okay don't laugh, but i actually helped out at the church's annual food and fun fair.
i thought i was going to go mad listening to those damned voices in my head urging me to take a bigger role in church and finally asked mum if she needed help at her booth. now that was a big step for me since i uhm, have been taking a back seat in church events ever since i switched from Holy Cross (where i spent my childhood).
needless to say, mum was more than surprised. but she got over her initial shock soon enough and started talking my ear off bout how they were "so short handed" and "what a blessing" it was that i had "decided to give something back to God" and that "its never too late". i could've sworn i caught her looking up to the heavens as if saying "thank you God" a coupla times.
hey, just because i'm not as involved in church doesn't mean i'm not religious, okay. i just like my religious life... personal.
well anyway, i decided not to stop being such an ungrateful brat and give one afternoon to God selling chicken wings, sausages and sweet corn, just.. you know, to say thank you. it was only one afternoon, after all. not a whole lot when you think about other people's contributions to the church.
but man it seemed like a lot to me, because i was up on my feet at 8am (which was a feat in itself) till 3pm mixing butter into corn cup after cup that i developed a rather nasty blister. not to mention the entire food-and-game section of the fair was held in the basement carpark, which meant lots of cooking steam and little ventilation. hello fire hazard.
but you know what? i had fun. it was actually fun preparing the corn and mingling with my mum's RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation) group which this year was made up of 7 young, (very) chinese girls. i had fun watching kids with their painted faces running around with their cotton candy and terrorising the dogs from the dog show. i had fun meeting and talking to all my mum's gagillion friends and coo-cooing at their kids.
i was sweaty, flustered and a royal mess, but it was more than worth it.
"ya, she volunteered to help, you know? praise God," said mum to a very pleasantly surprised dad.
but it wasn't so much for them as it was for me. its been awhile, eh, Big Guy? glad i'm making more of an effort to come back. :)