totally frivolous post

we attend the national day dinner at the embassy. the ambassador is, as usual, immaculate in her cheongsam. when i grow older, i tell J2, i want one like hers. silk, impeccable tailoring, three quarter length sleeves, just fitting, just loose. 

nice weather 2

perfect summer days, it turns out, occasionally preface sudden summer thunderstorms.

nice weather today

it strikes me that a summer's day with a bright blue sky a lazy breeze several humming bees and ripe rich flowers makes for a gorgeous thing that i often fail to notice on account of a long standing aversion to the outdoors. today is such glorious gift of a day that it merits a blog posting.

almost bucolic

lamentations 1

here is a man whose lonely witness to his nation's willfully drawn out destruction over four decades and five kings finally leads to the loss of every precious hope and the utter desolation of his still treasured city. the wonder of his unbroken spirit and unbowed mind is comprehensible only within the context of an awful and terrible training that spans his entire adult life.

you do not know what you are asking, jesus once told some men. are you able to drink from the cup that i am to drink?* in youthful arrogance we eagerly say yes, and we determine to stand to the end. these days i am increasingly aware that there are cups that one drinks from only when every other cup is taken away, and then only with inhuman grace.

*matt 20:22

mennonite in a little black dress - rhoda janzen (2009)

this book hooks me first with its catchy title and the black slingbacks on the cover, and janzen writes movingly lyrical prose that is punctuated by irreverent deadpan humor. this, and her scathingly honest description of earnest evangelical christianity, keep me reading even after i realize that this is a memoir, which is a genre i prefer to avoid.

in summary, a delightful confection with underlying layers of affection grief disappointment and hope.

license ceremony

i attend court with J2. today a justice of the commonwealth of virginia confers a driver's license upon my youngest child. for over an hour, i am captive in a presentation that features cautionary tales statistics and video clips.

i want to bundle my children up and drive them around some more, is what i really want to do. what actually transpires is that i let J2 drive us home. my nerves are not just shot they are quickly evaporating.

precious mem'ries

trying on clothes with J2
figuring out long exposure shots on J1's new cam
that ramen place at shinagawa
buying a digital camera for HOM at akihabara
horsing around the world cup cows at tiong bahru
discussing books and world history with J2
J1 clearing up after his friends go off
J2 producing lunch as i sit back
introducing our chinatown to J1 and J2
meeting my med school mates for dinner
design on a dime, ikea edition, for the t.p. apartment

walking clarke quay to scotts road together on a wet night

grrrrrr

here is a letter to the editor of singapore's premier english newspaper. the writer waxes lyrical about the joys of parenthood and thanks his baby wife and parents.

i say, go buy a thank you card, honey.

are they short of letters or what?

redemption

i cannot tell why he whom angels worship/ should set his love upon the sons of men/ or why as shepherd he should seek the wanderers/ to bring them back they know not how nor when.

i cannot tell how all the lands shall worship/ when at his bidding every storm is stilled/ or who can say how great the jubilation/ when the hearts of men with love are filled.

but this i know, the skies will thrill with rapture/ and myriad human voices sing/ earth to heav'n, and heav'n to earth shall answer/ the savior of the world is King!

- william fullerton (adap.)

i cannot tell why i am free. but this i know, that he hath grace, and showeth me mercy.

art of tea

HOM is a tea lover in search of his perfect pu'er.

me, i like my coffee strong robust un-sour and non-decaf. what's a good tea, i ask. a good tea, HOM says, makes me feel calm and at peace when i drink it in the right mood. 

huh?