There it sits.
Pulling everyone in
the moment they walk through the door.

Bali,

Your art studios, eclectic restaurants, and crumbling temple-palaces
reminded me of my forgotten funky self

this time around,
driving down your roads,
rice fresh from green multi-leveled fields
drying on sheets on the tarmac

you changed me
and I will not be boxed again.

Plus 15 makes ME!
A list inspired by Ben Lloyd's note.

If I was a musician I would want to make music like: Gillian Welch
If I was a playwrite I would want to be as universal as: Shakespeare
If I was a composer I would want to compose music like: Carl Orff
If I had a successful blog I would want it to be as lovely as: Kerryanne O’Reilly’s
If I was an architect I would want to build like: Gaudi
If I was a philosopher I would want to think like:Goethe
If I was a poet I would want to write like: Mary Oliver
If I was a painter I would want to paint like: Pablo Picasso
If I was a film director I would want to direct like: Kurosawa
If I was a celebrated chef I would cook like: My mum
If I was an animator I would animate like: Miyazaki
If I was a master teacher I would teach like: Wendy Margot
If I was a quilter I would like to quilt like Susan McKey
If I was a novelist I would want to write like David Foster Wallace
If I could be me, without any real or imagined obstacles I would live, like a true artist in the present moment.
Here and Now.

Washing Ardila the elephant!


We returned from Bali late last night.
I will admit at first I was not very excited to be staying at the Elephant Safari Park Lodge. The elephants were chained as they ate and their schedule required that they pick us up for dinner and conduct two safaris each day. I asked myself, "What are they doing for the elephants in exchange?"

The more time we spent with the elephants the more we grew to love being around them and envy their life as healthy retirees. Happy facts:

Each elephant has their own trainer that stays with them for life.
Each elephant is bathed by trainers and guests every day.
Each elephant is given ample opportunity to socialize, go swimming (which they love)and learn new things.
Every elephant gets one day off a week to hang out and EAT.
The elephants are treated with love, acceptance and constant care.

The resort was always spotless and beautifully maintained. Our lodge was simply but elegantly decorated and overlooked the elephant's feeding area. Every morning Tia waved to us from her spot. She had the cutest habit of tucking her trunk under after she waved. And altho' it probably meant she was hungry and asking politely for food, the way she did it was extremely charming and her expression so sweet.

By the end of three days Booty was scrubbing and caressing the biggest of the lot without hesitation. And marveling at the amount of poop these biggies produce.



The biggest laugh came from the youngest elephant, Guntham, a baby really. He was such a RASCAL! He would innocently reach out to anyone passing by and either grab their hand and pull them powerfully toward him or slap them forcefully. I figured out his game by the end of our stay and managed to "wrastle" with him playfully without getting taken down. The babies are not changed up because they tend to stay close to the moms but whenever Guntham was out in the training area we always got a good chuckle because he would grab things and cause a small amount of mischief.

One day we took a cab into Ubud, an artist community known world wide for its painters. I was set on acquiring my first real painting. I really wanted to buy a Kerry Pendergrast painting at Pranoto's but when we got their Booty was really jealous of my attention to Pranoto, (a very warm and welcoming man who was jamming with his 20 year old son in his studio when we arrived) and his wife Kerry. But it was hard to pick out a painting with the Booty clinging and running around the studio. Later I went to a gallery called Seniwati Gallery of Art by Women and found an incredible painting of two Balinese women that reminded me of a lesser known Picasso I studied at Bard College when I was 18. We picked it up the next day on our way to the airport.

The artist's name is Cokorde Istri Mas Astiti. She was born in Bali in 1948 into an aristocratic family that allowed her to study art at Udayana U in Denpasar, the capital of Bali. She has 5 children and is a woman of Balinese society. She likes to paint pregnant women and women from other cultures(tourists). Below is an example of her work(not the one I bought).



To see the painting I bought click on the Jakarta Post article about the dearth of support for women artists in Bali. That is MINE!

While I am not the most cynical American, this really puts the icing on the cake. I am a bit stunned that this could come to pass really.

Another patternless dress.
This fabric is more Indian Khadi but in Ethiopian colors.

No pattern. I have no discipline. But still wearable. Just.

Teff Peanut Butter Cookies are extremely crumbly but very tasty! Bob's carries a wide variety of flours, Teff being one of them.

"Teff is an intriguing grain, ancient, minute in size, and packed with nutrition. Teff is believed to have originated in Ethiopia between 4000 and 1000 BC. Teff seeds were discovered in a pyramid thought to date back to 3359 BC."
Whole Grains: Teff (Eragrostis) by Karen Railey

From Chet Day's Health and Beyond website

Teff is used in Ethiopia to make Injera, a pancake/crepe that sits underneath all the side dishes on a big giant plate to be shared (with hands) by everyone.



