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The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
May 31, 2006
New Pictures !
I had dinner at the upscale Montana in Port au Prince. It's worth the price... just for the sunset ! Check it out !
Click here
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
Click here
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
May 25, 2006
Light-hearted... or at least trying...
With work closing in, and stress reaching a max, I'm letting my friend Coffee Addict inspire me to dream......
I'm taking this opportunity to apologize for any non-answered emails. I will try to get caught up this weekend.
So here goes, if I were a Billionaire, I'd maintain the following 13 cribs around the world:
1) A studio in Montmartre (Paris, France) ;
2) A cabin by a lake in the Laurentians (Quebec) ;
3) A sanctuary on a quiet Caribbean Island ;
4) A house in Cape Town (South Africa);
5) A villa in Tuscany (Italy);
6) A trendy appartment in Montreal (Quebec) ;
7) A palace on a remote Pacific Island ;
8) A town house in Barcelona (Spain) ;
9) A fully-equipped residential yacht ;
10) A mezannine in Tokyo ;
11) A suite in Rio de Janeiro ;
12) A skying lodge in Chamonix ;
13) A ranch in Camargue (France).
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
I'm taking this opportunity to apologize for any non-answered emails. I will try to get caught up this weekend.
So here goes, if I were a Billionaire, I'd maintain the following 13 cribs around the world:
1) A studio in Montmartre (Paris, France) ;
2) A cabin by a lake in the Laurentians (Quebec) ;
3) A sanctuary on a quiet Caribbean Island ;
4) A house in Cape Town (South Africa);
5) A villa in Tuscany (Italy);
6) A trendy appartment in Montreal (Quebec) ;
7) A palace on a remote Pacific Island ;
8) A town house in Barcelona (Spain) ;
9) A fully-equipped residential yacht ;
10) A mezannine in Tokyo ;
11) A suite in Rio de Janeiro ;
12) A skying lodge in Chamonix ;
13) A ranch in Camargue (France).
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
May 21, 2006
Conundrum
Recently, I've been faced with a moral dilemna. Out of personnal interest, I visited an orphanage.
If you're not familiar with humanitarian or charity action, here's a vital piece of information you need to know: money does not grow on trees. And institutions face that reality every day.
The moral dilemna I face is this one:
In Haiti, street kids are a common sight. These kids' life conditions on the streets are anything but safe. They starve, get beaten, raped and otherwise abused. In the process, these kids contract all sorts of STD, including (and particularly) HIV/AIDS. And, of course, they have nowhere safe to sleep at night.
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
If you're not familiar with humanitarian or charity action, here's a vital piece of information you need to know: money does not grow on trees. And institutions face that reality every day.
The moral dilemna I face is this one:
In Haiti, street kids are a common sight. These kids' life conditions on the streets are anything but safe. They starve, get beaten, raped and otherwise abused. In the process, these kids contract all sorts of STD, including (and particularly) HIV/AIDS. And, of course, they have nowhere safe to sleep at night.
These children are faced with a limited set of options:
1) Stay on the street. Endure. Survive the horror.
2) Go home. Some of these kids actually have a home to go to. It's just that their parents can't feed them, or abuse them.
3) Go to a kid shelter.
The kid shelter I visited had the advantage of offering a safe place to stay at night and access to education.
However, when I visited the orphanage, this is what I saw:
1) Hygiene conditions were *unbearable*, as I couldn't even inspect the toilets because of the *stench*;
2) Sleeping conditions for the children were uncertain. Although the kids claim they share a bed (at three in a child crib), and bed sheets were DIRTY apparently full of coodies;
3) The children are homeschooled. Cool! But they were sleeping on their desks - I think they hadn't eaten in 24 hours. I found out late that to make matters worse, a caregiver had been stealing food from the children.
4) A little boy, maybe 6 years of age and obviously sick since several days, had not received any care at all. He was feverish, so when I asked the care-giver what she would give him, she claimed she would give a 6 year old boy some medication for children aged 0 to 24 months!
Interestingly enough, the manager of the center was outraged of these observations, which makes me thinks she hadnt visited the place in a long, long time. She fired the theiving caregiver on the spot, and assured me that she would fix the other problems, but I'm sceptical. To me, the main problem was ignorance and lack of education that led to utter and complete child neglect. Given that these people have already been trained by a competent Haitian care-giver, I wonder WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE ?
One of my friends visited a similar orphanage, where the conditions were worsened by the fact that the center's manager was abusing the children.
