ek penda

central station Antwerp

2009-05-09T19:39:00.003+02:00

This really puts a smile on my face every time i see it (and believe me it was sent to me many, many times)!!!!!
Central Station in Antwerp is a really beautiful building,a pearl in architecture.
But to me it is the place where they stole my bag in clear day light. Thank God i got it back...only without my money, my camera or my cell phone. But yes, the building is beautiful (did i mention this already?)and i think the dancing was just great!

goodbye

2009-03-22T17:19:00.003+01:00

On Friday my dear dog Kaya passed away. We knew this goodbye was at our doorstep...

But i am sad anyhow... sad and grateful to have had a good friend like him.

I brought him to a cremation centre and some of my friends declared me insane to spend so much money on a dead dog. But it is a way of showing my respect to a noble soul, who was with me for 16 years.

Goodbye Kaya, wonder if we will meet again...but i will treasure your sweet memory.

This is his last picture taken the day before he died... with my reflection in his eyes.

And that is how he died with his "face" in my hands and with his half blind eyes staring at me... until his gentle heart stopped beating.

Goodbye, goodbye, be well there...

... and i want color!

2009-02-25T21:18:00.000+01:00

it is about time for spring.
i want sun warmth and color...
better go to india again, because it seems there is no spring coming yet over here ...

i want sunlight!!!!

2009-02-24T22:27:00.001+01:00

Valentine's hotel in Bruges

2009-02-18T21:57:00.000+01:00

no color...but cosy

2009-02-18T21:32:00.001+01:00

white

2009-02-18T21:26:00.001+01:00

blue

2009-02-17T22:49:00.002+01:00

hospital

2008-12-12T15:08:00.002+01:00

Sorry i went quiet again for a while. But my husband was again in hospital in Leuven. So i was travelling up and down every day. And in the evening completely exhausted of doing nothing in the hospital.
Thank God, my husband is better again and back home.
We are so grateful that he is okay now.

doll

2008-12-01T09:29:00.005+01:00

Look what i made!
i was knitting this week (that is what grandmothers do, hahaha!) i knitted a skirt, a top,a bag with flower, a scarf, hat with flower and a coat for this little doll.
The dolly i bought in a Kringloopcentrum (recycling center) for 1 euro and the yarns were leftovers, less than 1 euro.
But i put in my expensive sparetime for a full week (at least 10 hours).
it made me so happy to be busy with my hands and meanwhile i could think, think....
like in meditation my thoughts came in my mind and left...again and again...again and again

So me happy, granddaughter happy....isn't life beautiful?

Thay

2008-11-30T21:13:00.004+01:00

If your cup is small, a little bit of salt will make the water salty.

If your heart is small, then a little bit of pain can make you suffer.

Your heart must be large.

Thich Nhat Hanh

sikhi

2008-11-25T17:40:00.002+01:00

Life in gurdwara Sangat Sahib.

(you can click on the image to enlarge it)

burf

2008-11-23T09:27:00.002+01:00

Still singing for Sinterklaas while playing in the first snow.

singing

2008-11-23T09:18:00.003+01:00

What fun!

He came, he came!!!!!!

2008-11-23T09:09:00.005+01:00

And if you are sweet he really, really comes at night. We had first snow yesterday night, but still he came and brought some sweets and books.
Dank u Sinterklaasje!

Sinterklaas

2008-11-21T22:41:00.003+01:00

It is Friday evening and as usual my granddaughter, Tineke stays the night.
End of November till 6 of December children are very excited because Sinterklaas and his friend Black Peter are wandering in the chilly nights on the roofs of our houses.
They bring sweets and toys for all the children that were sweet.
Tineke made a drawing of Black Peter and she put a carrot in her little boot, for the horse of Sinterklaas.
"But Tineke you didn't put anything for Sinterklaas himself in your bootie"
"Look oma, i put a sugar cube in my bootie, if Sinterklaas want to drink a cup of tea!"

... i did not ask who is going to make the tea? Hahaha!

"Sinterklaas kapoentje,

leg wat in mijn schoentje,

leg wat in mijn laarsje.

Dank u Sinterklaasje!!!!"

sevadars

2008-11-21T14:14:00.004+01:00

Yesterday it was "The day of the senior". And so some of the seniors of my hometown came to visit our gurdwara.

For most of them it was almost impossible to sit on the floor, so i searched every chair available. i was so busy answering questions i forgot to take any pictures of this group. But i took a few of our faithful sevadars in the kitchen who made some great chai and pakorè.

Thank you guys!

There is still a lot of ignorance about sikhs and sikhism and it filled me with happiness that my fellow citizens took the effort to discover their new "neighbours".

Like one elderly lady said: " I am over 80 and before i die i wanted to see "the church of the sikhs". I am so happy now, they are such nice people, so friendly. We were worried for nothing."

