ninemillion.org

World Map, UNHCR

In collaboration with right to play, the UNHCR has set up an initiative to give displaced children worldwide the chance to recover their strength and dignity with a simple donation of a ball. It's a small thing, but with great consequences. Check out their website:

www.ninemillion.org

Consider donating, even 5 euro is enough to get some sport started somewhere, and maybe help heal some wounds.

Splash

An eventful day yesterday, and, as all things eventful, my multiply site has more photographic eye candy with captioning just for you - the old fortress city of Mdina was awash with medieval animators (street musicians, beggars, wenches, and a few drunken knights). A new initiative by our heritage organizations. Definitely a better marketing base than mundane, largely unprofessional, and cocaine fueled hospitality industry.


A rapid drive down the road specially constructed and polished for the Queen's (insert fanfare) CHOGM visit and to another (possibly 'the') cornerstone of Maltese heritage, the temple complexes. Older than Stonehenge (ha!) and still astronomically useful tools of magic and mayhem.

I remember seeing a sunrise on the Vernal equinox in one of these complexes, and avoiding the congregation of middle aged Wiccans that happily started chanting (and I mean this broadly) what sounded like the Coven Top Twenty when the altar stone was illuminated. A very annoying experience at 5 in the morning I assure you. I mean if you feel that you have to dance around fires poorly clad that's your thing but you just can't start with the noise pollution in the presence of archaeological wonder. And another thing, just because some mediocre and very confused mystic decides that your all energetically 'attuned' since you've invested in an Athame or two does not mean that you can pretend to interact with the ancient energy streams these temple dwellers tapped.

Anyhow, through the Maltese spurge and Carob we wandered and eventually came to a most excellent swimming spot which has not seen the last of us, I mean, just look at it...

The day ended with a fuzzy feeling of happening and an evening game of pool to the locals of my area cheering on the football. Now, I must return to the Kenyan-Assam tea blend (it's really good, really).

Nematocysts - yummy

Image courtesy of wikipedia

Well, an enjoyable swim at one of Malta's rocky beaches has ended with my arm strapped with nicely puffed out jelly fish stings. Thanks to the ancient Taoist Qigong practice of Pi Chi it's healed /healing quite well while I was absorbing a pot of tea at a coast-side kiosk (watching the football of course).

We've had an unusually large influx of sea jellies this summer, something to do with a freak heat wave and the lunar eclipse. The two that I was introduced too weren't of the doom-of-all-things-righteous variety and have given me a new appreciation for Scyphozoan class and of course phylum Cnidaria.


Those stinging cells are known as cnidocytes or nematocytes, nasty little designs of wonder shown above in a scanning electron micrograph (a truly sexy microimaging technique). Anyway, it's not the most pleasant experience and thus, as a good deed for the day, I've found some rather interesting medical advice here. One of my favourite bits is

Nematocysts are inactivated by vinegar (or dilute acetic acid 5-10%). NOTE: If no vinegar is handy, then human urine will do in a pinch. If you have a choice in the matter, use a man's urine rather than a woman's urine. This is because females are more prone to occult urinary tract infections, thus introducing bacteria. Male urine is considered sterile, since men are much less likely to have a urinary tract infection.

Now isn't that dandy? And you wonder why they call it Pi Chi.

Cheesy Crusty Artery juice

Well, I've just massacred last night's pizza hut delivery - a large quattro colori which they forced their nasty cheesy crust nonsense on. What is it with their pizza chefs?
"Sorry, we don't make large classic style pizzas anymore, the only way to hide the finger-tips is the cheesy crust way"
Not that Pizza Hut was ever able to make a classic pizza. Which brings up another point, why did we order Pizza Hut in the first place? Fine, if you're living in one of the more pizza starved areas in the world, say the Americas, where they've forgotten how to make such things, Pizza Hut may be a good choice (All the good pizza places there are usually overlooked and, at least in the Bronx, quite often shot at).
Anyway, the sad schnook that I am, I'm heating it up for breakfast. And I've just used the pizza fork (try to Google that, I dare ya*) to stir my delicately brewed tea. I believe the word is, crumm...



* Out of sheer delerium, I did: I'm Feeling Lucky Result

Synapsing

Why do mosquitoes have to wait until I've just entered the later stages of trance state before buzzing at just the right frequency to send my astral body careening back so I can grumpily wave my hand at them? Either they're trying to hinder my planar explorations or they're protecting me from some concealed evil (the dream yogic equivalent of a trojan).
:.
Today was a day of much reminiscing. I caught up with one of my friends whom I've known since I was about 4. The oddest fragments of memory emerged, and a few pivotal cartoon series were dragged back from the depths. It is remarkably creepy how pronounced an effect the odd season of Botz Master, The Visonaries, or Mighty Orbots can have in recall.
:.
Time for another attempt at astral. The bass is so much better there...

Heligoland

Greetings torpid world of cream cheese. The striated sandstone cliffs to the left are those of a cheery little island called Heligoland (Helgoland to the Germans).
This was the site of our marine biology field trip. Quite an experience, replete with migratory birds, seals, crabs and other crustaceans, sea jellies, algae, urchins (nasty little calciferous pin buckets), and much more lurking in the intertidal zone. Once again there are more photos on my multiply site found here.

Warmed by the Gulf stream and watching the dark clouds hang over Hamburg in the South, this trip was a well deserved break from the usual university grind. Even got to know some of the freshmen, one of my new year's resolutions (not really). Definitely worth a visit, moreso if you can get involved with the BAH (Biologische Anstalt Helgoland) or get a tour from their researchers.

Symbiotic intricasy

ThreeWay Symbiosis Supplies Insect Pest With WellRounded Diet

Ah finally a brief stint of summer vacation. Only now does the sheer horror of the past semester get a chance to do a little jig in my mushy brain wearing stilletos and playing a bone tambourine with a rusty prosthetic limb.

Anyway, the next series of entries which I fully intend to actualize will be little more that random pictures with bilious captioning by yours truly.
Here we see the royal palace in Luxembourg, the sleepy little country where abysmal boredom is the only thing that allows the inhabitants the luxury of spite and thus the motivation to continue their existence. It's a nice place really. Anyway, there'll be an photo album set up on my multiply site so check it out when you get the chance. Comments will be appreciated and quite probably replied to.