Effecting change

Sigh.
I'm feeling a range of emotions now.
Had an encounter with my daughters school and  ow considering changing schools for my youngest
Partly I worry if I'm fighting  a needless battle
Akshaya is ok with going for all her extra classes
It's like me fighting for what is right when it doesn't matter to anybody else
Sigh
I am going to explore plmgs though

Automaticity

Perched on a bus stop bench
Just a little too high for my feet to touch the ground
My legs swing, like a pendulum,
Automatically
It now other join me on the bench
Their legs swing too
Not entirely with their awareness
So here we sit
Like children again
Automatically

Version 2

Perched on a bus stop bench
Just a little too high for my feet to touch the ground
My legs swing, like a pendulum,
Automatically
Two others join me on the bench
Their legs swing too
So here we sit
Like children again
Automatically

Alone with my thoughts

I enjoy my thoughts
Watching them pop up, bubble into being, float along mid air, sometime rise higher and expand and sometimes pop, dashed by another thought bubble

Hours in school

How long does a ten yea old spend in school

The typical week

9.5 hours once a week
8 hours a day 3 times a week
6 hours a day once a week

Breaks? 2 half hour breaks each day.

Then homework. Soon to he at least an hour a day?
So that becomes 7 9 and 10.5 most days.

Rest of time is for eating sleeping and maybe a bit of play if absolutely necessary.
So what do I hope to get out of this meeting

1. An acknowledgement if how the extra hours can affect each kid

2. A move to reduce the number of extra hours a kid attends per term

3. maybe suggest smaller groups on alternate weeks so learning is more custlmozed rather than have whole class stay back for an extra 7 to 8 hours a term

How to save your marriage

1. Trigger warning-  Avoid any mention of ice cream in front of the man to save your marriage
2. Direct all kids' food related queries to him and refuse to answer so you cant be mocked or scoffed at or derided.

Epiphany on iyyappan temple matters

See I've always said and believed that God takes diff forms to speak to diff people

And history has proven that some people like to be celibate or believe they have to be so to be in touch with God
I don't agree with it but so what
I too fast and refrain from physical touch at such times
Catholic priests believe in celibacy
So we have this kootam who believes that too and iyyappan, born of two men, is the absolute symbol of bramachary devotion.
So the belief that women should go to the temple. It's not whether something is or is not the case. It's what people believe. And some things should just be respected if it doesn't impinge on your basic rights.

Losing a job over an fb post shared

This is the world we live in
You could lose your job over sharing a post
A minute of not thinking can cost you a job and then no more jobs too across the world

To shame a company through your post you lose your job!

This Indian national sg pr shared a pic of an sg flag ripped to reveal an Indian flag beneath
. He lost his job at DBS after netizens write on DBS fb page on how could employ someone like that

Such a torrent of responses . Assault really. No way could DBS hold up against such pressure.

Its like the masses in julius caesar on the internet. Every Tom dick and harry could comment and get the guy fired.

Not saying what he did was right.
He was stupid., truly. And Indians living in sg need to know how they are perceived. How they can't openly proclaim their heart belongs to another country.

But.. my what power to the masses.

Makes me re think the Pamela incident in a new light. If higher ups at moe had seen this she could he sacked for making moe look like a horrible place to work in!
Spoiling the reputation of the country.

Ns deaths

It's sad. Another ns  related death. Apparently 4th in 18 months or 8th including suicides. Pple have been super hush hush about camp related suicides !
Pray for the boys it really is not acceptable. Tanks running over other vehicles. Dropping of equipment over another. This is negligence. How come it's happening?
Others were ragging related. And heat stroke.
Each of these completely preventable.
How awful.

Philip pullman

Who is this man
A sorcerer with words
Conjuring worlds out of 26 letters
With such characters and ideas

Altheometers
revealing truths like tarot cards
Subtle knives
Cutting windows into other worlds
Daemons that walk or fly, inside us and out
Creatures that prey on souls
Terrifying adults but unseen by children
Gyptians on water
Armoured bears on ice
Aeronauts in skies
Shamans digging holes in skulls
Witches who live forever and love in deadly ways

And Dust

Dust that corrupts
Fixes the souls in shape
Leads one to question authority

Dust
With consciousness
Older than man

Eat to live live to eat

I eat to punish my body and Indulge my senses

Feel free to fail

Just give it a shot.

Haha

She just said
English taught me grammar and all
But lit taught me how to tell a story creatively.

She dissed el.
Haha
Literature is a way of falling in love with language

Moods

I'm in a mood
One of those days
Where i stuff my face with chocolates
Lie in bed and watch Netflix
When I'm supposed to be at work

Reflections on crowds and thaipusam

I was taking the train just now and just taking in the crowd. Crowds aren't unusual in Singapore. Tiny country. Thronging crowds for trains and all is a common sight and experience. The diff with crowds for thaipusam is that its crowds of Indians. That's threatening for majority Chinese. Crowds of Indians make Chinese feel marginalised . And what Indians! With piercings and chants and music. It brings out the horror of the unknown and thus deemed barbaric for them.
Well its changing I think. Slowly after all these years this was best ever.

Even during the late night when it was mostly children and ladies carrying  paal kudam one guy was so rude in his earnestness to get his job done. One lane one lane he shouted pointing and shepherding us with his baton. There was no need for that tone or gesture with this crowd.

Behind him our nagarathar road marshal said mor gently in Tamil to stick to one lane. There wasn't  a car on the road by the way.

Oh well.

Thaipusam 2019

Everyone is saying this is one if the smoothest thaipusam ever. So proud of people

For me this was one of the best ever too.
Akshaya took paal kudam! So proud of her. it was the smoothest procession ever.

The night before we walked from pillayar kovil to tank road temple.  With our baby gift from God, kaavya! She got us to rest awhile and see the theru and we took a short cut that got us back in time with kavadis anyway! Arohara! She is a doll. Round faced small and smiley.

Then ashwin walked with his friends got separated and made his way to the temple alone by following the kavadi closely. He sang with them and came into temple by himself . He insisted on walking barefooted. 

Am very proud of the kids and love them so much.

Next day he told me he felt like a grown up when  walking in by himself

Social media reality

See theres this lady Marie kondo
She wrote a book on decluttering
Its lovely

I don't get why people cant just take the ideas they like and leave out the ones they dont
What's the need to comment on her ideas on fb  and dish them and mock them and make fun of her and lash out at her. She's not forcing anyone to do things
Just offering a away for people to clean if they want
.its rather terrifying this new harsh world we live in
Must teach kids to go ahead and say what they feel and put forth their ideas in books
And not take it to heart all the criticism and praise they get. For they will get both in equal measure.
Also teach them decency in commenting on ideas.
Tue place to do it and so in

How to be happy

I don't know
Surround 0neself with books and good friends maybe
Remind your self all the work we do is for god

Thoughts

This year... feels different
For one I'm starting it tired
But, also I feel older wiser more mature hahaha!
I love my friends
I don't wish to get angry
I hope to be more patient and kind with the children
I love my husband
I enjoy my work though it tends to get on top of me at times
But, it's ok.
All will be okay.
Will keep praying to God.
Cheers
MEENA