Today I am going to make Teff pie crust topped with raw date nut sesame mixture and covered in chocolate (with a dab of whipped cream).

Since I like doing everything the hard way yesterday I decided to re-tissue Booty's windows (as the sun is so bright in her room) without testing the paint I used on the white tissue paper. When it was dried the white paint looked like mud after I held it up to the light. I had to redo all of the panels.

Materials:
White trace paper and colored tissue paper with white acrylic paint mixed with water.
The Dr.Ph.Martin's brand looked muddy so then I used another brand and tested it first.
Method:
Tearing pieces and overlapping them with bleeding and/or non-bleeding tissue paper (depends on the effect you want)using watery white acrylic paint and then more white trace over the top to give a misty look (or not if you want it more stained glass looking).
I hung a wool batting angel over the side because that is where Booty sleeps.

In two other windows I made obscure castle shapes or whatever you make of them.

Some people just don't know how to express themselves.
Some people just don't know how to keep their skin on.
That would be me.

I have been paralyzed by my inability to keep my big mouth shut.
So I have designed a life whereby I can work and socialize but I don't leave the house. You see, when I do leave the house to go for a bike ride invariably my mouth opens and things pop out like, "Get off your cell phone or get off the bike path!!!" I also say kind things occasionally especially to families with children, elderly people, or dogs.

My H has the opposite issue. He wouldn't make a peep even if someone was nailing his thumbs together. So I made him his own personalized emoticons on those days he may want to share his feelings.
Indirectly.

Jack and the Beanstock was surely inspired by a Gourd vine.
We just planted some more gourd seeds and await a rapid growing plant. MB planted one 2 months ago and it has already produced a one foot long gourd and a 8 foot long vine. This is the most amazing plant I have seen!

... the best husband in the world, at least according to some.

Can someone please let me know what it means, "I have the best husband in the world"... because a husband put in new tiling, or supported a spouse during their degree work?

If you have the best husband in the world, period, that means every other married straight woman or married gay man has got the next best or next etc. And that kind of stinks doesn't it? To spend your life struggling and loving, tolerating and celebrating just to find out in the end that someone else got a better husband.

And if you have the best husband in the world, for YOU. Then that is sort of a mute point right? Like, of course. He is the One You chose. And that is cool and all but no need to mention it. Right?

How about,
I feel so lucky to be married to my husband! I am so happy he...
or
My husband really puts me over the edge at times but today he ...

You see for some of us, (me for example) our husbands are a trying lot. We love them every day but they are different than the husbands that hold your hand, or send you love notes or remember your birthday. They are still loveable and they still deserve merit.

Who else in the world is going to ask you to step up to the plate and make an effort even if your team is down. Even if your team has been down for years, and everyone knows it. The fact that you got up and stepped up is a mighty inspiring thing and your husband has been the one to give you this opportunity.

How about "My husband has a job that is eating him alive but he won't quit because he believes he is providing for his family in the best way he can."

How about "My husband is depressed and doesn't talk to me but I know that it isn't my fault and that going through hard times like these is not uncommon. I also know in time things will look differently. I am thankful that my husband trusts me enough to stay despite how he feels."

I guess how I would put it is,

I may not have the best husband in the world, but he is my husband. And I don't need you to appreciate this.

Beeswax windows.

Ok Go, White Knuckles.
Made me miss all my dog friends at home and all my dog loving friends and all my musician friends but ultimately made me happy
that they exist.
This video=joy.

http://www.okgo.net/dogs

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual discipline which is a consolidation of the highest physical and meditative techniques found in the teachings of Raja yoga, Shakti yoga, Bhakti yoga, tantra, Kriya yoga, Laya-yoga, Nada yoga and the pillars and Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. Kundalini yoga is called the yoga of awareness because it directly affects ones consciousness, develops intuition, increases self knowledge, and unleashes the unlimited creative potential that exists within every human being.

There are for me some interesting coincidences regarding Kundalini yoga.
First, I have been trying for a long time to address my broken tailbone issue and sense that I have a foundation chakra blockage-

According to yogic philosophy, the kundalini is a spiritual energy or life force located at the base of the spine. It is conceptualized as a coiled up serpent (literally, 'kundalini' in Sanskrit is 'that which is coiled.' Sanskrit kund, "to burn"; kunda, "to coil or to spiral").

The yoga that I have been practicing for years now is a form of Kriya yoga and involves a lot of breathing and of course meditation.

There is a woman from Germany who has been living here in Singapore for 10+ years who is a teacher and practitioner of Kundalini, and she is amazing! We have been taking classes from her for over 6 months now and I can't say enough about her class.
So absolutely effective, challenging and bridge building. Meditating after her class is a breeze! And if you know what I am saying, that ain't no meager praise!

