Gulliver's Travel - Vol 5. The Maple Leaf Story

around town

So I'm back in town for a few days before I'm up at Whistler again, a short rest from the snow scene which I am now thankful for. My body is battered, torn and weary but a smile still hangs from my face. These last 7 days, post end of exams and moving out of Rez, has seen the realisation of my dream and fulfilled the underlying reason why I came to UBC in Canada...to ski Whistler in all its Glory. What can I say? Whistler is everything you would ever expect it to be, from the snow laden rooftops of houses, to the bustling buzz of the festive streets in the Village, to the somewhat repetitive but comforting sound of car wheel chains grinding along the snow packed roads. It was like being in a kid's Disney movie. However I am told that this year is a first in over a decade where this much snow has fallen in November and December to create this dreamy cheer in the Village atmosphere, and for that I thank God every day for it. I am one happy and content average australian asian male.

Since Australia is not best known for its powder dumps on the moutains, the powder has proved to have been a bit of a bittersweet to me. The feeling of floating on powder while you carve down the moutain is something I can not describe, but only to say it is an unreal and liberating experience. From the steep wide bowls, to the tree runs, powder has infiltrated every part, crook and cranny. However, I soon discovered that my lack of experience and knowledge in riding pow left me with a collection of cartwheels down the slopes, a few bruises, half the mountain's snow down my jacket and pants, and a thankful heart for wearing a helmet (trees: 10, Lemuel: Big fat ZERO)...all in the name of learning. It was great.






So these last few days that I've been in town, I've been staying at the Short's abode. It also so happens that Dave Short is one of the senior minister's at St.John's, which has opened up a great opportunity to get a few answers to some questions I've had from certain bible passages and also read a few books from his library. One I just started on today is called Baptism and Fullness by John R.W. Stott, which is a book that talks about the work of the Holy Spirit and I guess a more in depth discussion on the whole pentecostal/charasmatic movement. I've just started but its already a really interesting read - straight, concise and to the point.

Well, the minute hand on the clock has just ticked past the 2 o'clock mark and forcing my brain to string coherent sentences together is becoming a challenge. So with that, I bid you all a good night/afternoon/morning and a happy new year down under.

posted by Lemdog @ 6:17 AM