January 2, 2017
Welcoming 2017 with some fresh drannnks!

A lot has happened since my last post, and all my brews are now ready to drink! But I will try to touch upon some of the steps since my last post on transferring to secondary fermentation before jumping the gun on how the brews turned out. 

I did straight transfers to secondary with my Wort + Kombucha + Ale yeast  blend (carboy #2 above) and my Kombucha + Ale yeast brew (carboy #3 above). But I blended my half gallon Wort + Ale yeast brew with 1200mL of freshly fermented kombucha (that had fermented for 1 week) then transferred this new mixture into a one gallon carboy to continue its transfomation into a mysterious and hopefully delightful concoction (carboy #4).  

With carboy #1, I transferred what was an open fermentation of Wort + Scoby brew to a closed fermentation to continue in a beer brewing manner, and to halt the souring process. However, in the picture below, I decided to keep an open fermentation with the Wort + Kombucha + Scoby brew to maintain one of my experiments in the tradition of kombucha brewing. Trying to keep things balanced! I debated also transferring this brew to a closed fermentation, but ultimately decided against it; however, it really stirred a world of possibilities. The multitude of varying combinations of experiments are truly limitless. 

Oh, and my collection my beer bottles makes a guest appearance in the top photo 😉 I threw out most of them when I moved (nope, I’m not moving empty bottles, just not gonna do it… but then I did. haha), but kept a small selection. I have sentimental attachments to pretty much everything. Sigh. 

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January 2, 2017
getting warmer

We’ve been fortunate so far this winter with really mild weather.
Actually, I’m not sure that for here this is “mild” weather,
but sunny days in the mid-60’s (F, around 16-18 C)
is far nicer than we expected when we packed up to move here.
But our neighbors warned that this was predicted to be a really cold winter,
so we are trying to get prepared with firewood and such.

Mohamed came down with a cold earlier in the week,
probably from the drastic differences in temperature from day to night
(we get a healthy frosting each night, which melts by midmorning).
I caught his cold a few days later, and felt downright awful for a full day,
causing me to dig out our medicinal teas, herbal cough drops, and wear a scarf.
I became much more sensitive to the drafts in our house,
noticing that certain areas always felt cold and breezy,
even when the rest of the house was warm.

So we investigated our exterior walls more thoroughly,
and took note of several gaps and cracks and problem areas,
(that we saw before, back when our bathroom had been our top priority)
including three small sections of wall that were just filled with foam
(our wooden house is a composite of three garden houses,
and between them hollow walls, that were just stuffed with styrofoam).
So once we felt a little better, we filled the gaps,
put up some wooden panels along the roof line,
and a few tubes of silicon to seal all the cracks,
and go around several of our windows.
Then we used our extra pieces of cork siding
to male small sections to cover over the hollow walls,
creating cool little stripes of cork between the white wood of the garden houses.
Overall, much warmer,
especially in our bedroom!

Otherwise, we’ve been having a quiet holiday,
doing puzzles, reading books and watercolor painting with Marmalade,

watching our mole in action with its own home-improvement projects,

mole home improvement project
spending time in the garden, picking kale on Leaf day and radishes on Root day,

and cutting away more of the blackberries surrounding the ruin.

Yesterday I made it to the cornerstone,

finding cute little mushrooms had made it there before me,
and by this afternoon I could actually see inside to the “floor”.
Marmalade has been asking for relatives to come and visit her,
(as Skype is nice, but not the same as a real family visit)
so I’ve been working on the ruin so we have a place for everyone to stay,
hopefully by this Springtime.

While out in the garden,
a white passenger van drove by,
one that we’ve waved to often,
and often “beeps” in return.
They slowed down to a halt,
and shouted out the window
“Happy New Year!”

Yes, indeed.
Happy New Year!

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January 2, 2017
NEGATIVES AT WORK PLACE

