View allAll Photos Tagged Generosity
[GOOD FAIRY] Adelaide dress and flats
~TARA~ Vesna handbag
SLAVIA Milla necklace and armlets
OLD WORLD Apple basket, Peach basket, Backthorn pie
These gorgeous handmade ornaments were given me by a generous, grand and artistic friend! Though there are 4 photos, two of them are a view of the same ornament. These three glorious creations are on the Christmas tree at Riversong, our Alabama home on the Elk River. The other three are on the Christmas tree at Lagniappe, our home in New Orleans! I couldn't not bear to leave all in New Orleans, and I expect the other three will be coming back here to reside on the big tree for the rest of the holidays! But OH! How we are enjoying them on each tree! Such sparkle to catch the eye, and remind us of those we love!
Fotografía tomada en la precordillera de Santiago de Chile, en el Parque Aguas de Ramón, comuna de La Reina, el día 5 de noviembre de 2019 con cámara Sony Cybershot
Photograph taken in the precordillera of Santiago de Chile, in the Aguas de Ramón Park, commune of La Reina, on November 5, 2019 with Sony Cybershot camera
People are generous during the holidays, but we eat all year. These bags and baskets of food, goodies, and hand knit or crocheted hats and scarves were put together with love for elders in a rural area of SC for Valentine’s Day. Our elders have much to be proud of. They worked their entire lives, raised their children, cared for their grandchildren, paid their taxes, and helped build their communities. They often worked one or more jobs that are vital to society, but paid poorly. The minimum wage in my state is still $7.25 an hour. It was $1.25 when today’s elders started working. It’s not enough to build a retirement account. When their bodies can no longer work, they retire on less than $900 a month, many with just a few hundred dollars a month. Older adults are the fastest growing population of homeless people. Our elders matter and are a valuable part of our society. This Valentine’s Day share a piece of your heart with an elder in your life or community. If we’re lucky, we’ll live long enough to proudly be elders!
When the sky is generous, we can't remain indifferent... A beautiful serie of sunsets and sunrises for these last days, as to augur us the beautiful autumn lights!
Yesterday a sunrise and today a sunset! Enjoy!
Today's soundtrack: Behind the Moon, Matt Costa.
Please view it large on Black
Les Sables d'Olonne (France)
The sun is a generous lord | It shares its light |
With all things Great or Small.
Straight out of the Camera. A camera is a receptacle of light. A photographer is a gatherer of light. A camera can capture infinite attributes and hues of light. Attributes and hues which can be manipulated but (perhaps) never enhanced by post processing on a computer. Personally I believe that a mild tweaking of exposure or white balance may be necessary at times but extensive processing sucks out the meditative and emotionally charged component of an image leaving behind something which is unreal and lifeless. To PP or not to PP? An existential dilemma which every photographer has to solve for him-her-self.
This is a custom pendant of my logo, which was generously given to me as a 30th birthday present by a great group of friends of mine!
The logo started off with the eyes - they came from some little characters I used to doodle back in school. When I needed a website logo for a university exercise, I took the eyes and put the basketball in the background. Later on, as I started DJing and selling mixtapes I put the headphones around the ball and that became the brand.
Up to this point I'd done all the drawing myself - first by hand, then with some fraught time on Corel Draw :o) About three years back my mate Ruari who is a very talented artist told me he could re-draw it, an offer I gratefully accepted since I didn't have a decent high-res copy - I'd last done it on computer in the days of dial-up, when 1024x768 displays were something to really crow about! He did an excellent job keeping all the shapes and proportions just right but stepping it up to the next level too - and it's this version of the logo which is now immortalised in silver and worn on special occasions.
I'm very lucky to have the friends that I do!
POSEDUMP
"Home Body" Animations + Posepack
Mainstore link
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Captivated/156/104/1578
Marketplace link
marketplace.secondlife.com/p/POSEDUMP-Home-Body-Animation...
“Sun so generous it shall be you-
Leaves of Grass” ― Walt Whitman
27/52-2018
happy fence friday and enjoy the weekend!
A very generous friend gave my husband and myself a gift voucher for Tetsuya's for Christmas. I made a booking for us for our wedding anniversary that was on the 18th, but last night, the 20th being the closest to date I could get. A lovely evening; great atmosphere, very attentive staff and a wonderful 10 course degustation. I've only posted a few of the dishes.
