I begin to type this before everyone wakes at about 6:30. Well, not everyone. I’ve just let the cats in.

POST SCRIPT: I decided to document my alone time after it started not going the way I wanted it to. No brilliant ideas here folks. Just a little peek into my life while I openly reflect.

Around 4:45 I stirred, aching from some kind of injury in my leg that is painful when I hike or run. I did both yesterday anyway, and am paying for it. My mind starts to contemplate calendaring a physio visit…

I leave my husband and five year old to cuddle (dance? The little one is not a still sleeper, and usually migrates to our bed in the middle of the night).

I down too much water. Is that a throat tickle? And then a zinc lozenge.

I scan my phone to see if it needs to be plugged in for the day (it does) and notice a flurry of new content about people worried about AI. I ditch that ping and notice a chat thread I’ve avoided given real life engagements. I think about the real lives in that thread. I respond.

What now? Administration? Creativity? Books… lots of those to continue with.

I go back to the video about AI experts “sounding the alarm.” Oh the alarms. Those are plenty these days, no? Anyway, I have some thoughts on those and I start a new medium blog with some links and prompts. But it’s too early to dig in there.

Cats. They want out. Both through a different door. I wonder if they are nervous about something specific… I sense unusual behaviour. Owls? A cougar? Those are definitely around these days.

I settle on some health admin. I need to find a health record for a specialist that is not in my digital gateway. Shit. I forgot about that other gateway… hold on. Lemme see if I can find it.

Nope. No record there. I’ve got a call into the other specialist that might be harbouring these results in email. I might hear back this week.

When I initially thought to do health administration, I went to my email. I wanted to be sure I had not received the record prior. I hadn’t. But I had received congrats for the automated message LinkedIn sent me about my 23 year work anniversary.

Ha. I’ve not been working for the last six months while on a scheduled Sabbatical. That feels like cheating.

Away I click… “thanks for the congrats.” It’s just polite, you know?

But what’s this?

I’ll bookmark that keynote link now because I forgot to the first time. I was distracted by the comment she made at the bottom of her post about courses:

In January 2027, I will teach “Facing Human Wrongs: Redirecting Education and AI Towards Earth-Alignment.” Designed for educators, the course examines how modern education and generative AI reproduce patterns of extraction, optimization and standardization. It also explores how these patterns arise from a worldview that treats both humans and AI as separate from the rest of nature. We will explore how these patterns deepen existing harms and contradictions, while developing the discernment needed to engage, disengage or redirect our relationship with AI.

Information and registration for all three courses can be found here:
https://lnkd.in/d9WyHi2e

(I’ve just checked the time. It is 7:12am and I’m aware that the boys are still asleep, and we need to be at the first soccer practice at 9am. Anyway… let’s see if I can get to completion.)

I read through the upcoming course on Meta-relational something or other, which signals a lot of beautiful merging between my recent pausing and disconnection and recalibration and overall sensing of the state of things and some pertinent critical questions that require re-engagement and focus and action.

It showed up as the perfect nexus between that text chat I tended and the alarm bells that sounded.

So I download the first required reading. Science and art. Tasty.

Burnout From Humans

6:30 I check the clock, warm the kettle, and start the coffee process.

I’ve just let the cats in

First, Remington. He’s angry sounding. Not sure he is actually angry. But he knows how to put on a show at least.

Of course, I hop up and he enters. I return down the hall to (almost) complete the coffee.

Abby now. Fluffy, sweet, and anxious. Down the hall. Good morning darling… oh, not interested in pets? Right… treats.

At this point… it’s about 6:35 or so… I’m not sure I’ll get to read that article. I’m not sure I can settle into it, even if the boys continue to sleep.

But this notion of meta-relating has me wondering about my own meta. This kind of frustrating up-and-down, side-to-side, shallow-and-deep experience I’ve had over the last hour that probably needs more thoughtful inspection.

And that is when I decided to start writing this article.

When I first woke, the light was barely threatening. I could imagine the birdsong. Calm and focus was promising.

(7:52 now. Footsteps are now coming down the hall. “Good morning love” *scratch *scratch. Seems we’ll probably make it to soccer on time.)

The promise was broken. By me, the cats, the tizzy of the world that is antagonizing both me and the cats.

As I wait for the smaller feet, and contemplate what picture to add to this article for your potential enjoyment, I think I’m left wondering what could have propped up that promise.

I’ve got no shortage of advice to give myself it seems. I’ve been staring out the window thinking about all the ways.

(“I bet you’ve already had treats” I hear Danton say, as the treat package crinkles open.)

So I’m going to call it done. I’ve sparked some reflection. Some new direction, perhaps. And I’ve practiced keeping my WPM up, because it feels good to type at the pace of my brain thinking, revising, and executing soundly… regardless of the time of day.

And now I’ve found picture, and had a pee, and kissed Danton good morning (he avoided physically interrupting me before, because he’s seen this show and the look on my posture).

💐 Heather-Lynn

P.S. right… that was what I was going to look up at the start of all this: how to ensure I have properly secure my “smart home.” That was another ping in my news topic notifications. I’ll probably opt to go out to the garden instead of following up on that. After soccer, of course.

P.P.S I got the dates for soccer wrong. It starts next week. Phew! And the kiddo is still sleeping, so I probably could have gotten into that book 🤷🏼‍♀️

Before everyone wakes was originally published in Remacle Tackle on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It is hard to be in the body. There is much occurring externally to draw me out of it. To leave me listless because there is no up or down, hot or cold, outside the body. Just expanse.

The expanse feels full and empty at the same time. There is cruft and junk and disconnection, just as there is a unifying force offering reason and meaning.

I cannot process it all together without my body. I am a grounding rod. My hands, a tether. My mind and words, a radar screen. My heart, the radar beam.

Recent radar blips are pointing at getting started.