Of course i could have told you that a long time ago!

man in blue

2008-11-21T12:41:00.005+01:00

In London lives a sikhbrother of mine Harjinder Singh. Since he is always dressed in blue, he is ...(what do you think?) "the man in blue".
He is born in The Netherlands, lived a long time in India and is settled now in England.
Now and then he comes over to Belgium and visits our sangat.
So take a look at his blog and read about his latest visit over here (and a lot of information on sikhism, a good column, a strong point of vue etc...)

http://maninblue1947.wordpress.com/

loyal friend

2008-11-20T21:02:00.002+01:00

First of November i should have left for India. i delayed my trip with a few months because of various reasons.
Some of these reasons were located in India and well known. Problems that are almost solved...
But deep in me there were other reasons that were keeping me here, unknown reasons at that moment.
And last week one reason became clear when i went to the vet with my dog Kaya. My sweet and loyal friend is diagnosed with cancer.
There is no cure. So we wil not torture him with operations and treatments, we will give him his last weeks, months as comfortable as possible. Pain will be the benchmark. His pain.
There is no cure for my pain either, but that will not be the issue, i will be with him every moment.
My sweet and loyal friend...

wabi sabi and me

2008-11-19T09:23:00.003+01:00

Did you notice that "wabi sabi" is suddenly all over the place?
It is in every paper, magazine, article etc... or is it me, only noticing now that the western world is discovering this ancient wisdom?
I discovered it a while ago, since i "dwell" in religions, in Buddhism, start practising zazen and so it was only natural that one day i was going to find wabi sabi.
And it fits me so well! It is the way i look at things, hear things, feel things. The way i am surprised by the beauty in so many things...and persons. It is so close to my motto:"If you can not see God in all, you can not see God at all"
I am a simple human being and i have very simple desires, simple wishes. i am not impressed by the big constructions in the world that everyone is supposed to admire. i look in detail, feel in detail. Beauty is in every corner of nature, in small and humble things.
And finally i found a term to cover how i look at the world. A term that expresses and suits my lifestyle.
My husband is teasing me that i finally found a term that gives a good excuse for my untidyness, for all my rubbish everywhere...
"But look at the beauty of it, dear" i said, but he was not impressed. Hahaha! Wabi sabi...

wabi sabi

2008-11-19T09:18:00.001+01:00

wabi sabi is a beauty of things imperfect
impermanent and incomplete
it is a beauty of things modest and humble
it is a beauty of things unconventional

(Leonard Koren: "Wabi Sabi for artists, designers, poets and philosophers"

orange

2008-11-18T10:49:00.001+01:00

Sorry i did not make the effort of keeping up my blog for so long. But i make the good intention (yes,i know that is the way to hell...hahaha) of posting more regularly.
If i have nothing to say or am still thinking about what i am going to say, i will post some photo's. Like this one. Orange (for those who are colorblind).
Good to be back.

My soul is not Sikh

2008-07-22T22:44:00.008+02:00

One of the blogs i visit often is the one of Sat Purkh Kaur.
It is called "Greetings from the land of enchantement"
She seems a wonderful lady to me and a very honest woman. Her blog is so straight out of the heart.
Awhile ago she wrote a very special poem, it touched me very deep. So i want to share this with you (yes, i asked her permission). If you want to read the full entry:

http://satpurkh.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html

My soul is not Sikh

no, my soul cannot

be confined

to one name

to many names

to any name

My soul is as wide

as a sea with no horizon

no shore

My soul is not Sikh

no, my soul

speaks a greater truth

and,

bows to all names

or no name

my own name

My soul is as endless

as the summer sky

a mile wide

No- My soul is not Sikh

can not believe it!

2008-06-25T20:54:00.003+02:00

i can't believe it....
it makes me sad and very upset...
rolmodels should be perfect, that is why they are a rolmodel, isn't it?
but they seem to be human like anybody else, with human worries and human stories.

and yet, they are still my rolmodels, because they seem to deal with their problems without loosing touch with Waheguru.
Waheguru, bless them both!

Dhanasri Mahhia Panjva

Aukhi ghari na dekhan daiyee apna birdh samalay,

Hath daye rahhay apnay kau sas sas pritpalay,

Prabh siyu lag rahiyo mera cheet,

Aadant Prabhu sada sahayee dhan hamara meet (rahau)

Mun bilas bhayay sahib kay achraj dekh badaee,

Har simar simar anand kar Nanak, Prabh pooran paij rakhaee (p. 682)

********

The Lord does not allow his servants to face their difficult hours alone;

this is His prerogative.

With His protecting hand, He takes care of His own

servants at every moment of their lives.

Let your heart remain attached to the Lord.

From the beginning of life to its end, the Lord is ever our Helper. How great is the Lord.

(pause and reflect on this)

As if witnessing the marvelous greatness of the Lord, my heart is delighted.

