Women’s World Cup

I know some people can’t figure out who’s watching these games, but rest assured that there is an audience.  Even with (yawn-worthy) rugby and cricket on.

It’s been pure pleasure watching football in a skills-driven (vs. testesterone-fuelled) context. Brazil totally rocks in terms of ball control, ball skills, and (total world) domination

Can’t wait to watch the final (30 Sept).

(pics below taken from http://www.fifa.com/womenworldcup/photo/photolist.html#607356)

 

 

UPDATE:

Germany won the 2007 Women’s World Cup.

Germany 2: Brazil 0 

Photo interpretation

(Yes.  I know I’m late posting pics. Thowee.)

This (photo interpretation) was among my favorite activities in school. Now “in life” I’m employing what’s left of that knowledge (remember Einstein’s “Education is what you have left when you have forgotten everything you learnt in school“?) to interpret pictures I take.

Seating and relationships
My hypothesis: positioning of chairs in public and private spaces clue you in to the relationship of the people who were most recently seated there.  This (of course) excludes booths at restaurants and movie theatre, and other bolted down seating arrangements.

below: not quite sure what these chairs suggest (other than that someone was smoking?) but the surroundings are what I find interesting. The palisade fence behind them suggests that all is not well, and the wire at the bottom suggests dogs and other creatures may crawl through the bars and disrupt the peace.

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below: i’m guessing whoever sat here… walikua pamoja. It would be a pity to be ‘out in nature’ and sit facing away from each other, so I suppose one can therefore generalize that positions of seats found in scenic places will suggest a good relationship between those who were sitting there.

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below: love the colors and style.

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Unfortunate Names
below: this bookshop makes me titter everytime I go past. Such an unfortunate name for a christian bookstore.

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Out in Nature
below: thought this sculpture was interesting. What’s even more interesting is the sign that the premises has an armed response unit. And this in a one traffic light town, that is considered to be ‘out in nature’.

 

The friend in a bottle

Good morning! I’m slightly under par for the course this week, so am posting bright and early on a Friday morning

I started out snapping quick pictures of the cityscape while driving around, or standing around. Then I noticed something I hadn’t consciously seen before: the staggering amount of alcohol advertising around me. So I’ve started a small collection of which this is but a teaser.  Alcohol fascinates me. We bring so much to it (whether or not we partake of it). But that’s a post for another day.

(will post thumbnails – sorry about the extra work, still working on how best to format pics. Got suggestions? Let me know: rista_africana<at>yahoo.com) 

Feel free to use any pics you like, all I ask is that you acknowledge the source.

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 Below: The mothership (for the barley and hops types anyway). 

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Below: when you make millions billions from something addictive, be the first to stress responsible consumption! Reminds me of casino advertising which implores consumers to gamble responsibly.

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Below: Yes! You work hard so you can fill our coffers   And what a stroke of genius that… targeting black people with a product named “black label”.

 

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Below: What did I tell you? Not only is it a friend, it’s also a friend-maker.

 

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Below: And here I’d thought Snoop had made it all up.

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Below: Thirsty yet?

 

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Below: this was put up barely a month ago. I just want to know if those working on this side of the building appreciate their air and sunlight being cutoff.

 

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Below: my personal favorite. Find the image and setting evocative.

Anatomy of hope

(phew! managed to make this scheduled post before Friday was up. I like to celebrate even the smallest of victories over tardiness) .

Quite by chance, someone from a non-urban “outpost” hands me his application. Wants me to drop it off at the office specified in the call for applications. It’s a government ‘learnership’ position, pays the equivalent of KSh. 9,300 per month; lasts one year. The ad indicates there are 400 posts available. He shows me the ad in the newspaper dated 4th September. Deadline is 7th September… one would imagine a lot of people won’t make the deadline with such short notice (assuming this was the first and last ad).

I promise I’ll drop it off today (the deadline for applications) ’cause I know the street. I figure I’ll find a parking spot, run to the building reception, hand it over, and continue with my day having earned a brownie point that should hopefully hold some sway on judgement day.

Hah! Best laid plans…

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Below: the queue of people waiting to drop off their applications when I join it at 10am.

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Below: we’re all hoping the man in white shirt (with horizontal stripes) accepts our applications.

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Below: was very touched by this scene. The man in blue holds the child as his female relative? wife? (in brown) waits in line. How tender and considerate is that? (observation accompanied by requisite sighs and gushes)

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Below: it’s never too late to try. Took this one ’cause I was coveting her Pumas. Will take the pic to my ‘fongkong’ dealer and ask “do you have something exactly like this?”

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Below: the queue when I left at 10.45 am.

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Below: The thicket of signs to the left (no parking, no stopping, no trading) are quintessentially South Africa. There is this love (probably from the apartheid era) of telling people what they must and mustn’t do, how they mustn’t do it, and with whom they mustn’t do it. (yes, yes, order must be kept, but still…)

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Below: The beautiful sight of kept order. I love the old architecture. It has such character!

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Below: more character.

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Below: the story behind this building promises to be interesting…

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Hmm… just noticed the quality of the pics could get a bit better. Suggestions on how to improve quality are welcome. Will sit with a real picture editor sooner than later. Apologies for so-so quality until then.

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