http://youtube.com/v/gtcvhqg-sOM
on my mind
Category: Migrations
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the clouds' good friends
we had a fun lesson in kindergarten this week: cloud gazing!granted, we had to do the lesson indoors (with posters and flash cards) because it was raining, but it was still a lot of fun to see the kids’ eyes open up to a whole new world of fantasy!here are some snaps for you: -
rain-stain
memo to self: putting on and taking off the raincoat’s pants might be a schlep – but it will save you from looking like you peed yourself after 10mins of driving your scooter in the rain. it takes a lot to look cool and unfazed with a wet crotch in public… grace and dignity, my dear.
grace and dignity…
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good morning world!
it’s been a while, but I’ve caught up with life and all seems to be well and set. at least for the time being.
a brief summary:
• Ben was hit by a car last Wednesday – thankfully he only picked up some scrapes and muscle aches!
• Peter came back from Japan :0)
• I sleep better now *grin*
• PoPo is practically fully grown and more fun than ever (despite having taken to peeing on my lap every chance he gets).
• Peter brought his plasma tv from his parents’ place. (big, black and beautiful – must check Rambler’s blog.)
• we spent Sunday buying, bulding and setting up a multimedia pc to go with the tv – hdmi rocks!
• loads of cables still need to be tidied and hidden.
• Ben is on leave this week, so I’ll be working more classes (no overtime though).
• expected max for today: 30Celsius
• swetting? me? never! (perspiring profusely, yes.)catch you on the flip side!
PS. FJ: I’ll remember to measure my resting rate one if these mornings!
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Susan Boyle – I get it
i think if i had tv, i would be glued to the show “Britain’s Got Talent”
first they revealed the wondrous voice of Andrew Johnston, and now they uncover this fabulous voice! of course, judging the record by it’s cover, nobody expects much. but you should… oh you should: embedding is disabled – so click through to the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY is that Simon swooning? you bet your ass it is!
while you’re considering doing that, you can listen to her singing “cry me a river” on a charity recording made in 1999:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI2DxkrgpgQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&w=320&h=265]
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late, late, late
dunno why, but I’ve had trouble sleeping these last two days. meaning I oversleep… which sucks when you run on public transport.
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a walk in the park
there is nothing quite like a beautiful day in the park. having lived in a conservancy in SA (i.o.w. being surrounded by nature), i pretty much took parks for granted. here in Taiwan, though, parks are embraced for the jewels they are. everybody comes out to play with the kids and each other, fly their (many, gorgeous) kites, walk the dogs and just have a gorgeous time in nature. it really is a magical experience – one that i should indulge in more often.i am fortunate enough to live right next to an amazing park – the one surrounding the Kaohsiung Museum of Modern Art :0) and today i too strolled through it’s loveliness on my way to take in the Andy Warhol “Pope of Pop” exhibition.
it was fantastic! i thank my patient parents’ indulgence of my forays into art studies at Pretoria University (where i perfected vacillating into an expensive 3-year play-date) for the background necessary to enjoy the comedy of Warhol’s genius. seeing his works up close was brilliant! i think some of my fellow exhibition-goers might’ve been concerned about my sanity, though. not only do i look funny (super big & tall, fair fur covering my exposed flesh) – but i also frequently chuckled and giggled for no apparent reason. (is the Campbell’s Soup box with Warhol’s signature on funny? crazy foreigner…)after wandering through the other exhibits, i decided to take a different route home. the main route *lol*and boy was it fun! all the vendors and local artists peddling their wares, wonderful and weird locals cycling, skating, strolling around and taking many, many photographs. i regretted not taking my camera earlier (i was going into the museum, after all). Kaohsiung City government really did an excellent job with the grounds – and the little café-setup within strolling distance from everything has turned into an oasis of flavors and vibes.i did snap this with my phone. it’s in Engrish, but in that moment it didn’t matter:
i wish Peter could’ve joined me – but i’m sure Tokyo is a blast! -
the IDAHO Challenge
http://youtube.com/v/Xmjk7ma6nPk
odd… i typed up a whole supporting post to accompany this video when I sent it from YouTube… wonder where it went?
anyway, what i wanted to focus on was: why? why should anyone participate in these projects? well, there’s a nicely formatted answer on gays.com’s IDAHO page, for starters.
my main sentiment is an echo of that offered by Harvey Milk in his Hope Speech. too many people all over the world have to live in the shadows for fear of persecution. conversely (or perversely, rather) too many people all over the world believe that homophobia is a God-given virtue. the first group fear their hearts – the second group hardly recognize the role of the heart in this matter.
both groups NEED to realize that LGBTIQ people are normal human beings – and that they probably know, love and respect at least one of us. i firmly believe that each face in the light touches scores of faces in shadow. i believe that coming out and living openly is the best way to give hope to the oppressed – as well as shining light into the hearts of those who would vilify us. and like Harvey Milk:
“I use the word “I” because I’m proud. I stand here tonight in front of my gay sisters, brothers and friends because I’m proud of you.” (along with my heterosexual family and friends who walk with me in light and love – i am proud of you too!)
so why do i want to participate in public representations of gay pride?
because we have to give them hope.
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bristling
… that about sums up my mood yesterday. bristling – like a big brown bear with a headache. who knew that my sugar free diet of green and oolong teas was also feeding an addiction to caffeine? bugger!
to all those who got a less-than-friendly snarl yesterday, my apologies and a warning: caffeine withdrawal symptoms don’t disappear over night. so although I am aware that I’m unneccesarily snappy – please take note that I feel worse today. I might very well bite.
this has been a public safety anouncement. now get busy.
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tea free boi!
it ain’t east being green (ribbit), erm, I mean bipolar. not that I want to go off about any Beeper symptoms today. nay, today’s far more vanilla than that. today’s lamentation concerns my diet…
I’m not allowed tea anymore.
*sob*no teas, coffees or chocolates! most soda’s are no-go too… baddies include caffeine, sugar, aspartemine (and a bunch of other “ines”) and most chemical additives that make snacking an extreme sport these days.
*sigh*
is there a dietician out there who can give me a list of what I can have in stead of what I can’t?
I’m on a maintenance regime of Depakine and Cipram, overweight (still) with a family history of cancer and heart disease. Blood type: A-, balding 30-something, Caucasian wearing a size 10 (44 or 45). me no drink or smoke no more – long time.
cheers
