Milkshakes for Meat

I've just gotten back from my third milkshake this week. . .and it's only Thursday!

Am eating very very strangely these days this morning this is what I had at the bakery down the street. . .

A Belgian waffle

A milkshake (no added sugar of course. . .ha)

Tomato soup

and lemon ginger tea

. . .all in the same sitting. . .

No wonder my stomach's making weird squeaking noises!

xo

Tuesday

Hairy Fairy in Jail!

Yes it's true the Hairy Fairy had his wings clipped for a few hours near dawn today.

Found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time with no ID. Police here like to raid places at random - mixed opinions as to why- some say it's anti-terrorist, some say it's to get bribes, some say it's because they're bored. Whatever the reason, the Hairy Fairy got caught in the mix and found himself in a small room in an Indonesian police station being detained.

What a stupid fiasco! All in the name of bribery most likely. But the Hairy Fairy wouldn't hand over any cash for a get out of jail free card. He simply waited it out. Eventually a friend brought him his ID and the whole matter resolved itself. He came home this morning very adamant that the whole thing was not disagreeable. "They were all very nice," he kept saying, "very nice."

And so we roll. . .

xo

Tuesday

Missme? No sugar.

How fast December came. Now it's here and what. . .

I can't tell you much. Same same. Weather's hot. . .some crazy thunder some nights. . .

Nuclear thunder. . .really it's madness. . .

Apart from that. . .December is self-experimentation month in my world.

I'm consuming neither added sugar nor caffeine. . .just wanna see what that's all about.

If it has some effect, no effect, or a lot of effect.

So far it seems to be doing very good things for the digestion and

a tad more skin glow I think. . .but don't quote me on that, could just be wishful thinking.

Went for a pay day herbal body scrub/Java massage/and sunflower facial last weekend. Pay day is a glorious day! There's a great spa just down the street, Taman Sari, where they make their own products and serve the best ginger tea! Ahhhh, relaxes me just to think about it. By Indonesian standards it's really pricey but by other standards it's pretty cheap. A facial is just $12, reflexology only $7 and products to rival any spa I've been to.

Anyway, over and out for now, here's a picture of Gloria Swanson, a serious sugar-hater, to keep you company until I return. . .

xoxo

Tuesday

Long-Term Happiness

Well there is something. . .

Just like me to say I'm going to not write and then write. But just wanted to let everyone know that President Obama is here today. Not here here as in Palembang here, but here as in Indonesia here. You probably all know that though. I just listened to his speech and it was good for me. It highlighted the good parts of Indonesia rather than the petty bad parts. Especially his talk about religious tolerance.

Yesterday in one of my classes we were talking about long-term happiness. This really great boy Michael, an Indonesian Catholic and a body builder, was talking about how in order to have long term happiness every man must embrace the MOTHERSIDE of his personality and all people mus be religious, no matter what religion you are.

Maybe it's me but I found this EXTREMELY evolved for a 17 year old boy. It made me very hopeful and brought me out of a terrible funk I was in because of the ever vexing "selfishton" (selfish+simpleton) known as "Cake Breath."

Thanks to Michael for his wisdom!

xo

Tuesday

TEMPEH SUCCESS

Hi all,

The tempeh was a success. Involved some special yeast and two days of waiting. I gave most of it to Ida but am going to try cooking some up tonight with green beans. The next batch I'm going to do solo. . .let's see.

On another note. . .I'm gonna take the rest of October (read: November) off from blogging unless something super exciting happens of course.

And also. . .the volcanoes aren't near Palembang. Indonesia is much longer than it seems. It seems like a small country from a distance but is actually really big. The volcanoes are erupting hundreds of miles away in one direction and the tsunamis are happening hundreds of miles away in another direction. So Palembang is safe. Maybe that's why ancient civilizations liked to build their cities here.

Anyway. . .I'm off. It's a lazy Sunday.

