A Special Mother's Day Tribute

Greetings, dear readers!

It's been ages since I last posted here and so much has happened since that time, including getting married and moving to Ferntree Gully, quite a distance from my old place in Templestowe! I'll try and post an entry about that around the time of our first anniversary later in the year.

In Australia, as in several other countries, the second Sunday of May is the day we set aside to show our mothers that we appreciate them. 
This year, given the unique circumstances that we hopefully won't have to face again in our lifetime and the fact that this is my first Mother's Day no longer living with my parents, and out of a sense of responsibility as the oldest son and child, I want to pen a special tribute to my mother.
Now I know that tributes are usually reserved for people who have passed away, but don't worry! As far as I'm aware my mum is by God's grace still alive and healthy. Anyway, I think the best tributes are done while a person is still alive and able to know while they're still here that they are appreciated. So here I go! 

As I've grown older and gotten to know my mum better, the more I appreciate her and the way God has used her in my life. Readers, if you are still lucky enough to have your mum with you, make an effort to get to know their story so that you can understand them better! 
My mum is a Malaysian-born Chinese, born in the Year of the Horse. It's not surprising therefore that she exudes the characteristics of horse people - especially the stubborn and free-spirited part!
When she was a child, she was sent to a convent school to learn English, while the rest of her siblings did their education in Chinese. While this was so that she could translate official letters written in English for my grandparents (Malaysia was a British colony when my mum was a girl), I also believe it was part of God's plan for her life when she would move first to the UK, then to Australia, where she has spent the majority of her 60-odd years.
After finishing school, my mum moved to the UK to work as a midwife in the mid-1970s, along with several young women who would go on to become her lifelong friends. I think it was this period that proved to be the making of her. My grandmother was naturally concerned for my mum because the UK was so far away, and she didn't know how my mum would cope with the weather and the food (for those of you who know my mum, she doesn't like red meat). In addition, the UK's economy at the time was not very good, but my mum was determined to make the best of it, and developed the life skills that would hold her in good stead for her future. Fortunately my mum wasn't exactly all alone on the other side of the world - her older sister, my 大姨, and her fifth brother (my 五舅) were also in Europe at the time. 
After three or four years, my mum and her friends moved to Melbourne, where they have basically stayed ever since. It's not hard to see why - it was much closer to home, the weather was warmer and living conditions were better all round!
As far as I'm aware, the only time since then that my mum has not been in Australia for a significant period of time was when she moved to Hong Kong in the early 1980s to live with my dad's family after being match-made by one of her relatives. As I've already mentioned, my mum is a Horse, but my dad is a Rat, and it is said in Chinese culture that the pairing of Rat and Horse is among the worst combinations. Clearly this was not something mum and dad's matchmaker took into account when setting them up!
After getting married in HK, mum made it clear to dad that she wanted to move back to Australia. It is only now that I realize what a sacrifice this was for my dad - to leave his stable job as a medical professional in the public health sector and start anew in a country which didn't recognize his qualifications, despite his years of medical training and experience. This meant that mum basically had to juggle full-time work with raising me and my sister while dad struggled to find medical employment. Mums are indeed amazing!

Among the many moments in our relationship that stand out to me, I will just mention two: 

1. On the night of my 16th birthday, as I was getting ready to sleep, mum came into my room and had a quiet talk with me. She acknowledged that when I was younger, she had hurt me in a number of ways due to her short temper and asked me to forgive her for all that. Naturally, I was very moved and said to her that I had already forgiven her in my heart long ago. Looking back, I think this was a pivotal moment in the restoration of our relationship. 
2. Two years later, on my 18th birthday, I wanted to have a special dinner at home with my close friends. For mum, this meant doing a heap of extra cooking, but she proved herself worthy of the task. I can't remember everything that she cooked, but I remember that it was the food she knew I liked, and that it was a lot! My friends all enjoyed the dinner and complimented mum on her excellent cooking. As for me, it will serve as a lovely memory for which I can be grateful.   

Having permanently retired several years ago, my mum has well and truly moved on to the next phase of her life, where she can hopefully start to enjoy the fruit of her labours and also indulge her first grandson, my adorable nephew Nathan. She has also embraced technology, thanks to my youngest brother's help, and regularly posts on Whatsapp. I pray that God will grant her many more years of enjoyment before calling her home.