The autumn was my target for this. For craft, vocation, and production. Not that I need to settle or complete any particular thing, but that, from a time of wandering and rest (7 months of career Sabbatical), my seed might be washed and ready to germinate.

We’ll see. Perhaps my wandering and attempt at rest may have also revealed that I am still learning how to do this enough to be resilient for what is to come.

Either way, signals from peers, artists, authors, and nature are arising to my attention.

Also, the dew is heavier, milling about my squash plant leaves and the comfrey that needs to be harvested for salves to mend bones and tissues. I need the fuel and fiber and phenols to sustain what is next.

What is to come?

Hot and cold: attention to the drifting of energy and matter between these dynamic states, as has always been. Our bodies are imbued with the capacity to manage extremes within reason. Yet now, we approach unreasonable extremes.

What shall we do with more self awareness — accented by a count of twisters and fires and floods — yet deeper ruts of addiction to comfort? Why do we attempt to erase the sense of hot and cold?

We cannot adjust the tilt of our planet. Even places that boast eternal spring, like Quito, San Diego, and the Canary Islands, are off-kilter.

Regeneration with forest or vegetated corridors and recharged aquifers become the only investment to bank on. Coolness to moderate the heat, without creating more heat.

That’s a long-winded way of saying: we’re still (but more knowingly) fucking up our climate (local and global) so that we can be comfortable and have things we want more quickly, and there are only so many options left for us to exercise.

As an artist, I feel called to abandon certainty about all the data and dealings that arise out of mental and social constructs that are still disconnected from realities that will speak louder, and louder as modernity yields.

I feel called to channel my rage and grief.

Time and Travel

From April to June I travelled with my husband and one son to Southeast Asia. Before the heat warnings really set in, I still was challenged. Upon returning, we prepared for a West Coast Camping trip with good friends. The forecast was for rain, and moderate (18 degrees Celsius) summer-feeling breaks.

I’ve been thinking about these different experiences and what to appreciate and solidify in memory. Some poetry to that effect:

Hot

No yielding, relenting, or shielding occurs. Sweat beads and spreads and turns my head to seek refuge without weakness. I am committed to a time of growth, knowing life flourishes with heat, for most. Beyond some digit, though, heat kills. I draw closer to the green umbrella, trusting its wisdom and appreciating the soul that put it there. Intention and nature linked craft can help us adapt. Still, I long for ankles chilled in waves beyond the menthol-laced ocean breeze: magical, relative relief.

Cold

Forest breaks wind and holds extra cool dampness, while beyond, hectares of fine sand begin to trap dawn’s light as a thermal bath. Warm wool fluff breaths the damp salt air. Layers shed before warmth arises, with confidence in movement; in long and short hair. Feeling is a target where, I do not recognize my inside, until the outside reflects what I bare: skin, bone, blood and strength to adapt with the star-dusted molecules everywhere.

💐 Heather Lynn

(no AI assistance)

Reference

With gratitude to Design School for Regenerating the Earth companions, Neil Davidson and Anne Bullen, as facilitators of integration sessions that enable necessary inner work.

The Tree of Contemplative Practices - The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society

Other works influencing my reflection:

• Hospicing Modernity - North Atlantic Books
• The War of Art | Steven Pressfield

Hot and cold was originally published in Remacle Tackle on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’re travelling with a young child and tapping the hotel circuit, rather than the rustic beat we might have taken a decade ago. I’m writing these reflections as we enjoy good health and luxurious accommodation in tropical paradise, a few days before returning home.

TL;DR: My deeper reflection is that hospitality is a critical function to a peaceful future. I get to this more serious contemplation after sharing about personal experiences addressing health care needs and some adventures while travelling.

For a much lighter read on hospitality, Danton offers a reflection here:

Sneaky urinal cakes and dead geckos.

Connection and care

We’ve been treated well and most valued the warm connections and care of people hosting us. We’re resting. We’re eating well. People who welcome us offer to carry the weight of our packs or to ease our confusion.

Our homesickness is being addressed by the familiarity of global brands (Lego and Nintendo, specifically) and by people who remind us of those more familiar that we miss. This was particularly the case in Tokyo, where we stayed in a family home of close friends’ relations (cousins, as Atticus referred to them).

I suspect the stories and connections to the places we have visited would have been richer if we connected more with locals along the way.

For example, we sadly didn’t have time to eat at the home of our Grab driver in Malaysia, whose family was celebrating Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice). He genuinely wanted us to experience his mother’s cooking and a traditional Malaysian house. I’ve come to understand hosting strangers and expressing charity to community is an important part of that celebration. I also think he really wanted to hear more about how fireplaces work. And I imagine we would have come to understand more of what we could see around us.

Technology did a moderately good job of keeping us in touch with family and friends at home. Though, seven weeks is probably too long a time to receive updates from people happily on sabbatical (the retiree’s might not mind, but I think my siblings have muted our family thread… and I don’t blame them).

Trees, flowers, and animals (mostly squirrels and pigeons), feel like my relations too. I quietly nod to them, as if to convey “hey, I think I know your cousin.” (I’ve learned I have some quirky self soothing tendencies I’m not even sure Danton has noticed.)

We have met some kind and like minded travellers, with Atticus being the glue. He made a best friend in Penang and we’re still hanging out a bit in WhatsApp to share the odd photo of our 5 year-olds, even as they’re back in Europe.

Meanwhile, the three of us have learned more about each other, our dynamics, and how to be more cohesive and healthy together.

Most of our trip has gone logistically smooth (despite dancing around a typhoon and a tsunami alert). I trust if we had more hardship, we would have experienced additional personal connections, as hospitality has a way of amplifying accordingly.

Illness and care

We’ve had 1.5 scares so far for our kiddo. First, a pool induced ear ache (treated effectively with prescribed “medical olive oil” ear drops from a Singaporean doctor — $40 for the 10 minute visit and treatment, in case you are curious).

