Post Christmas Wrap Up

I think we all awoke grimacing on Boxing Day, thinking we had to go back to school the next day. It was thrilling to realize it was only Saturday and we still had plenty of time to relax. We headed to Erin's for lunch to consume pretty much all the leftovers she had from the night before. We ate far too much pasta (and I ate far too much meat over the last few days...quite enough of that) and then sort of flopped about, talking about the night before. The boys headed to Seoul for some electronic shopping and I went back to Katie's with her to catch a catnap before dinner. Just what I need: more eating ;)

We had a great time not sleeping: laughing and carrying on in her apartment, cuddled up under blankets on the bed and futon. It was nice to spend time with a gal pal, carrying on in that typical girl fashion, talking about clothes and boys and shoes and hair. Sometimes age melts away here...

I went to dinner with My Man's friend from church. More religious fanaticism...it's almost a challenge to talk to her and get the conversation steered any way other than towards religion or the bible. There is so much danger associate with such literal translations guided by select people...I mean, these people don't just interpret the bible themselves, they are "taught" how to do it "properly". It's creepy. But she's a nice person and I like to spend time in Korea doing things I wouldn't normally do, so I was glad to see her again. We went to Instanbul, a Turkish restaurant in Pyeongchon. Some pretty shady Korean meat there, but it was a pretty good meal anyway.

She did tell me something rather interesting and I'm curious to hear what you have to say about this. The Born Again Christians believe that when it "is time" (I didn't listen to the details about when that'll be), they will experience rapture: they will ascend to heaven immediately without dying first. Um, okay. I want to make it abundantly clear that I do not think this is a) possible nor b) plausible. I've always been taught that death is a part of life: we can't cut that part out. Voila done. Apparently one of the Born Again Christians at the church, who is a pilot himself, says that if there is a Christian pilot in a cockpit, the other pilot must be a non-Christian because in the event that "the time comes", the first pilot would immediately be catapulted to heaven, and there has to be someone to fly the plane. Can you imagine?

Is this legal? Imagine being asked a question about your religion in Canada? And being asked about it in direct relation to your immediate ejection into heaven (without first dying of course) and their fear of leaving and desire not to leave a plane full of humans to fend for themselves? I can't fully wrap my head around this without finding it more than a little ridiculous. I needed a glass of wine after that so I met with Ramiro, Mike and Brooke for a nightcap.

Today I had a late start, spent a few hours talking to my dad, and then watched the snow fall. It is really remarkable that the cover of snow looks the same no matter where you are. I came to realize today as I lazily attempted to write in my journal, that there is nothing private for me anymore. Well, very little anyway. There are still some things I do that I don't share with others, but this blog (and you know I love the blog) has really become my outlet to share how I'm progressing, healing, moving, and changing during my Asian journey. It's all remarkable and all worth sharing, I think.

http://www.johnmayer.shop.musictoday.com/

Thanks to Jamie's suggestion, I'm listening to the new John Mayer album, Battle Studies. It really is a great piece of work. My favourite song so far has been "Assassin"...You get in, you get done, and then you get gone/You never leave a trace and show your face/You get gone."

Here's "Edge of Desire"...I'm loving it too.

Young and full of running

Tell me where's that taking me?

Just a great figure 8 or a tiny infinity

Love is really nothing

But a dream that keeps waking me

For all of my trying

We still end up dying

How can it be?

Don't say a word, just come over and lie here with me

'Cause I'm just about to set fire to everything I see

I want you so bad I'll go back on the things I believe

There I just said it, I'm scared you'll forget about me

So young and full of running, all the way to the edge of desire

Steady my breathing, silently screaming,"I have to have you now"

Wired and I'm tired

Think I'll sleep in my clothes on the floor

Maybe this mattress will spin on its axis and find me on yours

Don't say a word just come over and lie here with me

'Cause I'm just about to set fire to everything I see

I want you so bad I'll go back on the things I believe

There I just said it, I'm scared you'll forget about me

Don't say a word just come over and lie here with me

'Cause I'm just about to set fire to everything I see

I want you so bad I'll go back on the things I believe

There I just said it, I'm scared you'll forget about me

I finished "Sweetness in the Belly" yesterday. What a remarkable book. Though I recorded no quotes that really spoke to me, the book as a body of work was really a fascinating account of Ethiopia and the plight of her Islamic people. It could have been way longer, but it was succinct and poignant in very few pages. I finished it in about four days. I'm onto Burning Bright now.