tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-267542370907382342024-03-27T06:38:14.761+00:00My Space (aka SOB)I am so much more than what I am, and yet, less than what I could beSigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.comBlogger378125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-65262992509551643852011-12-16T13:42:00.000+00:002011-12-16T13:42:04.463+00:00Cowrie shells and the unknown!<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowry">Cowrie shells</a> play an intimate role in west African society as it is often referred to as a source of divination since they play a part on the rituals and beliefs of many religions in the region.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAMearR78o7IT_P_tZvAsp7_B17_m31ygYeWO9WrEzPkL9JIbfH9yXc5I5J2yE_8H9E9DVDkt-WXrTSjAdmnYLKo8t_naimQMwgMF0UoIPrQVXQ8fLoWbz74lzoTzwgnwHRbvZzk_Uw/s1600/From+-+beadparadise.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAMearR78o7IT_P_tZvAsp7_B17_m31ygYeWO9WrEzPkL9JIbfH9yXc5I5J2yE_8H9E9DVDkt-WXrTSjAdmnYLKo8t_naimQMwgMF0UoIPrQVXQ8fLoWbz74lzoTzwgnwHRbvZzk_Uw/s320/From+-+beadparadise.com.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The general pattern followed is that a number of shells are cast upon the ground after the practitioner invokes and saluted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orisha">Orishas</a> - a spirit. The pattern of the then cast shells are interpreted to convey a message.<br />
<br />
In the recent past, out of curiosity I've gone and sat down with a couple of readers in the vicinity of Ouaga, one an elderly woman who is called by one and all as "Tanti" (Aunty) and the other an old man who lives in a mud hut a few km away in a little village.<br />
<br />
The messages conveyed have been quite interesting to hear - and let me tell you that in both instances my decision to go see them were made on the spot, leaving no time for my guide to fill anyone up with any details about me.<br />
<br />
Of the two however, the old man has impressed me the most nt only for the telling but for what he can do. Twice he's demonstrated something which I have absolutely no idea how he does it, even though I have tried to keep a close eye upon the ensuring events.<br />
<br />
The first 'wonder' was when he fashioned a ring out of a piece of string, wrapped it up in a ball of paper and lit it up. Allowing it to burn for a few minutes he then extracted a metal ring from the burnt paper - and I have no idea how he did it.<br />
<br />
On the second occasion he stuffed an empty tin with cotton waste, closed it and asked me to place my hand upon the lid and to speak out what my wish was.<br />
<br />
I did, thinking out aloud what I needed. Taking my hand away he then opened the lid to now reveal it full of a black powder and absolutely no trace of the cotton. Having taken a smidgen of the powder out, he re closed the tin and tapped it twice, opening it to now revel the cotton back and the powder gone!<br />
<br />
The readings themselves have been amazingly accurate, indicating the present and the future to come. Depended on the latter, the practitioner offers various ways of enhancing ones future or protecting against it, not that much different to how a someone with a similar practice would do so in SL.<br />
<br />
All in all, I have to put this down in the list of things I dont know how they happen!Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-66704476772024742122011-12-12T07:39:00.000+00:002011-12-12T07:39:52.933+00:00I'm still around....Its been a while since I've posted, been enough reason for this, so caught up in getting through 2011 that there has just not been the space to sit a reflect on something to type.<br />
<br />
As I come to the end of another year I have to confess that this is easily one of the most outstanding one's I've had. Now, I need to make it clear that it has not been an easy one, instead, truth be told, its been one of the hardest one's to deal with, but amazingly I have never been happier.<br />
<br />
First off, if anyone is reading this, early in the year I made the decision to quit my job because work suddenly began to feel like work, which was kind of messy because I like my fun. So I quit, just walked away with no idea of where I was going next. This act was shortly followed by the news that I had a new responsibility to take care of which resulted in me having to delay my retirement plans by 20yrs.<br />
<br />
In between act one and two, an angel appeared and made me an offer I could not refuse, resulting in me deciding to take off on my own and set up shop. Which I did, and while things have not been easy at all and look like they are only going to get harder in 2012, I have been having fun again.<br />
<br />
So all in all, its been a great year and I hope its been just as good for you too!<br />
<br />
In closing, a few of the latest pics<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-JKOxqhvXv20QeGx0Aig_arjTgSP-6VFp_sbPJ4rOSdJkDC7rSiFB9WnjQMnK4BR7yt610Qb9ZiDSv7bwPTF6VB-CwX7xFzPZs-8eq1EMFsjpX1XdIWbl3k01JM1TrOBz3hsGT3FnQ/s1600/5991734199_7d215537e8_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-JKOxqhvXv20QeGx0Aig_arjTgSP-6VFp_sbPJ4rOSdJkDC7rSiFB9WnjQMnK4BR7yt610Qb9ZiDSv7bwPTF6VB-CwX7xFzPZs-8eq1EMFsjpX1XdIWbl3k01JM1TrOBz3hsGT3FnQ/s1600/5991734199_7d215537e8_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3aa0GptATPRJGc1_cjbmVhNAabJMUI2pj2JHgGu5aSJOMls0FTtXYyhPtjTOHohDNCfjTnCwa5BudzjcjFx3Ezae1LpcTcGkKfyhNX6Vzbt41hlDASO7rEJkm81-a3JcnYTOAytalw/s1600/6000611427_55ba9f3872_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3aa0GptATPRJGc1_cjbmVhNAabJMUI2pj2JHgGu5aSJOMls0FTtXYyhPtjTOHohDNCfjTnCwa5BudzjcjFx3Ezae1LpcTcGkKfyhNX6Vzbt41hlDASO7rEJkm81-a3JcnYTOAytalw/s1600/6000611427_55ba9f3872_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjslPxKHCcjhtruyyDKulCqnR_C6mNqfAXJnf3u9YExZAWSDdIkQiuEQtbr_poKUClY-moqvKHvu-xCeQWGXj1qF8WyZ6jcYHAQc_n3KEdEBqqrTFkp1vlhMC7DOIvbG7xGdq7mVpcQ/s1600/6108300475_6160a3c157_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcjslPxKHCcjhtruyyDKulCqnR_C6mNqfAXJnf3u9YExZAWSDdIkQiuEQtbr_poKUClY-moqvKHvu-xCeQWGXj1qF8WyZ6jcYHAQc_n3KEdEBqqrTFkp1vlhMC7DOIvbG7xGdq7mVpcQ/s1600/6108300475_6160a3c157_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTtTbR0tFgP7Su0cRvbEp9i0Uj1x8q1C5EDzEA7qtwQhwy2mYbXRgkRdWqQm3a_tFHqkOiGcYtUdhsH7CJys7CRs1BqMquM2MjNdnGgbfdC-IK0w07oPtKcD5gKFfSF9WqwDFwsxnBw/s1600/6115624267_5156289467_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQTtTbR0tFgP7Su0cRvbEp9i0Uj1x8q1C5EDzEA7qtwQhwy2mYbXRgkRdWqQm3a_tFHqkOiGcYtUdhsH7CJys7CRs1BqMquM2MjNdnGgbfdC-IK0w07oPtKcD5gKFfSF9WqwDFwsxnBw/s1600/6115624267_5156289467_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSyWnvOcAOdlCVymQERO1069lZYvD41UPTP5gp5HzxyVWMHfOUUKkEPw3ZgJEI54TIox9s9C2BXIcjbVlCDMYx93HDwEXzvL15jXjKuB2DN2oGjk_XaMsZQq9reHgm-_52QxCZqtIUA/s1600/6115625367_3e2ce2277e_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSyWnvOcAOdlCVymQERO1069lZYvD41UPTP5gp5HzxyVWMHfOUUKkEPw3ZgJEI54TIox9s9C2BXIcjbVlCDMYx93HDwEXzvL15jXjKuB2DN2oGjk_XaMsZQq9reHgm-_52QxCZqtIUA/s1600/6115625367_3e2ce2277e_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pjYk-Z3nu_fYbqZggWedVQ6JZH9dekQxU7BDaUBcZWNkuQLEkdjf5_Y2CMGaZ96k3mDbWTlWWukMAjGg6GJpvkB4g47VENW3Kiu2aM6D7npnnlG3YyYZF6ilkMv7LImz5hxYsP3mbg/s1600/6115629423_036aafe57a_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pjYk-Z3nu_fYbqZggWedVQ6JZH9dekQxU7BDaUBcZWNkuQLEkdjf5_Y2CMGaZ96k3mDbWTlWWukMAjGg6GJpvkB4g47VENW3Kiu2aM6D7npnnlG3YyYZF6ilkMv7LImz5hxYsP3mbg/s1600/6115629423_036aafe57a_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cIF_VkDGs6rWqZ0LP-NGoYXsknDyF29IbFlebqcvb4cYk12BNGsEkXN9fGVOP0Dvj9ZKIVbXBaxS0UvY2bqB0YItSBK0FehIgsJNwZP49tUtncD6IOZ43U4EvHEEifF9hl7qZ_loNg/s1600/6116171214_e6918c0374_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cIF_VkDGs6rWqZ0LP-NGoYXsknDyF29IbFlebqcvb4cYk12BNGsEkXN9fGVOP0Dvj9ZKIVbXBaxS0UvY2bqB0YItSBK0FehIgsJNwZP49tUtncD6IOZ43U4EvHEEifF9hl7qZ_loNg/s1600/6116171214_e6918c0374_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJr92zxr5nRYsu1n7Ltj_fTK5qsPTTnscTcu_o_fmxzFpn7HL77cy6jFj_7bIT2EI8XT2jd_XBtjx50B-x6NpHTgeuH9wSxc4KREiGmu5QHhXxDPIGDEsPlVQSj9ahyphenhyphen98lHXLlR8zfmA/s1600/6214274756_84bff84feb_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJr92zxr5nRYsu1n7Ltj_fTK5qsPTTnscTcu_o_fmxzFpn7HL77cy6jFj_7bIT2EI8XT2jd_XBtjx50B-x6NpHTgeuH9wSxc4KREiGmu5QHhXxDPIGDEsPlVQSj9ahyphenhyphen98lHXLlR8zfmA/s1600/6214274756_84bff84feb_m.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmzh5nDUWbHWWd2MDgT_ZLPZ3pDYk07cxYJH8bnIptayObnuqDESz7Q_QC9vAFZ5o80ArwZsQPctvD2NNxW1nqFkwbyvpuhSTf-M0iowlOML-jYPFGYOReBhugvQkoYyPm6rToFIwPA/s1600/6440726935_15ff99c27f_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmzh5nDUWbHWWd2MDgT_ZLPZ3pDYk07cxYJH8bnIptayObnuqDESz7Q_QC9vAFZ5o80ArwZsQPctvD2NNxW1nqFkwbyvpuhSTf-M0iowlOML-jYPFGYOReBhugvQkoYyPm6rToFIwPA/s1600/6440726935_15ff99c27f_m.jpg" /></a></div>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-53398298075815659782011-06-07T17:47:00.001+00:002011-06-07T17:47:46.942+00:00Take a peek!Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-72602324819145113492011-04-28T11:46:00.000+00:002011-04-28T11:46:18.348+00:00Bang Bang and life goes onSometime last night members of the Police force at one of the barracks on the eastern side of the capital stepped out on to the streets to roam the neighborhood firing in the air.<br />
<br />
This the latest in a string of protests about pay and the rising COL that Burkina has seen in the last few months.<br />
<br />
The police "mutiny" then spread to the barracks of the Republican Security Company who are billeted right in the middle of the city, just two blocks from where I am accustomed to work from and 5 blocks from where we live.<br />
<br />
Its a surreal situation with an area of one block around cordoned off to vehicular traffic, those businesses in the vicinity shuttered and closed as periodically the sound of gun fire can be heard from within.Beyond that point though, life goes on - businesses opened, trucks unloading and loading goods. goods being moved from point to point.... and yet, not 500m away from all the hustle and bustle guns are going off.<br />
<br />
We live in strange timesSigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-34194371999314788682011-03-23T10:21:00.000+00:002011-03-23T10:21:56.815+00:00Travail's of living and working in AfricaIn addition to the hardship factor - lack of amenities, poor infrastructure etc. there is also the possibility of 'situations' developing either as a result of a crack down on protests or in fighting amongst the powers that be,<br />