Then, extreme lethargy we could not fathom from him, followed by a few pukes that woke and settled him enough to travel to his now favourite ice cream place in Penang.

(We’re not sure if we’ll ever be able to convince him that chocolate ice cream is not magic/medicine.)

I also lost half a day of fun visiting a doctor (after getting turned around in in downtown Osaka). Arguable, according to Danton, who was the attending parent at the indoor Osaka Kids Plaza and playground for 3 hours. My ears are persnickety and one side vacuumed to a complete muffle for 5 days on mainland Japan after two flights.

I was able to get a ~$700 (CDN) doctor visit with antihistamines prescribed to unblock things. I landed in Okinawa with some achy squeaks, but hearing intact. (Plus, an active health insurance claim, waiting for my administration when I get home to cover it. Phew.)

All in all, minor issues that could have been much worse (infection, ear drum rupture) had we not been cared for.

Notably, I had ZERO minutes of waiting time in a doctors office at same day visits in two countries. But I digress…

Leisure travel includes pain: cost, luggage, logistics, jet lag, tacky tourist traps, language barriers, restaurant food bloat, currency exchange, airplanes, etc.

Is the juice worth the squeeze? We certainly have many memorable moments. Most of which were solidified as positive because we had what we needed to venture into the unknown, even with some discomfort. Some of our needs we prepared for ourselves, but much was offered by the places and people welcoming us.

Ultimately, the only thing that makes moving around unfamiliar territory reasonable (especially with a child) is doing so while being cared for as if we were family.

This brings me to something increasingly obvious:

How we host each other is critical to shaping our shared future, across the planet.

Making the world more hospitable

Hospitality is not trivial. It is core to societal function, because it is core to peace. Within families, between neighbours, across landscapes. We’re all trying to exist well and we have different capacities and ways to do this.

Travel has reminded me of this, and of the frictions that exist and that must be tended with good intent, design, and patience (and likely some other virtues many cultures reference in their spiritual and religious texts).

People have always travelled, and exchanged hospitably, or with hostility.

I thought about this a lot while we were writing the story of Decades After Paris. The album references mass human migration and the importance of having a home. These stories are playing out increasingly and with more violence and urgency than I ever wanted to sing about.

Perhaps relatedly, I feel inclined toward contemplating and acting on this somehow. Timely that our new Governor General, Louise Arbour, expresses a similar sentiment.

“… and we know that we are not yet doing enough. Not enough for each other, let alone for the billions around the world who look at us with justifiable envy.”

I might write a separate blog about how I think that “envy” is not exactly broadly expressed or even justifiable from what I have observed… but I will agree with the prospects and potential for doing more as Canadians residing on Turtle Island.

I am starting to think it will require a greater depth of cultural exchange and a learned ambition we don’t get naturally from our relatively sparse population.

Our unique colonial history can teach us something about hospitality though. Particularly as Indigenous People continue to express partnership and knowledge sharing in many contexts, even with much delayed truth and reconciliation of past harms.

As our health and comforts are challenged with myriad systems breaking down, it is more important than ever to amplify hospitality, I think, alongside hospital and hospice care.

I don’t think the prospect of doing this is so out of reach. Having exchanged interests and enthusiasm for our shared planet and the diversity of people on it with fellow travellers and hosts, it’s pretty clear that hostilities we see around the world have an antidote. And we all have it back pocket.

💐 Heather-Lynn

Hospital(ity) was originally published in Remacle Tackle on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“I’m not dead.”

As far as I could tell, it was dead though. Just like the one rolled up in the blinds; the one I was worried would leak some sort of ‘dead juice’ out of its now translucent tail right onto our toothbrushes.

Thankfully, it didn’t.

Finding the second gecko behind the urinal cake, which was behind the television, didn’t surprise me either. At least not at this point in Langkawi.

When we first arrived to this new apartment there had been a mysterious odour. A potpourri or air freshener of sorts. It gave my wife a headache so she was determined to find the source.

She discovered many. There were plug-in air fresheners, gel air fresheners and flowers, but none of them hit the mark.

Finally she spotted a plant pot with an odd, blue drip mat underneath it. Turns out that mat was a urinal cake – and it was pungent. Not in a used, covered in piss way, but more in a “I’m ready to take on the world and hide the scent of piss no matter what it takes” way.

She moved it outside close to the pool sink on our patio. It was clearly the strongest one in the apartment because the place was tolerable afterwards, but much like the gecko rolled up in the blinds, it was not the only one.

For days we continued finding urinal cakes stashed in mysterious places. Used as padding under coasters; decorations; and a freshener to boot. Who would have thought?

This hospitality ‘innovation’ reminded me of other Langkawian innovations as well. There was some culinary fusion like spicy instant noodles inary and rice blocks with potato salad on top (photo below). And the famed cendol (which to me was essentially just shaved ice and beans….). Something inexplicably charming, odd, and not the obvious thing to do all at the same time.

The sharing of food, comfort, and creating good smelling spaces, was always with the loveliest of intentions – even if it wasn’t always to our taste.

The discoveries continue. Some peculiar, some ingenious, others puzzling.

And about that gecko? It was gone in the morning.

Joke’s on me.

Sneaky urinal cakes and dead geckos. was originally published in Remacle Tackle on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

From that statement, it might be clear that I’m a planner. 20 years brings us both to 63 years old, and by that point we’ll definitely have a plan for well beyond that. Some things, like a love of planning, I know about myself to be true. As this year unfolds I’ve been finding more core values that will hopefully guide future plans as well.

The value that is front and centre for me right now is: how fancy can I handle?

The photo above was taken literally after I wrote that last sentence.

We’re staying at the Burau Bay Hilton Resort on Langkawi Island in Malaysia. It is a newly renovated hotel located in the gully of beautiful rainforest hills and fronted by a 30 degree-Celsius-warm ocean. By all accounts this should be heaven, and it is to some degree.

