Chop Wood Carry Water

I have been trying to do nothing for months. Today, I finally accomplished the task.  Well, I did have to build a fire in the fireplace, and make some coffee, and then tea to sip while is sat there and read a bit and watched the forest do as much as I was doing.  It was delightful. It is not an easy thing to do.  But I have now mastered 'doing nothing'.  Maybe I am now a Buddhist. You know - chop water, carry water.  (I did carry a glass of water to the chair by the fireplace)  That counts, right?

Adjusting to Island Time

I toddled off to Thrifty's (the local food emporium) today, to pick up a few bits for guests arriving on the weekend.  Took the (approximate) 2 pm bus so that I could loiter, take my time, and all else, to board the 4 pm bus home.  Ha!   I was finished anything I wanted or needed to do by 2:50 - so strolled to the covered bus waiting area to see what I could catch.  Well, lucky me - there was a 3:05 bus home. Well, unlucky me - the bus never showed up.  So I waited, I waited, and I waited more.  Finally a bus arrived at 4:15.  Nope, can't take that one - it goes to Valleyview - direct!  There were no other options but to continue to wait - now until 5 pm.  So, what did I do?  There was a bench, there were crossbars supporting the roof.  I did copious stretches that I never remember to do at home.  I did lunges, I did squats, I did anything that would amuse me and do me some good. By the time the bus did arrive, I had stretched myself silly, and felt great when I got home.

I really must figure out that island time is like our old cottage time, which was a very good thing. It makes one enjoy the day, expect little, and just be in the moment.  That is where I was today. And my primulas still got home and were planted before dinner.  Dinner you ask?  Still had some lemongrass/beet/chickpea soup, so added some freshly cooked orzo, and a side of roast beef.  Good enough for me - in fact - it was delightful.

Other good news, you say?  It does not get dark until after 5 pm now.  Yay, the days are getting longer. And with my bussing around, I saved another tree - or whatever I saved because I did not burn fossil fuels myself.

Island time is good - everyone should try it.

"If" - one of the best poems written

Exams Done - I Survived

I must admit, the consulate staff were lovely.  Having to make that journey to placate the university was annoying, and most likely unnecessary. However, the foreign office made it more than bearable.  For that, I thank them again.

I think I have figured out how they have all decided that this trip over here was not as difficult as I explained it would be.  Chatting with one of the consular employees after the exams were done, she remarked that there was such a big difference between the size of Malaysia and the size of B.C. - just one province of our immense country. The easiest way to visualize the two is that all of BC land mass is almost 1,000,000 sq. km.  All of peninsular Malaysia is only about 150,000 sq km.  Add to this the fact that I had to travel from a fairly remote part of the island, and then get to the mainland, and you can see that it was not an easy trip to make.  The consul people now realize this.  I hope they can impart this information to their people back in Malaysia.

In any case, this step is over, I survived, and also had a good visit with family.  Now time to be an island girl again.

Vancouver tomorrow

I am finally going to write some exams.  I think I am ready. I test myself and find that I know the materials. Now lets see if I can do it on the big days.  I leave tomorrow so that I am there a day ahead.  That should avoid any weather patterns that do not allow crossing the water.  Today was a serious wind storm.  But here where I live in my forest retreat I could only hear the wind whistling at the tops of the cedars.  All was calm here on the ground.  Not so on the ocean I am sure. But I have a day for the weather man to bring me some calm seas.

Studied like a school girl today and took myself to Linner

I realized about 3 o'clock that I was hungry.  Decided to check out the local dining place across the road, so put on my coat and wandered over. It is a delightful spot. Dining tables overlook the lake and their huge landing dock.  Apparently, if I had a float plane I could land there.  A decent menu, equally decent prices, so stayed and had a sandwich and salad - both very nice indeed, and then took myself back home to hit the books once more.  I guess  I had 'linner' - late lunch/dinner.  Now no excuses to stop working unless it is for tea.

I am Back Again

I drop in occasionally and discover that I still have readers from around the globe.  So, I thought I would share my latest thoughts for those of you who still read here.  As I prepare for my exams; which have given me enough angst to cause me sleepless nights and skin that is falling apart, I realize that I am going though one of those Allegory(s) of the Cave once again.  This epiphany came to me today as I was preparing for my philosophy exam.  I love the Allegory story. It is a story of my life. It is likely a story of your own, if you are willing to admit it.  With all the resistance I have met with the university abroad, I persisted, and knew I could eventually find a way to negotiate something reasonable.  I think we have.  I admit that I conceded far more than they, but lets not count concessions, lets just find some and move ahead.  Their culture is Allegory people.  That society is a group. I am an individual. They also have a need to control. I do not.  But when their control overrides my rights, I step up to the plate, and then we have conflict.  We had conflict.  All could have been easier. All could have had more harmony.  All could have been clearly spelled out in the first place and then honoured.  All did not.  But, it appears I will be writing exams. It appears I will be writing them in Vancouver.  It appears I will be writing them soon.  I just wish these people looked at a google map and tested the transportation routes and schedules to do what they look at a map and see as easy.  Canada is a huge country. So, the distance from Vancouver Island in general to downtown Vancouver appears to them like the distance from JB to Singapore.  It is not.  Plus the fact that a ferry is involved - once I get to Victoria, and then a long journey up to Vancouver.  What my university people see is a flat surface - a map.  That map shows a little island (probably the size of their whole country, but very small in comparison to the rest of Canada).  How far can that be, they think?  It is like driving from the most northern point of JB to the causeway.  Well, even if that were true, I have waited for car repair people to take that trip and that alone has taken over 5 hours.  But five hours would be a dream from where I am coming from and where they want me to be.  For now, I will stay at my desk, prepare for the exams, and do the journey to the mainland and big city to placate them all over in the tropics.  Sadly, they will assume I resisted because I am lazy.  And then I will have to probably do the same journey for the next round of exams that will likely be done in May.