We've had quite a bit of rain over the last couple of weeks, but that's not what this post is about. Water (by Deepa Mehta) is the name of the film Bruce and I watched (on DVD) yesterday afternoon. It's an interesting film but disturbing because it's about what is apparently a current practice. And yes, it's once again about India.
According to Hindu scripture, a woman has three choices when her husband dies: marry her husband's younger brother, if his family agrees; kill herself on his funeral pyre; or live a chaste life in solitude with other widows.
This film's dateline is 1938, but a law that was passed around that time permitting a widow to remarry the man of her choice, rather than her brother-in-law, was not popular then and, according to the closing credits of the film, still isn't. A 2001 Census found over 34 million widows living in little ashrams with other widows. I'll have to see what else I can find out about this religious ruling (for instance, nothing is said about women with children, but I'm presuming that only childless widows were forced to retreat from society in this way, since none of the women in the film had children).
What was really disturbing about this practice is that Chuyia, whose marriage and subsequent widowhood begins this film, was only eight. Eight!! And according to an article I read, her husband was 50. Another girl at the ashram was married at nine, and an old woman, who kept talking about the sweets from her wedding, was apparently only seven at the time. So was it only very young widows who were sent to live in isolation? The film didn't make that clear, which is why I want to do some research.
Perhaps in years gone past, when human lifespan was much shorter, it made sense for for people to be married at a young age, but these girls weren't even teenagers and the men they were married to were apparently much older. And the practice of ostracizing young widows seems to be one of those religious manadates with a cultural and historical basis - if women were married off at such a young age and weren't educated, they were completely dependent on their husbands. If their husbands died, it probably made economic sense for them to be sent away instead of being a financial burden on their or their husbands' families. That is what troubles me so much - it sounds like the way things were in the days of Jane Austen, where women were so dependent on their father and on making a good marriage, but in India it is a religious commandment, which makes it so much more difficult for things to change. The fact that a law was passed but hasn't changed things much seventy years later angers me. I'm sure the people who believe in this would have a litany of facts to defend the practice, primarily because it's based in Hindu scripture, but that is exactly what upsets me - so much of religion is based on what was cultural practice at that time, but a lot of those practices were wrong or based on falsehoods and harmed people, primarily women and children, yet people cling to them.
And these widows are essentially penniless, begging for money or, in once case in this film, being forced into prostitution by an older woman who seems to be in charge. So even here, in this house, there is exploitation. So much for being sent away to live a chaste life.
If the measure of a film lies in how it educates and affects the viewer, then this is definitely a good film. The cast was a good one, the music (again by A.R. Rahman) fitted the film and the scenes were well-shot. A way of life completely unknown to me has been unveiled, and I want to learn more. But this was a moving film in an unhappy, unsettling way, so if you're looking for something uplifting, I'd recommend Slumdog Millionaire over this. At least that one had a happy ending. I guess I'm like Mummy in that way - the world has enough woes (which I read about every single day because of all the newspapers and articles I scan each day for work), and I'd rather watch films to escape from the real world for a while. (Not to mention the fact that every time I think about India's caste system, I become angry and frustrated because it's still thriving.) Escapism for a couple of hours is a good thing.
* Postscript: After writing that, I did a search and found this excellent article:
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/may2006/wate-m15.shtml
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Belated Update - Thanksgiving 2008
Happy New Year! Yesterday was quite a light news day, so I had time in the afternoon to clean and organise my desk at the office and get ready for the new year. That's my favourite way to spend New Year's Eve - cleaning and doing the needful so that when I am back in the office in the new year, I feel like I'm starting on a fresh note. As is usual for me, I was in bed and asleep long before midnight. Let's just say I was on Malaysian time and wide awake when it was midnight in KL!
This is a little late, so I'm going to use it as a memory test ...
I had a whole nine days away from the office over Thanksgiving (if you include the weekends preceeding and after Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday). Almost seven of those days were also computer- (and therefore work-) free, a rare treat for me. I didn't miss checking e-mails and doing news searches even one bit.
