As we know, There are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know There are known unknowns. That is to say We know there are some things We do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, The ones we don't know We don't know. ~D. Rumsfeld

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Decisions

Although waking up early didn't leave the house until at least (didn't look at the time so don't know for sure) 6:30 a.m. I think. It was already stuffy hot but the sun didn't have a lot of power yet so that was nice (though I love the sun).

I played some games online the night before which I shouldn't have been playing and I didn't feel all that happy with myself this morning - quite confused actually. So I decided to put an end to that for once and for all. I make many decisions I don't keep but it depends on how much I stand behind them when deciding those decisions - this one is a definite decision. It was nice though. And flattering. And helped my self-esteem. But it was wrong. Now it's over. I so decided.

(1) Again I 'met' an Israeli Woodpecker. Sooo cute to let me hear him first so that I could prepare the camera (and still got an awful photo) and picture him.
(2) The beautiful purple flowers that are decorating a dust-bin site on Abba Hillel were in the process of opening up this morning. Like people: they were waking up from sleep (closed during the night, open during the day).
(3) Over the Yarkon I saw Mr. Lapwing (but more probably Mrs. Lapwing) was still sitting there like she didn't move since last week in a brooding pose. Could it be that she has an egg under there?
(4) When I wanted to put my camera back in my backpack a Pied Kingfisher flew supersonically fast from under the bridge up the river. The photo isn't all that good but I like it the way it is.
(5) A car parked under a tree looked like he just had a flowershower so that's enough reason for me to photograph it as well.
(6) When I got to Fairytaletree I noticed someone had cut into two one of the fruits that had fallen off the tree. The photo shows exactly how they look like inside and when I smelled on it I noticed they have a faint mellon smell, very 'fruity'. This particular one was about 25 cm long...
(7) And, of course, I can't do without a photo of Fairytaletree's blooms. So here it is a-g-a-i-n! :D :D
(8) A sideways parked mini-car drew my attention and I thought it so 'cute' that I made a photo of it.
(9) The yearly (so it seems) triathlon was being held again at the Nemaal. Last year I enjoyed it and made quite some photos but this year I found it a nuisance. I couldn't walk the path I always walk near the pond and that angered me a bit.
(10) I found a dead little fish on the wavebreaker and though two fishermen whom I know made jokes of it I decided to try to give it to Ms. Cat because in that way the fish wouldn't have died for nothing. But.... Ms. Cat started playing with it. Probably it had been in the sun for too long already. Must again say that I thoroughly enjoy our moments together. She is definitely THE cat I like most. She's such a character! And, it seems like she understands what I am talking to her about as well. Gorgeous little creature...
(11) Then, there's a photo of a spider's web woven in a Jasmine shrub near the beach - but the photo didn't turn out like I would have want to -
(12) and a photo of a photo that's one of many photos the Tel-Aviv municipality has put up through town in honor of its 100 year existence. This photo shows the beach in past times.

In the sherut back home people were talking about the fare (they charge 70% on top of the usual fare because it's Shabbat) and that evolved into talking about jews and how they all were not 'straight' but.... nobody can blame them because in this country people cannot survive if they don't make use of 'combinot' :D :D I didn't participate in the 'discussion' but noticed a huge smile on my face when I accidently saw myself in a mirror :D

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Friday, June 26, 2009

tribute

I have not been to the Port of Tel-Aviv today. I wanted to "finish work quicky"- so it wouldn't be on my mind all day - early this morning but it dragged on. Then it was too late (read: too warm) to feel comfortable walking up to the Nemaal. I cancelled my 'date' with Hana and just relaxed at home all day doing 'whatever' - but, in any case, NOTHING I 'should be' doing. It feels great.

Tomorrow I won't be working at all (I decided that way) and hope that I will be setting out on my usual route as early as possible (and photos will be taken, that's for sure - unless my camera will be playing up again).

Today stands in the sign of Michael Jackson's death. I had the time to devote to why I feel so sad about though I couldn't stand to look at his deformed face and hear about him lately.

