I've just uploaded a new website about how we can reduce our carbon footprint. We all can do our part by employing these simple tips everyday.

Please share the 12simplethings.org website with your friends.

There are localized translations in:

• Chinese (simplified)
• French
• Hindi
• Bahasa Indonesia
• and a Thai translation which will be published shortly.

In the short while since Ben has started blogging again, one of his last posts has picked up a good track of comments, which seemingly groks the issues between two of the major blog "systems": Movable Type and WordPress.

Now, guiltily, Ben is right that I have been blogging only nominally as of late. (Shame on me, but I think I'm redeeming myself as I have started up again last week after being clueless about where my round tuit had been for the last 9 months, which is the topic of my last post.) So it's fittingly coincidental that this thread comes when I'm renewing efforts to start blogging again and also to update the tools and systems.

Ben is well informed enough on user interfaces to take MT to task for their clunky user interface, although I've found the latest version of MT (version 4) is much improved. This blog is still MT 3.x, however, I have just migrated Art's blog over to MT4 (although she hasn't posted anything in about a year!). This blog post was composed with ScribeFire, a Firefox plugin, so I am dealing with a completely different user interface, which I find useful for composing off-line.

In the last two years, seeing WordPress take the blogging system lead, I've considered whether to stick with MT or make the move myself. One major consideration is that I had invested a lot of time learning and customizing my MT installations. I even started a test WordPress blog to learn about WP. I found the lack of a centralized
plugin directory for WordPress, slightly frustrating. But I'm not sticking to MT out
of inertia or sheer laziness; MT4 is actually a great product. Of course this can digress into some religious war pitting MT against WordPress, but I won't go there. With my prior "investment" - it should be
easier to edit the hacks, hard-coded links and template customizations
when I migrate to MT4 than move wholesale into WordPress, given the
seemingly scarcity of round tuits in my life. I just read
about on the upcoming 4.1 release, and I'm hoping it'll be out when I
start upgrading my own MT installation.

Personally, the licensing issue that SixApart waddled through was a
blunder on their part, which probably alienated many MT users and
developers, as Ben indicates. Although perturbed, I didn't migrate.
I give a lot of credit to the MT community, which I've found to be extremely engaged and a great
resource in developing my own sites.

In the meantime, the Tshins will blog with both MT and WP.

Technorati Tags: WordPress, MovableType, ScribeFire, blogging

"Hello World"... errr, I mean, hi, I'm back; that is: back from a 9-month blogging sabbatical. It was less intentional than being not disciplined enough to get a round tuit. Work has definitely picked up and is running me at a full-court press. But I figure I'd better get on with the writing - and also with the showing of my photos!

I've come to realize that I need to discipline my life, especially when life gets busy. Things can fall apart in busy-ness. The Canadian tire (or Canadian male muffin-top) reduction program needs constant attention, relationships need care (we're just celebrating our first anniversary), photos need to be taken - and even more importantly, need sorting, editing and presenting.

All this requires discipline - the 15 minutes a day to 1 hour a day, easy-win kind of discipline. After walking through the 9 Days in the Kingdom photo exhibition a few weeks back, Enrique and I were lamenting the fact that while our own photography has matured and is more-or-less marketable, we haven't put them out enough for friends to enjoy and perhaps for the world to notice (which amateur photographer wouldn't want to finance equipment and travels with their photography). And our lack of self discipline is to blame.

Well, without much ado, here's some of my recent work:

• A selection of calendar photos for the 2008 Evangelical Church of Bangkok calendar
• Photos from the wedding of one of my groomsmen Alan to Liz.
• Press conference of Professor Paulo Pinheiro the UN Human Rights Envoy to Myanmar
• A not-so-recent gallery from a shoot in Yaowarat (Chinatown in Bangkok) during Chinese New Year

Technorati Tags: blogging, photography, discipline

So. Day something or other of being in Ecuador.

