My Blue Heaven

The ceremony was short and sweet, our pastor Rev Eddy giving the sermon. I was (once again) involved in the music side of things – along with Andrew and Tim – a three piece Jonny Panic. We played for the two congregational songs, as well as a slightly complex medley item (My Hope Is Built/When I Survey/This Kingdom) put together by Vron, sung with Tom, Des, Clarinda, & Charmaine.

The reception

The reception afterwards was held at the Mandalay House – well known by those who’ve been before for its scrumptious food and most importantly, the dessert trolley (below right)! The three course menu was exquisite and the drinks abounding. I had more than my fair share of Strawberry Dacharies (though switching to non-alcoholic ones after first one and a half) – damn I gotta learn how to make them!

Other than the yummy food, it was just really great to be there to share this very happy moment with Andrew and Alice. They looked so very happy, I couldn’t but help feeling just a bit teary! So congrats AK – since I know you read this! Oh, and he even serenaded her as a suprise at the reception – with Tim and Vron playing guitar and piano, he seated her in the middle of the floor, and sang “I Will Be There” by Steven Curtis Chapman for her (below left). How she managed to not cry, I don’t know. *I* was almost crying, it was so sweet. :_)

So, after the tear-jerking seranade, amusing speeches, fine food (particularly the scrumptious dessert), and ample mingling, we rowdy youth decided it was high time for our tradional photo shoot upstairs. Witness, the results – clockwise, “The Gang (Beverly Hills 90210/Melrose Place style)”, “Three Boys and a Bathtub”, “How Many People Can Fit In A Shower?”, and finally, “The Mirror Portrait”.

“Sunday always comes too late..”

So that was my Saturday. On Sunday me, Andrew and Sam played at a SaltLight gig at St Thomas’ North Sydney. We played two songs at their 5pm and 7pm services. The performances were… ok. I’ve in no way mastered “In God’s Eyes” (Vron’s Ben-Folds-Like song).. and I still can’t quite get the feel of “On That Day” exactly right. *sigh* All in all, it was quite a stressful experience. I was really nervous! Especially knowing that there would be more than a few talented muso’s in the crowd.

Anyway, it was interesting visiting an Aussie church. I was pretty impressed with the band at 7pm.. they rocked! The services were very.. caucasian. Hehe. I guess I felt slightly fish-out-of-water-ish. And I noticed nobody really came and talked to us – maybe coz it was such a large service of 200 odd people, and I’m used to being in a cozy 30 – 40 person service.

Still, I can’t help but feel that due to my asian upbringing, Aussie’s tend to overlook me a bit. I know its a bit of a generalisation, but I’ve noticed if you put the average asian next to the average aussie, the aussie is much louder/assertive & more noticable/attention-grabbing than the asian. I’ve noticed, that when with asians, I’m more talkative and interact more, but with Aussie’s, I tend to get squeezed out of the conversation because I’m not assertive enough, compared to them. (This doesn’t include my friends.. once I become familiar enough with someone, it all evens out.) Anyway, I’m not saying one is better than the other, and I’m not saying this is the case for all asians & aussies, but I’m just noting what I’ve observed over the years of meeting new people.