david mctavish

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clutter
2008-05-31 21:53:00
i'm not sure where all of the crap we've accumulated came from, and am even less sure of how we're going to get all of it home. 7 days left before we're gone, and we've only made a small dent in our closets and have filled two suitcases. i'm guessing saturday's going to be a whirlwind of creative packing and perhaps the first-ever fire-priced yard sale in india. step right up, everything must go!
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kids
2008-05-30 23:53:00
it's amazing how kids pretty much behave the same everywhere in the world. we found it fascinating the number of babies in israel, it seems like every ten yards, you'll spot another baby stroller with an adorable baby in tow. perhaps it was us missing zen, but i'm pretty sure the baby ratio is much higher than anywhere else. we saw one woman nearly 7 months pregnant pushing a double-stroller with a 2-year old and a 1-year old. now that's production!
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:)
2008-05-29 23:53:00
one thing that we quickly discovered in israel is that everything basically shuts down on fridays around 5pm for shabat. and when i say shut-down, it's basically a ghost town. there are a few nooks and crannies where you can still get some kosher meals (although i'm not sure if that was still kosher... much to our chagrin, it was actually an amazing experience. no tourists, hardly any locals, we had old jerusalem to ourselves. we got there in the late afternoon, while most of the religious sites were closed, we still squeezed into the holy church of the sepulchre and also saw the room of the last supper. i can hardly imagine the place with 100 tourists clamoring about, but when you have the entire place to yourself, it's absoluetely amazing. anyway, this photo session with van was her way of paying me back for spilling water all over me at lunch, seemed like a fair trade in the end.

history
2008-05-28 23:53:00
so, if you've been to montreal, you'll probably agree that there is a sense of culture and history that permeates the air. if you then go to italy, you'll probably think that montreal is nice, but it's just a city in its infancy. if you go to jerusalem, you'll quickly realize how old the world really is and how naive the rest of these places really are. it's truly inspiring to witness first-hand all of the religious significance of such a place. we only had one day to take the city in, and were completely mesmerized. this for instance, is the holy church of the sepulchre which is thought to be the place where jesus actually died.
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comfy
2008-05-27 23:53:00
just got back from israel; a very nice place that left us very impressed with the people. for a place that is under so much tension, the people really seem to understand what's important and how to treat each other. this is a photo of a couch from one of the many hotels we stayed at. our travel agent futzed up the entire trip and when we arrived at the hotel, our reservation was unfortunately unconfirmed. the fact that i pre-paid for the hotel before leaving left me feeling a wee-bit more hostile towards the travel agent. service in india hasn't really been discovered yet, and asking someone a month in advance to investigate an itinerary is effectively useless unless you're willing to sit in front of them for the four hours it takes them to search their system. we eventually went home and found everything on the inter-web and showed her what we wanted and still couldn't get any success. still, my favorite part was her original suggestion of flying through four countries and reso...
More About: Comfy

dum-dum dum-dum dum-dum
2008-05-20 09:26:00
shark! we went to the aqua world in the bangkok paragon mall. to say that it puts marine land to shame is an understatement. the fact that it's all stored in the basement of a mall makes it even more impressive. they've got a dive-with-the-sharks program for 50$ that i'm sure you can't get away with back home due to the insurance issues, but i had to pass. i wasn't afraid of the shark per-se, i was just afraid of the fact that i can't see without my glasses, which makes it a bit difficult to maneuver without accidentally bumping them in the noggin. ask van about our last trip to mexico and she'll attest that i dove into the ocean with a moray-eel inches from my face.

sabaidee
2008-05-19 09:26:00
the typical laos-greeting is a long-rolling "sa-baa-deeeee" that rolls off the tongue with a huge smile. i think that's why i love going back to laos so often, the people are so genuine and welcoming, it's hard not to feel like you're at a second home. most of our vacation treks are effectively ticks on a list of places to go, but laos always holds a special place for us and brings us back time and time again. i don't think we've ever been to one place by choice more often. and when people ask me what there is to do there, i have to honestly tell them 'nothing'. it is the absolute best place to do nothing and i couldn't imagine you'd ever tire of it. if you're looking for the long-lost shangri-la, i'd recommend skirting the hotel chain in favour of a beer-lao on the banks of the mekong. (although the shangri-la is a very nice hotel; please don't sue me :)

it's a mansierre
2008-05-18 09:26:00
i'm not sure if it's the fact that the only english shows on tv in india are seinfeld and "my wife and kids" (what a friggin terrible show), but zen's seemed to pick up a knack for getting into undergarments. if you've got 8 minutes to spare, i recommend the following viral video.