<br />
During the course of the last three weeks, students marched the streets in protest of a killing two months ago, burning tires, throwing stones. This resulted in ALL schools being shut down for a three week period.<br />
<br />
Last night disgruntle elements of the army took the streets firing into the air in a protest of their own. 5 colleagues had been sentenced to 18 months in jail for assaulting a civilian, a judgement apparently they disagreed with.<br />
<br />
From what I hear the shooting started around 11pm going on till the early hours of the morning. In the process shops looted, goods stolen as these elements ran through the centre of the city.<br />
<br />
Going to work this morning, things seemed normal on the periphery, but shops remained closed in and around the Grand Marche. The only other indication really that things were not quite as they should be was the closure of Filling Stations.<br />
<br />
As I stood there, a few meters away from ground zero the tension in the air spiked; people began running, throwing glances over their shoulders, car's screeched away, pandemonium as pavement hawkers threw their goods together - clothes, shoes, food - and joined the flow; tables disappearing in a twinkle made me think that this was a well practised routine.<br />
<br />
Torn between taking out my camera and recording the events around me and the potential risk of doing so against the prosaic act of leaving actually took me some time to decide... I chose the later, deciding to return to the relative safety of my accommodation.<br />
<br />
I don't quite know why I did that...<br />
<br />
The latest is that these guys are threatening to hit the streets again this afternoonSigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-27917688545376903262011-03-11T13:30:00.000+00:002011-03-11T13:30:21.357+00:00I quit...Nov 2010<br />
<br />
Over the last few months I've logged a few miles between here and Colombo, with a short trip across to Gay Paree<br />
<br />
That trip was notable for nothing more than an opportunity to fly aboard an Airbus A380 and what an aircraft it is!!<br />
<br />
Take off and landing barely noticeable on this 'Super Jumbo' so smooth is its flight. Seating 525 people in a typical 3 class configuration, to fly in one an experience indeed!<br />
<br />
All that done, to the east and back, I am back in good O'le Ouaga, and pretty much happy to be so...<br />
<br />
Mar 2011<br />
<br />
Item #23 on my Bucket List was "to walk away from a job" something that I never really thought I would do, ever. Well, I did just that last week, and amazingly feel wonderfully liberated by the experience of having done so.<br />
<br />
I love my job, its taken me to places I could never imagine, showing more of the world than I could ever hope for and all the time I've done it with a passion and a fire determined to do the best that I could. Ha, not for a moment did I imagine where life would take me when I sat for an interview with the State Plantations Corp so many years ago!<br />
<br />
A job is worth doing only as long as its fun, I've always maintained that if you found something you loved to do, you would never have to work a day in your life, and to me, tea was just that. From the tea gardens of Sri Lanka, to China, Darjeeling, the Blue Mountains of the Nilgiri's, the gently undulating tea fields of Kenya, Uganda and South Africa, been there, seen it all.<br />
<br />
So, making this decision was not an easy one, but there is always a time and a place for everything, and this was my time to move on, it felt right, it feels exactly right, so much so that I've taken to asking myself if I should be worried that I am not worried.<br />
<br />
I've quit my job, walked away from it because corporate policies and people's agenda's were getting in the way of me having fun, doing something I loved doing. I upped and said now enough, deciding that for once, I would dictate the terms.<br />
<br />
The first question of course is what I quit this for - the short answer is "nothing". I now have a little less than 45 days to figure this all out.<br />
<br />
I'm free-falling, having taken the plunge without a parachute I'm enjoying this exhilarating feeling I have... and in spite of it all, I know that just before I hit the ground, there's gonna be a gust which will send me soaring up up and away, off on another adventure.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jd8w1F_htv5q_KT9Ho6JIhSL2Dm_SwVwQSgeNULIOM-tX-uPlZgC1r4OFALBjnG9CqDLW69oqP2vig1BRKzGatIh1pAAY_SfBKpKdB8OOv3xCKqYXokeJlx23wTkly-fAm2bq1qeHQ/s1600/IMG_7121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jd8w1F_htv5q_KT9Ho6JIhSL2Dm_SwVwQSgeNULIOM-tX-uPlZgC1r4OFALBjnG9CqDLW69oqP2vig1BRKzGatIh1pAAY_SfBKpKdB8OOv3xCKqYXokeJlx23wTkly-fAm2bq1qeHQ/s320/IMG_7121.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Salif Keita concert - 5 March 2011 In Ouagadougou<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJpAOgOFwnKNaWUF8L2iYfKeIz46g1czqXo0lmozRfDGXUIdDQbWwYG4v6XaoLY5_v5GVpxFtlOMYcsCW_qz83-c9ANCH7FUI48ettzuszw1bT3IcDW2SRFOHTLupQfiTNOrfmxjDxg/s1600/IMG_7243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJpAOgOFwnKNaWUF8L2iYfKeIz46g1czqXo0lmozRfDGXUIdDQbWwYG4v6XaoLY5_v5GVpxFtlOMYcsCW_qz83-c9ANCH7FUI48ettzuszw1bT3IcDW2SRFOHTLupQfiTNOrfmxjDxg/s320/IMG_7243.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Handicrafts at a Trade Fair, Ouagadougou</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2OcM2BLnsKsWEa93lrKmdSmdQILq0kArTDJ19uP1IxhQXMg33d4gTAYu5hSlwbzWGzJv2n9_VBSfSAF0tzSx71MILYwoJMgDZ7quiUszmYftgW2DF4Qef-J7K5OSuVJkpngEBBEodg/s1600/IMG_7246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2OcM2BLnsKsWEa93lrKmdSmdQILq0kArTDJ19uP1IxhQXMg33d4gTAYu5hSlwbzWGzJv2n9_VBSfSAF0tzSx71MILYwoJMgDZ7quiUszmYftgW2DF4Qef-J7K5OSuVJkpngEBBEodg/s320/IMG_7246.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">High protein?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOcSWU9rx3OcUtXLjuK0VS8tYDQ6zutoZctOwGP8Wnxa3f1NiXipUsmEGAT_f6_UefTLr-p-PfUuIqoY_vedcOBgy-6ia-EirZJF5HVtsHZqndhlXWgtxBlJA8oRfyEvXhfludxMumQ/s1600/IMG_7248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOcSWU9rx3OcUtXLjuK0VS8tYDQ6zutoZctOwGP8Wnxa3f1NiXipUsmEGAT_f6_UefTLr-p-PfUuIqoY_vedcOBgy-6ia-EirZJF5HVtsHZqndhlXWgtxBlJA8oRfyEvXhfludxMumQ/s320/IMG_7248.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Regional traditional masks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVV6BEyqxRw9PQ7E69S3u7VyRZH6Sh7m9OOFabIODgzbjfFXjyk4VUJmP-ngN2GrBo5b7QYBmj5CYBXIzRpvarIYh7HBKDnNP5QPEzkZGB_mchb8Par3lM2vNVyc9TRDf-yELEVnFGPw/s1600/IMG_7250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVV6BEyqxRw9PQ7E69S3u7VyRZH6Sh7m9OOFabIODgzbjfFXjyk4VUJmP-ngN2GrBo5b7QYBmj5CYBXIzRpvarIYh7HBKDnNP5QPEzkZGB_mchb8Par3lM2vNVyc9TRDf-yELEVnFGPw/s320/IMG_7250.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Exquisite I thought</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_c793i9Jma69Hi4My28GbSbiNk22MSNpOMy6Kun9nBPjTHxYLoA4ikFgpYLU8-tVTFI1b1AkwXrhGz3IUIHl7svcEJLQSWRjh1au2DAFu9feopOs1CGaaXtVjn9XCNHZTsqB9-4TYg/s1600/IMG_7254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_c793i9Jma69Hi4My28GbSbiNk22MSNpOMy6Kun9nBPjTHxYLoA4ikFgpYLU8-tVTFI1b1AkwXrhGz3IUIHl7svcEJLQSWRjh1au2DAFu9feopOs1CGaaXtVjn9XCNHZTsqB9-4TYg/s320/IMG_7254.JPG" width="213" /></a></div> High fashionSigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-55579410558737713362011-01-17T18:22:00.000+00:002011-01-17T18:22:07.254+00:00Portraits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Four African kids, four lives.... wonder where they will be 2yrs from now....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-mfKtWtgQsjtbIbVHvUt3tzDr8GnZhoY69l5IRC2SI_d6671o4whfIGMnvwtRYXT5_RYMhorXZLp2iAMPjAEBt4ZZK11_IncJaIGiUsWj-nxHzIBNfy4q7fwry2OUh-qogH0RIfoiA/s1600/IMG_5023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-mfKtWtgQsjtbIbVHvUt3tzDr8GnZhoY69l5IRC2SI_d6671o4whfIGMnvwtRYXT5_RYMhorXZLp2iAMPjAEBt4ZZK11_IncJaIGiUsWj-nxHzIBNfy4q7fwry2OUh-qogH0RIfoiA/s400/IMG_5023.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBI0wXfrx8Fy8v8xRjUuD3cxdRSM5GRtc8BJLiaTWf5CIBpMw-NS9cMmbhkP1v7r00U4TnAKB-tkVuyL7TeCTUzyZAjJl4kcnrmEGFkQ5rZGw69-VTVDObb_a2dZmZaXPz2sMC8asKDw/s1600/IMG_5024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBI0wXfrx8Fy8v8xRjUuD3cxdRSM5GRtc8BJLiaTWf5CIBpMw-NS9cMmbhkP1v7r00U4TnAKB-tkVuyL7TeCTUzyZAjJl4kcnrmEGFkQ5rZGw69-VTVDObb_a2dZmZaXPz2sMC8asKDw/s400/IMG_5024.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqS1xKLACbLB0cCrgRhm93X_-LacVJDwX90mTZ7bAL59wEETxDw5APgI228fh9lxUiVlqNJc9ipom873mOgS8eiD0VORfv7-DvFSEYwkGgsV6HHZp1koaVLX9YzUW58zYafTSVipcSmw/s1600/IMG_5025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqS1xKLACbLB0cCrgRhm93X_-LacVJDwX90mTZ7bAL59wEETxDw5APgI228fh9lxUiVlqNJc9ipom873mOgS8eiD0VORfv7-DvFSEYwkGgsV6HHZp1koaVLX9YzUW58zYafTSVipcSmw/s400/IMG_5025.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkYdczzaznJCuRchT3wYqtYFgLfj6fiaEs3oSwmJS539XA_7oAJDXFeBhSiK2CLH4_LVpVMPRAbrNz5iqBvl6-Utx1DdXr1XjpFvYg5ox6Shf1Q7MtBYYTZgnl4xctg_wBbG92PYYgg/s1600/IMG_5022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkYdczzaznJCuRchT3wYqtYFgLfj6fiaEs3oSwmJS539XA_7oAJDXFeBhSiK2CLH4_LVpVMPRAbrNz5iqBvl6-Utx1DdXr1XjpFvYg5ox6Shf1Q7MtBYYTZgnl4xctg_wBbG92PYYgg/s400/IMG_5022.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-63174810236602666702010-11-26T10:55:00.000+00:002010-11-26T10:55:55.934+00:00Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 9px;">Instructions: Copy this into your NOTES. Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt. State how many you've read in the title. Tag other book nerds. Tag me as well so I can see your responses!</span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1. </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen</span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">2. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien</b> </span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">3 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling </span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee</span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">6 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Bible</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">7 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte</b> </span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">8 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">10 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Great Expectations - Charles Dickens</span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">11 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Little Women - Louisa M Alcott</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">13 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Catch 22 - Joseph Heller</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">14 </span></em><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Complete Works of Shakespeare</span></em><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> </span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier </span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">16 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkes<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">18 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger </span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">20 Middlemarch - George Eliot<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">21 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">22 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">24 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">25 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">28 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">29 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">30 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">31 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy</b> </span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">32 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">David Copperfield - Charles Dickens</span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">33 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis</b> </span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">34 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Emma - Jane Austen</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">35 Persuasion - Jane Austen</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">36 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">37 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini</b></span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">39 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Memoirs of a Geisha - A thur Golden</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">40 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">41 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Animal Farm - George Orwell</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">42 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown</span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">46 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery</span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy</span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">49 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lord of the Flies - William Golding</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">50 Atonement - Ian McEwan <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">52 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dune - Frank Herbert</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">56 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">57 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">58 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Brave New World - Aldous Huxley</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">59 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time</b> - Mark Haddon<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez</span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">62 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">65 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">68 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">69 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">70 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Moby Dick - Herman Melville</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">71 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">72 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dracula - Bram Stoker</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">73 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">75 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ulysses - James Joyce</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">76 The Inferno – Dante<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">78 Germinal - Emile Zola<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"> 80 Possession - AS Byatt<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">81 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens</b></span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker </span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro</span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White</span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">89 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</b></span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">90 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">91 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">92 </span></strong><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">94 Watership Down - Richard Adams<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">96 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute</b> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;">97 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">98 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hamlet - William Shakespeare</b></span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl </span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"><em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt; font-style: normal; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">100 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Les Miserables - Victor Hugo</b></span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-53161158118995683292010-11-09T15:26:00.000+00:002010-11-09T15:26:40.270+00:00A few recent pics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IGMIKuwurOiEea0sn5ez_iC4wANcyxvFc-CIcbIDsH8KCDW-eTLEOqTdUfj6lp8NbLCFdIZlUaqeIX9KNeBawwTuver-uOi0tFT7beVtdvjOldMg4lXgZyenwXXucwMNqCzCGtNNIg/s1600/IMG_2477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IGMIKuwurOiEea0sn5ez_iC4wANcyxvFc-CIcbIDsH8KCDW-eTLEOqTdUfj6lp8NbLCFdIZlUaqeIX9KNeBawwTuver-uOi0tFT7beVtdvjOldMg4lXgZyenwXXucwMNqCzCGtNNIg/s640/IMG_2477.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24q6iOD8uLRpEzWrl5gvP32f5Jx2MQT-Kt4_IL5OEA9iekPzLuCCh_yWWje-xNu8DKZhRum9VzWF0H3QIa_LLt-32P9g2ggGxhan4ErYmvxNTh8rN234brEkDDr88eian4NeygpychA/s1600/IMG_2484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24q6iOD8uLRpEzWrl5gvP32f5Jx2MQT-Kt4_IL5OEA9iekPzLuCCh_yWWje-xNu8DKZhRum9VzWF0H3QIa_LLt-32P9g2ggGxhan4ErYmvxNTh8rN234brEkDDr88eian4NeygpychA/s640/IMG_2484.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofohi2ufHNv2poTlp3akyZaROg4T81MEI4_XVKMIxcNg20rwJ7Gofui06eVXp54hlQEUxnc3ucfijLoA_RaD3LMgoSfIACpP9PluMx8H59MnBXUptRwDbtA1LkFhmrnRhWLJdFjNYVQ/s1600/IMG_2576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofohi2ufHNv2poTlp3akyZaROg4T81MEI4_XVKMIxcNg20rwJ7Gofui06eVXp54hlQEUxnc3ucfijLoA_RaD3LMgoSfIACpP9PluMx8H59MnBXUptRwDbtA1LkFhmrnRhWLJdFjNYVQ/s640/IMG_2576.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCi7gMUyGL7tFaF1Os6gGemEP_MRhFXhiP0YT78S7UJDNHWwJ5Zjuj06hkzbzVkR3lZYtE62xd-ClKz5lYdeJO3tZ5bIXIaZOmO46dS8xy1ERCblDXV7tdo2sHIWhQx10-YCvn1lghg/s1600/IMG_2581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCi7gMUyGL7tFaF1Os6gGemEP_MRhFXhiP0YT78S7UJDNHWwJ5Zjuj06hkzbzVkR3lZYtE62xd-ClKz5lYdeJO3tZ5bIXIaZOmO46dS8xy1ERCblDXV7tdo2sHIWhQx10-YCvn1lghg/s640/IMG_2581.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjIKekSn4wK864XzA6bIzUIUFPfNgPPHSSviQRZhO5iy7AjF4TXNurDSr7jAm4AR7otcCIUVCLOheKrg5IoUZOgreK1w3yqyU3hu0iJ4RuXw-G-1R7ZOPgIb0GVbQ_nO9JOBNL7pbBA/s1600/IMG_2592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWjIKekSn4wK864XzA6bIzUIUFPfNgPPHSSviQRZhO5iy7AjF4TXNurDSr7jAm4AR7otcCIUVCLOheKrg5IoUZOgreK1w3yqyU3hu0iJ4RuXw-G-1R7ZOPgIb0GVbQ_nO9JOBNL7pbBA/s640/IMG_2592.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwM2DRy4Y4uVzonY9H0dPnH403De-oK9Xf6tfADYAuzsawfb74zzbEHKey3eOfPLZrTmeXH5zUnujSVVpjEUV3ypRlshFBkNB29kafOoAP6gtp46RZxXTmGjzCNZynWUx6TskmFEsDBA/s1600/IMG_2613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwM2DRy4Y4uVzonY9H0dPnH403De-oK9Xf6tfADYAuzsawfb74zzbEHKey3eOfPLZrTmeXH5zUnujSVVpjEUV3ypRlshFBkNB29kafOoAP6gtp46RZxXTmGjzCNZynWUx6TskmFEsDBA/s640/IMG_2613.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRWl4612hgqvbTAuU9kkkkesV_o1EqL9WjTBUEONG3_aS3iGeD6SDxFwzBzhIBs3TGv8FOxDPG8smY1jsgE8S2tkHatfzzZlXGRGWaQD21kE1Jt1zzYrepW5d50K71w-sDC-6CXWtuQ/s1600/IMG_2639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRWl4612hgqvbTAuU9kkkkesV_o1EqL9WjTBUEONG3_aS3iGeD6SDxFwzBzhIBs3TGv8FOxDPG8smY1jsgE8S2tkHatfzzZlXGRGWaQD21kE1Jt1zzYrepW5d50K71w-sDC-6CXWtuQ/s640/IMG_2639.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-75887604258991375052010-08-22T11:36:00.002+00:002010-08-22T12:09:21.431+00:00Rainy seasonThe last month has been spent more or less on the road, and the last two days were spent in finding my way from Freetown in Sierra Leone to Monrovia in Liberia. With no direct flights between the two cities even though they are adjoining countries I had no option but to take the land route, an interesting trip I was told<br />
<br />
