my Christmas 05 blog

i'm starting to love New Zealand Christmases... quiet, v uneventful, yet enjoyable.. all ya do is go to church in the morning, have a big lunch/dinner, and then open presents, all whilst spending time with family.. and that's just awesome.. i've had Christmases like that many times but they're not that often due to church events as i've mentioned before..

this year's Christmas has been the best so far, partly coz my dad is down in NZ which is the first time he has spent time in NZ during the festive season.. been v relaxing.. ok the weather was piss poor but in a way that's good coz i guess it means ppl can't run away from socialising with each other by doing outdoor stuff when the food's not on the table.. plus it means being able to read books and watch a lot of movies...

boy have i watched a lot of movies today.. a bit disappointing coz i did want to do some reading but then again that's a bit boring plus with a TV it's kinda distracting as i've started to discover esp considering how much time i spent away from a TV in Bannockburn.. then, i was able to spend quite a bit of time reading and doing other cool stuff.. anyway, i've watched Joe Dirt on DVD, then Jurassic Park, Shawshank Redemption, and then As Good As It Gets on TV..

Shawshank Redemption is one of my all time favourites.. love it esp for the ending coz it's prob the best ending to any movie ever, including Lord of the Rings.. even made me a bit emotional esp when Morgan Freeman found the box that gorgeous summer day under that wall, and opened the letter than Tim Robbins had written to him... such a great movie and the tone of the end just was apt for the way i'm feeling now.. just reflective, happy reflective, glad with the ways things have gone this year.. also reminds me of those wonderful days with friends, as i'm away from them and won't be able to see them for a while..

my other favourite's - prob my most favourite - is the Hunt for Red October.. that's a brilliant movie.. and it's got Sean Connery and well, Jack Ryan - not really an Alec Baldwin fan and preferred Harrison Ford in that role - one of the best movie characters ever..

anyway went to my first Christmas service at Elim and while it was p good, it felt really weird.. really empty feeling.. all the familiar locals were there, e.g. Saras, Patersons, Smiths, but well to be fair it was nice to go after that.. just was v unusual esp after being away for so long.. did talk to Josh Koh, Jian and Esther Paterson though..

Christmas presents have been p good too..

so half-an-hour before Christmas ends.. 365 days till Christmas 2006.. i guess this year, now i've appreciated Christmas more so than ever.. next year, i definitely won't be in Dunedin - that's not because this year's Christmas was bad, just that i definitely know i'll be elsewhere.. i'll be prob spending Christmas either in Malaysia or Melbourne if i earn enough money to watch the cricket..

to Boxing Day, cricket, sales, other stuff.. hopefully weather clears up.. know it's gonna be p good on Wednesday..