I have a student I think is "fantasy poor", which means she can't really picture things. From my experience with her and her ability to remember math facts but inability to imagine how a geometric form might change or to draw a figure from imagination. The goal here is to help her remember. To work on memory.

This form here, (in the picture) I made up with her in mind. It is sort of an angel of form. To help her to remember pictures and images. I know it is hard for her. This form drawing came to me very sweetly and gently. And when I draw it, I feel a deep peace.

Attention! This is a post about the fictional lives of Movie personalities.
Please do not be alarmed.
If you tuned in to hear about more "serious" things than a middle aged expat's rantings regarding her mojo please disregard this silly piece!

The Phenomena of Actors (My husband and Colin Firth)

I don't really watch the current western cinema but that doesn't mean I don't have some sense of it. And I can't help but have an opinion about famous male actors. I am human after all.

I want to talk about the phenomena of attraction. And specifically about two actors, one American and one British. Namely, George Clooney and Colin Firth. Now, you may notice that I am not talking about Brad Pitt, or etc. Because I don't like to talk about people I haven't thought about, or people who just haven't weighed in yet (Javier Bardem ...) ok. Just let me make my point.

Now, I understand many women I respect have a powerful urge to petition George Clooney for at least a meeting. To see him. And honor him. And I understand this, to a degree, because he is, like Jimmy Stewart, the very essence of integrity and uprightness. And I too agree this should be honored. He has got a lovely mind, a gracious and kind manner. And once you see "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" you realize it is the voice too. Please let us not forget that he has a sense of humor, I mean once you have seen"Brother Where Art thou" or "Burn after reading" you know he doesn't take himself too seriously. And this too is an attractive trait. Take into consideration also,"Michael Clayton" and certainly "Good Night and Good Luck". Not that I was ever smitten or whatever you call it with George Clooney. I was more respectful of him. I don't know. I guess I am still trying to understand what it is that keeps Mr. Clooney so desirable. So marketable. Hmmmm.

Ok so I am still thinking through this. Right. So. As you know I don't (can't) watch movies out here in the Land of Culture Kill (Singapore) so I can say in all seriousness that I first rented the tv version of "Pride and Prejudice" And "Brigit Jones'Diary" rather recently. So the whole British phenomena of the C.F. thing never reached me, as I am generally immune to the movements of the masses. But I had seen at the movies, "The Advocate" (and loved it), "Valmont" ( I had previously read the original "Les Liasons dangereuse", and felt Colin Firth was a much more convincing Valmont then J.M., "Love Actually" "Apartment Zero" and of course "The English Patient" and "The Importance of being Ernest" ok ok I know George Clooney has been in more serious films but the latest, "A Single Man" shows the scope of things Colin Firth. But still begs the original question.

Is it really that ability to look into the camera? And be real? Or embody something that is real? Integrity. Compassion. Tenderness. Humanity. Possibly.

(Lately, the actor Jeremy Renner has been able to scoop that kind of feeling in his performances, "The Hurt Locker")

But I have to say every time I see a picture of Colin Firth, I just feel a "Oh look at that sweet, lovely man!" I just want to see him protected and happy. I have come to the conclusion that women from New England probably find more in his performances because we go more for the "dark, silent, intense, loyal types" than the flashy, charming, blue-eyed and smooth types. But my dear sisters, I should not speak for you.

Actually, come to think of it. My husband fits into the Colin Firth model!
Cool.

Still hammering away at the Waldorf Singapore website. I had the hardest time trying to changed the background color from black (depressing) to a watercolor painting. It would post just fine but when I would go back to it another day it would be back to black. Still not sure if the community actually likes it but you know people are busy and if they don't work on a project like this they don't know. I should just s.u.



I like to be able to keep to my word. One quote I continue to repeat, (to my H's dismay) is one from the bible, Jesus said, "It is not what man puts into his mouth but what comes out" that is important. This is sort of my personal motto. So, I finally made good with the promise to try to keep our house seasonal regardless of the lack of any discernible season here. Above, Booty and I felted some wool batting in fall colors and hung them from (the remains of) a local branch.



And yes it is Lantern Walk season. Here is my new pentatonic solid lantern. I just need to add a handle. The Kinder lantern walk is being held at the Botanic garden this Friday.



Finally finished my part in the Red Tent project which I wrote about a few months ago, (see labels).

Lots going on with the community. Yoga class started back up again today. I am trying to coordinate a new group of Playgroup facilitators. And H has been traveling out of Singapore every week now so I don't know how long this can go on. But since things change every day, (except my temper) we shall see what the great creator of all things funny and all things funny to others has in mind.

Thank you for posting this Ben.
Oh yeah. My sentiments exactly!

"Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC and Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Capitol and White House, armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And imagine that some of these protesters —the black protesters — spoke of the need for political revolution, and possibly even armed conflict in the event that laws they didn’t like were enforced by the government? Would these protester — these black protesters with guns — be seen as brave defenders of the Second Amendment, or would they be viewed by most whites as a danger to the republic? What if they were Arab-Americans? Because, after all, that’s what happened recently when white gun enthusiasts descended upon the nation’s capital, arms in hand, and verbally announced their readiness to make war on the country’s political leaders if the need arose." Tim Wise

Read More

Every day that rains in Singapore is a good day!
Original music by 50 foot Queenie (that would be me)!

Since Friday I have been a bit obsessive about the new website that Eric helped me put up for the Waldorf school. I can't stop tinkering with it and I don't think I will be able to "let go" for a while.

This upcoming week-end is a bit crazy. I have classes all day on Saturday, a workshop for parents in the late afternoon and I am hosting our Waldorf Steiner information table at the Love and Light Festival all day on Sunday. My part-time schedule has spoiled me a bit so don't think for a moment I am complaining.

I guess what I enjoy about my job is I am able to work with the very young child and the grade school child and their parents. But then also adults from other walks of life. Living in Singapore has really forced me to break out of my comfort zone and into areas I generally don't have a great deal of confidence. But when I look back at the end of the day, I think, How lucky I am!

My mother lives near Gainesville, Florida. She used to live in Gainesville before she and my step dad bought a home in a nearby town. My mother was brought up in Massachusetts and until I was fully grown and out of the house she espoused liberal views and instilled in me a feeling of respect toward all people. This all changed when she moved to Florida in the 80's. Now she comes out east only in summer and we argue about things like how a large latino population has redefined language in the US. She seems to believe that our language is dying because of all the non-english speaking immigrants. I believe it has been transformed by texting and emailing and all things conversation atrophying. "What about Europe?" I said to her one morning in my brother's back yard, "They speak several languages and no one language has suffered from it."

Gainesville, Florida has come under fire lately because of the planned Quran burning.

The Christian minister organizing the Quran burning, Pastor Terry Jones, has said he plans to go ahead in spite of concerns. He is part of the Dove World Outreach Center, a tiny, evangelical Christian church in Gainesville, Florida, with an anti-Islam philosophy.

I want to know what is happening in these retirement states (like Arizona and Florida)? Why are these elderly people so intolerant of other folks? Will the next generation of Arizonians and Floridians be more accepting?

I want to tell them all, in the words of my wise sister Rebecca, "different is not bad mom. It is just different."

Perhaps one of the tests of adulthood is the way in which we cope when we realize life isn't turning out the way we planned. I have, I confess, clearly failed this test of adulthood. However, as I realize it is a test, I am willing to keep my humor bone tuned to the obvious pratfall that my life has become. Rudolf Steiner, philosopher, once suggested that adulthood contains many moments where it seems we have personally placed an object on our own roof that will fall on our own heads!

For me this falling debris takes the form of people. These people continue to "behave" in ways that inspire me to "misbehave".
Some of these humans persist in the notion that I will not explode in fury when they continue to wave around the knife of irresponsibility. Some of them pat me on the back as I weep and then when the tears have duly evaporated begin anew their petition for the walking unconscious.

It is all a bit too much for a firebrand like myself. And living in Singapore doesn't help when all one needs is a break from the smithy's furnace.

This Post may be a downer but I am smiling:

And just when you thought the water was safe, from Tuesday’s International Herald Tribune,
“In a remote reach of the Gulf of Mexico, nearly 200 miles from shore, a floating oil platform thrusts its tentacles deep into the ocean like a giant steel octopus.
The $3 billion rig, called *Perdido, can pump oil from dozens of wells nearly two miles, or about three kilometers, under the sea while simultaneously drilling new ones.
It is part of a wave of ultra deep platforms-all far more sophisticated than the rig that was used to drill the ill-fated BP well that blew up in April.”

And about the thousands of Iraqis who worked on behalf of the US and whose lives are threatened as we end operations in Iraq in the article, “Abandoned in Baghdad”.

It seems to me today that in addition to not trusting the corporate greed machine, it is also hard to trust the governing powers that be. And although it is disheartening to note that Wall Street is increasingly reluctant to work with the current administration it is true that until we can govern ourselves (our own personal greed, and selfishness) we will never be able to govern others. And this is the hardest nut to crack.

My husband is the biggest pessimist I know and I am constantly reminding him about “having a YES mind”. But he has a point. No one is willing to make the sacrifice that is necessary to pull it together. So we wait. Until it all falls apart. And we start over.

*Perdido means lost or hopeless.