See you in December.

peace and love

xo

k

P.S.- Out of pure boredom I subscribed to a paranormal newsletter last night. www.moonslipper.com

I wonder what they'll have to say.

TEMPEH TIME

New Project:
Have enlisted Ida to assist me with my desire to learn the art of TEMPEH.

In my effort to try to find something positive about my current locale I came to the temple of Tempeh. A serious gift, fermented, earthy, and nutritious, from Indonesia to the vegetarian world.

Ida is procuring the necessaries for me. Which from what I can make out include, a steamer, soy beans, and some special yeast.

We are due to begin the process on Monday. Needless to say, I am very happy about this!

I'll keep you posted.

xo

Tuesday

Tuesday on Tuesday, October 26th/5 Month Anniversary

5 months down

7 to go

Festering Dung Heap

Hi Everybody,

As many of you have noticed I haven't been writing much lately. That's because all I want to write is. . .this place is a festering dungheap, this place is a festering dungheap. . .100 no 1000 times. 1000 times wouldn't even get close to doing this wretched city justice. I'm sure there are fouler places on the planet but Palembang, Indonesia is probably up there in places not to go. There's so much pollution from the oil refining and the fertilizer plants you get dirty just sitting inside of your own house. The people are rude and even the wealthy are super ignorant. There's no sense of honor or politeness it's just completely uncultured and uncivilized. . .which is okay for pale-skinned guys who, no matter what their brain capacity, genetic make-up, or ability to chew with their mouths closed, get catapulted into the stratosphere simply by having pale skin. I live with two of these. One, as those of you who read regularly know, vomits every Friday and Saturday night. . .last Friday on the couch! The other, likes to walk around in his boxer shorts as if he's a chippendale or something when he actually resembles a severely bloated, red-haired, Mr. Bean who has trouble pronouncing words like plumber and gorilla.

Roommate Aisha and I are both at our wits end. The negativity is so high in me it's seeping out through my pores. I think that even the students can feel it. I even want to yell it to them. . ."Do you know what a rotten place you live in?" But I haven't. Not yet! I just put on my fake smile and try to make it through my 80 minute class. It's like fast food education. . . .it's just mediocrity and ugliness all around.

We've decided to ask the two male inhabitants of this house to have a house meeting where we can discuss issues that have arisen. Aisha and I have 3 joint requests and I have 1 more.

1) Please wear a shirt while walking to and from the shower.
2) Please understand that dishes must be put away after they are washed. Not to sit and create a porcelain Mt. Everest in the kitchen. (Aisha and I always put them away. . .and we DO NOT want to be THEIR maids!!!)
3) Please find a way to control your drinking and vomiting on the weekend. Perhaps invest in a bucket so that you can vomit in your room instead of in the public spaces.
4) Please smoke on the balcony as you do 50% of the time because my sheets are smelling like an ashtray. (my request)

Anyway. . .lets see how it goes. I don't think it can make things worse. If things keep going on like this Aisha and I are thinking about getting our own place. But before we do, I thought we should try talking it out. . .AMERICAN STYLE. It will be interesting to try to talk it out with these constipated ignorant Brit boys. Aye yay yay!
Well it's raining. . .I'm gonna get my umbrella, walk to the corner, and buy some tea.
I'll try to write more regularly. I'll try. . . .
xo
T

P.S. They were showing a very entertaining movie on Indonesian TV the other night. SORORITY ROW 1. . .a bunch of sorority girls get hacked to pieces one by one. . .I recommend it.

Check In

Yes. . .I'm not blogging much these days.

The novelty of being here is officially over.

It's all routine and rumbling like anywhere else. . .

My English is deteriorating. . .told a kid yesterday that she should say "Most Favorite"

oops

soon I'll be telling them to say "funner" or "more stronger" like some of my co-workers

I guess it might be a good thing that Indonesia is tightening its regulations on who can teach in the country. . .it's real easy to become a hack here

all of the pedophiles, drunks, and uneducated slackers are really freaking out

like they did when Thailand did the same

I don't blame them. . .where in the world are the riff raff allowed these days?

the world is getting so small and full of so many RUUUUUUUULES!

