I was recently doing some research on the Chinese epic Journey to the West about the clever and slightly mischievous Monkey (Sun Wukong). The epic was passed down for centuries from an oral tradition. Based on historical events of the Tang Dynasty the story goes that a pure monk is accompanied by Monkey, Pig, and Friar Sand as his bodyguards: former wretches who would absolve their past crimes by journeying West and collecting the Buddhist scriptures.
Multiple versions of the story exist. As time went on the stories were condensed and codified. In a particularly interesting and very early version, Sun Wukong and the rest of the band run into Hanuman: a Hindu monkey deity. This chapter was later cut, but their conversation is delightful, as is often the case when Monkey gets talking. I reprint it here from the Lawrence translation:
[Sun Wukong, has left the others and wanders around the mountain bend, looking for dinner.]
"Just then Monkey heard a rustling in the bushes. 'Well,' he thought, 'I can probably flush out a fine rabbit for master.' And, taking up his golden cudgel, he brought it down on the bush with such force that all of the leaves fell off. But instead of a rabbit he had knocked a head that looked awfully like his own.
'Tell me, my younger cousin' Monkey began, 'why you've deliberately denied my master his dinner! Don't you know that I am Sun Wukong, master of all ape kind? By all rights I should split your head open with my cudgel!'
At these insults the monkey-face in the bushes turned red and angry, and standing up Sun Wukong realized that this was no ordinary monkey.
'How dare you call me your younger cousin! I was born eons before you hatched out of a rock! It is you who should be apologizing to me, Wukong!'
'I did not recognize you, fabled big-brother. Are you Hanuman?'
'How can you ask when I stand right before you?'
'Then we are not cousins but brothers! Come, tell me of the lands that lie ahead. Is my master going to be safe on his journey?'
'Oh hells no. These mountains contain an ethereal flame that destroys only those who are pure of spirit. You should be fine though.'
'As doubtless, brother, you have no difficulty in crossing them. But my master certainly will.'
'Maybe if you spent more time with him your sleaze would rub off on your master and he'd be able to come through the pass safely.'
'Certainly, certainly. But since I have found you I think it would be better if it was your honorably hairy self that did it. I have been with him for months and he is still pure. Doubtless your overwhelming lack of grace would prove toxic to him within minutes.'
'Doubtless you had to be born from a stone since no mortal could have bared the sight of you as a child.'
'Whereas your mother, as everyone knows, was a hermaphrodite.'
'Hey now. It's a Hindu thing.'
'So tell me, are we going to be long in this shitty kingdom?'
'Not if I can help it!'"
[At this point the two of them fight an epic battle lasting forty-three rounds, only to find they are evenly matched. The narrative abruptly breaks off with Monkey going back to camp to recruit Pig to help him.]
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Food - the first two weeks
Durian candies.
Fried egg rice with chicken.
Soursop and watermelon juice.
Korean Barbeque: Beef and chicken with oodles of sides from salad to tofu to pickles and kim chee.
Mrs. Fields cookies.
Macaroni fried with seafood and chili.
Pasta Carbonara.
Mango smoothies.
Nasi Lemak: fried chicken (or hot dogs or fish cakes) with rice, egg and chili.
Duck and noodles.
Spareribs and noodles.
Ayam Pagan: Grilled Indonesian-style chicken with sauce and rice.
Chicken rice: Steamed or roasted chicken with rice (a local favorite).
English bratwurst with mustard.
Fish and chips with crab bisque.
Indian mutton curry.
Sushi.
Fried egg rice with chicken.
Soursop and watermelon juice.
Korean Barbeque: Beef and chicken with oodles of sides from salad to tofu to pickles and kim chee.
Mrs. Fields cookies.
Macaroni fried with seafood and chili.
Pasta Carbonara.
Mango smoothies.
Nasi Lemak: fried chicken (or hot dogs or fish cakes) with rice, egg and chili.
Duck and noodles.
Spareribs and noodles.
Ayam Pagan: Grilled Indonesian-style chicken with sauce and rice.
Chicken rice: Steamed or roasted chicken with rice (a local favorite).
English bratwurst with mustard.
Fish and chips with crab bisque.
Indian mutton curry.
Sushi.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Singaporean Christmas
After wandering through the muggy tropical night, aimlessly wondering what Christmas is all about (and such tropes), I decided to rest my quickly blistering feet by hopping on a train.
Disembarking I found myself on a main avenue, Raffles Road, walking on past parks and fountains. In an underpass I stumbled past some hip young adults and teens who'd reclaimed the space for practicing break dancing moves.
