27 June 2010

Ants in My Pants

I never had any kind of curtains on my windows in China. My bedroom and laundry room faced a field. The other side of the house faced another house but my kitchen was at roof level with the house across the street. Without curtains the light from my windows attracted all manner of flying insects at night. The flying insects attracted geckos. I grew up with geckos, especially in Durban, so they do not bother me.

19 June 2010

My Favourite Climbing Partner

He found a new life, got himself an education and married the woman of his dreams. He named his first two daughters after his real parents and kept searching for more information about the past while he and his wife built a future. They were the happiest couple I have ever seen. I’m sure they argued from time to time but I do not remember that. What I remember was two people who genuinely loved each other and never held back on displaying affection in public. When I was younger I had friends who were always embarrassed when their parents kissed each other or them. I never was. Probably because it happened all the time. It was completely natural to me.

11 June 2010

Ngiyanemukela




I think it was in the United States once, even though Americans do not care much about football. They have a completely different game they call football. It is more like rugby. Americans may not care about football and their team has never won the World Cup but they have to host it because their people are more willing than Asians and Africans to spend money frivolously. And that is really what FIFA cares about. It has nothing to do with where the most fans are or who joined their club first. South Afrika was the first country outside of Europe to join and it only took 100 years to host.

03 June 2010

But My TV Said So

If your TV is anything like mine it told you that crime rates in China are rising and it is almost impossible to really know what the figures are. But your TV probably never mentioned that Chinese schools are amongst the safest in the world. School shootings are unheard of. There are no gangs. Not in the schools at least. Chinese gangs are more interesting in controlling gambling than recruiting children. Teen pregnancy is not simply well hidden. It is really not an issue. Most teenagers stay away from sex to avoid family shame. That still means something to the Chinese. It is also very hard to find any privacy when you live with several generations in the same house.