Zulu love letter assignment (Diamanté poem): Genealogy

                                                                           birth

                                                                      wet, sacred

                                                        expanding, stretching, reaching

                                       boy (who is) son (who is) brother (who becomes) man

                                                  man                            graduate, caregiver, activist, leader

                                             naive, bright                             burning healing hoping

                                   reading, thinking, playing                         fierce and loyal

                             graduate, logician, soldier, hermit                         woman

                          iron and leather, envelope and shield                         wife

                                teaching, showing, carrying                           soft and fragile

                                         classic strong                          enlightening, strengthening, loving

                                              husband                         the earth, his hearth, crystal and flower

                                       gentle, protective                        life-giving, defending, guiding

                              reviving, supporting, believing                 beautiful though embattled

                          provider, champion, guardian, father                        mother

                                              firstborn                              rebel princess, survivor, genius

                                       fierce but hidden                             singing, laughing, crying

                                   striving, shining, lying                             depressed, blessed

                                poet, writer, leader, faggot                                    sister

Photoblog: Mayor's Gala

Mom and Dad went to the Mayor's Gala last night. Aren't they gorgeous?

Blitzkrieg: a holiday in retrospect

The Lunar New Year.
9 days off.
Death in the family.
Major surgeries scheduled for 3 family members.

Time to go home.

• Friday: Classes end, clean up. Finally got an answer to my marriage proposal: No.
• Saturday: Packed ex's belongings, departed for Hong Kong, then Johannesburg.
• Sunday: Had a lovely brunch with friends at OR Tambo, flew to George, visited Grandpa's ashes, cried when I sat down in his house and realized he's passed through the veil. Family time.
• Monday: Jetlag, NGO meeting, processed orders of business cards. Time with my folks.
• Tuesday: Family time, office time, groceries, made chocolate desert, supper club in Groot Brak.
• Wednesday: Dept. of Home Affairs, meeting with our attorney, quick visit with my uncle, dinner at Transkaroo.
• Thursday: Family time, checked in with friends in Mosselbaai.
• Friday: Meeting with NGO affiliates, farewell hugs, dinner with Gran, pack for the return flight.
• Saturday: George airport closed due to adverse weather conditions, special time with Dad, missed flight to Hong Kong, Special time with Jonathan in Johannesburg.
• Sunday: Checked in early, missed a wedding in Kaohsiung, relaxed in The D Lounge at OR Tambo, boarding for Hong Kong in 40 minutes.

Pulling myself towards myself.

Taiwan, ready or not, here I come!

I've got a crush on you...

Baby Isaiah :0)

True Colors: it gets better

turn up the volume

and view this in full screen

thank you to the Gay Men's Chorus of LA!

Joel Burns reaches out

... and I hope many more will stand up for the cause of love and acceptance.

If your child, or a child you know of, is self-identiefied or even perceived to be lgbti - PLEASE reach out to him/her in love and acceptance. Even if you do not understand it yourself - does that matter when you're saving a life?

And if your child, or a child you know of, is bullying others - PLEASE take action, and save another life - as well as his/her soul. Being - or believing to be the cause of another's death, is also life-threatening and soul destroying.

Lastly, let us all take a moment to remember where children get their ideas from: We are culpable. We are responsible. We form their opinions, their attitudes and beliefs - and however indirectly, we guide their actions.

Did my silence/rashness contribute to someone's feeling of hopelessness?

Did my invisibility contribute to a suicide?