We left Atlanta on Saturday, November 22nd for Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We chose to stay there instead of Gatlinburg because it's close enough to the Greak Smoky Mountains and had a pet-friendly hotel. We stopped at the visitors centre in Sevierville, which is just a few miles away from Pigeon Forge, because it is pet-friendly and there is a great open space behind it where the dogs can run free. If you haven't been to this part of Tennessee, it might seem a little silly to stop somewhere just a few miles before your final destination for that day. If you could see it, though, you'd understand. Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are primarily tourist spots that sprung up because of the Great Smokies. Gatlinburg used to be the main tourist area, since it's closest to the mountains, but as increasing numbers of people began visiting the area, more and more hotels sprung up in Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. As soon as you enter Sevierville, all you see are hotels, restaurants, miniature golf courses and building after building containing all sorts of attractions for tourists - ferris wheels, go-kart racing, Ripley's Believe It Or Not museums ... Since there are so many things to see and do, with so many roads leading to the various spots, there is one long road connecting the towns and numerous traffic lights, causingwhat seems like a non-stop traffic jam. At least, that is what it has seemed like each time we've been there. Traffic moves so slowly that it can take more than half an hour to go just a few miles.
When we finally got to the pet-friendly hotel where we had made reservations for Saturday, Sunday and Monday, we found that they had a weight limit of not more than 25 pounds for dogs. Essentially, that means you can't have anything bigger than a lap/toy dog. Belle and Beau are nowhere near that, of course. Luckily, there was a hotel right next to that one that accepted bigger dogs, and they had one remaining room for people with pets, so we checked in there, instead. We were on the second floor and the lift terrified Belle, so the dogs and I took the stairs each time they had to go out or we went somewhere. It was only two flights of stairs, so there was no problem doing that several times a day. I was glad it wasn't a bigger hotel and we weren't on the 10th floor or something. Negotiating that many stairs several times a day wouldn't have been quite as easy.
We spent the bulk of Sunday at Cades Cove, and had the most animal encounters we've ever had there, I think. On the way to Cades Cove, we saw a bunch of cars on the side of the road. This, in the Smoky Mountains area, is a sure sign that wildlife has been sighted. Sure enough, as we drove past the parked cars, we saw a bear in the little valley off the road. Bruce turned the car around and found a parking spot, then walked back with his camera to take photos. There were a mother bear and her two cubs foraging for food in that little valley. The bears were there for hours, because when we returned from Cades Cove, crowds were still gathered in that spot. I hope they found enough to eat.
At Cades Cove, we saw plenty of deer, horses (Bruce went right up to some of then and one demanded a lot of attention from him), a few birds here and there and, finally, towards the end of the 11-mile drive, a beautiful Barred Owl. It was a little early for owls to be out, and I don't know who spotted it first, but as usual, the signal that there was something to be seen was a number of cars parked by the side of the road. I looked around to see what the attraction was and saw the owl in a tree about 30 feet from the road. It was huge! And it was the first owl I'd ever seen in the wild, which made it even more special. We stood looking at it for many minutes, and Bruce shot some really good photos of it. I think he has them in his photo album (or soon will, if it isn't in there already). That was the highlight of the day. The dogs got to run around a little and saw some deer, which got Beau all excited (he is very enthusiastic about anything else with four legs).
It rained most of Monday, so after taking the dogs for a walk in the morning, we left them in the car and did a little shopping for Ranee's birthday present. That was one of the good things about travelling in November rather than in the summer - it was cool enough to leave the dogs in the car any time we went somewhere, which was far more enjoyable for them than sitting in a hotel room. At least in the car, they got to look at people. I also got to catch up on my book-reading on Monday, and we watched a movie (DVD) on Bruce's laptop. It was a lazy, relaxing day - just what I needed after months of almost non-stop work.
On Tuesday, we packed up and left for the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) in Kentucky. We didn't realise how far away it was or what a long drive it would be, so we had a leisurely departure, stopping along the way at a department store to get Courtney's birthday present and to buy a couple of new dog beds for the dogs. It was past 11:00 in the morning when we finally, actually began the long drive, and we were only about 30 miles away from the hotel at which we had stayed. After driving for over eight hours (it may have been longer - it's a blur now), we finally got to our destination. We rented a cabin near a lake (that unfortunately was more mud than water around the edges because of the drought we've had in this part of the country over the last few years). The first couple of days, we seemed to be the only people there, so it was paradise for the dogs. They were able to run free and did a lot of exploring, getting oodles of exercise in the process. There was also a playground nearby, so Roshan and Courtney had fun there. Roshan was immensely entertained by the T-ball (tether ball, tied to a pole - it swings around every time it is hit). He laughted and squealed every time Courtney hit it and it went flying around the pole. I love seeing the two of them together.
