My buddy, Hakea, blogged recently about this amazing musician, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu in a series she calls, Awesome Aussies.
After I listened to his music, I just couldn’t get his voice out of my head and did a bit more research on YouTube. A Yolngu, Yunupingu was born blind. He plays drums, keyboards and didgeridoo, a wind instrument created by the indigenous people of Australia. Yunupingu has won numerous awards for his music.
This song hits home for me as it’s got a little reggae beat. Listen and tell me what you think.
Enjoy!
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Overheard on the street, Friday evening, May 20th –
Man with a sign proclaiming May 21st Judgement Day is approached by a group of about 5 teenage boys. As I pass them, one boy asks, So if we’re all going to die tomorrow, why are you selling (windshield) wipers?
I burst out laughing.
I hadn’t even noticed that he was also selling windshield wipers.
When I saw the topic for this week’s Photo Challenge, I felt sure I wouldn’t be able to find anything but I decided to look anyway.
While I looked, I thought about the various meanings of tiny, what the word implies. A thing is tiny in relation to something else. This group of kayakers, for example, looks tiny from my vantage point on the bridge and compared to the dinghy and the other boats on the river.
Kayakers on the Thames
Tiny can also be a name. When I was little, I had a friend whose aunt was called Tiny. I was mystified as to why she was so named but was too young to ask — it would have been considered impolite. Based on our relative ages, I should have been the tiny one! But like everyone else, I ended up calling her Miss Tiny.
I’m always amused when I hear of a very large person — I’ve only seen this in the movies — who’s nicknamed Tiny.
Line at the Eiffel Tower
People waiting on line to buy tickets to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower look like tiny specks of color when viewed from above — from the second level, I think.
So these are my interpretation of tiny.
Enjoy!
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Long before I had a travel blog, I kept journals. I have been doing that since high school. Looking back, I remember the person I was when I worried about passing an exam, gushed about a boy or a grumbled because of some new disagreement with my mother. (Yes, those teenage years, when I was trying to assert my independence, were tumultuous.)
A few of my journals (old and new) - Maynefoto
Sometimes, I was diligent and filled page after page with the most minute details of my life. At other times, days would pass before I felt like reducing my thoughts to words on a page. But I never stopped writing.
When I started traveling, it was natural that I wanted to make notes of my trips. I knew of no better way to do this than a travel journal. Sure, photos are great but they only capture moments in time. Each journal entry covers a day and fills in the moments between the photos.
My travel journals have ticket stubs, receipts, menus, post cards, anything that adds texture to my trip. When I visit a historic place, I take notes in my journal or draw. Now that I’m getting to know my camera better, I also make notes about the photos I take, the settings I use, etc.
Page from my latest travel journal - Maynefoto
The difference between a travel journal and a blog is that the journal is private. I write freely because the information is for my eyes only. While I use my journal as a source for my blog, because my blog is public, I am careful about what I share. I still believe some thoughts are well, private, and should remain that way.
Although I blog about my travel experiences and enjoy sharing them, I can’t abandon my journal. I love the way I have to slow down to translate my ideas to words and how carefully, or not, I choose those words. And when words fail, I supplement them with drawings or pictures.
Because I use a computer all the time, except when I have to sign my name, I love to see my handwriting and see how it changes throughout my journal, depending on my mood.
The journals I use must have pockets so that I can store stuff. I prefer ones that lay flat when I open them, have good quality paper and a sturdy cover. Although I like ruled journals, most times, I go for ones with plain pages as the lines can feel confining. For travel, I also prefer one that’s small enough, say a 6″ x 4″, so that it can fit easily into my purse.
Do you use a journal when you travel? What things do you write about?
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I had Bananas Foster a few years ago when a friend brought it to a party. I couldn’t believe how good it was but then again, I should have. I love bananas. And the best part, it’s so easy to make!
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons rum
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise and crosswise
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 pint vanilla ice cream
Directions
In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar, rum, vanilla and cinnamon. When mixture begins to bubble, place bananas and walnuts in pan. Cook until bananas are hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve at once over vanilla ice cream.
If you visit Lambertville, NJ, you owe it to yourself to make the five minute walk across the bridge to New Hope, PA.
New Hope is a vibrant arts community of about 2,500 residents. A number of restaurants, antique shops and art galleries line its main street. And on weekends, according to one local, businessmen turned bikers, ride their expensive machines over to drink mojitos.
Bohemian New Hope has been a gay friendly community since the 1950s. When we arrived last week, we walked right into the middle of a boisterous Pride celebration, complete with outdoor concert, costumes and Ms. Gay New Jersey.
The Bucks County Playhouse which opened in 1939, became famous as the venue where plays destined for Broadway were fine tuned. The playhouse closed last year but is expected to be reopened under new ownership.
