tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9819835443331278762024-03-19T06:25:03.450+08:00From A Far PlaceAn attempt to convey a few of the thoughts & feelings of an expatriate teacher in sunny Singapore (and adjacent spots on occasion.)Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.comBlogger5731125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-72309279610420588802024-03-19T06:24:00.001+08:002024-03-19T06:24:10.326+08:00Precious Time<span style="font-family: arial;">8 Ramadhan, 1445</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">06.23</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Thought I'd write something early today, since there'll be precious little time for writing anything else until the very latest part of what is set to be a long and trying eighth day of fasting. Still a reminder that any time, all time, needs to be made precious.</span></div>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-67642743507156758542024-03-18T22:39:00.002+08:002024-03-19T06:20:20.801+08:00Within Limits<p><span style="font-family: arial;">7 Ramadhan, 1445</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">By definition this is a period in which one has to work within constraints. It's interesting testing oneself against those limits. Even passing the test involves the realisation of how limited oneself is, also by definition.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, it was one of those days. And tomorrow looks set to be another. Ho hum.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-6141622602145115692024-03-17T20:24:00.002+08:002024-03-17T20:24:36.981+08:00Early Doors<p><span style="font-family: arial;">6 Ramadhan, 1445</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Switch of strategy today. I was a bit annoyed with myself for not getting to the gym yesterday, but well aware that it was sensible not to expect too much of my back given just how cranky it was. Today I thought there was a definite improvement and was so keen on trying it out I went for my workout in the hour immediately before breaking the fast. I've been half-intending to see what it's like to exercise at the end of a stretch of fasting and now I know the answer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's not too bad at all. And it means you don't have to drag yourself out after breaking the fast when all your instincts are telling you to simply chill. Might just try this again.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-69969644628710470822024-03-16T20:12:00.000+08:002024-03-16T20:12:29.253+08:00Not At Ease<p><span style="font-family: arial;">5 Ramadhan, 1445</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Felt mildly uncomfortable all day, mainly due to a cranky back. Found myself feeling distinctly irritated five or six times over the fact I was fasting, as if having a cup of tea would be the answer to my woes. By the actual breaking of the fast I'd generated more of an aching head than anything I'd experienced on the first days of fasting, largely due, I suspect, to simple irritation.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">All this is a reminder, not so much of how difficult observing the fast is, but of how weak I can be when something doesn't quite go in the direction I want it to. Sort of petty. Certainly not pretty.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">By the way, now the fast for the day is officially over my equanimity has been not so mysteriously restored.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-81664146852239859052024-03-15T21:19:00.002+08:002024-03-15T21:19:57.234+08:00Strong Stuff<p><span style="font-family: arial;">4 Ramadhan, 1445</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Gosh, Gai Eaton really doesn't take any prisoners in his highly punctilious <i>Islam and the Destiny of Man</i>. It makes for bracing reading in the Holy Month, as a reminder that sometimes achieving holiness/wholeness requires a distinct toughness of mind & spirit. When I first read his exploration of what it is to be a Muslim some twenty years ago, in the early years of my own intense encounter with the faith, I spent a good deal of time nodding in recognition at the clarity of particular insights which seemed a good deal clearer than my own happily muddied thinking. And the same is true today.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Except that I now find myself nodding over entire chapters which seem remarkably prescient as we negotiate the ups and downs of the twenty-first century. The first chapter, <i>Islam and Europe</i>, manages in just a few pages to encapsulate a way of looking at European history that helps explain Western civilisation's encounter(s) with an Other with which it has been unable to come to terms for the best part of a millennium. Once you become aware of the long view the deficiencies of a secular view of history appear so obvious as to almost painful in their naivety. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Of course, we're talking generalisations here. Big ones. But hugely illuminating. </span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-30872635970684699842024-03-14T16:40:00.004+08:002024-03-14T21:55:03.474+08:00Still Getting On With It<span style="font-family: arial;">3 Ramadhan, 1445</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">16.40</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Not an easy day so far, due in no small part to a particularly cranky back. I would have preferred to just lie down and think great thoughts, but that wasn't an option on my pressing to-do list.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">21.50</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Rather pleased with myself for getting to the gym after breaking the fast. All oddly reminiscent of the <a href="http://fromafarplace.blogspot.com/2023/03/adjusting.html" target="_blank">same time</a> in Ramadhan last year. The same reluctance; the same sluggishness. The same lessons to learn since I've managed to unlearn them.</span></div>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-53573321255337280302024-03-13T16:20:00.002+08:002024-03-13T20:05:22.903+08:00Getting On With It<p><span style="font-family: arial;">2 Ramadhan, 1445</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">16.18</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been a sunny day and I got to enjoy the warmth of it all this morning, which means I'm feeling a bit drained now. But there's lots to do in terms of the Toad, Work, so there's no point wasting time complaining. It's a matter of just getting on with things.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">20.00</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And I did get on with things, and am still doing so. Though, I have to confess, I've given myself a few bits of relaxing time in between. And breaking the fast was sensationally relaxing in itself, which it usually is. That's one of the oddities of Fasting Month. Everyday features a major highlight.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-30444951492459938712024-03-12T14:36:00.008+08:002024-03-14T16:41:12.821+08:00Easing In<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial;">1 Ramadhan, 1445</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;">14.35</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Generally easy day so far. Achieved a good deal of dozing in the morning, though now stirring myself to some kind of action. But gently so.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;">18.55</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;">More napping just now. Muggy-headed, but not a sharply aching head - so not too bad for the first day. Looking forward to that first sip of water, I must say. And the teh tarik!</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;">20.05</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fully restored, and hoping that all who have fasted this first day feel the same way. <i>Selamat berpuasa!</i></span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-23731204230296496522024-03-11T22:53:00.003+08:002024-03-11T22:53:49.054+08:00Something Precious<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Moving into gear for the test ahead. But I won't be ready. I never am. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The readiness comes from the actual doing. Or not doing, if you see what I mean. How do you prepare for a time that deliberately mingles deprivation and abundance? Two sides of a single precious coin.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-29258431867567478032024-03-10T20:58:00.002+08:002024-03-15T20:24:21.611+08:00Not Worth It<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Decided a week or so ago to put the great Robert Lowell read-through to one side during the Fasting Month. But ahead of the hiatus I've been trying to press on and am now well into his sonnet collection <i>The</i> <i>Dolphin</i> based on the breakdown of his second marriage to the Lizzie of <i>For Lizzie and Harriet</i>. Have enjoyed both of these books more than the sonnets in <i>History</i>, but none of this later poetry matches the brilliance of his earlier work for this reader (and it seems this is the critical consensus.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There are great lines everywhere, and the occasional gem-like sequence, but rarely anything close to a fully achieved poem. And it all seems so privately obsessive - even the more 'public' material in <i>History</i>. Though it's true that awareness of Lowell's fragile mental state goes a long way towards reading him in a forgiving mode.