Happy Mother's Day, Mum. Love you heaps! God bless xoxo

All's Well That Ends Well

Greetings, dear readers!

I hope you've all had a refreshing break and are tackling (or going to tackle) 2019 with a renewed sense of vigour and purpose.

After having Vanessa over for the day on New Year's Eve, I started the new year with a nice bike ride around my local area. In November - knowing that I needed to get back into fitness and that the last part of the Mullum Mullum Trail had been completed in September to connect the main bike trails - I decided to purchase a new bike (and drop off my old bike at the CERES bike shed). I went to 99 Bikes at Blackburn and with some help from the staff chose my new bike - A black Norco Indie 3 Hybrid 2019. It is quite a significant upgrade from my previous bike, which was a humble Huffy dad had purchased from K-mart back in 2002 and assembled for me.

From home I headed off along the Green Gully Trail before turning on to the Mullum Mullum Trail, attempting to ride all the way down to the start of the Eastlink Trail. I almost got there but had to turn back, and as I found out when I got home, I had taken a wrong turn near the end of the Mullum Mullum Trail. On the way back I decided to go the long way, riding the Main Yarra Trail through Westerfolds Park until I turned onto the Ruffey Creek Trail, before eventually arriving back home. In all, I must have ridden roughly 20-25 kilometres, which has easily been my longest ride in quite a while. Even more astonishing was that I did it with a loose front wheel, which I did not realize until about a week-and-a-bit later, when I was doing a pre-ride safety check and the front wheel came off! At least now I know how to securely install the front wheel. I hope to go for a few more rides when the weather cools down slightly and the council finishes the roadworks they've just commenced outside our court on Browning Drive.

You might be wondering if this is what my title is about. Well, yes, you could say that in the end with the bike I got home in one piece, but it actually relates to an incident that happened this week at work. Just before the end of the year, I took advantage of the Boxing Day sales at OPSM to grab a much-needed new pair of prescription glasses. I ended up settling for a rimless Armani Exchange model AX1026 which, after sales discount and health insurance cover, ended up costing only $150.

So yes, anyway, on Monday I wore them into work, but was constantly changing over to my prescription sunglasses as well. (NB: This post was completed on 10 May 2020, after languishing unfinished for over a year, hence my memory is a little dim or inaccurate in places!) That day I was conducting mock job interviews for my Deakin College Foundation class. It was blazing hot, and because on this particular day my students were assigned to another building on the other side of the campus, I had to go there first to meet them. Recently, at the Burwood campus, a long bridge had been constructed, providing a more direct route between the Elgar Road side (where DUELI is situated) and the main campus on the Burwood Highway side. The Student Central area had also been moved to the HE building, and this will be important at the end of the story. 
So after meeting them and collecting their documents for their mock interviews, I made my way back across the bridge to prepare. I must have been preoccupied, for it was on the bridge that my new Armani glasses slipped out of the sunglasses case and fell on the ground, and I did not notice at the time. 
It was not until I got to the classroom where the interviews would be held that I realized my glasses were missing, however it was now too late to go searching for them, so I struggled my way through the interviews with my poor eyesight and then tried retracing my steps. 
To cut the story short, I spent the next few days going down what I thought was every avenue to find those glasses and was just about to give up when God prompted me to inquire at the Student Central lost property department. So I went in, not expecting much, and asked at the lost property desk if a pair of rimless spectacles had been turned in that Monday. To my surprise, the man at the desk promptly got up and returned with what appeared to be my Armani glasses! After checking that they were indeed mine, I asked - in utter astonishment and gratitude - where they had been found. It was there I found out that I had dropped them and to my relief, one of the staff at Student Central had picked them up as he was passing by on his way back to the office. POSTSCRIPT TO NOW: Since then, thankfully, I have been more careful with my glasses and have learned that in future, if I lose anything at Deakin, give the Student Central office a try.

Looking back on 2018, looking forward to 2019

Greetings, dear readers!
It is great to be back after such a long time having not logged any entries. Next year one of my goals is to resume writing blog posts on as regularly a basis as my time will allow. The posts will obviously feature personal news, as well as things I've been learning in terms of language and my relationship with God (and Vanessa), and reviews of books I've read or films that I've watched.

