Here's to a fruitful New Year!

2013. The End.

...And that is how the sun was lowered for the last time in 2013.

Father-son conversation on success

Interesting conversation on the way home from church.
Mich: Daddy have you succeeded in life?
Dad: (Laughs) Tell me. What do you think?
Mich: Well, you have a wife, that means you didn't break up with her.
Dad: Go on
Mich: You succeeded in school.
Dad: Yes, you can say that.
Mich: You have children who are normal for their age.
(We cracked up at this point)
Dad: So what do you think is missing from your description?
Mich: Love?
Dad: Well, not exactly. It is God. If you are living your life in a way that doesn't bring glory to God, if you are not in that place, it doesn't matter what you have, you wouldn't have succeeded in life.

Silence.

Snow storm

Lonely play ground

No body cared for bike share

The holidays are coming...Always Coca-Cola

Frozen mail box.

Black, white and a lot of grey

Icicles and frozen fingers

I walked out to the most beautiful scene - icicles on branches. They looked spectacular, glistening in the natural light. I went "snap snap". You'd think it would be a simple click of a button and viola! - the perfect picture. But oh! the devil is in the details. One shot would not do, I clicked away. As I trudged through the soggy snow, I saw more interesting scenes. I was lured in. I took the glove off my right hand to press the shutter and would place it back in the glove after a few clicks. There in was my mistake. As I went along, my fingers begun to feel painfully numb. I would place them back in the glove and hope they would regain some heat but they only got more painful. Slowly the cold crept into my fingers eventually setting them ablaze. Like frozen ice tapped to my bones.
By the time I got to the metro my fingers were pulsating. I could barely feel them. Nearly as red as strawberries, going a little purplish. Got me thinking about the photographers at National Geographic and how they have to brave all kinds of weather. The slight difference between us though is that they get paid.

Two little ducks dangling in the air :-)

National Gallery of Art

Distractions

... on my way to work.

Love Locks on the Iron bridge:Eiserner steg

Big padlocks, small padlocks, colorful padlocks, dull padlocks, new padlocks, old ones too.
Engraved. Committed. Locked forever: Laura and Enrique, Peter and Simone and on it goes.

I smiled as I walked over the Frankfurt bridge on a windy September day. It was an artistic sight. As I looked at these padlocks I wondered whether these relationships were still intact. I like the romantic gesture - very sentimental but was love locked  forever? Sometimes such acts keep people committed to each other, like the wedding ring, it is a constant reminder but other times it is just a pad-lock.

In the middle of the bridge an old man played a harp, he looked up and smiled at me but I didn't have a coin to put in his hat.

Did the lovers have spare keys, you know, just in case things didn't work out?

If relationships soured would they avoid the bridge or lock with someone else in a different corner.

The Eiserner steg known as the Iron bridge in Frankfurt am Main is over 100 years old. It is the bridge over the river Main. I never imagined sitting in my S3 geography class that some day the Rhineland's would be right before my eyes.

The bridge gives a beautiful view of the city and provides for a pedestrian path.

SongVersation with India.Arie:

"Breakdown. Break through. Break the shell. Elevate and Fly”

 In the presence of a Grammy Award-winning celebrity, overwhelmed with excitement you scream, you want to reach out and touch them and hold their attention but you’re tucked way out in the crowd. Your screams are drowned by overly enthusiastic fans. You shake off the madness and resign to sit with gratitude. It is after all a unique opportunity. In the crowd of Washington D.C revelers you represent a small land locked East African nation, a Nilotic race who might never have this privilege - India.Arie in concert.

I first saw India on an Oprah Winfrey show in 2006. Intrigued by her natural beauty, her style and simplicity I listened as her soulful voice lifted clearly and powerfully from the bottom of her feet up on to the stage and into my living room. I liked her. Her music made me smile, it made me bob my head and feel sweetness rise from the essence of my being. I wanted to know more about her. 

Really?! You are all this excited to see me?

India.Arie; The girl and her guitar

                          

I am not my hair

I found her album Testimony: Volume I, Life & Relationship in a stack of discarded CD’s lying outside my apartment one evening; It’s been playing in my car for the last 7 years. My favorite songs include;"I choose" and "I am not my hair". In her song "Because I am a queen" from another album, she encourages girls to be confident and know who they are - queens, royalty. Once you know who you are, your perspective on life and the decisions you make change. Her messages on life, love, politics, relationships and faith take her fans to familiar places; places of happiness, of unity and heartbreak, of loss, of racial complications, of self-image and spirituality.

Her fifth album “SongVersation" themes around  heartbreak, restoration, faith and soaring with confidence.
When she opened the show with a prayer, I shifted to a comfortable position in my seat and leaned back. I knew I was in the right place, ready to have a good time. I was gratified that the woman, her music and vocals were as crisp as they sounded on my radio. She hit the low and high notes with ease. The message carried in her songs floated gently and settled on our hearts like coco butter on brown skin.  

She blended her songs with stories of their origin. When she talked about her heartbreak and how she cried inconsolably convinced life was over, it resonated with me. I recognized that place, when tears flowed at the least expected moments among strangers and friends alike.  The place where insanity became familiar and the world around just didn't get it. “Retreat”, she said.  Find that favorite place to rest, it could in nature or in the confines of your room.

On her journey to recovery she found an angel. That person who understands your pain, sticks with you through it all, never judging, simply loving and nurturing you back to sanity. That was the beginning of her break through. If you’ve been there you might recall your “angel”. If you are there right now, look around someone just might be flapping their wings and looking your way.
“The definition of family is the people who are there with you when you’re broke” India.Arie.

