FRAGMENTS

Fragments . . . . a million tiny pieces . . .
Psalm 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 


Picture : Cloister area of Salisbury Cathedral, England; Taken by Robyn, April 2012

TOWARDS THE RUBICON

Events from the past roost like bats in my memory
My ghostly twin looks vaguely back at me
A fraudulent enterprise, this interminable monologue
This one ended stick, will it survive with an epilogue?

A schism is brewing in my internal wanderings
Unsustainable, not to be contained, a toxic wellspring
The day has no shape, I view it askance
It trundles into life, its white noise enhanced

Symbols of innocence have bitten the dust
Worn with effort, there is no salve, just rust
Nagging questions, answers tucked away beyond reach
Non-digestible hurts that perennially leach

An unspecial person, diminished in my own eyes
It's all very tiring, really. When the dream dies . . .
The dead zone flag planted squarely in the heart
One move away from checkmate, and there's no more re-start

Who would have thought it a full contact sport
Destruction of my constitution, the crushing of the fort
To loose something pivotal brings serious jeopardy
The brain one scrambled mess, cavernous and tardy

Bound for nowhere, and the road seems to lead there
A soggy wet blanket, too darn tired to really care
No discernible sense of humour, the character of a boulder
To the sense of self, just too many punches to shoulder

A gramophone languishing in a flatscreen world
Derivatives of emotions, distilled and in swirl
Now back to the saltmines, continue to sort
Sine cera, sine cera. Tout court, tout court

Robyn Toh
10th March 2012

Note 1 : The Rubicon is a shallow river in northeastern Italy. The Latin word rubico means "red". The river was so named because its waters are colored red by mud deposits. It was key to protecting Rome from Civil War. The idiom "Crossing the Rubicon" means to pass a point of no return, and refers to Julius Ceasar's army's crossing of the river in 49 BC, which was considered an act of insurrection.

Note 2 : Sine cera comes from the Latin meaning 'without wax', because when the Romans made pots they sometimes sealed the base with wax, claiming that they were watertight, but in time the wax melted or wore away, rendering the pot useless for liquids. Therefore those pots not finished with wax were inscribed 'sine cera' to prove that they were sound, and from this evolved our word 'sincere'.

Note 3 : Tout court; in French meaning literally "in short", and is typically used to mean "nothing else".

Picture : A row of doors at Suffolk House, Penang, which served as the residence of Francis Light, the founder of the British Settlement Penang Island. Picture taken by Robyn, Dec 2011

SISYPHUS, THE FOOL

Sisyphus, plunged again into the flood of an unsavoury tongue
And since this is go-to-hell day, let some things take a flying lunge
Greet with a litany of complaints that demand
Decide at once to dissect and reprimand

Bearing The Standard, a metastasized bill of particulars
An industry of insults, a troika of judges
Manages to draw a strange kind of pleasure
Chaotically, menacingly, ruffling ones own feathers

Thoughts racing in bad directions, all at the same time
Superimposing, a caustic volcano being primed
Do you want some mustard with all that baloney?
A walking civil war, hypocrite and all phoney?

Of course I hear you. I should imagine even the dead can hear you.
How you go on to the end of time, I just have no clue.
Mysterious beyond all ken, where do you keep all that junk?
All nearby ships, one by one all get sunk

Like any self-respecting addictive substance
Its the alpha and omega of ones existence
No moderative attempts to legislate
Bow to hallucinations. Dishonour and berate.

The roiling sea works itself into a dither
A mismatch of perceptions, there is no terra firma
Get caught by ones own caveat, ones own witches brew
Pick and choose, but it costs you all your virtue.

Heading towards the final bend in the road
No future spin need be placed on the load
The season of summing up is steadily descending
You make the rules, and you are judged by them

Robyn Toh
Hard Rock Hotel, Penang
14th Dec 2011

"No rocks or hurling from me. I'd pick up some very small and smooth pebbles, and flick. Gently". - Wahti Mahidin in Tell.