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But, to be honest, I don't trust him. You don't need great depth of insight to sense he's behaving very badly in the writing of <i>The Dolphin</i> - sacrificing those closest to him on the altar of his art. Including himself, I suppose. And behaving very badly as a husband and father.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I think the younger me may, at some point, have accepted the idea that great artists sometimes needed to behave badly. This is no longer the case.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-62070093996432104252024-03-09T22:24:00.001+08:002024-03-09T22:24:30.120+08:00Changing Times<p><span style="font-family: arial;">We've had Fifi staying with us for a few weeks now, since Hakim has temporarily taken over her room in Woodlands. Can't say her presence has altered our routines much, basically since she is rarely actually present. I suppose I knew police inspectors were busy, but now I know it as an actual thing. Another small change in our lives has been Noi's greater busyness in her home-based baking business. Never knew churning out big numbers of various kinds of puff - potato, chicken, shrimp, mushroom - was so labour intensive. But this is only a temporary thing since she's only taken in orders up to the Fasting Month. Once we move into Ramadhan she'll be back into producing all her various kinds of kueh and it'll be business as usual, which will still be busy, of course. Must say, I'm happy sampling her products as chief domestic taster, so no complaints from me on this one either.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">At this point in time all my complaints regarding unnecessary alterations in my life are focused on my not-so-trusty laptop from work. The stupid thing has taken it upon itself to do routine things differently for reasons I can't fathom. All sorts of peculiar things have been happening on its desktop over the last week, including a refusal to download an audio file in the middle of an oral examination. That caused a worrisome ten minutes or so, I can tell you, until we finally got it to behave. But the single most irritating thing, though of only minor, cosmetic significance, has been the weird re-configuration of the look of my Outlook emails, which came suddenly out of nowhere. It served as a reminder that such systems are never really 'ours' of course, but those of our Tech Overlords.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-40664848660078805822024-03-08T17:19:00.001+08:002024-03-08T17:19:25.326+08:00Taking A Breather<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The great thing about a period of unrelenting pressure is when the pressure takes it upon itself to relent. A strange feeling of freedom results. I experienced this at 3.15 pm today. I still had stuff to do, but could actually breathe in between tasks.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-74893959124789542292024-03-07T18:51:00.002+08:002024-03-07T18:54:03.405+08:00Group Effort<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm not a notably creative person, though I have my moments. I suppose that's why I'm especially interested in the kind of creativity associated with various kinds of group. The ways things get done in the theatre fascinate me, partly because I've contributed to that kind of creativity myself whilst being keenly aware of my own lack of genuine originality. I'm more than happy to feed off the talents and ideas of others. Doing so gives me a definite buzz.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And then there's the world of music and its various 'group creations' - indeed, the very notion of the group or band in the sphere of popular music. I've just been reading about The Clash in the period that they came up with the classic <i>London Calling</i> album and it's striking how the key four players involved fed off each other. And how the group itself fed off the wider scene of which they were a part. Given the general embracing of a spirit of chaos in which they invested it's something of a miracle that anything great came out of it. But that's part of the mystery. It really shouldn't work. But it does, sometimes, and we all profit.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-40388878672017721152024-03-06T22:18:00.004+08:002024-03-07T18:42:03.732+08:00A Bit Lost<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Got lost earlier this evening in the school next door to ours, an international school with an impressively large campus. I think years ago the sense of being completely discombobulated would have resulted in at least a mildly panicky feeling. These days I almost enjoy the experience, the only downside being a feeling that I'm getting a little too much exercise a little too late in the day.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Mind you, having Google Maps readily to hand probably helps stem the sense of existential crisis. And nice to clock-up more steps.