We must fight it! Be strong! Be Free!

on another note. . .

Saturday is writing day. . .

and on writing day writing breaks/incentives. . .

there's a new ice cream/belgian waffle shop that opened down the street. . .

if I go I'll take you guys with me. . .

promise.

Riff Raff Forever - RRF

Tuesday

INDONESIAN WEDDING. . .FROM A DISTANCE

Went to bed early last night and woke up this morning 6:30 am in the middle of a video game. An Indonesian wedding party has begun down the block. They block the street with their tents and blast this synthesized video game style music BLAST BLAST BLAST. . .according to Scary Troll this goes on until tomorrow night. . .but I don't believe him. . .do I really get to live in a video game until tomorrow night? Cool! Haha!

Bye Bye Kitty Kat

She came and she went and she taught me something about love

and she taught me something about giving

and she taught me something about responsibility

and she reminded me that the universe is ALWAYS watching

thank you kitty kat

I hope you have fun in your new indoor/outdoor home at the car dealership

the universe loves you

and you were meant to be outside not cooped up and pooping in inconvenient places

have fun kitty kat!

be good!

P.S. - She's healthy and strong after the human dewormer. The woman she was staying with - Mrs. Boss - said she had become really naughty. Mr. Boss suggested taking her to his office as an intermediary step to putting her back outside again. Mrs. Boss agreed. I agreed. The child with the bloody legs from kitty's scratching agreed. Hope kitty agrees. Here she goes.

I'm Back

Just flew down from North Sumatra.

All here is the same and well.

I do love riding in cabs from the airport, zoning out to the love songs.

A meditation course in and of itself. . .

Meditation

. . .Meditation DAY 10 of 10. . .

www.dhamma.org

Meditation

. . .Meditation DAY 9 of 10. . .

www.dhamma.org

Meditation

. . .Meditation Day 8 of 10. . .

www.dhamma.org

Meditation

. . .Meditation Day 7 of 10. . .

www.dhamma.org

Meditation

. . .Meditation DAY 6 of 10. . .

www.dhamma.org

Meditation

. . .Meditation DAY5 of 10. . .

www.dhamma.org

Meditation

. . .Meditation DAY4 of 10. . .

www.dhamma.org

Meditation

. . .Meditation DAY 3 of 10. . .

www.dhamma.org

Meditation

. . .Meditation DAY 2 of 10. . .

www.dhamma.org

Meditation

. . .Meditation DAY 1 of 10. . .

www.dhamma.org

Yin and Yang

Such an elegant symbol.

Off to meditation tomorrow at 4:30 am.

See you in 10 days.

xo

T

Three Reasons to Rise

. . .and so. . .

I got out of bed.

xo

T

Correction

. . .talked to the Troll when he rose at 4pm. . .

. . .not xxx at all. . .rather. . .sports. . .Northern Ireland beating Slovenia in the European Championships. . .

I can only imagine that what my downstairs informant heard as "Take it off" was actually "Take him off."

Glad were back to a "G" rating. . .

xo

T

Hairy Fairy and Scary Troll

It's 3:41am and I'm awake. It seems that Vomit Man needs a new name -- the Scary Troll.

The Scary Troll seems not to have been able to find a bridge to haunt, so he has taken up residence in our living room. He is currently watching xxx movies and banging loudly enough on the table to wake me up. I yelled out of my room and he quieted. . .but now he's just saying "yes" a lot.

I was worried, thought he was yelling at kitty, but actually he was yelling "take it off" to the television screen. I'm getting my information from my other female roommate who is currently locked in her room downstairs on the second floor, next to the TV, text messaging me. It's like we're keeping tabs on Mexican terrorist action in a border town or something.

"Where is he now?"