Note : In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was cursed by the gods to forever roll a rock up a hill. It was futile and pointless labour. Once the boulder reached the peak, it would roll down again from where Sisyphus would have to start all over again.

THE BEAUTY OF A COMMONPLACE LIFE

F.W. Boreham (1871 - 1959), in his essay entitled "The Poppies And The Corn", talks about time he was walking through one of the farms in England and he saw this beautiful scene of poppies dancing amidst the ears of corn . . . . . .

"There is a very lovable thing about poppies in the corn that I can never sufficiently admire. The poppies never belittle the corn, they glorify it. You'd think not the less but the more of the corn because of the poppies. At a rose show, one particularly radiant blossom puts all the surrounding roses to shame. They are beggared by comparison. That is because a show is all artificiality and affectation. Nature never humiliates her more modest children in that ridiculous way. As you watch the blood red poppies tossing in a sea of golden corn, it never occurs to you to institute a comparison. The poppies and the corn seem equally lovely. That is the glory of true greatness. Others are never humiliated in its presence. It elevates the mass. If a field were all poppies, the glory would have departed. The poppies need the corn. God makes nothing commonplace. Here is a gospel for those to whom the days seem grey because they have given up dreaming of poppies".


“A commonplace life, we say and we sigh,

But why should we sigh as we say?

The commonplace sun and the commonplace sky

Makes up the commonplace day.

The moon and the stars are commonplace things,

And the flower that blooms and the bird that sings;

But dark were the world and sad our lot,

If the flowers failed and the sun shone not.

And God who studies each separate soul

Out of the commonplace lives makes His beautiful whole.”

Anonymous


I heard all this in a sermon by Ravi Zacharias but could not find F.W. Boreham's essay "The Poppies And The Corn" on the internet, so I have used Ravi's words verbatim. He also read out the anonymous poem "A Commonplace Life" which I subsequently copied from the net.

Picture : Some sort of fir/conifer/pine; taken in Beihai Park, Beijing, near the 9 Dragon Screen. Picture taken by Robyn, May 2011.

THE CRIKETERS

Jamie Oliver's childhood home, a 16th century Country Inn which his parents run; called "The Criketers". Photo taken by Barbara Rogerson downloaded from her lovely lovely blog http://ramblingsfromanenglishgarden.blogspot.com/ On the origins of the word "Pub", I quote Barbara : "Pub is short for Public House. In centuries gone by they were mostly Inns for travellers where they could find food and rest and a place to rest their horses or change them if need be. Later many where places where people came to meet together to socialise as generally ordinary people did not entertain in their homes as they do now."

OLD WHEELBARROWS

My hubby had the idea of painting and making use of our old

wheelbarrows instead of throwing them away. First cover the

wheel and handles of the old wheelbarrow.

Spray on an even coat of paint including about 6 inches on the top

portion of the inside of the wheelbarrow. Spray about 2 to 3 layers

allowing about 20 mins in between coats.

You will need 2 cans of spray paint.

Using a large nail, hammer maybe about 20 holes at the base of

the wheelbarrow (can it be called a barrow?) to allow for water

flow. I chose muted colours but I have seen red, turquoise and

other brightly painted vintage wheelbarrows - very nice.

Put some soil in and plant some flowers! The wheelbarrow I was

working on is the one in the front here with the purple flowers.

The one on the right has zinnias and the left one has lantanas.

The yellow flowers on the ground are called cosmo.

Under the tree is another wheelbarrow painted a dark green.

The wheel on this one fell off, so it is sitting on a large stone.

The yellow flowers in that one are called melampodium.

