Feeling The Noise

Just walked out to wrap up the garbage and get it safely locked up so it doesn't attract any monkeys, or other curious denizens of the night. It was very noisy outside - insect noise mainly, -with the occasional higher-pitched screech from something bigger, and a couple of dogs barking. Strangely restful. Like the world should sound. Alive.

Life Going On

We've been out and about enough now to get a sense of Malaysia in the aftermath (hopefully!) of the pandemic. Things here seem much the same as in Singapore. People are still dutifully wearing masks in the indoor locations, like the malls, and quite often outdoors. Otherwise there's a feeling of business as usual - and most of the retail businesses with which we're familiar appear to have survived.

To be honest, I've always been puzzled as to how exactly any business survives at Melawati Mall, where we were this evening, even in ordinary times. I mean, the place wasn't ever exactly packed out and there are a lot of shops there, with plenty of eateries, but I didn't notice any obvious closures from when we were last there two years back.

All this seems cause for celebration if it means ordinary folks have been able to stay in work and earn some kind of decent living.

Not So Pleasant

Finished reading Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men along with completing my marking. Not sure mixing the two was wise but I find McCarthy so intense that I didn't mind breaking off fairly often to get back to something a bit more normal. The thing is, of course, that the writer has a way of making you acutely aware that his version of what's normal might just be the more accurate. Not a pleasant thought.

Soaking myself in the everydayness of just getting stuff done (marking, the house) is my remedy for the darkness, I suppose.

Getting Straight

Quite a number of things to get in order here - hardly surprisingly since it's been over two years since we crossed the threshold. Lots of cleaning to do and a refrigerator to fix amongst other things (if it can be fixed, that is.)

The biggest problem for me has been getting on-line to complete my marking, which is quite urgent with a deadline early on Thursday morning looming. The trusty Maxis modem we've used for a few years decided not to be trusty anymore, making access to the essays I needed to mark extremely intermittent. Very frustrating experience - especially when something you've marked just disappears and you need to start all over again. We plied our way to the Maxis shop at KLCC this afternoon and managed to get a new modem (though not from Maxis, which is a tale not worth telling.) Anyway, we're now back to accessing the World Wide Web at a reasonable speed, which feels quite civilised in its own way.

Still Getting Ready

10.47

Still getting things together for the big trip north - whilst trying to mark my daily quota of scripts for IB. Just had to deal with a candidate who decided it was a good idea to write as much as possible in the most illegible form imaginable. Not a good idea, I'm afraid. I wonder if anyone has shared this information with the writer in question in the course of his or her education?

11.30

Just received a Christmas card from Simon & Judy, for last Christmas. A quick check on the envelope showed it was posted in mid-December 2021. It also revealed that the card had made its way to Malaysia for some reason. Ironic, since that's where we're heading now. It seems to have taken almost a full six months to re-direct it to the right country. Nice card - and nice that it got here in the end!!

23.30

Whose idiotic idea was it to choose to travel up to KL on a public holiday here in Malaysia for the Agung's birthday? (Mine, actually!) Since it seems most of the population decided it would be a good idea to drive up to the capital from the south using the highway the traffic was horrendous. We were lucky to make it to our abode before midnight - hence this late posting. Next time remind me to check on random public holidays for our neighbours.

Getting Ready

It's been a long time since we've been at Maison KL, having rushed back to our usual Far Place on 17 March 2020 in order to avoid getting stuck in Malaysia once the border was effectively closed. Back then a trip north was all a bit routine, but now we have to re-invent or re-discover what we took for granted a couple of years back.

We're intending to drive up tomorrow and have spent this afternoon trying to remember how.

Getting Busy

Popped out this evening with the idea of dining at Prata Alley in mind, a favourite spot for us. Was surprised at how full the carpark was where we normally park when we go there, and even more surprised to find the restaurant chock full - something we've never experienced before. We passed on trying to get a table, electing to eat at the hawker centre just round the corner, where it also turned out to be pretty busy.

It occurred to us that life is going back to its pre-pandemic conditions, one of which involves the fact that there's a lot of people crammed into this Far Place and a Saturday night at Clementi is a busy time. It's nice to be going back to normal but there is a price involved, I'm afraid.

A Bit Problematic

Was alerted today by a post at the excellent Open Culture to an on-going project by the Netherlands Bach Society to upload live performances of 'All of Bach' to their website and YouTube. Dived into a very fine St John Passion this evening, particularly astonished - indeed, hypnotised - by the beauty of the opening chorus (with which I'm not all that familiar.)

This sort of thing almost justifies the existence of the Internet.

Mind you, it isn't going to be easy finding time to listen to it all (the 350 works now available of Bach's staggering 1080 total - not just the St John Passion.) Nice problem to have.

Making It Up

Tried hard to get the creative juices flowing over the lest few days. Achieved a trickle, rather than a flow, but have reached an age when that's good enough for me. 

Well Served

I'd just finished an extra lesson with some students this afternoon and thought I'd pop down to SAC to my favourite drinks stall for a cuppa before setting off home. As the lady who runs the drinks stall saw me enter through the far door she signaled that she'd make me a drink, so I went to put my various belongings at the table at which I intended to sit before going to the stall to pick up my cup of tea. That's why I didn't realise that the stall had pretty much shut up shop for the day and the lady had been about to make her own move home prior to my arrival. It was embarrassing to suddenly realise just how much I had put her out since all the equipment needed to deliver my cuppa had to be dragged out of storage again.

I apologised profusely, but to no effect since I was aware from past experience that putting herself out like this is second nature to the lady who owns the stall. She is genuinely happy to serve her customers, appearing to believe that we somehow deserve this. I don't think for a second I do deserve such consideration, but it's nice to be on the receiving end. In fact, a brief review of the day, an unexceptional one, reminded me of the number of times the non-teaching staff had made my job do-able by providing the stuff I needed to get it done. One guy fixing some technical equipment in the classroom I'd used happily gave way to my request to let me have the room for the duration of the extra lesson without looking in the slightest bothered by me getting in his way.

It's dangerously easy to take all this help for granted. Writing this is a way of trying to ensure that doesn't happen.