"According to the pitter pat pattern he's making his way to the bathroom."

"I hear vomiting, can you confirm?"

"Confirmed, three retches. Deep ones."

This is what we do.

My informant below is fasting now, usually she would go down at 4am to eat something in the kitchen but with the troll in the living room she says she'll just make do with the water in her room. I told her I would accompany her. But she reminded me that if one makes it past the scylla of the Scary Troll, one still has to deal with the charybdis of our new roommate Hairy Fairy.

Hairy Fairy is very tall and used to keep his shirt on but has currently taken to walking around in his boxer shorts letting his floppy stomach and hairy back stake their claims on the visual space.

We try to respect his decency, even if he doesn't, by looking away, but it's altogether a very compelling sight and something one doesn't see every day so I tend to sneak a peek as he shuffles past. The funny thing is that Hairy Fairy has this strange way of being almost completely naked but acting as if he were fully clothed, just shuffling on by, slightly hunched. A staunch royalist from Northern England, very at home with his English eccentricity, seemingly harmless, talks with a lisp, calls an umbrella a "bwelli," vegetarian, likes to sleep.

I wonder if he's ever going to walk out completely nude. Maybe he just has to stay in this crazy city long enough to start binge drinking like the rest of em and who knows. . .it took him less than a week to lose the shirt.

Anyway Hairy Fairy appears harmless at present. His only problem is having gotten the short end of the genetic stick and that really isn't his fault. Besides, he's got an oblivious kookiness that's not altogether without charm. . .not altogether.

The Scary Troll is a problem though. So sad an pathetic. I feel bad for him and I am grossed out by his vomit. Would like to help somehow. . .but how? What's the story of the troll under the bridge? How does he transform at the end? Isn't there something about a goat? Or do they just push him over a cliff?

For now. . . we stay in our rooms until the Troll quits banging on the furniture and drags himself to bed. Which I think now. . .he has done. . .so. . me too. . .night/morning.

xo

T

Veils

Love these things.

Lycra!

$3-$5 at the Hypermart.

Picked up the black one today.

Don't wear them out--just around the perch. . .but I love having them in my closet all the same!

If I ever have kids or child relatives I figure it'll be great for them to play with. . .no?

Time to stretch. . .

xo

T

Meek

meek adj.

1.enduring injury with patience and without resentment

Can't say whether or not this definition found me or I found it.

I know I wasn't looking.

Just flipping through the dictionary as I do and BAM! there was meek.

I read the definition.

I wondered.

This didn't sound like the meek I had imagined in my head.

I always wondered why the meek would inherit the earth. It seemed strange to me that only the poor, sick, and spineless would thrive.

Brave, rich people are cool too...aren't they?

But now I see. . .

meek exposed. . .

it doesn't mean weak at all does it. . .

(that's only definition number 2)

It means. . .equanimous.

I see. . .I see. . .the equanimous will inherit the earth. . .rich. . .poor. . or otherwise.

That. . .

. . .I get

. . .because what good's enlightenment if it ain't fair?

Gracias Merriam Webster.

xoxo

Tuesday

Tuesday on Tuesday

Kitty Kat Shuffle

Our little street friend is improving. . .

After our daily regime of saline eye washes she has TWO EYES NOW!

I wanted to snap this but she no longer sits still for photographs. . .

Instead she claws around, bites toes, and explores behind the refrigerator. . .

I think maybe she needs something to scratch on. . .

+

She's eating, using the litter box (there she goes right now. . . good girl), exploring, and has settled at last into a bed on the little towel I gave her. . .

-

She's got a big bloated tummy, doesn't drink enough water, and cries all the time (actually. . .she only cries when people are around. . . spoiled already???)

She has a funny little kitty strut as her legs kind of splay out in the back to accommodate her big belly.

Since I'm sooooooo not a cat person I did a little bit of research on what this big kitty belly could be. . .as those of you more schooled in this kind of thing will know immediately the belly is probably WORMS of the parasitic variety (not my beloved periyonix excavatus earthworm). . .

