Tasted a dragon lately?

Being somewhat adventurous when it comes to food I saw these in Checkers yesterday...

Dragon Fruit or Pitaya... and when I opened it up we had this! Tasted a bit like Kiwi with a smattering of Prickly Pear!

Being epiphytic they are grown on top of posts as in this picture from the ABC Rural site...

Here one can see that inside they resemble their cousin prickly pears, almost the same shade of purple/red that the better known Cactus have but with smaller seeds. One peels them just the same and not like pineapples as the lady in Checkers mentioned though...

So would I buy them again? At R59 per Kg they are expensive but I think for that special occasion where you want to add striking colour or texture there is nothing to beat a slice of Dragon Fruit... it contrasts very well with Kiwi by the way.
Now I can also say I know what Dragons Fruit tastes like.
A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love. St Basil

Wednesday whackyness

MizMinka has a Monday Meme thing going so I am borrowing it for Wacky Wednesday!
Were you named after anyone? Yes, My dad's best friend's name as a first name and my dad's as second name, I use part of my name as Blogname, the meaning of my first name is "Bright Fame" and the second is a Scottish Clan name. My brothers also have two names each. Sort of a family tradition.
When was the last time you cried? Sunday, when I realised how much I have to be thankful about in my life.
Do you like your handwriting? It is mine but quite unreadable if older than a week, I prefer typing.
What is your favorite lunch meat? Pastrami with sweet mustard... preferably Leroi's.
Do you have kids? Yes, two and they are the best! I am so proud of both of them. They are the greatest gifts God has given me.
If you were another person would you be friends with you? Yes! One has to be friends with yourself to be friends with other people.
Do you use sarcasm a lot? Occasionally, when it seems fitting.
Do you still have your tonsils? Yes, and I rarely get ill. My immune system is still in one piece, not so my bones.
Would you bungee jump? Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in a heartbeat, I still want to skydive as well.
What did you have for breakfast? Wheatbix with milk and brown sugar.
What is your favorite cereal? Coco Pops! (Chocolate!) but it is a luxury, wheatbix is my staple.
Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Yes if they have laces, otherwise they are slip on's or Bike Boots with Velcro.
Do you think you are strong? Yes, but I do not rely on my strenght alone, I have a helping hand that is always there when needed, thank you Jesus.
What is the first thing you notice about people? Eyes.
Red or pink? Red if I have to...
What is the least favorite thing about yourself? Procrastination! Need I say more?
Who do you miss the most? My Mom...
What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Grey cargo shorts, slip on ankle boots.
What was the last thing you ate? An apple...
What are you listening to right now? My mp3 collection... as I take a break from crunching numbers at work.
If you were a crayon, what color would you be? What?!
Favorite smells? Bacon frying, the smell of rain, coffee, the smells when MX bikes leave the start gate. Last one is a complex smell of petrol, burnt oil and damp earth... heavenly!
Ok, those are my answers, what you want to do with those snippets beats me, but it made me think of some memories and things I still want to do...
"Facts are stupid things." Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004)

Anticipation

Anticipation or being enthusiastic, is an emotion involving pleasure (and sometimes anxiety) in considering some expected or longed-for good event, or irritation at having to wait. Robert Plutchik listed anticipation as one of the eight basic emotions in his psychoevolutionary theory. See also hope. A name for pleasured anticipation is excitement.

Anticipation can be shown in many ways; for example, some people seem to smile uncontrollably during this period, while others seem ill or sick. It is not uncommon for the brain to be so focused on an event, that the body is affected in such a way. Stage fright is a type of anticipation, stemming from the actor or actress hoping that they perform well

Dictionary: anticipation

an·tic·i·pa·tion

Pronunciation:

\(ˌ)an-ˌti-sə-ˈpā-shən\

Function:

noun

Date:

