30 Years On...

Hi All

Cathie brought a few old photos with her for me to copy and I realized that these two were taken 30 years apart... 1977 (note the fabulous 70's pattern on the speedos) and 2007 (which you have seen before)

Love

G

1977

2007

In search of...

Hi All


Cathie (one of my sisters) is in town visiting for two weeks and we have spent the last week or so in search of beautiful flora, fauna and landscapes with lots of success! I will post a fuller selection in the next few days but here are a few to get you started.


Love

G

Life and Nothing But

Hi everyone,

lately Geoff and I have been quite reflective as I'm sure you've all noticed. I've started my new Human Rights blog, Sri Lanka is taking a turn for the worse, and Geoff has been putting life and death into perspective. As a bit of a change, I'm adding some photos to help me revisit the beauty of Sri Lanka, and to reconnect with my partner on the other side of the world. T

Gary, Tom & Sequoia

Dear All

This evening finds me in a very reflective happy/sad head space inspired by nature, death, love and friendship. I don't really know where to start this posting so here goes...

A week ago an old friend Derek from Australia's Dad Gary died, today a friend Tom in the US from my meditation group died, in the next few weeks a friend in Vancouver's dog Sequoia is expected to die of cancer...

Each of their deaths bring something very beautiful to my life...I don't have the words to describe it exactly but it has to do with a feeling of an appreciation for what each of them has given to their friends and families and how they have each made an impression and changed the world in their own ways.

Gary belongs to a category of men who I would describe as 'one of life's good guys'. He watched us fumble our ways through our late teens and early twenties. I'm sure we annoyed the hell out of him sometimes with the constant invasions of his home, but he always made us feel welcome. I last saw Gary at my parents 50th wedding anniversary dinner...a bit older a greyer than I remember him but still the same old Gary, greeting me like I was a long lost friend. At the end of the night Gary and his wife Rose were the last to leave the restaurant and as we all walked out into the street and said our goodbyes I would not have imagined that it was the last time we would see each other....I will miss him.

Tom died suddenly and unexpectedly in his sleep last night. He also belongs in the 'one of life's good guys' category. Apart from his numerous other roles at our retreats, Tom was the offical 'meet and greet' guy as people arrived to register. He was an uncomplicated guy who had a big heart and the ability to just go up to total strangers who were looking lost and a bit vulnerable and make them feel completely welcome and cared for. My last memory of Tom was chatting about how he was going to celebrate his birthday that evening with his wife and kids with a late night pizza after getting home from retreat....I will miss him.

Sequoia has an inoperable cancer and is expected to die in the next few weeks. Sequoia is a 13 year old labrador and constant companion of her 'dad' Chadwick to whom she has brought an incredible wealth of love and joy over the years. Sequoia holds the official title of being one of this planets mellowest dogs. As with all 'labs' she loves the water and the last time I saw her she had decided that she was feeling well enough to climb out of bed where she had uncharicteristically been for the previous few days and just chase sticks in and out of the water at the beach for the afternoon with a few doggie buddies....I will miss her.

I spent today in nature with a friend hiking in the mountians, swimming in a lake and this evening by myself with my first swim in the ocean for the season. Nature brings out the best in me and I reflect a lot when I am in it....with lots of reflecting today....as far as I know Gary, Tom & Sequoia didn't set out to transform the world we live in by doing anything particularly profound but each of them has done so in their own way by just being who they are and loving those who surround them.

I thank each of them for the impact that they have left on my life and for the sense of appreciation that their deaths has given me for those who love and surround me.

G

Terry's New Blog

I have been wanting to find space to write about human rights and human rights abuses, diversity, conflict, etc., so I created a blog to branch off from this one to do just that. The idea behind it is more of a challenge really, a challenge for friends, family and bloggers to become more aware about what's happening around the world. It's a new site (as of Saturday, June 2, 2007), so it has a lot of work ahead. I've added the link below and to the links section on the right side of this blog. T

http://humanrightsrespectingdiversity.blogspot.com/

Heather Small - Proud

Proud of Colombo Pride

The past week was spent attending Colombo Pride events. It is not a small feat organizing Pride when you consider that homosexuality is illegal in this country. I am extremely "proud" of Equal Ground, the organization that showed the courage to see it through, and to my own "team Vancouver", who helped us raise almost $1000 toward Pride and other events which will help create awareness in the community and educate people on equality, respect, and diversity.