Highs and Lows

Well, another year has flown by and while definitely starting to feel my years catching up with me, I hope my wisdom has also increased. As is usual practice, I will share the main highlights and lowlights.
Of the several highlights from this year, three stand out:

• Being a groomsman for the first time. After dating for more than 10 years, my dear church friends Jonathan and Amanda finally tied the knot in May. One Sunday after church earlier in the year Jonathan had pulled me aside and quietly asked if I would like to be one of his groomsmen. My initial reaction was one of surprise, because I felt we weren't that close, but I nonetheless felt greatly honored to play such an important role in his big day. It was a wonderful learning experience for me as I participated in the wedding preparation and experienced a full day as a member of the inner sanctum. 
• Completing a CELTA course. In case you don't know, CELTA stands for the Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults and is run by Cambridge University. In August, I took time off from work to complete the CELTA in an intensive course at Monash College, which was self-funded. Although I have a Master of Teaching and experience teaching English to adults, I am glad that I did the course. Not only did I make new friends and contacts (one of whom I was later able to help get work at Deakin!), I also got my hands on some valuable techniques and resources that would enhance my teaching and was able to get much-needed feedback on my teaching strengths and areas for improvement. 
• News that my sister Elise is expecting her first child. My sister chose a private family gathering (my dad's 70th birthday actually) to announce to us that she was pregnant, which was greeted with joy by all of us, and overwhelmed my youngest brother who, probably more than any of us, is looking forward to playing the role of uncle. We had to wait a couple of months though before my sister chose to make the news public. I of course am also happy for my sister, especially since she and my brother-in-law Tom had been trying for some time.  

Amidst the joy of these moments was one lowlight that cast quite a shadow, the unfortunate passing of my classmate Warwick Beattie from cancer in July at the age of 32, leaving behind a wife and young daughter. Of all the people from my year level, I don't think anyone would have guessed that he would be the first of us to pass away. Due to my CELTA course requirements, I was unable to attend his funeral, but heard from other friends who went that it was a fitting send-off for a much-loved guy. The last time I saw Waz was earlier in the year when some of my other classmates organized a prayer service at Donvale Presbyterian when news broke that he had been diagnosed with late stage bowel cancer. Later I talked with another of my classmates who is a close friend of Warwick's older brother and was somewhat relieved to learn that he had returned to faith in Jesus, so I hope to have the chance to catch up with him in heaven!

What's ahead?

2019 is going to be another busy, action-packed year. My choir, the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic, has a number of concerts already scheduled (which reminds me that I need to pay my membership!). Sports-wise, there's the Cricket and Rugby World Cups to look forward to, as well as the Asian Cup and AFL. In terms of work, I will be applying for a contract at Deakin and continuing to look for tutoring opportunities in the meantime. In terms of my relationship with Vanessa, we will be ramping up the search for our first place. And ... stay tuned for some BIG news in the coming months, which some of you might know about. That's all I can say for now without giving too much more away.

How about you? What were your highlights for 2018? What are you looking forward to in 2019? Please share in the comments. I look forward to reading them.

God bless and wish you all the best for 2019!
Jeremy

2016 Annual Review

2016 will go down as a strange year by anyone's reckoning. While the Brexit referendum, Trump's election victory and the deaths of so many people in the arts dominated headlines, the year will also be remembered in sport as the Year for the Dreamers, the true believers and romantics. So, without further ado, here are my highlights from this year:

• Gaining a variety of teaching experiences through Vibe Education, which included two stints at different high schools teaching French and Spanish, and several days of special needs education. Also being able to test the Michel Thomas Method as a private tutor, and seeing that it really works when it comes to teaching / learning a language.
• Returning to Melbourne in time to witness the most amazing AFL finals campaign by the team I have followed since 1997, the Western Bulldogs. First they went to Subiaco against a red-hot West Coast team and beat them by 47 points. Then the following week they faced the then reigning premiers Hawthorn at the MCG, which I went to with my best mate from Big W and Doggies brother Ben. In the best night of footy I've ever experienced, we were among the 87,000 fans who saw the Dogs "reverse the curse of '61" and run out 23-point winners. Then came a night of unforgettable drama the next Saturday as I sat glued to the TV for the preliminary final against Greater Western Sydney. The euphoria of getting through to our first Grand Final in 55 years carried me through the week as I proudly wore my scarf to work. On Grand Final day, I went with Ben to the Bulldogs' training ground and spiritual home, Whitten Oval in West Footscray, to watch the game on the big screen with thousands of other supporters. At the end of two hours of hard-fought footy against the Swans, we managed to pull away in the dying minutes to finally win our first premiership since 1954. Like many fans, I've watched the highlights of that match hundreds of times since that amazing day, and it's still hard to believe we've finally done it. 
• Celebrating 3 years with Vanessa, showing her around Europe and introducing her to my wider circle of friends and family from over there, and attending various weddings. Of course, we've been asked the question several times already when our turn will be, but we're happy to take our time.
• It has been another unforgettable year of music, doing a series of memorable concerts with the London Philharmonic, finishing with a rousing performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony as part of the Proms concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. Then upon returning to Melbourne, I promptly rejoined the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic in time for my first-ever Messiah and another round of Carols at the Cathedral concerts. 

