Helen Plus Three

If I could do just that for a whole week. What I would give to have been in Elizabeth Gilbert's shoes. I fell in love with Rome and the Italian language just by her story telling. There are many feelings that roamed her mind that I can relate to, the doubts, the uncertainties and the vulnerability. Yet I admire the way she was able to do exactly what she did. Of course one must have the resources, but one must also have that inner push which she had to help the outer push (her 'divine' experience) propel her forward. There's a lot of truth about the subject of religion as relayed by Lizz without putting a label on it,  it's almost identifiable in all the religions that are out there (most of them). I could feel her tumult at the beginning and I could sense the gradual diminishing of it during her stay in Bali. It isn't about romance or companionship or performing duty or charity or morality, it is about finding an inner peace in the mind that means cont...

Sunday 24 Oct..... Why is it sometimes it feels like particular days are designated as argument day. Out of the blue, tempers flare, patience goes on vacation and (temperature rises) heated words get exchanged by all parties. We all just get ignited simultaneously. Perhaps it is the air! This happens between 17 year old, 13 year old and me the adult. Hmmm, I see the problem now.,  it's got to do with teenage hormones,  they outweigh and outrank the natural order. In other words, I'm outnumbered. Whatever the case, there is NO EXCUSE for blatant insolence. Ommmmm

On Saturday, I decided to take advantage of the bookshops special discount offer of 25%. I wanted to buy more academic practice books for the hols.. yeah yeah kiasu.    But the sale was only at the Ion where the Popular outlet is called Prologue. I suppose the name 'Popular' just won't do in a upscale mall like the Ion. Just as 'Harris" is at Suntec.  Anyway this was my first actual visit to the Ion. I usually avoid Orchard Road cos I don't like crowds. Well despite getting lost, walking every which way but the right way, we finally got to the store on the 4th level. (I must add they do have very polite information service persons posted here and there for help but it didn't help cos the lifts were full). The Ion was crowded, it was a Saturday night I suppose. We found the lift lobby but just couldn't get in and decided let's find the escalators and find a way with more walking. We found the store. It didn't look like the Popular we are used...

"I am never proud to participate in violence, yet, I know that each of us must care enough for ourselves, that we can be ready and able to come to our own defense when and wherever needed."  - M Angelou In other words, love yourself, never let yourself be bullied.

Purple shoes well not exactly purple purple, you know it’s sort of deep purple, so in non-white light it almost looks black. What am I going on about, I decided to adventure into another new territory of non- black shoes. It started with red strappies two years ago, I thought that was major. Ok.. this is just another branch.... or stem. In the daylight you can see it’s purple. Call me old-fashioned, non-adventurous but fashion and I just never had the opportunity to get to know each other that well , we just started getting acquainted in the past 10 years with a sort of a coming out into my own, really, really late bloomer,  hence my obsession with pink in the last few years. Never really had the opportunity in my younger days to explore for the lack of pocket money and a conservative home. And then as one ‘matures’ one doesn’t quite dare dip the feet in until some major catharsis hits like the approach of the middle ages. Anyway today I wore the purple shoes (deep ...

It's Sunday.... no ranting today.... Here's a character who never fails to put a smile on my face. F is for friends that do stuff together U is for you and me N is for anywhere and anytime at all down here in the deep blue sea!! says Spongebob

Is everything more expensive these days or is it my imagination. Did I just pay $15 for a handful of vegetables ?   Fish is expensive  but unfortunately it's also healthier, .. (troublesome too as I get more whining from the the kids ... they 'd rather live on chicken and mutton). ... $16 !! for white pomfret is there any point haggling with the fish seller Prices of food are skyrocketing  but our salaries are barely crawling in the upward motion.  The economy is bad then the weather is bad, then the economy picks up and property prices climb again  although one has got nothing to do with the other,  notice the pattern , it's all just going up (except...) which just means the hole in our pocket grows bigger and bigger. Now to more mundane stuff... it's time for haircuts AGAIN, why do the boys hair just grow like ... lallang .. at least there are still no-frills barbers around for that;  a $7 or $8 for a basic haircut !

I'm still reading ' Half the Sky' , am about 3/4 ways through. Here's a quote of a quote from the book from the father of an Afghan woman, it captures the very essence of the problem, within which is the solution . 'That is why these people are afraid of educating women - they are afraid that then the women will ask questions, will speak up... That's why I believe in education. It is such a powerful tool to overcome poverty and rebuild the country. If we took the foreign aid that goes into guns and weapons and just took one quarter of that and put it into education, that would completely transform this country." In the introduction there was a discussion from security experts that stuck in my mind that 'Empowering girls.. would disempower terrorists', the discussion stems from the marginalization of women and it's consequences. Lots of food for thought !

Went to the bookstore last week; bought 3 books this round, got a little enthusiastic, couldn't stop myself.. at the book store. I feel happy walking among books and books and browsing of course, what a wonderful way to spend time... like a vortex I get sucked in and and forget time and the present. I tell myself these are books that I will keep. But you know there is only so much space for one’s personal book shelves. So after a while I have to decide what to give away to make space, I pass them on to a thrift store or the church’s second hand shop (which is where I go to rummage for books sometimes) There’s also a shop (Sans) that takes back the books you buy from them but of course within a certain time period. Which is ok, they essentially refund you about a third of the book cost which beats disposing. So if there is a series I follow, I get them from there and return mostly but keep the exceptional ones.

'Half the Sky ' by Nicholas D Kristof & Sheryl Wudunn Slavery of women exists today. It's not fiction. Gender discrimination in the East 'is lethal'... millions of females are missing from the globe because of it :- - priority for health care by parents is given to boys, ultrasounds spell doom for females... .... girls have higher fatality rates. - human trafficking of young girls into prostitution runs into millions - India : bride burning .. tales place once every two hours - Pakistan :  over the past 9 years, 5,000 women and girls set alight, doused in kerosene.. - rapes and ruthless murders in Africa I just started reading and it is maddening to realize this is about modern day depraved cruelties against a huge number of women and girls that is allowed to go on, very much in our backyard.. ... because they are 'discounted humans' defined by a society or culture, because politics is 'divisive' on the subject, because of corruptio...

A sms conversation with a pal of mine - do we stress, why we stress, what if we don't stress the kids... it's all about education and the system that perpetuates it. Why do we do it, we just want the best like everyone else for them..we can't help it. What's best - a good job, a good salary. how about good memories of childhood .. they need time to make those I remind myself. It's a constant battle to push or let go. I want them to have childhood memories worth having.  I can't prevent all the bad ones but I can help with time to make happy ones.

Schools have forgotten about basics. I met my son's teacher a few months back and I said to her  'could you introduce school brushing like they did in the old days?' she looked at me a little queerly. I don't think I meant it in the literal sense but the point was that. With 'progress' in learning systems - pc-fitted, thinking creatively, learning out of the school room ... online., all of us jumping on the bandwagon of the education rat race, seems we have trouble enforcing the basics  like neatness, treating books with care and brushing teeth which for some reason the kids - see as less important ! What's up with that ? Basics just get pushed down the list.....