This is the longest time I’ve spent in Singapore. Come next Tuesday, I’ll have been here for 2 weeks. Not that I can complain, it’s a spectacularly clean city/nation with plenty to eat and see, and is one of the most development countries in the world – this is a big contrast coming from the … Continue reading Savouring Singapore
Category: General
Thoughts, books, travels and personal ideas.
Breathing in Baucau
Had a chance to get out of Dili last weekend and visit the second largest city in Timor-Leste. Compared to Dili, Baucau is a sleepy town about 120km east of the capital city. From what we saw, there isn’t much going on in the town, so you can guess how it is in even smaller … Continue reading Breathing in Baucau
Let’s Go Green & Get Creative
There was a time when it wasn’t cool to recycle (maybe it still isn’t for a lot of people) – It takes too much time or too much effort. But really, isn’t it something small that you can do to help out the environment, because in the end, pollution, loss of biodiversity, climate change, lack … Continue reading Let’s Go Green & Get Creative
Anymore 'afters' and there won't be a 'now'
The last month has been a whirlwind of craziness… first I was in Canada for about 3 weeks in January after finishing my job in Timor-Leste. It was a welcome break with all the snow that fell – I haven’t seen a “real” winter in about 3 years. But even 3 weeks went by quickly … Continue reading Anymore 'afters' and there won't be a 'now'
I want to donate some money.
Hippy and treehugger… that’s what I remember people being called when I first joined the Geography program at the University of Victoria. I guess that when you are studying about how the planet works or how the environment can affect how we live, you’re labeled as some sort of “alternative†person (i.e. freak like these … Continue reading I want to donate some money.
Mountain air rejuvenates the soul.
Here are a few photos from our trip to Maubisse. Most of the photos are from my digital camera or Muriel’s. I’ve taken some from my film camera, but I haven’t found a decent developer in Dili so I haven’t been able to develop my film. If you want to see sets of photos from … Continue reading Mountain air rejuvenates the soul.
Thanks, but I’ll stick to eating chicken
This photo explains it all in Dili, or Timor-Leste for that matter – infrastructure in need of work, flashy UN trucks, sun and sand, and rising mountains in the distance. Outside of these Dili gates, the population decreases dramatically and things start to get calmer, almost tranquil if you don’t have to think about what … Continue reading Thanks, but I’ll stick to eating chicken
There's more than meets the eye.
Had a chance to head to the countryside over the weekend… it is a whole new world out there. Dili is a nice place to hangout, but only for so long. After a month checking out the sites in the capital city, we rented a driver and car and headed out to Maubisse. We weren’t … Continue reading There's more than meets the eye.
What's up Portugal??!
Did you know that over 90% of the people in Timor-Leste are Catholic? I guess after 400 years of Portuguese colonization, people pickup a few things. Religion, culture and language have definitely been affected by this 400-year rule. Even the local language of Tetun/Tetum has bits and pieces of Portuguese injected into it. According to … Continue reading What's up Portugal??!
Learning more about Timor
About one week into my stay in Dili and I’ve found out some things: It’s very hot and dry People are generally friendly Food is surprisingly good and varied (i.e. Indonesian, Thai, Turkish, Chinese, Western) You need a car to go just about anywhere You don’t want to be walking on the streets between 10am … Continue reading Learning more about Timor