home but not yet

i've been back in vancouver for a month and a half now. i find myself not knowing how to continue with this "away home" blog, thus the silence.

it's a little strange being back home. part of me still want to be travelling i guess. i get these emails about working opportunities in egypt or tanzania, or friends going to taize or botswana, and i dream of the possibilities of escaping away again.

i went on a little "retreat" last night while worshipping with others at afcvancouver. the experience took me back to the waves near our camp in mexico, the beach of iona, and the different star-gazing nights during my time away. i was reminded of this song, that "god will delight when we are creators of justice & joy", and i realized then that my journey home is far from being over. what an honour & privilege it is to be given the role of a co-creator for things of this earth and for what is to come.

may your kingdom come. may your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

before & now

this is my new room in kitchener...

yesterday:
and today, after some home improvement:


but i was thinking, i prefer the view from my old room more: (or patrick's view of his new room!!!)

天家

hahaa… i figured a visit to tianjia is a must-blog! afterall, if shanghai is not home, then Heaven (be it on earth) has got to be some type of a home!

this “sky home” is japanese in nature, so the name is more likely to be pronounced as ten-ya or ten-ka instead of tian-jia (hahaa, i need some japanese help!). but then, it doesn’t really matter how it sounds cuz at this place, it’s all about the taste! and trust me, this place has toro that melts in your mouth and kani as sweet as those served in hokkaido. (but wait, i’ve never been to hokkaido!! hahahaa..)

well, in case you don’t trust a cantonese guy at a nippon ryouri, here’re some japanese words for you. this is how shanghai walker describes the place:
「こんな極上の、しかも高級寿司屋でほお張るマグロのトロを、上海でも満喫できるんですねえ」とかみしめる。

with a comment of:
「舌に乗せたトロはこれまた絶品！」

i don’t know much japanese, but 絶品 does sound like a very high rating to me!!! :D

***
after this trip, i am starting to imagine 天家 as a home where they serve a good bowl of rice and some quality udon! but until then, being in the company john&family with some top-notch fatty tuna & sweet king crabs (and many more hairy crabs at other shanghainese venues) is most definitely a taste of heaven!

sabbath

it's week 7 for me...
and that's how i spent part of my sunday afternoon, and today after work!

the seapoint pool is a wonderfully relaxing place!! it reminds me a lot of kits beach pool back home, with the salt water and all. except this one is seems much nicer for some reason. and if i stay late enough, i could catch sunset there too.

mid-autumn & thxgiving weekend

i bought myself some chinese tea, and a few quasi-mooncakes at the local grocer this friday afternoon. the moon started looking bright and shinny from few nights ago. interesting enough, the calendar is showing that full moon is not until tomorrow night. so my housemates and i have decided to join with the local tradition of hiking up the lion’s head and sip some champagne as we bathe in the moonlight. i’m quite looking forward to that!

i feel a little bit off celebrating mid-autumn festival here in cape town, not only because it’s in the middle of spring here but probably also because i’m half the world away from “home”. the closest chinese person i know here is the owner of the chinese restaurant across the street. she was super kind and helpful to me when i got in, helping me look for a place to live and get to know the area, and cautioning me to stay away from the risky spots around seapoint. still, it’s not like i could have a sit-down dinner with her or anything. i miss dining with you all who are far away!

it’s a good thing that we’ll be celebrating canadian thanksgiving at our flat this weekend as well. this way, at least we’ll have a delicious and homey meal round the table. actually, dinnertime at our student apartment has been quite enjoyable! thanks to the exchange rate, we’ve been sharing great food & affordable wine together quite a lot.

i miss having thin-crust moon cakes at auntie aileen’s and chinese soup & turkey with ming&wan’s. but i have to say, life in cape town has been pretty sweet!

oh, i also went to “develop” a few of my pics for keep sake. it’s instant printing at the shop!! i don’t even know of such quick services in canada. anyways, here’s a sample of them: (it’s quite random i know, but it is in chronological order!)

still no address

still no address to call my own here in cape town. feeling frustrated.

on a brighter note, i walked down to V&A waterfront this afternoon. i even pulled out a camera for a few shots! it was good to be by the sea again. but it's not like i ever left it or anything! hahaa. there were maybe 3 days in august where i wasn't by the sea or a lake while travelling in the UK. life is good. hahaa.

so the welcome sign at V&A waterfront said: "long time no sea?"
and my response? "nah, not for me!" :D

hehehe... will post some pics once i get the chance.
i start work at the hospital tomorrow!

about the name

where is home? where are you from? to where do you belong?? believe it or not, those questions are good paper-writing materials in our field... well, at least for me it was. i still have two more papers to do before, hopefully before, i leave town next week (oh wait, it's THIS week!). ahhh... i don't know why i'm still procrastinating, but i thought it's important for me to tell you about "josh a-way home" before i leave. there are four contributing factors to the name...

those of you who are from vancouver might have picked up that i borrowed the name from thai away home, a great take-out restaurant i often visited. yes, i do miss vancouver, and chances are that i'll be heading back after i graduate. so yea, i guess i consider vancouver a home.

my classmates who were at the equity forum last year might recall the opening chant by a circle of people from the aboriginal community. the lyrics to the song was a repeating "away away, away away away away". now seriously, i don't know if they were saying "awei" or "aqeh" or whatever it was, and i never did ask anyone about the meaning behind it. but to me, it speaks of a people coming together, and perhaps even going back to their roots. so in that sense, i do want to explore my cultural heritage as i continue to write at this site, and maybe even to learn from the "other" about myself as i travel onwards.

thirdly, those who have been following my henri nouwen entries might have picked up that his book finding my way home: pathways to life and the spirit has also made an influence in my naming of this site. it's about a journey of seeking and finding the god of love.

finally my fourth point is a combination of my first three points, but i figured i should call it a new point cuz i'm introducing eugene peterson and his take & eat concept on spirituality. yes, i love eating! and as i'll be on the road for the next many months, i figured that i'll be eating out quite a lot! so yea, maybe i'll even use this site as a food review & guide of some sort! :D

so yes, please consider journeying with me!

***
which world cup team are you cheering for??

back to the loo

well, i'm back at my waterloo home. or is this place part of the "away"? i guess it depends on the day.

i've been going to the waterloo park quite a bit for my evening walk/jog. it's just across the street from my place, so very convenient. being there has this calming effect to my soul. i love it!