The level of service here is brilliant. As someone who is passionate about service unto itself, have taught service in both my past careers, and lead service design teams, I can say the staff here are incredible. There are a couple funny functional design things I may note at another point, but the humans and the ‘service’ is top notch.

However, now I’m realizing I have a limit to how much of that I can handle.

When we first arrived we were greeted with a local drink, a welcome from the kid’s club teacher, and every other kind of greeting and salutation.

Above photo is the lobby where all that magic happened.

We settled into our room, then made our way to the Italian restaurant to grab a cheese pizza for the kiddo. As we sat inside a huge storm emerged creating all kinds of havoc.

It downed trees, blasted waves of spray out of the ocean side infinity pool, and most notably flipped a solid metal poolside daybed upside down. It crashed through the granite pedestal it sat upon breaking the corner into a couple chunks, then ultimately landed upside down in the pool. By all means, a catastrophe.

I would have had a photo to share for it, but my immediate instinct and desire was to help out… So after I finished my cocktail and complimentary bread stick (not going to lie, my sense of urgency might be a bit dormant right now) I walked over to the pool where 12 guys were working to get this thing out of the water.

A guy who was seemingly in charge stopped and chatted with me for a bit. I tried to express some sense of “damn, that’s crazy – need help?” but was met with kindness and dismissal. As in, there was no way I should be worrying myself about it. He tried to reassure me the pool and daybed would be up and running in no time.

This felt icky to me. I realized I was not here to be of service. I was here to be served.

Heather and I discussed this and came to the same conclusion that the guests here, being completely pampered and cared for, are completely useless. Us included.

And that’s not to say resort guests are this way in every aspect of their lives, but during the stay: we serve no purpose.

This brings me to a value question. How fancy can I be? The logic here being that the ‘fancier’ life, travel, activities, etc. become, the more useless the consumer of them is to the overall experience.

If I can’t help a bunch of dudes rescue a poolside daybed, then what am I? To quote Ken from the Barbie movie “I just beach.?.!” Jokes aside, I like to be helpful, I like to serve; and so for me there is a limit to how much I think I can handle being on the receiving end of that.

In closing, as I lap up this lavish luxury that I may never experience again, there is a part of me that hopes I don’t. And as we plan for the next phase of our lives, it’s good to know achieving day-in and day-out of “I just beach” is not something I’m aspiring to.

Perhaps, I don’t care to be fancy was originally published in Remacle Tackle on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Previous: Preface

At the start of this trip, I sat next to a fellow on the puddle hopper flight from Victoria to Vancouver who was headed to Ottawa. We exchanged interest in our respective journeys, while Atticus and Danton got excited about the very first take-off of many.

My seat mate and I are both Canadians, with adult children. We shared a few sighs about the state of the world and how to parent in it, including the impact on our children’s cohort (early-mid twenties).

He had been to Singapore decades ago, and was plotting his retirement towards moving to South East Asia. This move is partly motivated by the systemic challenges he sees in Canada, that are fueling worry for his kids.

Despite the shared worry, his enthusiasm for our trip was a lovely and reflective way to leave home ground.

He also said some things that anchored my observations and created a launch point for some of my curiosity, which I’ll explore in this blog:

1. Go to Asia, it’s so cheap!!
2. But, there is money in Singapore. Lots of it. And it’s not cheap there.

(NOTE: despite the constant nattering in my head on the topic, and my scanning of the news while we travel, I will not go into additional reflections about the global fuel crisis’ current and likely future impacts on this region. I’m still learning and gathering my thoughts on this… but it is churning in the background as I write.)

Asia is Cheap?

And every time someone says this to me, I cringe a little. I’m not sure why… writing this might help me unpack it a bit.

My mind flutters between:

• Sensing exploitation of underserved and/or marginalized populations that make “cheap” possible.
• The immense amount of stuff (+ packaging) produced in Asia and purchased and disposed of there and around the world, which inflates export revenue, and enables economy of scale for production (less cost per piece).
• Tax base. More people funding public infrastructure and conditions that make life more efficient and affordable (E.g. Mass Rapid Transit).
• Investment: development that inspires people to sign up, plug in, do more, visit, contribute (and be part of) something that draws in efficient competition (and prices down).
• Lack of investment: people are content with doing less and thus spending less. Garbage pick-up and sidewalks and timely reliable service are probably spotty. They may be prioritizing other things, like health care, though (Google medical tourism in Penang).
• Relative value of the dollar. Which I won’t pretend to really understand.

Any or all of these elements and more are possibly at play depending on what part of “cheap Asia” one is talking about. I’m not an economist or historian, though, and this list is more streaming from my consciousness, which has been fed by sensing the place.

I started writing this article from my hotel in Singapore, where I could see the bay, it’s historic infrastructure, and the financial and tourist developments that have sprung up in the last 100 years.

I’m now finishing this article in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, after travelling through Johor Bahru (JB), Malaysia (Legoland pitstop).

The cost to live between Singapore and Malaysia varies. But I watched an interview with an Expat who has moved his family to JB after working in corporate in Singapore and transitioning to entrepreneurship to learn more about life between these places.

Andy reflects that the perspective of Singaporeans is that it is less safe in JB and the commute to Singapore is untenable. Both of these things appear to be true to some degree, and depend on a personal tolerance and an ability to navigate culture (integrate well), when it comes to succeeding with a move like this.

It is also dependant on the value of the dollar, the government and private sectors’ stability and commitment regarding investment in infrastructure (there are numerous stalled/abandoned developments… we stayed in one that seemed desperate to attract visitors.)

I also noted the overt attention to bathroom cleanliness paid in some space here. They even got artsy about it!

But what about Singapore? What did Andy leave behind?

I loved Singapore. It seemed mature: well organized, multicultural and pluralistic, serious yet fun, and focused on health, kind of (which I’ll come back to).