The drive from Freetown to Bo, SL's second city with a population of 150,000 was uneventful and would have been singularly boring if not for the landscape along the way. This trip by the way was done in a Mahindra Bolero, a vehicle that seemed to have been built sans a suspension - the seats reminiscent of those little wooden chairs we see in pre school class rooms. Bo is a commercial town, spotted with diamond merchants who buy rough stones and then sell them on to clients in Europe and Dubai.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yp7l4dM5xPRBfVkzL3v9cp7ZWHIOM94uMaOkIqidT0XMgkw61C2HDYKX-v5DEBoH5f_GTm5MrTDvcjoj8S-S45jITzlMlCu6d5lxxGeSdYw7MJibpby-6EkOmDRNIILnYe5kOZYUtA/s1600/IMG_3054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yp7l4dM5xPRBfVkzL3v9cp7ZWHIOM94uMaOkIqidT0XMgkw61C2HDYKX-v5DEBoH5f_GTm5MrTDvcjoj8S-S45jITzlMlCu6d5lxxGeSdYw7MJibpby-6EkOmDRNIILnYe5kOZYUtA/s320/IMG_3054.JPG" /></a></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> From Freetown to Bo, Sierra Leone</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9WzX14YWKbd_OBrFn0GeQWhzCAqyvzXHk0q3DsPr37mT4qKUqZqWuvCdhQHK_9Dq6ipC6g0vzXt3T3FOczqZ-mzEnpZLFEUSCwovgag4d3_bvcHj7OPSoMbC0HVbRDfV7vVJEWGtWw/s1600/IMG_3060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9WzX14YWKbd_OBrFn0GeQWhzCAqyvzXHk0q3DsPr37mT4qKUqZqWuvCdhQHK_9Dq6ipC6g0vzXt3T3FOczqZ-mzEnpZLFEUSCwovgag4d3_bvcHj7OPSoMbC0HVbRDfV7vVJEWGtWw/s320/IMG_3060.JPG" /></a></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Everyone works, irrespective of age - Sierra Leone</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNs7VdR8T6hOEJvRnVkUPnn9mHy4wjuAtIWs6XcZi2lfkheOfUuLLsK_NNYZl2VAxUaAT7W-eqI1VWzCCrjXTHKSFEdY-nSrbR4eKOjB53D5jQc7n9w4bIRY5RfSLfZkmfHm41VwOaQ/s1600/IMG_3061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNs7VdR8T6hOEJvRnVkUPnn9mHy4wjuAtIWs6XcZi2lfkheOfUuLLsK_NNYZl2VAxUaAT7W-eqI1VWzCCrjXTHKSFEdY-nSrbR4eKOjB53D5jQc7n9w4bIRY5RfSLfZkmfHm41VwOaQ/s320/IMG_3061.JPG" /></a></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Colored bolts of clothe - Bo, Sierra Leone</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></i><br />
From Bo the next morning we set off for Kenema, a 30mt drive from Bo, where we needed to take a ferry across a river. But this being the rainy season the ferry was grounded forcing us to take an alternate route through a 'lightly' populated part of the countryside and jungle.<br />
<br />
For the next 8hrs we rocked back and forth, left and right as Alfa battled the Bolero and the muddy road that meandered its way through a lush green countryside, thickets of forests, paddy fields and neat little villages along the way. These little plots of habitation, many miles from anywhere struck me most for their cleanliness, neatly cleaned yards, swept paths, smiling people and children absorbed in their own little worlds as they played under watchful eyes. These are little kids with big responsibilities, carrying water, minding livestock, planting crops, taking care if even smaller kids. They carry knifes and axes with a dexterity that even I dont posses!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfX9MwbVwNvX0nYOoStMH2qr3s-cE5aHKnEtD7XGorVKSvovFZniNkUpZ3s5H1B7CoXWbGTCIH7CQ6n1J3BGrQByHojqUEe94aEtXtcJqSg0yMZWb4CMvepXxkQNQBLsEjAx7u0HrMA/s1600/IMG_3077..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfX9MwbVwNvX0nYOoStMH2qr3s-cE5aHKnEtD7XGorVKSvovFZniNkUpZ3s5H1B7CoXWbGTCIH7CQ6n1J3BGrQByHojqUEe94aEtXtcJqSg0yMZWb4CMvepXxkQNQBLsEjAx7u0HrMA/s320/IMG_3077..jpg" /></a></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> The road to Liberia - Sierra Leone</span></i><br />
<br />
At Sierra Leone's immigration & emigration facilities 28km short of the actual border, we were greeted with smiles from everyone including a barefoot man in the traditional grab of a Muslim carrying an infant in his arms. As the officers flicked through my passport this amiable man strolled across to jest with me about my name. It was only then that it began to dawn upon me that this man was in fact the senior office of this post!<br />
<br />
The actual crossing was over a bridge and a river that had broken its banks to flood the adjoining areas, including the Sierra Leone police post on the border! On the Liberian side were met by 'Big Dada' the immigration officer dressed in desert battle fatigues a patch with the Liberian flag sawn on the sleeve of his right arm - this made an impression upon me as it was so similar to a US flag barring the fact that it bore one lone star as opposed to fifty<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuODTiPRuhtyVi0fxM9EV5ygs2E6yvdagpVFXNBi3bn6lGyT9h7auibXln3o21xSTXze1gPKeBya2vmIVUK5BfthA4ir5j-yRR6grlM32uGrTZyBy6g58GDcme25LXk1e6SaqqNwyiYA/s1600/IMG_3087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuODTiPRuhtyVi0fxM9EV5ygs2E6yvdagpVFXNBi3bn6lGyT9h7auibXln3o21xSTXze1gPKeBya2vmIVUK5BfthA4ir5j-yRR6grlM32uGrTZyBy6g58GDcme25LXk1e6SaqqNwyiYA/s320/IMG_3087.JPG" /></a></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Border crossing Sierra Leone to Liberia</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVe5aNdfiSJTbDPay2n6heKIZw4D_Z0-RpoDM1OdjWZbqM3C1qaPxRtDtN7hK0ikVWr4bCxrBifaA-CFyzhbM78cQou9SsX3OEOzZvlZCVndrT9yLCVLweICvcOlIA0UrTnAF41M5gOw/s1600/IMG_3094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVe5aNdfiSJTbDPay2n6heKIZw4D_Z0-RpoDM1OdjWZbqM3C1qaPxRtDtN7hK0ikVWr4bCxrBifaA-CFyzhbM78cQou9SsX3OEOzZvlZCVndrT9yLCVLweICvcOlIA0UrTnAF41M5gOw/s320/IMG_3094.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i> The Liberian flag at Bo Waterside - Liberia</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The drive to Monrovia Liberia's capital was on a well built tarred road, our journey interrupted only by frequet 'check points' which offered the officials manning them an opportunity to make a pass for gifts. This is something to be expected in a country where the population is supposedly getting by on an average of US$ 1.30 a day. And the economy is the USD, the most used form of currently everything is priced in US$ in spite fo the fact that Liberia has its own 'Liberty' dollar.</span><br />
<br />
The effect of the civil war that raged across this country from 1989 to 2003 devastated the population and cities, refugees streamed into adjoining countries, US warships anchored off the coast, an ECOWAS Peace keeping force tried to keep the warring factions apart. Charles Taylor ironically is being tried not for what happened here but for his role in Sierra Leone's civil war even though it was his 1989 Christmas Eve invasion of Nimba Country with a few hundred rebels that tore this country apart.<br />
<br />
The UN's military force (UNMIL) and a number of NGO's still manage a large part of the country, though Liberia's government is headed by Africa's first elected female president - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who came to head the nation in 2005.<br />
<br />
There are still bullet holes to be seen in the facade of many buildings, abandoned buildings sit along side occupied ones, not much a difference between one or the other really except for a fresh coat of paint. Last night after dinner I stood by my hotel's door watching a torrent of water rage down along the street under the weight of a rain storm which lasted for three hours.<br />
<br />
All said and done, there is yet a sense of liveliness in the people, smiles and animated chatter fills the streets, kids commandeer side streets for games of footie, like in the rest of Africa, the people still laugh and smile and face each day as a new oneSigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-77582497750626220972010-08-03T16:10:00.001+00:002010-08-03T16:10:28.053+00:00Its not that I disappeared...but you know how it is, sometimes there just does not seem to be enough time to do all the things that you wanted to.<br />
<br />
I've been a mite preoccupied, with work, with myself, just so that while I've been wanting to sit down and pen a few words, there just has been no spark as such to get me to do so.<br />
<br />
Since Bamako I've been to Niger on a relatively uneventful trip - done that so often now that I tend to take it for granted. More recently I've been to Angola, Ghana and Togo with stops in Ethiopia just to make things interesting. Right now I'm in Lome, Togo penning these words as I wait for our client to free a few minutes to sit down and talk to me.<br />
<br />
Over the last three weeks I've been in flights that have been mysteriously re routed adding three hours to what should have been just a 70 minute flight, taken all of two hours to cover 5km thanks to traffic in Luanda, and oh yes paid $260 for a hotel room!<br />
<br />
On the fun side I've now added Ethiopean beer to the list of "All the beers I've drunk" - it was pretty foul - watched the action in an Addis dive bar, exchange pleasantries with two guys who spoke only Amharic, got through four different customs and immigration checks without getting hassled even once and drunk a spirit made of honey which I was told is quite similar to mead.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow will, I trust, see me on my way back home for a couple of days before setting off again, this time to tour Niger, Sierra Leone and perhaps Liberia too if all goes well as planned.<br />
<br />
All in all, the last two months have been busy ones and it looks like it will continue to be so for the next two... some R&R needed I thinkSigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-86348241699135684562010-06-22T09:24:00.000+00:002010-06-22T09:24:02.154+00:00Surreal at times<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dinner last night was a surreal experience for me...</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Too many hours in the sun yesterday left me with a light head and the lack of sleep in the previous 48hrs not much help anyway. But here I was sitting in this restaurant called Le Logon a few km outside of Bamako with my client and his brother.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had met up again after spending almost the entire day in his office and walking the market in search of information. Conversation was general, bordering on the personal when he mentioned his intention to seek another wife - the two biggest issues he was apparently faced with in this quest was a) whom to select from a large number of potential mates and b) the need to build a second house - which he intended to share with just his new wife as opposed to his currant residence which includes wife #1, two kids of his own, his two brothers and their respective wife's and children.... the problems people have eh?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From what I gathered the quest was progressing well, and he seemed in no hurry to make a decision... but surreal really kicked in once the conversation slipped into religion; in this instance Buddhism and Islam</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I'm one of those easy going types when it comes to religion, live and let live I believe and unless I am witness to an act of cruelty as defined by my perceptions, I tend to treat people the way I would they treat me.