LARKING ABOUT PHRASES

When you Hold The Fort it means you keep things running
When you're Back To Square One you're back at the beginning

To go at Full Blast is to go at full speed
To come Within An Ace is to get very close indeed

An Archille's Heel . . . perceived weakness in the strong
And there's Murphy's Law . . . if anything can, it will go wrong

If you get Just Deserts you get just what you deserved
If you get a Square Meal you get a good dinner served

When you're in Seventh Heaven you're in wonder and delight
While if you have A Bone To Pick you're about to start a fight

To go against the natural flow is to Go Against The Grain
When you're Cut To The Quick you suffer deep abiding pain

To have escaped punishment is to get off Scot Free
To any extent possible is To The Nth Degree

A Scallywag is what we call a disruptive young male
If you say you're On The Wagon then you're no longer drinking ale

A final blow or remark is what we term A Parting Shot
While to take quick action means Strike While The Iron Is Hot

To be fixed in ones opinion is to be Dyed In The Wool
While an unlikely story is quite Cock And Bull

By any means would mean By Hook Or By Crook
And to be out of favour is to be in the Black Book

To speak without notes would be to speak Off The Cuff
To be without clothes would be to be In The Buff

Something Up The Spout is gone and lost forever
Bright As A Button means someone smart and clever

A Red Herring is a false misleading clue
When you're Under The Weather, you're unwell and feeling blue

If you're on the verge of destitution then you're On The Breadline
While If you're very happy then you're On Cloud Nine

To wait with Bated Breath, anxiously excited in suspense
To Use Your Loaf would mean please show some common sense

To say you're clean and tidy would mean you're Spick And Span
A bright spark that does not endure would be a Flash In The Pan

If you look just like another, you're known as a Dead Ringer
And an outstanding thing is known as a Humdinger

If you're Eating Humble Pie you admit to being wrong
Hook, Line and Sinker . . . take in the whole gullible song

To have Hobson's Choice is to have no choice at all
If you are Bold As Brass you really have some gall

To Mind Your P's And Q's is to have a polite manner
While a Monkey Wrench is just an adjustable spanner

To take the most direct action is Taking Route One
When you're in shock and disbelief, you'd say, 'Son Of A Gun'

When you really don't care, you Don't Give A Jot
And Willy-Nilly means whether you like it or not

When you're Namby Pamby you behave just like a child
When All Hell Breaks Loose there is mayhem and its wild

The centre of attention means you're In The Limelight
Something Clean As A Whistle is shiny, spotless and bright

Mad As A Hatter shows unpredictable behaviour
When you're Left High And Dry you really need a saviour

When the Penny Finally Drops you finally understand
To take reluctant responsibility is to be Carrying The Can

To put the Kibosh on something is to stop it in its tracks
When you Run The Gauntlet you're at risk of an attack

Larking About is the silly manner in which you play around
At One Fell Swoop, a single movement, it all comes down, down, down

To take uncalculated risks would be to Chance Your Arm
Over The Top excessive behaviour could often lead to harm

To Sleep Tight would mean that one would have a good nights rest
When dressed in your Best Bib and Tucker, wearing your Sunday best

Robyn Toh
11th April 2010

Picture : Outside my friends Martin and Mary's home in Esbo, Finland. The two dogs are Bertie and Peggy. I miss Martin and Mary's brand of humour!
Picture : Taken by Mary

RONALD REAGAN

Some of my favorite quotes from "The Great Communicator" . . . . .

I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon

But there are advantages to being elected President. The day after I was elected, I had my high school grades classified Top Secret

I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I am in a cabinet meeting

They say hard work never hurt anybody, but I figure why take the chance

Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement

Facts are stubborn things

How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin

I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself

Veto anything that costs more than $2

I favor the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and it must be enforced at gunpoint if necessary

If the federal government had been around when the Creator was putting His hand to this state, Indiana wouldn't be here. It'd still be waiting for an environmental impact statement

If the Soviet Union let another political party come into existence, they would still be a one-party state, because everybody would join the other party

No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!

Status quo, you know, is Latin for 'the mess we're in'

The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help

Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying


In 1981, when Reagan arrived at the hospital after being shot and met one of the doctors who was going to operate on him, he said "I hope you're a Republican." The doctor replied, "Today, Mr. President, we're all Republicans."


