 11 in NZ), meaning it's been about 9 years. Was a lot of fun, except for dropping a couple of catches and my team losing by 22 runs. At least I got a few runs and some much needed exercise, which have left me very sore for the following 2 days >.< The grass was very long, meaning very few boundaries the entire match, so I must have run about 35 runs in conjunction with my batting partners (I scored 16), which is more than 700 metres... I definitely need to build up my fitness, especially since the weather will only get hotter!
Has been a very weird time... without too much time to think and reflect on things, which is probably just as well for the time being... I think I need this momentum to continue until Christmas. So sorry, nothing much of note to share today. Will be back soon.
Changes
The last several days have been rather hectic, and I expect more of the same. Please allow me to outline events via dot points:
Thursday 6th:
- Work
- Cricket practice
- Finally got the keys to the house =)
- Moved a carload of stuff
- Started vacuuming (lots of fluff and loose tufts from the carpet laying)... ducted vacuum is really cool =)
Friday 7th:
- Work
- Had instantaneous gas hot water system installed
- Packed and moved more stuff
- Finished vacuuming the entire house and mopping the hardfloor areas (2am)
Saturday 8th:
- After 4 hrs sleep, finished packing
- Removalists arrived at 9am and finished at 12pm
- Jenn, Shirley and Helen were visiting from Sydney =) Came over with Dalvin and Sam
- Lunch at a vietnamese restaurant (yummy beef noodle soup for me as usual)
- Floriade (lots of silly photos taken)
- Dinner at Iori... soft-shell crab, sashimi, sushi, wagyu steak, green tea cheesecake, green tea mousse... definitely want to go back there when not in a rush...
- To Tehillah, with a guest speaker =) Was good to gather again after a few weeks with other stuff on instead
- Finally got back home around 11pm, with stuff all over the place and piled up in the garage... but all I needed was sleep, so found the linen and felt weird lying in bed in the new environment... with no curtains as yet >.<
Sunday 9th:
- Church... after dropping by the old place to brush my teeth (yes, had not quite moved all the loose items yet)
- Played tennis...
- And then yum cha... yummy!
- Floriade again, with most of the yum cha'ers... er... *shrug*
- Back to the old place to grab a few things and clean up... cut short by...
- Watching 'Cinderella Man' with Dalvin and Sam... a good movie I think
- Missed out on McDonalds dinner (closed)... so...
Monday 10th:
- Woke up and had McDonalds breakfast =)
- Was sounds of construction from 7.30am or so... fortunately I'll always be up for work anyway and houses around me are mostly done. Previous night I had stuck newspaper over my bedroom and study windows, so don't feel as exposed before getting curtains.
- Was on leave today because Telstra can't schedule anything (please be home between 10am and 2pm??? Something seriously wrong with that)... fortunately it gave me a chance to do a number of things, like...
- Have the TV antenna installed... no more rabbit ears for me!
- Have someone bring a few curtain samples over and measure the windows
- I cleaned the fridge, inside and out
- For the record the Telstra technician arrived around 12.30pm and took an hour...
- Before I could make a few calls...
- And exchange one of the light fittings (wrong type of glass)...
- Change my address...
- And finally having lunch at 5pm
- Then a trip back to the old place to transport the last of the odds and ends, and to clean the place up (hopefully well enough to get my bond back!) took me more than 3 hours =(
- So I picked up some Chinese food for dinner at home...
- Whereupon remembering (again... hehe... can easily forget things if I don't attend to it immediately >.<) to call a friend to say 'Happy Birthday'... this was 10pm...
- And also, in my letterbox... was a much awaited wedding invite! woohoo! Sorry Ling... this was my first letter at the new place =)
- Finished my dinner and unloaded the last of my stuff from the car...
- And could finally relax a bit... and write this...
hmmm... don't know why I wrote all that, but if you're still reading, well done! =) I'm normally so slow, ill-disciplined and laid-back that nothing happens or gets done... but with a bit of momentum... whoosh! So while perhaps I should have spent a bit more time at home unpacking, etc, I was out most of the weekend and had a lot of fun AND still got things done... I even had a little cry last night... *sigh* did I tell you as was moody? I pray that God will change this troubled soul, to trust in Him, rely on Him, to love Him will all that I am... and there find true happiness.