God wanted all people to live happily hot showered. That has fortunately been my lot good number of times. I am performing my responsibilities as well.. lets be honest ‘errand boy’ which means lots of free time alone in cities. Puyo, Banos, Quito… at least I can work out in the hostal rooms, access internet and take a hot shower. The jungle is great.

But seriously. I love it out in ‘the bush’. The sound of all the crickets, birds, beetles, bats, monkeys… every thing chirping and making sound. When the sky is clear, which is almost never due to constant rain (hence the name “rain forrest”)… is so piercing. I’ve discovered stars and looked at formations I don’t believe I ever have seen before, or could have seen in the towering skylines of North American cities.

So I have my machete at MUSAP, the jungle base. The first night I brought it in it became very handy. I took the engineers, who I was sent to pick up, a tour of where the bathroom facilities are (note: they are still shitty outhouses). One of the ladies, Rebecca, went inside and was like “oh, there’s a little spider in here…” I, in all my arachnophobia, peeked in and was like. I don’t see any th… “hollyy get the hell out of there, that’s the biggest spider I’ve seen in Ecuador!” So Laura took my machete, womaned up because I was half frozen, and killed an 8 inch in diameter tarantula which looked up at her and wiggled its legs and said “please ma’am you wouldn’t kill me would you?”. Off to the banquet of the ants with you!

I am actually quite disheartened here. I enjoy the jungle in its antithesis of scrolling marquees and giant TV screens (though the Coca Cola signs at 40km on a road in the jungle certainly press upon me how corporations really do rule the world), but feel a lack of inclusion with this team. I am not going to be able to work on the documentary I want, but am instead relegated to promotional video propaganda boy. At least I am having fun working with the engineers and doing some construction, cement spackling on building the water tanks that we are doing for the Shuar communities.

We meet many interesting people. I was at the hospital late last night, we thought one of our crew might have malaria, turns out just an ear infection. We met a “medical missionary”, an American doctor that was full of good gentleness. I his own words “I’ve been living in Ecuador with my wife for 3 years, we make a lot less money and are a lot happier.”

We’ve also run into a few indigeous people who are interested in the project. Yesterday on a bus that was so packed it had 15 people riding on top (we were not among the top riders mom, chill out… though we were being smooshed inside) a man from CONFENAIE (an indigenous rights political organization) sent very bad vibes to both Karis (who I was accompanying with to the hospital with the student due to the pitch darkness of the situation) and I. He brought up a lot of ideas that I am vaguely or very familiar with: previous consent of drawing up accords with indigenous communities before going into them, about autonomy over natural resources, etc.. All important concepts. Yet one thing that has to be taken into account is that there are many indigenous groups, and all of them want to be the ones in which you have these agreements of previous consent, who watch out for certain communities. To put it simply… the groups are fractured and rarely work together. While there is something to say for political diversity and choices… when you take thousands of indigenous communities spread out all over vast and not well connected (by road or phone perhaps, but certainly by spirit and nature) and present one organization over the other to “watch over them” it is like fighting over a kind of sovereignty for these communities. At the same time, most communities do not simply have enough knowledge, resources or ability to serve to impose their own autonomy… it is such a struggle and battle first theoretically to define what is autonomy and second in the practice of all of these groups trying to define it and put their policies into place. The praxis of the two makes a foreigner like myself completely confused as to whom to trust, and the indigenous peoples are already mistrusting of us. This cause a delicate situation that makes me even more resolved that a bunch of gringo students don’t belong here in the capacity that we are.

Well, im off to find some food, give some loved ones a holla’ and back on a 2 hour bus to the roadside jungle ill climb up into and slide around for another week or so.

Here are some pix of the project some other people have taken. I really need to fix my blog so i can upload pictures n what not.. though i dont really have too many. im in a couple of them, on a long hike: http://picasaweb.google.com/DayVidR/EcuadorSummer2007Jackie

The last few days I have passed in Quito. I am feeling super homesick, missing the ones I love and love to be with.