The Lord will protect the honour of those, who meditate on Him. (p.682)

young visitors

2008-05-19T15:08:00.003+02:00

Again in Mai and June i will guide many visitors in our gurdwara. i like doing this seva, it lifts me in chardi khala.
If only one person in the audience understands sikhism and the sikhs a bit better, it is all worth the effort.
But there is still a long way to go....

team- building

2008-05-13T10:08:00.002+02:00

L'union fait la force. (United we are strong)

luck?

2008-05-12T23:01:00.000+02:00

luck? yes, luck, i guess.

first time

2008-05-11T01:11:00.004+02:00

We spent some time at the seaside with our granddaughter. She saw the sea for the very first time and could not understand there was land at the other side of all that water.

I explained to her that Harjinder Singh and Satnam Kaur and Surinder Singh were living in that country at the other side of the water.

So she went to her grandfather and told him: " And at the other side of this sea is the land of the sikhs, opa"

Maybe good idea for Khalistan?

Oostende

2008-05-11T01:05:00.000+02:00

blush

2008-05-02T00:08:00.001+02:00

ardas

2008-05-01T23:52:00.001+02:00

coffee lover

2008-04-22T07:19:00.001+02:00

mmmh... (and blue berry cheese cake lover too)

another brick in the wall

2008-04-18T21:44:00.002+02:00

My hometown is a beautiful old town with lots of monastries and convents. So it has many amazing walls...i just love them. When i walk beside them i can feel their history, their past...

And what a beautiful canvas they would make to show some poetry...

imagine all these walls with lyrics...it makes me so thrilled!

where is Ariadne?

2008-04-18T21:39:00.000+02:00

pen and ink

2008-04-18T21:18:00.003+02:00

kalao masaajni ki-aa sadeai hirdai hi likh leho

Why need you pen and ink? Write upon your heart.
Dye yourself in the color of the Lord and you are his forever
Pen and ink will not endure, nor even what was written.
O Nanak, love of the Lord shall not perish;

it is a gift from the True One.

GURU AMAR DAS

Vaisakhi

2008-04-13T09:23:00.001+02:00

A BLESSED AND HAPPY VAISAKHI TO EVERYONE!!!!!

angels

2008-04-09T20:29:00.002+02:00

They really look like angels with parachute wings... and they landed on my kitchen windowsill.

equal pay day

2008-03-31T22:49:00.002+02:00

Women are still in sales!
They are paid 25% less than their male colleagues. Still now in 2008! Can you imagine?
So it means that every woman has to work 3 months more than her male colleague to get the same annual salary.
And that is why today, on the last day of the third month of the year, it is "equal pay day".

It is a bl.... shame!!!!!!!

wabbit

2008-03-15T13:02:00.004+01:00

So i knitted a little rabbit for my granddaughter. It was suppossed to be hidden on the terrace on easter day when she would be looking for easter eggs. But....

Little princess surprised me with a visit, while i was doing the finishing touch (her name on the pink suit) on the rabbit. So it became an instant present and no easter bunny was going to stop that. One can not fool this little girl!

" oh, oma, a wabbit!"

...i started one with a blue suit as well. And she ordered a green and a yellow one aswell...

It is a full time job being a oma...but with a lot of job satisfaction!

circle of silence

2008-03-13T00:03:00.003+01:00

"Silence is the difference between saying nothing and everything already being said."
(poet Herman de Coninck)

This evening we made a circle of silence to support all persons illegal in the country. Our goverment is thinking of getting more workers out of foreign countries (especially East Europe) since we have more eldery people instead of youngsters in Belgium. Our "grey" population is costing lots of money to the youngsters (health care, pensions etc) and so there need to be more "fresh" folks to earn all this money (through taxes, which are amongst the highest in the world)
So we, the organisations defending to the refugees, noted to the goverment that so many people are already in the country, trying to survive in way one or another.
Give them legal status before new people are brought into the country. Seems so logically, no? But not to the goverment.
So after we defended their cases on many levels left, right, high and low, we decided to go silent.
But be there. Visible.

Do i need to say that many of our sangat are still in a difficult and uncertain illegal situation. So they were very visible this evening. And outstanding being sikhs.
BOOOOOOOOLE SO NIHAL!!!!!!

SAAAAAAAAT SHRI AKAAAAAAAAL!!!!!!!

the red city

2008-03-11T22:17:00.001+01:00

Marrakech is called the red city. Wonder why?

Djemaa El-Fna

2008-03-11T22:12:00.000+01:00

oranges

2008-03-11T22:07:00.000+01:00

And they have the best oranges in the world! Fresh orange juice was part of our breakfast. But during the day we took another glass when we visited the famous place Djemaa El-Fna.
This square is now a lively market, but in the old days it was the place were people were beheaded....
i prefer the oranges, no doubt.
Insjallah.

...pani andari lik jio tis da thao na thehu

2008-03-11T21:53:00.000+01:00

[...] are lines, drawn on water, which leave neither trace nor mark.