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And generally, when the person I'm talking with edges on intensity, I prefer to resort to nodding my head and making appropriate noises at appropriate moments.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I mentioned that Buddhists did not have gods to believe in (yes I know, we have the Hindu ones) and that there was a cycle of re birth and accountability, things got interesting; I tend to be amused by people who while trying to convince me of the merits of their argument are unwilling to conceded that there might be other options - is this due to my practice of Buddhism and its call for compassion and tolerance? But then I know of so many others who claim to be better Buddhist and yet seem unwilling to be tolerant.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take for example the issue of Buddha Bar and the general usage of the Buddha's image as art. I freely admit that I am quite taken up with his image used as art - in my own home I have wood carving hung on a wall, the 'P</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 38px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ièce de résistance' of all the trinkets I have - by currant SL standards I might be in big trouble!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 38px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems so silly really, who gave us the right to act in such a churlish manner - are we not expected be more tolerant, is it rather not better if we lived and changed </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 38px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">people</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 38px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by example? These are the double standard issues that SL seems to be today - the national dressed politician with eyes cast down worshiping at a temple only to leave with tires screeching, tearing at breakneck speed </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 38px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">along</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 38px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> narrow roads and barely a care of a human or animal...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 38px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 38px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 38px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><br />
</div>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-48545181519428211552010-06-19T07:20:00.000+00:002010-06-19T07:20:45.958+00:00Tat's R Us<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was thinking (and that act alone deserves some mention) inspired by Lady D and her </span><a href="http://divine3.blogspot.com/2010/06/big-mistake-deep-thought.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tat post </span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> if it would be a kindda of an interesting project to see what people actually thought were their tats of choice...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wanted a tat to celebrate, well ‘me’ really, it was to mark a milestone along my life’s path and having gone through the phase of considering Chinese dragons and scantily attired vixens on my arm, I found myself looking at Celtic symbols after having read a Sci Fi story that touched upon the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Kells">Book of Kells</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I ended up picking was the </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triquetra">triquetra</a></span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, a three pronged Celtic knot which offered broad interpretation for what it stood<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Celtics honored the Great Mother who had three personifications – the three lunar phases, other possibilities included:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"></div><ul><li><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-</span><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spirit Mind and Body</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Past, Present and Future</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Thought, Emotion, Feeling</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Power, Intellect, Love</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Creation, Destruction and Preservation</span></li>
</ul><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> For me the interpretation was the connection between mind body and soul, and that is one of two reasons for this to be my pick – the other reason is simply that I liked the design!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEi-azJnam8ndmV3rDNxhmv76wngWRe8ZqfO95ByfzJ00t4EisrnJY3-OGHg_SIyM0vMxwMJ6VCPBq2vGvYs6vhhyzgZtzkvZMdTcXQIsiGN_GBSnkhc0H1HjVDfyoSeTjAWhU4yYMgA/s1600/CelticTrinitySymbol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEi-azJnam8ndmV3rDNxhmv76wngWRe8ZqfO95ByfzJ00t4EisrnJY3-OGHg_SIyM0vMxwMJ6VCPBq2vGvYs6vhhyzgZtzkvZMdTcXQIsiGN_GBSnkhc0H1HjVDfyoSeTjAWhU4yYMgA/s400/CelticTrinitySymbol.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t"
path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75"
style='width:468pt;height:156pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Sumudu\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"
o:title="CelticTrinitySymbol"/> </v:shape><![endif]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I have is a stylized version of what’s above, which is a simple Celtic knot</span><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte msEquation 12]><m:oMathPara><m:oMathParaPr><m:jc
m:val="left"/></m:oMathParaPr><m:oMath><b><i style='mso-bidi-font-style:
normal'><span style='font-size:22.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Cambria Math","serif"'><m:r><m:rPr><m:scr
m:val="roman"/><m:sty m:val="bi"/></m:rPr>ΣΔ</m:r></span></i></b></m:oMath></m:oMathPara><![endif]--><span style="line-height: 115%;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025"
type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:27pt;height:29.4pt'> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Sumudu\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.png"
o:title="" chromakey="white"/> </v:shape><![endif]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 22.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-69093339237166026502010-06-16T10:53:00.001+00:002010-06-16T11:09:37.783+00:00BP you suckBP, you suck; and yes I know I enjoy all the fruits of your labour, that without you I cant sit in the comfort of a car and cruise around, and there might not be electricity, but you still suck<br />
<br />
<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Charlie-Riedel-Gulf-photos-grimly-resonate/ss/events/sc/060410riedeloilpix#photoViewer=/100603/480/urn_publicid_ap_org_a2affc09c1d543a6b61fd0dcbbb145c5">http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Charlie-Riedel-Gulf-photos-grimly-resonate/ss/events/sc/060410riedeloilpix#photoViewer=/100603/480/urn_publicid_ap_org_a2affc09c1d543a6b61fd0dcbbb145c5</a><br />
<br />
Surely there must be some way to do this without causing so much grief?Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-10405159802841308742010-06-14T06:53:00.003+00:002010-06-14T06:53:47.536+00:00Confucious, he say:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 8px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 8px; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 13px;">Man who drive like hell, bound to get there.</span>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-81933648189126067202010-06-13T07:43:00.005+00:002010-06-15T17:14:18.102+00:00"An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger" Confucius<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-18460702314554160682010-04-21T07:41:00.000+00:002010-04-21T07:41:39.718+00:00Ususfructus<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It was just another day in Paradise, the sun rose, as it always did, the waves lapped against the shore, as they always did, life, went on, as it always did. But sinister moves were afoot, for a few, like those wee little pigs from 1984, were scheming - after all, the gods may have created man in his image but some men were more equelll than others were they not?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And so, with rhetoric and whispered sweet nothings, with promises of even greater pleasures (after all, this is paradise is it not?) to come, of claims to take paradise to the forefront, to be a miracle (of indefinite proportion) we the people were asked to pave the way for those few to tread upon the yellow brick road with the vague promise that we too would walk upon it...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Time of course will tell if this is to be so, if we everyday Paradisians will enjoy the fruits of our labour, walk the streets of New London like Dick Whittington where the streets were supposedly paved in gold - or if those fruits are to be enjoyed by other less industrious souls! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Or perhaps it will be a mere case of ususfructus - <i>the right to the enjoyment of the fruits of a thing by one person, while the ownership </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i> belonged to another</i> - this of course interpreted in true Paradisian style to accommodate the chosen few.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">But the people have spoken, or at least seemed to. End result of course is that the little hut down by the fish pond is soon to be home to a band of some of the most interesting characters that we have seen fit to gather in that one place since 1948. If loose talk is to be relied upon amongst those few are drug barons, rapists, murderers, thieves of different hues, stars, some mind you barely out of their teens!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