Danton and I might be addicted to their news — Channel News Asia (CNA) reports seem abundantly pragmatic and what is reported seems to create a narrative about values that feel important to us. Moreover, important for public service to address, like family welfare, business development, and good relationships between jurisdictions.

Singapore is not Cheap

Counter to the first statement about living being soooo cheap in Asia: There is money in Singapore. Lots of it. And you probably need it to feel settled in the city.

Cue our easy reference for people who pause to conjure an image of Singapore: Crazy Rich Asians is one of our favourite Rom Coms.

The Singaporean dollar is near the Canadian dollar (S$1 → S1.08) and a tub of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is therefore about on par with one at home. So, we felt like our comfortable middle-class selves. Except that we could get a Michelin Star meal for $10 at a Hawker center, or at the incredible family run Malay restaurant near our hotel.

There is a specific, ambitious, and strict mindset in Singapore. That seems to set it apart from other areas in the region (i.e. fines or jail for spitting; government grants for renos of cafe washrooms). People are expected to behave, be healthy, and contribute to the collective experience in this space.

Not everyone agrees on what is necessary to curb, though:

Debate on personal grooming on Singapore public transport

Business

I believe access to money and markets is a defining factor in Singapore. We observed a good number of “made-in Singapore” franchises and products that seemed to be well established and growing. The news is full of attention to emerging markets and innovations.

When I think of Singapore juxtaposed to it’s cheaper-living neighbours, I think about the architecture of a port city that holds the privilege of access to global markets. I say architecture, in that people decided to invest in the design/power of this place for this purpose of trade. Many different peoples have, for a very long time.

Like anything in demand, that access comes with a premium price.

Either way, there is a deep, long standing awareness of the specific advantage this place has, geographically. People who came here to build upon that have done well to pay attention and investment into this.

The Wikipedia article below references some of this history that we also read about in public places around the city as we wandered.

Temasek - Wikipedia

I loved our walks around the city, despite the very humid heat. We pieced together this puzzle as best we could from the interpretations on art and historical installations. We sought to sense what was Indigenous to the place, and the many overlapping layers of colonization over time. It is complex and intriguing.

We failed/decided not to do the museum circuit directly because our five year old needs to keep moving. We also made a wonderful Singaporean friend (thanks again for the connect Honey D!) who helped us understand some of what we were seeing (and what we could not see.)

When I get home, I want to find a colourful book about Singapore to scratch that itch. And maybe plot a return visit… when Gardens by the Bay East is done.

Speaking of, here is one public art attraction we drank in while we cycled to the East Coast Park, through the city/garden.

I Paint My Singapore by Yip Yew Chong

All this said, even though Singapore is not the most cheap place to visit, we still ate quality meals cooked by other people for less than $30 for our table of three. This is near impossible to come by at home. Even at fast food restaurants.

We also did many, many enjoyable things in public spaces that cost us NOTHING. Things that would cost us $150 for one visit (*ach-Butchart Gardens-hem*) at home, but are free EVERY NIGHT.

Sorry for yelling. I loved this about Singapore.

Even just taking a bus around the city to get the topside view felt like a treat. I feel this way about home also, in the greener times of the year.

Despite access to nature, mental health suffers here too.

Andy in JB reflected that Singaporeans enjoy low cost/time commitment travel to enjoy all the elements of their local lifestyle, (our longest transit was 1.5 hours, to the other side of the island); and with access to superior amenities otherwise, we learned it comes with a cost of overwork and less personal space.

Our Singaporean friend confirmed overwork, and work stress, are stretching people more than she cares to tolerate. It seems to be a difficult puzzle to solve.

For younger people, this might be fine, but 1/3 of all people there have active financial anxiety.

You won’t find too many surprises in this interview with an expert on this topic in Singapore. People later in life with more money and more responsibilities (bills) are more anxious, but so are people who are simply comparing themselves to others socially (especially with social media).

Not surprising this is having a mental health impact in Singapore (just like everywhere else)… One thing I did not get used to was the extent of opulence in many of the luxury malls (which are everywhere). The second is the Instagram culture.

I’ve been under an unfiltered rock, I guess.

We saw several people almost get hit by cars or lynched by hot photo-hungry mobs at popular “IG” spots. Flagrant, untalented vanity is ugly to me, but perhaps I don’t get the hard work and obvious risk that goes into it…

Either way, status matters here. And it comes by selling cheap, Michelin star food, wearing this season’s name brands, looking like you could market those brands online, or having a clean washroom, I guess.

I’m not sure I would fit in living in Singapore, unless I get my horticulture ticket, perhaps. More on that when I get to writing about magic 😉🌺✨

💐 Heather-Lynn

P.S. A few other videos that I added to this draft article I considered referencing that illustrate how the government, and some of the the people it serves, behave here.

Singapore: Money was originally published in Remacle Tackle on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Before we left Canada, I was hastily wrapping up my bathroom renovation. I didn’t get it finished, but it was left in a good spot for us to come home to. A working toilet and sink in our upstairs is a welcome addition to the previous couple months of not having those things.

We had one final design inspiration before leaving and that was to add a dark wood feature enclosing the pony wall (i.e., the exposed studs shown above). Previously we wanted to do drywall, but a dark wood aesthetic will be much more interesting and provides some utilitarian elements if we ever need to remove it (since I’ll install it in a modular way).

That reality seems so far behind me now and I am full of way more design inspiration and ideas after being in Singapore; not for bathrooms though haha.

It’s been great exploring the architecture and curated gardens and parks around the city; more so, learning about the civic culture here and how it contributes to all of it is even more interesting. From a systemic design perspective, this place has so much going on.

As we’ve weaved in and out of different areas and elements of the city, so too have we weaved around our kiddo’s number one priority: A water pad with a slide. It isn’t much to ask for and it sure does add an extra layer and lens to our time here. Admittedly, we’ve seen very few museums and have instead spent time in many public parks around the area.