(Asa di Var)

marrakech

2008-03-11T21:44:00.000+01:00

i am so grateful that again i was in the possibility to travel a bit. This time i visited Morocco. It is a wonderful country.
Since i discovered sikhism i am fascinated by its influences. And for a long time i looked at hinduism, but recently i discovered islam more and more. It is especially sufism that is linked to sikhism. So in every moslim country i visit, i try to trace similarities in both religions.
It is an amasing discovery, not only in values, but in architecture, art, music etc...
We are all one...

"your smile"

2008-02-27T13:17:00.003+01:00

Tineke, my granddaughter, made my portrait. She gave me long slim legs (thank you sweetie), 2 arms, a head and a bunch of curls. You see, the spitting image of me (lol).
Then she made this mysterious line on my belly. Wasn't it too early to tell her the facts of life?

Lately she seemed to be very interrested that our dog Kaya lifts his leg and her aunties dog did not....

Lately she was being curious about the boys being a bit different... So okay i will do my best, though you are still very young.

- " And what is this, Tineke" i started my wise lecture-to-be.

-" But, oma, that is your smile" she said "you have a sweet smile, oma"

You can imagine...i smiled.

Dehra maseet soi puja au namaaz oi

2008-02-26T14:45:00.002+01:00

He is in the temple as He is in the mosque,

He is in the Hindu worship as He is in the Muslim prayer.

Gods and demons who guard the treasures

Of the God of the riches, the musicians celestial,

The Hindus and the Muslims- they are all one,

They have each the habits of different homes,

But all men have the same eyes, the same body,

The same form compounded of the same four elements-

Earth, air, fire and water.

Thus the Abhekh of the Hindu and the Allah of Muslims are one,

The Quaran and the Puran praise the same Lord,

They are all of one Form,

The one Lord made them all.

written by Guru Gobind Singh Ji

(picture taken in the Great Mosque at Sousse, Tunesia.

i wonder

2008-02-26T08:03:00.002+01:00

Sometimes i wonder what happened to the people who were blogging some time ago. What happened to sweet Satvinder or Sikhi Seeker and so many others .....
I hope they are allright, i hope life is gentle for them.
I hope they still live in a sikhi way...
I do remember them in my prayers...Waheguru bless my cyber sangat (even they don't blog anymore), Waheguru bless your full world.
Gurfateh!

love is all there is...

2008-02-25T20:24:00.001+01:00

people

2008-02-06T18:26:00.001+01:00

unless

2008-02-06T18:19:00.002+01:00

you take a knife tip of harissa...

i said a knife tip, because if you use more, believe me, you are on fire!!!!!

i know, because on one greedy lunch i take more to flavour up my couscous and ...yes fire!

spices

2008-02-06T18:11:00.001+01:00

When travelling i always wonder where the spices are coming from. There were so many traders and invaderes in all directions of the world, that i lost track where they originally came from.

Did they bring them from the Middle East to India?

Or did they brought the spices back to their home countries from India?

Anyhow the soukhs look very much like the indian bazaar, having almost the same kind of spices. But i must admit that i was a bit disappointed that the Tunesian cuisine was very mild flavoured....unless

visiting the arab world

2008-02-06T17:53:00.001+01:00

Sorry, i have not updated for a while. So i try to catch up.
We have been visiting Tunesia, watching the Arab world a bit. I enjoy being in different parts of the world, seeing how equal we are.
Going to a moslim country gives very odd reactions, like every person is about to blow himself up over there. People have such strange ideas about islam, which are mostly basesd on prejudices. So there is still a lot of work to be done in interfaith forums and meetings. It is important that we start to know each other; to know each other is the beginning of peace.
Because we are all brothers and sisters!

(On the picture the great mosque of Monastir)

happy new year

2008-01-01T01:19:00.000+01:00

Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn

a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.

If your mind isn't clouded by unneccessary things,

this is the best season of your life.

By Wu Min (Hui-k'ai)

(1183-1260)

left on the table

2007-12-30T00:23:00.000+01:00

Zho

2007-12-27T21:18:00.000+01:00

The day before Christmas this book arrived by post. The timing was perfect, this book is a real gift! It is the visual art journal of a young Dutch woman, Marloes Lasker.
She is wonderful, almost blind and deaf, she made this absoluty honest diary of last year. Her illness is not easy, but she radiates so much happiness.
Her dharma name (she is a zen buddhist) is "Ziende het onzienlijke" ("Seeing the unseen"). So that made the title of the book:"ZHO" (Ziende Het Onzienlijke).

She has a nice blog: www.tussenpoZen.com and i wrote her that her dharma name reminded me of some Gurbani by Guru Angad Dev:

Akhin bajhon vekhna bin kana sunana

To see without eyes,

without ears, hear,

to walk without feet,

without hands, work,

to speak without tongue-

thus living, yet detached from life.

o Nanak, if you follow the word of your master

You shall surely meet Him/Her.

time to go to bed

2007-12-27T21:14:00.001+01:00

bestrajaja...wish you sweet dreams my darling!

sweet eskimo

2007-12-27T21:09:00.001+01:00

real snow

2007-12-23T16:03:00.000+01:00

sometimes my prayers are heard... so we got real snow, clear sky, no smog anymore!

skeletons

2007-12-20T22:27:00.000+01:00

cold

2007-12-20T22:11:00.000+01:00

sabhna marna dya vichhoda sabhna

"death will come to everyone,

to everyone separation,

who will heareafter be reunited?

go ask the wise ones."

