Christmas Fs

Christmas 2009

Christmas may mean different from one person to the next. For Christians worldwide it is Jesus Christ's birthday. Coupled with the holidays it is also an opportunity to spend time with our loved ones. So its no surprise that we made that 600 km journey drive home from Kuching to Sibu on Christmas Eve, rushing to make it to the evening Christmas Mass at Sibu Iban Methodist Church. I can't share much this Christmas as i discovered that I did not do so well in the PMR. Yeah, I have to admit I had 5 Fs for Christmas this year but I enjoyed it anyway. I should try my best to do well next year but these Fs are the ones I do not mind having.

Family

Mum and Dad waited for us to arrive at home in Sibu. Shania could not wait to meet her grandpa and grandma and kept asking when we would reach Sibu. She was not cranky though as she had been travelling like this since she was two years old. On arrival we proceeded to the Methodist Iban Church where we again met our other family members and relatives. It was a reuinion of some sort as I grew up with the Church and the familiar faces there were as cheery as ever. We got to see the younger version of us when those Sunday School children performed their Christmas songs with their Santa Claus hat and Reeindeer horns. Some may feel that its important to make a distinction between the true meaning of Christmas and also when the idea of Santa Claus and his reeindeers should come in. Here we have an open mind and try to make it enjoyable for everyone without trying to be extreme in our beliefs. The spirit of presents and giving is encouraged as reflected in our Right Honourable Prime Minister's Christmas message. Though he only published it in his 1Malaysia Blog, hopefully he can be more 1Malaysian (putting politics aside) when doing so in future. Even Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader attended Christmas Eve Mass at the Nativity Church in Bethlehem.


From Getty Images: Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas(L), Victor Batarseh, Mayor of Bethlehem (M) Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad (R) are taking part in Midnight Mass ceremony, which marks the beginning of Christmas Day, the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on December 24 2009


In time for Christmas Eve Mass at the Methodist Iban Church, Sibu


Not to be missed - performance by the Sunday School children of the Methodist Iban Church


The spirit of giving - Uncle Umpang contributes to the Christmas Charity Collection


Regular Nadai Nama Nama stars enjoying Christmas - Sis Debbie, nephews Justin and Jason and bro in law Johnady while Shania is with her grandad at the back, happy to meet her cousins


Friends

Who can forget last Christmas's 2008 glitch when Cikgu Mamat struggled desperately with the computer display. This year he is more than prepared as the presentation was smooth and without hiccups. I also got to meet a few Facebooker friends for the first time at Church like Boffman. He may be see to be a musician at heart if you do get to visit him in facebook but up close he has a charitable heart. So Merry Christmas to all the other friends whom I did not manage to say Hi in Church.


Cikgu Mamat,our technical expert of last year's celebration is ready with all the backup gadgets and not too complicated slides


Boffman Henry, my Facebook friend who happen to be a relative from Bawang Assan


Fun

The fun continues when we got home and the children have their time at decorating the Christmas Tree while the grown ups have several toasts of the Christmas spirit....*hic*.



Shania decorates the Christmas tree with Aunty Evelyn


Christmas Toast - Oohaaa.


Food and Feasts

The final two Fs one cannot avoid during celebrations like this are the food and drinks and parties. Yes, it will be a week full of attempts to beat the food menus shown in the Asian Food Channel shown in Astro. Food can be an important factor in encouraging World Peace because wars occur sometimes due to the lack of it. So I'll say yes to making sure that all nations reduce their spendings on buying or making designer weapons and focus more on making food available to their people or other poor nations that lack it.



Food was aplenty on Christmas and we had our Christmas dinner at the famous Joystar, Sungai Merah.


Then there was Aunty Evelyn's Birthday where we celebrated both the Birthday and Christmas again at their house


One thing for sure, the local dishes prepared sure beats the fancy restaurant food anytime.

That's about it for now as we enjoy our family moments together this Christmas. I would not know if I would be scolded for getting this Fs but its not always about Failures. Fs are freaking good sometimes - only do not get the wrong ones. Have a Fantastic Christmas people!

Comments

Monyet King said…
Only the best students get 5F's and enjoy it.
XARCH said…
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Very nice indeed to see Abbas at the Mass. This is what the world needs now. Common understanding and get along with neighbors instead of screaming saying my religion is better than yours.