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-26022932983856188092024-03-05T22:20:00.003+08:002024-03-05T22:20:46.659+08:00Making It Sound Easy<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Excellent <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/mar/04/poem-of-the-week-on-the-death-of-mr-purcell-by-john-dryden" target="_blank">Poem of the Week</a> over at Carol Rumens's column in the Graun, with a particularly astute analyst from the columnist.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Made me wonder why I don't read more Dryden. Was quite a fan, back in the day. I've sort of lost touch with some of the masters of the language and now feel the need to plunge into the dynamically metrical. It's a bit like realising you're not listening to enough Haydn. (Or Purcell!)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It all sounds so easy, and provides so much ease - for the ear and the soul.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-8965873174946341892024-03-04T22:40:00.002+08:002024-03-04T22:40:53.256+08:00Another Good Read<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've been reading William Berger's <i>Wagner Without Fear</i> alongside Pat Gilbert's account of the career of everyone's favourite punk band, The Clash. You might think that a book on the life of a great composer with stacks of information about his key operas wouldn't have much in common with Mr Gilbert's highly entertaining tome, but you'd be very wrong. Both works are wonderfully gossipy, appreciative of their subjects both in terms of their artistic accomplishments and personal defects, and often very funny. Oh, and they're both easy to read: not an easy thing to pull off when you're writing about music and its makers.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-32470609623288220132024-03-03T15:02:00.001+08:002024-03-03T15:02:44.420+08:00Accomplished<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27CD4fag1j37CfeXgqLv2oVmsJQVtKO2xgcYd4g89Cv0RP0rc0I1Cucj16JM0ucgLVyj2x5BZBU0jMMKuKTR1zb2S6zEtfUTTJ8woGS-wOFVrIZvQv3jignPT37319nHhkWzledmZ734gBzIP9yYJLXFY6N66Zs270FLoIiobwPZ_BQSfBvXFBDhs/s4032/IMG_2219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27CD4fag1j37CfeXgqLv2oVmsJQVtKO2xgcYd4g89Cv0RP0rc0I1Cucj16JM0ucgLVyj2x5BZBU0jMMKuKTR1zb2S6zEtfUTTJ8woGS-wOFVrIZvQv3jignPT37319nHhkWzledmZ734gBzIP9yYJLXFY6N66Zs270FLoIiobwPZ_BQSfBvXFBDhs/s320/IMG_2219.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ88R2s26CA0op8TX7ZY1KbsBIN-f5u-MgMmoyLUFX9tXMwx-P1FxYWGWE7FQ1_6ZUHwFlAxugjJzGmQyzrY3vLzla2dbndMvl0ovMxzt5V5GHuUAMOkDbiveHwS5Xm1Xe3xOyOZ-xV1OH9ZfbpJpsTdtXOufbyXheeYmJ2o_NjKsomeoW7hiTTxlz/s4032/IMG_2220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ88R2s26CA0op8TX7ZY1KbsBIN-f5u-MgMmoyLUFX9tXMwx-P1FxYWGWE7FQ1_6ZUHwFlAxugjJzGmQyzrY3vLzla2dbndMvl0ovMxzt5V5GHuUAMOkDbiveHwS5Xm1Xe3xOyOZ-xV1OH9ZfbpJpsTdtXOufbyXheeYmJ2o_NjKsomeoW7hiTTxlz/s320/IMG_2220.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84c3Hay_ucLCmIDFIRvILhd_bAcwN_T0-8RaH4Sj4bfL-ClfaJ-XJ_nkS1FGwTF-SECYLuoiKX69fZsC0exFJbq0ub4TYOFMIwGRgJBUbYDrQ8S7Zxq8bzqJvd6o1yTb8cnsw0YF6LgfGLlVDVL4IfhLw70asn6sLnt3LWYWo9HBx027m-bgrYvXg/s4032/IMG_2221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84c3Hay_ucLCmIDFIRvILhd_bAcwN_T0-8RaH4Sj4bfL-ClfaJ-XJ_nkS1FGwTF-SECYLuoiKX69fZsC0exFJbq0ub4TYOFMIwGRgJBUbYDrQ8S7Zxq8bzqJvd6o1yTb8cnsw0YF6LgfGLlVDVL4IfhLw70asn6sLnt3LWYWo9HBx027m-bgrYvXg/s320/IMG_2221.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQwao29YixfRVclYOHm4yfZPPpC1M4p87Z5rHNFtbvKe8DKsppCfmoSQXZ8NMjzctNoDqFvoRsal4qApPNGK0lkeEedc0sFcJ8y9FIBxhx6pm_77Sc0rxUJMP-QnfK9OIrEm1fv0prEZJF_R8yVb5i0q8SutAUU3zAHhFFremgOqtLjrDMm1aEyEp/s4032/IMG_2224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQwao29YixfRVclYOHm4yfZPPpC1M4p87Z5rHNFtbvKe8DKsppCfmoSQXZ8NMjzctNoDqFvoRsal4qApPNGK0lkeEedc0sFcJ8y9FIBxhx6pm_77Sc0rxUJMP-QnfK9OIrEm1fv0prEZJF_R8yVb5i0q8SutAUU3zAHhFFremgOqtLjrDMm1aEyEp/s320/IMG_2224.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Now preparing to set off for our usual place of residence ahead of what looks to be, and therefore definitely will be, a demanding week at work. Fortunately the particular demands of preparing for and delivering a top-notch kenduri were more than ably met by Noi and other members of the family. So yesterday was busy in the best of ways and today has been distinctly relaxed by comparision.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The pictures above mainly feature our special guests for the prayers, these being the guys from a local home for boys. They ate well, I'm pleased to say, as did everybody - self definitely included.