The youth here, as someone observed, are culturally just hitting the 1970s. Which is all good by me. I hope they like Stevie Wonder.
Following the crowds past the regal hotel driveways I found myself crossing a bridge towards the Marina Bay hotel - the new, casino-friendly, wildly expensive, let's-take-a-shot-at-being-Dubai resort that made international headlines opening earlier this year.
As a foreigner I went into the casino - they charge Singapore residents $100 to enter to discourage gambling. If your passport isn't local you get in free and are free to spend as much as you like.
Singapore has a few things to learn about casinos. I can give them some tips, having been in most of the ones Reno offered.
First - don't make them open and airy. Paths should be convoluted, and entrances hidden. Instead there are plenty of helpful people there waiting to show you the way out - using the broad, easily navigable paths.
Second - mix all the games together. That way if you do poorly at blackjack you can turn around and try slots or roulette. Also: clocks? Seriously? Not a good idea.
Third - I saw exactly, looking carefully, two other white folk. Now, since Singapore is a multi-ethnic society I can't know for certain that the thousands I looked upon weren't perhaps from Hong Kong, or Malaysia. But I don't think the $100 is keeping the Singaporeans out.
The rest of the place was pretty nice - skating rink, food and shops. I walked back across another bridge, a double helix of DNA, (with geeky AT and CG lights - it was nifty) and skirted the waterfront. I found myself by a church - the oldest in Singapore as it happens - right as people were entering for a midnight service. Raised Episcopal (American Anglican) I decided to go inside and sing some hymns.
The hymns were the best part. The service was pretty confusing - lots of elements that Episcopalians leave out, I guess, and the sermon was just plain awful. People started texting, reading, looking at event calendars, chatting... I'm glad I wasn't the only one who tuned out: most of the congregation did.
Around 1:30 I got back to my hostel, unable to walk. Sleeping-in I start Christmas around 11 am by Skyping family. In the hostel Mickey and Scrooge are in the background quoting Dickens.
Singaporean Christmas. Not a bad thing at all.
Disembarking I found myself on a main avenue, Raffles Road, walking on past parks and fountains. In an underpass I stumbled past some hip young adults and teens who'd reclaimed the space for practicing break dancing moves.
The youth here, as someone observed, are culturally just hitting the 1970s. Which is all good by me. I hope they like Stevie Wonder.
Following the crowds past the regal hotel driveways I found myself crossing a bridge towards the Marina Bay hotel - the new, casino-friendly, wildly expensive, let's-take-a-shot-at-being-Dubai resort that made international headlines opening earlier this year.
As a foreigner I went into the casino - they charge Singapore residents $100 to enter to discourage gambling. If your passport isn't local you get in free and are free to spend as much as you like.
Singapore has a few things to learn about casinos. I can give them some tips, having been in most of the ones Reno offered.
First - don't make them open and airy. Paths should be convoluted, and entrances hidden. Instead there are plenty of helpful people there waiting to show you the way out - using the broad, easily navigable paths.
Second - mix all the games together. That way if you do poorly at blackjack you can turn around and try slots or roulette. Also: clocks? Seriously? Not a good idea.
Third - I saw exactly, looking carefully, two other white folk. Now, since Singapore is a multi-ethnic society I can't know for certain that the thousands I looked upon weren't perhaps from Hong Kong, or Malaysia. But I don't think the $100 is keeping the Singaporeans out.
The rest of the place was pretty nice - skating rink, food and shops. I walked back across another bridge, a double helix of DNA, (with geeky AT and CG lights - it was nifty) and skirted the waterfront. I found myself by a church - the oldest in Singapore as it happens - right as people were entering for a midnight service. Raised Episcopal (American Anglican) I decided to go inside and sing some hymns.
The hymns were the best part. The service was pretty confusing - lots of elements that Episcopalians leave out, I guess, and the sermon was just plain awful. People started texting, reading, looking at event calendars, chatting... I'm glad I wasn't the only one who tuned out: most of the congregation did.
Around 1:30 I got back to my hostel, unable to walk. Sleeping-in I start Christmas around 11 am by Skyping family. In the hostel Mickey and Scrooge are in the background quoting Dickens.
Singaporean Christmas. Not a bad thing at all.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
People Who Need People
If you've never lived in a hostel you'll find something out very quickly: life here reverts back to the collegiate dorm. If you never stayed in one of those, then... well, that's the only experience that mirrors it.
I spoke for hours with a Londoner who is adrift, without a degree or career, wondering what she wants out of life.
I spoke for hours with a German business start-up designer about Jared Diamond and cultural exceptionalism.
I spoke with Cuban underwater archaeologist, stopping over on his way to Indonesia for his next project.