It is because of 'him'. He was a lovely child that got exploited by his father and turned into a hit producing machine but..... one can not deceive oneself. I honestly think that's why he turned into the incomprehensible person he turned out to be later on in his life. After all I am a solemn believer in people not being able to understand ever what goes on in the heart of other people...

When I was child: he was child -When I was a teenager: he was a teenager. When I was in my very early twenties and started living in Israel: he had hits that were played in the old-fashioned (disco) clubs in Jaffa and environment of that period in time and on my 'one of a few only in Israel' color t.v.'s in those days. He sorta 'accompanied me'. The icons who colored my path in life are slowly dying and they're not even that old. That's what makes it so sad for me. Not for them. I solemny believe that they don't know and feel sadness anymore - but I feel sad for the ones that stayed behind.

We (our generation) have gone from 45-tour vinyls and 33 tour albums to cassette tapes and dvd's - we have seen the record player turn to a cassette player and later to a video tape recorder and then... to dvd' recorders - and God knows what other inventions have been made since then - like the MP3 player, the MP4 player and so on and so on.... We have come a long way together. Me and my generation. My generation though is slowly dying out :(

R.I.P. Michael - you're in a better place now...

Saturday, June 20, 2009

20 june...

My mother's birthday - Last year I saw the white balloon high in the skies (as I wrote about as one can see that entry for that day) - but nothing so coincidental or uplifting today... Just a bit sad. Having deprived her of her only daughter in her direct environment for a jerk. Oh well.

Crab producing foam out of his mouth, a wasp sunbathing, a few of the literally hundreds (if not thousands) of fish over-populating the Yarkon river and sticking their heads out above water and.... of course Ms. Cat :-) Her yawn on the photo looks more like she's about to eat me any minute, LOL.

All fishermen I know I saw today - most of them at my mezah.


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20-6-2009-wasp
20-6-2009-foamy-crab
20-6-2009-surfacing-fish

Friday, June 19, 2009

Old, young girl.....

HAVE to get up early.... Have to, just have to. Gotta walk the "prison" out of me. Got to go into "myself mode" and FEEL myself again. Not the person who's sitting up and nod while smiling when required because that's what society expects from her. Society expects her to live in "dignity" (have a reasonable place to live in and not look "poor" because materialistic "poor" is seen with a view looking down upon you......... besides, there isn't much else one can do in order to put bread on the shelf and a roof over one's head).

So, Having complied with how so-called humanity has laid out the design of how we should act in obedience, I NEED to get rid of all those artificial attitudes applied during the week that paint a picture of the one marching along while she doesn't have a choice really.

My heart breathes oxygen and my feelings go afloat - I feel like I'm soaring thru the air - when I close the door of my apartment behind me and set out as "me" (not walking to or from any destination I have to appear at in the course of duty)....

The first thing I caught this morning (besides the magnificent calls of the birds when I woke up as if saying: "heyyyyyyyy go, go, go... get out of that apartment already") are a flock of flowers having fallen of a hedge not far from where I live and highlighted by the upcoming sun:

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The warmth in my heart can't be described in words when I saw this :-)

The next "stop" was the usual one: on top of the Yarkon river on the Gesher Ha-Halacha. I stand near a pavement stone which says "Gilad Shalit" and hope that somehow I can telepathically convey him the feeling of freedom when looking upon what nature has to deal with us people harming it in any way we can. I pick out the beautiful scenes and disregard those ugly ones - and hope somehow it will transpire to him. And to all people feeling locked up and afraid.

