It's all relative, innit?

Yawning away, I am unable to sleep, even though I had not taken any caffeinated drinks the whole day. And as I write this at 3 am Monday 28, strains from Vivaldi's Four Seasons are running through my mind. That slow movement was in turn brought about while reminiscing over my 5 or 6 years with one of the most interesting Englishmen I had ever met.

He was the one who introduced me to Vivaldi, whose musical harmonies I found rather quaint at first, having heard the more robust orchestral pieces by Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert years earlier. But I soon got used to the lighter tones of chamber music.

Maurice Hardstaff turned up in my life sometime in 1968. After an abortive 1st stab at work in KL after college, I returned to Ipoh and found work with a small architectural practice  Apparently a major client had plans for an exciting urban renewal project and my employer recommended his London-based professor as consultant.

He was a tall, large man with a light complexion, straw colored hair and blue-grey eyes set closer than is the norm. Those deep-set eyes, with a long narrow nose and large jaw clamped on a pipe, could have been a formidable sight to many locals, even if you ignored his large waistline! But he was cloaked in an almost palpable aura of kindness and gentleness; and that, coupled with a typical English politeness and friendly smiling face, soon made him friends with ease.

But why the reverie, you might ask.

Alex had earlier SMSd, wondering, "For some reasons, I attract people with obsessive tendencies. Why ah?" 

I neglected to reply, since I had been inspired for the last 10 days or so to hew even closer to the monk-like lifestyle I sometimes claim to have adopted. But I had already jotted down the following:

Ah so, when you point to someone, please find 3 fingers pointing back at yourself. ~ Ancient Chinese saying.

And when she made the expected phone call, I muttered my excuses and read it out to her.

She asked, "So, am I obsessive?"

In reply I trotted out my stock quote, "You create your own reality... etc," and suggested that her friends might have such saving grace as a sense of humor about themselves.

Her query must have been the trigger that brought memories of Hardstaff, who when I think about it, could be considered obsessive in many ways. Being the callow youth I then was, and eager to learn from a foreign architect, I must have shoved those observations aside. Besides, I'd never been, and remain, non-judgmental about people.

He kept his pencils, fountain pen and ruler at equidistant spaces apart, much like this: !!!|, you get the idea. He would ask for a regular short spray of orchids to be placed on his desk: but only in a cylindrical glass with blooms only in white. Hey wait, there's more.

Before his arrival in Ipoh, he had been sending sketches of his proposal for a church, a project that my Protestant boss had decliined to get involved with, saying that "the final sacrifice had already been made." (He was of course disagreeing with the need for the Catholic altar.) Those drawings made by his London students were the most exquisitely accurate ink drawings I  had ever seen: every meeting of 2 or more lines ended 'spot-on', if you know what I mean.

I was quite astounded by their almost poetic quality, all drawn by hand.

Later on, when I was employed by Hardstaff, I rose to the demands of the extremely high standards he set. But it was a no-brainer decision, as they say nowadays. His warm, ever polite manner and ready wit made working under him bearable, and I remember that he once gave an instruction that could not be taken seriously. But since it was the next thing to be done in the course of the day's work, I couldn't possibly refuse!

But getting back to Alex's query, I did suggest that being obsessive could well be one of many ways of getting to one's goals.

"Bill Gates is known to be obsessive," I reminded her. And I recall Steve Jobs' perfectionist tendencies and the 'reality distortion field' he is (in)famous for. Then there are the innumerable inventors who toil on their pet projects for years.

I suppose that being obsessive is one way to take control of one's physical environment and assure oneself a measurable degree of mental stability, especially in these highly competitive times. It's only when this drive for 'perfection' - whatever that means - becomes a compulsive disorder that it creates difficulties for the affected person as well as for friends.

"It's all relative, Alex," I quipped, quoting my lawyer friend and primary school class mate Chew. "Remember always to separate the person from the obsession, and don't let it get to you."