These are three of the seven roommates I have. And I've only been here three full days.
But, while the delightful conversations are what I most cherish, the dormitory living doesn't end there. The shared sex bathrooms, the beanbag furniture, toast for breakfast, and the huddling in the common room: these are the hallmarks that make me feel ready to go register for classes tomorrow.
From San Francisco to Scotland to Singapore I've hosteled all over. The nicest I ever had was in Istanbul. The worst was Belfast. But they're basically the same. The marks of a good hostel:
Not too many in a room - blankets and bedding provided.
Breakfast, even a token, provided.
Sufficient showers for guests and clean bathrooms.
Nice staff and a nice place to hang out.
Free wi-fi.
If your hostel has these things it's a good joint. Most backpacker's and student hostels will. If they don't have these basics then you should find a place that does. Some try and be buddy buddy - tours! trips! join us Tuesday night for ____ in the common room! Frankly I don't care for these. On the other hand I've been in places where 18 are in a room and no one talks to each other at any time. So happy mediums are worth looking into.
The best breakfasts were in the UK - Liverpool, particularly, had a great full breakfast. Unfortunately many hostels still don't have wi-fi, or internet is just free on the computers provided. This always leads to bottlenecking and unhappy techy hostelers, which is increasingly all of them. If it has neither of these then they're being stingy.
Laundry generally isn't provided, as a service or with machines. There are too many issues to deal with to also have to calm hostelers losing socks and fighting for the next free machine. Don't expect it.
I've heard of places that charge for bedding, which is ridiculous - you are paying for a bed, toast, and a little security. Speaking of which - expect in most to pay a key deposit for either a room or hostel front door key. If you want a locker they probably will charge if they have them.
My current arrangement, 'The Inn Crowd 2' has all of this. The only drawback is that power strips are in the common room, meaning that I can't do simple tasks like charging my phone or computer in my dorm room. Instead everyone sits around in the commons while their tech powers up. In this case it leads to a fairly sedentary group of backpackers. In my specific case it apparently leads to lengthy blog updates.
I spoke for hours with a Londoner who is adrift, without a degree or career, wondering what she wants out of life.
I spoke for hours with a German business start-up designer about Jared Diamond and cultural exceptionalism.
I spoke with Cuban underwater archaeologist, stopping over on his way to Indonesia for his next project.
These are three of the seven roommates I have. And I've only been here three full days.
But, while the delightful conversations are what I most cherish, the dormitory living doesn't end there. The shared sex bathrooms, the beanbag furniture, toast for breakfast, and the huddling in the common room: these are the hallmarks that make me feel ready to go register for classes tomorrow.
From San Francisco to Scotland to Singapore I've hosteled all over. The nicest I ever had was in Istanbul. The worst was Belfast. But they're basically the same. The marks of a good hostel:
Not too many in a room - blankets and bedding provided.
Breakfast, even a token, provided.
Sufficient showers for guests and clean bathrooms.
Nice staff and a nice place to hang out.
Free wi-fi.
If your hostel has these things it's a good joint. Most backpacker's and student hostels will. If they don't have these basics then you should find a place that does. Some try and be buddy buddy - tours! trips! join us Tuesday night for ____ in the common room! Frankly I don't care for these. On the other hand I've been in places where 18 are in a room and no one talks to each other at any time. So happy mediums are worth looking into.
The best breakfasts were in the UK - Liverpool, particularly, had a great full breakfast. Unfortunately many hostels still don't have wi-fi, or internet is just free on the computers provided. This always leads to bottlenecking and unhappy techy hostelers, which is increasingly all of them. If it has neither of these then they're being stingy.
Laundry generally isn't provided, as a service or with machines. There are too many issues to deal with to also have to calm hostelers losing socks and fighting for the next free machine. Don't expect it.
I've heard of places that charge for bedding, which is ridiculous - you are paying for a bed, toast, and a little security. Speaking of which - expect in most to pay a key deposit for either a room or hostel front door key. If you want a locker they probably will charge if they have them.
My current arrangement, 'The Inn Crowd 2' has all of this. The only drawback is that power strips are in the common room, meaning that I can't do simple tasks like charging my phone or computer in my dorm room. Instead everyone sits around in the commons while their tech powers up. In this case it leads to a fairly sedentary group of backpackers. In my specific case it apparently leads to lengthy blog updates.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
OH GOD THE HEAT
...isn't as bad as I thought. But it's currently peaking, so I'm sure as hell in doors. I'm not a rabid canid or a Londoner, after all.
But there are two nice Londoners in my hostel.