One of the places we went to while at the LBL was the Elk and Bison Prarie. It's a fenced habitat for bison and elk - http://www.lbl.org/EBPrairieGate.html. Driving through it was a great experience (especially since I got to drive because Bruce was taking photos!), although the dogs (at least Belle) seemed a little intimidated by the huge bison, one of which came within inches of our minivan as it was crossing the road. We got to see almost the whole herd, I think. We even saw a couple of male elk half-heartedly fighting. A man in another car told us that since mating season was over, the males were no longer competing. More than anything, they seemed to be putting on a show.
On Thanksgiving Day, we drove to a state park in Tennessee (just 18 miles away) for Thanksgiving lunch. I was glad Bruce had made reservations, because it's apparently a popular place for a Thanksgiving meal and the building got very crowded. Because we were there early (and even went for a walk before lunch), we didn't have to stand in line to get our food at noon. It was delicious!
Ranee and family left for Louisville after lunch, since Randy had to work the next day, but Bruce, the dogs and I stayed one more day. On our way back to the cabin after lunch, we stopped at the Elk and Bison Prarie again. Bruce's camera had somehow been on the wrong setting the day before, and he wasn't sure if the photos from that trip would be any good, so we went for another photography session. We had arrived, by chance, at just the right time the day before, when all the animals were out eating. This time, we were earlier and didn't see as many the first time around, so we drove around the whole habitat a couple of times more, seeing more bison each time. They and the elk were in different locations this time, and the elk weren't as plentiful, but Bruce still managed to get some good photos. We saw some baby bison that were very cute.
On Friday, we began the long drive home. This time, because we were driving on Friday rather than Sunday, as we had done last year, there was much less traffic on the road so the drive back was a pleasant one. We stopped along the way at a park of some sort for the dogs to have another long run. There was only one other car there, so we let the dogs off their leashes. The other car belonged to a woman with three little dogs, who was there to try and get her dogs a little tired out before her family got together that evening for their Thanksgiving meal. Once she was gone, we had the place to ourselves, so the dogs were able to run free again. They had a thrilling time (except that Belle threw up soon after we were back in the car - either because of all the running around or the water they had been drinking from a creek). She threw up on a towel, though, so no damage was done to the car seat.
So, that was our Thanksgiving adventure in 2008. I'm glad it was so nature-filled.
This is a little late, so I'm going to use it as a memory test ...
I had a whole nine days away from the office over Thanksgiving (if you include the weekends preceeding and after Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday). Almost seven of those days were also computer- (and therefore work-) free, a rare treat for me. I didn't miss checking e-mails and doing news searches even one bit.
We left Atlanta on Saturday, November 22nd for Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We chose to stay there instead of Gatlinburg because it's close enough to the Greak Smoky Mountains and had a pet-friendly hotel. We stopped at the visitors centre in Sevierville, which is just a few miles away from Pigeon Forge, because it is pet-friendly and there is a great open space behind it where the dogs can run free. If you haven't been to this part of Tennessee, it might seem a little silly to stop somewhere just a few miles before your final destination for that day. If you could see it, though, you'd understand. Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are primarily tourist spots that sprung up because of the Great Smokies. Gatlinburg used to be the main tourist area, since it's closest to the mountains, but as increasing numbers of people began visiting the area, more and more hotels sprung up in Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. As soon as you enter Sevierville, all you see are hotels, restaurants, miniature golf courses and building after building containing all sorts of attractions for tourists - ferris wheels, go-kart racing, Ripley's Believe It Or Not museums ... Since there are so many things to see and do, with so many roads leading to the various spots, there is one long road connecting the towns and numerous traffic lights, causingwhat seems like a non-stop traffic jam. At least, that is what it has seemed like each time we've been there. Traffic moves so slowly that it can take more than half an hour to go just a few miles.