Amen, and goodnight! =)+<
Inside Out
Many of you know that I'm a Bryan Adams fan, and here's one of my favourites. I was listening to this today in the car, and the meaning of the lyrics struck me again...
the biggest lie you ever told - your deepest fear 'bout growin' old
the longest night you ever spent - the angriest letter you ever sent
the boy you swore you'd never leave - the one you kissed on new year's eve
the sweetest dream you had last night - your darkest hour, your hardest fight
i wanna know you - like i know myself
i'm waitin' for you - there ain't no one else
talk to me baby - scream and shout
i want to know you - inside out
i wanna dig down deep - i wanna lose some sleep
i wanna scream and shout - i wanna know you inside out
i wanna take my time - i wanna know your mind
ya know there ain't no doubt - i wanna know you inside
the saddest song you ever heard - the most you said with just one word
the lonliest prayer you ever prayed - truest vow you ever made
what makes you laugh, what makes you cry
what makes you mad, what gets you by
your highest high, your lowest low - these are the things i want to know
i wanna know you - like i know myself
i'm waitin' for you - there ain't no one else
talk to me baby - scream and shout
i want to know you - inside out
i wanna dig down deep - i wanna lose some sleep
i wanna scream and shout - i wanna know you inside out
i wanna take my time - i wanna know your mind
ya know there ain't no doubt - i wanna know you inside
i wanna know your soul - i wanna lose control
c'mon n'let it out - i wanna know you inside out
ya gotta dig down deep - i wanna lose some sleep
i wanna scream and shout - i wanna know you inside out
tell me everything...
....zzzzz
I'll tell you now... I'm tired, and was going to sleep at the unthinkable time of 10.40pm. Is this what it feels like to grow old? Well, I'm procrastinating, and will go to bed after a few random things that I want to write about...
1. Has anyone else been in the situation where you've told yourself not to think about something (because it's not very helpful to do so, or you just don't want to think about it), so of course, the thing you're not supposed to be thinking about ends up dominating your thoughts? It's like reverse psychology on yourself... which is a real pain... since there's enough cluttering my mind as it is...
2. Youth camp last weekend was really cool =) Was 17 of us, and I think the size of the group helped everyone bond quite nicely... can be a tendency for little sub-groups with large group outings, but was great to see everyone chip in and make it a wonderful time of fellowship =)
3. I am moving next Saturday... either into my new home, or onto the streets (as my lease ends the Tuesday after that). So, nearly there... kind of... so many little things to take care of... like getting a letterbox, which I did today. Was a cream coloured wooden one. I dug a hole, poured in some water, then the 20kg bag of rapid set concrete mix, shoved the letterbox post in, then spent 10 minutes trying to figure out if it was facing straight and if it was level. Apparently it takes only 15 minutes for the concrete to set. I also bought a mop, a broom and a drill! haha... been a while since I've used power tools =P
4. hmm... I'm not so sleepy now... maybe it was the extra large dinner I had and it's wearing off now? Oh well, think I'll sleep soon anyway. But now that I'm awake, here's a couple of photos:
This one from the camp (yes, I'm the one in the bright aqua top):
Here's one of the kitchen, with the bamboo floor and kitchen tiles laid (needs cleaning). You can also see some offcuts of the carpet ('mousse' coloured):
5. I think I'm experiencing an epiphany... or maybe it's senility...
6. I'm going to be playing district cricket =) ...though there could be some embarrassing results on my part >.<
7. What would you do if you found out that you only had a day left to live? A month? A year? (I have a few thoughts on this, which I'll share later).
8. There's a saying that everyone enters this world alone, lives alone, and dies alone... or something to that effect. It's a sad thought... and I for one can sympathize with it. I don't know if I'm just chemically imbalanced or something, but all my experiences have left me with the feeling that I'm only ever fleetingly connected with those around me. I wonder if I am just a cold, emotionally inhibited individual. What I do know is that our relationships have been affected by sin, and only in Jesus can we have a relationship with God, our creator. So I yearn for that relationship to be restored in its entirety, when this earthly vessel is returned to dust.
oh, midnight... time to go. Bye.