"There are an estimated 1.2 million orphans and at-risk children in Haiti. That's approximately 15-20% of the country's total population! Over 200,000 children live in orphanages or institutionalized group settings that do not meet the minimum standards of child care." (Statistics from At Risk Children Foundation)
This makes me wonder. Are the kids still better off in a center, or on the streets?
The Beaver
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
May 19, 2006
2004-2006 : Rest In Peace
Oh piece of technology,
Here is your ulogy,
At last thine end hast come.
Does it sound like a drum?
Far and wide thou travel'st, high and low, around the Earth.
But yet thine fate is sealed, with no hope of rebirth.
Thine owner well you served, with work and with hobbies,
And your user weeps the loss of her MP3's.
May you make with glory, your way out of this stance,
And may the warranty give you back radiance.
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
May 18, 2006
Random Test
I am 24% White Trash.
I, my friend, have class. I am so not white trash. . I am more than likely Democrat, and my place is neat, and there is a good chance I may never drink wine from a box.
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
May 15, 2006
Wahoo Beach!
Wahoo Beach, a beautiful resort on the Caribbean, just 45 minutes from Port-au-Prince, greets all visitors with an arm-band to ensure the beach remains safe of loiterers and unauthorized visitors.
Although the image one has in mind of Haiti is that of poverty, violence, and political turmoil, none of them find their way to Wahoo Beach, as the only reminder that Haiti has been on the international map is the presence of UN peace keepers playing beach volley ball on their day off.
Should Haiti stabilize under the rule of Prezidan Preval, the country could enjoy an influx of foreign spenders, intent on enjoying the many pleasures of Wahoo Beach!
No amnesty for you!
Sunday, may 14th 2006. Rene Preval is sworn in as the President of the Republic of Haiti.
The stakes are high for President Preval, as expections are getting higher and higher within the population of the poor neighboudhoods of PAP, Cite Soleil and Bel-Air. While in the troubled region of Gonaive, the UN peace keepers did well in stabilizing the insecure environment, the blue helmets have been the target of much cynicism in Port-au-Prince, as the insecurity in the poorest zones has been hovering without a final solution.
Hence the high expectations put on the shoulders of Prezidan Preval and his newly elected flick of ministers and deputees who are left with a limping infrastructure, sky-rocketting unemployment rates and heightened insecurity to deal with.
It's well understood in PAP that these are all tied in together in a vicious circle of despair, and that Haiti will have a long way to go before it stops being the poorest country in the sub-region and one of the poorest in the world with a rank of 153 out of 177 on the UN's Human Development Index.
So it's with great interest and a good dose of scepticism that the world now looks at Rene Preval, the heir to a long tradition of despotism and terror reign in Haiti. His decision not declare amnesty this time around arouses intersting questions, as it is beleived that many prisonners who would have benefitted from the measure have been held without trial for years or may even be political prisonners.
Alas, we can only watch and wait...
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
The stakes are high for President Preval, as expections are getting higher and higher within the population of the poor neighboudhoods of PAP, Cite Soleil and Bel-Air. While in the troubled region of Gonaive, the UN peace keepers did well in stabilizing the insecure environment, the blue helmets have been the target of much cynicism in Port-au-Prince, as the insecurity in the poorest zones has been hovering without a final solution.
Hence the high expectations put on the shoulders of Prezidan Preval and his newly elected flick of ministers and deputees who are left with a limping infrastructure, sky-rocketting unemployment rates and heightened insecurity to deal with.
It's well understood in PAP that these are all tied in together in a vicious circle of despair, and that Haiti will have a long way to go before it stops being the poorest country in the sub-region and one of the poorest in the world with a rank of 153 out of 177 on the UN's Human Development Index.
So it's with great interest and a good dose of scepticism that the world now looks at Rene Preval, the heir to a long tradition of despotism and terror reign in Haiti. His decision not declare amnesty this time around arouses intersting questions, as it is beleived that many prisonners who would have benefitted from the measure have been held without trial for years or may even be political prisonners.
Alas, we can only watch and wait...
The Beaver
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
May 13, 2006
Change of plans...
I was so tired, that yesterday my Team Leader decided to let me off the hook and to replace me for the second round of field visits. I'm very grateful, because I think I was on the brink of exhaustion. I need some ME time. I need to ALONE time. I need to sit back and take it all in, write it down, and incidently share it with you guys.
There is so much I need to share, to talk about. Since I've been in Haiti, I barely had the energy to sit down and write my impressions. I haven't really written any substance articles since Pakistan in January. I feel that my inner life is dwindling, fading away, eaten up by the insane work hours, the lack of sleep, the stress, the loneliness despite the team's presence and companionship.
