ye olde thrift store

we discover this original-condition crammed-to-the-third-level-ceiling shop in the heart of the new yuppie hangouts. fascinating ware they have too, except that their prices are rather more contemporary than the vintage suggests. the best thing about the place, i tell HOM, is their rich deep timber strip floor just like my grandfather had in his shop back in the old country.

with thanks

for you will certainly carry out God's purpose, however you act, 

but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John.

- c.s. lewis, the problem of pain

not to seek to do mightily

but to do faithfully cheerfully

with humility

and with love.

thanksgiving 2013

pain, someone said, is a strange thing. 

when its time is past you cannot bring it back. 

the memory remains of a time

but not the sharp agony of the moment.

i am the gentler this year for being a little bit more broken.

c.s.lewis is right when he says,
humility, after the first shock, is a cheerful virtue.

eating potatoes

you can take the girl out of america, but the turkey sure got to her. also, giving thanks is good for the soul.

in other news, HOM and i have decided to host our own dinner with the bird the stuffing the green beans and the squashes and to make everybody reflect on their blessings while they eat at our table out in the tropics.

turkey logistics

what i want for christmas is a second oven.

a dishwasher would be nice too.

nihil novi sub sole

news that gets repeated over and over so you think it's the same but it's actually not:

• demonstrations in bangkok
• fiscal cliffs in the ol' united states
• strikes in france - although to be honest i haven't heard this in a bit
• faux pas by singapore against her neighbors - indonesia, malaysia - you name it

in local news, of course, we get, with commendable dependability:

• the haze
• the dengue outbreaks
• the psle the psle results and the psle scores
• the fare increases
• the rising indices
• the record coe's
• the road hogs and other unpleasantries, and
• the political one upsmanship

the only new thing is learning to say it in latin.

almost queen

stuff i hear so often it's starting to sound kosher:

• double confirm. as in, dear madam, thank you for your response. may i just double confirm that this is what you meant? shades of mrs 'arris in her dior gown, it looks like.
• iconic. as in, this is going to be an iconic development with several iconic architectural features including this iconic elevator. an expanded vocabulary might come in useful, that's wot i say.
• my girlfriend. particularly and peculiarly the favorite of enthusiastic sales women trying to talk you into a product you have little interest in. as in, my girlfriend says this is blah blah blah. perhaps she does, but i could care less.

from a woman's POV

there are men who open doors for women and allow them to go thru the door first. also, there are neanderthals.

a letter for J1

i think of all the blessings i would wish unto you, and this one brings together all that i would have for you: may God bless you and keep you. may God make his face shine upon you. may He be gracious unto you. may He lift his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

 

i think of all the hopes i have for you, and this is what i would have for you: may you be a man of honor and integrity. may you have holy wisdom and know real joy. may you live a generous life in the confidence of God's unfailing love. may you find your path and walk it well.

 

i think of all else i would say to you, as you turn twenty-one, and i would say just this: keep well, son. have a good day. stay safe. we love you.

reading list

currently,
1. oriental carpet design, p r j ford, 1989
2. the last eunuch of china, jia yinghua, 2009
3. a testament to freedom, bonhoeffer, 1995
4. ethics (and other liabilities), harry stein, 1982

a nice gebbeh would be really nice, i keep telling HOM.
as for that eunuch, i've got a bit stuck at the castration part. bloody difficult to move on from that point.

mommy's day out

i take a day off to go shopping. my grand haul comprises one pair of shoes (black, patent, work), four christmas baubles (two green and two washed-out red), and one hair brush.

i NEED amazon.com.

life tensions

exams are over for the year. my three loves, perhaps - clinics, teaching, assessment. and my great love - HOM. as he says, we are getting to the age where we can do more together, and can actually do it. the flip side, mayhaps, of finding a place i am comfortable with at work.

the selection interview 101

freshly coming off three days of back-to-back selection interviews, here are some observations:

• résumés these days are enervatingly impressive. woe betide thee if thou hast not the published research the community service and the multiple awards.
• what stands out then are your results. which is unfair and myopic of us, but when you are young and undifferentiated it helps to be outstanding.

what works?

• communicating really well is a definite advantage. however, rambling non-stop is not.
• genuine interest and involvement in the rest of life works too. boring is boring.
• grooming always works.

what does not work?

• putting your elementary school results on your c.v. only makes me question your good judgement.
• oiliness of word or manner. yeeeech.

what i say is, it isn't easy getting into a program these days. and looking at the program, even if you get in, it isn't easy getting out. there's something to be said about being a baby boomer.

spotted on the public bus

a white-haired balding man gives up his seat to a white-haired wrinkled woman, who is effusively and embarrassedly grateful.

chivalry, even to my middle age, still gets me. every time.

the perfect storm

someone designed it.

someone bought it.

someone wore it.

in public.

herein lies a perfectly ghastly combination poor taste and anosognosia.

morning cuppa

november is always the start of a slower time of year... when tinsels and lights make their appearance and home glows warmer and advent begins anew.

i like.

diwali in the 'hood

the pros: lovely smells in the air, of curries and oils and spices

the cons: plenty of little 'uns running about making loud noises

i'm getting too old for the cons.