Or you could think about it this way, the game just got harder. We are now being asked to choose,
"Easy convenient life-and eventual decrease of quality of life"
or
"Consciousness and service without thanks- and true evolution"

HAHAHA! I am laughing because I totally go for the first option while screaming at everyone else for avoiding the second one.

I just embarrassed our housekeeper by yelling (over the wall) at our neighbor's housekeeper,
"G**! You've got to stop the dogs barking! Every night when I sit down to eat they go at it! (pause) Take them for a walk for gosh sakes!"

Our housekeeper told me her whole face blushed when she heard me. But really. The neighbor's housekeeper is a nice young woman but she rarely takes the two dogs out for a walk and because of this, they bark when they are let outside in the yard. And we are all right next to each other so it is easy to hear the dogs Woofing away. To be fair, most of the dogs in the neighborhood are neglected in this way. They are lucky to get out of the house to go relieve themselves. And this is because one can't expect the housekeeper to cherish a dog the way an owner does (or should).

It is not a very nice detail of expat life.

No sir. I don't like it. Not one bit.

The Youth Olympic Games are over and I am afraid I don't have anything to say about it. I wasn't really interested partly because the focus here in Singapore always seems to be about children performing, competing and "winning" instead of being children. That said, when I was working as a teacher in my homeland, every year in spring marked our school's annual Greek Olympic Games, a Fifth Grade event.

As part of their study of ancient Greek history and mythology, the entire class organizes a pentathlon of events and has the opportunity to spend the day with their counterparts from Waldorf’s sister schools. The 5th graders from the schools mix into Greek city states and offer music, poetry and dance in addition to the athletic events. Recognition in these events is given for grace and form as well as for speed or distance.

Now couldn't the Youth Olympics do something like this? Offer a world view of cultures? Recognize grace, good sportsmanship and form?

Oh mean mommy why do you come here?

Because I am the doer and the sayer of all things "baby".
But I just wanted to stay up later.
Yes and I just wanted another sangria but
some things are just fine
to wait for another time.

Today was a day that Booty decided to "get angry".
She was angry because she didn't want to go to bed.
So she kicked me and started screaming "NO!"
So I decided maybe she was too tired for a bath.

Oh ho! Not fair! More screaming and fit pitching.
Are you ready for story?
Anger.No!!!!! I want a bath!

Oh ok no story.
Upsetness all around.
Yes we are very cruel indeed.
Oh mean mommy why do you come?
To sit with you in the dark while we calm down
and talk about the things that concern us.
That is, all things "baby".

Oh mommy you are the monster I love.

Everybody is a star
Who can rain, chase the dust away
Everybody wants to shine
Ooh, come out on a cloudy day
'Til the sun that loves you proud
When the system tries to bring you down
Every hand to shine tonight
You don't need darkness to do what you think is right

Ba pa-pa-pa ba pa-pa ba ba ba pa-pa ba pa-pa ba pa-pa ba ba ba,
ba-pa ba-pa ba ba, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Everybody is a star
I can feel it when you shine on me
I love you for who you are
Not the one you feel you need to be
Ever catch a falling star
Ain't no stopping 'til it's in the ground
Everybody is a star
One big circle going round and round

Introduction to Form Drawing

What is Form Drawing? It is the expression of an inner movement. The drawing itself is an echo of our own inner process of movement. At times when our thinking is mobile the forms metamorphose. If we can teach ourselves how to draw forms that represent the human being in the cosmos we can keep our thinking transformative and create solutions and harmony in the world.
We can start out simple like in this drawing of a circle turning inside out.



Move on to patterns and knots (above)



And Perspective (differing views of the same pattern)

Hungry Ghost Again!

It is Hungry ghost season again.
I realized this when I looked out behind our house to see these men burning stacks of funny paper. Later I realized this is called Joss paper, or ghost money. Good for the ghosts of our ancestors who need this particular currency to be able to go out and buy an ice cream or something in the afterworld.

WHAT A PITY KULULA DOESN'T FLY INTERNATIONALLY - WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY FOR THEIR HUMOUR - SO TYPICALLY SOUTH AFRICAN.


Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg ...Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"

---o0o---

On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

----o0o---

On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."

----o0o---

"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."

---o0o---

"Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

---o0o---

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"

---o0o---

After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo , a flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."

---o0o---

From a Kulula employee: " Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth...To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."

---o0o---

"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one small child, pick your favourite."

---o0o---

Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."

----o0o---

"Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with ourncompliments."

---o0o---

"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses." ---o0o---

And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

---o0o---

Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town : The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."

---o0o---

Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town , on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"

---o0o---

Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

---o0o---

An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline. He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment.

Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"

---o0o---

After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg , the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.."

---o0o---

Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today.. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."

---o0o---

Heard on a Kulula flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."