Especially because after living in this city for like more than 6 months, its just kind of.. overbearing yet easily manageable. Being 2 miles high in the Andean mountains makes for pretty scenery – when I can actually look up. Most of the time im trying to avoid hitting other things/people or being hit by cars/bikes/people. The sidewalks are a skateboarders nightmare. The sun is harsh, and with the altitude, one tires quickly when walking.

The constant contradictions of Quito and Ecuador moreover no longer fascinate me as make me resilient in that I don’t belong here… but I belong working in the poor communities in my own countries. I very much hate gringo landia, the part of the city that I am in now… which is sort of midtown.

The landscape is a sprawling 25 mile city with the rich mansion gated communities in the far north, nice malls with every thing American and with plenty of little shops and pockets of poverty in the middle, and continuing to the old city center where from here on out it just gets worse and worse.

Though Gringolandia… with its overpriced shops, non stop nightclubs and drinking would at first seem like a great time. But all the shady people and shit going on (I went out for 30 mins tonight and was approached to buy a prostitute once and cocaine twice).. I have a feeling some of my frat brothers would call this “living the life” – because its all cheap too. Last night some drunkards crashed onto the sidewalk nearby and hit some people. Yeah, the life…

Though what does seem to fascinate me.. or at least give me a sense of time and passage as if when I left there was a pause and I am back and it is all the same. The same burger flippers at my favorite burger stand. The same dudes working the internet/telefone booth place I frequented, the same KFC Ecuadorian style all over… the same elder man selling Ecuadorian flags calling out “Eccc-uuaaa-dooor” in a trite, very unique sort of way.

And yet all I am is missing home, wanting to find a job, learn music, go dancing, feel the rays of my California and prepare myself for many other important things in life.

Atleast while I’m feeling like a tourist, I got some hella cool gifts for brothers, lovers, mamas and myself. I like the arts ad crafts market here in Quito.

As for the reason I am here: a project with the Shuar Health Project.. I feel alienated and out of the communication loop. We’ll see how the next 10 days go… tomorrow morning I take a 7-8 hour bus ride to Puyo and then to the MUSAP homebase in the middle of nowhere Amazonia… at least life there is more tranquil and I am surrounded by beauty in both sound and sight.

And one good bit of news: at least I don’t have diarrhea anymore. O_o

It all started when we, the group of 11 of us, arrived at Musap: kilometer 54 along the bumpy, dirty, quasi-road on the way from Puyo to Macas. These are two small warm and rainy jungle cities. Puyo comes from the quichua word ‘puya’ or rain. We went on a little trek to find the bathroom: two holes in the ground, surrounded by a shelter. Don’t miss when you squat. Don’t breathe too deeply. Do watch out for snakes. Do not fall backward.

Good idea: Bringing baby wipes along because there is no toilet paper.

Bad idea: Wiping yourself with a baby because there is no toilet paper.

And where did my particular baby wipes come from? Indeed, my mama!

Musap, the “observation station” that the Berkeley team I am with has its home base is just a house on a farm.. it is not so much a scientific station as it is a family’s attempt to create extra space and rent it out. The kids are pretty cute, and the bugs don’t bite too hard.

We went on a 5 hour hike through the bush… through a path down to a river basin that is a good 5kms down through red clay deep skin purifying mud and constant greenery, insects, humidity and of course giant spiders and their immaculate webs. As I have little time and the readers really have little interest in reading about my experiences climbing through the forrest, the highlights include: watching people fall their asses down in thick mud and waterfalls, scaring the shit out of the newbs with threats of piranhas and making a spear with my walking stick, which kept me from being one of the peeps falling down. And damn it feels to be so completely covered with dirt and water and not be able to take a warm hot shower and drink a nice cool beer, right? Heellll no.

So, since I need to come to Tena, another jungle city 50 kms away that took me 5 hours to get to and let me get in my “pushing truck stuck in the middle of the road rubble mud” skills to work. The added benefit: the family here is great and takes care of me. I had some catching up to do with them and we did so over a midnight dinner and some cerveza pilsners.