14th century

1 a: a prior action that takes into account or forestalls a later action

b: the act of looking forward; especially : pleasurable expectation

2: the use of money before it is available

3 a: visualization of a future event or state

b: an object or form that anticipates a later type

4: the early sounding of one or more tones of a succeeding chord to form a temporary dissonance — compare suspension

synonyms see prospect

All I can say is that today is a day of anticipation, what with the Currie Cup Final and Moondancers picnic it is a day filled with prospects for joy or sadness on one hand and definite enjoyment on the other.
"She used to drag her mattress besider her low window and lie awake for a long while, vibrating with excitement, as a machine vibrates from speed. Life rushed in upon her through that window - or so it seemed. In reality, of course, life rushes from within, not from without. There is no work of art so big or so beautiful that is was not once all contained in some youthful body, like this one which lay on the floor in the moonlight, pulsing with ardor and anticipation." Willa Cather (1873 - 1947), The Song of the Lark

Double meaning

While listening to Peggy Marsh and her song I will follow him I again realised that this song was a dual meaning, it has been used as a Gospel song before and featured as one in the movie Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg. This song I know word for word since I was a little kid. Prophetic words?

I WILL FOLLOW HIM (Little Peggy March)

I will follow Him, follow Him wherever He may go,
And near Him, I always will be,
For nothing can keep me away, He is my destiny.

I will follow Him, ever since He touched my heart I knew,
There isn't an ocean too deep,
A mountain so high, it can keep,
Keep me away, away from His love.

I love Him, I love Him, I love Him,
And where He goes, I'll follow, I'll follow, I'll follow.

I will follow Him, follow Him wherever He may go,
There isn't an ocean too deep,
A mountain so high, it can keep,
Keep me away...

I will follow Him (follow Him),
Follow Him wherever He may go,
There isn't an ocean too deep,
A mountain so high, it can keep,
Keep me away, away from His love...

I love Him (Oh yes, I love Him)
I'll follow (I'm gonna follow)
True love (He'll always be my true, true love)
Forever (Now until forever)
I love Him, I love Him, I love Him,
And where He goes, I'll follow, I'll follow, I'll follow,
He'll always be my true love, my true love, my true love,
From now until forever, forever, forever...

There isn't an ocean too deep,
A mountain so high, it can keep,
Keep me away, away from His love.
This also relates to today, once again we had to go through the valley of darkness but He held our hands as we put our trust in Him to make the best of the situation, it is a long process but will be resolved and at the same time be an example to others. Once it is over I will explain the whole story, in the meantime thanks for all those prayers and support. We appreciate it.
"It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time." Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

Ecstacy

This posting has been in draft for like forever and today all the peices came together to make a perfect picture...
Ecstacy is the state I am in at present and when you look up the Wikipedia on the word you get;
Ecstacy smay mean:
Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance like state in which an individual transcends normal consciousness
Religious ecstasy, a changed state of consciousness characterized by expanded spiritual awareness, visions or absolute euphoria
Ecstasy (philosophy), a term used to mean "outside-of-itself"
MDMA, a recreational drug sold under the street name "ecstasy".
MS Ecstasy, a cruise ship in the Carnival Cruise Lines fleet
In the arts:
Ecstasy (album), an album title shared by multiple artists
Ecstasy (film) (1933), a Czech film starring Hedy Lamarr and directed by Gustav Machaty
Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance, a collection of three novellas by Irvine Welsh
Ecstasy (2007 film), based on the third novella, The Undefeated
Ecstasy (play), a 1979 play by Mike Leigh
Ecstasy (song), a 2004 song by ATB
"Ecstasy", a song by New Order from their 1983 album Power, Corruption & Lies
"Ecstasy", a song by the Cleveland rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony from their album BTNHResurrection
"Ecstasy", a song by Lou Reed
"Ecstasy", a song by VAST from their album Turquoise & Crimson
"The Ecstasy of Gold", a song from film The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, also used by the band Metallica
"Ecstasy", a song by Megadeth from the 1999 album Risk
Extasy Records, a record label

"Religious ecstasy is an altered state of consciousness characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and expanded interior mental and spiritual awareness which is frequently accompanied by visions and emotional/intuitive (and sometimes physical) euphoria. Although the experience is usually brief in physical time[1], there are records of such experiences lasting several days or even more, and of recurring experiences of ecstasy during one's lifetime. Subjective perception of time, space and/or self may strongly change or disappear during ecstasy."