I have a letter from one of the parents of a student (now graduated) I have kept for almost ten years now. This student was one of my favorites. A real sweet boy. This letter from his lovely mother helps to remind me to stay humble. And positive. It isn't easy to read but I do it from time to time not to get down on myself but to avoid making the same mistake again. Or at least if I do, to try to see it in the moment and balance the situation.

Hi Miss H,
Just a quick note to share some recent observations that I got from Lief's view (not directly observed by me!)-

Comment: "So you guys (to his sister) get root beer floats after your play- all we do is get yelled at."
Comment: "Well, Miss H told Deklan and Jon she would put duct tape on their mouths if they didn't stop talking. That stuff is hard to rip off!"

I share this as a snapshot of my sense that Lief (and perhaps others in the class) is experiencing an increasing vulnerability and need for your assurance. I support your high standards and expectations and believe they are important. My only hope is that lightness and joy do not get sacrificed. Lief for one, really benefits when he hears someone say he's done something well... So just a reminder, humbly offered- please try to catch them doing something right- I think it will make it easier to hear the constructive feedback.

Sincerely,
Augustine

Note* Names have been changed.

I am really happy I took the job to work with the two homeschooling girls from England. They are so brilliant and I feel so lucky to have them as students. It is such a joy to teach them and in a way I feel I am not such a good teacher as it is the students I have who are guided by very (in my perception) conscious parents that I seem to connect with the most. The easy ones!

Short Rick sha movie from bombay. Hope it isn't too bumpy.

From the article
"Don't abolish the Death Sentence in Singapore!"
Yahoo! user Sah said, “The death penalty should be given, in order to maintain law and order. Those who choose to break the law will have to bear the responsibility and consequences. Face it, there is no shortcut in life.”

Ah, isn't execution sort of, um a shortcut in life?

The coconut

Shortly after our arrival in Singapore we discovered two relatively cheap fruits, the honey mango and the thai coconut.
The honey mango is a sweet mango that has an almost razor thin core and melts in your mouth without any of the stringy qualities of other mango. Thai coconut is larger than the monkey head coconuts and is green and gives a large quantity of soft, sweet coconut and lovely water.Our helper buys our coconuts in the morning, cracks them open and serves the coconut and the water with our breakfast.

I have been eating coconut for lunch for the last month. Solo. There is always coconut left over for me at lunch time. So, I eat coconut. I was surprised to see after doing a little research how much the coconut offers.

Check it out!
Coconut Research Center

I think it qualifies as a superfood.

The Pedestrian


It has become more and more apparent that I am a pedestrian. The longer I am without a car and not driving the more I feel the menace of cars. At every intersection a car is bearing down upon me. At every stop sign one must stop and wait for the speeding car with the driver so driven by haste.

I am the pedestrian who can see the pecking order. Trucks first. Cars. Motorcycles. Bicycles. Then people on foot. And last the creatures that are without legal representation, the cats, dogs, Iguanas, Black birds etc.

There was a post on a friend's facebook page about stupid tourists walking in the middle of the street, or "jumping out in front of my car". And I remember being there, feeling the irritation of people who walk in front of cars in India. Or when I lived in Massachusetts.

But also I remember feeling the danger of cars when riding my bike on the Cape. And the glee with which drivers would honk their horn at night to scare night bicyclists.

Each time we think of "the other" whether the other is the opposite sex, or poor (rich), or Chinese (or American) we are separating ourselves from our own selves.

Right now I am the pedestrian. Oh Creator! Help me to remember the pedestrian when I start driving again!

Will you take a walk with me,
Clucking hen, today?
There's barley in the barley fields
And hayseed in the hay.
Thank you said the clucking hen,
I've something else to do;
I'm busy sitting on my eggs,
I cannot walk with you....


Stay tuned for Playgroup story coming to our house on Friday at 930. I just finished the hen tea cozy (yes she will get to work as soon as her acting stint is done) and the little chicks and I am trying to remember all the story and songs. Seeing as I am a grades teacher I am sure there will be a few little things that aren't as "Early Childhood" as Masami or Minaz would make them. But we will surely have fun.



This week marked the first week of Kinder for Booty. She has been doing great, but as our friends predicted, is showing a little fatigue by today.



Tomorrow the girls come for math and then on Saturday I have 8-9 children signed up for Waldorf enrichment classes.



Our "Go Fish" cards

GOA! India. During Monsoon (rain) season.



The fishermen have been working on their boats and generally staying out of them during the rain.



Off to the beach although swimming has been banned in the ocean during the monsoon.



Booty's favorite highlights:
The cave pool, dosas, the white rabbit, running in the rain, playing tag on the beach, riding in the golf cart, building a "fire" on the beach and finding things (like this moray eel) washed up on the shore.