Be the first to kick start your generous support and fund my production with more amazing images!
Currently, I'm running a crowd funding activity to initiate my personal 2016 Flickr's Project. Here, I sincerely request each and every kind hearted souls to pay some effort and attention.
No limitation, Any Amount and your encouraging comments are welcome.
Crowd funding contribution can be simply direct to my PayPal account if you really appreciate and wish my forthcoming photography project to come alive.
Please PayPal your wish amount to : men4r@yahoo.com
Email me or public comments below your contribution amount for good records with your comments and at final day, at random, I shall sent out my well taken care canon 6D with full box n accessory during random draw to one thankful contributor as my token of appreciation.
Now, I cordially invite and look forward with eagerness a strong pool of unity zealous participants in this fundermental ideology yet sustainable crowd fund raising task.
Basically, the substantial gather amount is achievable with pure passion n love heart in photography and not necessary be filty rich nor famous to help me accomplish raising my long yearning photography career, a sucking heavy expense that been schedules down my photography making journey had inevitably, some circumstances had badly fall short behind racing with time and inability to fulfill as quickly in near future consolidating good fund .
Honestly, with aspiration and hope, I appeal to urge on this media for a strong humanity mandate through good faith of sharing and giving generously on this particular crowd funding excercise to achieve my desire n is not just purely a dread dream , is also flickers first starter own crowds funding strength turning impossible into reality through this pratical raising method that I confidently trust it will turn fruitful from all your small effort participation, every single persistency will result consolidating piling up every little tiny bricks into an ultimate huge strong living castle.
In reality, I have trust and never look down on every single peny efforts that been contributed as helpful means, turning unrealistic dream alive is the goal in crowd funding excercise, No reason any single amount is regard to be too small when the strength of all individual wish gather to fulfill my little desire to make exist and keep alive. .
I sincerely look forward each and every participants who think alike crowds funding methodlogy works here no matter who come forwards with regardless any capital amount input be big or small , please help gather and pool raise my objective target amount as close to USD$10K or either acquisition from donation item list below:
1- ideally a high mega pixel Canon 5DS ( can be either new or use ok)
2- Canon 70-200mm F2.8 L IS lens ( can be either new or use ok)
Last but not least, a photography journey of life time for a trip to explore South Island of New Zealand and Africa.
.
My intended schedule may estimate about 1 month round trip self drive traveling down scenic Southern Island of New Zealand for completing the most captivating landscape photography and wander into the big five, the wilderness of untamed Africa nature for my project 2016 before my physical body stamina eventually drain off.
During the course, I also welcome sponsor's to provide daily lodging/accommodation, car rental/transportation, Fox Glacier helicopter ride and other logistic funding expenses, provide photographic camera equipments or related accessories .
Kindly forward all sponsors request terms of condition n collaboration details for discussion soon.
Great Ocean Drive- the 12 Apostle's
Please Click Auto Slide show for ultimate viewing pleasure in Super Large Display .to enjoy my photostream . ..
Due to copyright issue, I cannot afford to offer any free image request. Pls kindly consult my sole permission to purchase n use any of my images.You can email me at : men4r@yahoo.com.
Don't use this image on Websites/Blog or any other media
without my explicit permission.
For Business, You can find me here at linkedin..
Follow me on www.facebook.com here
September 6, 2022 - day 4
The legs are green to yellow, bearing long black spines and with a generous scattering of black spots.
This Christmas bauble was hand beaded with sequins and pins by me. I have a Christmas tradition. I bead Christmas baubles for a select group of friends every year.
I have a Flick friend for whom I made this bauble in appreciation for her generosity in spirit. She has been like a ray of light. This bauble, made deliberately in Mardi Gras colours because I know how much she likes the celebration, is a thank you gift.
Each bauble is 15 centimetres in diameter and contain hundreds of sequins, varying in number depending upon the complexity of the pattern and the type of sequins I use. Most sequins in this bauble are 5mm in diameter, except the stars which are 10mm. Depending upon the colour of the sequin, I will use either a gold or a silver pin to attach it to the bauble. I always leave the flowers until last, allowing a gap in the sequin chain to pin them in.
These baubles are smaller than some others I do, and because it is a simple pattern which starts from the inside and is worked outwards in ever larger circles, each bauble takes approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours per side.
It is however, a labour of love which I do to pass the time throughout the year.
