Gold Coast

A weekend at the Gold Coast was actually quite pleasant. For once the family only fought with minimal yelling...But then again, mum and dad are pretty much separated now. Meh.
Heh, we went away to celebrate Mum's birthday but we didn't end up celebrating it properly at all. We didn't buy cake, or even have dinner together. We had lunch, but no one ate the noodles (usually everyone has to eat the noodles when it's someone's birthday...i think it symbolises long life or something). Mum said she felt tired, so she stayed at the hotel while everyone else went out. Later she hanged out with her friends.
I'm glad that she has people she can communicate with now. It's a healthy change for her, she's actually doing something more than just watching dramas on the computer, as most asian parents are doing now I've heard =(.

Later in the night Ray, Lynn and I went with her to her church's worship conference. We didn't like it. We all decided that they were almost giving false interpretations of what the bible says. It was more of what I found most christian leaders to be...they preached to what they think is right, and not really give any precise or definitive reasoning. But then i thought about it and maybe it's better for some people. Some people prefer thinking about it in more simple and upfront terms, more because they find it hard to understand it through analysis, and they need someone to spell it out for them. (but then there's that danger of following the leader, as opposed to following God...) Their method was very very direct that it almost seemed personal by the end of it. On the first night, by the end of it people were crying. This one girl was wailing for at least 15 minutes. Yes, wailing. It took ages to calm her down...she was still hysterical when i left. It felt really weird. The leaders were speaking out in tongues while firmly holding to someone's shoulders, and speaking very loudly saying something along the lines of "submit to jesus and you will be filled with the holy spirit!", and after a while the person would fall back, with others ready to catch them when they did. I don't know if it was divine touch or if it was just the result of fervent speech and face-to-face contact. To me it seemed like they were just speaking words that came to mind, as opposed to carefully and well thought-out teachings. But then again, who am i to judge something that i don't really know that well about?

Religion is confusing.

Ah, it's already 1:40am...I think I should probably sleep XD.
Ohhh, lastly, happy birthday Josh =). Oh wait, his birthday is on the 7th hey...oh well!

The party today was really nice. It was one of the few parties I've been to that didn't have that awkwardness around. It was nice seeing the host relaxed and having a good time at his party. Usually he/she is busy walking around and making sure everyone's happy and having a good time, while worrying about the overall plan for the day. Seeing Josh comfortable made me feel comfortable too, as a guest that is. Maybe that's the trick to hosting parties.

Work went pretty well too. I've discovered that teaching is a joy for me. I love the feeling of being able to pass on what i know, and of sharing my passion. To have my students absorb and adopt what i say makes me really touched. I guess it tells me that they're actively listening and that they trust me. I don't know, is this how all tutors and teachers feel? I want to guide them as best as I can. I don't think they know that this learning experience is new for me as it is for them XD.

Right, and now to end my day with sleep XD.