The one about fun, faith and friends...

A budding lawyer in the making? I sure hope not!! Now don't get me wrong, I have every respect for the legal profession, after all I've been a lawyer for over 15 years and am still one! Still, every father wants his child to have the best and if possible, be even more successful. Maybe he'll excel in tennis or golf?

Fun
Seriously though, what I want for Ethan is for him to be the best in whatever he chooses to do. He's sure to like bowling though! We recently had our Penang-Perak Bar Games which was, this year, hosted by us in Penang. As I was bowling for Penang Bar, Jo and I brought Ethan to the alley for some Sunday morning fun.

He was thrilled to bits seeing the ball rolling towards the pins and sending them flying in all directions. The bowling alley reverberated with his laughter and screams of delight. Ethan even got into the high-fiving with his dad.


Recently also we brought Ethan out at night to our friend Hooi Lin's birthday party. Hooi Lin has since moved to KL and she was up here in Penang for her birthday. She invited a few friends for a gathering at her hotel suite which turned out more like a kid's party with the many children there having a time of their lives.

Ethan checking out what the fuss is about...

Where's the birthday girl?

The Makcik Gang reunited, albeit for a short while...

Faith
We brought Ethan to the St. Anne's Church in Bukit Mertajam during its week long celebrations in conjunction of St. Anne's feast day on the 26th July. The little fellow was a little perplexed with this diversion from the ordinary. However, he quickly adjusted and had a grand time there. He was smart enough to not want to make the trip up St. Anne's hill on foot, so his now much fitter parents had to take turns carrying him up. Once there, he did his share of candle lighting and "prayer".


On a sad note, Jo's Uncle Raymond was called to the Lord after a tough battle with illness. It was a third huge loss for the Holloway-De Vries family in a year and particularly for Aunty Pam, who has now lost her sister, her brother and her husband.

Jo, Ethan and I drove down to KL for the funeral. He was perfectly good during the trip and was magically well behaved at the church during the funeral mass. He took to Jo's cousin Craig's wife - Susan - for some reason and stuck with her throughout most of the service. It was a moving ceremony as Uncle Raymond was always the life of every party and would be sorely missed. He never failed to make us all feel like part of the family. In the end, it was his faith - in God and in his extended family - that saw him through. We'll miss you Uncle Raymond.

Ethan sleeping on the trip down to KL...

Friends
Although "friend" is a common word, it may be the most misunderstood or the most unappreciated position of all time. Jo and I are blessed with good friends and for that we are always thankful.

We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on July 10th. It was a simple dinner for the both of us but we were feted to a nice wine, cheese and supper after at Stacy & Mel's place. There to share our special day were Sue & Yan, Carolyn, Raphael and of course Stacy & Mel.



Jo and I have recently been taking Salsa dancing lessons from Carolyn at her studio - Ohm Dance. As a result, we have made new friends and enjoying ourselves swaying to a new Cuban beat. We are by no means proficient in the dance but have learnt enough to have a good time and able to attend more events which are related to it. I guess, for me personally, its not really about mastering the moves and swaying to the rhythm but more about having the opportunity to mingle and to hang out with more simply fun people.

The Salsa gang at Rasa Sayang...

A bigger crowd at Ferringhi Garden...

Posing after class at Ohm Dance...

There's been much to be thankful for in the last month. The year has been zooming along, unlike the slow year last year. I guess its a clear sign that things have been busy and eventful. Here's to even better times...