I feel that I am disconnected from my family, my friends, my bloglife, so important to me in times like this. You may not realize it, but for me who is always on the road, my blogfriends are very important, because they are the only ones who are always around IN THE SAME WAY. Blogging brings some consistency to my life. When I don't blog, I feel empty.
Anyway, I'm not travelling until I leave PAP *for a few weeks* and I expect to have some "ME" time while the crew is out on the field. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to sit back and digest all this, and write some more...
By the way, I posted some pics of the BEACH (taken 2 weeks ago) and of Gonaives (taken this week).
I love you all. Thank you for being around.
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!There is so much I need to share, to talk about. Since I've been in Haiti, I barely had the energy to sit down and write my impressions. I haven't really written any substance articles since Pakistan in January. I feel that my inner life is dwindling, fading away, eaten up by the insane work hours, the lack of sleep, the stress, the loneliness despite the team's presence and companionship.
I feel that I am disconnected from my family, my friends, my bloglife, so important to me in times like this. You may not realize it, but for me who is always on the road, my blogfriends are very important, because they are the only ones who are always around IN THE SAME WAY. Blogging brings some consistency to my life. When I don't blog, I feel empty.
Anyway, I'm not travelling until I leave PAP *for a few weeks* and I expect to have some "ME" time while the crew is out on the field. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to sit back and digest all this, and write some more...
By the way, I posted some pics of the BEACH (taken 2 weeks ago) and of Gonaives (taken this week).
I love you all. Thank you for being around.
The Beaver
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
May 11, 2006
D.E.A.D.
Hey Guys, I just got back from the field, and am going again on Saturday....
Just wanted to say I'm alive. I'll do my best to post some pics (I'm SOOOOO Late).
Anyway, I probably won't be able to update until may 19th or so... (good news is - plenty of pics and stories to tell...)
Thanks to all who played the Tag games !
Love and stuff !
The Beaver
Just wanted to say I'm alive. I'll do my best to post some pics (I'm SOOOOO Late).
Anyway, I probably won't be able to update until may 19th or so... (good news is - plenty of pics and stories to tell...)
Thanks to all who played the Tag games !
Love and stuff !
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
May 06, 2006
Addicted to Coffee (tag tag tag)
I was tagged by Coffee Addict in Denmark ... I always enjoy that stuff !
If you have been tagged, you are to come up with 4 of each of the below items. Then list down, and tag, four other bloggers on their pages. If you've been tagged, you need not do this again.
4 jobs i have had in my life
* Assistant VP business development for a Hassidim family business (Quebec)
* Law intern for a Senegalese business lawyer
* Internal auditor for an international organization on 4 continents
* Donor address verifier and envelope licker in Canada
4 films i would wtach over & over & over
* Moulin Rouge (ahhhh Ewaaaaan!!!!)
* Independance day (ahhhh Wiiiiiill!!!!!)
* La belle histoire (ahhhh CQFD!!!)
* Troy (ahhhh Braaaaad!!!!)
4 places where i have lived (as in not at the hotel)
* Montreal, Quebec
* Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
* Dakar, Senegal
* Argenteuil, France (surrogately - went on vacation at my aunt's for years and years)
4 TV shows i love to watch
* In Montreal: Angel (ahhhh David !!!!)
* In Johannesburg: Isindigo (love the triligual subtitled series)
* In Freetown (Sierra Leone): Children of Dune
* In Conakry: La vie devant soi
4 places i have been on vacation (among others)
* Paris, France
* North Truro (on Cape Cod)
* Madrid, España (I was 5, only remember being on an elephant's back!)
* Shanghai, China
4 websites i visit
* www.blogger.com
* www.google.com
* www.monster.com
* www.msn.ca
4 of my favourite foods
* New-York style cheesecake
* Pate Chinois 'sti!
* Salmon Sushi
* Imperial rolls
4 places i would rather be right now (so many places, no money and no time)
* Montreal, snuggling in bed with CQFD
* Dakar, dancing on Cool Graoul Night or singing Karaoke at the Papagayo
* Paris, exploring the Louvre (again and again and again)
* Tokyo (just because I've never been there)
4 people i have tagged
* 007 in Africa
* Salt Water
* Saurkraut
* Victoria
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
If you have been tagged, you are to come up with 4 of each of the below items. Then list down, and tag, four other bloggers on their pages. If you've been tagged, you need not do this again.
