At The Centre Of Things

There's something about an iffy tummy that's more than a little destabilizing. When the middle of one's being rises in rebellion, even if just mildly, it colours the experience of a working day, I can tell you. Fortunately on the two occasions when getting to a lavatory became an absolute priority I succeeded in doing so. Hope this all settles down by tomorrow. Not sure I can take the suspense.

No Fun At All

Woke up a number of times in the course of a sleepless night to throw up (three times) and deal with attacks of diarrhoea (twice and on-going.) The verdict of the household is that I'm suffering from stomach flu, passed to me by the Missus, who wasn't at all well on Friday. In fact, she's still not back to top form.

Fortunately we have Idham as a driver, and we'll be going back with him and Fafa, otherwise we'd be in trouble. So lucky and unlucky all at once. 

Fun And Games

At Mak's house in Melaka today, and most of tomorrow, for a kenduri. Extravagant numbers of children around earlier, though the place is quiet now. Good to hear the laughter. Not so much the screaming. Good to see and hear the house coming alive.

And lots of teh tarik.

Still At The Movies

I'm still thinking about Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (think that's the title) a day later. I don't mean that I keep recalling the film because it was so good, or that it was so brilliantly thought-provoking I can't help mull over its themes. No, I mean that I can't make up my mind whether I thought the film was good or bad, and I'm not really sure why I can't do that, so I'm puzzling over that. Also I'm trying to figure out why I genuinely found the first two movies (Raiders and Temple) thrilling when I watched them but kept nodding off during the action sequences of this one.

I suppose age has something to do with this: the fact that Indy looks so old (except when he's de-aged and just looks a bit odd) and the fact that I was reasonably young when I watched the earlier films and now I'm most decidedly not.

One thing's for sure. The film wasn't at all what I expected it to be. But I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

At The Movies

Just watched the latest Indiana Jones movie at a real cinema. It seems some of the scenes were shot using 'de-aging' technology. Am thinking of asking if the film-makers might send me some of that stuff. I reckon I need it more than Harrison Ford.

Feeling The Strain

The plan had been to get to the gym this evening. It's been a while since I've been there - not since the day before we set off for Rome in early June. The plan, alas, came to naught as plans so often do in my case. I was aware of feeling a mild strain in my back early yesterday but confidently thought this would fade after a night's sleep. It didn't. It got a lot worse and coloured my day a deep indigo.

So I've spent the evening getting bits of work done and fretting over the state of my aging body. Not sensible, I know (except for the work, I suppose) but there's some small virtue in feeling miserable over not exerting oneself, I'm sure. I just can't figure out what it is, but I'll get back to you when I do.

Opening Ears

Chanced upon a highly informative article about the music of Gyorgy Ligeti in the Graun today. I love it when an expert in a field - in this case Gillian Moore, the Southbank Centre's head of classical music, which sounds pretty formidable to me - shares their enthusiasm, and knowledge, in a way that educates and inspires at one and the same time. I knew something of the great composer, but now I want to know a whole lot more, and to listen to a whole lot more of his work a whole lot more closely. Just wish I had a bit more time to do so, but there's enough on YouTube to be fruitfully occupied with for now.

One interesting thing about this kind of article is that if the Graun opens a Comments section along with it then it will be worth reading. Even the nay-saying, and there's a bit of that involved in this case, has its place since it makes you think all the more about what makes the music work for those who clearly are in love with it.

Listing

There's a deep satisfaction involved in getting to the end of a day and seeing all the items in the to-do list thereof crossed off as completed. The problem is the longer list or lists lurking elsewhere of things crying out to be done that just couldn't be considered on the day in question.

Getting Out

The plan had been to go for a walk in the early morning with the usual suspects - Boon, Mei, Nahar and Yati - but this was abandoned when the news came, just as we were ready to drive off, that Boon was suffering from a poorly leg (or two) and Nahar from a mountain of exam work. So Noi and I went to West Coast Park instead to stretch our own legs, and had a jolly good time there instead.

We missed our chums, of course, but made the best of our own company. And we caught sight of three otters free-styling in one of the ponds there, which alone was worth the price of admission (not that we had to pay.) 

Getting Started

Attended a wedding this afternoon - that of my colleague, Jonas. It felt good to be there, simply because he's such a nice guy, most definitely one of nature's gentlemen, and the omens looked highly promising for the newly-weds. Nothing's guaranteed, of course, but sometimes the signs point in all the right directions.

Nothing beats perfectly ordinary happiness. And nothing is more precious.