As far as the urban design goes the city/country has embraced the garden city concept for over 60 years. This is very familiar being from Victoria, B.C., but there is something else happening here too. It’s not just about planting the right trees to create shade, cover and joy for people – it’s also about designing buildings that not only blend into the natural landscape, but also embed plants and trees within them.

And it’s not just one building at a time. Many buildings are connected by skywalks for pedestrians. These are covered to provide respite from sun and rain (we experienced a tone of both).

The connecting of these buildings, the nature around them, and the people is so intentional.

Whether it’s our hotel from the 70s being connected to a giant mall and metro station, or the Sands Hotel mall complex and Gardens by the Bay, there is a deep value of connectivity and functional systems. From a ‘being calculated, creative and intentional’ perspective, it is absolutely beautiful.

From this lens, it is very different from home. Home feels slapped together compared to this. At a grander scale it makes me wonder if our home (BC, Canada) is in decline (I’m not saying it is, I’m just speculating about it).

Singapore is successful and focused on capital accomplishments. And that success gets reflected in the spaces they create here. We don’t have much of that going on at home these days. Makes me wonder where all our capital and resource wealth is being spent. At the same time, it’s not just about financial success, there is also a high-functioning government here that works well with the private sector. This is a key part to the forward thinking urban design. We learned that it is very common in government leadership meetings here to be discussing impacts and scenarios from immediate to 10 to 30 years out. I think that is so incredible!

We also rode by their colonial government buildings on a long bike journey to a water pad. These buildings have now been turned into museums and exhibition centres. Imagine if in Victoria BC, we converted our beautiful Legislature into a museum and event centre, and built new, functional buildings for our elected officials. That sort of move points to growth. And it doesn’t need to sacrifice heritage or history to do so. History, stories, present and future, are all held so well in Singapore. Something for many to strive for.

This colourful building is the Ministry of Digital Development and Information. It’s bordering a river, a beautiful park and a strip of restaurants. Having worked in a similar ministry back home, I can definitely say I’m jealous of this location :)

A part from having a great amount of admiration for Singapore and envy for those who live and contribute to this place; I am also grateful for the incredible hospitality we’ve received (which is also embedded in their culture). We made a fantastic new friend here and I learned so much.

Singapore has been a hit for us.

Our next leg of the trip is North into Malaysia. I’ll try to write a bit more about Singapore in future posts though. There is much more to express and reflect on; like the insanity of certain “Instagram spots”, the way the tv news is so sophisticated, and monitor lizards….

Two weeks in Singapore, design inspirations, and five-year old priorities was originally published in Remacle Tackle on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Danton and I have never prioritized travel but have had a few destinations on our bucket list: Singapore has always been at the top.

As I write, we are one week into a seven week journey through Eastern Asia. After Singapore, we’ll travel up the West side of Malaysia to visit Legoland in Johor, the UNESCO world heritage sites of Penang, and Langkawi to enjoy beaches, waterfalls, and colourful and tasty night markets.

After that, we’re headed back toward our beloved Canadian coast, with a stop in mainland Japan and Okinawa.

I have many thoughts to express about travel generally, and especially at this time in history. I’ll save most of that for other articles.

For now, I’m kicking off a short series of reflections on Singapore.

Gateway to Asia: Singapore

While Republic of Singapore is a city state of ~6.1 million people in an area of 744 km squared, our home — Greater Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island — has a population of about 400 thousand in a comparable 696 km squared.

Singapore - Wikipedia

It’s worth reading up on the summarized history and scope of the Lion City from the Wikipedia article, to understand a little bit of why this place topped the list for us to visit.

Rudimentary side-by-side screen captures of these two locations gives a quick sense of the spatial comparison. Though our home region has much fuzzier boundaries around it, than does the City State of Singapore.

Both ports have the British Colonial ethic of the Garden City embedded in their historic and ongoing design. Each have dealt with other, and less pleasant, colonial inheritances in very different ways.

As a gardener and with deep curiousity about how people get along on our increasingly hot blue dot, Singapore exudes ambitions, care, and foresight I hold in high regard from afar.

I could write all day about the acclaims of excellence this place has achieved. Others have done that.

I think I’ll summarize my observations about the place in a few categories that feel appropriate for what has caught my attention: money, manners, magic.

As the five year old has woken with his usual enthusiasm… I only have time now for this preface. So to foreshadow how I plan to share more of what I’m noticing in the coming days:

• Money: how Singapore sources and directs investment, and contemplates their future resilience at this time in history. I’m absorbing some insights from the news and other observations, and am fascinated by how resources flow here.
• Manners: the intense attention to getting along that is woven into daily life and geopolitics. From the subway, to washrooms, and neighbourhood design: the expectation for harmony and pleasant, peaceful existence is palpable.
• Magic: the harnessing of natures power, and blending with design and architecture, to conjure joy and wellbeing. (Not sure what else I would have called this… but this M word fits my experience of it!)

If you have been to Singapore (or live here!) and want to share your thoughts in the comments, please feel free. Questions are welcome too :)

And, some photos as a teaser!

And yes… the food is incredible… but photos are not doing that any justice!

💐 Heather-Lynn

Singapore: money, manners, magic was originally published in Remacle Tackle on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The thing that has dominated my thoughts the past two months is our bathroom renovation. In March I started demo and was aiming to be done by the first week of April. I, and every other renovation I have ever heard of, has succumbed to the reality that it’s not done in the pre-imagined timeline.

Despite being bummed about the delay, I’ve made great strides on the project and will walk you through it all here. Before I get to that though, I want to talk briefly about how the sabbatical has gone outside of the renovation. Skip ahead if you just want hot renovation gossip.

2.5 months into a sabbatical

I’ve been so focused on the reno that I really don’t feel like I’m off work. Everyday has some element of ‘making progress’ and it’s taking up seven days a week compared to the five days of my previous job. That said, I am loving it and each day is filled with more family time and stretched out morning routines on top of it all.