"Ecstasy (from the Greek έκστασις, to be outside oneself (ancient Greek: εξίστημι (existimi) meaning stand outside where εξ (ex) means out as in exit)) is a category of altered states of consciousness or trance like states in which an individual transcends ordinary consciousness and as a result has a heightened capacity for exceptional thought, intense concentration on a specific task, extraordinary physical abilities or intense emotional experience. This heightened capacity is typically accompanied by diminished awareness of some other matters. For instance, if one is concentrating on a physical task, then one might cease to be aware of any intellectual thoughts. On the other hand, making a spirit journey in an ecstatic trance involves the cessation of voluntary bodily movement. Subjective perception of time, space and/or self may strongly change or disappear during ecstasy."

"Ecstasy, (or ekstasis) from the Ancient Greek, έκ-στασις (ex-stasis)," to be or stand outside oneself, a removal to elsewhere (from ex-: out, and stasis: a stand, or a standoff of forces).
It is used in philosophy usually to mean outside-of-itself'." One's consciousness, for example, is not self-enclosed, one can be conscious of an Other person, who falls well outside of one's own self. In a sense, consciousness is usually, "outside of itself," in that its object (what it thinks about, or perceives) is not itself."

Yep looking at that lot I have to say the first three are applicable in my life to varying degrees, that I am more aware of a lot of things these days and calling it a state of ecstasy is pretty accurate. I just have an ecstatic sense of joy in my life and if this is what it is like because I am so sure of where I fit in in the scheme of things then ecstasy is a close second for heaven. I just have this knowing that whatever I wish can be attained when I apply myself. Then I found the video today when I played the song and pushed FoxyTunes to fetch the info. (Video may be blocked by some workplaces)

[via FoxyTunes / ATB-Ecstacy]

After watching the different facets portrayed in the video, especially André Tanneberger (ATB), they guy at the caravan that seems so at peace with himself, and while reading the lyrics it struck me that this song can be interpreted in many ways... one is the love song and another is a song of praise, it just depends what you are focusing on. At the moment the words have meaning to me in the sense that I have a love affair with my Saviour, He is my Ecstasy, and there can never be another and I'll never be the same again. I am amazed...

Have you ever noticed,
That I'm not acting as I used to do before?
Have you ever wondered,
Why I always keep on coming back for more?

What have you done to me,
I'll never be the same I'll tell you for sure

I'll never be the same I'll tell you for sure
I'll never be the same I'll tell you for sure

You really are my ecstasy,
My real life fantasy, oh yeah

You really are my ecstasy,
My real life fantasy, oh yeah

Not that I'm complaining,
A more beautiful vision - I have never seen
If you don't mind me saying,
A life of ambition to fulfill my dream

What have you done to me,
I'll never be the same I'll tell you for sure

I'll never be the same I'll tell you for sure
I'll never be the same I'll tell you for sure

You really are my ecstasy,
My real life fantasy, oh yeah

You really are my ecstasy,
My real life fantasy, oh yeah

You really are my ecstasy,
(There can be no other
While we still have each other)
My real life fantasy, oh yeah

You really are my ecstasy,
(There can be no other
While we still have each other)
My real life fantasy, oh yeah

You really are my ecstasy,
(There can be no other
While we still have each other)
My real life fantasy, oh yeah
Hope you enjoyed the song and found a meaning of your own. Oh and then TUT sends me this!
First, as a child, it seems like the entire world is there for you and you
rush to drink from its every cup, sometimes wondering to yourself how
anything could ever be more fun.
Then, as you grow older, if you're observant, you realize much of what you
enjoy was made possible by the contributions, work, and labor of those who
came before you, and you're taken aback, disappointed even , because with
maturity you can now see cracks in the façades, imperfections in the
details, and 10,000 ways it could have all been done better.
At which point, folks typically choose one of two paths: Spend a lifetime
lamenting how far from perfect things are. Or, to one degree or another,
roll up their sleeves and pitch in.
And should they choose the latter with gusto, dear RobC, they will come to
know, to the core of their sacred being, that the differences they might
make in the world cannot be made by another. And then they will discover the
answer to their often-wondered childhood question.... That the most fun one
can have in time and space comes from making such a difference, and that the
joy derived from serving is 10,000 times that of being served.

