Jenoz

Breezing through NY Those of you who know me well know that for the past few months “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys & Jay Z has been playing like a broken record in my head. So of course I couldn’t help smiling when I finally reached New York and could legitimately sing that song. Unfortunately that song is old news in the “concrete jungle where dreams are made”, so I didn’t want to risk looking like a complete idiot by singing that song at that top of my voice in the middle of Manhattan. It’s just as well, because I went to visit my cousin on her job in Oyster Bay, Long Island. There was no such thing as a concrete jungle out there! She has a sweet summer job as a nanny working ... read more

This was my 3rd time to Liverpool… 3rd time in 20 years. I spent a small portion of my childhood in Liverpool and we’re fortunate to still have close friends that reside there. So I decided to take a trip back up memory lane. Too bad my memory had huge blanks spots in it! The main purpose of the Liverpool stop off was to see friends and even do a bit of work - processing some of the conversations and interviews I’ve had over the past few weeks. I was able to get a bit of stuff done, which was nice. In amongst that I managed to pop over to Wales for the day with one set of my brother’s god-parents. We dropped by Bodnant Gardens for a walkabout. We were able to tarry awhile over ... read more

I don't speak French. Not enough anyway. I'm not sure if 2 years of French at high school at 13 - 14 yrs old qualifies as "speaking French". That said, it wasn't too troublesome for me to navigate my way around Paris and eventually head to Taize. However, I won't hesitate to say that having friends in Paris who are Francophones did make me feel so much at ease! It was my first time to Paris and for the 4 hours I spent there, I loved it! The beautiful architecture of L'Arc de Triomph, Notre Dame and the Louvre made my heart feel warm. These sights were only a small taster of what will undoubtedly be another trip in the future. I must say I find it a little perplexing that there is so much space ... read more

Yesterday and today was spent pounding the pavements of the East End and learning about it's cultural & spiritual landscape. Sooo interesting! From the huge Jewish population, through to the Hugunot Frenchies, Bangladeshi population and now the increasing Somali and Eastern-Block populations. Looking at White Chapel, it's hard to believe that there was a Synagogue on almost every corner at one stage. Now there's way more mosques! An interesting sight I came upon in my tour was a tiny wee synagogue (now no longer in use) nestled in between a HUGE mosque and HUGE Islamic centre. Apparently, the Rabbi of the Synagogue & the Imam were quite good friends and would pool resources for things pertaining to security of buildings etc. Nice. So why did I choose the words Juxtaposition & Contradictions in my title? 1. ... read more

I can’t believe I’m on the last leg of my journey! I arrived in Hong Kong yesterday morning, and bravely (or probably brazenly) attempted to break into the time difference after a 12 hour flight and 7 hour difference. My cunning plan didn’t really work, as I spent most of the day nodding off in random places - the bus, the train, at a BBQ…. Having said that I’ve had a great time in Hong Kong so far! I think that having one of your best mates as a tour guide also makes such a difference. After lugging over 30 kgs of luggage up too many steps we set off to Stanley Markets for some thorough investigation. Here I learned the art of bargaining with Hong Kong traders. Yeah right! It was more like I kept ... read more