nappy time
2008-05-17 09:26:00
so the vacation to laos did wonders, but i think i've become used to the mid-day nap. obviously i can't take credit for the photo being completely comatose, but this pretty much sums up how zen and i get along. :)
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king-fisher
2008-05-16 09:26:00
so i've confiscated Van's camera while mine has decided to go south. i'm not sure i'm comfortable with the whole P&S clickity-clickity of taking photos. i'm not sure why, but it feels like a toy instead of a camera. but perhaps van sees the slr as my personal toy. anyway, hoping to get a new camera shortly, although based on indian turn-around, i expect it may be awhile. zen's certainly grown attached to me, when i'm home, he's never beyond arm's reach and is always trying to do what i'm doing. (if you get some emails from me proclaiming the excellence of 1's and 0's, he's the likely culprit :). anyway, i now realize i need to be careful when i put my beer down if i want to keep it for myself.
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out of service
2008-05-12 09:44:00
just got back from our little getaway in laos. now we just need to work our way down the home stretch until we come home. vacation was good, but not many photos to share (my camera died along the way). laos is still my favorite place to go do "nothing", and with no camera in tow, it was definitely the theme for our trip. we mostly kicked back at a patio-pub on a comfy couch and drained rum'n'cokes while watching the tourists run around in the sweltering heat.
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home stretch
2008-05-03 12:37:00
the time is quickly winding down until our return home and the pressure to pack and organize our things is mounting. we've found new homes for the minor things (we're not sure we need another picnic-quality set of dishes) and also found a moving company to take care of our other accumulations. now we're at the point of trying to do what we should have done the first 8 months and find a way to enjoy the environment. we're hoping to take a weekend getaway to see the taj mahal and perhaps an excursion to kashmir.
More About: Home , Stretch

tough guys
2008-05-01 09:30:00
it's gotta be difficult trying to be tough while chomping down an ice cream cone...
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folding up shop
2008-04-30 09:30:00
if you think the guys selling pirated dvds downtown toronto know what they're doing, you need to check out the vendors in florence. these guys' are good. i've never seen such swift movements; collapsing an entire store into an attache, and the smooth disengagement from the crowd to avoid the police crack-down. it's a funny game to watch, the police roll around every few hours, and the vendors migrate in and out like a massive flock that would make houdini proud.
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hi
2008-04-28 09:30:00
if you're having a corporate event and you need an ice-breaker, have i got just the ticket. zen's become quite the social butterfly, from saying hi to the gardener, the driver, the complete strangers at the mall, it's like pokemon fever and he's gotta say hi to everyone. it's rather endearing to see him interact so well with people beyond 'us'; but also nice to know that he reserves the special treatment for mom & dad.

tuscany
2008-04-27 09:30:00
as hard as i tried, photos will never do tuscany justice. it's like trying to gauge the size of the grand canyon without seeing with your own eyes. i'm saving my money, and buying a plot of land over yonder to grow grapes and olives when i retire. what confuses me is why are there italian immigrants? i'd never have left such a place of my own accord. the only reason we could come up with was there was some mafioso issues that were easier to deal with on the run...
More About: Tuscany

growing old together
2008-04-26 09:30:00
i hope that when van and i get this old that we're still this sweet. i'm sure i wear on her nerves; but it's only because i love her. :)
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gelato
2008-04-24 09:30:00
i've always loved ice cream, and before italy, i thought being a connoisseur meant enjoying a tub of ben & jerry's cherry garcia. now, i've been enlightened: gelato is the way! after the first three days, we were quickly able to discern the pros from the poseurs on the gelato scene; and our first priority when we come home is to find a quality gelati to supply our cravings.
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sexy pasta
2008-04-23 09:30:00
i drank wine every day for lunch, dinner (and sometimes breakfast); and still was never drunk. i'm not sure what it is, but there certainly is some form of magic that hangs over italy that allows you to enjoy to excess without having to pay the consequences. we probably all could use a bit more sexy pasta and a bottle of chianti to make the days go by easier.
More About: Pasta , Sexy