Guru Nanak

b&w

2007-12-20T21:54:00.000+01:00

Happy like a kid i am when it starts snowing.

So this morning, after i brought little princess to school, i went for a walk and of course took my camera with me. i wandered in the countryside like a child in a dream.

Somehow i forgot how to go to b&w on this new camera, but nevertheless all pictures taken were only all shades of grey.

My happiness disappeared completely when we heard this "snow" was only frozen smog! Dangerous smog.

Because of the smog problems drivers were allowed only to drive 90 km an hour. Hihi, so i have to speed up!

So i am hoping for some real snow, fresh snow, healthy snow...

soulbrides' kitchen

2007-12-16T09:54:00.000+01:00

Those who visit this blog now and then already found out that this bloggie is not the blog with big statements and strong opinions. It is just a reflection of my little life...and it is good this way.
But...
if you want to have a strong opinion or statement i know excatly which blog you have to turn to:

http://kamallarosekaur.wordpress.com

Her blog is called:"Soulbrides'kitchen" and Kamalla Rose Kaur is just wonderful. She is sikh and not afraid to challenge the full world- sikhs and non-sikhs- but she does this in a very funny and intelligent way. She is a great writer!
I love her to bits, because she reflects very often my own search as a sikh and a woman.

So off you go, pay her a visit! You will not regret it!

guru ganesha singh

2007-12-14T19:08:00.000+01:00

So that is him, Guru Ganesha Singh, great singer and guitar player.
Funny and warm and a great hugger!

pure ganesh

2007-12-14T18:37:00.001+01:00

Last September i saw a concert of Snatam Kaur and in her band is GURU GANESHA SINGH playing guitar. And believe me he is a great guitar player!
So of course i bought his CD: "Pure Ganesh".
It is just great!
It is always on in my car (sorry for Snatam Kaur who was always on, before this one was always on) and so my granddaughter and i sing along in the morning on our way to school and in the afternoon again on our way back.
It is fantastic to hear this sweet voice in her childrenseat sing: "WAAAAAHEGURUUUUU".
Or: "Ek Ong Kaaaaaar, Sattenaaaaaaam...."
It makes my day every morning!
Thank you Guru Ganesha Singh!

winter

2007-12-13T23:13:00.000+01:00

This is the time of the year to start christmas preparations.
So on my table are fake snowflakes and fake birds, in my house is a fake tree and a fake star...
Only the light is real... yes, that is real!

don't fence me in

2007-12-12T22:28:00.000+01:00

Ghent, Flandres, Belgium. September 2007

liquid city

2007-12-12T22:25:00.000+01:00

Ghent, Flandres, Belgium. september 2007

hair

2007-12-12T18:45:00.000+01:00

Last monday again a group of young pupils, aged 15-16 years, came to visit our Gurdwara Sangat Sahib. i showed them the slide show: "Introduction on sikhism".

I couldn't finish the introduction because we got stuck in a pretty heavy discussion about the 5 K's.

The kakkar we discussed most was Kesh, keeping your hair unshorn. Accepting the way our Creator made us and realising that we are perfect the way we are.

Through fashion -which is just an industry and a real big one-children and young adults are made believe that they should look like young children, hairless, almost naked.

They don't accept that growing up means that hair is appearing on your body. i can understand (i remember well) how confusing this can be, but this greedy industry makes them believe they should fight, in every possible way, these signs of getting mature.

And if possible by using their products, of course!

Hair in armpits, on legs, facial hair, on chest or back or pubic hair it all disgust them and their cries were without any doubt showing how they resent even the smallest hair on these "places".

i try to imagine how difficult it is to survive your "group" if you decide to be different and accept who you are. So i am very grateful to the young sikh who showed his Kesh. He is a nice young man and his undisturbed brave flair made great inpression.

eat pray love

2007-12-10T17:28:00.000+01:00

Number one on my Christmas list of -presents-i-would-be-really-happy-with is a book written by Elizabeth Gilbert:

" EAT PRAY LOVE"

How can someone tell my full lifestory in just 3 words?
I wonder if the rest of the book is as good as the title.
Did anybody read this book already?
And?

happy

2007-12-10T17:16:00.000+01:00

J'ai décidé d'etre heureux

c'est excellent pour la santé

Voltaire (1694-1778)

i decided to be happy

it is excellent for your health

water

2007-12-09T23:20:00.000+01:00

I do not go very often to the movies, but sometimes i am so glad i made the effort to come out of the house.
Last week i saw this absolutely fantastic movie: "WATER" by Deepa Meetha. She is very controversial especially in her own country India. Cinema's are burnt down where her films play, she and the actrices are threatend etc...
Because her movies are a critic on indian customs, on old habits, on a not-friendly-towards- women-culture. But they are true...and that hurts.
If you have the chance to see this movie (or any of her other movies: "Earth" or "Fire",) , please do, please please do!

