The Shirt

As promised, The Shirt was ready on Friday. It's based upon Medieval colorcombinations (left side has a different color then the right side) with a twist: the sleeves are unicolor, and the black background of the front side is stronger represented on the back side. The collar follows the color of the bodypart.
The decorations are only situated on the parts with a black background.
All in all a lovely shirt, and obviously an eye-catcher!

Now I'm curious how long it will last: since the colors are from natural substances, the shirt needs to be washed with a non-aggressive soap, and it should stay out of bright sunlight, otherwise the colors will fade away in time. I'm not too worried about it: I'm planning to wear it as much as possible, though not in the heat of the day :-) (and be assured, Yogya can be very hot in the middle of the day! It hasn't rained here for many days already, and we clearly see - and feel - the temperatures climbing up each day!). No need to say we love it !

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the desire of being pictured

One of the things that strikes me in Indonesia so far, is the desire of boys and men to be photographed. It really is incredible, when I show my camera and start taking pictures, everybody wants to model :-)

Like here in a chinese temple, some boys were re-painting the pillars, and I took a shot at one of them. The others ventured their highest creativity to attract my attention so that I would picture them too. Even an old man who was sitting there made it clear to me that I should not forget to portrait him. It's a photographers paradise here!

Speaking about paradise, I told one of the poolboys that Indonesia is a tourist paradise, and he reminded me that life for ordinary people here is not easy at all. Nevertheless, they don't loose their smile. Brave folks.

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batik

Yogya is one of the cultural capitals of Indonesia. No wonder the art of batik is so developped here. HL & E have spent half a day in dwelling the countless batik shops in Yogya, and they presented me the top 3 of their findings. What a luxury for me, to only visit the best.

The lady in this picture knows her stuff. I ordered a shirt, and she immediately understood what my idea was. At least I got that impression. As soon as the shirt is finished, I'll keep you posted!

That being said, batik here is obviously big bussiness. My friend R. in Semarang told me that his native village (2 hours from Semarang) is also famous for its batik, though not on the commercial touristic route. I'm very tempted to check that out, next time.

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Fences

Isn't it remarquable that we all build fences around us? We try to shield us from others, from those we consider the unwanted outside world. We park our car in a fenced location, so that the so-called "drop-outs" cannot reach it. We hide our emotions and feelings, afraid that they would show our vulnerability. We fence who we are.

And I plead guilty here ... I do the same in my country. It has to do with citylife and modern society, because where I grew up (a rural village), there were no fences, everybody was who they were, and they were accepted. Doors were open day and night, and nobody felt the need to hide himself.

And when I'm travelling, I return to my childhood and my fences drop. No doubt because we travel in a well-protected environment, where fences are not a necessity. Nevertheless, the feeling of liberation is undescribable. When we travel, I feel my potential unleashed, the stream of energy is unbelievable, and the feeling of wellbeing is a blessing. One could rightfully say that I'm a different person when travelling.

Do you feel the same, when away from daily routine? How can we preserve this most valuable feeling, and ban the negativity of routine out of our lives?

Do share me your insight!

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Boro-Budur (the Buddha near Boro)

A remarquable place, this 8th century Buddist temple near Boro (1 hour drive from Yogyakarta). A huge complex, and not one gram of cement was used: all the stones fit perfectly into each other and interconnect with each other, which in itself is a wonder.
If only the human world could achieve the same perfection ....

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Violent Education

Strange thing when we talk with our friends here ... all of them where beaten up by their parents when they were young. And I'm not talking about simple disciplining, but really beating.

Due to our travel plans, I have no time to do a research on this topic, but it surely is fascinating: how violent is the invisible layer of the culture here?

And for my other friends: what were your experiences, where you beaten up when you were young? Was it considered to be a normal thing? And why?

Too many questions for today :-)

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eyeing towards the future

We are only a few days here, so I am in no way able to form an opinion on the country and its future. From what I've seen and heard, I think that the country is looking to the future with a legitime confidence, although not without setbacks, mainly because of corruption. There is a lot of wealth, but it doesn't always go where it should be going.