As for my apparently chance encounter with that complex mystic, a major influence on me, I can only offer a quote from one of my fave metaphysical writings:

We were only "... keeping appointments long forgotten."

What do you say?

Kali festival on the cards

This morning being quite cool, I visited her abode in Sg Pari and was surprised to learn from the 1st Mrs Kumar - her name's Selvi - that the 1st week of March should mark the start of a festival celebrating the Mother Goddess.

She did not seem quite clear about the dates but from what I gathered, there would be a short weekend of festivities involving a goat sacrifice. A couple of weeks later, devotees would throng another temple dedicated to Kali down Jalan Sg Pari opposite the Buntong Police Station. With a climactic finish at the 'male' temple dedicated to Muneshwar just a stone's throw away.

"That seems to coincide with my birthday next month. Are the temples within walking distance?" I could hardly believe this dramatic news: I made this 2nd visit on just a whim.

"They are just 20 minutes away if you walk briskly!" Selvi challenged.

When I returned from my trek down Jalan Sg Pari, I was not surprised to see Kumar, having been told by Selvi that he would usually drop by mornings.

Apparently he's no longer trancing as deeply as he used to. The reason? He's had a toe removed a year ago, a necessary operation brought about by diabetes. He grumbled about it to Kali who reminded him to take care of his bodily health.

One benefit, if one could call it that, to visitors who seek Kali's advice is that the Mother Goddess now speaks in English through Kumar while he remains in a light trance. 

"She's right beside him," Selvi reassured me. "It's just that no one is able to see her."

"People come for help from Penang to Johor Bahru and Singapore, and from as far away as England," Kumar confirmed. "They write emails to the temple address." 

"How do people know of Kali's power and chrisma?" I asked.

"By word of mouth, from references by grateful people who have benefited from Amma's advice and guidance. Wayward children have reformed, got on with their studies and prospered. And needless to say, we all have to exercise patience in the face of life's adversities."

"Ah, so her power remains undiminished since I first met you in the '80s. I wonder if I may introduce a friend who seems unsure of her future direction."

"By all means, just give me a call, and I would be ever willing to help," Kumar empathized. "When she turns up, I'll need to know her date of birth for a start."

"Thank you Kumar for your kind offer. I shall try to arrange a meeting later."

With that, we said goodbye. He hopped on his motor-bike and shot off. 

The equally mild-mannered Selvi proceeded, with the help of an assistant, to push her 3-wheeled cart up the short slope out of the temple grounds: she sells iced drinks at the nearby school.

Another world, that of the WWW and computer games, exists at the cyber cafe where I write this. But you may not encounter there the serenity and contentment of those who live quite simply with Kali for companionship, down in that quiet lane in the shadow of Sg Pari Tower.

I'll confirm the festival details later but meanwhile here's a link to the temple locations.

Lord Muneshwar resplendent in his temple

Of "dreaming big and never giving up"

The trouble with 'dreaming big' - as I found - starts when the Universe delivers *exactly* what you want, not just once but again and again. 

Then you have to start all over but you don't really mind because you would (or should) have developed a healthy sense of humor about yourself by then.

Seth / Jane Roberts' refers to this as 'keeping appointments long forgotten' which of course has nothing to do with fate, but underscores his edict that 'You get what you concentrate upon.' from Session 617.

I dream a dream as big
As God's Universe and beyond,
Of being everything and no-thing,
To feel all shades of Hate and Love and In-between.

I miss the point of course
Of Here and Now:
There's nowhen else I really want or need to be.
~ from Design & Other Illusions by Shaoming Wang 

In case you missed it, Dallas Clayton's books are a most charming read.

Tuesday February 15, 2011

Dallas Clayton's awesome adventure
By ANN MARIE CHANDY
startwo@thestar.com.my

Three years ago, American author/artist Dallas Clayton unwittingly embarked
on the dream journey of a lifetime.

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2011/2/15/lifebookshelf/7841126&sec=lifebookshelf

Read Dallas Clayton's books for free online
http://veryawesomeworld.com/