December is Here!

Isn't it amazing how time seems to zoom past us on lightning speed when we are busy with life and all its demands. Ambonese people used to say, "Waktu paleng capat. Tutu mata buka mata lai su Desember" which means time is nothing but a blink of an eye. blink and you passed the moment. 

Anyway, as it is customary, we enter the last month of this year with gratitude and reflection. First gratitude for me an my family is for our health and well being during this pandemic time. This is the second Christmas we celebrate in Pandemic situation. Now as christmas and new year are approaching, we are getting the new covid-19 variant, the Omicron. Not exactly the christmas gift we expected. However, despite all that... I would like to give thanks to God for taking care of us and walking with us through these 2 unprecedented years of pandemic. Nothing is coincidence in God's work. All have purpose and all have meanings. Omicron may be here but Omicron is not greater than God. He is using the Omicron to teach us the great lesson in life because apparently we haven't learned enough. Still too many ignoramus self-centered and egoistic people going around refusing to follow the protocol. These prolonged the pandemic. And yet... they still cry conspiracy and government oppression. 

For the second time again, this yearwe are having this Christmas and new year in pandemic time. I am sure God would want us to draw close to Him. Not to be engulved in worldly parties and all the hooraah... and yet to see what's important... family and friend. To be simple in celebration... no big parties or celebration. All in all... let us be glad and in thankfulness enter christmas and passed on to the new year, happy and healthy. 

This year has also been a remarkable years for me to develop personally and professionally. I admit... I LOVE working from home. I know this is a priviledge. I acknowledge that not many people can say that or have the means to be able to work from home. It can be that there are no work space or there are other lives that required attention when they work from home. So I am saying it with great responsibikity and understanding that I am indeed lucky and blessed to have this opportunity. 

Anyway, this year I learned many new skills from the comfort of my home. One of them is writing both creative writing and academic writing. I joined creative writing circles and participated in antology book writing. I urged Tania to join me too. So this december and January next year, I will have 3 antology books for my creative writing. Meanwhile, I have 1 book already published in Google Play where one of the chapter is my article that I presented at CELT International Conference in August this year. My paper is one of the 18 selected paper to be published. The book was published by Unika Soegijapranata in Google Play therefore, you need to pay to access the book. The complete Google Play Publication can be accessed here. I will share about the my antology books once they are published. 

So, I wish you all a happy merry and blessed Christmas to those who celebrate it and a wonderful transition to the next year. May God bless us all.