EXPLORE July 31, 2008. #138
To cherish and behold.. for richer, for poorer... 'Til...
Many thanks for viewing Ava and Sherwin's wedding set, for all the heartwarming comments, all the favorites, and generous awards. I am sure the couple is delighted!
The kind & generous Ron from hdrsoft have invited me to become a partner & affiliate of their software - Photomatix Pro. I guess with a photostream as awesome as mine, its hard not to be impressed by anyone lol! :P Seriously i'm only jokin'!! Really a big thanks for the offer Ron! :))
Let's go straight to the point. I have a Photomatix code for you hdr fanatics out there ! If you have been thinking of buying yourself a copy of Photomatix Pro all along...this might just be the right time to do so! :P (haha! Just kiddin' I'm no salesman here.. guess I watch too many TV commercials :P) I know most of my flickrs friends here are already using photomatix.. that is just too bad too sad :P This is especially for those hdr lovers out there who have been (quietly) following my photostream & wish to kick off this new found interest ;)
Here's the important part!
====================
Now you can get a fifteen percent off any photomatix software (both Windows & Mac) just by entering -> “A R T I E N G 1 5” (no spacing between letters :)) in the coupon code box of the Photomatix purchase website. With that money u can save, you can also treat yourself to another awesome dinner & tell yourself how good life is! haha! Btw this code is valid from 06 August 2009 to 06 August 2013 so lots of time to think about it :)
Of coz..before you decide to part with your hard-earned cash (like i always do :P), you should always download a free trial version of Photomatix from w w w . h d r s o f t . c o m to play around & see if you like it. Beware tho.. it can be addictive! :P
Last but not least, TGIF!!!!! Its party time! Hope everyone has a wonderful end to the week & a lovely weekend!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About
The Victor Harbor Causeway, South Australia
Music
Jim Brickman & Martina Mcbride - The Gift
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A generous Swahili child kindly shares her bag of mixed nuts - not begging - during an a late afternoon stroll through the back streets of Mombasa's Stone Town, Swahili Coast, Kenya.
Bagan
Meditation Stage
Introduction of Two Light Set Up Low Key Photography Workshop at Bagan.
Be the first to kick start your generous support and fund my production with more amazing images!
Currently, I'm running a crowd funding activity to initiate my personal 2016 Flickr's Project. Here, I sincerely request each and every kind hearted souls to pay some effort and attention.
No limitation, Any Amount and your encouraging comments are welcome.
Crowd funding contribution can be simply direct to my PayPal account if you really appreciate and wish my forthcoming photography project to come alive.
Please PayPal your wish amount to : men4r@yahoo.com
Email me or public comments below your contribution amount for good records with your comments and at final day, at random, I shall sent out my well taken care canon 6D with full box n accessory during random draw to one thankful contributor as my token of appreciation.
Now, I cordially invite and look forward with eagerness a strong pool of unity zealous participants in this fundermental ideology yet sustainable crowd fund raising task.
Basically, the substantial gather amount is achievable with pure passion n love heart in photography and not necessary be filty rich nor famous to help me accomplish raising my long yearning photography career, a sucking heavy expense that been schedules down my photography making journey had inevitably, some circumstances had badly fall short behind racing with time and inability to fulfill as quickly in near future consolidating good fund .
Honestly, with aspiration and hope, I appeal to urge on this media for a strong humanity mandate through good faith of sharing and giving generously on this particular crowd funding excercise to achieve my desire n is not just purely a dread dream , is also flickers first starter own crowds funding strength turning impossible into reality through this pratical raising method that I confidently trust it will turn fruitful from all your small effort participation, every single persistency will result consolidating piling up every little tiny bricks into an ultimate huge strong living castle.
In reality, I have trust and never look down on every single peny efforts that been contributed as helpful means, turning unrealistic dream alive is the goal in crowd funding excercise, No reason any single amount is regard to be too small when the strength of all individual wish gather to fulfill my little desire to make exist and keep alive. .
I sincerely look forward each and every participants who think alike crowds funding methodlogy works here no matter who come forwards with regardless any capital amount input be big or small , please help gather and pool raise my objective target amount as close to USD$10K or either acquisition from donation item list below:
1- ideally a high mega pixel Canon 5DS ( can be either new or use ok)
2- Canon 70-200mm F2.8 L IS lens ( can be either new or use ok)
Last but not least, a photography journey of life time for a trip to explore South Island of New Zealand and Africa.