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-87919634488119068142024-03-02T12:30:00.003+08:002024-03-02T18:04:08.839+08:00Preparing<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIU32XTuNzbX2F73qljFzdA0u9QXcb9hUkseS0RcOpqxT2cxVQ4n4432I-mOiIpQS0KWg3uak5qEc00XmkXxjtGebNJGOkB4kUr7MMUdxOtdKWSYF-CsfbauM5j9-1Pc0We91nEn_Z7wZRipKIns2bLyr9k6EK82RtsHChyphenhyphenwr2KLELaD7_KP5ChZcq/s4032/IMG_2204.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIU32XTuNzbX2F73qljFzdA0u9QXcb9hUkseS0RcOpqxT2cxVQ4n4432I-mOiIpQS0KWg3uak5qEc00XmkXxjtGebNJGOkB4kUr7MMUdxOtdKWSYF-CsfbauM5j9-1Pc0We91nEn_Z7wZRipKIns2bLyr9k6EK82RtsHChyphenhyphenwr2KLELaD7_KP5ChZcq/s320/IMG_2204.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EUN95S1kt-86y9OnJmVqnm2KIvnQB5tMaBYx9i6OATecZSH_VAVoI3wTUVpc0uCbzLZ5VpiS0ATvD3grGht-V0BFcDVedLAwYCjwj8YwETa2e7t9cCsG2rUOznMvqRzOvdeN-ohheUtLePUo2nzC65_TfP-IhdgDiUPz8BxG8z1uC64AV95funkY/s4032/IMG_2216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EUN95S1kt-86y9OnJmVqnm2KIvnQB5tMaBYx9i6OATecZSH_VAVoI3wTUVpc0uCbzLZ5VpiS0ATvD3grGht-V0BFcDVedLAwYCjwj8YwETa2e7t9cCsG2rUOznMvqRzOvdeN-ohheUtLePUo2nzC65_TfP-IhdgDiUPz8BxG8z1uC64AV95funkY/s320/IMG_2216.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fAjNPuyXsFAaucNbl5lTOJOTTKTw9-rBRHrN7hyRJhKb5YJJ8oAgvpkgykQ7My18OKNyB1HcmdGkzDsO3Rm56ZtIpNlqLSJiAPK_P093R6VwpApPQc7pszSs89Pjg6aeWOirCra2sp82zKwLRDe1PBGK_MpHPSvLwdsGNMe56h3AHSSlPOO_XwTY/s4032/IMG_2215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fAjNPuyXsFAaucNbl5lTOJOTTKTw9-rBRHrN7hyRJhKb5YJJ8oAgvpkgykQ7My18OKNyB1HcmdGkzDsO3Rm56ZtIpNlqLSJiAPK_P093R6VwpApPQc7pszSs89Pjg6aeWOirCra2sp82zKwLRDe1PBGK_MpHPSvLwdsGNMe56h3AHSSlPOO_XwTY/s320/IMG_2215.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">It's fairly peaceful here at Mak's house where we're enjoying our long weekend. But the peace will be happily disturbed soon by the kenduri that Noi and family have planned. Fortunately I've been spared heavy involvement in the on-going preparations and am just sort of swanning around taking pictures at the moment. Evidence above.</span><p></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-1540900623398965462024-03-01T20:23:00.002+08:002024-03-01T20:23:52.710+08:00Risen<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Happily concluded <i>The Grey King</i> this afternoon. Now I understand why it won the Newbury. A very strong ending that ties the various levels of human story and myth together makes for a completely assured work, one that really knows where it is going. And it's beautifully written in terms of the vivid, poetic life of the prose. Great descriptions of the Welsh mountains and rural life in general.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Mind you, I'm still not convinced by the portentous nature of the mythologising. But it would be way too fussy to let that stand in the way of enjoying a darn good read, and that sort of thing comes with the territory of the fantasy genre. In fact, I think the writer does something quite unexpected here by imbuing what could have been just another idyllic landscape with a sense of dark, unpleasantly brooding power. I don't think Cooper is ever really convincing as to what the forces of the Dark are up to beyond perfectly ordinary human wickedness (and there's not much of that in any specific sense); but I do think she creates a wonderful feeling of unease, of something being uncannily wrong in the otherwise very comfortable worlds of her child protagonists.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now wondering whether to save the last in the series, <i>Silver on the Tree</i>, until after Fasting Month. Sorely tempted to make a start immediately after the excellence of the fourth novel. </span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-78822630509291464502024-02-29T18:44:00.002+08:002024-02-29T18:44:27.354+08:00In Extra Time<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzEadPvaTmXsNWNIyZXg86jW00ZRxSE71PDaMJ6LVOJdgoDAUaIh2ZswN0bg3TrKocDm5Ew1HHh8l9OhAUKrTEro-wVQmHXqcTQD8qJy9R0Lfyqti8Yw_bUmrCJZn5zxUuEeAX3B4ukUi9n2k1rHIm7bx8D4qtaby8iNY-TvDCmcqDpiO-qj_PTko/s4032/IMG_2202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzEadPvaTmXsNWNIyZXg86jW00ZRxSE71PDaMJ6LVOJdgoDAUaIh2ZswN0bg3TrKocDm5Ew1HHh8l9OhAUKrTEro-wVQmHXqcTQD8qJy9R0Lfyqti8Yw_bUmrCJZn5zxUuEeAX3B4ukUi9n2k1rHIm7bx8D4qtaby8iNY-TvDCmcqDpiO-qj_PTko/s320/IMG_2202.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Having one more day is quite handy, I suppose, as long it's not too much of a busy one. Then it can be a bit much. But it's always good to have a bit more time to live through, eh?