That being said, I admire most of the people I've met. Their "joie de vivre" is their greatest strenght. I admire them for that.

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2 models for the price of 1

Funny thing in the square in front of the "stadhuis" in Jakarta, Indonesia. There was a photoshoot going on, a female model with high heels, and fancy clothes, was performing her actions (beautiful ruined art deco buildings in the background) and suddenly one of the streetkids thought that she had the same capabilities and joined her in the modelling, disturbing all the carefully staged settings. Life is chaos, and streetkids will remind you of that in case you forgot!

It was quite lovely though to see the modellist gently remove the streetkid. No harsh words, no brutal pushing, just gently persuading to stay out. Unfortunately she came back, time after time. She wanted to be in the picture!

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The Thumb

Funny thing in the "Stadhuis" in Jakarta, Indonesia: amongst the many canons that are standing there, this one has "the thumb". According to our guide there, it's a fertility icon (females who can't get pregnant have to push their private parts to the thumb, and males who cannot produce a kid perform the same ritual), although for me the real original meaning indicates something that is centuries old: I'll f*ck u :-) which, in the way of a canon, includes a lot of balls :-)

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obesitasia

There's one thing that puzzles me. Howcome there are no obese people in Malaysia? They enjoy food soooooooooo much, and the restaurants that our friends brought us today indeed served the most yummy food. One could suppose that this should lead to US obesitas situations, but it doesn't! They eat like crazy (and yummy) yet they manage to stay slim !!! How do they do it? Is there obesitas in asia? And if not, why?

There are still many unsolved questions in this world :-)

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the joy of puddles

THREE LITTLE DUCKS!

Three little ducks go into a Bar......




"Say, what's your name?" the bartender asked the first duck.
"Huey," was the reply.
"How's your day been, Huey?"
"Great. Lovely day.. Had a ball. Been in and out of puddles all day. What else could a duck want?" said Huey.

"Oh. That's nice," said the bartender. He turned to the second duck, "Hi, and what's your name?"
"Dewey," came the answer from duck number two.
"So how's your day been, Dewey! ?" he asked.
"Great. Lovely day. I've had a ball too. Been in and out of puddles all day myself. What else could a duck want?"

The bartender turned to the third duck and said, "So, you must be Louie?"

"No," he said, batting his eyelashes.

"My name is Puddles."

a new look at Malays

Strolling in the Pavilion shopping mall (to my knowledge funded by Q8 money, correct me when I'm wrong), I couldn't help but notice that almost all of the male sales persons were wearing nametags that referred to Muslim names (Mohamed, Kamarul, Saiful, ....). Which is fine by me, I don't have any prejudice against religion, the question is not which religion one belongs to, the question is what one is doing with his religion. Furthermore, I couldn't help but notice that most of the sales persons were gay, without doubt, they are happy to express their feminine side, although male. Which brought me to the conclusion that the staff in the mall is mostly Muslim and gay, and clearly open about it.

I must admit, I never looked upon Malay guys this way. This is an eye-opener for me. Are these guys really so confident about their racial (and therefor religious) background and their sexuality, or is this only allowed within the limited boundaries of the shopping mall?

Maybe I should ask them this question personally, next time I'll go shopping. I wonder if I'll get a clear answer.

Meanwhile, I stay pleasantly surprised! There is more in Malaysia then one can imagine!

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golden movies

One needs to be humble. I try to be. At the same time, I'm tempted by so many temptations, that it's hard to resist.

For instance: we decided to go for a movie tonight. We had the choice: join the masses, and pay 13 RM to sit in an overcrowded movie theatre, or pay 50 RM, and enjoy the luxury of a private lounge, bathroom, limited audience, comfy chairs (180° flat, if you like), button to press if you like refreshment, and so on and so forth.

We remembered Oscar Wilde ("I can resist anything but temptation") and decided to go for the gold class. 

It's highly recommendable. No need to say more :-)

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stitching

you know what stitching means: a needle goes into an opening, comes out again, goes in again, and so on and so forth :-) (don't get horny LOL).