Here's wishing everyone much health, happiness and success in 2017!
For the last time in 2016, Cheers and God bless

An honest reflection ... and testimony to God's grace!

Dear readers,

First of all, belated Christmas greetings to you all. I have for the most part been very busy since my last blog post. Much has happened since returning to Melbourne, and only now as the year draws to a close have I had the chance to sit down, reflect and write something down. I started this reflection early on Christmas morning and thanks to writer's bloc and other distractions, only managed to finish it just now:

It is the wee hours of Christmas morning as I sit in my bed writing this. It's so warm that I can't sleep and my brain is full of thoughts, so I'm writing things down while they're still fresh in my mind. I've just finished watching for the first time that classic Christmas film It's A Wonderful Life. Like Carols in the Cathedral, which again was a highly-acclaimed success, watching this film is going to become an annual Christmas tradition for me, as it already is for many others, if only to remind me every year of just how blessed I've been. 
 In case you don't know the plot, a hardworking, big-hearted businessman named George Bailey (portrayed brilliantly by James Stewart) is about to commit suicide due to not being able to pay $8,000 to a visiting bank officer, due to an accidental mishap by his business partner and uncle. He is saved by his guardian angel Clarence, who shows George all the bad things that would have happened to the people around him if he had never existed. In some regards, the story is a reverse of Dickens' Christmas Carol, but thankfully both have a happy ending. If you haven't seen It's A Wonderful Life yet, watch it yourself to find out what happens in the end.
 Anyway, the film got me thinking about the year that is about to draw to a close. This time last year, I was of course still in London, not quite midway through my intended stay, but by the time I left in August I knew that I had had enough. Although there are certainly some aspects I still miss from my time there - the comparatively reliable Tube and bus services, pubs, Marks & Spencer, reading the Good Deed Feed in the Metro, the libraries, singing with the London Philharmonic Choir, and making new friends - it was also in London that I made the biggest mistake of my life thus far.
 To keep the story as brief as possible, I'll keep to the main points. I invested over AUD 100,000 of my savings into a group called Banc de Binary and lost virtually all of it in an elaborate scam. To make matters worse, it was not even my own money but the hard-earned cash that my parents had saved up over years and put in for me to buy a house one day. I was assigned an "account manager" who would give me trading signals over the phone, and while in the beginning things looked rosy, it very quickly went downhill. 
It is at this point that I have to thank my family and friends, especially Amanda and Andrew, for pointing out and confirming my worst fears that I had fallen for a scam, and more important prayed for me. I believe now on looking back that it was thanks to those prayers that 1) I was able to close my account with Banc de Binary before leaving London, and 2) I hadn't gone into debt due to my losses.
 It's also at this juncture that I must give thanks to God for my girlfriend Vanessa. We've now been together just over three years, this has easily been the most testing year so far, first with our physical separation, temporarily broken over Easter holiday, and then the aforementioned scam, which I will now say threatened to completely ruin my time in London. I would have understood perfectly if Vanessa decided to ditch me after losing all that money, especially since she's determined for us to find a place of our own as soon as possible. But she has stuck by me, which means that she really does love me after all, I guess.
 Although I will probably have to wait until I get to Heaven to see how I've been a blessing to people around me during my time on Earth, I can at least be thankful not just for God's protection and guidance, but for the various people who have invested in me over the years and continue to do so.
 And so I returned gladly to Melbourne, albeit humiliated and chastised by my financial folly. However, God mercifully came through for me again in two major ways. First, He provided me with work back at DUELI, which helped me 1) to start rebuilding my shattered bank accounts and 2) quickly readjust to life back in Melbourne. Then in late October, completely out of the blue, I received a message on Facebook from the Head of Languages at Presbyterian Ladies College (PLC), whom I had gotten to know through being on the committee of the Association of German Teachers of Victoria (AGTV) with her. She notified me that there was a part-time position going for German, and asked whether I would be interested.
 Now at this point, I faced a small dilemma. After my time teaching in London and learning about the Michel Thomas Method, I was determined to continue teaching, just without the stresses of a high school environment. I therefore planned to set up my own language teaching business using the Michel Thomas Method. However, this opportunity was clearly something from God, as if He was saying, "I want you to give it another chance", and not just at any school, but one of the best in Victoria, if not Australia, furthermore a school where I will be able - and encouraged - to practice my faith.
 So I went for two interviews and then late last month I got the call from one of the Deputy Principals offering me the position, to which I said yes. Now, taking up this job is something of a leap of faith, given that I will be getting less pay (compared to working as a casual employee at Deakin) and it's only a one-year contract. But God has been gracious enough to grant me this job, He has looked after me and blessed me so abundantly over my 30 years that I have no excuse not to continue to trust His guidance and obey His word. As that great hymn says: 

