Dust? Or just New Year's Eve?

Those of you who've read Philip Pullman will, of course, know what I mean...

I think this is amazingly atmospheric but somehow disturbing.

Photo taken at midnight, December 31st in Manila.

Christmas faces

There was a day last December my sisters and I cooked like the demented, and not because we were feeling particularly festive. No; my mother had arranged for a "feeding day" for the less privileged kids in the village and the big pot of pork stew she had painstaking cooked the night before had gone bad overnight. Plus the children just kept coming; from an expected 70, about 250 showed up! So into the pot went any pasta we could get hold off, to have enough; we cooked the macaroni; we cooked the spaghetti; we sliced and diced and sauteed and stirred until our arms ached.

And at the end of the day, it was all worth it.

The uncivil

So today I went to the local consulate for the third time in two weeks to try and get a new passport as my current one is running somewhat low on pages. On my first visit the place was packed and I turned tail after copying down the requirements. I loathe queues and waiting. On the second attempt the semi-official photo booth (all passport, visa etc applicants are referred to this booth) took such an abominable picture, I had to go to a "non-official" supplier i.e. Kodak, to get a better one. Today I returned in hopes of finaly getting it done and rejoiced - NO QUEUES! Stupidly I celebrated too early. After a cursory look at the photos the woman behind the counter goes into a long-winded explanation of why they wouldn't do. The upshot of which is no, she is not going to accept them because my face is too close to the edge of the pic.

What the....???

With some difficulty I kept my temper and left.

Another trip, another lunch hour wasted.

Back in the office, I compared the Kodak set with the "semi-official photo booth" pix.

They were identical give or take a millimetre.

The only difference being an extra white border around the Kodak set. And that I looked like a mongoloid hybrid in one and halfway decent in the other.

To think my hard-earned remittances pay for this kind of petty-minded, power tripping, benighted unhelpful (un) civil service!

Snapping away

I was home for two weeks last Christmas and while I hibernated I was also madly snapping away with my newish Sony A100 and revelling in the super sharp closeups this DSLR is capable of. The result is a fascinating montage of plantlife in and around our neighbourhood. I also took literally hundreds of snaps of my family. I am perpetually fascinated by the human face, the many nuances of a smile, a goofy grin, the way people look when they know they're being observed - the face is tighter, but also more alive - and how, in repose, and unconscious of the observer, they seem to be much more reflective, in some cases sadder. I like that sort of guerilla photography. But I also like snapping away when they're looking at the camera, because then they seem to be talking to me and sharing with me a piece of their soul.

For now, a plant show, taraaa! People faces later.

Request for a prayer

Dear reader:

Tomorrow a very good friend of mine will be undergoing surgery in the Philippines to excise what is suspected to be a malignant tumour in her kidney. There is a 15 percent chance it isn't malignant. But 85 percent are high odds to beat. If it is malignant she might lose the kidney and have to function on just one. Living with one kidney is entirely possible - provided the cancer is confined and doesn't affect the other kidney and other organs.

Among her family and friends - shock, horror, grief. How can this be happening?

I can't believe it still. I can only imagine her constant pain, her fear, the immense effort required to remain calm and sane. Never mind hopeful. Life, at times like this, can seem like a cruel joke.

God, will you grant a miracle? That it all turns out OK?

Please - dear reader - I am one who never forwards chain mail soliciting prayers. But may I ask for even a short prayer from you, for a dear friend who may soon be fighting for survival?

My deepest thanks,

Lou