Untukmu Para Pengunjung

It seems the Americans will do anything for a ticket to the Superbowl. Sarah Pany a University student from LA held an auction on ebay earlier this week to see if she could be someones date to the Superbowl. Unfortunately ebay stepped in and cancelled the auction. Then Axe (America’s version of Lynx deodorant) stepped in and gave the student 4 tickets, so Sarah invited two of her good looking girlfriends and now there is one ticket left for a lucky male to attend the Superbowl with three gorgeous dates.

I think this is a great move by Axe to leverage of a national news story and put a twist on it. It is companies that are able to make big decisions like this in short amounts of time which will be remembered in the minds of the consumers.

Everyone knows the dangers of live television for all those non believers, have a look at this clip. This is from the British day time talk show ‘Richard and Judy’.

http://www.mintd.com/

Mintd is a website that allows up-and-coming local designers to sell their works online. At the moment the website is mostly selling jewellery and clothes but there are grand plans to start selling mp3’s and movies. Their point of difference from other marketplace website is their emphasis on community, which makes this site look like a mash up of ebay and myspace. This site has huge potential and will be interesting to follow.

Do you ever have one of those really good, really intense days where statistics become real to you and your life is never the same afterwards? Yesterday was one of those days for me. I spent the day with some nurses and social workers from Island Hospice, where I am hoping to do some volunteer work in the near future. We went into a high density area and spent a few hours at a clinic. We met about 40 women and children within a few hours, and all of them were HIV+.

The first boy I met was 16, but he looked about 11. He had just tested positive for HIV, and was saying that he knew he had to be strong and ignore his aunts who were accusing him of bringing shame to the family. Both his parents are dead.

We met another 16 year old who was just getting back on ARVs. He had been going to a church where the pastor told him that taking the drugs was a sign of weak faith. So, he stopped taking them and had a stroke. After much struggle, he's back on the retrovirals.

We met an 11 year old girl who looked about 6. Since going on ARVs she has put on some weight, and her mom is so proud of how beautiful she looks in her school uniform. Many women spoke about how their children are angry with them for passing on the HIV virus during childbirth. Imagine the guilt...

We met a woman who has been on ARVs for a few years, but has just been re-infected. The only way she can put food on the table is by selling her body, and most "customers" don't like condoms. I guess it's a choice she makes - die now (hunger) or later (HIV/AIDS).

We met a cute little 3 year old whose 4 year old sister died last week of malnutrition. The nurses were pleading with her 11 year old cousin to take good care of her. The 11 year old has 7 kids to look after.

I spent the afternoon at a support group for kids who are caring for dying parents (or, in some cases, grandparents who are their guardians because they are already orphans). There were about 15 kids - aged 10 - 16, and I developed such a respect and admiration for them. They had received 3 days of training from Island, and then had monthly support group meetings. Some of their comments really struck me:

"I learned that when I am cleaning up my mom's diarrhea or vomit, I need to protect myself by wearing plastic bags on my hands. And I learned that I can't be upset when my mother messes or when she yells at me. Because she is very sick."

"I find it difficult to talk to my mom about dying. I don't want her to die. I keep praying that she'll get better."

"I had always dreamed of going to boarding school and getting a good education. My grandmother promised me that she would put me through school. But on that fateful day, she was killed in a road accident on the way back from the rural areas."

"I love school, but I can't go anymore. I'm 16. I have to be an adult now."

"I didn't like it at my mother's funeral when people kept telling me not to cry or be upset. It was painful."

"The people we share a house with always make fun of my mother, but she is too weak to say anything. She just goes into her room and cries. But I yell at them."

"It hurts me when my father whips me. He sends me to the market so early in the morning that sometimes I fall asleep in school. He is always shouting at me, but all I want to do it take care of him."

"I think an example of spiritual pain is when people tell you your parent is going to hell, and then they die."

Of course I have known about HIV/AIDS for a long time. I know the statistics. But to spend a whole day meeting people infected or severely affected by the disease... So many stories, so many lives, so much poverty, so many emotions. This is a crisis day after day, hour after hour...

Yesterday we were at the shops and we saw Lindor chocolate! We both love Lindor, and we've never seen it in this country before. Unfortunately, a package of 3 Lindor truffles would have cost us (at the official exchange rate) $75 US dollars!

This morning I was jogging, and saw a man on the side of the street with a big tank (it looked kind of like a helium tank). He stopped me and said, "I spray cockroaches." I said, "Excuse me?" He said, "I spray cockroaches - don't you have any in your home?" I said, "Actually we don't?" Then he pulled out a tiny thumbnail-sized piece of paper with is name and number on it, pleading, "please tell your friends. Some of them must have cockroaches." (I did ask him if he ever sprays dogs, but I was joking). Everyone in Zimbabwe has a business.

And we farewelled the Wards yesterday. Our fellow Canadians flew to Canada for a month with their family before moving to Chicago. We will miss them, but thankfully we have many other members in our big Zimbabwean family.

Friday afternoon, walking underground to reach the subway, I was jamming away to some tunes. Then I heard a voice, and don't ask me how, but I knew it was directed at me.

Removing my headphones, I looked to my left, and saw a man. Sensing my confusion, he repeated himself

"(in tagalog) How you doin'?"

"(tagalog) Fine thanks. Yourself?"

"(Also fine, thanks.)"

I was impressed. His accent was spot on, and he sounded very confident in what he was saying. I thought he may be fluent.

"Your tagalog is excellent! Are you fluent?"

"No, not really."

"Well, either way I'm impressed."

"Actually, I do become fluent when I'm attracted to someone and I want to impress them."


A face that sets off gaydars the world over.

"Whoa...this is new." I thought to myself. Never had a dude hit on me before. As we reached the bottom step, he went to his right, I went the other way, and my oncoming train roared into the station, drowning out the awkwardness.

"Anyway, have a great weekend!"

"Yeah, you too."

You can see it in his face, the realization that I was not "his type". It sorta said "OK, I get it, you're straight." Not that I was trying to bugger him off, I thought I ended the conversation nicely, and deserve a pat on the back for being nice whilst yet establishing non-gayness.

And I guess it's cool to be thought of as attractive enough to approach. Still, kinda wish it was good-looking girl. Oh well, I'll take the ego boost.

John and I have been SLIGHTLY addicted to LOST this past month. We finished Season 2 last night. Man, what a suspenseful show - we love it! Of course it ended in a cliffhanger, so we'll just have to wait until Season 3 comes out on DVD so some good person (like my father-in-law!) can send it to us. Please DON'T tell us anything that happens, ok? T.V. kind of fear is good...