aisyalam

Woke up a bit before five a.m. and got up with Aleatory. In the darkness we played on the couch with her stuffed rhino and giraffe. At about 5:30 I put her on the floor so I could check my email, and there appeared a message from my department’s chair (Bob Lynch) saying that I have been recommended for tenure by NJIT’s committee that determines such things. Since I’ve been working on this objective for a long, long time, the news came as a great relief, and brought not a little joy into the pre-dawn apartment. Even though I worked my tail off for the past few years, and seem to have accomplished a lot, I was still worried that it might not happen (because you never know until you know). Anyhow, the beginning of a good day. After a little family celebration (that included a phone call from my parents), morning rituals as usual: zazen, Stella to the bus, run, whirlpool, University…

But instead of working in my office I spent the morning in the office of Forest Lim, who had invited me to come have tea with her. When I arrived, she was there with Lydia, and Koo, who is also on the FCM faculty. They’d set up a big (empty) computer box as a table, had 4 cushions placed around it, and we spent the next 90 minutes sitting on the floor getting acquainted over cups of tea, mee hoon (a noodle dish with sprouts), and little (asian) swiss cakes. Forest has spent a good bit of time in the US, in the Bay Area (where she studied at CCAC), and she got her MFA at Yale (under the tutelage of Janet Zweig). The books she made at Yale were absolutely tremendous! She’s a print and paper maker who combines traditional and digital techniques; I was stunned by the beauty of her work. She showed me a book that she made in California called “Winter and Tea,” an extraordinary artifact that was a foot high and completely made of handmade paper. It begins with poems printed on velum, attached to the handmade paper pages; underneath the velum is an image. Later, the pages become boxes filled with remnants of rituals, organic materials, and tea. A four inch box (actually a drawer) at the bottom contains a miniature tea set! Wow! This was one of the most special, compelling meetings I have ever experienced on any university campus.

Afterwards, off to the library to pick up a couple of books on java to start prepping for the next phase, then took the fast train to KL to get some contact lenses. I’ve been wearing glasses (nearsighted) for nearly ten years but have never had contacts. It took nearly an hour for me to get the process of putting them into my eyes down, which included a bit of stinging and frustration, but finally figured it out. Big rain, home to family, Indian dinner at our favorite local café, then packing some bags, and a toast (Guiness) with Amy. I might not be posting for awhile, as we’re off to spend a week on the South China Sea early tomorrow, but again soon, for sure.