.
My intended schedule may estimate about 1 month round trip self drive traveling down scenic Southern Island of New Zealand for completing the most captivating landscape photography and wander into the big five, the wilderness of untamed Africa nature for my project 2016 before my physical body stamina eventually drain off.
During the course, I also welcome sponsor's to provide daily lodging/accommodation, car rental/transportation, Fox Glacier helicopter ride and other logistic funding expenses, provide photographic camera equipments or related accessories .
Kindly forward all sponsors request terms of condition n collaboration details for discussion soon.
Great Ocean Drive- the 12 Apostle's
Please Click Auto Slide show for ultimate viewing pleasure in Super Large Display .to enjoy my photostream . ..
Due to copyright issue, I cannot afford to offer any free image request. Pls kindly consult my sole permission to purchase n use any of my images.You can email me at : men4r@yahoo.com.
Don't use this image on Websites/Blog or any other media
without my explicit permission.
For Business, You can find me here at linkedin..
Follow me on www.facebook.com here
It`s 5.45 am........ it`s still dark enough to see the stars........ the sky is getting redder ...... you say ....,,,wow.
A spate of generosity from the Originality Symbols collection
photo coode : g1.08
Limited editions 12 ( #1 is sold )
price: 2200 dhs
size 60*40cm
for order : g1uae@hotmail.com
MOL Generosity (IMO: 953216) is a container ship registered and sailing under the flag of Liberia. Her gross tonnage is 59,176. She was built in 2012 by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, Samho. Her overall length (loa) is 275.07 m, and her beam is 40.04 m. Her container capacity is 5,605 teu. She is operated by Peter Doehle Schiffahrts-KG of Hamburg.
I photographed the MOL Generosity on her approach to berth at Fremantle Port on 12 September 2016.
Established with the generous support of alumna Penny W. Stamps, the Distinguished Visitors Program brings respected emerging and established artists/designers from a broad spectrum of media to the School of Art & Design to conduct a public lecture and engage with students, faculty, and the larger University and Ann Arbor communities.
5 Feb 2009: Science Communication through Art and Technology, JF Salgado.
It really amazes me the generosity of some people. In addition, this whole concept that people on flickr and elsewhere are just ‘internet people’ and not real people.
Sunday I was asked to come down to Orange County to photograph yoga instructor, mentor and blogger Geri once again. Last time the concept was beauty, so we shot her at the Long Beach marina in daylight. This time, she wanted a more rugged, urban look. Beautiful yoga in an urban setting.
I asked Steve Moore and Hector Cruz if they wanted to come along, shoot along, etc. There wasn’t much money involved, but I thought it might be fun.
Not only did they both want to come along (and drive miles to get there) but they allowed me to use their Alien Bees, Cyber Syncs, ring flash, octabox and their entire studio. Plus, they helped with all the lighting, etc. I’m just blown away.
Now the funny thing is that their new studio Moore & Cruz just opened and they are doing some amazing work. Both come from different backgrounds, so when they combine for a portrait shoot, wedding, or just something fun, you better believe they have the equipment, skills and personality to make it happen. Does it sound like I’m giving an endorsement? You betcha. If you’re in the OC or LA area, be sure to look them up.
Thanks again guys!
This was shot at ISO 2500. Almost SOOC. There was an AlienBee 1600 on the left and right, both just using their modeling lamp, in some dark alley in Santa Ana.
The winds blew hard and the promise of a sunset drew as many to the beach that night as one expects to see on a balmy summer night. The long reach of telephoto lenses were spotted on many cameras, including mine, until the sky suddenly turned into a this magical display of nature's beauty. I put on a wide angle lens and headed for the edge of Lake Michigan. My heart filled with joy as I saw how well the camera captured the generous scene before my eyes. Frankfort Michigan.
"Generosity is a matter of heart and not finances" And I would say this is one very generous sunset! Personally that's how I feel when I am standing there in awe over these breathtaking moments...whether it is a sunrise or sunset they all leave me stunned. This moment was no exception! May we all live generously today ; ) ....and if I will just look up every day and look around, there is always a "reminder" to be generous...It truly is "more blessed to give than receive" : )
Thank you all for your generosity in sharing all your amazing captures! It's mesmerizing...I just want to drink them all in! I have seen some amazing shots already in 2011 and the best is yet to come! Whew Whoooo! ; )
Enjoy every moment, they all count! Have a great day! We have so much to be thankful for!