Here is another fine example of 4 pictures, stitched together into one. You see HL swimming in the pool, and the full facade of the hotel the pool belongs to. Impossible to create this view without stitching!

BTW, the pool is extremely fresh in the morning, hence the wetsuit, HL is wearing :-)

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wet feet (and whatever there can be wet)

No photoshoot of KL can be complete without a picture of the twin towers! The endless money of the state oil company Petronas was poored into concrete and stainless steel, to build the (at that time) highest building in the world. Meanwhile it's a dwarf, compared to the newest highest  :-)

Most tourist visit the twin towers, and take pictures from its basement. Impressive, no doubt, but I wanted another view. I knew from the maps that there is a park nearby, with lots of water, and that's where I went. Strolling around in the cool summer of Malaysia (still 30°C), I discovered a touristfree spot, where the Malay were predominant, and their kids were cooling off in the splashing water. I focused on one boy, so clearly enjoying himself in the shallow coolness, you'll find the pix on the picasaweb. After the waterfun, he went to his mother, who was maximum overdressed, headscarf and tutti quanti, and while she was drying him carefully, he looked at me taking pictures and he enjoyed it :-)

About the picture of the twin towers on top: it took me no less then 4 pictures to get the whole image, fortunately I have this lovely stitching program that seams them together flawlessly :-)

I also feel the hunger to visit the less glorious parts of the city. Maybe one day I'll do it, provided I find a guide. For the moment, I've been told clearly to stay away there.

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the world in one city

it's actually quite amazing ... KL being the worst performer of all Asian tigers, yet that city offers anything your heart might desire. In all aspects of life.

When it comes to food, we can blindly follow KaiLee, a friend of HL, she knows all the good spots to taste marvelous food from all the corners of the world. Did I say amazing? It really is !!!

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jingle bells & co

"Pavillion" is a huge shopping mall in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Here you find the true commercial christmas spirit: jingle bells and other christmas music 24/7, the most spectacular christmas decorations, and all the customers love it ! What is quite interesting, and new for me, compared to last christmas visits here, is that the young malay (muslim) obviously like it too !!! They flock at the mall, still clearly adapting to this joyful feeling, and mostly in groups. They have a fancy hairdress, are wearing flashy sunglasses, but they don't buy, they just gather there, much to the irritation of the security guards :-)

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it's your energy !!!

music in the park

Sigh ... I woke up this morning at 6 am and I worked till 7 pm, no break ... very tired now !!! How I wish I were like this guy in the park, quietly and peacefully making music in the greenery, sitting under the sun !!!

Well, just to tell you that all is well here, I'm just glad that the working day is over :-) 

How was your day?

huggies,

PB

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the gaydar

I was browsing the Creative Commons page and found this cute picture of a gay pride in UK.

Normally I'm not into muscles, but this one is attractive :-)

How good is your gaydar?

huggies,

PB

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more about pee-pee !!!

In the renovated house, we wanted a urinoir! Too bad we didn't found one of these in the shop, otherwise we would seriously have considered buying one of them !!!!

Pee Bee

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and now something completely different :-)

Since P. in Thailand wanted me to read a book on digital photography, I started studying it.

Lovely book, it really explains the details on the stuff.

Now I'm at a chapter that deals with the program of Adobe Photolabs, "Lightroom".

Quite technical information, so I needed the program to assist me through the reading.

Fortunately, now the "lightroom" program is free downloadable in its beta version 3.

See http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?e=labs%5Flightroom3

I'm installing it now, and I'll tell you my discoveries lateron!

Meanwhile on top you see a "panoramic" picture of the golf course of Campo Real, Portugal! I love that picture, it emphasises on the glowings and curvings of the golf course. It's maybe a bit overdone, but after Freddy Mercury, who cares hehe?

huggies,

PB

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and back to basics

we're back from Portugal :-) the fresh weather in Belgium immediately brought us back to our senses :-)

My new experiences with the panoramic function on the camera were fascinating! I didn't post all the failures hehe! Only the good ones :-) But this little program is doing wonders, I love it!