Picture : President Reagan at the Berlin Wall 27th June 1987 where he gave his speech that included the famous words "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”
In Memoriam : Ronald Reagan 1911 - 2004

FLOWERS

The flower has no weekday self, dressed as it always is in its Sunday clothes (Malcolm De Chazal)








Pic : Pink Angelonia; a new addition to our garden. Taken by Robyn, Feb 2010.

HAVE A SMILE

I recently got through this jewel of a book. I have listed a number of my favorite lines here . . .







Who discovered we could get milk from cows, and what did he think he was going at the time? (Billy Conolly)

A man's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another drink (W.C. Fields)

Honest criticism is hard to take - especially when it comes from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger (Franklin P. Jones)

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he'll be a mile away - and barefoot (Sarah Jackson)

My doctor is wonderful. Once in 1955, when I couldn't afford an operation, he touched up the x-rays (Joey Bishop)

My doctor gave me six months to live but when I couldn't pay the bill, he gave me six months more (Walter Matthau)

Don't do speed. Speed turns you into your parents (Frank Zappa)

Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two but can't remember what they are (Matt Lauer)

Electricity is actually made up of extremely fine particles called electrons, that you cannot see with the naked eye unless you have been drinking (Dave Barry)

If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten (George Carlin)

It's a good thing we have gravity, or else when birds died they'd just stay right up there. Hunters would be all confused (Steven Wright)

Quit worrying about your health. It'll go away (Robert Orben)

If you fall out of that window and break both your legs, don't come running to me (Groucho Marx)

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then its you (Rita Mae Brown)

I am a member of a magic circle - The Secret Six - which is so secret I don't know the other five (Tommy Cooper)

I don't think I'll get married again. I'll just find a woman I don't like and give her a house (Lewis Grizzard)

All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff (Frank Zappa)

When she started to play, Steinway himself came down personally and rubbed his name of the piano (Bob Hope - on fellow comedian Phyllis Diller)

Never look at the trombones, it only encourages them (Richard Strauss)

I went to watch Pavarotti once. He doesn't like it when you join in (Mick Miller)

These are my principles and, if you don't like them . . . well, I've got others (Groucho Marx)

Don't do drugs because if you do drugs you'll go to prison, and drugs are really expensive in prison (John Hardwick)

And what is the Scientific Community doing about these problems, young people? They're cloning sheep. Great! Just what we need! Sheep that look more alike than they already do! Thanks a lot Scientific Community! (Dave Barry)

How wise are thy commandments, Lord. Each of them applies to somebody I know (Sam Levenson)

I have every sympathy with the American who was so horrified by what he had read of the effects of smoking that he gave up reading (Henry Strauss, Lord Conesford)

He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot (Groucho Marx)

If at first you don't succeed, well, so much for skydiving (Victor O'Reilly)

If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit. No sense being a damn fool about it (W.C. Fields)

I went to a restaurant that serves 'breakfast at any time'. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance (Steven Wright)

Well, we can't stand around here doing nothing, people will think we're workmen (Spike Milligan)

WELCOME TO A BRAND NEW DAY

The morning breaks, the light returns
Salutations to a brand new day
There seems to be a cosmic wholeness
I gather my resources to chart my way

The liquid notes of a quiet house
The hallowed doorway of the morning
Holds a very special kind of charm
A window is a remarkable thing

All that I was, I am and am not
I drink my infusion of worldwide leaves
Pretty thoughts dance in my head
‘La Paisible’ . . . a home of peace

‘Cead Mile Failte’ . . . one thousand welcomes
I am in very good company
Here I linger, my own aficionado
With my petit fours, tarts and crème brulee

Johnnie carried orchards upon his back
With fresh insight and boundless vigour
Seeds burst into sprigs then trees then forests
The original classroom in nature

Serious faced men drinking cervezas
One Harlem Sunday afternoon
Playing dominoes on wooden cartons
A smile, a chuckle . . . what a boon!