For all my flickr friends - this is my thank you!
Thank you for all your generosity, comments, faves, and notes.
Early 1960s commercial slide,
"Grafisk Konst, Stockholm"
These are from a lot that was a generous gift from xenia elizabeth Thank you! (I am very late in getting to these-I apologize) More to come.
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
John Wesley quotes
its titled by عزه
All The Comments and FAVs are most appreciated!
عيؤنگ ڶاٺؤڑيها ڶغيڑے ڶا ٺؤڑيها ..
عيؤنگ ڶے ؤ ڶؤ أقڍڑ ..
عيؤنگ عنگ أڍاڑيها ..
أنا ڶؤ پعٺ نظڑاٺگ اپيع اڶعمڑ ؤ اشڑيها ..
عيؤن اڶڶيڶ انا پاڶځيڶ ..
أځپ أسهڑ ڶياڶيها ..
ؤأځپ أپگے ؤهے ٺپگے ..
ؤأفڑځ ڶڶفڑځ فيها ..
ځپيپے ڶؤ ضمنٺ اڶيؤم ..
أعيش اڶشگ فے پاگڑ ..
يڃے مسٺقپڶ اڶايام ..
يغيڑ فے هؤۓ اڶځاضڑ ..
يغيڑگ اڶژمن پعڍے ٺعڶم طپعـۂ اڶغاڍڑ ..
أڂاف عيؤن ما يڍڑؤن ..
ؤش اڶڶے يڃڑځ اڶڂاطڑ ..
ؤ عيؤنگ آه ڶؤ يڍڑؤن ..
ځياٺي فيها ڶڶآڂڑ ..
عيؤنگ ڶا ٺؤڑيها ڶغيڑے ڶا ٺؤڑيها
پـــڍڑ پـن عپــڍاڶمځســن
Model : My Bro
Taken By: Me
Edit By : Me
Location: House
Don't Forget to Say Mashalla ^^
Note: Miss.Generous My old Nick Name
This Photo Shouldn't Be Used Without My Permission
Copyright © 2009 El Merya3 - All rights reserved
Wow. I just love how this turned out! One of those cases where it worked out just how I planned (how often does that happen?) I used all the green barbells, daisy dots, and posies I had - and I couldn't have found a better use for those scraps! I believe the background fabric is a gray linen (it was an unmarked remnant...so I'm not certain). It's a generous size 10 inches tall and 11 inches wide at the top.
The back is personalized, so it shall remain a mystery ;)
I hope you love it, partner! I do!
The 'smugglers' who shared the cabin with me on the Trans Siberian always placed a generous cash gratuity into our passports as we were to be searched. Andre 'the elder' would assert his authority as the head smuggler and collect all four of the passports... including mine... and he would give them to the officials with a mischevous smile and a nod that said 'this is my gift to you.' This is my business. This is what I do.
Andre always put the American passport on the bottom... I think he thought it would draw less attention there...and then he always shushed me with a stern and piercing look as he prepared for these most critical transactions. The first thing the official would do is put the American passport on top. I began to realize that although we shared that cabin and the comraderie of the rails... or confinement thereof... that Andre 'the elder' didn't really think that having an American in his cabin was all that much good for business. It seemed to bring a little 'extra special' attention and scrutiny to his little clandestine smuggling operation. Maybe he had to bump up the bribes a notch or two to insure the safe passage of his valuable contraband. Either way you could just tell by watching him that Andre was a bottom line kind of guy.
By the end of the journey though Andre had invited me to live with him and his family in Poland... to work at his store... and to marry his daughter who he assured me had the bluest of eyes and breasts that were the national pride of Poland. Although I never saw him again I came to love Andre as a father in law even though I never met his daughter... somehow I feel like I know her.
It's no joke either about Polish womens breasts being an object of national pride. Somehow Andre 'the elder' seemed capable of working it into any conversation relating to his motherland... to which Andre 'the younger' and their female companion would invariably agree with.
This usually led to a toast... a clanking of the glasses... the tipping of a bottle and a slurred chorus of 'nasdorovia's.'