When we finally got to the pet-friendly hotel where we had made reservations for Saturday, Sunday and Monday, we found that they had a weight limit of not more than 25 pounds for dogs. Essentially, that means you can't have anything bigger than a lap/toy dog. Belle and Beau are nowhere near that, of course. Luckily, there was a hotel right next to that one that accepted bigger dogs, and they had one remaining room for people with pets, so we checked in there, instead. We were on the second floor and the lift terrified Belle, so the dogs and I took the stairs each time they had to go out or we went somewhere. It was only two flights of stairs, so there was no problem doing that several times a day. I was glad it wasn't a bigger hotel and we weren't on the 10th floor or something. Negotiating that many stairs several times a day wouldn't have been quite as easy.
We spent the bulk of Sunday at Cades Cove, and had the most animal encounters we've ever had there, I think. On the way to Cades Cove, we saw a bunch of cars on the side of the road. This, in the Smoky Mountains area, is a sure sign that wildlife has been sighted. Sure enough, as we drove past the parked cars, we saw a bear in the little valley off the road. Bruce turned the car around and found a parking spot, then walked back with his camera to take photos. There were a mother bear and her two cubs foraging for food in that little valley. The bears were there for hours, because when we returned from Cades Cove, crowds were still gathered in that spot. I hope they found enough to eat.
At Cades Cove, we saw plenty of deer, horses (Bruce went right up to some of then and one demanded a lot of attention from him), a few birds here and there and, finally, towards the end of the 11-mile drive, a beautiful Barred Owl. It was a little early for owls to be out, and I don't know who spotted it first, but as usual, the signal that there was something to be seen was a number of cars parked by the side of the road. I looked around to see what the attraction was and saw the owl in a tree about 30 feet from the road. It was huge! And it was the first owl I'd ever seen in the wild, which made it even more special. We stood looking at it for many minutes, and Bruce shot some really good photos of it. I think he has them in his photo album (or soon will, if it isn't in there already). That was the highlight of the day. The dogs got to run around a little and saw some deer, which got Beau all excited (he is very enthusiastic about anything else with four legs).
It rained most of Monday, so after taking the dogs for a walk in the morning, we left them in the car and did a little shopping for Ranee's birthday present. That was one of the good things about travelling in November rather than in the summer - it was cool enough to leave the dogs in the car any time we went somewhere, which was far more enjoyable for them than sitting in a hotel room. At least in the car, they got to look at people. I also got to catch up on my book-reading on Monday, and we watched a movie (DVD) on Bruce's laptop. It was a lazy, relaxing day - just what I needed after months of almost non-stop work.
On Tuesday, we packed up and left for the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) in Kentucky. We didn't realise how far away it was or what a long drive it would be, so we had a leisurely departure, stopping along the way at a department store to get Courtney's birthday present and to buy a couple of new dog beds for the dogs. It was past 11:00 in the morning when we finally, actually began the long drive, and we were only about 30 miles away from the hotel at which we had stayed. After driving for over eight hours (it may have been longer - it's a blur now), we finally got to our destination. We rented a cabin near a lake (that unfortunately was more mud than water around the edges because of the drought we've had in this part of the country over the last few years). The first couple of days, we seemed to be the only people there, so it was paradise for the dogs. They were able to run free and did a lot of exploring, getting oodles of exercise in the process. There was also a playground nearby, so Roshan and Courtney had fun there. Roshan was immensely entertained by the T-ball (tether ball, tied to a pole - it swings around every time it is hit). He laughted and squealed every time Courtney hit it and it went flying around the pole. I love seeing the two of them together.
One of the places we went to while at the LBL was the Elk and Bison Prarie. It's a fenced habitat for bison and elk - http://www.lbl.org/EBPrairieGate.html. Driving through it was a great experience (especially since I got to drive because Bruce was taking photos!), although the dogs (at least Belle) seemed a little intimidated by the huge bison, one of which came within inches of our minivan as it was crossing the road. We got to see almost the whole herd, I think. We even saw a couple of male elk half-heartedly fighting. A man in another car told us that since mating season was over, the males were no longer competing. More than anything, they seemed to be putting on a show.
On Thanksgiving Day, we drove to a state park in Tennessee (just 18 miles away) for Thanksgiving lunch. I was glad Bruce had made reservations, because it's apparently a popular place for a Thanksgiving meal and the building got very crowded. Because we were there early (and even went for a walk before lunch), we didn't have to stand in line to get our food at noon. It was delicious!