If you like to see the "home-cinema" movies of HL's hotel presentation, surf to 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeMkTts4X-E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa1kCZABysU

And now back to work !!!! busy week ahead :-)

huggies,

PB

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you like to see my PeePee?

hahaha, PP = Portugal Pix :-)

http://picasaweb.google.com/howchieng

Let me know if you like them :-)

PB

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close is powerful

Van 0908-09-Thailand

you remember that I was writing in my blog about my digital camera? I'm so happy with it !!!

One of the great things about this little camera is the excellent huge size of the pictures ... it means that -- after taking a snapshot -- I can still zoom in on the picture and only get a close look. That makes the picture much more powerful!

Here you see a picture of "ball", a young guy that was sitting next to me on a bus in thailand. The original picture is much bigger, and shows all his hair, and his arms & chest.

By zooming in to only his face, the picture becomes much more interesting! And there's no quality loss :-)

The next thing I have to try out is how to make panoramic photos .... that's something for next week!

Stay tuned :-)

PB

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the young and the future

Van 0909-Thailand-ErawanMuseum

tonight, I chatted with a couple of young guys (long live internet!), and I'm astonished with the amount of courage youngsters look at their future, even when they know it will be difficult.

First there's the pinoy, he lives in a very poor area (sqatters) and he obviously has little money. Nevertheless he managed to scrape together enough funds to start university (although he's clearly in constant need of money).

Does he loose hope? Nope, he keeps going on, and he's determined to reach his goal. I'm very much looking forward to meeting him in real life, one day!

Then there is a gay boy from iran, who desperately tries to run away from his country (gays are killed over there) to his Dutch 'daddy', both of them have spent an incredible amount of money and energy, and they still have no result.

Does that make him desperate? Not at all, they keep on going till they reach their goal.

Young humans are so strong, determined, energetic, and so much looking for the future, it's heartwarming to witness!

PB

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snapshotassociations

Van 0909-Thailand-Ayutthaia

Lovely picture, isn't it? The boy was strolling around in Ayutthaya, with a group of youngsters, and protecting himself from the sun with an umbrella. He took snapshots with his mobile.

This is exactly what this blog is for me, at the moment! I'm in a protected environment, and I write snapshots of my life, or associations with the things I see, do, hear, smell, taste, feel .... All those little pieces of the puzzle, day by day, that is me :-)

I'm still discovering myself!

PB

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paperwork !!!

Van 0909-Thailand-Ayutthaia

Just like the monk in this picture (who's collecting papers), I'm totally into paperwork for the last days !!!! Writing a court paper and my head is exploding hehe!

I hope to finish it by this weekend, it's really killing me .... so many thoughts that have to be pressed into one paper .... and I'm sure the judges will complain that it's too much ... although I try to limit myself to 100 pages :-)

When my head really explodes, I'll try to make a picture of myself and post it here !!!!!!!! BOOOOOM :-)

PB

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yes yes back to english :-)

Van 0908-09-Thailand

isn't this a great picture? It was taken in the Sheraton Hua Hin, Thailand, you know one of those huge funfactories where tourist are spoiled and this one has the biggest swimming pool imaginable (well, maybe there are bigger ones, but this one is really HUGE) and look at the two female tourists ... what do they use the pool for? Too busy to interrupt their reading, they just walk in the water with a book, sunglasses and a hat and continue reading hahaha!!! It must have been a thrilling book that absorbed them completely :-)

Talking about female tourists ... in that same hotel were some female specimens who decided to do topless sunbathing, yes yes you get the picture, they had huge milkfactories spread open for the public to admire. In my case, there was no admiration, just curiosity ... where those boobs real or was there a possibility that the boobjob would start melting under the hot sun? I took a closer look at those mellons, but my curiosity was not appreciated by the owner hehe ! So I still don't know till today if it was pure nature or a stuffed turkey :-)

टेस्ट

Van 0908-09-Thailand

and here I am again :-) I still have to figure out how to get the heading back into English hehe, since everything I type there (in English) gets automatically transformed into Hindi (I think). Weird weird weird!!!

