The Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand!

Pingu was on TV this morning at 8am. What is interesting is that although the characters seem to be speaking in some unknown language, the message still gets communicated. I like the way the characters walk or slide (in the case of Pingu’s friend, the seal).

Fr. Stephen Liew did not preside over the 10am mass today. The visiting priest stressed on the destructive nature of being divided, disunited or focused only on the differences amongst us. The Gospel reading also mentions that “the kingdom of heaven is close at hand” and calls for us to repent. Imagine, this was the message 2,000 years ago and we are still reminded of that message today. Perhaps, we often think of time according to our human measurement of time. Perhaps, there’s no such thing as time to God. Perhaps, the “the kingdom of heaven is close at hand” refers to it being near us now, i.e. in the situations around us, in the people we meet, or in the opportunities for us to land a helping hand to those in need. And perhaps, the call for repentance here refers to a continuous need to return to God, not just because “the kingdom of heaven is close at hand”...

Fr. Stephen Liew is leaving the Holy Spirit parish at the end of the month. We had choir practice today to prepare for his farewell on 29 Jan 2005. I’m accompanist again but am hoping to resume singing duties in future... can wear the choir robe and the ‘bip’ :o).


[Holy Spirit Cathedral Choir Robe]

Spent a good portion of the afternoon reading magazine articles while Angie continues marking her scripts. Have you wondered why small children sleep so soundly that they don’t even wake up when they are carried from one place to another? On an article about sleep in Time magazine (24 January 2005 issue), there are apparently 4 stages of non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement), i.e. non-dreamy, sleep. In Stages 3 and 4, the brain emits low-frequency electrical waves (slow-wave sleep). Children are “champion slow-wave sleepers”. That’s why they sleep more soundly than adults do.

Tomorrow is Monday *grumble, grumble*

But Monday would most likely be the day Angie finishes her marking *merdeka! merdeka!*

And Tuesday is a public holiday for Thaipusam *yay!*