</span><p></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-53180588404451317452024-02-28T21:42:00.001+08:002024-02-28T21:42:11.143+08:00Still Rising<p><span style="font-family: arial;">I wonder why Susan Cooper's <i>The Grey King</i> won the Newbury Medal in 1975. In case you don't know, the Newbury was (and probably still is) a pretty prestigious award in the world of children's fiction. I'm not implying that the fourth novel in her <i>The Dark is Rising</i> sequence didn't deserve the prize, but I would have thought the second titular novel would have been the more obvious contender simply because the later book is so strange - and so sort of grown up. Compellingly so, for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm getting close to the end and wishing I had time to finish it, but I don't want to rush. There's so much to enjoy in the quality of the prose. (I suppose that might explain the award, since I can't honestly describe the plot as gripping.) So it looks like the novel will accompany us on our journey north over an extended weekend break.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">More anon. Probably.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-29202671311299357632024-02-27T22:11:00.001+08:002024-02-27T22:11:09.666+08:00Time To Spit Out<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The main characteristic of my day at work? Having no time to spit out, as Mum would have said. In its way exciting, and time certainly passes quickly, having no choice. But I'm hoping tomorrow will see some let-up in the pace. I don't mind going with the flow, as long as it slows down.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-5660497407685953322024-02-26T21:36:00.001+08:002024-02-26T21:36:44.561+08:00On The Record<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Greatly enjoying reading Pat Gilbert's highly informative, well written and fair-minded account of the <i>only band that really matter</i> (or used to, that is): <i>Passion is a Fashion - The Real Story of The Clash</i>. Never realised that Joe Strummer was actually some four years older than me, vaguely assuming that I was bit older than any of the punks of the late 70s. Now I realise they were very much my generation. It was just that I was in a small way respectable and they weren't.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Much as I admired (and still admire) The Clash I thought there were elements of iffiness in how they went about some things and the book confirms this, but brings with it the requisite understanding of what it's like to be in your early twenties and both inspired and silly at one and the same time. Thank goodness that no one would dream of writing anything about me at that age. Or any age, for that matter.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-15978613947680396782024-02-25T22:02:00.003+08:002024-02-25T22:02:36.994+08:00Still Counting<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Just back from the gym where I found myself <a href="https://fromafarplace.blogspot.com/2024/02/keeping-it-real.html" target="_blank">counting out time and numbers</a>, in a similar manner to what I referenced a few days back. But I must say I'm less conscious than I used to be of measuring my progress. On the previous elliptical trainer - the one that eventually fell apart - I was always aware of the read-out related to calories used up and generally used that as the best measure of an individual work-out since it was an obvious constant. The odd thing is that when I had to switch to the 'other' elliptical trainer the new calorie count was considerably lower for the same sort of time & distance so I gave up bothering to take note of it. (The difference being something like 170 cals burnt in an hour versus 600 - 700 cals.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But I decided recently to take note of a couple of key numbers to try and make sure I don't get overly relaxed in the course of my 60 minutes of punishment. These relate to distance travelled and calories burned and I actually wrote both numbers down in recording my efforts just now. Hope I don't get overly obsessed trying to out-perform myself - but a bit of obsessiveness could prove useful in its way. </span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-981983544333127876.post-66252160537638070452024-02-24T21:41:00.000+08:002024-02-24T21:41:16.699+08:00The Damage Done<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched a couple of short documentaries on YouTube about fentanyl and the havoc it's wreaking in American cities. Depressing. Suppose I saw this coming with the death of Prince (the first time I'd heard of the stuff) when I picked up on just how strong it is in comparison to heroin, and how deadly. Can't understand why anyone would want to get involved with it, but have to accept the fact they do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now my YouTube feed seems flooded with stuff about the drug and other horrendous variations on it. (Tranq, anyone?) Not sure I want to watch further. Sort of overwhelming and inescapable. But most of what I've seen seems restricted to the Americas, so perhaps there's hope for other further places.</span></p>Brian Connorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550710255511589314noreply@blogger.com0