This morning's sights were mainly the Egrets that have returned. I suppose the pollution that had the Yarkon river in its grip the last months has somehow cleared because there were so many Egrets (and one VERY possesive of his place Lapwing) around. My camera doesn't picture things as I see them and want him to show but the following photos do give an impression of what the scene was like this morning. I'm still stunned the fish in the Yarkon seem to feel they're 'safe'. They swim around unabashed on the surface of the water like they want to say "I'm from a polluted river, you don't wanna eat me anyway, so I'm not worried you fish for me" :D

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The Egrets were watching the fish and further on one can see how they 'walk on the water and stick their heads in it'
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On Rabbit Hill, while photographing (for the umptieth time) the rabbits a cat looked at me as if to say: "what about me, mate?" So.. here he or she is:
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Fairytaletree has lost almost all of his flowers that bloomed so abundantly the last few weeks - but... there are some (not too many) new buds and blooms:
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On a tree in Tel-Aviv a flower just bursting out in bloom seemed to cry out "I am coming out to see the light" :D
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Sweet, huh?

One of "my" fishermen I saw of late again and so again today. The others seem to have disappeared... He had 'life bait' and those curling little disgusting looking creatures still somehow made me feel sorry for them, shrimps:
19-6-2009-shrimps-bait-alive

The Port of Tel-Aviv stood in the sign of donating to children with cancer: people could 'buy' table tops and paint on them in return for a donation to this good cause. I know I am horrible but it somehow put a shadow on my otherwise happy day. Children with cancer is something nobody would really like to think about, at least not I :(
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19-6-2009-peace-table

Even the wavebreaker looked fancy with dainty white tables and bar-chairs:
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Mr. Mynah watched me from a lamp-post and looked so mean at me :( I suppose he wasn't having a particularly good day - perhaps he had no luck in love?
19-6-2009-mr-mynah-looking-roughed-up

Following are Mr. Egret trying to impress me by looking 'streng' (look up what that means in English, it's Dutch) and particularly charming :p and a video clip of a crab. Yes.... that simple, primitive form of life on earth that has caught my mesmeration. How many animals are able to bring food from their hands to their mouth - motorically designed to eat in such a sophisticated manner while looking looking like a shell with 'hands', hey? This particular crab saw me and was cautious of me but DID come out of the hole he was hiding in and let me 'film' him... The cutie :-)
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19-6-2009-mr-egret


Monday, June 15, 2009

Have to keep those images..

Because flickr (my upload station) throws photos out after I reach a certain amount of them I place the photos of the lovely "Halcyon Smyrnensis" here so I can remember this lovely encounter right outside of my window later. It has nothing to do with the beach or the sea but this is my blog and I can do as I please :p

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There he was -little Mr. Lovely (who thinks he's a macho if you'd heard the noise he makes). Right outside my window and not further away from me as 2 meters. He wasn't scared of me at all (which can be considered a miracle since all birds are scared of me or my friend the camera).

It was early morning, it was dawning and it was a truly exhilirating experience having a Kingfisher visiting me ;)

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Late start

Left later this morning. It was already 30 degrees C. at around 08:00 a.m. Definitely less birdsongs accompanying me along the route as usual when I'm earlier. The photos are of a flower with a sophisticated design (1), of a tree (2) who, when I walked underneath its branches gave me the feeling I was surrounded by purple velvet (a lot of flowers had fallen off and made for a carpet on the street), of two new fruits starting to grow at Fairytaletree (3), of the much too crowded beach (4) -s0 much so that I really don't like even going there if it is crowded like that (luckily enough people don't seem to be interested in entering my mezah), of a poster people had attached to one of the benches opposite the beach that speaks of a problem but none of the passer-bys there understood what exactly the problem was about (5), a photo (6) that hopefully can express a little why I think Hibiscuses look like curious ladies (their 'noses' are always sticking out of the hedges they grow in and seem to reach out to see everything that's going on in the streets), of police-on-horse that patrols the beaches (and I am jealous in them, why don't I have a job like that???) this time having patience for the people that came to stroke their horses and explaining about their care etc. (7), of a concrete bench opposite the sea that has a plaque on it saying it was donated by a boy to hise late grandfather how "enjoyed the simple things in life best" (8) - I would think the grandfather enjoyed sitting and watching the sea, just like I do :-) , and the last photo is of airbubbles under water - at the puddle in the middle of my mezah with the sun playing with them (9).