Meanwhile you will have viewed the pictures on http://picasaweb.google.com/paulbavo2009 .... thailand was amazing again, and we met so many wonderful friends there, I never could have imagined that.

Work in the office is also almost back to normal, so I can pick up the blog where I left it.

Stay tuned!

huggies,
PB

new challenges !

ha, I'm sure you thought I disappeared into thin air :-)

not true! Here I am !!! I'm challenged by a number of things these days:

1. working with Lightroom by Adobe.

A wonderful program (to be downloaded for free because it's in beta testing) ... it really gives you more insight on how a digital photo can be mastered in so many directions! Fascinating !

2. Google Sites

Another challenge! Google is really incredible when it comes to intuitive programming: the programming is so clever that with a minimum of efforts, you can build a website that looks quite amazing !!! 

3. Christian charity

HowLan and me had a discussion last night ... the discussion started about money, and what would happen if I pass away. This also is a challenge for me, because his reasoning and my reasoning are not alike when it comes to money and the combination of that with my desire to spread the joy to friends (you could call it also: christian charity, although that leads us to a total new discussion hehe!)

I gave a number of friends in the far-away and recent past a helping hand, financially, for their studies, exclusively doc and postdoc. HowLan had no problems with that.

On the next trip, I want to go one step further. I have some cyberfriends in the Phils, who are gay and unfortunately not wealthy. They want to study but they don't have the funding. 

What should I do? There is not one moment of hesitation in my heart that I should help them. I discussed it with Apsie, and he confirmed that it's a common pratice in the Phils that a benefactor is paying the university bills directly to the university for certain individuals. 

I can do that.

But I don't want to do it without the consent of my partner. I know it's money that I earned with lots of problems and energy and heartpain, but I don't care, I enjoy earning money and using that income for others to benefit from it.

Well, the discussion with my partner didn't go too well. He's not really in favour of financially helping Pinoys. I cannot blame him, given the fact that we had some bad experiences in the past, not to mention Joel. But nevertheless. Isn't it written in the Bible that God would spare a whole city if only there was only one good-hearted-person?

Fortunately, this morning, my partner told me that he has full confidence in me, when it comes to money and how to spend it, even when it concerns giving a helping hand to the studies of my pinoy friends.

However, I still want to continue our discussion with him, how he sees christian charity applied in his personal life.

Room for more blogs, I suppose!

Now I stop rambling, and go to sleep !!! nitey nitey :-)

PB

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about apsie & marieke

Van 0907-Bucharest-July2009

hoi hoi here I am again for the second time today :-)

I'm not going to post a full list of my reliable friends here :-) that would be troublesome hehe! 

But I want you to know that Apsie & Marieke are, without doubt, also in the list of reliable friends. Just in case they might read the blog and wonder what my thoughts about them are :-)

counting hugs,

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About Quinten

Van 0907-Bucharest-July2009

Today, Quinten showed that he's a real true friend, he answered my request to come and advise me (about the roof of the renovated house) and was there when I needed him.

Thank you, Quinten :-) you're a gem :-) 

Shouldn't we all, from time to time, review our list of friends, and keep it updated? If only in our mind? I'm still counting :-) 

I have 2 hands, and both of them contain 5 fingers. Will I reach the number of 10 confirmed reliable friends?

Stay tuned :-)

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DIOR !!!! friendship vs. networking, and my retreat from FB

Van 0907-Bucharest-July2009

Dior! A powerful brand in fashion industry. Tonight, we watched a documentary about the guy, and about how much he valued friendship, and what friendship ment to him and his friends.

It was touching. Obviously, Christian Dior wouldn't have been alive without his friends: he was seriously ill when young, and his friends raised money to get him healed, even though they were in need of money themselves. Heartwarming.

I'm afraid this kind of friendship is dead. It no longer exists but in my heart. For me, I prefer to die if I can make my friend live. Friendship is for me of the highest importance. Which also means I have little real friends, of course, only the really connected ones are in the circle of my heart. 

But nowadays (I know I might sound like an old fool) friendship is replaced by networking. Sharing the ups and downs of chainpersons in your network. Giving and taking and hoping to benefit. 