Did yours?

prayer request

i know this isn't really what anyone wants to read so close to the festive season, but if you have the inclination, please spare a thought or two:
for my old friend Leon, who has lost the battle against cancer and can now only wait...
for Love to grow and heal where me and Peter so desperately need it, and
for our friends and families that have their own journeying and healing to go through.

and remember - live life fully and live life now.
tomorrow... well, tomorrow is not a promise we can keep.

if you can't find the book you want...

you're probably shopping at the:

thanks Ma ;0)

speak softly of love

different people express their affections differently. (in fact, there are lectures doing the rounds on "love languages", i am told.)

some verbalize, some communicate through touch and some express their feelings through gifts. even others, as i've come to realize, cook ;0)

there are dozens of variants, i'm sure.

i, myself, am a gift giver and touch-lover (who's learning to verbalize better). i thank my parents for raising us (me and my beloved sister) in a house filled with "i love yous", hugs, kisses and tickles!

>>home is definitely where i learned what love is!!

i find that knowing my love language, helps me to perceive and appreciate those of others. especially here, where i'm immersed in a whole new culture. knowing that there are differences in how we love - and that this is okay - is a key to happiness, i think.

realizing that the apple of my eye also expresses his affection through food, for example, has saved me from countless unnecessary tears of frustration.

we all need to hear: "i love you" every once in a while.
but are we listening in all the right places?

up to speed

good morning everyone ;0)

*contented sigh*

it's sunday morning here in Kaohsiung and i've managed to bundle the last laundry into the machine. for a brief moment - i have nothing to do! so here i am, with a big glass of japanese style green tea (sugar free, of course) in hand, getting comfy in the spare bedroom/workstation.

i've got iTunes playing a Genius* playlist based on Tori Amos' "a sorta fairytale" - though not too loud, mind you. Peter's still snoozing in the bedroom ;0)

so much has happened in the last two weeks:

• the teacher to replace Cyril started work at TFC. suffice to say there's some teething...
• i realized that someone at school tried to sabotage me - unsuccessfully.
  
• Peter and i moved in together, in a new apartment in Kaohsiung, on Valentines day (!!!yayayayay!!!)
• my Mom found out that her previous optometrist had defrauded her for years - with a glass disc for a right lens!
• i realized again how my Dad knows exactly what goes on in my heart, without me having to tell him. this apple-and-tree team might wear different sashes, but we're of the same stock.
• my Sister phoned me out of the blue, just to chat. it was amazing! i miss her so much.
  
• Peter made me dessert dumplings :0P
• SA ended up NOT signing the UN declaration on same-sex rights *grrrrr*
  
• we went to see Milk - and i was both inspired and reminded of my past. did i do the wrong thing when i left the movement?
  

hmm... time to hang up the washing.

*i'm getting addicted to this new feature!

Apartheid in America

segregation is the name of the game - and no one plays it as well as Californians, by the look of it. apparently the "Prop 8ers" now want to forcibly divorce same sex families.




it seems all Americans are created equal, some just more equal than others. (does their constitution end in "sich heil"? especially when read by the Governator...)

the magic parcel adventure

after school on friday, i hopped on the bus (not pictured) to Kaohsiung...

where i took the subway to zouying station,

where i took the High Speed Rail (up to 300km/h) to taichung,

where i got on the slow train to Dajia,

where i picked up the deliciousness from SA! Mom sent me some droë wors, coffee cookies, rusks, scarves, Black Cat peanut snacks, Cadbury's, my SpringLeap T-shirts - and even a copy of DeKat!! color me crawling on the floor with laughter when i noticed the fruit-cake and the designer tissues *lol* awesome!!!

the feeling of family

in tonight's "ABC Class" - the really young kids - we talked about family.
okay, so 'talked' might be too strong a word - more parrotting , but you get the idea.

one of the exercises was to draw a picture of your family. one dear little heart made use of the opportunity to make my heart pump custard by drawing the following picture:notice the "extras" outside the picture frame? that would be me and my Taiwanese co-teacher, Christene.

see how everybody is smiling? i'm positively glowing man *lol*

healthy relationships are all the rage

judging by my blog stats - this post from 4 september 2007 seems to be very popular lately. worth a re-post, methinks ;0)