Oh, no, RobC. This doesn't mean life becomes all work and no play. It just
means work becomes play, no matter what you do, and play becomes ecstasy.
Gobsmacked only half describes it...
"I am convinced that life in a physical body is meant to be an ecstatic experience." Shakti Gawain

Spring in my step

Well not quite springs but let me introduce you to my latest hardware... no not the geek gadget kind but...
My Titanium plate and other hardware, now I know why my leg is sore when it is cold...
Another angle on the hardware, "roofing screws" come to mind.
The tag, in case I got lost in hospital...
Talking of Spring... once again the Prunus outside the flat is putting up a magnificent show of Blazing Pink (mmm tracklist title methinks).
Yeah, that time of year again. I recall a similar view last year although a week earlier it seems, must be the colder winter we had this year.
Getting the fields of play ready for a new season... saw this as I was picking the best shot of the Prunus, I love 5 mega pixels! The grass is being scarified and I bet they are going to water it tomorrow as well, I will try to get same pics of the birds that usually forage for the seeds after this is done. The walk will be good exercise.
A lot has happened since last year, amazingly mostly very good stuff! I am truly blessed when I look back.
This bunch of Prunus picked by KatieB's daughter yesterday when they popped in to see me has brightened up our world, thanks B!
I got some more work stuff done today and was listening to my music as usual and then I sort of paused when this one came up...
One of my favourite 80's song, an amazing voice and lyrics I live by...

[via FoxyTunes / Rick Astley] Never gonna give you up.

We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

We've know each other for so long
Your heart's been aching
But you're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it

And if you ask me how I'm feeling
Don't tell me you're too blind to see

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

give you up. give you up
give you up, give you up
never gonna give
never gonna give, give you up
never gonna give
never gonna give, five you up

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Well after that and some more work this one played... I had never given it much thought before but once again it had me thinking...

[via FoxyTunes / Evan and Jaron] - Crazy For This Girl

She rolls the window down
And she
Talks over the sound
Of the cars that pass us by
And I dont know why
But shes changed my mind

Chorus:
Would you look at her
She looks at me
Shes got me thinking about her constantly
But she dont know how I feel
And as she carries on without a doubt
I wonder if shes figured out
Im crazy for this girl

She was the one to hold me
The night
The sky fell down
And what was I thinking when
The world didnt end
Why didnt I know what I know now

Chorus

Right now
Face to face
All my fears
Pushed aside
And right now
Im ready to spend the rest of my life
With you

Chorus 2x

So there I go with a picture of someone in my mind and songs in my head...
Foot up, see! I am being good!
"An optimist is the human personification of spring." Susan J. Bissonette

What happened on yours?

I do not usually take part in these meme things but this one over on Jock's place made me want to give it a bash. So here is mine for June 11...
Three Events That Occurred on My Birthday
1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy was sacked and burned, according to the calculations of Eratosthenes.
That is something I did not know! WOW
1776 - Continental Congress appoints Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to a committee to draft a declaration of independence.
Cool!
1935 - Inventor Edwin Armstrong gives the first public demonstration of FM broadcasting in the United States, at Alpine, New Jersey.
And that was the start of the POP era and the springboard for music as we have it today as far as I am concerned.
Two People Who Share My Birthday
1910 - Jacques-Yves Cousteau, French explorer and inventor (d. 1997)
Cool!
1939 - Jackie Stewart, Scottish race car driver.
Never knew that my all time F1 hero was born on my birthday!
One Holiday Celebrated on My Birthday
Kamehameha Day, official state holiday of Hawaii, United States, in honor of its first monarch, celebrated with floral parades, hula competition, and festivals.
Always liked Hawaii...
Five People I'm Tagging;
The first five on my blogroll to respond... leave a note on the comments if you care to join in the fun.
Sorry but that is all I have for today... I quess the quote sums it up...
"Sometimes the mind, for reasons we don't necessarily understand, just decides to go to the store for a quart of milk." Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, Northern Exposure, Three Doctors, 1993

Tale behind the tail

KatieB has a collection of different ornamental elephants and I also have some in a box in my old office, I had never unpacked them and put them in a place of honour like in my older office (I move a lot!). The reason being that I had a severe dislike of the place...

