April 2023 – thetomryan

Of course I am referring to my ‘writer’s block’! I think I am ready to write. I am back! The time has come….again, thankfully!

Somehow having just written that last sentence, I feel I am quoting the Walrus, and if you are not quite sure why of the connection, dig deeper into my blog…..https://thetomryan.wordpress.com/2014/06/28/the-time-has-come-the-walrus-said-the-battle-at-waterloo/.

It’s been since April 2020 when I feel deep into the clutches of the Pandemic that I stopped writing. One would think that such a global and catastrophic event would have encouraged me to keep writing with even more conviction. A time to grow? Things to write about? Wisdom to gain? Truth be told, I shrunk and wilted. I did not weather that storm very well. However, I made it work. As Oliver would agree, one simply has to remember Kipling…..’Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, and stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools.’ I packed up my life in Hanoi and moved to Halifax to embark on a voyage of unforeseeable twists and turns. If anything, I will say that I used those twists and turns to look inwards, then outwards and then inwards once again.

Well, my tools are getting a new shine, and although I am not ready to unravel all of the events of the past three years, I will say that some amazing and wonderful things came out of my pandemic period. No sense dwelling on the negative. We all experienced the pandemic- the sacrifices we had to make and the losses we endured. Far be it for me to moan and complain about my misfortunes. There is every reason to celebrate the good things in my life, and there are many; however, I am not going to elaborate. I will keep them to myself and go to bed every night being forever grateful for what I have.

I am writing this blog entry from my small and cozy apartment down the street from the Potong Pasir MRT stop in Singapore. Yes, I have pulled up my stakes from Halifax and moved to Singapore to take a teaching job at a well-known international school here. I am back doing what comes naturally to me…teaching and living an international life! I moved from Halifax during the last week of January (quite literally flying out between two snowstorms) and landed on my two feet here in hot and humid Singapura! Although during my life here in Asia I have visited Singapore many times, I have never lived and worked here. I must say that I am completely enjoying this city. It’s a city like no other that I have known and I am sure that with more time I will be able to find my niche here and spend some happy times for a few years to come.

I will refrain from giving my impressions of my new school until I have been here long enough to be fair with my analysis. It’s only been two months and a bit and one NEVER transitions well mid-year through a school year. The difficulties and challenges are character-building but tumultuous but the good will always outweigh the bad…it just takes time.

I have put my good sense into action and have reached out to the community at large and joined a MeetUp group of walkers and photo-takers. It’s my way of keeping a balance between work and home and I have no regrets whatsoever having joined this particular organization. I started off getting involved in a few different groups of people and have found one that really suits my interests and needs. It is comprised of local Singaporeans and foreigners of diverse backgrounds and people my age and younger. It’s perfect for me. We walk on the weekends with an occasional weekday walk and visit many of the beautiful places that Singapore has to offer. Our group planner, is local and has a very nice grasp on how to plan and deliver our walks and has a wonderful welcoming way with us all. It’s truly a pleasure to be in his company. His wife also joins us on occasion and it’s also very nice to walk and chat with her. She has insight I appreciate and yesterday explained some very interesting points about Bahasa Melayu, Singapore’s national language. Terima Kasih!!!

So…..I will sign off and go do some hunting and gathering. It’s Sunday….going to have a relaxing ‘me’ day!

It feels good to be writing! Yesterday one of our group participants took a photo of a pre-storm sky and briefly whispered, ‘the gradients of a stormy sky!’