Singapore. After an uneventful flight rife with fun-inducing turbulance (it's like a roller coaster!) I got in around midnight. I bought a sim card for my phone, and now have a new telephone number to use for Singapore business.
Then I went to my hostel, checked in and slept in until 8. Taking my new metro card I canvassed the areas I need to know for meetings coming up, went to the main branch of the National Library (what year was it, again, that the world's libraries decided to modernize and make all of their walls glass? 2003?) and Anderson Junior College, where I'll supposedly be teaching.
The MRT (trains) are really great. I hope to find a decent apartment near to my work fairly soon - two weeks would be great for a January 1st move-in. In the meantime I'm in a nice little hostel, the Inn Crowd, in an eight bed mixed dorm.
So far the only downside is that my right foot is acting up, and a limping 6' ang mo (trans= roughlt 'red hair' or 'red devil barbarian') like me tends to stand out pretty badly. (Incidentally I'm working in Ang Mo Kio, which translates to 'red tomatoes'. It's MP is the PM, Lee, too.)
So far it feels like New York - enclaves of ethnic groups, a little grimey, but pretty darn modern. Taking the MRT basically all around the city, most of it above ground, I got a good idea of the predominance of NYC-style apartment islands. But since the population is predominately Chinese the ethnic shock isn't very pronounced - it just feels like a big Chinatown. I mean, SF is a pretty good practice ground for Asian immersion.
But there are two nice Londoners in my hostel.
Singapore. After an uneventful flight rife with fun-inducing turbulance (it's like a roller coaster!) I got in around midnight. I bought a sim card for my phone, and now have a new telephone number to use for Singapore business.
Then I went to my hostel, checked in and slept in until 8. Taking my new metro card I canvassed the areas I need to know for meetings coming up, went to the main branch of the National Library (what year was it, again, that the world's libraries decided to modernize and make all of their walls glass? 2003?) and Anderson Junior College, where I'll supposedly be teaching.
The MRT (trains) are really great. I hope to find a decent apartment near to my work fairly soon - two weeks would be great for a January 1st move-in. In the meantime I'm in a nice little hostel, the Inn Crowd, in an eight bed mixed dorm.
So far the only downside is that my right foot is acting up, and a limping 6' ang mo (trans= roughlt 'red hair' or 'red devil barbarian') like me tends to stand out pretty badly. (Incidentally I'm working in Ang Mo Kio, which translates to 'red tomatoes'. It's MP is the PM, Lee, too.)
So far it feels like New York - enclaves of ethnic groups, a little grimey, but pretty darn modern. Taking the MRT basically all around the city, most of it above ground, I got a good idea of the predominance of NYC-style apartment islands. But since the population is predominately Chinese the ethnic shock isn't very pronounced - it just feels like a big Chinatown. I mean, SF is a pretty good practice ground for Asian immersion.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
List Compulsion
Apparently, list-making is not always a bad thing.
This is tremendous news for someone like me who makes lists all the time. Umberto Eco gave a nice interview a while back on the subject: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,659577,00.html
In many ways my curriculum building acts as a means of list arrangement. Planning out my courses ahead of time and what I'll do on which days gives listing a practical outlet. Which historical events are most important, and in what order should I cover them to facilitate clarity?
I have to pick an extra-curricular to guide or teach when I get to Singapore. Last year it was comedy improv. I'm not sure this will go over well, so I'm scratching my head, and making lists, of possible alternatives:
Cooking. I love cooking, and haven't had a chance to use my skills in a long time. I imagine a class where every few weeks students are challenged to recreate dishes I set before them with the specific knowledge of the previous lessons. The problem is that too many cooks in the kitchen can be awful, and costs are high. Not to mention the need for facilities.
World Cinema. A chronological tour through cinema history and world differences. Highlights would include early German and Soviet films, French new wave, classic Indian and Japanese noir, and contemporary Chinese and Latin American works. Possible problem: censorship of media/unavailability of certain landmark films.
Art History. Every year I cover the basics with my students: Rembrandt, Greek red and black ware, Raphael, Picasso, etc. Honestly, though, the basics are pretty much what I've got, and while I usually spend one day on Chinese Art of the Song Dynasty, I can't claim to have much knowledge of world art. Students might not be interested in a class focused solely on Western art.
Western Philosophy. Much of the bulk of Eastern Philosophy is going to be taught in my history classes anyway, as national requirements have it. Perhaps there is some interest in philosophy from the pre-Socratics to the 20th century? The problem here becomes one of exclusivity - only some students can handle the material. Philosophy, past the Greeks, is best left to students 16/17 or older.
