This blog has now reached it's end. The American Adventure has finished. Will there be a sequel in the near future? One will never know, but for now let's let the credits roll...

Friday, January 1, 2010

Chapter 1.00 - A new beginning


Happy New Year!

****UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***

Ok, so I was spose to write this on New Years Day. But I got lazy. And it's now a day after... so before it all goes pear shaped I better get things together.

Firstly, this is how I spent New Year's Eve. No party, no countdown... and I loved it.

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A couple of beers (later on some rum and sprite), a box of leftover Christmas chocolates, my music on my laptop and a book to read.

So a year has gone by. It almost feels like 2009 never happened. So much has gone on in 2009 that my mind hasn't had the opportunity to sit on anything in particular and let it really set into my brain. You could say there's soup in my brain now, and nothing's really fixed in it's solid place. But I do know that I've learned loads in every aspect of my life and alot of great things have happened throughout the year. It's just that it's gone past in the blink of an eye that I haven't felt like a whole year of stuff has happened.

I'm rambling. As I normally do. I curse this ability to string tangible sentences together without ever making a point.

Here's some fun stuff.

KJ'S LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

I. FOOD I CAN COOK NOW
My menu has grown considerably. Here's the things I'm now proficient in cooking
- brilliant rice (A primary achievement... in a pot....)
- Brilliant Fried Rice (it's a start ok.. bear with me.. the list gets good)
- brilliant fried noodles
- brilliant (but not as brilliant as mom's) spaghetti
- brilliant onion soup
- brilliant fish and chips
- brilliant potatoes (roasted, sauteed, mash)
- brilliant roast chicken
- brilliant pork chops
- brilliant pie fillings (I don't make pastry.. just the filling.. hey it's just as good)
- brilliant glazed ham

and alot of interestingly brilliant recipes.

II. NEW DRUM SKILLZZ
- very fast and accurate rimshots
- very fast and accurate double paradiddles
- very fast and accurate triple paradiddles
- very fast and accurate flams
- very fast and accurate pull out accents
- real samba and bossa nova and other latin skills
- real jazz improvisational skills
- proper hand percussion skills
- double bass skills
- hi hat syncopation skills
- heel toe skills
- right hand lead skills
- transcription skills
- playing to a click (and still learning to master... it's not as easy at it sounds)

and alot of other uber cool coordination skills, rudiments and such.

III. RANDOM NEW THINGS
- music programming skills
- iMovie editing and stuff
- recording drum covers over existing tracks and syncing audio and video
- managing money (VERY IMPORTANT LESSON LEARNT)
- weekly exercise

IV. GOD'S LIFE LESSONS
God's taken this time in the States to really teach me things. I feel this area being the biggest area of growth in my life. I've learned a ton in school and living on my own for 9 months now, but I feel I've learned so much in regards my faith. God's been teaching me all over again what it really meant the day I believed in grace and the cross of Jesus. He's taught me and reminded me that I was in need of rescue without even knowing it and He sent Jesus to live the life I couldn't live, and died the death I should've died for my sins. He's been reminding me of grace and the righteousness I now receive in Christ. I have been claimed by Jesus as His own even in the state of my own sin.

He's taught me what it really means to worship Him. What worship really is - it is a response to Him for who He is and what He's done for me. Any experience generates a response in us. Riding a rollercoaster makes us respond 'AHHHHH!' or 'WHEEEE!'. Eating a delicious burger makes us respond 'mmmmmmmmmmm'. In the same way the gift of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary makes me respond 'Wow wow wow wow wow. God I'll do anything for You. God I want to tell the world about You'. In the same way that we do not respond to someone else's experience - we don't scream when we see someone ride a rollercoaster nor do we go 'mmmm' when hearing about someone else eating something delicious - worship is my own personal response for what Jesus has done for ME. My sin was what nailed Him to the cross but it is HIS love for a sinner like me that kept Him there. And now I'm blown away and all my life is dedicated to Him to proclaim of His amazing work on the Cross.

I don't know what it is, but I've never been so responsive to the Word of God in my life. I've never sat in church and paid this much attention before. I've never heard the Word and remembered so much of it before in my life. It's like God's turned me into a sponge this year and just laid it on me day after day after day.

I am blessed. I am saved.

I am a Christian. Ask me why.

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For those of you who're up for some extra reading, here's how I start my New Year.

Especially this year. 2010 is the year of GREAT THINGS with God.




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