Twelve Months On

It's been nearly twelve months since I was handed a piece of paper on a wet dark Friday evening and told that I was being made redundant.

Another bridge and a river of water later, I'm still standing (just about). The panic, fear and dismay that I felt when I was told will remain in the dark recess of my memory cupboard for a very long time.

Money all those bills that I had taken for granted and paid, nonchalantly month on month, year after year - where was the money going to come from.

Signing on every fortnight in spite of the new look offices and open plan layout the system was as closed and bureaucratic as it was nine years ago when I was last registered as unemployed. In flexible and outdated.

Of the eighteen creditors (not inclusive of the primary ones such as housing and utilities) I have now managed to come to an informal arrangement with seventeen of them. It's taken nearly a year, countless, emails, phone calls, letters and faxes. I have resisted the advice to declare bankruptcy and struggled through.

Redundancy afforded me the opportunity to return to college, seriously rethink the whole work-life balance debate and return in full to freelance, self employed status. Well at least in my mind.

It hasn't been easy financially, as a family we are struggling and will continue to struggle for the foreseeable future.

But I am content, happy and settled within myself. Thankfully I have had nothing but support and understanding from my immediate family and close friends. Without which things I am sure would have been very different.

Christmas will be small scale this year, few presents and less indulgences than previous celebrations. Frankly most of it unnecessary and excessive. The best that we have is each other, roof over our heads and enough disposable cash to buy food.

Whilst I wouldn't wish anyone to have to go through the misery and uncertainty of redundancy, it was probably one of the best things that could have happened to me. It refocussed me and what I wanted to do in work and life.

My daughter has survived open heart surgery and is now thriving at college. What more could I ask for?

"If all else fails, at least I can still laugh at myself." © GM 2009

A Burmese Sense of Humour

Short but not so sweet.

As a professional performing artist and also British-Chinese, I try to keep abreast of what happens to fellow performers in Asia. I'm currently supporting the following campaign and urge you to do the same - please visit the Free Zarganar website or use the link above.

FREE ZARGANAR!
Stand-up comedy in Burma is no joke,
Zarganar - imprisoned for 37 years.

Go to the Free Zarganar website to learn more about Zarganar, his life , his work and now his imprisonment.

Freedom of speech and expression is the right of every human being - something I think that we in the UK and the West have become rather complacent about taking this, and so much more for granted.

International PEN

INDEX on Censorship

FREEMUSE

Prisoners Of Conscience

"If all else fails, at least I can still laugh at myself." © GM 2009

A Quiet Pint

 

I dropped into my local for a quiet pint today. I was surprised to see the Pub unusually busy. A large group of twenty-somethings sat around a table notebooks and dicta-phones. I ordered my pint and sat down ready to settle in for a quietish hour trying to complete the crossword.

It was not to be. One of the group tentatively approached me and the landlady. Politely introducing himself as a graduate sociology student currently carrying out a geographical and sociological study into community.

He wanted to ask our views about the sense of community in the "Eastend". The graduate assumed, I suspect because of my appearance, that I was relatively new to the area and therefore not part of the community. This immediately set the Landlady off. I could feel her growing indignation and anger on my behalf. I set the record straight by telling the graduate that I had lived in the areas for over seventeen years.

An awkward pause followed. We'd taken the wind out of the graduate's sails and he wasn't quite sure how to proceed.

I wasn't in a generous mood. The Landlady even less so. I asked him what his aims were - what did he hope to learn from this study. Again there was an awkward silence. When the graduate finally answered he mumbled something about using Tower Hamlets as a bench mark because of the borough's socio-demographics.

I couldn't help myself and felt compelled to point out that Tower Hamlets was and also has been one of the most diverse of London's boroughs. Rich with migratory history. Another Pinteresque pause. I eventually took pity on the guy and suggested that he talk to some of the older residents in a variety of the boroughs wards to get a feel for "community" as it was. I also suggested that he come back at the weekend one evening and see for himself what goes on at street level once the street lights come on.

The graduate seemed genuinely thankful for the suggestions and walked back to his mates.
Within two minutes they had packed up and left. Just leaving a residue of crisp packets and empty glasses.

I returned to my crossword and the Landlady her book. Comfortable in each other's silence we spent the next thirty minutes contentedly occupied. I finished the crossword, the Landlady the chapter in her book. 

For the next forty-five minutes we chatted about this and that. Catching up on what our respective families had been up to, how everyone was and what we'd been up to. Then it was time to go. Me to cook dinner and the Landlady to put her feet up for a hour or so before the evening session. We said our goodbyes with a hug and peck on the cheek. Knowing full well that we'd see each other soon. Even if we didn't we would be passing emails, or I would pick up the odd item when out shopping.




 "If all else fails, at least I can still laugh at myself." © GM 2009

Halloween

Traditional Irish Halloween Jack O Lantern

It's that time of year - kids will be out trick-a-treating. Something unheard of when I was a child. It's only really taken of here in the UK in the last seven years (well at least where I live).

The lantern part comes from the Irish folktale of Stingy Jack. Jack loved to play practical jokes on anyone and everyone, he even played one on the devil himself. Jack tricked the devil into climbing up a tree and then trapped him, by placing crucifixes all around the tree. Jack bargained with the devil. In exchange for letting the devil down from the tree, it was agreed the  devil would not take his soul. When Jack finally died St Peter denied him entry through the pearly gates because he had been so mean when alive. Jack goes "downstairs" and the devil is true to his word he doesn't take Jack's soul. Wandering aimlessly, lost in the dark and stuck between heaven and hell. In desperation Jack asks the devil how he can leave as there is no light. The devil tosses him an ember from the fires of hell. Jack puts the ember in a hollowed out turnip, which was one of Jacks favourite foods.

The Irish immigrants brought the tale and traditions to the new world and discovered that pumpkins were bigger and much easier to hollow out.

We never really did "celebrate" Halloween when I was a child, bonfire night was the big autumn festival for children of my generation.

But what is Halloween?
It's Celtic in origin, their celebration of the new year that happened around November. Marking the end of the Summer, the harvest and the beginning of winter. It was the Celts belief that the night before winter came, the boundary that kept the earthly from the ethereal became blurred. October the 31st was the night that they would celebrate Samhain. Scots Gaelic for summer's end, or Oiche Shamhna. In Wales it was known as Nos Calan Gaef or the eve of winters calend. As Christianity grew in popularity this ancient festival was renamed Hallowmass or All Saints day. This was a day to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead.That is to say all those who had been cannonised that year. In popular parlance the night before came to be known as Halloween, All Hallows eve or Hollantide. November the 2nd became All Souls day when people would pray for the souls of the dead, for those in purgatory awaiting entry into heaven. You might find this Halloween Video interesting.

I personally like watching the little groups of kids in their Halloween costumes holding hands following their parent as they go from door to door.

Have a safe, happy and fun filled Halloween.

"If all else fails, at least I can still laugh at myself." © GM 2009