Since moving to the new office my mood has improved and as soon as our furniture and last alteration is done my elephants will be revealed!

So today I will tell the tale of my Elephant theory...

I never had a real reason why I had begun collecting elephants except maybe that my Mom also had a few but now I know... I am an Elephant person.

Elephant persons are people that dream big and do things in big ways but with grace, caring and gentleness, not in a brash way but one cannot miss it either. Gentleness and caring because if you have ever seen a mother elephant with a calf you will know why I say so, Elephant people also surprise others... all of a sudden they are there, doing what they do with enthusiasm and determination. Just like that big Bull Elephant surprised me one night in the Caprivi... we were on guard duty when all of a sudden the stars disappeared... we heard a gentle rumble and realised that this elephant was snacking on the berries of the tree above our bunker... we remained very quite and after what felt like hours he moved off just as silently as he had come.

So there you are, we are Elephant people, KatieB and I. We both care and regard our fellow humans with gentleness as we go about our adventures together, just like the elephants trekking over the savanna.

But the most amazing thing about elephants is that they can communicate on so many levels we humans cannot hear or even comprehend...and so can Elephant people.

Oh and some of us Elephant people are not like elephants... I am useless at remembering things if I do not jot it down or blog about it!

Another thing is the elephants never move faster than the slowest of the herd and are always passing on what they know and learn to the other herd members. Something I never used to do but find myself increasingly doing so. Passing on what I have learned at work never used to be a pleasure, now I find it an exiting thing to do. The same goes for my hobbies and interests, I find that sharing these is so much more pleasurable than when I was younger.

I think as we grow older we lose that aggressive competitiveness and become mentor minded. It sure helps make life less stressful and seeing the light of discovery in another persons eyes is amazing.

The title actually comes from one of the most endearing things elephants do... they very often walk trunk to tail behind the leader... secure in the knowledge that someone has taken the lead and will guide them to were ever they need to go.

"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent." Dr. Seuss (1904 - 1991), Horton Hatches the Egg

Keys to the Keep

It has been two days and I need a vacation! Tomorrow I have to go tell my new boss that I need 3 new screens... yep, one packed up earlier this year, one packed up while on leave and the other one went berserk today. It keeps on flashing between a pink hue and normal plus everything seems out of focus... this is the one I use for my PC at home so it is mine! I brought it to the office while the first one went in to be diagnosed and I have been waiting since for the upper Echelon to decide if I should or not get a new screen... I will not bring my new flat screen from home! My work laptop also died just before I went on leave... it needs a new power brick... so I cannot use that as a backup machine... eish! I feel like a gardener that has just broken the rake handle, bent the spade and broken the fork's tines... toofless and tool less!
So this evening I took Shrek for a short ride to de-stress and the clock went over to 4006 kilos! Will be needing that second service pretty soon by the way I am putting on kilometres.
Taking a break today I visited Danette's new blog and one of her missives on what happens to blogs when people pass on made me decide to hand over a set of keys to someone I trust. I don't want those left behind having to fight to get hold of things like what happened to Gut Rumbles. I want a smooth transition for those remaining behind... so to speak. So henceforth you will notice another name under "Contributors", my friend and fellow Adventurer KatieB. Please feel free to re arrange the furniture my dear... but leave the couch where it is... the cats are wont to lie on it in the late afternoon sun...
I also started to put into motion another dream... albeit a very tentative step but as they say, every journey starts with the first step. One has to start somewere you know, may as well be a virtual adventure at first.
KatieB sent me a text message or 2 while I was registering the domain... but I think I may have answered her in a distracted way... sorry for that, I can't multitask like she can. Even Winamp has been playing a very disjointed selection but at least one was appreciated, I always used to code to Vangelis and Pinta, Nina, Santa Maria is 13 odd minutes of his music.
If you have visited my fellow adventurer's blog and read her expose on the word Adventure you may smile reading this closing quote... we are planning to go pulling some beards.
"When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers". Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