More beer notes: when Ecuadorians drink beer, they always order the big ass bottles and pour into small glasses. Its really deceptive how much you can drink in one setting. Luckily my companero, the son of the family, Maximito, who reminds me of dominic and my cousin Danny gave me some awesome news: hes getting married and has a baby on the way. And he has a sony Erickson EXACTLY like Emy and Cody’s. holly shit it is just providence that I must get this fone and change to Cingular.

Any how, went mountain biking and dove head first into a creek/pond because I lost my balance in carrying my bike across a beam that was about 4 inches long with the current pushing at my feet. but you all know you’d wanna mountain bike along jungle river paths, so its worth the scratches, bruises and painstaking time drying my passport, international medical card and money and other stuff I knew I shouldn’t have had with me (Dad, buy my travel insurance eh?). Don’t worry for interested parties: Mr. Bear and his headdress was not wetted at all.

I so miss bubble tea, a proper gym (theres here in Tena, Maximito and I went but it f*****up my gloves with all the rust)…. and um… my mom’s chit chatty voice.. and what else… looking for a job. Im so going to be broke when I come back.

Off to Quito at 6:30 in the morning to do some documentary planning and pick up some crew members from the aeropuerto.

I fell asleep last night to the third track of Incubus´ “morning view” album for reasons which should be obvious. I mean the track, not the falling asleep… though after 3 plane rides to Quito, Ecuaaaaaadooooorrrr…. a good 14 hour nap was indeed in order.

So I begin again, after a year of shunning this silly blogging space… to record some thoughts, share some memories, and declare my love for squishy little slugs that taste like buttery goodness when fried.

I will miss many of you back in mi patria, my homeland. You know who you are and if you don’t then you’ve got some good stuff in your pipe.

So I feel quite ungraduated from THE BEST MOTHA####IN University in the world, and strangely homeless. Yet my memory of Quito and its streets is impressive to me ::flexes geography brain:: and my little stuffed bear from a certain brownie extra terrestrial keeps me company along with my two knives i wear strapped and a pendent or two for safety.

I’m here to be a sort of transportation, communication and media person SLASH film a documentary (status: ahhhh shittteee).. as part of a team with the Cal Undergrad Public Health Coalition. We’re here to do water sanitation projects in various indigenous communities. For those who want more info: http://bigideas.berkeley.edu/node/44

On to more interesting things: beer.

I drank a couple cerveza nacional ‘Pilsner’s last night. I must say, I think $1 for 22fl oz is a good deal. Tao chicken, one of my KDR bros, would blow a gasket.. its like 44oz heaven for only $2. This beer, pilsner, goes best with anything other than by itself, even cigarrettes make a good companion to wash down the tasty tastelessness. Dude I already miss favorites like Spaten, Pyramids, Becks, and even a mouth full of PBR would bring a little glee.

There was a 10km marathon down la calle Amazonas today. People were like panting and going full speed.. weak sauce? No. 2 miles of elevation makes it harder to breath. I’m just adjusting myself… it doesnt help with shitty smog. Though at least the place smells better than the Kappa Delta Rho kitchen (note to any bros reading this: please for god sakes through out that dead rat on the second floor).

more on beer, other intoxicants, black clouds (perhaps best listed as intoxicant), police officers with erectile dysfunction, papayas, mangos, and as always: latina heinas who ride in the back of ‘chivas’ (big party trucks).

Time to go pickup the pledges.. er… DeCal (read: observers who are liabilities) from the airport. Speaking of liabilities: Dad, buy my travel insurance BEFORE i get hit by a car. it will be more useful then.

Dilip!

We're sitting in one of the Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounges at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International airport, waiting to board.

We arrived at the airport with lots of time to spare, but the lines were ginormous.

We persevered, and ended up getting an upgrade to Economy Premium, although we're not in the same row. We'll try nicely to get seats next to each other...

Anyhow, it's a good 17 hour flight before we land at JFK and then taxi over to La Guardia for a flight back to Toronto.