• Love should be honest.
• Avoid that which is bad in favor of that which is good.
• Let your affections be kind, sincere and honorable.
• Honor each other.
• Be the example.
• Never cool in your commitment.
• Nurture and develop your enthusiasm!
• Serve the Lord.
• Rejoice in hope.
• Be steadfast in the face of oppression.
• Pray.
• Help those around you.
• Always be courteous.
• Bless those who persecute - for they are hurt.
• Never curse another.
• Share in the joy of those who rejoice.
• Share in the sadness of those who weep.
• Always find agreement amongst yourselves. ("find" is a verb.)
• Never, ever be conceited - in fact, avoid the conceited.
• Choose in stead those who are humble - and be humble.
• Be mindful (not proud) of your opinions. Learn more.
• Forget about getting even - hurting those who hurt you, hurts more.
• Rather fill your hearts with goodwill towards all mankind. All year long.
• As far as possible, live in peace with everybody. Make it possible.
• Revenge is not in your jurisdiction - leave that to God.
• Rather care and provide nourishment to those you believe to be your enemy.
• Even more so to those who believe you are their enemy. (The lesson goes both ways.)
• Do not let evil overcome you.
• Defeat evil with good.

10 things: I miss about home

this morning i'm acutely aware of the absence of hot coffee in my life...
one longing thought gives rise to the next and - before long - we have this:

1) the strong, black coffee my Dad woke me up with each morning before Bible study,
2) Bible study the way me and my folks do it,
3) big, chunky, wholesome salads,
4) supper-club on tuesdays,
5) hugs,
6) the style network
7) drinkable tap water
8) non-alcoholic beer
9) the African outdoors
10) peanut clusters

what is love?

ever wondered how to explain what love is? in the line of thought that brought you the previous aside, my dearest little sister (in the non-genetic sense) posted some kids' answers on his blog:

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy- age 7

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6

and probably one of the wisest answers was given by Jessica:

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

birthday weekend

On Thursday 22 May, my buddy Quentin turned 35.
On Saturday 24 May, I turned 30.
On Sunday 25 May, it was Jaco's turn to be 31.

This is how we did it:

Luzanne, Quentin, Richard, Liezel and Chris - we dined in Prince Albert, en route to Matjiesfontein.
dinner at the Lord Milner - everybody's here!


the owner of Matjiesfontein graced us with his presence.
hot dogs on the lawn.


some played poker...
some played boules...
everybody relaxed :0)



caught in the courtyard
save yourself a trip and stock up!
me and luz - friends since 1993...
making the big speech.
how to feed 30 people.
everyone tried on my hat.



...even my dad!
setting up the decks in the Lairds Arms.
and the party started!




the last group photo - stairway of the Lord Milnerthe very last group photo by the courtyard fountains.Richard - the DJ to end all DJs.tea in calitzdorp, on the way home.
good times ;0)

i readed your bloggy

...but i don't cook so good.

Mom makes my day!

After a seriously rushed day - I was blessed with the following comment (via Plaxo) on my "How I did yesterday" post:

Today I want to give you a reminder of what I tried to teach you for almost three decades: Do not be too hard on yourself!!!

Nobody is perfect, but more important, no mortal soul is so important that his/her choices or decisions will rock the world off its tracks (except some African leaders like Mugabe).

Take your own advice, and let go and let God. Even if you sometimes take the wrong decision, there is mostly something good to be learnt or experienced as a result. You may not become a millionaire in a week, or be the next big inventor, or the greatest leader ever, but you are unique and special to those lucky enough to know you.

Some of us cannot imagine a day without your caring , joking, honesty and sometimes scalding sense of humor.

Keep it up, and keep going.

Yesterday is gone - nothing can be undone or changed about it; Tomorrow is still a dream - the best you can do is plan for it, but TODAY is your day - your chance to do something special, to laugh out loud, to be someone's friend, to live according to your principles and faith.

GO FOR IT!!

Love
Guess who.

(My Mom's the greatest!!)