Sisters in the world, fight for your rights and use every talent possible to tell that women are equal to men!
We are different, but equal!

"So why call her bad? From her kings are born

from her, woman is born; without woman,

there would be no one at all"

Guru Grant Sahib p. 473

he is really there!

2007-12-08T08:32:00.000+01:00

Tineke, my granddaughter (the little girl on the left), was thrilled to see the Sint. But when they had to do their little dance and one of the Black Peters came to dance along with them, she almost froze on the spot. She continued to dance, but kept her eyes on him, ready to scream for oma as soon as he came too close.

Brave little princess!

Sinterklaas

2007-12-08T08:17:00.001+01:00

So a visitor came from Spain. Sint-Nicolaas (who is kicked off the list of Holy Men by the vatican a few years ago) or Sinterklaas and my little sikh neighbour calls him Baba Klaas. And yes he was back in the country with all the toys and sweets.
The Sint was visiting the kindergarten of my granddaughter, with 2 Black Peters. The children were so excited, but they did their dances, sang their songs and were spoiled as usual.
i have a lot of critics on this holy figure, but when you see all these happy little faces, one doesn't have the heart to destroy the dream.

jail to inspire

2007-09-25T23:19:00.000+02:00

plantation to inspire

2007-09-25T23:15:00.000+02:00

writers in residence

2007-09-25T23:08:00.000+02:00

Last weekend i joined the writers in residence, a course in creative writing. It was nice to see some familiar faces (like my teacher Leen)and it was wonderful to meet some new people with the same urge to write. It is great to know i am not the only fool who is happy with just a paper and a pen.
This residence was in a conventschool that turned into a religious-cultural centre in my neighbourhood (so i did not stay at night, but went home to sleep in my own little bed).
I was especially happy that one of the places that were offered to have writing inspiration was our gurdwara. So i gave my introduction (talked my head off actually) we had langar and i invited some sikhs to tell their story. For many of my colleagues this was the first time they met sikhs... and they were very impressed. Though i must admit that their story as a refugee made more impression than being a sikh, but anyhow... the results were some beautiful texts, some in poetry. I was particularly touched that some people interweaved the Mool Mantra in their poems or proze.
The other places that were offered were a farm (fruit) and an old jail. Everyone got a different trigger to write of course, but when we brought our texts together, there was a wonderful line in our stories.
The sikhs, being hard workers, coming to our area to work in the fruit farms, but ending up in jail very often. Not because they are criminals, but because being illegal, being without legal papers is enough to end up in jail. Sad, isn't it? But the true story!
Anyhow i hope that sikhs and sikhism are/is a little more unknown now and maybe it will inspire some again.

dance

2007-09-17T23:56:00.000+02:00

it rang nachahu rakh rakh pao

so dance in this love and keep the beat with your feet

Guru Nanak Dev Ji

prima ballerina

2007-09-17T22:42:00.000+02:00

somewhere in the sky...

2007-09-17T21:48:00.001+02:00

my little princess on a sunny day in the kitchen...

Sukh main bahu sangi bhaye

2007-09-01T23:34:00.000+02:00

Many were my friends in the hour of happiness,

In sorrow none remains.

Says Nanak, recite the Lord's Name,o mind,

He alone is yours in the end.

Guru Tegh Bahadur

game over

2007-09-01T16:39:00.000+02:00

88 years

2007-08-31T14:52:00.000+02:00

Today my mother is 88 years old. So the youngest of our family, my little princess, is giving birthday kisses to the eldest of the family. They are so keen on each other!!!!

Happy birthday mama!

gajrela

2007-08-29T20:53:00.000+02:00

For the very first time i made gajrela or gajar ka halwa. When i am homesick of India, it is mostly smells and tastes that are haunting me. So i tried one of my favorite dishes and if i may say so, it is delicious!

My arm is a bit lame because of all the stirring, but it was worth the effort. Yummy, yummy!!!

a poet

2007-08-20T00:58:00.000+02:00

Fernando Pessoa

2007-08-20T00:42:00.000+02:00

Ricardo Reis is one of the alter ego's of Fernando Pessoa. This poem is written on his tomb.
But i don't find an English translation of it? Does anybody out there have an English translation?

In the meantime i provide you with a Dutch translation by A. Willemsen.

Om groot te zijn, wees heel: maak niets wat jouw is

Groter of tot niets.

Wees heel in alles. Leg al wat je bent

In 't minste wat je doet.

Zo blinkt de maan in ieder meer geheel

Wijl zij verheven leeft.

been away for awhile...