Ranee and family left for Louisville after lunch, since Randy had to work the next day, but Bruce, the dogs and I stayed one more day. On our way back to the cabin after lunch, we stopped at the Elk and Bison Prarie again. Bruce's camera had somehow been on the wrong setting the day before, and he wasn't sure if the photos from that trip would be any good, so we went for another photography session. We had arrived, by chance, at just the right time the day before, when all the animals were out eating. This time, we were earlier and didn't see as many the first time around, so we drove around the whole habitat a couple of times more, seeing more bison each time. They and the elk were in different locations this time, and the elk weren't as plentiful, but Bruce still managed to get some good photos. We saw some baby bison that were very cute.
On Friday, we began the long drive home. This time, because we were driving on Friday rather than Sunday, as we had done last year, there was much less traffic on the road so the drive back was a pleasant one. We stopped along the way at a park of some sort for the dogs to have another long run. There was only one other car there, so we let the dogs off their leashes. The other car belonged to a woman with three little dogs, who was there to try and get her dogs a little tired out before her family got together that evening for their Thanksgiving meal. Once she was gone, we had the place to ourselves, so the dogs were able to run free again. They had a thrilling time (except that Belle threw up soon after we were back in the car - either because of all the running around or the water they had been drinking from a creek). She threw up on a towel, though, so no damage was done to the car seat.
So, that was our Thanksgiving adventure in 2008. I'm glad it was so nature-filled.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Film recommendation - Slumdog Millionaire
Sometimes, you watch a film (or movie, as they'd say here) that is so incredibly good and has such an impact on your senses and emotions, it stays with you long after you have left the cinema. Slumdog Millionaire is one of those movies. If you haven't watched it yet, you must! It is, for me, the best film of 2008. Unfortunately, I don't think it is the sort of film that will appeal to the masses, so it probably won't do all that well in terms of ticket sales, but I hope it makes enough that the producer, directors and actors will know their film had the sort of impact few movies do.
If you cut down to the very core, I suppose you could say this is a love story, but it is so much more than that. The premise itself is an interesting one - a boy from the slums of Mumbai/Bombay gets onto the Who Wants To Be a Millionaire TV show and gets answer after answer correct. What makes the film so good is the way he keeps flashing back to past events in his life to show why he knows almost all the answers. A lot of these "flashback" movies are jarring and sometimes weak in the way the past is revealed, but this one was so well done that the constant jumping from past to present and back to the past again was seamless and superb.
Gutwrenching, disturbing, painful at times because of what happens to the brothers and the girl in this tale, accentuated by scenes that so accurately and painfully depict what some children in India go through, the film still manages to be heartwarming and moving. It is everything a story should be - you, along with the "Millionaire" audience, want the "hero" to win. There was no yawning, no drumming of fingers waiting for the pace to pick up again or looking at timepieces to see how much time remains (as someone who shall remain nameless does sometimes during lesser movies ...) We were captivated from the beginning and completely involved in the telling of the tale.
The music by A.R. Rahman was excellent, as always, especially during the closing credits, when I was dancing in my seat. The final scene, a dance in a train station, was a fun Bollywood tribute and ended an emotionally wrenching movie on just the right note.
Go watch this film. You must, you must! Telling people about it is the only way I can think of to pay tribute to those who made it, in a day when there is so much mindless nonsense and crude rubbish in the cinema. This film is, to me, what cinematic art is about.
If you cut down to the very core, I suppose you could say this is a love story, but it is so much more than that. The premise itself is an interesting one - a boy from the slums of Mumbai/Bombay gets onto the Who Wants To Be a Millionaire TV show and gets answer after answer correct. What makes the film so good is the way he keeps flashing back to past events in his life to show why he knows almost all the answers. A lot of these "flashback" movies are jarring and sometimes weak in the way the past is revealed, but this one was so well done that the constant jumping from past to present and back to the past again was seamless and superb.
Gutwrenching, disturbing, painful at times because of what happens to the brothers and the girl in this tale, accentuated by scenes that so accurately and painfully depict what some children in India go through, the film still manages to be heartwarming and moving. It is everything a story should be - you, along with the "Millionaire" audience, want the "hero" to win. There was no yawning, no drumming of fingers waiting for the pace to pick up again or looking at timepieces to see how much time remains (as someone who shall remain nameless does sometimes during lesser movies ...) We were captivated from the beginning and completely involved in the telling of the tale.