French restaurants, Spanish bodegas and Jewish delis
And many pleasant places more
Coexist in a gentle harmony
Like I have never seen before

The last rays of a fading evening
Clinking glass, pearls on black
The whisper of the bow on a Stradivarius
The evening enchanting in its act

It is now half-past bedtime
Oh how much we loved the view
Chutzpah on a day well done
Arrivederci to me and arrivederci to you

Robyn Toh
26th November 2009


Pic : Arriving at Avillion Nov 2007; Taken by May Fook
Note : 'La Paisible' meaning 'House Of Peace'; the name of Audrey Hepburn's home in Switzerland.
Note : ‘Cead Mile Failte’ meaning 'one thousand welcomes' in Gaelic.

MY WESTERN HERBS

Oregano, also know as wild marjoram. These I grew from cuttings. In fact, I have found this herb the easiest to handle so far, and they are very healthy. Don't know how to use it culinarily though.

French tarragon is the latest addition to my herb garden. I bought these and after a few weeks of transplanting the plants, although healthy, they still don't seem to stand up as straight as other tarragon I have seen. The larger leaves at the bottom left corner of the picture are rocket.

These rosemary I buy, have not yet managed to propagate them. A few times they wilted due to aphids but this batch has managed to overcome the aphids and had a surge of growth so I think they will prevail and hopefully we will get to see them eventually flower. Rosemary and chives are the herbs that my hubby uses most - lamb dishes.

This is a new plant so it still looks nice and fresh. I bought it at the supermarket and just transplanted 2 days before this pic. Usually for sweet basil, we get about 6 months use out of it although after a while it gets woody and does not look so nice. When its time to change the plant, the old woody ones go to the herb hospital outside my room patio. We use this a lot chopped up with garlic and butter for garlic bread. Also for mixed herb pasta (with lemon zest).

Thyme. I bought this too although I have successfully rooted a few roots from cuttings from the supermarket. That takes so long and there is a high casualty rate though. These were grown in Seremban for export, I wonder to where? Last week we deep fried some thyme and basil leaves to put atop burgers.

This English parsley I bought although have managed to propagate some from seeds before. The seeds are readily available here. One thing I have learnt about herbs, it takes a very long time to sprout them, unlike veges. My English parsley tends to get a little yellow here and there and I have not yet managed to figure out why.

Dill seed is also available readily here. They get too tall though. This one has just been earthed up a little. Since taking this pic, we have staked this plant to give it more support. We don't get much use out of dill much (don't think we ever cooked anything with it) but only for garnishing 'cause it looks nice and lacy.

This plant I bought. My hubby chops this up, mixes it with mayonaise and wasabi as a dip for fried tempura prawns. I have tried sprouting from seed, no luck. Also I have never seen the beautiful pink fluffy ball flowers form on the chives even if I leave it untouched for months.

Basil minette. This one I seeded myself. My Mum got me the seeds. It takes a very long time to get to even an 8 inch plant but it lasts a long time. My sis-in-law took some to put in Chinese soup noodles though I have not tried it that way myself.

I've tried seeding this, no success yet. After transplanting it seemed weak but seems to be strengthening up now.

This Italian parsley I bought. It lasts about 5 to 6 months and is very useful especially fresh as a garnish with Chinese dishes. It tastes a bit like Chinese coriander so its nice on the side with meat dishes or even atop creamy pastas. I have managed to seed some of my own but the plants are not yet ready for transplanting.

This sage I got from cuttings. It is right next to the wall so it gets the least hot sun. The cuttings need to be shaded for about 2 weeks to stabilize and I find the cuttings planted on the inner side of the plot survive best and cuttings just a foot away with a little more sun die off. When the plant grows however, it is okay in the sun. We used this last week for English onion soup.

Mint is easy to grow. I just got a bunch of mint from the market, put in in water for about 7 to 10 days to root and then plant out. Mint is invasive so now I've got it in a pot not in my herb plots. This one I just transplanted again last week as it was getting old. This pot is now in my herb hospital recuperating.