I notice this kind of belly on most of the street cats around here. . .the girls especially. . .the strong tom cats don't seem to have it . . .I guess they make sure they get the best food chunks and don't have to go around eating cat poop.

Little kitty was probably on pure poop since she lost her mama.

I was gonna make a run to the pet store for dewormer but since they sell dewormer for human babies at the pharmacy down the street. . .we'll try that. . .

Don't want those worms stealing all that valuable new-trition from this already emaciated little thing!

Oh and on a P.S. . . . . BYE BYE FLEAS. . .three flea baths, a bunch of picking, shivering, sun on the veranda, and a little bit of Dettol seemed to do the trick.

keep you posted

xoxox

Tuesday

P.S. Advice? If you know any helpful kitty hints. . .please. . .I'm all ears.

Lao Tzu on Sunday

Without going out of your door

you can know the ways of the world.

Without peeping through your window

you can see the way of heaven.

SNAPS: Smile kitty kat!

Three Months Today

a disappointing and sad morning became a sweet afternoon

as I walked home for a quick cup of tea between classes around 6

a little kitten materialized at my feet

it had a walk that I knew well

the walk of a malnourished street kid

a walk my sister's pup had (Bella the one in my profile pic)

I took a closer look

the eyes were all crudded shut looked like it has no eyes at all

one eye opens a crack

I didn't know what to do

so ran back to school to get the Buddhist woman who saves birds

she said I should get a box and a blanket

Check. . .did it. . .

we put the cat in the box and carried it into the school

now the kitty is sleeping peacefully at last in the love box in my meditation closet with a fuzzy finger puppet

the vet comes tomorrow at 10. . .

I'll keep you posted. . .

thanks to Indonesia for the 3 month anniversary present. . .

xoxox

Love

Tuesday

Tuesday on Tuesday

. . .not much happening. . .

what's Tuesday for. . .???

cool cats from Kalianda. . .down south on the Sumatran coast. . .who hum Bob Dylan in the shade.

Hmmmm. . .hmmmm (humming)

when the rooster crows at the break of dawn

look out your window and I'll be gone

you're the reason I'm a travellin on

but don't think twice it's alright

4:09am

Woke up. . .out of breath. . .4:09 Saturday morning. . .

think I don't breathe sometimes when I sleep. . .

was having one of those. . .I'm trapped in the moldy staircase of the car park of a shopping mall. . .flashing to. . .the shopping mall is closing and I have to put back together the sewing machine I just knocked into a thousand pieces on the floor. . . then somehow I woke up- as if from non-breathing- screaming the name of this girl I used to know and really don't like*. . .

now what to do. . .

the mosque men are singing. . .

the fasters are doing their morning chow down. . .

will it be meditation. . . or back to bed. . .

think I'll check the dream dictionary for what it means to dream about sewing machines. . .

hi Saturday

xoxox

Tuesday

*(hate to say I don't like someone but. . .it's true. . .when i can hear or think of this person's name without scowling I'll know I have evolved a quantifiable amount)

Lao Tzu on a Friday

Lao Tzu Says:

We should be kind to the kind

We should be kind to the unkind

We should be faithful to the faithful

We should be faithful to the unfaithful

because

Virtue is kind

and

Virtue is faithful

Cake Breath and Vomit Guy

I guess I should give a little back story on the heavy day that was Tuesday and led to my last post. Here's the dirt. One of my roommates enjoys drinking himself into a zombified stupor on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and any day leading up to a public holiday. He sits in the living room chain smoking and drinking beer. The rest of us just generally stay out of his way. . .looking into his glazed eyes is pretty spooky. . .

So, Monday night this guys decides to go on a binge (eventhough he's past the age when this kind of behaviour goes from immature to pathetic. . .way past). At about 2am Tuesday morning I, on the third floor, am roused from a semi-peaceful slumber by the sounds of vomiting in the second floor bathroom. . .gross and sad.