The music by A.R. Rahman was excellent, as always, especially during the closing credits, when I was dancing in my seat. The final scene, a dance in a train station, was a fun Bollywood tribute and ended an emotionally wrenching movie on just the right note.
Go watch this film. You must, you must! Telling people about it is the only way I can think of to pay tribute to those who made it, in a day when there is so much mindless nonsense and crude rubbish in the cinema. This film is, to me, what cinematic art is about.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tequila!
On this night ten years ago, I was having dinner at Bangsar Shopping Complex with two friends from work. It was Malathi's birthday, so Debbie and I took her out for dinner to celebrate. We were nearing the end of the meal when my handphone rang. It was Mummy, calling to let me know that Whisky was pregnant, after all (I had suspected she might be, but it was so difficult to tell with her), and had just had a puppy in the kitchen! I had to rush home at once, of course - thank goodness I was just a few minutes away! When I got back, there he was, this big-pawed, frowny-face puppy in the kitchen with his proud, happy mama. Whisky had always been a lovey-dovey, mother-like dog, and I think she was thrilled to have her very own baby. All those nights she spent tenderly licking his ears while he grew droopy-eyed ... I'm sure he misses that. Burgundy wasn't quite sure what the little ball of fur was when Tequila was born, but he ended up being a good papa and seemed quite proud of his big son. I love the photos we have of them as a family. They were the only intact family of dogs we've had, which makes them and the memories of Whisky and Burgie even more special.
Tequila was the only pup in the litter, and I've often wondered if it was that, or his grandfather's Rottweiler genes, that made him so big. As Mummy loves saying, Tequila fooled us because he had such a squashed nose and frown-filled face when he was born that we thought he'd look like his father. (I think Burgie was the most squashed-face Boxer we've had.) But Tequila, and his snout, grew and grew ... He's still an exceedingly handsome dog, even though he does not look completely like a Boxer. I really do believe he thinks he is a member of the family, not a dog.
I had him house-trained at two weeks, which still amazes me, and he's never had an accident in the house. I think he'd be horrified if he did! He's such a funny mixture of fun and dignity (though Scotty still takes the prize for elegance). Some of his other training, like walking instead of pulling when on the leash, has apparently been forgotten from lack of practice. I guess that's my fault for leaving him when he was just three. He used to be quite good before that, when we went for walks, but these days, when he sees the leash, it seems to tell him he gets to attack the vet. And I know that it was Whisky who made him paranoid about having any sort of medication put on him, because she used to run off like a wild horse if she ever needed ointment put on her. He watched and learned from his parents ... all the wrong lessons. Except for pulling clothes off the clothesline - that was one trick his father kept trying to teach him, but Tequila refused to succumb to that sort of temptation. He is such a good dog - the only non-destructive Boxer we've had, I think. Must be because he's not a full Boxer.
I miss him terribly (but he would be insanely jealous of Beau, so it's just as well he's not here) and hope his mixed heritage means he'll live longer than any of the other dogs we've had. Buster set the bar high here at 17, and it would be good if Tequila could at least match that.
Happy birthday, sweet puppy. I'm sending you lots of hugs and kisses.
Tequila was the only pup in the litter, and I've often wondered if it was that, or his grandfather's Rottweiler genes, that made him so big. As Mummy loves saying, Tequila fooled us because he had such a squashed nose and frown-filled face when he was born that we thought he'd look like his father. (I think Burgie was the most squashed-face Boxer we've had.) But Tequila, and his snout, grew and grew ... He's still an exceedingly handsome dog, even though he does not look completely like a Boxer. I really do believe he thinks he is a member of the family, not a dog.
I had him house-trained at two weeks, which still amazes me, and he's never had an accident in the house. I think he'd be horrified if he did! He's such a funny mixture of fun and dignity (though Scotty still takes the prize for elegance). Some of his other training, like walking instead of pulling when on the leash, has apparently been forgotten from lack of practice. I guess that's my fault for leaving him when he was just three. He used to be quite good before that, when we went for walks, but these days, when he sees the leash, it seems to tell him he gets to attack the vet. And I know that it was Whisky who made him paranoid about having any sort of medication put on him, because she used to run off like a wild horse if she ever needed ointment put on her. He watched and learned from his parents ... all the wrong lessons. Except for pulling clothes off the clothesline - that was one trick his father kept trying to teach him, but Tequila refused to succumb to that sort of temptation. He is such a good dog - the only non-destructive Boxer we've had, I think. Must be because he's not a full Boxer.