The lobby of The Leela in Goa is palatial. Pictured above, the ceiling of the lobby. The resort itself is in some ways like all the other resorts we have stayed in. They seem to follow the same theme. This one, however is quite spread out and has a large antique art collection. Booty wasn't subdued by it and climbed up when she saw an opportunity.

This is the last picture taken of Missy who passed into kitty heaven today. She enjoyed the cool rain. Came inside and quickly seizured and passed on. H arrived home as she was gasping her last breathe.
Booty was not really able to grasp what was happening and insisted that I read her a story. As H sat with his dear friend of 19 years I read to Booty. It was the hardest read so far in my life.
Missy was all that.
Sweet. Soft (she never got yucky). And selfless.
I think she knew that she needed to wait until H got home. And she tried.
Dearest girl. Not aloof at all like some cats. But attentive. We really don't know how we will move on.
oxoxoxoooMissy!

Excerpt from Interview for Singapore Women's Weekly Magazine:


Hi

My name is Vincent Soh and I am writing an article on childhood education and development in Singapore for Singapore Women's Weekly Magazine.

I am interested in your unique Waldorf Steiner program. I have some questions that I hope your principal, director or a representative could reply to.


1. What do you think is the most important element of the program design in successful childhood development?

There may not be one “most important element” of our program but the one that comes to mind when I think of what Waldorf Education offers is the training, attitude and development of the teacher. Waldorf teachers believe that their students are human beings with capacities of the mind, body, soul and spirit, which are educated by those very same capacities within the teacher. Waldorf teachers do not follow a formula for teaching. They follow the requirements of their students’ development. Because of this it is necessary for the teacher to have ongoing personal and professional development in the form of research, mentoring, interaction with parents and inner spiritual practice.

2. What would be some of the unique activities or teaching methods?

Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf pedagogy, taught us that the human being develops first the body, then the life forces, then the emotional forces, intellectual forces and finally the spirit forces. It follows then that the activities and methods of teaching would help these “forces” to develop as they become realized in the child. In the early years music, rhythm, play, and physical activities that occur in the home are “taught”, in the primary school years artistic activities (painting, claywork, drawing, writing, knitting, woodwork) are taught in harmony with teaching of number qualities and Language arts. By middle school and through secondary education the foundations of this education allows for a deeper relationship to learning and the students have developed an ability and keen interest in more disciplined artistic work and study of history through biography, construction of Platonic solids, clothing design, architecture, philosophy, Theories behind the laws of Physics through experimentation and so on.

3. How does this program specifically nurture independent and creative thinkers? What else can parents expect their children to take away?

Every Waldorf educated graduate I know is a confident thinker and activist who knows how to listen and to solve problems. These are “out of the box” thinkers. Though probably not the best bean counters.

4. How can parents reinforce the lessons learned at the classes?

Parents can remove as much media and technology from their children as they can until their children understand how these devices operate and how advertisers that use these technologies target audiences to sell products that may not serve the health of the planet. This kind of understanding doesn’t develop in children until they are past puberty. Also if parents can spend time doing things with their children like physical activities or artistic activities instead of passive activities (in front of a screen) the quality of the family life increases and the child’s connection to the home and the world increases.

5. Anything you might like to add concerning the strengths of Waldorf Steiner education?

When parents ask me if it is fair to keep their children away from the “real world” by signing on to the Waldorf philosophy I have to laugh a little. What we are calling the real world today is largely a world designed to deceive. I believe that if people just made the decision to spend time with their brilliant children and the incredible people around them they would be convinced that the real world is within the human being and our ability to see beauty and goodness in the life that surrounds us. The material world is just one small part of the "real" world. There is so much more out here and it is so fascinating! Waldorf education inspires us to discover things that are not obvious. This makes life fun!



Elizabeth Doshi is an experienced Waldorf teacher from the United States. Mrs. Doshi has taught Waldorf education as a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade teacher and has lead Waldorf camp for children aged 6-9. She has handwork experience ( knitting, crotcheting, dollmaking, felting, weaving, sewing etc.) and specializes in form drawing, drama, music and the manual arts . Currently Mrs. Doshi is teaching Waldorf Encrichment classes for children ages 6-11 and hopes that Waldorf education will “sing” in Singapore. Perhaps you will join her in making this joyful wish come true. For more information on the Waldorf Education talk series beginning in August please contact waldorfstein@yahoo.com.sg

Well. Booty isn't ready to share me with anyone quite yet. For two days I have tried to go over to Joo Chiat to help my friend with her beautiful twins. She is here for another week with her grown daughter and the babies on their way back to Australia. Booty would have none of me focusing on the tiny, tinies or even trying to spend some time catching up with their mumma. Lucky that her daughter is here to help so my assistance was really intended for mom to get a quick cat nap or food break. But it was not to be. Still, look at that beautiful mom and one of her magical babies.