The Ferarri of Sorbet

I forgot the Camera! Set out for Hout Bay in the morning but by 10h30 I had to head back as fast as possible as I had to visit the dentist in Somerset West, found the N2 and kept to 120 all the way... made it with 10 minutes to spare! After sitting in the dentists chair with the best view I have ever had from the seat of torture I once again set out to visit the shop of a hundred flavours in Hout Bay and return via Chapmans Peak drive.
The Marinello's in Hout Bay make the best Sorbet south of Sicily. Period! And the Beast is feeling like a Ferrari as the engine loosens up...
I look back at this day with quite a bit of nostalgia... remembering the times when we used to sneak away from camp to "test the car" and go over Chapmans Peak to buy that heavenly Lichi sorbet... I hope I get to see H just to see if things are working out ok for her here were she has decided to start a new chapter in her life... just as I have in mine.
Day 4 of 12 Days with Shrek

Where I want to chill a while...

watch some whales and run some passes before heading back to the daily grind a month from now.
If all works out I will be flying Mango and returning 2 wheeled via Route 62, then via the Eastern Cape to KZN and back via Maloti route or I may even do a round route via some northern provinces... time will tell. I may even blog if I find a net connection.

I have 5 routes planned so far...
Brown, 1000k around the Cape.
Green, Route 62.
Blue, to my Boet via Maloti route then to Mapumalanga via Red.
Red, to my Boet via Wild Coast then Klerksdorp and back home via Maloti route.
Yellow, back home via Witsand and Kimberley.
I still have to plot out the exact roads and work out exact distances... but it any one should be fun.
So to the words of the immortal hit from Steppenwolf...
BORN TO BE WILD
From the 1968 release "Steppenwolf"
Words and music by Mars Bonfire

Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space

Like a true nature's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die

Born to be wild
Born to be wild
"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost." H. Jackson Browne, from P. S. I Love You

Internetspeak

Or why people are too lazy to use proper grammar and a spell checker when posting on the Internet...
Today's Rockwood poses the question I have been asking myself lately as well, one sees this type of "speaking" on many blogs. The thing I have noted is that a lot of them are of the "Liberal" (read Moonbat) inclination. Rosie O'Donnell is one of them and she is supposed to be educated!
Is this a indication of the level of education or rather a affectation brought on by liberal inclinations? Or is it from smoking too much pot?
I am inclined to believe the latter...
It is just one of my many theories why we have Moonbats you see...
"Ahhh. A man with a sharp wit. Someone ought to take it away from him before he cuts himself." Peter da Silva

Whacky Wednesday - Make me an Island

Reminds me of a song sung by Joe Dolan... I found it on Hyscience talk about stubborn!

"The villa owner refuses to move, so the real-estate developer has had to dig out all around it to force him to,"

MAKE ME AN ISLAND - A. Hammond & M. Hazlewood
Different eyes, different size, different girls every day.
Different names, different games took my breath clean away.
But I'm changed, rearranged, I'm enlightened and how
you have caught me, you have taught me and I'm different now.
Take me and break me and close all your windows and doors.
Shut me off, cut me off, make me an island, I'm yours.
Take me away from the world, take me away from the girls.
Take me and break me and make me an island, I'm yours.
Running round, shifting ground, that's the life I have seen.
But I'm tired, uninspired and I've wiped my slate clean.
You are mine, I am yours if the Lord will allow.
You have caught me, you have taught me and I'm different now.
Take me and break me and close all your windows and doors.
Shut me off, cut me off, make me an island, I'm yours.
Take me away from the world, take me away from the girls.
Take me and break me and make me an island, I'm yours.
Take me and break me and close all your windows and doors.
Shut me off, cut me off, make me an island, I'm yours.
Take me away from the world, take me away from the girls.
Take me and break me and make me an island, I'm yours.
Take me and break me and make me an island, I'm yours.
Albert Hammond, who I discoverd was born in England and not in the USA by the way, is probably one of the most prolific songwriters of the pop/rock era with Mike hazelwood. Having written hits for many stars and groups like the Hollies... "Gimme dat ding" sung by the Pipkins was also one of theirs! Amazing...