Tuesday morning I am the first to rise and find that our beer loving roommate did not even have the wherewithal to clean up after himself. . .chunks are all over the bathroom floor. Welcome to Tuesday. I suppose I could have bitten the bullet and hosed down the bathroom myself. . .but I just didn't feel like it. I already buy the toilet paper and the kitchen sponges and no one mentions it or says thanks. Though I know I should do it thankful or thanklessly. . .somedays. . .well. . .it's just not happening.

I closed the bathroom door with a bitter grimace and went downstairs to the first floor bathroom. On the way back up to my room I grabbed the 9 rolls of toilet paper I had donated to the house and put them in my closet. Done.

That was the morning.

Then the afternoon came. On a high note, roommate Aisha was a big enough woman to take care of the vomit covered bathroom. . .hosing it down so not a trace remained. I thanked her profusely for being such a grown up person about it all. None of us said a word to Vomit Man though. . .what do you say to a grown man who can't get it together to clean up his own vomit in a communal living situation? That was a job for his mama back in Ireland. . .and clearly. . .she didn't drive the message home.

So. . .afternoon continued and I went out to the mall to buy DVD's and popcorn with bosses and new teacher. It was all fine. I bought some cake to share with the new teacher. Just trying my best to be congenial. The unsettling part of the afternoon came when it was time to eat.

I split the cake between the new teacher and myself since no one else wanted any. The new teacher and I chomped on the cake both deciding that it really wasn't like chocolate cake at all. I smelled my cake and declared "this doesn't even smell like chocolate cake." It was at that moment that the Hepatitis infected person to my right ( not the new teacher. . .he was to my left) asked to sniff my cake.

In my head I'm thinking "Are you out of your mind you control freaking socially inept megalomaniac! You don't even want any cake to begin with, you have a contagious disease, and you want to SNIFF MY CAKE? Are you an IDIOT! Not in this lifetime my friend."

But of course we must be polite. . .even in the face of contagious diseases. . .so working against every grain in my body I moved my cake to the right for the idiot to sniff. I of course am the real idiot in this situation. I don't even remember what he said. . .something in agreement, as I, with stifled bitterness, put the sniffed cake into my mouth and ate it. . .so as not to offend.

And who. . .tell me who. . .sniffs another person's cake???!!!. . .even when they don't have hepatitis?

Hopefully my addiction to being polite hasn't caught me a contagious disease.

That was afternoon.

Then the evening brought Last Chance Harvey and if you read Tuesday August 17th's post. . .you know how the day ended. . .in tears. It was all just a bit much.

Thus passed another public holiday in Indonesia. And I've come to the conclusion that it is counter productive to be polite to socially inept people. Better to say no or else you'll be invaded by their social ineptness (so many liberties taken!!!! argh!) and before you know it you too will wind up with a sniffed cake. And nobody needs that. . .trust me.

Last Chance Harvey

Went on a DVD buying spree today. INDONESIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Usually they have canoe races but since almost everyone is fasting, or supposed to be. . .they called off the canoes.

Smokey day over Palembang. Rain too.

Lots of people at the mall.

I bought. . .let me count. . . 9 Bollywood movies

1 documentary called Jesus in India

Percy Jackson, The Hurt Locker, Slumdog Millionaire, Iron Man 2, Children of the Corn, Pretty Woman, and Last Chance Harvey. . .all for under 10 bucks. . .pirated of course.

Watched the Jesus doc and Last Chance Harvey tonight. Love that movie. . .Denis Hoffman. . .Emma Thompson. . .brought me back to happier times. . .when ex-beau wasn't ex. . .and our family friend Randy was still alive.

Lots of tears fell on Sumatra tonight let me tell ya. Cathartic though I guess. . .makes you really remember that you should enjoy the people (and animals) you have when you have them. One never quite does get to say a proper goodbye. . .