Many things about tomorrow 

I don't seem to understand 

But I know who holds tomorrow

And I know who holds my hand

Stay tuned for my upcoming annual review. 

Cheers and God bless

Half-Year Recap (Part Two)

Greetings everyone,
 I can barely believe that I now have less than a month-and-a-half left in London. How time has flown! Before launching into the post, a quick announcement that I have finally booked the second - and final - leg of my flight HOME! I will be flying first from Malpensa Airport (Milan, Italy) to Singapore on Monday August 22, scheduled to arrive the following morning. 
 I look forward to catching up with the family and friends who are based there, as well as fitting in a trip to Malaysia over the weekend to visit my other maternal relatives, before flying out of Singapore late on Sunday evening August 28, scheduled to arrive in Melbourne at 9 a.m. the following morning. Funnily enough, both flights cost me 294 pounds each!

Plans for rest of time in London

 After the end of my stint at Queen Elizabeth Girls School, my main agency Vibe offered me guaranteed supply work until 4 July which I decided to take up in order to have some sort of stable income for the rest of my time here. I didn't really draw up a list of things to do before coming, and I'd like to think I've done most of the main touristy stuff now, especially when Vanessa was here.
 However, two things that I still haven't done yet which are high on my priority list are: 1) Go see a West End musical; and 2) Watch a day of cricket at Lord's, which I live close to. There are of course tons of musicals to choose from, and my cousin Vivian recommended Book of Mormon, which I might catch when I get back to Melbourne, but Aladdin has caught my interest. 
There are also of course things I need to sort out before leaving, which includes paperwork, notifying bank and internet / phone provider of my impending departure, and planning - and paying for - my summer holiday, which leads perfectly into the next part.

Summer holiday plans

 During the second half of July, as the school year gradually comes to a close and supply work dries up, I will take the chance to visit parts of Britain I haven't yet got around to. Depending how much time and money I have, the main places I want to see are Bath (pictured below), the Cotswolds, Cardiff and Snowdonia.

Once my pay from last week comes through, I will book my flight from London to Hamburg for August 1st. I will then have three weeks traveling around before flying out to Singapore. My basic itinerary looks like this: 

• August 1-4: HAMBURG, then take bus to Dresden
• August 4-7: DRESDEN, then take bus to Vienna
• August 7-13: VIENNA, during which time I hope to enrol at the Institut EWI for a week-long intensive German course
• Take bus or train to Salzburg
• August 13-15: SALZBURG, then take bus / train to Kitzbühel
• August 15-17: KITZBÜHEL, meet up with Greta, one of the tour guides from MUCS Choir Trip back in 2014
• Bus / train to Kitzbühel to INNSBRUCK, then stay overnight in Innsbruck, then take bus from Innsbruck to Milan on August 18
• August 18 - 22: MILAN, including a day trip to Como. Flying out at 12 pm on the 22nd, taking the Malpensa Express

It's voting time! 