With all due respect, this is not the kind of friendship that is in my heart. Facebook is the best example of this social networking. As a test, I was connected to it for a month or so, to see how it goes. It was really disappointing, a total waste of time, with only few exceptions. I left it, of course ... and no doubt my subscription will live forever?

Meanwhile, I count my blessings ... my partner HL, my (few) real friends, and I gently but firmly decided to stop adding new internetfriends, as a general rule, with only few exceptions. I eagerly joined internet in its first years, nowadays I try to shelter myself from it, to a certain extend.

How are you feeling about this topic? What is your idea about friendship and networking and socialising in the facebook-manner? Let me know :-)

huggies,

PAULBAVO

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being and feeling and acting free is sometimes ... a heap of trouble!

http://www.stevesullivan.co.uk/clips/heaptrouble.mov

Watch it! you'll love this short clip :-)

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overall impressions of Bucharest

Van 0907-Bucharest-July2009

So, the Bucharest Experience is behind us, we are safe & sound back in Belgium. What are our overall experiences?

First of all, it still is a very poor country. We have read in the newspapers that people don't get paid anymore due to the global crisis, and the population starts throwing eggs and other projectiles to their politicians. They mean business. They are a proud folk, and they still dress up as nice as they can, but if you look closer, the dresses are inappropriate, too old, or too big, or too black for the heat of the summer. The people keeps its head up high, but social unrest is clearly boiling under the surface.

Second, the actual generation still lives in the past, where the state was supposed to do everything for them. Slowly slowly it is improving, and you see individuals pop up, who take initiative, but there's still a long way - and many more generations - to go, I'm afraid.

Third, it's a lovely country, if you can live with the inconveniences. The hotel we stayed in was absolutely acceptable: reasonable prices because not in the centre of the city (in the citycentre, prices reach Western European levels without the adequate service), good food, acceptable service (if you can live with the initial coldness of the staff, fortunately that warms up if they get to know you a little bit better). The pool was absolutely lovely. Our complaints were quickly dealt with. Public transport is abundant, although you won't always find a seat. Lots and lots of things to see. And very remarquable, almost no gypsies during this trip, they must hide them somewhere hehehe!

So, you might see us back there :-) We can live with the inconveniences, and we appreciate the bonuses :-) HL didn't exchange our remaining money, he clearly plans to go back there :-)

Just a short memo ... one of the guys told us that the dead still get a coin on their tongue, to pay for the ferry to the here-after ... woohoo!!!! The Myth of the Styx lives forever :-)

And while it was so hot & dry during our stay in Bucharest, when we returned to Belgium and Gent, we were welcomed by a cooling drizzle :-) Welcome back to Belgium, rain land by excellence, naturally airconned country  :-)

wet hugs,

PB

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The Nutcracker (no porn)

Van 0907-Bucharest-July2009

whoops, it was so funny when I received that email about The Nutcracker (a ballet with music by Tsjaikovski) and the sender was so afraid of hatemail that he had to mention explicitely that it was not pornographic :) we live in weird times :-)

And weird times we had today too! We wanted to visit Palatul Parlamentului (Parliament Palace, also commonly known as Casa Poporului). Up we went, first a bus then the underground, then a nice stroll, and we were standing in front of this huge monumental building. Huge is an understatement, really, it's incredibly big.

It was built during the darkest days of the Ceausescu regime. Standing 84 m. above ground level on 12 floors, the building housed all the dark and torturous organs of the communist state. 

My tourist guide (http://bucharest.inyourpocket.com) told me that the entrance for the public tour was at the left hand of the building, if you're looking at it front-on. Left we went. Entrance after entrance was not open for the public, the guards told us that we needed the right hand side. So we walked all around the compound (an hour stroll, I guess) to reach the correct entrance. In we went.

- Hi, we would like to visit the palace, can we buy tickets here?

- The ticket bureau is over there.

- Yes we noticed, but it's closed, there's no-one inside (friendly smile) :-)

- Wait, my colleague will arrive in a minute.

We waited patiently. Half an hour later a lady announced that the English tour was going to commence.

