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17 March 2009

Madam is Calm...

It may be caused by jet lag, but the wise saws of my
Singaporean taxi driver have been keeping me thinking for
the past few days.

I'm home, safely and with all baggage intact, having come through
Heathrow at an ungodly time yesterday morning and managed to get
through all the security hoops without one cross word.
(More about which airports to avoid if you do not want cross words later.)

Singapore is full of witty and philsophical taxi drivers.
They share jokes, tell visitors which are the best places to see
and have a sort of Confusianism that transcends all creeds.

"Madam is calm" was the assessment made, without invitation, by the
friendly driver who, having shared the fact that he possessed Sixth Sense,
went on to praise my air of quite peacefulness as I sat, stuffed to the gills
with a Chinese breakfast, in the back of his cab and soaking in the tree lined
atmosphere of one of the most beautiful cities in the World.

The theme was developed at length...
It was decided that I must have performed many good deeds in my
youthful life to have reached such a state of balance and easefulness.
My husband's eyes were dancing with merriment at all this praise.

Right or wrong, my taxi driver had a point in taking such a positive
view of the World. I literally can't wait to visit Singapore again
and enjoy, yet again, the calm that seems to fill the air that smells of
soft water and noodle spices.

If Madam is calm, it's probably because she has just been touched
by the gentle air that fills the Orient and makes her realise that
there are many fields that actually are greener than the ones she
normally sees on Eireann's green shore.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all...

6 Comments:

Blogger David T. Macknet said...

Calm is good ... but if it's as a result of being stuffed, I don't know how many virtue points you get, really. ;)

Glad you had fun!

3/20/2009 11:27 am  
Blogger Tales from the Birch Wood. said...

What is "stuffed"?

I feel remarkably virtuous these days as a result of spending a lot of time with people.

The taxi drivers in Singapore are World renowned for their wit, humour, and I'm beginning to think, highly contageous sense of calm.

Dublin is wild in comparison...

3/20/2009 1:15 pm  
Blogger Tales from the Birch Wood. said...

The penny dropped after a few hours.

Stuffed, as in stuffed to the gills.

Here's wishing you a peaceful weekend and many thanks, as ever, for your faithful comments.

3/20/2009 4:00 pm  
Blogger David T. Macknet said...

Glad you found out the meaning of the word. Like so many words, I guess it has a different meaning on this side of the pond. ;)

Peacefully working away this weekend - we move in about 3 weeks. Sigh.

3/20/2009 10:25 pm  
Blogger Tales from the Birch Wood. said...

I have kept up to date by reading your blog. Apologies for not commenting there more often but I've put a stay on blog comments in general.

After a month away I have a great amount of work in the house and garden, notably moving a mountain of leaves to the compost heap.

Best of luck, as ever, to both of you with your work.

3/21/2009 1:34 pm  
Blogger David T. Macknet said...

I totally understand - and I'm envious of your garden work, believe it or not! Best wishes towards getting your garden ready for Spring!

3/21/2009 9:40 pm  

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