All in all I had my portion of oxygen this morning to help get me through the coming week :-(

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13-6-2009-new-fairytaletree-fruit
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Friday, June 12, 2009

Birds visiting me

at home:

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(I'm talking 2U, ma'am) hahahaha

Don't u think I'm sweet?
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Saturday, June 6, 2009

birds and flowers

are mostly what I am looking for when walking to the beach I noticed. I am not that interested in people at all during my weekends. as a matter of fact I try to get away from them as much as I can trying to (re)connect to the little nature that is left in Ramat-Gan/Tel-Aviv (due to the hunt for more money by both municipalities and building prison like concrete environments one has no touch with nature in anymore).

Can you image people look at me as if I'm crazy when sniffing the fragrance of a flower or looking up at the skies to see the birds fly over and get enchanted with their awfully beautiful songs?

I am supposed to mount a bike (wearing fashionable sports clothes with expensive brand names of course with a soft cushion at the cross of the tights that looks absolutely ridiculous -as if you're wearing a diaper- but is very much 'in') and bike my way to the Tayelet in order to become one of the tin soldiers marching the march dictated upon 'us' by ... who knows who? (marching the march means follow the indoctrination that if you want to 'belong' you need to do as you are being told by .. who?)

I am a rebel: I sincerely object. I wear cheap shoes that look nothing like what the 'in-crowd' is wearing. I wear shorts that make me look like a soccer player - and I make sure everyone gets to see I am NOT into the 'brand name' scene on that one (oh miserable "full shaped girls" I see passing me by in knee-high tights with brand names on it but which don't flatter you at all). I wear a top that I chose - according to my mood and of which I know didn't cost me over 2 dollars. (So if something happens to it not half of my wages went down the drain).

Yesh. I'm a Rebel. With Capital R. I HATE being told how I should look like in order to 'belong'. I rather don't 'belong'. "Belong" to what anyway? Mindless followers of whoever is dictating that 'this' is what and how you should 'be'? NEVER!!!!!!!!!

Photos are of a tiny (I mean: less than 2 cm) flower I never saw before or I saw it but it just didn't catch my attention (my loss):

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A flower that looked like a light-bulb with the sun behind it - and reminds me of the Powderpuff (I am seriously thinking this IS a Powderpuff - it's just so strange I never saw them in Yellow - or any other color but Pink)

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A small crab I saw on Crab-Rock (after giving Ms. Cat the last of the cat food I carried with me - yes :) I didn't forget it today) - - it suddenly dawned upon me WHY I think these creatures are so very much fascinating me..... They eat with their hands!!! How many animals you know do that, hey? ;-)

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The Lapwing. Usually ALWAYS there - on the banks of the Yarkon river - underneath the bridge I cross on my way to the beach.... I stand there as a 'habit' each time I walk my route and stand near a stone on which the name of Gilad Shalit is painted. I hope he can feel that while I'm standing there I 'transmit' to him this pictures of freedom. Poor boy... poor parents. A life against a political machine...

Mr. Lapwing himself is not a really large bird. But... his slim legs are endless (compared to his body):

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When talking to my friend yesterday she said she never have seen a Blackbird here (in Israel). Today I noticed they mostly exist around a certain garden in Ramat-Gan (haven't seen them in Tel-Aviv either) - "He" was there again this morning. But, not only 'he' there were quite a few of them (of whom I didn't manage to get photos of):

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The first thing that caught my eye when arriving at the Nemaal were two 'buns' = women's ass. Is this normal to walk around like that? Then... I saw it all was part of an act someone or some organization was filming. There was an old man with a yellow star on his jacket and "Jude" on that - and some more 'out of place' looking people:

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The last photo is of a sailing boat having red sails. Soon as I saw it the song: Red Sails in the Sunset started playing in my mind. (though it wasn't sunset at all but rather the middle of the day).... (click here if you don't know the song)

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