What then have the people said? That its OK to be an oaf? Perhaps, I'd like to think not, but then, what do i know eh?<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-76215104853907876932010-04-12T16:38:00.000+00:002010-04-12T16:38:29.806+00:00Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso<div>I was not gonna do this, I was gonna suck it up and just let those waves of heat wash over me...</div><div><br />
</div><div>But, given that the mercury hit a record high - and I caught it - I had to, especially since we dont have any power ether...</div><div><br />
</div><div>Its hot, made doubly terribly so by frequent prolonged power cuts.... its 30c at 5 in the morning and only gets warmer... 35c at 8 in the night!</div><div><br />
</div><div>So here I sit, my pores all open as the very moisture in my body is being sucked up into this vacuum. 3 - 4 litres of water a day just to keep up with the loss.... I don't know how people manage...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVST2hh1-otctkCiO68BqcR8ReJTTJv9CVGq_lz2iMbnxHbbV6ke47H1vsacwN-hsZMpdRo_I8skTGKXyo1yGlpP1USFUHHa51X-46EZ4WwqbvaR88UYSD1DCJZm0OBsQ5rBj5O9Wmw/s1600/50C.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVST2hh1-otctkCiO68BqcR8ReJTTJv9CVGq_lz2iMbnxHbbV6ke47H1vsacwN-hsZMpdRo_I8skTGKXyo1yGlpP1USFUHHa51X-46EZ4WwqbvaR88UYSD1DCJZm0OBsQ5rBj5O9Wmw/s640/50C.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div>So I decided to see just how bad it can get.... and this apparently is it:</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #743a32; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<center><br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="var2" style="background-color: #c7c99c; color: #743a32; width: 453px;" summary="BBC Weather's average conditions for Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. This includes readings of average sunlight, temperature, discomfort from heat and humidity, relative humidity, average Precipitation, and wet days."><colgroup></colgroup><colgroup></colgroup><colgroup></colgroup><colgroup span="4"></colgroup><colgroup></colgroup><colgroup span="2"></colgroup><colgroup></colgroup><colgroup></colgroup><thead>
<tr><th bgcolor="#ffffff" colspan="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></th></tr>
<tr><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" id="1" rowspan="3" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Month</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" id="2" rowspan="3" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Average Sunlight (hours)</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" colspan="4" id="3" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Temperature</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" id="4" rowspan="3" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Discomfort from heat and humidity</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" colspan="2" id="5" rowspan="2" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Relative humidity</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" id="6" rowspan="3" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Average Precipitation (<abbr title="Millimetres">mm</abbr>)</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" id="7" rowspan="3" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Wet Days (+0.25<abbr title="Millimetres">mm</abbr>)</strong></th></tr>
<tr><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" colspan="2" headers="3" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Average</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" colspan="2" headers="3" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Record</strong></th></tr>
<tr><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" headers="3" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Min</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" headers="3" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Max</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" headers="3" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Min</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" headers="3" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>Max</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" headers="5" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>am</strong></th><th align="center" bgcolour="#b7db94" class="var0" headers="5" scope="col" style="background-color: #e8e7c8; color: #7d7377; direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.7em;"><strong>pm</strong></th></tr>
<tr><td style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></td><td style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></td><td style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></td><td style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></td><td style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></td><td style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></td><td style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></td><td style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></td><td style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></td><td style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></td><td style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/f/t.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>Jan</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>9</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>16</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>33</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>9</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>45</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>Medium</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>42</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>19</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>0</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>0.1</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>Feb</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>9</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>20</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>37</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>12</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>45</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>Medium</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>38</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>19</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>3</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>0.3</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>March</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>9</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>23</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>40</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>15</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>45</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>High</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>39</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>20</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>13</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>0.7</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>April</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>8</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>26</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>39</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>15</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>47</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>High</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>51</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>28</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>15</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>2</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>May</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>9</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>26</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>38</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>19</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>48</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>Extreme</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>65</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>40</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>84</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>6</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>June</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>8</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>24</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>36</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>17</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>44</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>High</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>73</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>49</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>122</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>9</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>July</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>7</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>23</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>33</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>18</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>41</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>High</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>78</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>62</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>203</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>12</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>Aug</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>6</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>22</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>31</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>14</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>38</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>High</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>81</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>67</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>277</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>14</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>Sept</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>7</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