Whenever the merits of Polish breasts were agreed on, indeed that meant it was time to drink some more vodka. Even to this day... when I think of Andre or Polish womens breasts... it makes me want to knock back a shot of vodka... but I don't drink anymore and really I am more of an ass man... but still. I never had the heart to tell Andre that... I mean, talking about Polish womens breasts really seemed to make him so happy. I didn't want to take that way from him. You've just never seen a guy so filled with joy as Andre was whenever his favorite subject was being discussed or debated... it really lit him up from the inside.
Anytime you want to make a Polish national feel good... or homesick... just bring up the fact that Polish women have the best breasts. It's been good for a lot of free drinks for me.
I had just left Asia... everyday I travelled closer to Europe. With the passage of time and distance Andre's observations were indeed verified though... the closer I got to Poland... the larger breasts became. I'm not kidding. Andre was right.
The first Russian I met... the man smiling in the photograph... was like most Russians it seemed...named Sergei. A few were named Alexander or Andre. I think Russians have only three names... except for politicians or people of fame. I might have met a couple of Victors and a handful of Igor's as well. Somebody once said they'd heard of a Russian named Nikolai too. Still... most men in Russia are named Sergei. That's just the way it is there.
Seconds after I took this photograph Sergei slipped into his pocket without flinch or hesitation the currency that Andre had stashed in his passport. I knew it was coming and I was watching closely for it. I barely caught it. And I grew up in Chicago.
Living on that train with those smugglers was like taking an advanced college course in the subtleties and techniques of graft. It was Andre 'the elder' who taught me that you need to keep variable amounts of currency in each of your four pockets... like five in one, ten in the next, then twenty and a hundred...and that you must properly size up the person you are attempting to bribe and choose from one of your pockets the minumum amount you are betting it will take to pacify that official.
That's helped me more than once in life since then.
Andre also showed me that it was really important to telegraph the bribe... to look the mark right in the eyes and demonstrate that one... you were about to bribe him and two... that you were going to reach into your pocket and take out all of the money you had available to you for this transaction. It was really deep psychology according to Andre. The man had an ethic and he was a perfectionist. It's always remarkable to watch such a master at work.
Andre pointed out that it was good form to allow your pocket to turn slightly inside out so that the mark could see that indeed you really emptied it. This he noted made them feel really special. Like you went all the way for them. He also taught me that a bribe is never to be peeled off of a larger wad of bills or taken from a wallet... unless you had done business with the mark before but in his opinion it was still a bad idea.
Andre's bribes never failed or produced even the slightest trace of hesitation. The man was truly a master. Andre 'the elder' was the maestro of bribery. And he taught me well. Halfway through the journey he announced that he was getting sick of the train and that he and his cohorts were getting off at Irkusk and flying on to Moscow.
He gave to me a case of vodka and an envelope with additional bribes in it and told me that he would meet me in Moscow with the 'goods' next week.
I was proud and honored that Andre 'the elder' trusted me with the 'stuff.'
I was officially a smuggler now.
When I went through Japanese customs they even pulled me right out of line... took me to this little office where I presumed I was going to learn what a rough rectal exam was like. They never even looked in my bags though... they just wanted to know if I slept with any prostitutes in Bangkok... it was a real interrogation too... they didn't believe me when I said I hadn't... they even tried to say I must be gay then. the fact that I didn't seem to take much offense at their calling me gay really seemed to disturb them because thry had a little conference among themselves... in Japanese... so I had no way of knowing what they were saying.
I told them that i did get a killer massage at the James Bond Turkish Bath and Massage House... but there was no happy ending if you know what I mean. I only went in because of the James Bond motiff. I'm a sucker for that stuff... like the cosmonaut cigarettes on the train in Russia.
Still they didn't believe me but they let me go with a warning... a reminder to call them if I wanted to change my story and they gave me this pamphlet that described all of the symptoms one might have after a hedonistic weekend in the city of angels... Bankok. Reading the brochure it made me really glad I just stuck with the massage. The pictures, even though they were in black and white, they were especially disturbing.
Bangkok... really the only reason I went there is because I loved that song by Murray McMurray... you know the one... 'one night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble.' I wanted to see what the inspiration for that song was... and I thought I could use some humbling. Murray was correctamundo... I was indeed humbled.
I dealt with smugglers before in Japan... Nigerians... but dealing with the Nigerians always made me feel dirty. And that was before they became famous on the internet.
