Hi Everyone! Dropping back in again after many years, because Nigel sent me a link to this post! Nigel, Moonrakeress, Simon and I had a wonderful time catching up after sixteen years. I have to admit, we were both a bit nervous about whether we would get along well - but we did, like a house on fire...

Or you know... this magic . My family visited Srimongol some months ago and so didn't really want to go back up north once I came home. Otherwise I would have tried it! We'd gone south instead. I think one of the best teas I've had is Lipton's Masala Chai in New York - it was aromatic and spiced and...

I've never read Dr. Seuss' work but I did watch The Lorax , where the protagonist destroys a lush forest of truffula trees to make the factory town of Thneedville. Of course, when the last tree is cut down, Thneedville is transformed into an unlivable place, and some years in the future, the town on...

Moonraker wrote:

Bannerman65 wrote:Happy New Year, Moonus and Ming.

A happy new year to you, too, Bannermanus. I am pleased to be associated with my old sparring partner in crime, but must make it clear that we are not a couple.

Happy New Year to you too!

And yes, what Nigel just said.

African-American black people claim all blackness as their own. They figure they have a right to blackness in all its forms, and so reserve the right to define it in all its aspects (They are Americans after all, and join with their white counterparts in dividing up the world among themselves - a b...

Happy 2017, everybody! Here's to writing 2016, trying to turn the 6 into a 7, failing miserably and writing the whole year out again. :lol: In 2017 I plan to continue getting better at my studies (2015 was a really bad year academically), have a rewarding summer job, visit old friends and make new o...

Attendants pump your fuel for you in Bangladesh pretty much everywhere. A lot of my American friends who were not from big cities were also quite taken aback at the prospect of pumping their own gas in New Zealand, where almost all stations had self service lanes, but for those who were uncomfortabl...

It was wonderful meeting Aurelien. We spent a few hours at the library, where we discussed, amongst other small talk, religion, politics, biculturalism, land rights, and the elections! I was pleasantly surprised at how easily our views coincided. We then had some dessert at a nearby cafe. Our meetin...

Sunskriti, I've never been to India during Diwali but I have attended Wiwali celebrations in Ithaca organized by Indian students. Of course, they're a shadow of what they're like in India according to my friends, but I loved the very festive atmosphere. I absolutely love fireworks. I think private d...

At a secondhand bookstore in Queenstown, NZ called "Black Cat Bookshop" (sadly, no black cats were around) I bought 1969 impressions of Rat-A-Tat Mystery and Rilloby Fair Mystery , complete with illustrations! One book seems to have been coloured in by its previous owner, while the other w...

I think your reasoning makes a lot of sense, Carlotta. :D I've read the first five Noddy books and enjoyed them a lot. I love the illustrations! I don't remember much detail from the stories themselves but I do recall finding Noddy's running away to Toyland, building a house, paying for milk, etc th...

I concur!

Happy Belated Birthday, Eddie! I hope your day was wonderful, and surrounded by those you love.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p298 ... image.jpeg

This is us in Central Library in Auckland!

Aurelien, in case you see this before you check your email, please check your email!

That's a ridiculous situation, Anita. How unprofessional of the school to not reach out to your son. I think it's worse that they expected him to have and use a mobile phone in school. I've had phones for a while now but I wasn't allowed to use them in school at all. :/