An attempt to convey a few of the thoughts & feelings of an expatriate teacher in sunny Singapore (and adjacent spots on occasion.)
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
10 Shots Of Trees In NZ - Retrospective
The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Thus Blake, pithy as usual, wise as ever, in a letter to the Reverend Trusler in May 1789. The rev sounds like a bit of a dope: he'd complained to Blake about some of the illustrations the great visionary had prepared for him and Blake in the letter is giving him a mauling. Great stuff to read. Almost as good as the trees to look at. I think Blake would have shed more than a few tears if he'd ever made it to NZ.
My vision: retirement and a life of leisure.
My mission: to manage decline gracefully.
My goal: to get to the end of the day in one piece.
Born in Manchester, I am at present living and working, as a teacher of English, in Singapore, having done so since 1988. My wife, Noshayati – whom I call Noi, and others call Yati – is Malaysian, and we travel frequently to her homeland, where most of her family live (in Melaka.) We own a house in Kuala Lumpur. My sister and family still live back in Manchester and we try to visit occasionally.
I used to work for the Ministry of Education in Singapore, but since 2007 have been employed directly by an independent school here. It pays the bills.
I converted to Islam in 1997 and find myself even more interestingly placed in the world as a result. I like occupying intersections. They afford useful perspectives.
I’d like to think I have a sense of curiosity which keeps me young. But the jury is still out on this. A good day is one on which just about everything seems interesting. Some days are not so good, but I'm not so naive as to believe I have any right to expect otherwise.
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