"And there was a beautiful view
But nobody could see.
Cause everybody on the island
Was saying: Look at me! Look at me!"
Laurie Anderson, Language Is A Virus

How to kiss your ass goodbye...

From Mr Riddle via CODA:
An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked. As they went along they passed some people who remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding. The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right, so they changed positions.
Later, they passed some people that remarked, "What a shame, he makes that little boy walk."
They then decided they both would walk! Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey.
Now they passed some people that shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey.
The boy and man said they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and it fell into the river and drowned.

The moral of the story?
If you try to please everyone, you might as well kiss your ass good-bye!
This is sooooo true... thank heavens I have grown wiser and thus less stressed about trying to meet every one's expectations. Ich bin, wer ich bin.
On the subject of german and beer in particular, I see that those esteemed brewers from Holland have gotten their Amstel back from those rotten Seffriken Yankees SABMiller, it will henceforth be brewed/imported under the watchfull eye of the Heineken group who own Windhoek as well. Last I heard Amstel would be brewed in Windhoek?
Now what have all these dutch beer company's got in common with german? Why the Reinheitsgebot dear fellow... and Amstel and Windhoek use this ancient code brew the best beer to cool one's palate. Sehr gut ja! I bet SABMiller are crying in their Castle now... I hear the Amstel income was a cool 300 million $ (yes $ not R) a year! That is a lot of ale to kiss goodbye!
"Religions change; beer and wine remain." Hervey Allen

Popular signs

Kees mentioned on his blog about popular signs that people steal in Austria... now here in South Africa we have no such draw card except for these...
From what I heard last time I was in Richards Bay in KZN these hippo signs "disappear" with regularity... and no I do not have one in my bar! If you look closely you will notice fresh earth around the base of the pole, the one I am posing next to was brand new! This picture was taken when the kids were still in primary school... now L has started her first year at varsity and M is now doing his masters... time sure flies!
"Some are born who never need them,Others still who never read them, signs." Neil Diamond, Signs

How many times

Tonight I was listening to my music and let Winamp have it's way with me... eventually I had to backtrack and compile a playlist of what it had given me, first up was Kate Ryan, Eurosong 2006 entrant and How Many Times, sometimes I am amazed how this bit of software can read my mood... but change it as well! Music tames the restless heart. Here are the lyrics...
How many times - Kate Ryan

How many times
How many times
How many times
Is enough?
Uuhh...

How many times do I have to rise

and fall?
How many times?
How many times hit my head against

the wall?

I'm breaking the border of myself,
It's time that I learned from
The mistakes that has made
This never ending circle
Of just heartaches.

Now is the time,
To get it together and shine
Try to figure out of
Who I am, and what I want.

How many times do I have to rise

and fall?
Once again defeated,
How many times hit my head against

the wall?
'Till I find the secret,
So many nights that
I cried a thousand tears
For the one who turned out
Not to be the one
How many times is enough?

So I'm alone here once again,
Now I can hardly feel the pain,
Anymore, I'm broken,
But not scattered into pieces.

This life is mine,
Just have to stand up and fight,
Try to figure out of
Who I am, and what I want.

How many times do I have to rise

and fall?
Once again defeated,
How many times hit my head against

the wall?
'Till I find the secret,
So many nights that
I cried a thousand tears
For the one who turned out
Not to be the one
How many times is enough?

How many times is enough?
Oouuh...
How many times
How many times
How many times
Is enough?
How many times
How many times
How many times
Is enough?

How many times do I have to rise

and fall?
Once again defeated,
How many times hit my head against

the wall?
'Till I find the secret,
So many nights that
I cried a thousand tears
For the one who turned out
Not to be the one
How many times is enough?

How many times is enough?