Make sure to tell someone you love them today!

xoxo

Tuesday

Jambi

Just got back last night from the jungle ensconced city of Jambi (about 7-8 hours Northwest of Palembang). Saw what was there, an old Buddhist-Hindu site, and came back fast. Too much religious talk. . .super annoying.

The trip mainly involved two night busses. Arrived Saturday at 2am, left Saturday at 8pm, got back to Palembang Sunday at 3am. Bumpy, bumpy, roads. . .insane driving, coolest part. . .a breezy truck stop in the middle of nowhere. . .we were regulars for the weekend.

It's Ramadan now and out of respect for the Muslim guide and my Muslim travel partner I didn't eat or drink anything all day during our temple trekking excursion. Was very thirsty and cranky by evening. The guide said that all Muslims fasting have the same thirst. It is the same for everyone. It was an anxious wait for the clock to tick to 6:15 at last so we could eat. . .a delicious meal prepared by the equanimous Anne. . .awesome mother who's oldest son is an artist on Java with dreadlocks dating a very tall girl from Ohio. . .anyway. . . this fasting keeps going all day every day (no food from 4am to 6pm) until the 2nd week of September. A small group torture. . .very intense.. . .even the little ones.

One day was enough for me. . .it's Sunday now and I'm my own boss. . .a boss with a grumbling tummy. . . think I'll make some oatmeal.

Jambi Haiku

wet candy temples

Islam and banana rose

small talk over fast

Only Poetry

At present am much more moved by Modern Greek poets than I am by my pics of Krakatoa. I will post them soon. . .cross my heart. Am off again this weekend on another excursion. This one’s north to a place called Jambi in search of a jungle covered Hindu temple. . .the oldest Hindu temple on Sumatra. . .more on that too in the coming days. . .but for now. . .only poetry. . . .thank God for poetsxoxo

by Nikos Engonopoulous

Caffés and Comets after Midnight

the voyagers have come and gone

declared enemies of the same oblivion the same passion

loggers of the same desire

and stretching before them as far as the eye and heart can reach

are the same tattered black clouds

entangling their masts

rusting their anchors

softly whispering in their ear -with a bugle-

the same pain

as if an intense yellow

gold

had overspread this wretched black unhappy landscape

stabbed

by the drowsy glow of the electric lamps

the drowsy glow of a deplorable -ideal-harlotry

and the mangy camel’s half-asleep “che vuoi?”

is that a fact?

consider the impossibility

even the utter superfluity of crying out

and telling

all of this flame

eating up your insides

and you hold it

-clutch it!-

so firmly

so fiercly

so deeply prisoned

within you

you say the voyagers left

and came back again

broke the spells and loosed the hawsers

that bound them to the pier

¿wouldn’t

a dance of stately sorrow

best describe their

homesick

exaltations

quenched by the wave as it

sinks its fangs into

the net of disheveled pines?

pines disguised for one night only

only

to be given birth as comets?

a seabird arcs

its wings

“you”

-it says-

“are the new prophet

in the pit of your own lions”

The Most Beautiful Poem

Cousin Betina from Greece sent me a package full of poetry and one of the poems AMORGOS by Nikos Gatsos is unspeakably beautiful. Humbling for sure. Here is a passage. . .

That is how the grape goes dry deep inside the pot

and the apple turns yellow in the bell-tower of a fig tree

That is how in a tawdry cravat

The summer is breathing under a tent of vine-leaves

That is how quite naked among white cherry trees my darling sleeps

A girl unwithering as a branch of the almond tree

With her head at rest on the crook of her arm, and her hand on her golden coin.

xoxo

Tuesday

Yesterday. . .

. . .chartered a fishing boat to Krakatoa then washed up on this uninhabited island to swim, sun, and drink coconuts. A perfect day.

xoxo

Tuesday

Margarine, Sprinkles, and MeatballSoup

The soup is called bakso. Very popular. . .very common. The bread, roti coklat -- white roll covered with margarine, fried in margarine, and coated with sprinkles. What do you say to that? Healthy. . .no . . .but confident.