I've attached a video (see above) that became a bit of an anthem for me during Pride and some photos of the events during the week. I'm also happy to say that I began volunteering at Equal Ground about a month ago, as I am very impressed with their passion and commitment to human rights issues. T

Paradox and My Random Six month Reflections

Life as I see it is filled with paradoxical meaning...

Throughout our lives we are faced with what we've done and what we haven't done. Is it better to regret something you've done than something you haven't? Light and Dark, Truth and Lies, Hatred and Love...these things have come to the forefront of my thinking lately with recent developments in the country. CHA (my organization) is presently under fire for its views on the country. Some employees have been targetted and have been asked by a certain political party to choose "money or life". My question is why would you ask a "humanitarian worker" that question"? My naive thought is that as humanitarian workers we are not there for money, fame, etc, but rather to see the country grow, reconcile and prosper. How can one choose such a diabolical ultimatum?

Over the past month I have been fortunate to be invited to some very high profile fora. These fora have all covered the same topic, "Peace and Development". Three of the speakers have been from three different parties, the opposition party (UNP) which was heading the country up to 2 years ago, the JVP (or as a call them, the terrorist maoist party), and the JHU (or as I call them, the militant monk party). The UNP's standpoint was to bring back the Cease Fire Agreement, work on peace, build business and focus on the future; the JVP called for an increased war, the crushing of the Tamil Tigers (LTTE), and a socialized system of government headed by the Sinhalese; the JHU stated that there is only one Sri Lanka and history shows that it belongs to the Sinhala buddhists and the only way to peace is by "winning" the war against the LTTE.

Something struck me during each of these fora, the only person standing up for all out peace had a focus on the future. The latter two speakers often related the situation taking place in the country to the past- the foreign influence, the colonizers, and the glory of ancient civilizations. I saw this reliance on the past as a kind of weapon, a way to distort and justify the present. Much of my reflection was supported by a talk given by an archbishop from Rwanda. He came to speak on the genocide, Rwanda's ministy of Peace and Reconciliation, and his country's position 10 years on. His major point was to let the past be the past, remember it, understand it, but don't let it take over decisions for the present and future-that reliance, he said, is the surest way of keeping anger, hatred, ethnic division, and self-imposed victimization alive.

I walked down the street today and saw the same woman I've seen over the past 6 months with the same four children, begging on the street. I have never been the type of person to give to beggars (I see it as demeaning to the person/people), but tonight I felt something different, a certain compassion and empathy which comes at certain moments. I gave the woman 1000 rupees (10$ Canadian) and she cried. This money may not seem like a lot to us in Canada, but it will probably help her feed herself and her children for the next two weeks. I felt rather helpless at that moment, and I realized that feeling was good...sometimes that helplessness helps us gain perspective.

T

Seawall

G

United Arab Emirates

Burj Al Arab Hotel (World's only 7 star hotel)
Night View of the Burj Al Arab Hotel Francis at the Sharjah Wall
Minarets at the Sudanese Mosque in Sharjah

Black and White Street Scene

During yet another Sri Lankan holiday week I flew to UAE and visited my friend Francis in Dubai. We managed to tour around a bit, doing day trips to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. Dubai is basically one big construction site with 100s of cranes. 40% of the city's population is made up of migrant workers, mainly from South Asia, with 75% of the population being male...I didn't complain about that last statistic though! Francis was an excellent host showing me around his new host country. T

The Hill Country

My friend Henrik and I drove up to the hill country to see the tea plantations, mountains, waterfalls, and to relax in the cooler climes. I've attached some photos from the different areas we went to: Mosque overlooking the town of Haputale, "Monkeying around", "Ella's Gap", and tea, tea, and more tea. T

April 29 Update

Hi all

You might have heard about the early morning terrorist attack on Colombo. I just got a call from Terry...it is about 2am in Sri Lanka and he is safe and well (hurray for Skype and the internet!). He is boiling to death though as they have cut power to the city so his ceiling fan is not working.

It seems that the biggest drama at the moment is there is no power for people to be watching the world cup Sri Lanka vs Australia as it enters its last overs...arghh!

Here is the latest from the BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6604645.stm

Love
G

(Sunday morning 7:04: Sri Lanka lost the world cup final, power didn't come on until just after 5am which means there was no world cup viewing in Colombo during the last part of the match, and there was gunfire in Bambalapitiya [area where I live]. I don't know the story on that yet, but will find out more...T)

Black and White

Since Geoff is experimenting with black and white images, here are a few of my own... T

Rückenfigur...

