sparks and noise

one of my favorite things about china is celebrating the lunar new year. God bless this country where fireworks are legal to purchase..... :)




watching the city of shanghai ablaze with fireworks never ceases to amaze me. the cacophony of explosions is actually music to my ears, and i have to admit, i rather like the smell of gunpowder that lingers in the air long after the fireworks have quieted. i'm thankful for my friends here who always open up their home (which has access to the rooftop of a 22-story building) so we can celebrate and enjoy the scene together. it's not often you can view fireworks from the top down!

watching fireworks from the rooftop of buildings, i wonder if that's how our lives look from the vantage of heaven. each person bumbling around, doing our own thing, trying to make some sparks and noise with our days and years, sometimes feeling so small and detached from everyone else. and yet, altogether, creating the most spectacular patchwork of light and sound, a symphony created to glorify something bigger than our individual efforts.

perhaps the Lord sees our prayers like the fireworks, shooting up in various displays to varying heights, stretching to reach His ear, some exploding half-heartedly midway, others reaching a zenith to reveal a well-constructed blossom. yet none escape His gaze and comprehension.

and perhaps, finally, when the time comes for all sorrow to be made untrue and all wrong to be made right, it will be the praises of a people redeemed, the constant songs and shouts of victory and celebration, a joy that knows no end. and the sparks and noise now are but a shadow of the glory to come.


cups of coffee: 2

mood: content as the kitten napping next to me... :)

it's all a journey, isn't it?

it starts
one step
followed by
another
perhaps
hesitant
or
downright
SCARED
but always, always
unpredictable.
to you whom much has been given
much, much more will be given
when you choose, freely,
to give back.
and what is promised to you?
nothing, really.
except—
a journey
to try and trust and grow and taste
to see and do and learn and be
much, much more than what
you ever dreamed or hoped.
and who knows
what else
is
in
store….?

cups of coffee: 2

mood: ever so hopeful

new year

i try to come up with a theme for each new year. last year was the "year of fun." boy oh boy, did i have fun....

2008 ended with a BANG, first with a small, tamer party at a friend's place and then at a feather-boa-dry-smoke-tattooed-DJs-prom-for-adults bash at the JW marriott. whoa.

good beats, good drinks, good friends...it was a great way to usher in the new year.


but now that the noise has died down, the confetti lies strewn on the floor, and i am picking the silly string out of my hair, i think i'm ready for a quieter, more contemplative year.

so i deem this year the "year of patience."

i look forward to a year of learning to bite my tongue, waiting prayerfully, enjoying the moment, and stepping back intentionally from the whirl and buzz of the fast-paced urban life.

here's to 2009!


cups of coffee: 2

mood: recharged

22 for christmas

a friend referred me to 22 words, a blog that explores different ideas within the limits of 22. one fun thing they have is a 22-word challenge, getting your point across in 22 words exactly.

on a lark, here's my attempt at articulating the Incarnation in 22 words:

burst of light, cosmic symphony.

infinity swaddled in flesh, Creator becoming created.

completing the work that begins redemption.

o happy day, indeed!

cups of coffee: 2

mood: festive

o joy

some friends and i formed an a capella caroling group and took to the streets of shanghai last saturday. we hit one of the busiest pedestrian shopping streets in town, at the peak of crowd traffic.

i'll let the pictures speak for themselves....


here's to bringing a little holiday cheer and joy to those around us.... :)

cups of coffee: 1 1/2

mood: not bad, not bad at all

gasp

here's another little ditty, written in my journal a couple of months ago in a moment of trying to express the inexpressible....ha.

gasp

imperfect plaintive cries

inarticulate longing

reaching, reaching

hands raised, throat gaping

the heart swells

and opens to glory unfathomable

to fall, fall, fall

deeper into love unthinkable

yet so very graciously

accessible.

cups of coffee: none, yet!

mood: COLD! welcome, winter.....

tidbits

another whirlwind weekend trip to jingdezhen for work. though not as relaxing as the first trip, definitely was still chock-full of fun and a deep sense of rest.

a few shots i took from the weekend that i really, really like. i think it's something about the pop of color combined with the sense of comfort and beauty that can be found in simple things.



i love finding beauty in simplicity--rich colors, familiar forms, clean lines--it doesn't have to WOW me to make me appreciate it.

now if only life were that simple...

cups of coffee: 2

mood: tired, tired, tired....