New Hope is less than an hour from Philadelphia and about 90 minutes from New York City. It’s my kind of town.
The Delaware River forms a natural border between Lambertville and New Hope
“We discovered this new place that I know you’ll love,” Zoraya said to me. “It’s just as quaint as Cape May, with beautiful historic houses and lots of antique stores — and a lot closer. Let’s pick a weekend and drive down to Lambertville.”
I had never heard of Lambertville before but she had my attention when she said quaint, historic houses and antique stores.
Train station, Lambertville
Lambertville is situated on the Delaware River in Hunterdon County, New Jersey and is an easy hour or so drive from Manhattan. The small community, less than 2 square miles, it is home to about 4,000 residents. Its many 18th and 19th century houses give it an old-world appeal.
We were bubbling with excitement like under-aged schoolgirls who had just gotten the keys to the family car as we planned our daylong jaunt. We had hoped for a sunny day but the clouds couldn’t dampen our spirits.
Arriving in Lambertville, we browsed several stores and were tempted by antique silverware, vintage Gucci and Coach bags, an old world lace dress (that I could see myself wearing as I sipped lemonade and nibbled on finger sandwiches), jewelry, vintage perfume bottles.
I could have bought much more than the notebook, lavender sachets, soaps and clothes I came away with but just looking at the chandeliers, lamps, garden furniture, furniture, books, postcards, etc., I began to feel my brain shutting down from visual overloaded. When that happens, I can’t see anything else no matter how beautiful. We decided to pause for lunch. But I plan to return later in the spring and fall – I’m sure the foliage here will be spectacular.
Here’s a taste of what Lambertville has to offer –
Coryell Antiques – www.coryellstantiques.com – Folk Art and Americana, weaponry from the revolutionary war, clocks, etc.
David Rago Auctions – www.ragoarts.com – buyer, seller, auctioneer of fine and decorative arts, jewelry, coins, etc.
I spend a lot of time in my head so when I’m having one of those days, one where my brain is so stimulated, I can’t write what I want, its paralyzing.
I had this week all laid out. Starting today, I’d write about Paris. I was excited by the ideas that were coming, made notes, selected the photos but now that I’m to start, I haven’t been able to quiet my thoughts. I feel lukewarm, no, detached about it and frankly, it’d be a struggle to write even the first sentence.
Yesterday, on the subway, I ‘wrote’ an entire post on another topic — in my head. I didn’t want to pull out my notebook and begin writing because I feared the thoughts would float away — they were flowing so effortlessly, I decided to bask in the glow of their energy instead. And I did. (I must have filed them away because I can’t recall them today. But believe me, they were beautiful and oh, so poetic!)
So since my brain’s not cooperating, here’s what I’ll do in the meantime:
Write what wants to come out. Writing about something else, takes the pressure off and frees up my brain so it can continue to bake the idea/s that want to come out or clear the clutter.
Do something physical. Like cleaning (which I need to do), walking, gardening, exercising, etc., that engages the other side of my brain and frees me up so the ideas can flow again.
Review the events of the past 2 days. By reliving the weekend’s events, I can connect with and process the emotions and the sparks I got. I had a weekend full of activities and each was a potential blog post. I can also plan the coming weekend’s activities.
Talk to someone. I do have a few calls to make that are totally unrelated to my writing. Those will also take my mind off of the matter at hand.
Breathe deeply. Breathing deeply forces me to concentrate on my breath, not on the confusion in my head. It’s also quite relaxing.
Listen to music. When I listen to music, I’ll sing along or dance and that takes my mind off the noise in my head.
Watch a funny movie or cartoon. It’s no understatement – laughter is good medicine. It’s the perfect antidote to stress and relaxes not just the facial muscles but the entire body.
What technique do you use to quiet your mind when it refuses to do so on its own?
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Susana, of Afro-Peruvian descent, was born in Chorillos. According to Wikipedia, she has been a prominent figure in the revival of Afro-Peruvian music within Peru.
Once I heard her music, I knew I had to get a CD. Here’s De los Amores from her CD, Eco de Sombras.
Everyone who knows me knows (or should know) that I love red. It’s my favorite color. But when I saw this week’s Photo Challenge, I panicked. Do I have anything red, I wondered?
I looked at my phone — the case is red — and thought that if I didn’t find anything, I’d take a photo of it. But a quick search on my computer turned these up. Saved!
Coca Cola Man on Cape Town's V& A Waterfront
From our window, this giant man looked like it was made of legos. It wasn’t until we got closer that I realized that it was made from Coca Cola crates – 4,200 of them!
Un auto rojo
If you’re interested in classic American cars, Cuba‘s the place to go.
Sculpture
It was an unexpected pleasure to come upon this sculpture park near Havana‘s Plaza de la Revolución. I wanted to take this one home and put it in my backyard.
