Half-Year Recap (Part 3)

As I said in my previous post, May was an eventful month, both for me and my family. I have already talked about Vanessa's birthday (which we actually celebrated in June!), but I'm going to focus on three events that immediately come to mind:

1. My car crash; 
2. The passing of my paternal grandpa; and 
3. My cousin Vivian's wedding.

When I look back on all three events, I can see just how abundantly God has blessed me and our extended family.

First, the car crash. How did it happen? For those of you whom I haven't told yet, it happened on May 6th, my last day of replacement teaching at Viewbank College. I had just finished tying up all the loose ends for the teacher who was coming back, and for some reason I felt in a rush to get home. I drove out of the school and turned into Cheryl Grove, heading downhill with a sharp left turn at the bottom of the slope. Furthermore, the road was wet, a fact that didn't register in my mind until those fateful few seconds when I knew I was in big trouble.

I carelessly cruised down the hill, until I suddenly realized I was going too fast. I then put my foot on the brake, only for the wheels to lock and skid. At that point, I knew in my mind I had lost control and uttered, as any normal person might, "Oh shit!"

The car mounted the curb and smashed head-on into a concrete power pole. Although the car was written off, there were a number of things to be grateful for. First, nobody else was involved in the accident. Second, I know now what to do in case I crash a car and write it off, not that I hope it happens again. Most importantly, I emerged from the car shaken but unhurt, except for a bruised right knee and slight whiplash.

With the generous assistance of the nearby residents, I was able to call a tow truck to take the car back to my place. Once home, I called my friend Gabriel (check out his garage's website here!) to come and assess the damage. He confirmed my worst fears that the car was a write-off, and took me through what to do next: de-registration, policy refund, and towing by salvage wreckers.

I now have a new car and, having learned my lesson the hard way, pray that I will get several years out of it before I can afford a new car.

On May 12, almost a week after my accident, came the news we were dreading but knew had to eventually happen. My paternal grandfather Wang Zhongqing (王鍾慶), whose 100th Chinese birthday we had celebrated in 2010, was admitted to On Luck nursing home (next to my old school Donvale Christian College) at the end of March after grandma had done all she could taking care of him on her own. Nonetheless, my dad and other relatives took turns bringing her every day to the nursing home to tend to grandpa, a testimony which moved the staff at the facility deeply.

On Mothers Day, we brought grandma over for dinner, and when I inquired about grandpa, she said he was "not good", which meant it was very serious. I found out later that he was no longer taking in even water or milk. Early the following morning, we received a phone call from the nursing home informing us that grandpa's situation was deteriorating and asked whether we would like to send for an ambulance. Dad referred the callers to grandma, who decided to let him be. The news that he had gone reached us via Uncle Ambrose a bit before 9 a.m. Although the timing of his passing was somewhat awkward, with my cousin's wedding the following Sunday, we are thankful to God that he departed peacefully. Indeed, when my brothers and I went to pay our respects at the nursing home that evening, he looked as though he was asleep.

His funeral on the Wednesday after my cousin's wedding was a wonderful opportunity for us to thank God for his amazing life and say thank you and goodbye to a man who has left a great legacy to his descendants during his 103 years on the earth. Rest in peace, 爺爺, I look forward to catching up with you in Heaven.

These next few years will be weddings galore, and by the end of this year alone I will have attended at least five! On May 18th, I attended my first wedding of the year, that of my cousin Vivian and her long-time partner Kevin. It was a beautiful wedding and a beautiful day, and among other things I was finally able to introduce Vanessa to my beloved cousin Heidi, who had come over from Hong Kong with Auntie Patsy for the wedding. I was encouraged by Kevin's testimony and how God has shaped him into a mature and responsible young man, without losing his bubbly character. One of the most touching moments of any reception is the dance with the bride and her father. This dance was especially poignant, as Vivian was wearing her late mother's wedding dress for the dance. It's been six years now, but I miss Auntie Pearl more than ever, especially now that I have become a teacher.  

Tomorrow morning, the grand spectacle that is the FIFA World Cup comes to an end with the Final between Argentina and Germany at the Maracanã in Rio, both deserving finalists in their own way. Kick-off is at 5 a.m. Melbourne time, for which I am very grateful, because I will most likely be able to watch the whole game, assuming it doesn't go into extra time. I shall quickly add here that I am returning to McKinnon Secondary College tomorrow, replacing a German teacher who has taken long-service leave for the whole term. Although I love the school, it is a considerable distance from home (40 minutes by car one way!), so if the game kicked off at 6 a.m., I would miss a significant chunk of the second half because I would be driving to school.

Up to this stage, I have supported La Albiceleste, but for the final I'm going to jump ship and support Die Mannschaft. After all, I have more in common with Germany than with Argentina. I will still be happy if Argentina wins, but given what a wonderful tournament this has been, I hope most of all that the final will be a climax befitting of the occasion.

OK, it's off to bed for me. Cheers and God bless!