This little Soul has been brought forth into physical incarnation and with it, karmic ties with his parents, good and bad, will go on for many lives to come.
There will be karmic links with me as well. As he grows and understands the world around him, it will be a huge learning for me as I discover 'him' and grow along with him and try understand what's our connection. Yes, he's adorable, yes, he's terribly smart, yes, he's a joy to watch and to enjoy - yet, why do I not feel elated at this little soul that I hold in my hands?
When I held No. 1 Daughter when she was just as little, I had the same feelings going through me. Physically, it seemed a joyous occasion but on a deeper level...I began to see why there are increasingly more couples not wanting kids in their lives - Karma can be tough....
As Fellow Traveller and colleague leaves Singapore for home after 4 exciting years in Asia, I look back with fondness at the times we've spent together exploring the neighbourhood. Her energy and stamina, curious enquiring mind matches mine, I sure want to remain likewise when I get to her age.
It's unlikely she'll retire back home for long. Before long, I know she'll be somewhere else in the world, checking out that neighbourhood. Such rich life experiences one could never learn from books or from our classrooms.
Life back home would not be the same for her. For a start, her closest friends and relatives have not taken up her invitation to visit Singapore and Asia and putting up at her place.
Her fellow countrymen and women are frogs in the well, only the handful who've ventured out to live and work outside their country, particularly in Asia, are able to see the big picture with minds wide open. My other colleagues see them in the same light but only because, they found the courage to venture out.
Outside of their huge country, Singapore has the largest concentration of their citizens in the world.
AND HELLO THERE FELLOWTRAVELLER.....!
I met Fellow Traveller in India. The Universe conspired to bring her out to Singapore when family members were sent here to work.
Weekends and holidays will find us exploring more of Singapore's nooks and crannies. We popped over to Ubin and Batam, did walkabouts of Little India, Chinatown, Arab St, Changi Prison Museum, Changi Village and its boardwalk and we have plans to cover more areas...so now as I trudge around in our heat and humidity I have Fellow Traveller sweat it out with me.
Pulau Ubin (Granite Island) is off the northeastern corner of mainland Singapore. If it was'nt for a visiting English friend, I may not have ventured across in this native weather with its infernal heat and humidity (!)
It was a walk back in time. It was a Malaysia I grew up in. There are areas in Malaysia which would still look like this - mangrove swamps, noisy diesel generators for electricity, well water, mosquitoes, kampong houses, elephant grass. Ubin was one large granite quarry in the 19th century, which attracted its early Chinese settlers who became fishermen in later years after the granite was mined to death. The granite industry was developed by the British than.
Local tourist.The bumboat ride took just 20mins one way and gave a nice perspective of the Changi Jetty and Changi Village area
Gems of Wisdom from one Marcus Aurelius, outside the premises of this greenie NGO. Its so neat to come across this in a rustic village, hand-written too, I would have died if it was a lightbox.
Chinese islanders, Malays too for that matter, would have their shrines by the waterfront to pray for good catch, good weather and their safety when they go out to sea. The islanders on Ubin are predominantly Chinese
Such old trees tell a story of an ancient piece of rock. Its original inhabitants may have been sea nomads - Orang Laut, an aboriginal people.
The island is a green lung with bicycle tracks throughout and camping sites and holiday chalets. During school breaks and weekends, the place is invaded by youths
Ripening fruits wrapped up to protect them from birds, squirrels and fruit bats are a throwback to my growing up years, for Grandmama and ma climbed the mango and jackfruit trees to wrap them up with gunny sacks. Other trees growing in my community were guavas, durians, jambus, rambutans, chempedaks.
They belonged to no one in particular and were just there, so during harvesting time, the fruits were shared with whoever wanted them. There were times when passersby would ask if they could pluck the fruits, the answer was always 'yes' and they would harvest extra and left that behind at the foot of the trees for us. Those were the days when people were kinder and gentler.
....IN NUMBERS TOO BIG TO IGNORE....so goes the rallying cry of feminists everywhere. And the numbers aren't small for a place like Singapore - nearly 3000 - gathered in a room for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of AWARE (Association of Women for Action & Research). I had this post in draft waiting to see what would unfurl after that EGM, but the drama ended as quickly as it started. Plenty has been written and spoke about so I shall tweak this piece a little to put in my 2 cents worth. This whole sorry episode reminds me of Roald Dahl's The Witches.
A group of women gathered for a clandestine meeting in a secret location. They were led by their mentor - the Grand High Witch. Once the doors were bolted, they made themselves comfortable - they removed their wigs, masks, gloves and shoes to reveal who they truly were - witches.
They were not a pretty sight - ugly, dark, insidious and sinister in thoughts and words. Now, to most people, these witches were ordinary women living ordinary lives and had ordinary jobs and on ordinary days, their neighbours and colleagues could'nt tell who they really were. The agenda of this secret meeting was a plan to exterminate all the children of the world - dirty, grubby and smelly they were - a sinful blight on humanity was how they viewed them.
This their Mentor planned to do by buying or taking over, all the candy stores that exist for as she said, they had plenty of money to do so having collected large sums of donations from unsuspecting humans towards 'a good cause.'
These stores would be filled with all manner of sweets, candies, chocolates, produced from The Grand High Witch's recipes, which when consumed, would turn all the children into mice which would than be exterminated by pest exterminators, birds and cats. This than, is the gist of The Witches. Roald Dahl was a keen observer of life. Some of his books were racist and stereotypical but than, the bloke's from another time, another place.
Incidentally, there was a time when a Witch meant a spiritual, wise women - they were healers and oracles, with powerful clairvoyant and clairaudient gifts. In certain circles they were known as The Quirs, meaning Wise Women.
Their abilities were seen as a threat to the Church's top brass who were enviousand fearful that these women know so much, so the order went out to hunt down all such women, accused/framed them of consorting with the 'Devil' and promptly burned them at the stake.From here is derived the term 'witch hunt'... Another word much maligned by the Church is Occult. In Latin, this means 'esoteric', 'hidden' as in hidden knowledge, hidden Truths, hidden wisdom, something not immediately seen nor perceived on the surface.
For students of Esoteric Science (also known as Occult Science), Occultism is the most beautiful word that opens up the mind and heart to the world of profound wisdom, understanding and explanation of how, great evolved souls - including Isa (better known as Jesus), Baba and other Perfected Beings could do what they were able to do. They are Masters of the Occult Science.
"People wind-born, cloud-insert mirage born. Wandering is not synonymous with stupidity but with freedom of soul and body. Will they fathom in the mirage what others seek or find in scripture?"
poem Peuple de l'errance (Nomads) about the Tuareg nomads by Tuareg poet, Soueloum Diagho
"Deafened by the voice of desire you are unaware the Beloved lives in the core of your heart. Stop the noise and you will hear 'His' voice in the Silence."