2007-08-19T15:12:00.000+02:00

little wise girl

2007-08-12T09:52:00.000+02:00

-"Who is this, oma?"

My granddaughter points at the big statue of Jesus, Holy Heart in the middle of the square.

"That is Jesus , sweety. Look he put one hand on his heart, with the other he is blessing us"

I was sure she was going to ask, what blessing means, but she has her own little ways of thinking.

-"It is Boeddha, oma!"

-"No, darling, this is Jesus."

She stares at the statue for a long time, then she says:

-"Oma, they are the same!"

I look at my little miracle, surprised by so much wisdom.

-"Oma, why he is not wearing his tuban?"

Since a few days she knows the word turban, but she keeps forgetting the r. Before she called it a soft helmet.

Good question! But i have no answer.

-"His hair is like Amarjeets, oma."

-"Yes, very long, he"

-"I want long hair too!"

I look at her curly hair which doesn't seem to grow hard and i think of her aunty who is a hairdresser...

"Yes, sweety, you grow your hair too..."

reflection

2007-08-02T07:52:00.001+02:00

On our coffeetable are these two books.

You know i am a bit of a feminist. No not of the kind that goes squeezing men's bottoms and stuff, no not like this, but i was shouting in the frontline when we were asking for equal pay etc... You get the picture....Everything equal for men and women (i realise some men are suffering just the same), that is one of the reasons why sikhism had such a big attraction to me, why i embrased sikhism (great was my dissapointenement when i found out that so many sikhs behaved in a plain male dominated punjabi manner, but that is another story!) So i am reading : "The untamable woman" (dutch translation) (original title:"Women who run with the wolves") which is know as a feminist book, but it is so much more. Clarissa Pinkola Estes is such a great storyteller and gives an insight in the archetypes of women (she is a Jung therapist) that women around the world have to face. The wild woman is often burried deep down in us and she has to be recognised and freed. This wild woman does not change, despite culture, time or politics. She is there and she is perfect.

Wonderful book!!!!

Next to "my" book is the book my husband is reading:"The God delusion".

These books are a very good reflection of our marriage...

But i am going to read this book too.... God ( a Creative Being, Karta-Purakh) is so evident in my life, that i can not understand that people have arguments to deny his existence. So i want to know, i want to try to understand....

And yesterday a friend gave me another book: "The perfect path" by Andrew Harvey. Whah!

I have not enough time to read ....

But you know this summer i will be quiet in my corner, reading, reading, reading....

reading

2007-07-26T21:34:00.000+02:00

One of my favourite passtimes is reading. And i must admit that i am a bit of a sexist and a racist when concerning books. I know it is not fair but i tend to have a soft spot for female writers and if possible from other cultures or writing about other cultures (sorry guys, but now and then i try to make the effort to read your books. honestly).

So this summer in Crete i re-read:"The tiger ladies. A memoir of Kashmir" by Sudha Koul. Oh i enjoyed this book so much! Did any one of you read this book?

To my great surprise (i missed it the first time when i read this book) it is dedicated to Clarissa Pinkola Estes (the writer ads "who does not know me). I will write about her in one of my next posts, she is the author of:"Women who run with the wolves, myths and stories of the wild woman archetype".

I come back to her later...

And did you noticed my didi-towel (haha, you must be almost blind to miss it). Of course it is publicity for this woman-clothes-shop-chain, but for me it has a deeper meaning, being named didi by many refugees. Even some sikhs do, though they prefer benji or bibi.

What's in a name?

for all the widows

2007-07-17T23:48:00.000+02:00

sabhe kant maheliya saglia karah seegar
[...]

She who is absorbed in the true Guru becomes immortal,

never shall she become a widow.

[...]

Guru Nanak

grandmothers

2007-07-16T09:24:00.001+02:00

The old women in Crete are so brave, they go up and down their mountain looking for herbs, visiting their children, looking for company. Once they are widowed they wear black for the rest of their lives. Now i like to wear black, because i want to. But if you are forced to be marked as a widow all the fun of wearing black is gone. If is a greek (mediterian) form of sati, isn't it?

But never i saw these women, who worked hard their full lives conquering the island and its rough nature, in a loving and cuddly way with their grandchildren. Of course they love them, i am sure about that. But i think, life made them hard and bitter...

So a big hug for all these beautiful women....

steps

2007-07-16T09:06:00.001+02:00

The little village Agia Galini is a real Zorba the Greek village. It has a little harbor and a pebble beach and all the houses are situated on the mountain. So there was a lot of climbing to do. The village centre (harbor) is a flat marketplace and from thereon all the streets are climbing.

Once out of the centre we still had to take 108 steps very steep up the hill.... and then all the steps in the hotel.

But the view was beautiful and was worth the effort.

Staircase to heaven... (but first i had to recover on the balcobny for 10 minutes! Darn, i have to do something about my condition!)