Rocket, the only non-herb in my herb plots. My sister in Holland got me the seeds. This plant I have left in the ground for more than 5 months but it still has not gone to seed. I am trying to see if I can get my own seed. Because the plant is old, the leaves are super super bitter. On occasion I will pull a leaf off and munch. Just one leaf is enough to freshen me up! Rocket is a cut-and-come-again plant, which means you can cut some and it will re-grow.

Lemon Thyme; very pretty.

My Mum got me lavendar seeds in Melbourne (came with the purple pot too). This is my second attempt to sprout lavendar. I know there are some being grown in Seremban also for export and a few plants will be available for sale here in a few months so I hope my personal banker is not reading this stuff . . . The seeds my Mum bought are English dwarf lavendar which has purple flowers but the ones that will be on sale will apparently have silverish flowers. The saga continues . . .

My herb hospital.

ROSES IN DECEMBER

"God gave us memories
so that we might have
roses in December"

- Sir James E. Barrie -






Picture : 'Banquet' at Bangsar Village; Taken by Robyn Oct '08.

FUTURE REMINISCING

It is good
To have a past
That is pleasant
To reflect upon
Take care
To create
Such a gift
For your future

Dec 25, 2000
Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek
1990 - 2004

Picture : To town for the day. Taken by May Fook circa 2004, Kuala Lumpur.

CALVIN'S THOUGHT OF THE DAY

THE CALL OF NATURE

Sometimes we need to rest a while, when we have lost our way
To find ourselves enthralled within a deep sun-sweetened day
Draw a curtain on our barren days, a cavern look to find
So on a journey we can go, grist for life's soul mill to grind

To forests ferny floors we go, a healing stream flows by
Releasing the silt of days and years, touching the well-spring of life
Be innocent of guile, have an unclouded brow, "mea culpa" be willing to say
Find peace that the world nor gives, nor the world can take away

The western sun gleams rich and red, the fields wear a scarlet gown
Lone travelers we are, traversing, a quiet road, a quiet church, a quiet town
Enjoy life's little moments, kneel deep within our souls
Listen long, do you hear what I see? A mountain, an icicle, a candles glow

All these places are my own, a season of mellow fruitfulness
In the eagerness of hope, a note of joy, a nourishing and abiding consciousness
Breathe in when the wind is high and strong, embrace the wildest of weather
Step out beneath the driving rain, get drenched in its splendour and wonder

Nature with its pencil, draws and designs, the hills, the plains and isles
The woods, the glens, the cliffs, the fens, trees slender tops against the sky
A cow, a barn, the wheat, the hay, each bush, scrub, sprig, bud and bee
A crag, a peak, a lake, a creek, a snowflake in its grand filigree

There is a hushed beauty that endures, when in natures embrace we rest
A certain self mastery from within us, a hint or two of zest
So we set our hearts in motion, let our faith arise, its spring!
Listen long for a song of the earth, we may just hear the angels sing.

Robyn Toh
29th May 2008


Pic : A view of my Grandmothers mountain and bluff in Brooloo, Queensland. In the foreground, a lemon tree. Pic taken by Gregory Lim 2004

THE SAILOR

A sailor on life's journey, a pilgrim on the seas
A wild ocean lies before me, now and then a touch of breeze
Boist'rous waves push here and there, hiding rocks on treacherous shoal
There are no words left for me to speak, unknown waves before me roll

The tide rises, the tide falls, fearful breakers roar
My life of idle words, and vain, I'm shaken to the core
My arm of flesh has failed me, black shadows stain my soul
All my crowns lie in the dust, my anchor will not hold

I feel like a ship without a sail, a buoy without a bearing
Calamities of heart and mind, my burdens are a pressing
My heart grows sick at havoc wrought, hunted like a deer
Suspended in the frigid air, nameless dread and fear

Then one fine day I said to myself, stop this tomfoolery
There is One who can pilot me over, life's tempestuous seas
Chart and compass comes from Him, He makes a steady keel
The Rock of Ages from before time, to the waves He says "Be Still!"

