I'd meant to write something yesterday about an article that appeared in The Straits Times on Thursday, an account of a visit to Turkey by a Christian pastor, Yap Kim Hao, from Singapore, in order to participate for a day in the fast of a family in Istanbul. It was nothing spectacular as such accounts go, but gently touching in its sincerity, as the seventy-eight-year-old ex-bishop gamely carried out the full day fast, complete with visits to two mosques for prayers. The ease with which the pastor negotiated the so-called 'clash of civilizations' was striking, and a reminder that this is always the case for ordinary people of goodwill. It's no accident that an article of this nature should appear in Singapore's major daily newspaper, though fairly inconspicuously. The state is utterly committed to religious and racial harmony, way beyond mere lip service, and such inconspicuous promotion of such on an almost daily basis is typical of the social climate here. Long may it continue to be so. There are enough ordinary people of ill-will to make this a necessity anywhere in the world that wants to be truly civilized.
Noi drove across to Woodlands earlier to pick-up Fi Fi, Fa Fa & their Ibu for a trip to the market at Geylang Serai tonight. We'll be going there after breaking our fast at home. Previous experience, over many years, shows that breaking fast in a big crowd can be a somewhat fraught experience. The girls will be staying on with us until Monday as it seems they've got some sort of holiday from school on that day. They'll be 'assisting' Mak Ndak in the making of biscuits for Hari Raya, a process that is now beginning to fire up and is likely to dominate our lives for the next couple of weeks.
On the Henry James front, Strether has now finally met Chad in Paris and is trying to make out exactly what he (Chad) is up to. No good, I'll be bound. I've got a pile of other stuff to read, including Gaiman's Stardust which I finally got hold of last weekend after a trip to Kinokuniya, but it's The Ambassadors or bust for me at present.
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