Some more Crete

2007-07-15T21:43:00.001+02:00

From our balcony we had a view on the Greek Orthodox church. In contradiction to gurdwara's it was closed most of the times. It opened twice for a wedding (aaah a greek wedding exactly like in the movies) and for Sunday ceremony, that's all.
But i watched it every morning as i got up to do my prayer and meditation. Early morning is so beautiful, the pink light falling over the mountain. It was a sacred moment... and often i thought: now Moses will come down the mountain with God's message...
But nope, no Moses.
God's message was and is in my meditation.

Kreta

2007-07-15T21:06:00.000+02:00

After a time of illness and discomfort, we thought we deserved a little holiday.
So of we went.

Of the 9500 islands in Greece, we choose the largest one, Crete. It is a wonderful island and i will give you more about it in the days to come (when i am lacking of other inspiration)

Crete and history, Crete and mythology, Crete and food, Crete and lifestyle... so many things to tell.

So we came home, completely relaxed, a little tan we had, good mood... but before we were sleeping in our own bed, we were on our way to emerency in the hospital, because my husband again got in trouble (bowel obstruction)

Thank God we were relaxed and we recognised the symptons this time... after a week my husband returned home, but the memorie of Crete had vanished quickly. So will go back in september probably. Hopefully the effect will take a little longer then.

Of course i missed someone very much, so i bought her this t-shirt. I like to think it was made especially for us, but Crete is full of longing grandmothers, so it is a very clever psychologist who start to produce these t-shirts. Anyway, she was very happy with it... my sweet princess!

Back

2007-07-15T20:56:00.000+02:00

You have been patient. I didn't update my blog for a long time, i am sorry.
So step by step all the stories i have to tell, will be told.
I hope that the poem of Emily Dickinson said enough while i was living a while outside bloggerland.
But i am back and will try to cover the last months and of course, things that will come in my little life.
Hey, it is good to be back...

love

2007-05-17T00:36:00.000+02:00

That Love is all there is,

Is all we know of Love;

It is enough, the freight should be

Proportioned to the groove.

Emily Dickinson

the bad, the good and the lucky one

2007-05-13T23:47:00.000+02:00

The bad one.

My identitycard, my driving licence, my 2 bank cards, my keys (all of them), my medical card, my union card, a lipstick, some coins, some paper money, my cell phone, my camera, a booklet on sikhism, my train ticket were all in my Italian leather handbag.
I was waiting for the train in Antwerpen and when suddenly our train was rerailed, someone stole my bag. I placed my handbag on top of my reed basket, which i bought in the Oxfam shop (if half of the worldpopulation can live with a reed basket instead of a briefcase, i can too).
How can someone be so stupid to put his/her bag like that? Me, moi, because i always have this terrible shoulder pain (going to the hospital on this awful check up again tomorow)!
So there i was with nothing left but my basket and the papers of the meeting i was coming from. And a few "thank-you-candles" that i bought and would come handy one day in my life.
For the very first time in my life i could not prove my identity, could not make a phonecall, not even buy a cup of coffee or go to the toilet, nothing, nada.
i felt like i was illegal in my own country.

The good one.

After being sent to several desks, even an unmanned police office, i had to go to window 10 to make a statement about my lost object. After i made it clear i had no friends or family in this city to give me a few euro's, i could not phone to anyone, the gentleman behind the counter said:
"Okay then i buy a ticket for you. Here is my account number and my name, please put it back on my account"
i was speechless, this nice guy saved me without even asking my name or address, with no guarantee he was ever going to have this money back????? i met a real good human being!
So that's why i bought a "thank-you-candle". Never realised i was going to use it so soon.
The good man refused it, but when i left it, he put the candle under the counter.

The lucky one.

I left on the next train and even before i was home my bag was found.
Without the money, without one bank card, without my cell phone nor my camera. So mr. Veryniceguy phoned to my husband to tell the news.
Next day we collected the bag in Antwerpen, i had no words enough to thank him. When we opened the bag, even "the thank-you-candle" was back in.
So i am a very lucky person to have met such a caring person!!!!

And i am even luckier; i got someone's old cell phone and.... i get a new camera for Mother's Day!!! A new one of my own choice!!!

So hopefully the thief does something useful with my money, make a sweet phonecall to someone who loves him, make a beautiful picture of the moon...
But sorry i blocked my bank card.
You can't have it all mr. thief.

equal

2007-05-09T21:34:00.000+02:00

If men and women are equal, then i want a turban too, she said.

Hey, who said they were not paying attention! That is the spirit!!!

raga jatha

2007-05-09T21:23:00.000+02:00

Of course the visitors wanted to try the tabla! It sounded more like an African drum or even mum's old kettle, but it was straight from the heart. They were taking it very serious!

While Granthi ji was singing kirtan, one of the boys started to sing along. The tune was okay, the words were something made up that sounded like punjabi-dutch? now that's better than some members of the sangat.... (like me).