Newborns can be breathtaking. Really.

Booty's favorite short film makes her laugh every time

But I am the “Doer”!
Living with a Live In Helper


For some time I have been wanting to write about this delicate subject, “Living with a Live In Helper” but have been afraid of sounding ungrateful or elitist or one of those adjectives describing the Odious and the Wealthy. But now I feel like I need to because it is such a big part of our life and also because I have been in our helper’s shoes and I feel like I can be somewhat fair.

Most people I know back home don’t have live in help and may have some ideas about what it is like or what it means. For one, when you live in Singapore it doesn’t mean you are rich. It only means that when you researched the options you discovered that it is more cost effective to hire someone to live in your home and work full-time than it is to hire someone for, lets say, 12 hours a week.

When we lived in California, we hired someone to clean once a week. She also offered to care for Booty. If we had hired her to do both for 15 hours a week we would have paid what we pay now for roughly 60 hours a week of cooking, shopping, gardening, cleaning and childcare.

The second misunderstanding is that if you have a live-in it means you have less to worry about. This isn’t true for me as I feel that I have another person to care for. Is she getting enough to eat? Is she rested enough? Does she miss her family? Does she need to hang out more with her friends? Does she have enough spending money? Am I too hard on her? Too soft? Can I be clearer about what we need? Imagine having an employee that doesn’t work at your place of employment but in your home with your child and your personal “stuff”.

Singapore may be one of the only places on earth where one can find this kind of affordable help in a fully functional city, but what are the other hidden costs?

For our helper the cost is her privacy and her independence. She depends upon us for her health care, for the food that she is “allowed” to eat, her social life (if she gets one) and for her ability to stay in this country and work so that she can send money to her family.

While I know that MB (her initials) is treated better than most helpers, certainly better than all of my friend’s helpers, it doesn’t keep me from examining my behavior around her employment. There are times that I am just plain “weird” about things, stupid things like when she makes food for herself and heats up left overs for us. Or her inability to dry the bathroom floor no matter what I say, or her strange lack of precision with bed making, mopping, dusting, and laundry. But what can I, within reason, complain about? Nothing really, except one thing that is beyond MB’s control. And that is our privacy.

MB knows that when I am stressed out I become a fanatic about everything. She knows what my H and I fight about. She does our laundry for heaven’s sake and when you are caring for a family the way she cares for our family she knows stuff about us. More stuff about us than we know about her. And I think this is what my old boss had a problem with when I took care of her family of 6 children. When you take someone in to live with your family, you are taking them INTO your family and they are changing the identity of the family.

Booty considers MB as one would consider an Aunt. She is a family member who deserves honor. But what is tricky is that H sees her totally differently, (having grown up with “servants”) and so do I.

I think of MB as a young, dependent niece or someone who “doesn’t know better” or who isn’t ready to be challenged intellectually. I have tried to invite MB to the table to eat with us. I have encouraged her to enroll in adult education classes that we would help pay for. I have invited her to watch movies with me. Or to go shopping with me. Rarely does she take me up on the offer. But does this mean she is not my equal? Why would that be so?

Who is really in control? And what is it that is challenging for me who has everything? Once again I run up against these ideas of “status” in the home. And it has made me realize that at this seemingly absurd time in my life when it seems all my peers are growing into their creative” peak”, I am feeling like a total anomaly. I know who I think I am AND I know that this idea (of who I am) is not entirely true.

Having a live-in helper doesn’t do what I supposed it would. Instead of making me feel empowered to do the things I didn’t have time for before it reminds me of the things I made time for despite chores piling up. And I am not speaking of the ability to do my teaching work. I am speaking of the whole “live in” situation. It works upon the will very strongly when you have someone always “doing” for you. And yet if I can call upon my higher forces to do what is being asked of me regardless of my privilege, I could really “do” something myself.

The deeper question for me at this time is,

Despite ALL you have been given,
Despite what you think you know
And despite the ideas you carry about who you are,
Can you accept what is present here and act upon what is needed now?

I have been fighting the tide. In an effort to keep Booty out of her "head" I have been encouraging more playing and creating (painting, drawing, building, cooking, cleaning, pretending...) and less reading. I have failed, miserably. And so, in the spirit of, "if you can't beat 'em join 'em " I have purchased some books that I feel are appropriate. At this time Booty's favorite books are:



"Bigmomma's" and "Shortcuts" by Donald Crews
These are two seperate stories but they take place at the same time in the author's life and are wonderfully illustrated.



Come on Rain by Karen Hesse and Jon J. Muth.

Oh. By the way. The reason I do not use Booty's given name (or anyone's full name for that matter) in this blog is for privacy reasons as this is a public blog. We have already discovered how scary it can be to be recognized on the street by strangers so thanks for not posting our names.