Fasting for Renewal, Caterpillars & Renovation Update

Ovidia--every other Tuesday

Right now in Singapore we're in a 'fasting' period leading up to two big festivals:

For Christians we are in Lent, leading up to Easter. This is the time between Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and his life, death and resurrection. Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and charity and a reminder that when things seem darkest, things are yet working to bring about greater good than we can imagine.

For Muslims, we are in Ramadan, the period of fasting leading to Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Ramadan marks the time when Prophet Mohammed received the first verses of the Qu'ran. 

Fasting during the daylight hours is a private act of worship that brings about spiritual discipline and empathy with the less fortunate.

In both cases, the joy and celebration of Easter and Hari Raya Aidilfitri are preceded by periods of fasting and reflection, reconstruction and renewal. Almost as though we need to pause and prepare ourselves before we can move on.

It's a pattern that also shows up in nature as well as in our our own lives, I believe. 

This is the chrysalis phase of metamorphosis. An uncomfortable time for the encased caterpillar who isn't able to eat or even move as its body tissue breaks down and the very cells of its muscles and organs dissolve... and the imaginal discs (undifferentiated till now) develop into the wings, legs or antennae they were destined to be from the start.

The emerging butterfly or moth leaves behind in its chrysalis the gooey waste from its previous incarnation. And maybe to keep evolving towards our full potential we need to do the same?

I would really like to think so!

Because right now we are still in a state of upheaval in our current state of evolution/ metamorphois: 

Though the insides are definitely looking better!

At least we can see where the fixtures are going to go!

All the fixtures are supposed to be arriving this week, after much discussion between contractor,  suppliers and workmen on existing plumbing and the relative merits of S- traps (easier to install in existing structure) and P- traps (the latest thing in toilet technology, apparently!)

But it's all still a bit chaotic on the outside... I'm most sorry for the neighbours whose lives we've been discombobulating, but so far everyone has been very sweet and supportive and curious--at least two are interested in getting our contractor to do some work for them... after they've seen the results here. I hope we're a good advertisement for him!

I've run away from it all for now. This is where I've ensconced myself during the day-- the view from the front of the library...

This being Singapore, construction and reconstruction are going on everywhere. We know that behind the protective facade furious work is going on.

And in the library itself all is calm, air-conditioned quiet...

My current chrysalis/ cocoon. This has become my favourite spot in the library! It's quiet with a view of the sky and palm trees, there are chargers for my MacBook and phone, I can spread my stuff on the window ledge... and it's only a short walk (2 bookshelves) to the loo and a little further to the water cooler!

Notes from Cape Town

Stanley – Thursday

I have been in Cape Town for three weeks now, nestled between Lion’s Head mountain and the Atlantic Ocean. It is a gorgeous spot.

However, the time has been far from predictable, far from serene. For the most part, I have felt discombobulated most of the time.

Number 1: my flat

Last year Mette and I split our two-level flat and sold the top half. We then decided to renovate the lower half, adding a small bedroom to make it a two-bedroom apartment. As usual, I forgot about the universal law of cussedness and underestimated the amount of work. I expected, for example, that I had enough spare tiles to accommodate the very small extension I was making – about 4 square metres. Wrong! This small extension not only required tiles for the inside, but also for one long row outside to ensure the flat below didn’t get soaked when it rained.

Of course, there were no tiles to be found that matched. The whole frigging floor had to be lifted. The neighbours weren’t happy with the banging and chiseling.

Awaiting a new floor and windows. But what a view!

I wanted to add a small shower to the existing guest toilet. Access to plumbing infrastructure meant that the shower couldn’t be where I originally planned. The new location was where the door opened, so I had to replace the swinging door with a pocket door. Down came the wall with associated noise. The neighbours were even less happy.

The new guest bathroom

To accommodate the second bedroom, I had to move the kitchen and extend a wall. More banging.

The guest bedroom is behind that wall. 

And then, thinking that the deconstruction had finished and with it the noise, I discovered that the new design require extensive work by plumber and electrician to accommodate the new pipes and wires. Angle grinders, here we come. Arriving at the same time, was one of my neighbours who had not yet learnt to ignore noise. Her visit added to the noise.

In general, the contractors have been very good, working quickly, but not always letting me know when noise was planned. I send out emails almost every day with information what to expect. Turns out this attempt at transparency has its negative side, because when I say it will be a quiet day and it’s not, I get shouted at.

The upside is that the whole renovation SHOULD be finished by the end of March, resulting (hopefully) in a gorgeous flat overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Right now, however, it is a mess.

2. Load shedding

As you’ve read from posts by Michael and myself over the past years, South Africa is suffering from the aftereffects of enormous corruption by our previous president and his cronies. In fact, one family, the Guptas from India, basically tried to take over the country making it, like King Leopold did ith the Congo, their own private estate. Fortunately, they did not succeed, but left the country robbed of billions of rands.

The national electricity company, ESKOM, both through corrupt tender processes and total incompetence, now doesn’t have the capacity to supply the whole country with electricity at the same time. So everyone has to enjoy load shedding. At the least punitive, this means that for several hours a day, there is no power. The only good thing is that the timing is usually known in advance.

My flat during load-shedding

I had forgotten about load-shedding, which I last experienced several years ago, so I was ill-prepared, especially as I am not in my own flat. When the lights went out the first evening, I had the light on my iPhone, and that was it. Not conducive to doing anything. Now I am better prepared with solar lights and torches, but I can’t imagine the damage it is doing to small businesses that usually don’t have the ability to have their own private generators.

And all of this at a time when the economy needs all the help it can get. Sigh.

3. The weather

As reported a few weeks ago (The Cape Doctor), we have had some ferocious winds recently, which is not good, but also some unseasonal rain, which is good.

And they say Chicago is the windy city!

4. The water crisis

Fortunately, last year’s rainy season was good, so going from a total water crisis, the city is slowly getting back on its feet. The dams now average about 70% full, which is encouraging, as long as the next rainy season is also good. However, water restrictions still apply, although relaxed to 105 litres of water per person per day.

5. My golf.

Awful.

6. The future

Despite all of this, the city remains gorgeous. And I have something very exciting to look forward to towards the end of March. On Sunday evenings throughout summer, there are concerts on the lawns of the national botanical gardens, Kirstenbosch. With Table Mountain in the background, they are very special.

Kirstenbosch Summer Concert

On March 22^nd, one of my favorite sopranos, Pumeza Matshikiza, will be performing. She is a wonderful singer who hails from an extremely poor background here in South Africa. Listen to her story here (2 minutes). I can’t wait.

Pumeza