surf-matic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1) This shot reminds me of the freedom of being at sea. Also I love the colors– red stripes on a blue sea/sky and a cream sail.

2) Girl of the waves.

3) Sea foam frozen. This surging energy that is the ocean is what we live for, mostly.

4) “Where freedom went??? It’s hang in’ with grammar.” I love grammar and grammar jokes.

5) This is a shot from the crossfit website. I’m really into the crossfit workouts– full body, full endurance, full strength. I find that for windsurfing and general fitness they are the most effective training. Oh, I did sealfit for a bit too, and that’s even more insane.

6) “You should probably try opening this carton at the other end. Not that we’re telling you how to run your life or anything, but it seems to work much easier when the drink comes out of the spout on the top.”

7) The Thing from the Fantastic Four vs Edward Scissor hands in a game of rock-paper-scissors.

8) And bombing for virgins?

9) In Japan, the fisherman have legends about their wives’ relationships with squids. This is not that, but it’s also eerily interesting.

10) “Please return our black marker!” “No!”

 

Okay, so I’m still in washington airport because despite running down corridors and sprinting up stair steps (an activity I take an unusual liking to in airports– even when I’m not late), I missed my flight to Newark. So, I used the 4 hour setback to spend some time in the United Red Carpet Club, where I met a really interesting screenwriter. We chatted for almost 2 full hours and then I headed back to the gate for my new flight (sprinting up stairs, of course).

Upon arriving to this gate, I found that the flight was delayed. What’s another hour of waiting after all the hours of traveling I’ve endured after leaving Sri Lanka 30 (!!!) hours ago.

Standing just across my new gate was a man eating a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream. A pint! I do like ice-cream, but I’d really struggle to eat an entire pint at one time. But where did he get it? In the land of airports everything comes in miniature.

That funny scene reminds me from another airport absurdity in Dubai. At the country entry station, there are men with shirts on that say “May I help you?”. And apparently these men don’t speak Arab because the Arabs call them, instead of a name, “mayIhelpyou”. So it was not uncommon to hear “MayIhelpyou get over here to set up the new lines.”

 

 

I guess I should give some details on my trip from Sri Lanka and the last couple days there.

Everyone in the factory was so nice and by the end of the trip all the workers had some sort of informal relation with me– even if just an exchange of smiles. Many of the workers pooled for gifts for me, which was heart-touchingly kind. The supervisors too were particularily heartwarming, for they’ve seen photos of me since I was a baby and in that way have tracked my life. And of course I’ve heard so much about them from my dad. So finally meeting was really special.

 

 

More updates soon!

 

Dubai is done! Unfortunately, the internet situation in the airport leaves much to be desired. But I used my long layover to explore Dubai city. After taking the metro I got off into the hot, sandy heat. Like the fog that penetrates cities in the northern hemisphere, a sand haze invades the horizon, making everything look like something from Dune or Star Wars.

I walked around in the heat– it felt like a sauna– and stopped in at a supermarket where I found figs the size of apples. They were probably the best figs I’ve ever had in my entire life. Simply amazing. Figs I think are my favorite fruit (and almonds my favorite nut). The texture of fig skin (the rough membrane ready to melt in the mouth) juxtaposed with the soft inside. The whole thing is so delicate! Figs feel like they are always about to fall apart. Oh! the colors too. That dark blue accented by the sensual red hidden beneath. And that’s not even touching on the taste.

Walking on… I came to the Dubai Mall. I’m not one for malls. I prefer the beach to the craze of people running around spending money. And if I have to shop, I want a quiet boutique-y space. But this mall was so much more than people shopping. It had an aquarium at its center! Sharks, rays, and loads of fish swim around in the middle of the Mall. Insane.

I had a thai green curry in the food court, which was something I’ve been craving after all the Sri Lankan curries (which are good, but different than the thai style).

Now I’ve gotta run for a flight up to Newark! Pics soon (wordpress is being really annoying with photo uploads these last days).

Cheers!

I’m heading out from Colombo airport right now. Destination: Dubai! Once I land I’ll post up some photos from the last couple days.

After a long day at work, I’m heading back home to the hotel. I did a massive photo project here and took a portrait of each worker. Tomorrow I’m only here for a half day before heading home to Maui– I can’t wait for the winter!

I’ll post tomorrow with photos.

 

We went to the elephant orphanage on Saturday before going to Kandy to have lunch. To be honest, I was a bit saddened by the “orphanage,” for it seemed to be more of a zoo. The elephants were constantly watched over by men with sticks that would poke them if they crossed a certain line. And when the elephants were eating, the big ones had a leg tied so that their movement was restricted. Though, the representatives of the orphanage said that this was so the bigger elephants didn’t steal the food from the smaller ones– I guess that’s valid. But still, I would rather have seen their trying to mimic the wild.

An interesting note, any female will suckle the babies. So often, a baby elephant doesn’t have a mother but will be cared for by another adult female. Pretty cool.

Here are some photos. (I’m not happy with my framing, but at least you can see the elephants.)

 

 

 

Then on Sunday, David and I went to the Ezzy Sails team cricket match. The team played well, but unfortunately were bested by the opponent. They’ve got a practice pitch out back behind the factory, so they’ll be training to get better.

 

 

 

 

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