- Hello, we would like to buy tickets and join the English tour but the ticket bureau is still closed.

- Wait, my colleague will arrive in a minute.

- Yes you told us that half an hour ago.

- Do you have reservations?

- No, would we be waiting here otherwise?

- You'll have to wait.

- OK, I guess we'll miss this tour, when will be the next tour?

- You'll have to ask my colleague in the ticket bureau.

- The one that will arrive in a minute?

- Yes.

Convinced by the discouraging effect of such a customer-unfriendly burocracy, though feeling a bit nut-cracked, we quickly decided to cancel the tour, and spend our money on shopping :-) We had a wonderful time in the free commercial world where customers are treated like valued guests :-) 

Nutcracking hugs,

PB

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Saint Nicholas Student's Church

Van 0907-Bucharest-July2009

or, in the local language, Sfantul Nicolae Biserica Studentilor is the most gorgeous church in Bucharest. It's built in 1905-1909 with a 600.000,00 gold rouble donation from Tsar Alexander II, and it's topped with 7 typical onion domes and crowned with an orthodox cross. The wooden, gold-gilded iconostasis is allegedly a copy of the altar in Arhangelsk Cathedral, in Moscow's Kremlin !

And for the rest we strolled in the old city centre ... lovely. Many beautiful things and persons ... see the pix :-)

huggies,

PB

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Bucharest .... jumping to a new millenium?

Van 0907-Bucharest-July2009

hello! you find us in Bucharest, Romania now. A strange mixture of Middle Ages and Modern Times. Young boys still slep wood inside the house to survive the cold of winter. Meanwhile, the most posh cars terrorise the streets, and we have internet in the room :-)

We like Bucharest very much, because it shows us both our roots and the present, at the same time, in the same glimpse. 

It's incredibly hot here, the real blast of Continental Summer, 37°C in the shadow, and we walk for miles and miles. No need to say that we drink liters and liters of the famous Romanian bottled water, very yummy, excellent stuff and quite affordable.

We stroll street in, street out, following a flexible plan. We don't hunt for the touristic destinations, described in the books, we want to explore the city as it is. 

And after a day of enless walking, we return to our safe heaven, the hotel, where the pool waits for us and offers our aching muscles a lovely relaxation, and the complimentary snacks & drinks (only complimentary after making some comments about the amount of luxury a club level should offer) refreshen our palet and stomach.

The pictures speak for itself ... follow the link above !!

huggies,

PB

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constructive day!

Van Bangkok-April2009

today was extremely constructive!

I repaired the terrace floor in the garden, and in order to do that we had to drive first to Makro so that I could buy the tools. 

The work made a lot of noise and dust, but nobody complained, so I was able to finish it all, and even mowe the lawn! 

It made me realise that I really love to do construction work, it pleases me very much. If it were better paid, I'd close my law firm and start a construction business !!!

Are you good in working with your hands too?

huggies,

PB

.

Chennai Rainbow Coalition welcomes Delhi High Court Verdict on Section 377 of IPC

Van Budapest[Hungary]-May2009

Chennai Rainbow Coalition welcomes Delhi High Court Verdict on Section 377 of IPC

Contacts: Aniruddhan, The Shakti Center (98840-17695), Sunil Menon, Sahodaran (93810-16129)


Chennai Rainbow Coalition welcomes the Delhi High Court ruling of July 2, 2009, that decriminalizes consensual same-sex behavior among adults. The judgement, long awaited, lends new hope to millions of homosexual, bisexual and transgender Indians who have had to bear the unjust burden of criminality imposed by an obsolete colonial law.

Though a High Court verdict, it is an important precedent that has nation-wide implications for equality, non-discrimination, dignity and inclusiveness for all in society, as envisioned by Jawaharlal Nehru.

The Coalition urges the progressive Tamil Nadu government to take the lead in initiating similar measures in the state.

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will you get all answers correct??????

Van Venice-June2009

A Madam Teacher was having trouble with one of her students in 1st Grade class. Madam asked,'Boy. what is your problem?'