>23</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>32</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>19</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>39</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>High</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>79</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>60</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>145</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>11</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>Oct</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>9</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>23</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>35</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>18</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>41</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>High</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>72</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>44</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>33</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>3</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>Nov</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>9</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>22</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>36</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>16</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>42</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>High</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>58</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>30</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>0</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>0.2</strong></td></tr>
<tr align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff"><td headers="1" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>Dec</strong></td><td headers="2" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>8</strong></td><td headers="3" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>17</strong></td><td headers="4" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>35</strong></td><td headers="5" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>11</strong></td><td headers="6" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>45</strong></td><td headers="7" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>Medium</strong></td><td headers="8" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>46</strong></td><td headers="9" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>23</strong></td><td headers="10" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>0</strong></td><td headers="11" style="direction: ltr; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em;"><strong>0</strong></td></tr>
</thead></table></center><center><br />
</center>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-90803616056124189652010-04-04T10:31:00.002+00:002010-04-04T11:34:04.470+00:00What did happen?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Reading the news yesterday the most shocking item was a report dated 3-4.2010 to the effect that President Rajapakse had used derogatory language in the course of a speech he made in Jaffna - </span><a href="http://www.lankatruth.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5139:we-are-sinhalese-the-country-too-is-sinhalese-you-tamilian-just-listen-mahinda-in-devils-act-in-jaffna&catid=35:local&Itemid=62"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Lanka Truth</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> & </span><a href="http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2010_04_03_003.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Lanka News Web</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
These remarks are attributed to his reaction to the crowd jeering him during the course of his teleprompted speech in Tamil, apparently due to them not understanding him.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.sundaytimes.lk/100404/News/nws_03.html">Sunday Times</a> of today has a different spin to the tale, attributing the jeering to a Sinhalese segment in the crowd who jeered for the same reason<br />
<br />
So, while two reports claim that he used language derogatory towards the Tamil community the third suggests him speaking in support.<br />
<br />
As the president of a country made up of different ethnicities his excellency has an obligation to lead this nation with no favor of one group over another - it was this favoring of a majority in the past that lead us down a path that saw an entire generation of Sri Lankan's living through a bloody war which tore the very social fabric of this nation.<br />
<br />
If the initial reports are true - and frankly though I am incredulous that a politician of his caliber would make such a statement under existing circumstance; this is after all a new Sri Lanka where laws, constitution, common decency is tormented daily, anything is possible - its shocking, If what actually happened is a distortion, it make the reporters no better than the government propaganda machine<br />
<br />
Will we ever find out what exactly happed that day in Jaffna?Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-64283682289888414362010-04-03T10:09:00.000+00:002010-04-03T10:09:13.267+00:00Micro finance anyone?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Can anyone suggest a micro finance organisation that may be in need of funds?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I've come across a possible source and would be happy to point a suitable organisation in the right direction</span>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-9127549768471554792010-03-31T17:48:00.002+00:002010-03-31T17:55:34.968+00:00Explore Sri LankaI've been reading posts about trips to the Northern and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka over the last few weeks, seems that many a 1000's are traveling to areas that have been virtually out of bounds to an entire generation and I'm so wanting to join in!<br />
<br />
My last trip to Batticaloa would have been about 9 - 10 yrs ago, a drive I'm not likely to forget as I started the trip on a Thursday evening after work. Just getting out of Colombo was a nightmare, upto Kandy, on to Habarana and onwards. And I did this in a Toyota Cynos - the closest I've ever been to driving a 'sports' car! It was an eerie sensation I remember, driving along in darkness along roads not traveled upon before.<br />
<br />
In 2003 I took the night mail to Vavuniya, and bussed it from that point onwards to Jaffna - that too was a surreal experience and one I am unlikely to forget in a hurry.<br />
<br />
My only regret is that at the time I really didn't have a camera - I cant think why not, oh well; memories I do have.<br />
<br />
So, lets see, what would my dream trip be...<br />
<br />
A week on the road, driving up along the East Coast - from Arugam Bay up to Batticaloa, Pasi Kuda, on to Trincomalee, from there to Jaffna, Delft Islands (is that possible?) back down to Mannar and further along the Western Coast, two weeks maybe?<br />
<br />
A few years ago I took the coastal road upto Puttalam and on to Anuradhapura - that stretch of road was awful at the time and I berated myself for choosing to do so at the time - those pot holes!<br />
<br />
This post is actually going no where, but I wanna go anywaySigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-73180563892290588342010-03-29T19:11:00.001+00:002010-03-29T19:13:29.845+00:0035.5CThe end of a financial year is close upon me and looking back I got to say, I'm not too happy with the results - the impact of the global economic slow down cut into my performance by as much as 50% taking me back to trading levels of 2007/08.<br />
<br />
Any improvement is slow in coming due to multiple factors - increase in material cost, a weakening Euro and a gaining US$, whatever anyone else says, I dont think we are clear yet; the fundamentals look wrong, no matter how much of a positive face the experts try to keep.<br />
<br />
It was not really surprising then to read that a leading Telecommunications provider in SL was cutting back due to the "<a href="http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2010_03_28_002.html">economic crisis</a>" - interestingly, most of the previous communique from this entity till I saw this article has generally been positive.....<br />
<br />
Its 19:05, Monday evening and 35.5 degrees Celsius, warm eh? There were a couple of cool days, much appreciated, last week, but the temperature is back with a vengeance, sigh...<br />
<br />
BTW, my ATM card, which worked so well over the last two years has stopped - Inability to access one's salary has its obvious advantages, but me starving to death may make enjoying it later difficult.... the cloud in the silver lining eh?!<br />
<br />