Technorati Tags: Thai+Airways, upgrade, Economy+Premium, Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi

Yesterday (8 March) for International Women's Day, Ending Inpunity for Violence Against Women, I was asked to take photos during the UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot's address at UNESCAP.

The message is sobering because as real development progress has happened in developing countries, violence against women has not been fully tackled and building a real awareness in developing countries is still a challenge. I believe that this major issue will be a drag against development and progress if it remains underground and/or ignored.

The photographs are highlighted in the featured story on UNAIDS website.

View the photo gallery

Technorati Tags: International+Women's+Day, UNAIDS, Peter+Piot, UNESCAP, photography, violence+against+women

Happy New Year... well, Happy Chinese New Year of the Pig?

I've been very much absent from any writing and blogging as of late, so here are my so-called good excuses: I've gotten married, work is more-or-less consuming, my hobbies (photography) are starting to ramp up, and oh... I just got married.

I can't believe it's been over 3 months since our wedding, and time has really seemed to have flown by. During this time, I felt that my blogging and photo posts were on hold until I could finally get myself a round tuit. So, here's a post to get the new year rolling.

Miniature Earth - If the world's population were reduced to 100, it would look something like this...

My photoblog is finally up and online. Please have a visit and drop some comments.

The first set of photos are my post-coup shots.

Technorati Tags: photoblog, coup, Bangkok

The Thai capital wakes up to a calm and rainy morning after a bloodless military coup overthrew the government.

Some additional information that is being broadcast on Thai TV channels include:

• There is a ban on gatherings of 5 people or more.
• There are guarantees of safety to international organizations, diplomatic missions (embassies).
• The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has has invited all embassies to an information session at 13.00h (06.00h UTC/GMT) at the Army HQ, where information to be translated in English and distributed. The MFA will also coordinate with all embassies to allow their staff to the meeting.
• The ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Ministry is also monitoring telephone lines and possibly internet.

• TVU networks broadband streaming TV player - only has a limited selection of channels, including CNN.
• Steve Cross - my friend who has been blogging about Thailand in general.
• Thai Visa forums news clippings.

"The Thai military have taken control of the city and a state of emergency has been declared in Bangkok."

I'm safe right now, trying to monitor the news, however, the news just got blacked out. On the Thai news TV stations, a short recorded video was just announcement. The loose translation is as follows (thanks to Art):

"The reason why we are doing this is because we want peace back in town. We do not want to replace the current government, but we will give democracy back to the people as soon as possible. However, the rest of the courts have not been removed. No troops will move unless commanded by us. The constitution and the constitutional court has been cancelled. Ministers have been removed from posts. Senators representatives have been annulled."

I first received a call from Art when I was at the guy's group around, and another one from a colleague alerting me to head home ASAP.

Initial reports were being filed on TV (CNN and BBC World), however, they've since been blanked. The internet seems to be holding up, as I've called my dad and IM'd with several friends and colleagues. It's quite amazing that news spread very quickly. When I was leaving work, my friend told me about some rumors of a demonstration around UN ESCAP. (Note: the UN Bangkok office is next to the Army HQ and is near the Government House.)

Two friends of mine (Jon and Lyd) just had the luck to arrive in Thailand today. I ended up waking them up at their hotel room with news of the coup. So far, we've been told to stay at home, until the situation is further assessed.

More news to follow as things develop, if the infrastructure (international internet) holds up.

Technorati Tags: Bangkok, coup, military+coup

Another news announcement. This time from a female news announcer, reading the fourth announcement as well as repeating the previous 3 announcements.

Generally, it was stating that Lt. Gen. Sonthi staged a coup to take over the Prime Minister's office.

Information is hard to come by right now, except for trying to watch streaming news on CNN (I'm trying right now to access via TVU player) - even CNN.com is giving me a gateway timeout - either it's suffering from a slashdot effect, or it's been blocked by censors.

There is a rumor (from pantip.com) and from CNN that mobile phone networks will be shut down in 2 hours (that would be around 3 am or 20.00h UTC/GMT).



Technorati Tags: Bangkok, coup, military+coup