"Literally meaning "back figure", the term rückenfigur is usually associated with German romantic painters, such as Caspar David Friedrich, to describe a viewpoint that includes another person seen from behind, viewing a scene spread out before the viewer. (The key element to understand Friedrich's ideas and the relevance of his work is the link between landscape and religion. Most of his best-known paintings are expressions of a religious mysticism. His landscapes seek not just blissful enjoyment of a beautiful view, as in the Classic conception, but an instant of sublimity, a reunion with the spiritual self through the lonely contemplation of the overwhelming nature).

Over the years this particular technique has found its way quite substantially into the heart of both photography and cinema, but strangely receives little acknowledgment in either. While rückenfigur has its own classical definitions, this group is open to examine the mystery that rückenfigur conveys... so, many interpretations of this visual style are welcome"...






G

Beyond Externals...#2

Hey All

Many thanks to my first willing subject for this project...

Love

G

Nicole - Age 43

Beyond Externals...

Hey all

I have always been fascinated by what a portrait can capture of someone beyond the externals. A few years back I saw a series of portraits in B&W that I found incredibly inspiring and decided recently that I would love to be able to capture some of that in my own photography.

In a moment of complete self indulgence (basically it is the only subject matter that I happen to have on hand at the moment!), I have started with 'Self portrait - age 42'. This may end up a series of portraits of friends, family and others over time or maybe just a few sporadic photos...who knows?...

If you are willing to sit for a portrait let me know...and yes you will get veto on whether it is used for the blog or not!

Love

G

Self Portrait - Age 42

Change of Seasons!

On the lighter side of things after my last serious post...

While Geoff is adding spring photos, we're preparing for the monsoons in Sri Lanka. It has started to rain a bit here, which is welcome relief after three months of dry weather and a month of sweltering temperatures. There have even been power cuts due to the lack of rain (and this country relying heavily on hydroelectric power), and people have been feeling completely drained from the heat.

I've been told that the rains also bring a kind of spring to this region as well, with a lot of flowers blooming at the end of April and into May (photo updates to come).

In the meantime, I've been looking through my other photos and I'm posting some artsy ones for your enjoyment.

T

War...What is it Good For?

Sri Lanka is paradise with a problem...war in the north and east!

I'm living in a country filled with death, bombs, fear, anger, propoganda, frustration, loss, warmth, forgiveness, and hope. I've been asked by many of you to write on the "reality" of WHERE I am and WHY I'm here. These are some of my perspectives:

While we live in relative comfort in Colombo, other parts of this beautiful country are paying the price for a 30+ year conflict; fisherman who aren't allowed to fish (because of security and curfews), farmers who can't farm (because of landmines, unsecured land, etc), and people with small businesses who can't work (because they keep getting displaced, and then return to stolen and bombed-out equipment). Families are scared to send their kids to school...because children disappear and end-up as soldiers. While some people are making decent wages in this country, some are getting by on less than 2000 rupees/month ($20)...that's WHERE I am.

When I'm in Canada I often hear that we are "lucky" and that we should be thankful for living in such a peaceful place. My response is yes, we are lucky, but I also do not want to see us take what we have for granted. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the reality taking place in many parts of the world, but at the same time it is important to engage in, and understand that reality, and use the knowledge gained to actively participate in upholding the rights and privileges that we are being afforded in Canada. I am speaking as much about myself as about anyone when I say that we need to become more aware, and overcome the development of complacency; We are sometimes more concerned with the details of "what can make MY life better", than the big picture of "what can make our society a better and more human/e place to live"...that's WHY I'm here.

That's my rant for the day. I've added some newsreels on the side... T

April Fool's Day from Google

Hi all

I was just looking at Google's April Fools Day joke http://www.google.com/tisp/ quite clever really...have a look at the FAQ section.

I have also just added a new weather box on the right hand side [especially for Canadians who love their weather forecasts!]. You can use the drop-down menu for changing between Vancouver and Colombo

G

Vancouver Spring...

Hi all

Well it's now officially Spring and the weather seems to be co-operating with the calendar...a stunning day outside and it seems like the whole city is coming into bloom...people have a bit of Spring fever (little bit giddy from the sudden influx of sunshine) and every man and his dog is out walking.

Here are a few pics from Stanley Park from this morning (the cherry blossom and magnolia trees to bore you as promised), a statue of Robbie Burns, my cousin-in-law Randy who just can't seem to get enough coffee and my place of work.

I have also added a new page element to the blog over here on the right hand side --->
...a few randomly generated movie images from Vancouver...enjoy(!?)

Love
G