What food group is margarine again?

xoxoxo

Tuesday

Stowaways

And now I'm back. . .the hum drum drums. . .but I do have two new friends to keep me company. I've been looking for boots like this for over a year. . .and now, thanks to Singapore and Topshop, they live, happily I hope, in my closet!

Hope you enjoy the snaps. . .

xoxox

Tuesday

SINGAPORE SNAPS: Back to Indonesia

I left Singapore in a hurry -- running back from the stamp museum, grabbing a taxi, to the ferry, to Batam, to the airport. I was very taken with the Batam airport bathroom for some reason (grime and pink is strangely compelling) and of course who couldn't fall in love with the loneliest little potted plant in the world.

I still can't figure out what I'm supposed to do with the bucket of water beside the toilet though. Flush? Make-shift bidet? There never is any toilet paper. . but the bucket is too big for anything less than a mini-shower. . .perplexing. . .

Singapore Snaps: No Durians

In the subway. . .

In the hotel. . .

Durian. . .the pungent pariah.

Singapore Snaps: Stamps and Tigers

The Singapore Philatelic Museum is real neat, a different way of seeing (www.spm.org.sg).

They had an exhibit on the year of the tiger and had very compelling tigers and tiger bones all around. Also liked the record stamps from Bhutan. They play a folk song. . .and . . .that little black stamp in the magnifying glass is called the "penny black."

It was the first postage stamp ever!

SINGAPORE SNAPS: To the Stamp Museum

After a quick morning jaunt around Little India, I got on the MRT to City Hall and the stamp museum. It seemed unique. In all of my traveling about, I've never been to a stamp museum before. It's past the big WHITE WHITE Cathedral (St. Andrews) and next to the Masonic Temple.

A Vocabulary Building Moment:

Philately= The collection and study of postage stamps.

Philatelist= A person who collects and studies postage stamps.

Philatelic= Having to do with the collection and study of stamps.

SINGAPORE SNAPS: Kali Temple Details

Singapore Snaps: Little India

SLEEPY

Ramadan is coming. . .August 11th and the neighbors are buying goats. . .there is a day. . .at the end I think where goats. . .or is it sheep. . .are slaughtered. . .must be at the end to celebrate the end of fasting. . .I can't tell if it's a goat bleating next door. . or a sheep. . . the bleats are popping up all over the neighborhood. . .poor little buggers. . .it's stopped bleating now, maybe it's asleep like I should be. . .and though I have more to post about Singapore. . .I must try to sleep lest the dark circles under my eyes grow more voluptuous. . .more in the morning. . .

xoxoxo

Tuesday

SINGAPORE SNAPS -ION

The name of the shopping center is ION (www.ionorchard.com) and it is INSANE! A maze of circling, spiraling, escalators and retail. I got there early, before the stores opened, but it was still crazy. Got so lost. Caught a glimpse of the lady cleaning escalators and my favorite store in the world MUJI (www.muji.com)

My snaps get nowhere close to doing ION justice. I was so overwhelmed (notice the blurriness of every photo) I just gave up and put my camera away.

SINGAPORE SNAPS - Orchard Street

My first day I got caught in the charybdis of Orchard Street where all roads lead to ION. All I could do to stop from fainting was look at the trees. They're so beautiful. I paced back and forth and back and forth. . .passing this stick wielding statue (guardian of the gateway) about five times. Snapping, snaps as I saw them. . .usually of possible escape routes (aka. random office building shot above) and strange details (water railing). Went to yoga on the 18th floor (www.pureyoga.com), bought some shoes at Takashimaya, then haggard, hungry, and desperate I climbed (actually "escalatored") to the fifth floor of yet another shopping center and found solace in the dark, air-conditioned recesses of a movie theater--popcorn in hand.