Shiva's and Metta's Mother's Sutra

Haji Lane Heuvos Churro Ice Cream Sandwich... and Oisin The pool yesterday We had a great day yesterday. It started off with having breakfast at Toast Box. Then we went to the pool - well I went for a run and a swim. The boys met me there. After that we went to Arab Street to have tacos.  Then we wandered around. It was just the three of us spending a bit of time together before we will be separated for the next year. So we are doing as much as we can before we are forced apart. At least I'll be with one of them - and Ma - during this time.  I am so tired all the time though. So tired. I'm always so exhausted I don't understand why.  I have loads to do before I go and I'll send off the Positive Conduct Policy this evening to the school. The long and short of it is that there are three things we can do. One, have a sort of joint what we have now and a special policy for the ND kids. The second one is...

I thought that I'd just record the 1 thing which I did during the last 4 months with any regularity, apart from look after Ma. Which was workout. I know why I worked out - it was my refuge. My place of safety and where I stayed in control. That's why I worked out. So is the recording of what took place after 4 months. Overall In hindsight, 4 months wasn't a long time - but while I was at the start of it, it was fucking brutal. I would look at the diary and think, shit and fuck. There are like 70 days to go... 55 days to go... but in hindsight... here I am at 5 and I kept running and swimming despite how far away it all felt. And how it seemed as if there was no progress. But I now promise myself I will do this for the rest of my life... certainly the rest of my time here - till next year. It has been such a good good thing. If anyone thinks that they are depressed, unhealthy, whatever, I can only suggest to start training. Set a goal and start training. Successes There are ...

Let's start with the outing yesterday - Oisin came along. We went to SIT and had breakfast there. Sup Kambing - which is what I think inspired mullankatawny soup. They did steal everything didn't they? We then walked to the shoreline and had a shop at NTUC. And we took a long walk around. I was actually tired when I got back. After two episodes of OITNB I went for my run and then swim. I had two glasses of wine. I saw the boys at the club - they had lunch. We bought drinks and 4 Fingers Chicken for Ghin. Then after that we headed back where I completed the series - the entire series - which was great - but I did end up spoiling it a bit, but only because I found some characters sooo annoying. Most annoying was Aleida, Dara's mother, and there was another character... can't remember which one, but she was ESPECIALLY annoying. The attachment disorder was so severe that she kept on making the most irrational decisions. There were also so...

As someone who gave up the idea of the nation state - round about the same time as I gave up the idea of organised religion, which coincided with my discovery of feminism and the importance of mythos and story telling - I do find national days anachronistic. I also find things like founder days and class reunions and all the things which commemorate things which are clearly done to celebrate some accident of birth which singles you out as better than everyone else. Birthday are different though. They are about celebrating someone's arrival here, although I am also very bad at celebrating those. In fact, I am generally bad at celebrating anything. I'd like to say that life is a celebration day to day, but that would also be a lie. It was not always so, but I do think the longer you live the more these days flatten out until the terrain is just an endless one to death. It is a bit depressing, but also true. This is a roundabout way of me saying, I do not care for National Day at ...

The David Byrne yesterday was excellent. So near Singapore's annual fest of tired old tropes of nationalist fervour, often accompanied with some of the most contrived songs shoe horning patriotism into every quaver and demi semi quaver, his fantastic concert was a tribute to the human spirit. He covered fascism, ICE, celebrated the human condition, the contradictions and complications, repression and the thirst for freedom, animal rights, environmentalism and the destruction of forests, etc. There was impeccable choreography and instrumentalism, the musicians carried their instruments the whole time, the visuals and graphics were state of the art - it was utterly utterly inspiring. It was the perfect antidote to the constant blaring of Count on Me Singapore and other 45 year old propaganda which everyone is subjected to when all shopping centres and supermarkets are turned into our own personal Guantanamo Bay for two weeks at this time every year. I can't imagine what the Massi...

Well it has been a week and it is still not over. Monday - Returned from Johor Tuesday - Went to see exhibition in Asian Civilisations Museum Wednesday - Went to Changi and saw The Odyssey Thursday - A day of meals and then walked around in Chinatown after dusk Today we will head to see the David Byrne 'Who is the Sky?' gig. In between all of this there was lots of conversation and laughter. Like today I discovered that Jac used to tutor a child of someone I went to RJC with - and spent lots of time with in the Track and Field team. It's raining. Oisin is planning to head to Bali so I put him in touch with Deena who has a cousin who owns a place there. Then we chatted more about things in JC. Oisin then accused me of being a pick me and possibly a mean girl as well. Because I used to be in the Track and Field team. Was I? I said, and they all piled on and made fun of me. It was ...