4 jobs i have had in my life
* Assistant VP business development for a Hassidim family business (Quebec)
* Law intern for a Senegalese business lawyer
* Internal auditor for an international organization on 4 continents
* Donor address verifier and envelope licker in Canada
4 films i would wtach over & over & over
* Moulin Rouge (ahhhh Ewaaaaan!!!!)
* Independance day (ahhhh Wiiiiiill!!!!!)
* La belle histoire (ahhhh CQFD!!!)
* Troy (ahhhh Braaaaad!!!!)
4 places where i have lived (as in not at the hotel)
* Montreal, Quebec
* Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
* Dakar, Senegal
* Argenteuil, France (surrogately - went on vacation at my aunt's for years and years)
4 TV shows i love to watch
* In Montreal: Angel (ahhhh David !!!!)
* In Johannesburg: Isindigo (love the triligual subtitled series)
* In Freetown (Sierra Leone): Children of Dune
* In Conakry: La vie devant soi
4 places i have been on vacation (among others)
* Paris, France
* North Truro (on Cape Cod)
* Madrid, España (I was 5, only remember being on an elephant's back!)
* Shanghai, China
4 websites i visit
* www.blogger.com
* www.google.com
* www.monster.com
* www.msn.ca
4 of my favourite foods
* New-York style cheesecake
* Pate Chinois 'sti!
* Salmon Sushi
* Imperial rolls
4 places i would rather be right now (so many places, no money and no time)
* Montreal, snuggling in bed with CQFD
* Dakar, dancing on Cool Graoul Night or singing Karaoke at the Papagayo
* Paris, exploring the Louvre (again and again and again)
* Tokyo (just because I've never been there)
4 people i have tagged
* 007 in Africa
* Salt Water
* Saurkraut
* Victoria
| I am an Espresso |
 At my worst, I am: anxious and high strung I drink coffee anytime I'm not sleeping. My caffeine addiction level: high |
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
May 03, 2006
Siti of Angels (tag tag tag)
Some while ago, I got tagged by Siti of Angels in Singapore. So here goes:
If you have been tagged, you are to come up with 7 qualities of your perfect lover. Do specify the gender. Then list down, and tag, seven other bloggers on their pages. If you've been tagged, you need not do this again.
Gender: Male (duh!).
So here we go: (in poetic form, if you please...)
1) Though for plastic beauty, I care not,
attractive to me, you shall be.
2) While your temperament may be hot,
please remain kind to all you see.
3) Since i have no 'nter'st in a robot,
a mind of your own is necessary.
4) There is no story without a plot,
please be at least as smart as me!
5) If your hometown is all you've got,
you need to be curious of the sea.
6) You may be mature and worth a shot,
But sometimes you make me laugh and pee.
7) Be healthy up there in your flower pot,
Don't tell me you're an alien abductee !
Needless to say, it's a theorical exercise, CQFD is all of the above and much more :o) If you're name shows below, you have been tagged and should post 7 things about your perfect lover on your blog. (if you're married or otherwise taken, see it as a opportunity to flatter Mr. or Mrs. Right online !)
1) Coffee Addict (he he)
2) Kingston Girl
3) Juliana
4) Cricketina
5) Anya
6) Xoloitzquintle
7) Gemma
The Beaver
My guest map is wonderful ! And you'd all be wonderful to post, all of you lurk mode readers!
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
If you have been tagged, you are to come up with 7 qualities of your perfect lover. Do specify the gender. Then list down, and tag, seven other bloggers on their pages. If you've been tagged, you need not do this again.
Gender: Male (duh!).
So here we go: (in poetic form, if you please...)
1) Though for plastic beauty, I care not,
attractive to me, you shall be.
2) While your temperament may be hot,
please remain kind to all you see.
3) Since i have no 'nter'st in a robot,
a mind of your own is necessary.
4) There is no story without a plot,
please be at least as smart as me!
5) If your hometown is all you've got,
you need to be curious of the sea.
6) You may be mature and worth a shot,
But sometimes you make me laugh and pee.
7) Be healthy up there in your flower pot,
Don't tell me you're an alien abductee !
Needless to say, it's a theorical exercise, CQFD is all of the above and much more :o) If you're name shows below, you have been tagged and should post 7 things about your perfect lover on your blog. (if you're married or otherwise taken, see it as a opportunity to flatter Mr. or Mrs. Right online !)
1) Coffee Addict (he he)
2) Kingston Girl
3) Juliana
4) Cricketina
5) Anya
6) Xoloitzquintle
7) Gemma
The Beaver
Thanks and may the winds of Fate blow your way !
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