Elrin writes "It is that time of the year again, and the whole family here would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderfully Happy New Year!
2006 has been a blast. Probably one of the busiest I've experienced, and 2007 promises to be even bigger!
Hope to see you all soon and well-rested after the holidays!"
Well, at long last my funds from South Africa have arrived here in Canada! The exchange rate hurts, but at least it's here!
This ends a two and a half year saga of trying to get our house sale registered and the money out. It involved beaurocracies left-right and centre, and underlined the reasons why I moved in the first place. The equivalent transactions here in Canada took only 3 days! Yes, 2.5 years vs. 3 days.
Good bye Nedbank, Goodbye Absa, Good bye Telkom, Good bye Vodacom, Good bye SA Reserve Bank, Good bye Tswane City Council, Good bye Pam Golding Real Estate Agency, Good bye Department of Agriculture, Good bye Receiver of Revenue, Good bye FICA, Good bye Centurion City planner, Good bye Central Bank of Africa! It was a nightmare, and I hope you get what you deserve!
Ahem - Now that that's off my chest: Take out your party-hats and come on over for a celebration!
Well, the Chilako Valley Garden Centre now belongs to me!
Here in Canada it's a summertime operation only, but it is a nice test-bed for me to try out all my funky sensor network and automation robotics... Heehee... And in addition to that, a nice opportunity to expand my bonsai hobby into something profitable.
I'd like to wish everybody out there a brilliantly Merry Christmas and the best New Year ever for 2006!
새해 복 많이 받으세요!
Voorspoedige Nuwe Jaar!
あけましておめでとう！
新年好！
Gutes Neues Jahr!
Things are looking good for the coming year, and I just have this feeling that it's going to be an absolutely awesome year with lots of milestones to look back to in the future.
With friends and family spread out all over the globe, getting together for holiday events like these are somewhat of a challenge. But when we do manage it, we make up for it in leaps and bounds! Here's to seeing you all soon!
OK - Some of you might wonder why things have been so quiet around here...
Well, my life's been chaos in the last few weeks. I was away from home a lot, got tonsilitis, had to move out of my apartment in Prince George, and generally deal with deteriorating finances - all at the same time.
I'm (sorta) back up again. My health is up again, and I have a little nook carved out in a new hidey-hole. Wether normality will return soon is unknown. Check out this space for updates!
Well, another semester is over, and it is time to relax and get rid of all the exam-stress. Things are warming up nicely here, and spring is in full swing already (with the allergy-bearing pollen included).
We're headed for Vancouver on the 26'th for a week - visiting family and touring around Vancouver.
I have also now finished the course-load for my degree, and will from now be able to concentrate on my research and setting up things here in Canada for the future.
Well, sadly the holidays are over, and we have to give up the warm, lazy and cozy days spent doing nothing but having fun.
Now it's back to class and a fixed routine! This semester I'm basically finishing off my course requirements, so if I do well now, I can have a good base for my research building up to my thesis.
Good luck to all of you who are also returning to work and/or studies! This is going to be a great year!
I finally have an apartment, some sparse furniture, semi-working computers and an internet connection! Classes have also begun at UNBC (University of Northern British Columbia for those who don't know), so things are getting going well here.
I also finally made another update in the gallery! I added some snaps I took at some events (Go look under Events & Stuff), as well as a visit to Barkerville (In the Travels section)
Also welcome to all the people from UNBC who are visiting the website! Please register and get yourself a login name here at my site! That way, you will be able to log in to the forums, chatroom, comment in the gallery, aven add your own pictures so you can enjoy the site more!
As some of you might have noticed, things have been a bit quiet around here.
I have been travelling and running around sorting out all my things for the past few weeks, but have finally been able to sort-of settle in. I am currently still without an internet connection at home, but now have an university account through which I can access the net, so I'll try to stay in touch until then!
Gion Matsuri is one of the oldest festivals in the world and except for incidences of war and one case of interference from the shogunate, it has been held annually since 970, when it officially became a festival. The Yamaboko Junko main parade of 32 floats (9 large hoko and 23 smaller yama) manages to avoid present-day obstacles like power lines, a reminder that the centuries’ old route has had to be changed in the post-war era. Last year almost 200,000 people came to see the floats on July 17, as they made their way from Shinmachi, along Shijo, Kawaramachi, Oike and back again. This year, the main parade was on a Saturday, and apparently an even greater number of visitors lined the streets.
I have already put up pictures from the first day of Gion Bayashi, the part of the festival from the 14'th to the 16'th, and will put up pictures of the other days soon. Festival music, of flutes, drums & bells was played each evening. The 32 floats were re-assembled, given trial runs and illuminated at night by lanterns. Treasures & heirlooms were also displayed nearby, and a rare sight indeed!
The festival is also one of the longest in duration in Japan, if not the world, stretching from the 1st till the 29th of July! With so many daily ceremonies and processions, it’s really like a collection of mini-festivals. The festival also has its own distinct soundtrack, the “kon-chiki-chin” Gion ohayashi (music). Throughout July in Kyoto I either hear it being practiced or a recording of it being played as I move around the city. Many Kyotoites feel that the mesmerizing repetition somehow functions as a kind of antidote to the humidity that keeps rising all month long, but I'm still not convinced...
Go take a look at the gallery for a day-by-day view of the Gion Matsuri!
I will be holding a farewell function on the Saturday of the 27'th March. Everyone's invited, as it will be the last opportunity to get together and socialise.
And because my birthday is just around the corner (3'rd of April), it will have to do as a birthday bash as well....
I don't know about a venue yet, since my place is going to be a total mess - Go check out the Forum for a venue update.
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