Boy answered, 'I'm too smart for the first-grade. My sister is in the third-grade and I'm smarter than she is! I think I should be in the 4th Grade!'

Madam had enough. She took the Boy to the principal's office. While the Boy waited in the outer office, madam explained to the principal what the situation was. The principal told Madam he would give the boy a test and if he failed to answer any of his questions he was to go back to the first-grade and behave. She agreed.

The Boy was brought in and the conditions were explained to him and he agreed to take the test.

Principal: 'What is 3 x 3?'
Boy.: '9'.


Principal: 'What is 6 x 6?'
Boy.: '36'.


And so it went with every question the principal thought a 4th grade should know. The principal looks at Madam and tells her, 'I think Boy can go to the 4th grade.'

Madam says to the principal, 'I have some of my own questions. 
Can I ask him ?' The principal and Boy both agreed.


Madam asks, 'What does a cow have four of that I have only two of'?

Boy, after a moment 'Legs.'


Madam: 'What is in your pants that you have but I do not have?'

Boy.: 'Pockets.'



Madam: What starts with a C and ends with a T, is hairy, oval, delicious and contains thin whitish liquid?

Boy.: Coconut


Madam: What goes in hard and pink then comes out soft And sticky?

The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer, Boy was taking charge.

Boy.: Bubblegum


Madam: What does a man do standing up, a woman does sitting down and a dog does on three legs?

The principal's eyes open really wide and before he could stop the answer..

Boy.: Shake hands



Madam: You stick your pole inside me. You tie me down to get me up. I get wet before you do.

Boy.: Tent



Madam: A finger goes in me. You fiddle with me when you're bored. The best man always has me first.

The Principal was looking restless, a bit tense and took one large Patiala Vodka peg.

Boy.: Wedding Ring

Madam: I come in many sizes. When I'm not well, I drip. When you blow me, you feel good.

Boy.: Nose



Madam: I have a stiff shaft. My tip penetrates. I come with a quiver.

Boy.: Arrow

Madam: What word starts with a 'F' and ends in 'K' that means lot of heat and excitement?

Boy.: Fire truck

Madam: What word starts with a 'F' and ends in 'K' & if u don't get it, u have to use ur hand.

Boy.: Fork

Madam: What is it that all men have one of it's longer on some men than on others, the pope doesn't use his and a man gives it to his wife after they're married?

Boy.: SURNAME.

Madam: What part of the man has no bone but has muscles, has lots of veins, like pumping, & is responsible for making love ?

Boy.: HEART.

The principal breathed a sigh of relief and said to the teacher,

'Send this Boy to the University !!!! 

I got the last ten questions wrong myself!'

back from Venezia !!!!!!

Venice-June2009

sigh .... it's good to be back home :-) we had a great time in Venezia, (click on my mask to) see the pix !!!

But as always ... home sweet home hehe! We always are happy to travel and happy to be back :-)

Did you miss us while we were away? (grin grin)

huggies,

PB

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goodbye arabia ... the Iran disaster closes all doors 4 me ...

Here is a relic from the time that arabia ment: joy and fun and sweetness .... now, with the disaster unfolding in iran, it's clear that there is no happiness in that region anymore, and I closed all doors. Nowadays, I get allergic to arab and persians and their political and religious system. I'm very sorry for my friends there .... I know they suffer from it too.

gratitude vs. ambition

Van fwfreshmenpicstheklineshcolarsinthepool

I've read somewhere: "The first step is being grateful for all you have. It is a very healthy and positive way to keep you motivated. Take time out of each day to think about five things you are grateful for. This is a time for you to reflect on the day in a positive light."

Those are true words. Whoever you are, you and me, and whereever we are, we have so many things to be grateful for. It's a good idea to start the day, revisualising the persons and things and circumstances that should make us grateful.

But at the same time, I am not content with just gratitude. I want to look forward, and see new things and meet new people and discover new attractions.

-oOo-

Does that make me ungrateful? I don't think so ... it's who I am, constantly welcoming a new day and new experiences. What do you think? Can gratitude be combined with ambition and expectation?

huggies,

PB

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