Oxymoron In The Tropics

 Well, I had been complaining about the blatant scamming going on in Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram... even Google... and saying why doesn't the government do something? Well, it did. And oh what a rumpus it's causing now. But well, the platforms should have done something about the scammers going wild in their spaces. I have personal experience dealing with scammers in multiple Facebook groups and literally reduced to locking up the groups and scrutinising each member. The insane thing is some scammers got in by hacking members' personal accounts. Not only do group admins have to guard the door, they have to check over their people already inside. Multiple times over.  The worst is the platform didn't care when I made multiple reports of scammers. I got a cookie cutter reply about how they didn't find anything violating their community standards. They did restrict me for making posts warning about scams. Hence my mixed response of relief and dismay.  So le...

 I am not a musician... the highest claim I have to being able to play is possibly assistant cheerleader and key-presser for my son when he had his music classes once upon a time.  The young man is a six footer now and hasn't needed any keys pressed for him for quite a while now, so that already says much about my musician skills.  However I totally adore music.  Especially music that is multi-layered, spins stories in my head and weaves magic around my ears.  So you can imagine how I feel about a lot of mainstream music nowadays. Thankfully I came across this prodigy who has restored my faith in young musicians.  The most exemplary Dimash Qudaibergen.

 When I mention 'the other side', I am talking about the stroll down the hill towards retirement.  I am no longer in the prime of my career ... if there is such a thing.  I am freaking out my colleagues by doing stuff like digging out old boxes and tossing files and telling them I am preparing for retirement.  But I am also doing stuff like learning new teaching and learning techniques and I might even set up a YouTube channel.  After all, I am looking ahead to a new phase of life where I have more say in what I do with my daily hours.  I cannot fathom going through a day where I don't learn something new or create something that wasn't there before. Post pandemic years feel weird.  Especially when I am now in the group preparing for retirement. Priorities went upside-down, new habits were formed, perspectives changed irrevocably... and I feel that I am having to adapt to an existence that might look the same as it used to but is vastly different in un...