Beer Lao

I always drink the local beer when I'm traveling. And Beer Lao is one of the best and another reason why I love that little country. Now the New York Times has discovered it too!

Coincidence?

They once said that only when pigs could fly would a black man become President of the US.

Obama's first 100 days and - wham!

Pig's flu!

Det skjer store ting om dagen ja....

Siden jeg er stuck utenomNorges en stund til er det en liten trøst at jeg kanskje ikke går glipp av så mye som jeg tror. Hvertfall hvis man skal tro førstesiden til Drammens Tidende....

Unaccustomed earth

I just finished reading a great book: Unaccustomed earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. It's a collection of eight stories describing expatriate Bengali families -- parents with their traditions in tact and how it challenges the relationships with their American-raised children. In the title story, Ruma is agonozing over a presumed obligation to bring her widower father into her home, a stressful decision taken out of her hands by his unexpected independence after her mother dies. The alcoholism of Rahul is described by his elder sister, Sudha; and the lives of Hema and Kaushik intersect over the years, before and after Kaushik loses his mother to cancer. An grief for mothers lost at different stages of life enters many tales and is moving especially for someone who has lost a parent and can relate to the tragedy.

Mostly I enjoyed learning something new about a country I have never visited (India) but would love to explore. Book recommended!

Typhoon Chan-Hom (Emong) approaches Philippines

This just in to my email:

Storm signal 1 has been declared for Metro Manila as it intensifies and is forecast to make a landfall in Northern Luzon early tomorrow. Expect intermittent heavy rains and winds in Metro Manila over the next 72 hours that can cause flooding and traffic delays. Monitor media and carefully consider any travel to areas likely to be affected by the storm.

It sounds dramatic but really just means there will be lots of lots of rain the next couple of days. They should add to their advisory to expect heavy rains and winds in Metro Manila over the next 72 hours that can cause flooding and traffic delays AND EXTREME SLEEPINESS.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

http://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/rainstorm.html

The Pacman does it again!

I am no fan of boxing. No no no no no. But when you live in the Philippines you just cannot help knowing what's going on in the boxing world. Manny Pacquiao, one of, if not THE best boxer in the world is Filipino and, naturally, a national hero. His posters endorsing sports drinks, cameras, cars, you name it, are everywhere. The newspapers are full of his pictures, and you can't turn on a Filipino TV channel without seeing him within the first 5 minutes or so.

So, yesterday Pacman did it again. For the fourth time in a row he won the world championship, in yet another weight class. Even as someone who is no fan of boxing (actually I hate it, what a cruel sport..) I can't help but be excited for the Filipinos. This is their hero and they're so excited about it. The only complaint I heard was that he won too quickly! For a poor fruit vendor or bus driver who spends his last savings (don't even get me started on what I think about that...) to watch the game on live TV, I guess you'd want it to last more than a few minutes. Anyway, I will raise above my feelings against boxing: congratulations Pacquiao and congratulations Philippines!

Photo: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8031324.stm