Another Eurovision contestant was Nicki French, I love her version of Total Eclipse of the Heart a song made famous by Bonnie Tyler who is a three days and a year older than I am! She sure does not look that old! Gemini's Rule!
Here is the Screaming Tangerines playlist with the same title;

How many times
58 tracks in playlist, average track length: 3:57
Playlist length: 3 hours 49 minutes 58 seconds

1. Kate Ryan - How many times (4:00)
2. Clay Aiken/Kimberley Locke - Without You (4:29)
3. Anouk - Falling sun (3:32)
4. Ace of Base - Don't turn around (3:40)
5. Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer (4:14)
6. Barcode Brothers - Sms (3:42)
7. BC Dance - Though you were not there (3:24)
8. Leonard Cohen - Everybody Knows (5:32)
9. Bad Boys Blue - Where Have You Gone (3:32)
10. Bad Boys Blue - Lover on the line (3:49)
11. Vinylshakerz - Daddy Cool (Screen Mix) (2:50)
12. ATB - I Dont Wanna Stop (3:34)
13. Billie Piper - Something deep inside (3:42)
14. Cliff Richard - Even if it breaks my heart (3:44)
15. Ceoma ft. The Larx - Love Is More (4:03)
16. A1 - I'll Take The Tears (4:24)
17. Rosenstolz - Nichts Von Alledem (Tut Mir Leid) (3:50)
18. Tanita Tikaram - Only the ones we love (2:52)
19. Agnelli & Nelson - Holding On To Nothing (Paul Van Dyk Mix) (4:20)
20. Groove Coverage - What You See is What You Get (3:32)
21. Chris Issac - Wicked Game (4:48)
22. Evanescence - Bring me to life (3:57)
23. Cat Stevens - The first cut is the deepest (3:01)
24. Millennium - Day after day (millennium edit) (3:39)
25. UB40 - Can't help falling in love (3:27)
26. Andain - Beautiful Things (Gabriel & Dresden Remix) (7:15)
27. Belinda Carlisle - I get weak (4:51)
28. Brooklyn Bounce - X2X (We Want More) (3:36)
29. Lipstick - Back For Good (4:12)
30. Basic Connection - Hablame luna (3:30)
31. Rihanna - Unfaithful (Tony Moran Radio) (4:19)
32. Bananarama - Your Love I Like A Drug (4:38)
33. Nicki French - Total Eclipse of the Heart (3:48)
34. Erasure - Solsbury hill (4:24)
35. Zucchero - Cuba Libre (3:31)
36. Eros Ramazotti - Como un niño (4:41)
37. Dario G - Ring of fire (club mix) (5:33)
38. Britney Spears - My Only Wish (4:15)
39. Bryan Adams - Summer Of '69 (3:37)
40. Eros Ramazotti - Calma aparente (4:09)
41. Cliff Richard - Goodby Sam (2:43)
42. Bowling For Soup - Girl All The Bad Guys Want (3:17)
43. Sugababes - Round Round (3:49)
44. Eros Ramazzotti - Lo spirito degli alberi (4:12)
45. 4 Strings - Until You Love Me (4:16)
46. The Equals - Black is Black (2:47)
47. Vertical Horizon - You're a God (3:38)
48. Damae - I‘ve Been Thinking About You (feat. Londonbeat) (3:16)
49. Lasgo - All Night Long (Mcullen And Ritter Mix) (6:27)
50. DJ Sammy - Paradise of love (5:44)
51. Texas and Paul Buchanan - Sleep (Single Edit) (4:09)
52. ATB - Repulse (2:31)
53. BWO - Open door [Disco version] (3:40)
54. HIM - Pretending (3:41)
55. ATB - Marrakech (1:53)
56. Eros Ramazzotti - L'ombra del gigante (4:42)
57. Level 42 - Lessons In Love (4:03)
58. 4 Strings - Take Me Away (Into The Night) Vocal Radio Mix (3:14)
Eros Ramazzotti always seems to be able to lift my spirits along with Andain (who are working on a new album!) and the rest of the euphoric Trance music featured on the list... Something else about Andain... one of the members, David Penner is a Rocket Scientist! "Like Mavie and Josh, music is his first love, although he has his undergraduate degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)." Awesome!
Summing up my thoughs... Today has been one of those rollercoaster days...
"A motion to adjourn is always in order." Robert Heinlein (1907 - 1988), Lazarus Long: Time Enough For Love