My five year old son was still in preschool up until April. This has been a dynamic change for sure, but a very positive one. He’s an easy going kid and still loves spending time with his parents. It is a bit trickier to get focus time now; but that was the whole point of taking this year off — making time for him. So that’s going as planned.

Heather (my wife) has been digging into bioregion regeneration communities and being her absolute best Heather (networking, pontificating, gardening, learning, and baking bread… plus lots of other great stuff). She has made a ritual of going to a horticultural centre every Friday to walk around and enjoy the space. It seems each week she has a visitor who joins her and she comes home full of new connections and awe of the incredible people she is meeting and/or catching up with from our previous work.

We seemed to hit the gauntlet of family birthdays in March and April and ended up participating in, or hosting, around seven parties in the span of four weeks. Our kiddo’s birthday landed on Easter Monday so we somehow ended up throwing him two parties. One that day with family, and one a week later with school friends. They were all good times, but it was a lot.

I haven’t hit the gym or exercised more than I was before (which I was hoping for), but it has stayed consistent. My good friend Alex, who is also on sabbatical, was reflecting on how we should be able to get into the best shape of our lives on these years off. I totally agreed, but haven’t gotten there yet. I recently watched the Arnold Schwartzenegger documentary on Netflix and was totally inspired to bulk up. We’ll see what happens with that after our seven week tour in Asia.

All that said about exercise, I have managed to lose five pounds without intent. I’m almost certain trading in my 40 hours a week of computer work for a week full of labour is entirely to thank for that. We’ll see what seven weeks of travel does for fitness and health.

On that note. Finalizing our travel plans is the other biggest focus right now. The garden, party prep and renovation have kept us from finalizing the loose ends on that… and as of writing this, we leave in 4 days. Getting things like eSims, the house and cats ready for our absence, and continuing to book activities are all still on our to-do list… so we are actively pivoting away from our other distractions.

That includes accepting that the bathroom reno will not be done before we leave. But it’s getting there.

Bathroom Update #2

In my previous article I had just finished the design and planning phase and was starting demolition. I’ve been at it for six weeks now. Prior to writing this I felt I hadn’t done enough, but as I started going back through photos to see the progress, I realized I’m pretty happy with where it’s at.

A full bathroom renovation incorporates so many different types of trade skills. It requires carpentry, electrical, plumbing, drywall, painting, tiling and more. I’ve renovated a couple of houses now and have varying degrees of each skill, but I decided this time around to check my skills at every opportunity. Either to learn new or better ways of doing things, or to validate my current methods.

This proved to be an emotional roller coaster of sorts. I predominantly did online research. A lot of do-it-yourself (DIY) videos, a few forums, and lots of manufacturer instructions. I found a wide spectrum of conflicting “this is right” and “this is wrong” contradictions. There were a number of things that plunged me into an hour of doubt, then some time to think things through, then becoming confident enough again to move forward. This played out a number of times and definitely contributed to my delays.

The first week of demo was easy enough though. I got down to the rotten hole in the subfloor and fixed it up; I also patched the subfloor where the floor vent was (which we haven’t needed since we got a heat pump). This was all “break shit” and carpentry; which I’m very comfortable with.

As I got into week two I took on shortening the shower pony wall (photo above). I wasn’t totally sure I needed to do this at first, but I determined I could make 1.5 inches of space in the bathroom… and we decided that was worth it. I pulled the drywall off of it and was pleasantly surprised to find the portion I needed to cut off was easy to do. The other thing to do while this wall was fully exposed to the studs was reinforce it.

Pony walls, also known as free standing walls, are notoriously wobbly. Heather had the brilliant idea of adding triangles inside it facing the tub. You can’t see them in the picture, but adding them made a big difference to the stability.

My friend and neighbour Dan Frey, from Sage Electric, also came over amid all of this and installed a new outlet for me right by the toilet for a heated bidet. I don’t plan on adding a one this year, but will one day. I feel like bidets are becoming more and more the norm — so this helps future proof the bathroom.

I also had a plumber come in and install the shower and bath controls. I can do drains and faucets and such — but having critical components buried in a wall scare me so I wanted to make sure it got done right! I’ll still get to do some plumbing when I re-install the toilet and vanity.

After all of this ‘infrastructure’ was done it was time to start putting the bathroom back together. Not all my materials had arrived on time so we decided to paint first, since I had the paint. That was pleasant and Heather and I were able to get that done in a day and a half. Usually it’s a one day affair, but it needed a third coat the next morning to properly cover up the green from before.

Then I had to tackle something new. Installing a shower base. I’ve installed a tub before so figured “how hard could it be?” After much research though, I was pretty nervous about it. I needed to level the space first with a concrete self-leveller, then mix some thick mortar to place the shower base on. I was really lucky my friend Ray was able to help for that since we both needed to stand on it to get it all the way down (becuase I put a bit too much mortar down).

If this hadn’t been my first time I was doing this, and if it wasn’t so irreversible, I would have felt pretty chill about it all. But given neither of those things were true it was nerve racking. This was not the last stress inducing activity either. My hat goes off to trades people who know these things so well that it’s easy, common place work for them. My big take away is that you can’t learn it all on the internet. Time, patience and mentorship are truly needed. I believe this goes for more than just trades too, and in reflection that kind of mentorship and/or learning on the job is really lacking in the way we do knowledge work these days (I’ll write more about at a later date).

The next, fast-follow, stress inducing activity was cutting a 5.5 inch hole in my shower wall for the shower controls. Before I got to this though I spent two days milling away the beams in the wall so that the other shower walls would sit plumb (the term used to say “it’s level”). I had discovered that the entire wall was slightly crooked. I had suspected such a thing, but every piece of wood in the walls were warped, so it wasn’t until the perfectly level shower pan was installed that I could truly measure/see how messed the wall was. I spent hours with the oscillating saw taking out little by little then dry-fitting the shower walls again and again to see if they would fit properly.