Take care allSigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-53281962586571437542010-03-22T17:26:00.000+00:002010-03-22T17:26:17.497+00:00Ha ha ha...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Hjpia8JEInoSJJ_lu5wxLpc63aIWZC6qZCaGUp3rHMvW7dxvXZJl0qj3RNcPoSS0xzYNrmodkbpqnKIzCbMYrSUNt29dP_YGCfjx50KieI8au9e_OF7JSCRINUiXWwnxTvnGMY7V9g/s1600-h/B&B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Hjpia8JEInoSJJ_lu5wxLpc63aIWZC6qZCaGUp3rHMvW7dxvXZJl0qj3RNcPoSS0xzYNrmodkbpqnKIzCbMYrSUNt29dP_YGCfjx50KieI8au9e_OF7JSCRINUiXWwnxTvnGMY7V9g/s640/B&B.jpg" width="532" /></a></div>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-12690351393765570172010-03-14T10:01:00.001+00:002010-03-14T10:06:40.768+00:00To all those mean MomsIncluding my own - thank you<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mean Moms </span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Someday when my children are old enough to</span></span></blockquote><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">understand the logic that motivates a parent,</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me: </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I loved you enough to ask where you were going,</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">with whom, and what time you would be home. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved you enough to be silent and let you</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">discover that your new best friend was a creep.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved you enough to stand over you for</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">two hours while you cleaned your room,</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a job that should have taken 15 minutes.</span></span></blockquote></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved you enough to let you see anger,</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children </span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">must learn that their parents aren't perfect..</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved you enough to let you assume the</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">responsibility for your actions even when the</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But most of all, I loved you enough to say </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">NO when I knew you would hate me for it”</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those were the most difficult battles of all.</span></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And someday when your children are old enough to</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them. </span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was your Mom mean? </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know mine was.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had the meanest mother in the whole world!</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While other kids ate candy for breakfast,</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.</span></span></blockquote></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch,</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">we had to eat sandwiches.</span></span></blockquote></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">different from what other kids had, too. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times.</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You'd think we were convicts in a prison.</span></span></blockquote></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She had to know who our friends were</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and what we were doing with them.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She insisted that if we said we</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were ashamed to admit it,</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but she had the nerve to break </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the Child Labor Laws by making us work.</span></span></blockquote></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had to wash the dishes, make the beds,</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, </span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">empty the trash and all sorts of cruel</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">jobs.</span></span></blockquote></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think she would lie awake at night</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">thinking of more things for us to do. </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She always insisted on us telling the truth,</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.</span></span></blockquote></span><br />
<blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the time we were teenagers,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote><span style="color: black;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">she could read our minds </span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and had eyes in the back of her head.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, life was really tough!</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the horn when they drove up</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They had to come up to the door</span></span></blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">so she could meet them.</span></span></blockquote></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because of our mother we missed out</span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">on lots of things other kids experienced. </span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">None of us have ever </span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's </span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">property or ever arrested for any crime..</span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was all her fault.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.</span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I think that is what's wrong with the world today. </i></span></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>It just doesn't have enough mean moms! </i></span></span></blockquote></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span><br />
<div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0080ff;"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><blockquote></blockquote></span></span></i></b></span></span></div>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26754237090738234.post-24328180280110947332010-03-08T12:42:00.001+00:002010-03-08T13:58:07.359+00:00Holi Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTgzixezOrbmVlWR3HXgb4b2QotGqJnbrctC31BlJWUTuchEOe4Md1hFy7zUEyu8KuhZBn4k5Wb35-hzC-KYFFAgYaJzNZiFVqaH2haUHvzYZqX76_px8OQxmX3zaHxpSQUedpgqLTg/s1600-h/IMG_1315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTgzixezOrbmVlWR3HXgb4b2QotGqJnbrctC31BlJWUTuchEOe4Md1hFy7zUEyu8KuhZBn4k5Wb35-hzC-KYFFAgYaJzNZiFVqaH2haUHvzYZqX76_px8OQxmX3zaHxpSQUedpgqLTg/s320/IMG_1315.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavYKoIy7mk4KwffMIdUQ2-SBPeGCJ4JLHqUlvhCtq_7Lmv16DycyFVPEtxXUClNWYlFi8IevBxAGOXnSdJ7oWB7iKLQhVTy08EvdMTCV-6TtewzpX6HxM1yGaQuF4WHXSUxp-SGGvFw/s1600-h/IMG_1669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavYKoIy7mk4KwffMIdUQ2-SBPeGCJ4JLHqUlvhCtq_7Lmv16DycyFVPEtxXUClNWYlFi8IevBxAGOXnSdJ7oWB7iKLQhVTy08EvdMTCV-6TtewzpX6HxM1yGaQuF4WHXSUxp-SGGvFw/s320/IMG_1669.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqTPlIruyg095DJxu9IjYeHaT9UKf5zyqYDKnX1CaMicMNcLLLvDtFDD7lIxjwPS2hiFGs0Sx9XwlJ05akNiU5eyS4wxP8NLGWT2i_cSopp5ighLum7YxMSG29kxHMlwbG3kPH4BOWg/s1600-h/IMG_1577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqTPlIruyg095DJxu9IjYeHaT9UKf5zyqYDKnX1CaMicMNcLLLvDtFDD7lIxjwPS2hiFGs0Sx9XwlJ05akNiU5eyS4wxP8NLGWT2i_cSopp5ighLum7YxMSG29kxHMlwbG3kPH4BOWg/s320/IMG_1577.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSe0tmMrngGXpdbCid0ITgGPH2w78JCkEPT-tKc-29Sd_z_2TO2DA0OVwquU8LYjxrSIyyM4zY9dtAYkrMAqys2upijHOV489hWrIM7mxH8StxfKtEgcrjtO6VXeTw7DsjQY6YI2KCg/s1600-h/IMG_1209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSe0tmMrngGXpdbCid0ITgGPH2w78JCkEPT-tKc-29Sd_z_2TO2DA0OVwquU8LYjxrSIyyM4zY9dtAYkrMAqys2upijHOV489hWrIM7mxH8StxfKtEgcrjtO6VXeTw7DsjQY6YI2KCg/s320/IMG_1209.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KfQh3a9MfLyUlVSNIQxMLN4oOjARSibYjp72NJh8Ug8YVnelrwUXji2VC9GZuPFWAVoducJ_c6Jp385NZZoezeoDz3n5nVudl1WGkk6cDOliVz1EX9k9_7QKjqrOgPtaJVLAN4mKMg/s1600-h/IMG_1366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KfQh3a9MfLyUlVSNIQxMLN4oOjARSibYjp72NJh8Ug8YVnelrwUXji2VC9GZuPFWAVoducJ_c6Jp385NZZoezeoDz3n5nVudl1WGkk6cDOliVz1EX9k9_7QKjqrOgPtaJVLAN4mKMg/s320/IMG_1366.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6DC9-g7KV0jq5eIu9UEcn3K-0qEMTvmgsETJHO0gqJwZVQhXiDxzGRr8Pq7s9pnfvUTx2KvIe1zGzEGjakhpdCPUVWypT9cp7fE2hRBTL8L2i6D7zVtm2CzI8uacSdeP-X2CR3K5gg/s1600-h/IMG_1445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio6DC9-g7KV0jq5eIu9UEcn3K-0qEMTvmgsETJHO0gqJwZVQhXiDxzGRr8Pq7s9pnfvUTx2KvIe1zGzEGjakhpdCPUVWypT9cp7fE2hRBTL8L2i6D7zVtm2CzI8uacSdeP-X2CR3K5gg/s320/IMG_1445.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnImGSGtTd3lrEg1RjTedEuXoWsT47ZEMfjmKglFnAaRadDvTrWRmNsBG6XAlVFkY0EM6vbwOmD_vuNuunlbm7svxmAoth4avR9UZIcbxhjr_yOeNK0DxMyOv9z4LXcRhRoNTBXboJQ/s1600-h/IMG_1576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBnImGSGtTd3lrEg1RjTedEuXoWsT47ZEMfjmKglFnAaRadDvTrWRmNsBG6XAlVFkY0EM6vbwOmD_vuNuunlbm7svxmAoth4avR9UZIcbxhjr_yOeNK0DxMyOv9z4LXcRhRoNTBXboJQ/s320/IMG_1576.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_DVdtcfx4h6o7204wRV_KBvVvAZQ6Quo2WliPATLzPiJg3psUpP2TMPYzyU7bzpPZuZlSn_FBI4DoqXrEPMnHj4V-qcj3U6DSm5GZXZOlKCSHVpkEfE41WoO5cMSVjoeW42h6Nc1HA/s1600-h/IMG_1818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_DVdtcfx4h6o7204wRV_KBvVvAZQ6Quo2WliPATLzPiJg3psUpP2TMPYzyU7bzpPZuZlSn_FBI4DoqXrEPMnHj4V-qcj3U6DSm5GZXZOlKCSHVpkEfE41WoO5cMSVjoeW42h6Nc1HA/s320/IMG_1818.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXrvcaXDuWKA4qCjvaLx3Ro87q6rrX31LQ65SHz4lSkQjTcvrMFHC709OtJDrhX4-OcWf0o3zbYILh9AhXhn0w7kdgC3aQ2Yu1EwUA5VFhPR5WOmh-iRcHAJ-yQRU9DKTTEtx5FQI8A/s1600-h/IMG_1181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXrvcaXDuWKA4qCjvaLx3Ro87q6rrX31LQ65SHz4lSkQjTcvrMFHC709OtJDrhX4-OcWf0o3zbYILh9AhXhn0w7kdgC3aQ2Yu1EwUA5VFhPR5WOmh-iRcHAJ-yQRU9DKTTEtx5FQI8A/s320/IMG_1181.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDm5ACfa5WpJ5aUUcmkKC6lTfmw-LO4flxQ1bwSjcjzaaJChnOLAShnO9hMv4wml0Qx-MQFa7NWi6iqYV5-wGw8fGOI234W_Q9d3_S9J6whkvEqhnoOw9fpmKURvZQ86SZrgJIhMfNg/s1600-h/IMG_1307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGDm5ACfa5WpJ5aUUcmkKC6lTfmw-LO4flxQ1bwSjcjzaaJChnOLAShnO9hMv4wml0Qx-MQFa7NWi6iqYV5-wGw8fGOI234W_Q9d3_S9J6whkvEqhnoOw9fpmKURvZQ86SZrgJIhMfNg/s320/IMG_1307.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBsLyamdislaBiOP1CBdgUsNVUMnKlVVm0v_hdtZ73lPcB8oyOarWKTWd_sclho3AkSe5wDsaLOyfsluOGHM-v-Jwwp6tv5-LWHwigqNizcxi2ZPuogvXrB4zQHzU3z2H8GWTrLoOlw/s1600-h/IMG_1719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBsLyamdislaBiOP1CBdgUsNVUMnKlVVm0v_hdtZ73lPcB8oyOarWKTWd_sclho3AkSe5wDsaLOyfsluOGHM-v-Jwwp6tv5-LWHwigqNizcxi2ZPuogvXrB4zQHzU3z2H8GWTrLoOlw/s320/IMG_1719.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7zhaZ2MMVImujwx7WK-bbbK92YeOcY62dgqROQhV8stOPVgHPwaKSmbDN5CF44_p2TQhkSVAZtrUgmP7mPwKnRzmfw5cVNjAnj3fSykENn7wSkh7WofzM03luql3jWpYbcJYo940uw/s1600-h/IMG_1816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7zhaZ2MMVImujwx7WK-bbbK92YeOcY62dgqROQhV8stOPVgHPwaKSmbDN5CF44_p2TQhkSVAZtrUgmP7mPwKnRzmfw5cVNjAnj3fSykENn7wSkh7WofzM03luql3jWpYbcJYo940uw/s320/IMG_1816.JPG" /></a></div>Sigmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01819465048907215587noreply@blogger.com6