Its been long time that i was quite confused about what should i write in the next post. “Negatives at work place” was the reason of not being in touch with RFAOH in the whole month of December. But the email that i received yesterday from you have actually compelled me to write this post expressing my current situation. I have started working with an event management company for the last 5 weeks. It was my first experience of job and i am jotting down few thoughts expressing my experience.
A living organisation would never deny that it is filled with both emotions of positivism and negativism. Every single organisation, every work station, every division, is always surrounded by colleagues, who are unfortunately ‘possessed’ of negative tendencies.
They can only see the dark, the very dark clouds in almost every facet of life. They are even blinded to the promise of the silver linings behind these dark clouds. They ignore them and hence are obvious to the potential of the ‘silver linings’ attached to difficulties in work and life. These are seen by the negatively oriented as a scientific deception to looming depression of clouds. They do not realize that even the longest day has an end.
Negatively inclined colleagues, you would find rush to quickly point loopholes even in the best of initiatives. They would never look at half a glass as an opportunity; they would only crib and complain why it isn’t full! These types of colleagues are like the hyenas they lark in office corridors waiting for the unsuspecting positive colleague and then attack them venomously with negative news; depressing views, unsubstantiated hearsay that could be of no relevance to either of them, but it is done with the sole motive to rob the individual of the positive energy. They think that their job description is to cause incorrect-able pollution of minds.
I have always identified these individuals with the glorious nick-name of ‘corporate mother-in-laws’. They love the language of sarcasm and taunt. They enjoy teasing. They relish in derailing people from their goals.
None could break through the great wall of negativism that they had so lovingly built around themselves. It is another matter that later in life the same became his career’s prison walls. He entrapped himself in negativity; while the positive world around him moved forward. The man who never moved forward. The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptile of the mind, as said by (William Blake).
In dealing with those colleagues who are affiliated with this trait, it is best firstly to accept, that we are dealing with some bacteria for which no corporate vaccine or antibiotic has been found. In fact, it is a stage four cancer at its very beginning itself for it is bound to eat away from within the good cells of the organisation. Treatment therefore has to begin before its lethal onset. Unchecked it can become endemic and epidemic.
If recognition of the problem individuals is fast, speedy, and quick, then it is safe to rely upon the age old held opinion that negativism is impermanent because it is on conflict with man’s innate nature of being positive. I think that a door shut is an opportunity that it can be opened and unlocked. Negativism in life is a waste of time. Positivity prompts action.
Negativity always kills passion and effort. As Churchill said, I am an optimist and a positive person because it does not seem to be much use in being anything else.
At the workplace in dealing with these types of individuals, develop a non-sense attitude to the intruder who would want to spend time with you with no good work at hand but only to bite your calmness and to pollute your mind with negativity. Be wary of such colleagues who would otherwise appear out wardly as good intention and positive but in their insides reside oceans of venom waiting to be unleashed upon the shored of positive minds.
I personally believe and subscribe that all reaction to negative news is a broad smile or if necessary a comment on the lines of ‘that could be one way of looking at things’.
Attempt to end conversations with negative colleagues, by asking them to view things differently. Work upon them slowly for conversation to positivity of thought. I am certain only a few dosages would alter their mental makeup barring the die hard and the unfortunate. Why don’t we learn from the bee that sucks the sweetest honey from the bitterest of flowers. Deal gently to get them on rails, otherwise a strong retaliatory reaction would usher more negatives. At times it is the consultation with the ignorant that gives access to unknown wisdom.
There is an Irish saying: count your joys instead of your woes; count your friends instead of your foes. Try to quote this to those in need of a reminder.

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January 2, 2017
It’s 2017, It’s Going to be Better, and More Dangerous?

2016 year is finally over, but the horrids of 2016 recognize no year?! Since the year, is just a measurement. Today did not feel any more fresher just because it’s a new calendar year; it’s really just another day. So, no, it doesn’t feel like it’s a “new year”. Perhaps, this is just my resentment towards the last week of the year, a week (most of the time longer) of anxiety, compounded stress and the fear of being forgotten. A conversation with a friend recently made me think why don’t I try to treat 2017 differently by making New Years resolutions and so, I did it! Although, she said that my goals are not “quantitative” enough and are too personal/subjective.

Which brings me to a particular subject; how does one calculate risk? I have been pondering about this in relation to my kitchen presentation at the DAI. In retrospect, I must admit that I have lived rather riskily in Singapore; being investigated for using a sensitive word (which I’d rather not use here) on my blog at the age of 15/16, charged in court for 7 counts of vandalism at 19, arrested and charged in court again at 23 for illegal driving. I’ve been rather obedient after the last incident simply because I do not want to give any more reasons for the state to “restrict my freedom” due to my “crimes”, jeopardizing my “artistic practice”. And when I say “restricted freedom”, I really meant being locked up. 

I began to analyze what encompasses this risk. Hence, the following “quantifying” questions of; what do I want to do that is so gravely dangerous that I have to think in such a way? Am I already traumatized from that 36 hours lock-up? Have I already lost my fight after being handcuffed in my own home that one time? Is this how much faith I have on Singapore (the state)? Would I put unnecessary attention/shame to my family for challenging the system, or the authority? How do I generate controversial narratives without putting my freedom or identity at risk? How much risks can I take as a citizen/an artist before my personal freedom gets impounded? Does it have to be at the expense of an individual — an “exemplary convict”? How can I talk about the fraud committed through the different state apparatuses? How far of an extent is the exploration of the limits of (il)legality done by utilizing a body or by creating a fictitious one, challenging the rhetorics of state apparatuses and thus, questioning the legitimacy of law, authority and power? 

I’m just thinking aloud here. I hope this thought exercise can trigger a larger discourse and perhaps an ongoing writing/propositional work. 

Now, happy New Year again, to readers, RFAOH crew, all ex and current residents, wherever you are! 

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