Once the shower walls were perfectly fit, I measured the center of where I would cut that terrifying hole for the shower controls. Usually there is only one control in the middle and it has lots of room for error. In my case I have this fancy shower control with two knobs on it, and there was only a 1/4 inch of play room on the top and bottom (compared to a typical inch or more). If I messed this one up at all the shower panel would be ruined and I’d be waiting another five weeks for a new one. It would have completely ruined the renovation to mess this up — and I felt this stress.

Thankfully I got it right (after measuring three thousand times)!

The next stress inducing activity, and hopefully the last, was using mortar to fix some dips and unevenness in the subfloor. Since tile was being installed, the more level the better and my floor had a pretty ridiculous amount of different slopes and slants. An image below shows all the different floor heights in the bathroom compared to the finished floor of the hallway beside it (based on using a laser lever).

Levelling the subfloor wouldn’t have been stressful, except the mortar I was using only had a 15 minute working time. I’m not sure I could have found a different product, but wish I had checked haha. But, when you don’t have lots of time, you can at least have a really good plan. I literally rehearsed all the movements I was going to make to get the mortar in and what tools I would use to smooth it out and check that it’s level. After three practice runs, and some important tweaks each time, I was ready to pour it on the floor. I’d say I did an 80% good job — which was good enough.

At this point all the panic and unfamiliar types of work are behind me. I’ll post about the rest of the work, leading up to our travel departure, soon. Spoiler: it’s really coming together and we have a useable toilet and sink as I write!

Danton

Bathroom Renovation Update #2 (plus: what 2.5 months into a sabbatical has been like) was originally published in Remacle Tackle on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’re nearing the end of the bathroom reno!

Yesterday, we picked up the final elements of the vanity and shower, and started piecing things together, before gluing it tight. It’s got a great vibe.

The toilet is installed. There’s actual water running. All our planning and work are materializing into joy (Note: mostly Danton’s work. I’ve been in the garden and remediating an invasive plant problem on our street).

Danton is putting an article together to share the experience and results more fully… while I reflect on the meta here.

“Vibe” is a funny word. As a verb, it means to transmit. From simple vibration, something occurs.

Vibe coding, for example, is a thing because one can use AI to “vibe” some thoughts into the machine, and with little effort (seemingly), a decent result occurs.

Side thought: In the 80s and 90s, we were obsessed with magic. I think this is an extension of that. Marvel superhero points at thing. Thing vibe explodes.

Referring back to my first use of the word, our new bathroom is going to have a great vibe because we’ve put in effort to create harmonics. Tones, patterns, functions, light and some creativity that we think vibrates for us.

It was not low effort. At all.

I was prompted to write this after reading this article which posits that vibe coding — the kind that is low effort — is failing to hold value. It is diminishing the human experience (online) through pasteurization of outputs away from beauty and effective results that are delightful.

Vibe Coding is OVER.

I don’t agree with the headline. Humans be humans. As long as the path of least resistance is accessible to many, we will have many more crappy websites. And Michal Malewicz gets to that. His advise is to think and plan, and then get AI to help with some execution.

Put the effort into intent.

Vibe Plumbing

So, this is not a thing. Yet, plumbers who are experienced and generally know how to install or fix things, are often not interested in delight, it seems.

There are components that fit together, and they must not leak. Get the job done. Don’t overthink it.

Danton and I have reflected on what we have observed in bathrooms before in terms of quality. There is definitely a vibe version of “get the job done” which can lead to failure.

We want a lasting vibe. We also want to harmonize with our broader goals around low impact living and local economy. So we did our best to source local and to reuse as much as we could.

Shout out to EMCO Corporation: one of Canada’s largest integrated distributors of products for the construction industry.

While a plumber would put their effort into fitting the pipes together, our broader intent was to have a long lasting, quality space that functioned exactly as we wanted it.

So, I guess we did vibe plumb (we hired someone to ensure good fittings in our walls). And then we executed on the rest of the intent, as proud (and budget constrained) DIYers.

Final thought on this: sometimes we are so used to creating our own vibrations that the instruction manuals come into question. Danton may write about this and how there are good and bad vibes that can result!

Beach Glass Vibes

The real reason I decided to write early this morning was because something my wonderful neighbour said stuck with me from yesterday.

At first I shrugged it off and chuckled to myself a bit.

He’s helping us with the electrical connections for our heated floors, and we’re really lucky to have his help because we know he’s focused on quality. (Big shoutout to Dan at Sage Electric!)

He arrived yesterday to find us hauling the box glass shower door from our roof rack into the yard.

He exclaimed something like: “you guys just don’t stop!”

To which I replied (half-joking): “we’ve got nothing else to do. **Shrug**”

And then he pulled from a different vibe.

“Well you could just go sit on a beach. And sort out the rocks and collect a beautiful handful of beach glass.”

I appreciate that Dan appreciates beautiful things. Which have good vibrations.

And his comment reminded me that, while yes, we are putting in solid effort to have good vibes in something that is taking that kind of effort… it is also possible to absorb good vibes with much less effort.

Vibe Vibing

At the end of the day… its all about being discerning.

There’s a time to sprint, and a time to glide.

For me, Sabbatical includes finding more balance on this front, and to discern what I want sprint on next.

Despite the workload we continue to lift, it is enjoyable. And, we certainly do ease into every day a little more, observe the sunrises/sets, and play a lot more Lego. Plus, we will soon have showers without a rotting floor, which prompted the reno in the first place.

The break is allowing us to put out lighter and more intentional vibrations so that we get better vibes out of life in the long term. We’re vibe vibing.

And, I’m taking a cue from Dan for sure. Beach glass is in my future.

💐 Heather-Lynn

Vibe vibing was originally published in Remacle Tackle on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.