And so returns the sailor to the shore, my soul is vexed no more
So picturesque this starry night, my heart begins to soar
For in God's ocean portrait grand, till time and times are done
He is and always will remain, The Way, The Truth, The One

Robyn Toh
29th May 2008


Pic : Admiral Cove Marina, Malacca 2007. Taken by Robyn.

VIVA!

Are you buckling under strain, are you mothballed by fear
Are you stuck in your past, and can't seem to think clear

Do the days seem too long, are you lonely beyond telling?
Do you think that you are a sorry excuse for living

Are you a prisoner and puppet, to your emotional strings
Do you feel pushed around and can't stretch your wings

Is the remoteness just awful, the stillness intense
Bad breaks happen to you, and yes, it does not make sense

Do not mourn what you've lost, and what you cannot find
Do not brood in the gloom, cut the fetters from your mind

Change is part of the struggle with the coward inside
Its time to bring an end to this time that you've cried

You've had your time on the edge, now its time to come home
A joint venture with yourself, a coming into your own

Leave your battered past behind you, talk no more of ill
Look at the beauty of the sun, as it illuminates the window sill

Reorient your thinking, enlarging your soul
Strangely but surely new life will take hold

A life that is more, abundant and free
Have your eye on the woods that lie beyond the trees

Grow yourself a new tale, of a deep abiding love
And do not hesitate to call on dear God up above

Stay deliberately grateful, count your blessings one by one
Look far and wide like a weather-cock, shining in the sun

Set a high value on yourself, your raison d 'etre to be
You have still your life expanse, enjoy your sweet company

You'll find again life's fascination, it will help you to be strong
The glistening of the morning dew, a distant bird in song

Learn of every butterfly its strength, as it flits overhead
Learn even from red rose, growing in the flower bed

Tis harvest time throughout, peace descends upon the land
VIVA! We stand. A new season is at hand!

Robyn Toh
30th May 2008


Pic : Carcosa Seri Negara taken by Robyn, 2007; A lovely place to spend time with yourself.

WEATHER

Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot
We'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not!

Anon
Smiths Countryside Treasury



Pic : Light through our frangipani; Taken by May Fook, 2007.

WHY YOU WOULD PREFER DAUGHTERS.

A few pictorial reasons why you may rather have daughters than sons . . . . . . . . and a few more pictorial reasons why you should think twice before allowing your son access to your camera equipment . . . . .







All above are self potraits by Leon.

MY SHADOW

I have a little shadow, that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow -
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
But he sometimes shoots up taller, like an Indian rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stands so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.


Robert Louis Stevenson
(The Child's Book Of Verse)


Pic : Ryan, my current shadow; In Malacca Nov 2007.

READING

My Little ABC book.

Reading in the walk-in-wardrobe.

A revolutionary way of reading.
Richard Scarry is a genius!

Heh heh, a rotan (cane) to "help" with reading Chinese characters!

With Grandma reading on the swing.

Opening the birthday gift Auntie Mae sent Toni from Amazon.com!

Our Christmas presents from Auntie Sook Pin.

In Club Med, Cherating, before Ryan was born.

Reading to Amah.

Now Ryan, read this part to me.

All the menfolk sleeping while Toni reads.

This is the life, eh.

Another day, another book.

Thomas The Tank Engine.

Reading a Thomas book within our train set!

Little books everywhere.

Toni reading with Bruni on her lap.

Our in-house reading machine.

Ryan reading on his little bed that Grandma gave him.

This Richard Scarry book is nice, heh Leon.

What a funny book this is.

The true university these days is a collection of books; Albert Camus.

How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book; Henry Thoreao 1817-1862.

Reading makes immigrants of us all - it takes us away from home, but more importantly, it finds homes for us everywhere; Hazel Rochman.