After hurt the instinct to protect our vulnerability is heightened. Virtual shells, fortresses and walls are erected around that little red organ pumping in our rib cages. It's easy to suspect anyone who so much as looks in our direction. It's easy to vow "Never again!". But to truly heal we need to break the shell and let life touch us. Let go of the hurt. “Be yourself” she said. You can’t base your life on other people’s expectations.
“Child it's time to break the shell Life's gonna hurt but it's meant to be felt
You cannot touch the sky from inside yourself You cannot fly until you break the shell… 
You'll be stuck on the ground until You finally break the shell"

 Do some introspection and self-evaluation, identify the triggers and strongholds that keep you down. She changed her attitude towards men, she learned to love them and let them be, in her song “brother’s keeper” she says“He's made in the image of God When he's troubled with troubles

He needs to know That his mistakes don't define his life”

She renewed her faith in God and finally felt free to profess her love for Him publicly; Saying the things she had always wanted to say but was afraid.

Single at 40 and don't have the house, car or kids that dreamed of? Well, you are in good company. We are all longing for something. Lets Elevate. Embrace life because this is the life we know.

“All my friends are having families of their own I'm still waiting for the perfect one to come
almost four decades in if I'm blessed, then I've got five more to go And this is the Life I know
Sometime it hurts like hell but I walk away with a song and a story to tell and this is the life I know"

Supernatural strength is imparted when a mother sings over her children. Let's hold them in high honor, they are our biggest fans.Those women who suffer life for their children. Who take blows for their children. Who go without for their children. Who are strong for their children. She cries for them. She stands with them. She encourages them. She prays for them.

Soar, fly. Fly high!

In a song sang by her mother, she encouraged her daughter to fly. To fly high. To fly free.

In India.Arie I saw a free woman, fully engaged in her "Now". Confident, fulfilled in who God created her to be. Loving God, Loving others and Loving self. Using her gifts to encourage and entertain.

It's gratifying to leave a concert with food for thought.

So I think about you and me, how about we spread our wings and fly too?

Fall in bits

Singapore galore!

Travel. Sights. Sounds. Food. Fun - some of the best things in life.
Explore new places, shake off the old mold, do the extraordinary - something daring. Aah! but between work, parenting and other responsibilities I can barely get much in edge wise. Time flies, suddenly I'm older, less energetic and then I think I deserve a party for arriving home from work. But just when I settled into the mundane an opportunity knocked on my door with a bunch of goodies - a business class air ticket, a 4 star hotel and yeah! I was set for a 17 hour flight to South East Asia with an 8 hour lay over in Frankfurt.
Highlights: I ate my first crab, munched on a red baby octopus, tasted the yummiest dumplings ever. 3 times I nearly missed my flight, I got hit on, I lost my phone and all in the space of 5 days.

Red baby Octopus

Chili crab

Hubby took care of the kids while I traveled to a different country, a different continent. Of course I suffered small panic attacks along the way. As the plane prepared for take off my heart was stuck to the door of my house, wriggling and begging to stay. I had not been separated from my family for more than a few hours in the past 2 years. "Take deep breaths Mary, it's going to be alright" I had to be my own shrink.
It took until the eve of my travel to grudgingly tell the kids I would be away. Little Miss A didn't seem to mind on condition that I returned. My boy had a shopping list ready. When on the morning of my flight, my little girl hugged me tight and said "O mummy, I missed you!" I knew I was in big trouble, I hadn't left yet. My husband had his work cut out for him and I had mine too.
On trips, he does the paper work, marks the gates of departure while I focus on the kids. Alas! I ended up in the wrong lounge, and located the right check-in counter just in time to board. While the masses hurdled their way through to economy, I walked majestically to the counter, showed my business class ticket and was ushered in with a smile - never felt so good. That was just the beginning of my boarding adventures.

Frankfurt am main

Frankfurt bridge

Locks of Love

So, here is one travel tip: To capture the essence of a city take a bus tour, you will see the big picture, learn the history of the area and identify hot spots to return to when or if you have the time.

Marina bay

Lantern festival

China town

Since catching up with my colleagues we were constantly running to check-in counters - almost always the last to board. I will blame that on the comfort of the business lounge. The second you walk through the doors, the world outside ceases to exist; comfy couches, champagne, wines, delicious food... you forget you have places to go, once you stretch out that's it!
So we nearly missed our flight back and had to run for miles to the departure gate, on the way we remembered we hadn't even checked through security. Liquids out, computers, pat downs ... in a sweat we whizzed past people leisurely walking through the airport "excuse me! excuse me!" my heart rate tripled, I was near breathless and I thought such drama was left for the movies.

I had a window seat. My neighbor, a blond guy with a stern face. He didn't smile or make eye contact, I suspect he was German. I thought "O well, one less job for me. I can sit quietly and mind my own business". He was very resourceful though, since this was my first business class flight I didn't know how to work the gadgets. I watched for his moves and followed along a few seconds behind; ear phones, remote, tray - open side compartment. Adjust the seat, raise the legs; press the remote with the figures. I became a pro. Flights without looking over my shoulder or asking a wriggly kid to sit still sure felt strange. Good strange!

Long flights can feel like being locked in a bed room with a stranger. The seats are separate but you fall asleep next to each other. Mannerisms pop up unexpectedly, like the guy who begun to file his nails on the table cloth or the one who was constantly nibbling at his finger nails.You wake up next to each other, freshen up, have breakfast together, lunch together...well we can only pray the flight is not any longer otherwise you get to know each other in an odd sort of way.
On the flight out of Dulles, my phone slipped out of my pocket, I couldn't find it when we landed. I had the cabin crew searching, literally dismantling the seat but there was no phone. The doors were closing, I had to leave. I got to my hotel room in Singapore, pulled out my toilet bag to prepare for the night and oops! there it was - my phone.

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip :-). The work? Intense and educative but not as fun as the in-betweens.