Those Nigerians... they are a resourceful bunch though. And the colorful clothing... you haven't partied until you've partied with a Nigerian man wearing a yellow daishiki with a matching hat. I couldda stared at those intricate psychadellic patterns forever. I still felt dirty though. But as a rule, if you ever want anything illegal, if you want to find the corruption or a cities dark underbelly... look for the Nigerians... you can't miss them the way they dress. Or you can just find cab drivers... who are often Nigerian anyway. Cab drivers are also a valuable resource when you are looking for some sin in a new city. I never once got into one of those three wheeled cabs in Bangkok called "Tuk-tuk's" without being offered a "massagy-massagy," Not once.
When I was in high school and I wanted some beer or alcoholoc beverages... I'd just call for a cab... and when the guy got there... I'd tell him to go get me a twelve pack or something... then I would do that "rip the twenty dollar bill in half" trick and tell him he'd get to keep the other half when he came back. They loved that. It always produced for me. It's one of the most secret agent like things you could do... ripping a bill in half like that... it's an all or nothing move... it's like saying neither one of us trusts the other but this twenty... that's what it's all about. Of course you gotta figure in the cab fare too.
I think Nigeria has the worlds biggest cab driver school or something. Most Nigerian guys grow up to be cab drivers... the ones with more education do internet scams... white collar work. From what I've seen... those are your only two career paths if you're from Nigeria. Smuggling and dealing in hashish is just a very common side gig. And they had this scam where they used a computer to alter prepaid phone cards and increase their value. Nigerians can be geniuses.
It was a Nigerian that taught me that if you took the local train long distance in Japan you could have a friend get on at the station before your destination and give you an extra ticket he bought there for like a buck and you could save hundreds because if you over rode your fair they didn't check on the train... you just had to pay when you inserted your ticket at the exit. Those Nigerians.
The Japanese didn't have much an apetite for the devils weed... they preferred amphetamines... something I never did. I always thought it would be pretty hillarious to hang out with some really stoned Japanese people. I wondered what their eyes could possibly look like when they were smoking pot.
The other gaurd in the picture... the mean looking one... noted the transaction as if to say 'I had better get my cut' and the money quickly dissapeared with all of the magnificence of a Las Vegas slieght of hand magician.
You could see it in the officers eyes... and he didn't appreciate my shutter happy finger either. I thought this would be another precious roll of thirty five millimeter lost to the angry hands of the authorities. That stuff is hard to come by in Siberia you know.
It was obvious these men were used to being treated to such gratuities. Probably they sent word ahead... there is a man in the rear cabin who treats security officials very well.
It reminded me of the consulate officer at the Russian embassy in Beijing who informed me that they were 'all out of visas' until I produced my last eight american dollars... and even then he motioned for me to show him the inside of my bag because I'm sure he wanted to make it an even ten. That's why you keep your money in different pockets. Miraculously the rubber stamp that made visas was rejuvenated and after a strong smack on the stamp pad was good for just one more visa.
Our cabin and our bags were never searched. Not anywhere on the entire journey. They could have contained a ton of heroin or four chinese children set out to work in the kitchens of europe.
At this time I didn't know what the two Andres and their female cohort were smuggling, but I had hoped that it was indeed something that would make the journey more pleasant.
My passport was taken from me there at Manzhoulli and I was issued Russian travel papers that I carried for the duration of the trip. Papers that were stamped with a radiation symbol the morning after we tore ass through the radiated zone caused by the disaster at Chernobyl. To this day I wonder how the passport was returned to me as I departed Russia at the Polish border.
Later Sergei 'the compensated' and I sat outside the Manzhoulli station where he smoked a cigarette and asked me questions about America. It wasn't small talk... Sergei had a deep interest in the way things were there... why our countries grew up in this diabolic situation of mutual assured nuclear destruction. What was so different about us his words seemed to say in a meandering way. I saw then that Sergei was raised too on the same diet of propoganda that I was... just the other end of the spectrum. I remember it seemed as if we both realized that right at the same time... his deep basso Russian laughter overwhelmed mine and carried beyond our immediate confines to precede me into Siberia.