 There probably hasn't been that much news about it back in Australia, but over here the time has almost arrived for the people to decide. This Thursday there is going to be a referendum on whether the UK should stay in or leave the EU. There are strong arguments on both sides, and the question of whether to leave or stay has divided the public. Although the government's official stance, according to their website, is to remain, there are a number of ministers and MPs who have gone to the other side. Although as a Commonwealth citizen I could have voted, I have decided not to since I'm not staying here much

longer, and would most likely not return to live here unless I could afford it. Whatever the outcome of Thursday's referendum is, it will be interesting to observe the consequences.
 However, there is something else that has got my attention, which is of course the upcoming Australian federal election on 2 July. Over here, we have the option of either postal vote or going to Australia House until July 1 to submit our vote. Although some people I know who are overseas have opted out of it, either because they can't be bothered or they can't see how their vote is going to make any difference, I nonetheless wish to exercise my civic right and responsibility to have a say in who should run our country. Whichever party is elected, I hope and pray that as always they will govern wisely and ensure that Australia will remain a place of peace and prosperity for future generations.   
 Cheers and God bless!

Half-Year Recap (Part One)

Greetings dear readers!
After a busy few months, I'm glad to have the chance to sit down and update you on how things have been going in London. As always, there's a lot to catch up on, so let's get straight into it.

Vanessa's visit

As mentioned from my previous post, my girlfriend Vanessa flew over to London to join me for the Easter holiday. Annoyingly, the Piccadilly line - which goes directly to Heathrow Airport - was on strike the day of Vanessa's arrival, which meant I had to pay extra for a return trip to Paddington via the Heathrow Connect. But it was great to have her by my side again after doing long distance for seven months, and even though she was only here for two weeks, it was better than nothing. After all, it is common knowledge that London is an expensive city, and I certainly didn't have space to accommodate her at the house I am staying.
 That being said, we were only in London for about five days; the rest of the time we were in Europe. We had a wonderful time travelling to Berlin, different parts of Holland, and Paris, although we both encountered some difficult moments there!
 But the main thing for me, besides getting reacquainted with places I had already been to, was that Vanessa was able to meet most of my friends and family in the UK and in Europe.   

My time at Queen Elizabeth Girls 

At the start of the last week before half term break, i.e. nearly two weeks ago, I was summoned for a word by the deputy headteacher and told that my services would not be needed after half term. This is because, similar to back home in Australia, the higher year levels (10 to 13) will be finishing early after exams, so the other language teachers, who all take at least one or two of those classes, will take over my classes. 
 The first feeling I had when I heard this was one of relief, as the workload had been starting to get the better of me. I can appreciate now just how INSANE the workload is for full-time teachers in England, and although it has been tough, I will look back on my extended stint at QEGS with fond memories. Besides teaching some wonderful students, I also had my first experience of the dreaded OFSTED, sat in for parent-teacher interviews and participated in the school's Commemoration Day services.  Although there are quite a number of people to thank, special mention must go to Helene, the deputy head of languages who was effectively my boss, without whose help I would have been completely lost, and Denise, whose experience and support was critical throughout my time at the school. 

Choir Stuff

 Shortly after Vanessa's departure, the London Philharmonic Choir (LPC), which I joined last September, performed Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach at the Royal Festival Hall. This was my second time performing the piece, the first time being back in 2013 with MUCS. While it was probably slower than the first performance, it felt more intense, and it certainly helped having our resident German member Susi Underwood to sharpen our pronunciation. The reviews, of the choir at least, were gladly very favourable.
 A month later, we had a concert at the same venue performing two of Sir Karl Jenkins' works - The Healer and his Requiem, being conducted by the composer himself. It's fair to say that Jenkins' music doesn't appeal to everybody, especially among LPC members, but there were parts which I enjoyed, especially the Japanese haiku movements in the Requiem featuring the haunting sound of the shakuhachi flute. 

 The LPC's next concert is on Tuesday under the baton of its president, Sir Mark Elder. It will be a semi-dramatised performance of Weber's Der Freischütz, which unfortunately I won't be able to attend. My final concert with the LPC before I return to Melbourne will be on July 24 at the Proms, during which we will be performing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Royal Albert Hall. That is going to be some departure!
 As much as I have enjoyed my time with LPC, I look forward to singing again with my friends at the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic (RMP) choir and being back in time for what should be my first-ever Messiah concert as a performer, hopefully the first of many!

Before I finish, let me just quickly say I can't believe how fast time has flown! We are technically now into summer here and I'm amazed (and grateful!) I didn't come down with hay fever during spring. Look out for Part Two soon!

Cheers and God bless