I miss him terribly (but he would be insanely jealous of Beau, so it's just as well he's not here) and hope his mixed heritage means he'll live longer than any of the other dogs we've had. Buster set the bar high here at 17, and it would be good if Tequila could at least match that.
Happy birthday, sweet puppy. I'm sending you lots of hugs and kisses.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Christmas Weather!
I am working from home on Fridays now, which means I actually have a view of the outside world while working instead of being stuck in my windowless cube at the office.
It is now clouding over a little and the expected rain may yet make an appearance, but the weather this morning was incredibly beautiful and reminded me so much of Christmas in Malaysia. Clear, deep blue skies, a brisk wind blowing (though much cooler here than it would be in KL), trees swaying, air that feels clean and refreshing ... I keep expecting to have to run upstairs to the balcony to make sure the birds aren't eating the raisins, sultanas and cherries that we just chopped up for the Christmas cake!
That's what Christmas weather is to me, and I'm now suddenly in a Christmas mood. People living in non-Equatorial countries have no idea what I'm talking about, of course, but that's what Christmas was like most of my life, and anything else just seems wrong. Even Bing Crosby's Hawaiian Christmas song sounds like a KL Christmas - "Here you know that Christmas will be green and bright, the sun to shine by day and all the stars at night ..." I hope we are all able to get together again at some point for Christmas in KL.
The only different thing here is the many leaf colours. Even in our backyard, there's such a variety of reds, oranges, yellows and greens. This really is the prettiest time of the year. Bruce took a bunch of photos when we went up to the mountains a couple of weeks ago and has been working on them, so hopefully he'll post some in Phanfare soon (see, I can nag you even from the blogosphere!)
I have to get back to work now - those rapidly approaching rain clouds look like a storm is coming. That's another funny thing about life here - I'm used to looking out the window to see what sort of weather can be expected, and it's pretty easy in Malaysia to know when we can expect rain (either hujan perolakan or the monsoons). Weather here is not so predictable, so when we want to know what the day is going to be like, we have to check the news or weather website. I still look out a window for short-term weather reports, though. Right now, it's getting very overcast and dark, which feels like a regular November afternoon in KL!
(By the way, I don't think I've ever used the word Christmas so many times in one piece of writing!)
It is now clouding over a little and the expected rain may yet make an appearance, but the weather this morning was incredibly beautiful and reminded me so much of Christmas in Malaysia. Clear, deep blue skies, a brisk wind blowing (though much cooler here than it would be in KL), trees swaying, air that feels clean and refreshing ... I keep expecting to have to run upstairs to the balcony to make sure the birds aren't eating the raisins, sultanas and cherries that we just chopped up for the Christmas cake!
That's what Christmas weather is to me, and I'm now suddenly in a Christmas mood. People living in non-Equatorial countries have no idea what I'm talking about, of course, but that's what Christmas was like most of my life, and anything else just seems wrong. Even Bing Crosby's Hawaiian Christmas song sounds like a KL Christmas - "Here you know that Christmas will be green and bright, the sun to shine by day and all the stars at night ..." I hope we are all able to get together again at some point for Christmas in KL.
The only different thing here is the many leaf colours. Even in our backyard, there's such a variety of reds, oranges, yellows and greens. This really is the prettiest time of the year. Bruce took a bunch of photos when we went up to the mountains a couple of weeks ago and has been working on them, so hopefully he'll post some in Phanfare soon (see, I can nag you even from the blogosphere!)
I have to get back to work now - those rapidly approaching rain clouds look like a storm is coming. That's another funny thing about life here - I'm used to looking out the window to see what sort of weather can be expected, and it's pretty easy in Malaysia to know when we can expect rain (either hujan perolakan or the monsoons). Weather here is not so predictable, so when we want to know what the day is going to be like, we have to check the news or weather website. I still look out a window for short-term weather reports, though. Right now, it's getting very overcast and dark, which feels like a regular November afternoon in KL!
(By the way, I don't think I've ever used the word Christmas so many times in one piece of writing!)
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