I uncapped the pewter whiskey flask in my bag... the one decorated with the golfers on it that I shoplifted from Carson Perie Scott's in high school and we shared a sip. The same one the port official in Shanghai uncapped to smell but never dared to partake of. I crushed that flask when I had it in my back pocket when I fell off the back of a moving truck... the flask was empty... which undoubtably had something to do with me falling off of the back of a moving truck... but I was crushed too because I loved that flask. I ended up filling it with water and freezing it repeatedly until the crushed metal expanded outward. Plus I think it's realy the only thing I've ever shoplifted... except for candy and stuff like that. I just fell in love with that thing the first time I saw it. I knew then that I had to have it and I carried it around the whole world.
In Siberia vodka was golden... but whiskey... even the cheap Japanese stuff I carried...Suntory I think... it produced a reaction in my Russian friends like nothing I had ever seen. One sip... savored as if it were sent from heaven above and there were kisses and bear hugs. One sip of whiskey to a Russian then always opened up an immediate and strong friendship. Sometimes it even lasted longer than the fire it produced in your stomach and the burn in your throat.
I watched the sunset there that evening in Manzhoulli. Alone at the side of the rails I wished that someone would have walked over... sat next to me... and even in the silence of those who speak no common language... just appreciated that Manzhoulli sunset with me.
If I could have found one...I would have paid a prostitute just to sit next to me and enjoy that there. But I've heard that prostitutes always make you pay extra for weird stuff like that. I did after all have a bag of Yuan's that I worked out of the black market in China. The ones that I was left with after they wouldn't let me buy booze with them. The ones only chinese citizens are supposed to carry. Foreigners in China are supposed to carry a different money than the Chinese... they're called foreign exchange certificates. I called them 'fecks' because I like to come up with acronyms or slang names for things. It makes me sound smarter... like I been around the block a time or two.
Chinese money confused me... they rarely used coins... I'd break a one yuan note... worth maybe twenty cents and about the size of a buck... and for change I'd get a bunch of smaller notes of differing sizes. It was like some of their cash was as small as a postage stamp. After a week I had so much of the stuff and couldn't figure out how to use it... I'd just open my hip bag and let the bus driver or shop keeper help themselves.
It was the hearbreak of the solo traveller... that I should be in a place of such significance and see something of extraordinary beauty and have no one there to even draw breath with in in the way one does when confronted with such magnificence. The sigh of beauty.
Envy was the emotion I always felt as I watched others hold hands or share the entwinement of a lovers arms... those who whispered to each other at these moments... them who had someone stand on the pier or at the station to wish them bon voyage... even more so they who met someone to welcome them to their destination.
I always stepped off of my conveyance alone.
I was there alone as the sun set on Asia... I said goodbye as it was dropping low over Mongolia and casting a gorgeous and firery reflection off of the steppes and the deserts miles distant.
It would be to me my last sunset of Asia.
And my last stupid thought. Possibly it was the vodka the Andres forced upon me there... but I clasped my hands behind my head and layed back on my backpack as the sun rounded the earth... and I entertained myself with a promise that if I were ever to become filthy rich that I would buy my childhood home... the one I grew up in... have it taken apart piece by piece and put into shipping containers where I would then have them shipped here... or maybe to the Steppes of Mongolia in front of me... and reassembled exactly as it was. I didn't care where... I just thought it would be loads of fun to take my childhood home apart and rebuild it somewhere really far away.
That I might live in my house and look out the window at this place.
Here's wishing my Mom the best day ever on her birthday. Thank you for all you do, your generosity, wisdom & love. Love you so much, forever and a day! Ti voglio tanto bene cara Mamma.
"Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need." - Khalil Gibran
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Every Tuesday at work we have 'soup day'. Someone from the office brings in homemade soup and shares with the soup people; this week was my turn.
Part of bringing in soup is supplying some bread to dunk so this morning after setting the soup up in the office crockpot I ventured to the market to grab some freshly baked bread.
I passed by the inspiration village and noticed how quiet it was and decided to drag my camera out of my bag to get a shot of this gigantic sign reminding people what city they were in.
I haven't done much to celebrate Canada 150 but I may as well make use of a good photography opportunity when one presents itself!
Hope everyone has had a good day.
Oh, and if you're wondering, it was cream of asparagus soup and it was a hit!
Click "L" for a larger view.
"Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices no more easily made. And give, give in any way you can, of whatever you posses. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace.”
- Kent Nerburn
"We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest.”
- Orison Swett Marden
Thanks a lot for visits and comments, my friends. Have a nice week...!
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