American Music of the 20th Century. Now I'm reaching. Covering music and styles from ragtime to 90's pop, with blues, jazz, rock, r&b, hip hop, and show tunes. I'd probably have interested students for this one. But I'm not sure if this is a 'legit' enough offering from a school's point of view...
Epic Literature. Anyone want to read Moby Dick?
Geopol. Each week students learn about critical geopolitical countries and their...stuff.
Book Club. We...read books?
I guess I'll have to wait and see what things are like at the school I'm working at.
This is tremendous news for someone like me who makes lists all the time. Umberto Eco gave a nice interview a while back on the subject: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,659577,00.html
In many ways my curriculum building acts as a means of list arrangement. Planning out my courses ahead of time and what I'll do on which days gives listing a practical outlet. Which historical events are most important, and in what order should I cover them to facilitate clarity?
I have to pick an extra-curricular to guide or teach when I get to Singapore. Last year it was comedy improv. I'm not sure this will go over well, so I'm scratching my head, and making lists, of possible alternatives:
Cooking. I love cooking, and haven't had a chance to use my skills in a long time. I imagine a class where every few weeks students are challenged to recreate dishes I set before them with the specific knowledge of the previous lessons. The problem is that too many cooks in the kitchen can be awful, and costs are high. Not to mention the need for facilities.
World Cinema. A chronological tour through cinema history and world differences. Highlights would include early German and Soviet films, French new wave, classic Indian and Japanese noir, and contemporary Chinese and Latin American works. Possible problem: censorship of media/unavailability of certain landmark films.
Art History. Every year I cover the basics with my students: Rembrandt, Greek red and black ware, Raphael, Picasso, etc. Honestly, though, the basics are pretty much what I've got, and while I usually spend one day on Chinese Art of the Song Dynasty, I can't claim to have much knowledge of world art. Students might not be interested in a class focused solely on Western art.
Western Philosophy. Much of the bulk of Eastern Philosophy is going to be taught in my history classes anyway, as national requirements have it. Perhaps there is some interest in philosophy from the pre-Socratics to the 20th century? The problem here becomes one of exclusivity - only some students can handle the material. Philosophy, past the Greeks, is best left to students 16/17 or older.
American Music of the 20th Century. Now I'm reaching. Covering music and styles from ragtime to 90's pop, with blues, jazz, rock, r&b, hip hop, and show tunes. I'd probably have interested students for this one. But I'm not sure if this is a 'legit' enough offering from a school's point of view...
Epic Literature. Anyone want to read Moby Dick?
Geopol. Each week students learn about critical geopolitical countries and their...stuff.
Book Club. We...read books?
I guess I'll have to wait and see what things are like at the school I'm working at.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Glimpse of Author
A blog can be an impersonal thing, like a letter written by a stranger. Intonations are lost, meanings remain hidden, connections lie squandered.
So, in an attempt to make my online persona more accessible, here are some random selections from my Amazon wish list. I should think they give a decent idea of my personality.
"The Physiology of Taste: or Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy" by Brillat-Savarin, price: $16.50
"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" by Abelson et al., price: $68.99
"The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon", price: $22.12
"How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator" by de Guillame, price: $5.00, used.
"The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" by Gibbon, price: $9.79
"Krazy and Ignatz: The Kat Who Walked in Beauty" by Herriman, price: $22.76
"The Joke and Its Relation to the Unconscious" by Freud, price: $10.20
"The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, in Ttwo Volumes", price: $26.75, used.
"Oeuvres de Fermat", price: $29.99
"The Dream of Red Mansions" by Cao Xueqin, price: $34.15
So there you have it, or a sampling of it, anyway. A little gastronomy, computer science, autobiography, humor, history, comics, psychology, art, science and literature rolled in to one.
So, in an attempt to make my online persona more accessible, here are some random selections from my Amazon wish list. I should think they give a decent idea of my personality.
"The Physiology of Taste: or Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy" by Brillat-Savarin, price: $16.50
"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" by Abelson et al., price: $68.99
"The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon", price: $22.12
"How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator" by de Guillame, price: $5.00, used.
"The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" by Gibbon, price: $9.79
"Krazy and Ignatz: The Kat Who Walked in Beauty" by Herriman, price: $22.76
"The Joke and Its Relation to the Unconscious" by Freud, price: $10.20
"The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, in Ttwo Volumes", price: $26.75, used.
"Oeuvres de Fermat", price: $29.99
"The Dream of Red Mansions" by Cao Xueqin, price: $34.15
So there you have it, or a sampling of it, anyway. A little gastronomy, computer science, autobiography, humor, history, comics, psychology, art, science and literature rolled in to one.
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