venice is sinking
2008-04-22 09:30:00
so, if you're ever in venice; the only advice i can give is don't try to rush through it in a day. you could easily spend a week in venice alone, with the dizzying alleyways and beautiful architecture. while we had time to enjoy the quintessential gondola ride, we opted out and instead enjoyed watching others get shilled for 100 euros for a 15 minute float down the canal. and i thought paying 20 bucks at the venetian in las vegas was expensive. for the price in venice, i can at least fly back to las vegas and get a feel for the simulated version. :) van: that's still my scarf by the way...
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walking
2008-04-21 09:30:00
zen's on the cusp of walking. he was a bit of late bloomer to the whole crawling thing, but he definitely has mastered that. his current addiction is climbing. we were a bit surprised to experience his discovery; i'd figured it would have taken him a few tries to understand the concept, but no, his first attempt he climbed the entire flight of stairs. the icing was him doing it in effort to see me; now that is priceless.
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fashion police
2008-04-20 09:30:00
perhaps i've been in india so long, but the italians definitely had a sense of style. sure, the dhoti may be comfortable, but it hasn't encouraged me to run out and buy one. now, funky-cool specs with faux-fur hoodies, that's got appeal. one thing that i found interesting was that everyone wore leather and scarves in florence. i liked the look so much, i've adopted it myself. perhaps a bit overboard, but i did enjoy the locals confusing me as an italian. at one point, i was even asked to do an interview for a television show... of course, after they realized my mastery of the italian language wasn't going to help improve the ratings, he quickly let me on my way. :)
More About: Fashion , Police , Fashion Police

photo-journalism
2008-04-19 09:30:00
so i've taken some interest in photo-journalism as a new style. i suppose it's just an excuse to be stalkerish than anything else, but i'm really liking how the photos turn out. ordinarily, i'd probably have deleted this shot due to it being a bit out of focus, but now, it just seems to complete the look. the whole shooting while not looking sort of reminds me of the first time i rode my bike with my arms waving in the air. there's a certain amount of exhilaration of not being able to control where you're going. and sometimes, you end up in some interesting places.
More About: Photo , Journalism

entrapment
2008-04-18 09:30:00
the restaurant in the background (gilli) has a prime location for the tourist crowd. i'm not sure howe we got sucked in, but our senses got the better of us as we slinked out the back before putting our orders in. ordinarily, i have no qualms with price; but i'm not sure of the appeal of spending 20 euros for a hamburger. perhaps if it's made from kobe beef topped with foie gras and truffles; but no, this was just a hunk of beef on a bun. oh, and you want fries with that? that'll be 7 euros more. while missing out on a juicy burger may be appealing, this was italy afterall, and we found ourselves planted in a little pizzeria with a fine bottle of wine instead. total damage: 50 euros for 2 pizzas, lots of crostinis, and a nice bottle of chianti classico. very nice-ah!
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ponte vechhio
2008-04-17 09:30:00
i should have enough material from italy to keep you all entertained for the next bit; and hopefully after the weekend i can intermix some shots from singapore. i'm not bringing the heavy-duty canon on this trip; after all, there isn't much to do in singapore other than shop. but we plan a trip into china-town (with the hope of finding some delicious dim-sum that isn't infused with the over-powering indian cuisine). as much as we enjoy indian food, sometimes when you order chinese food, you want something without curry. and i realize that chinese people at times use curry, but there's a line crossed when it's making its way into your spring rolls. so, this has nothing to do with this bridge. it's a pretty cool location in florence; shops built on top of an existing bridge. lots of over-priced beautiful jewelry for the tourists and some great people-watching opportunities. definitely worth checking out to say the least.

stroller gangz
2008-04-11 10:35:00
zen's already practicing his gangster signs as we ride him about in his italian-made stroller. unfortunately, the stroller didn't stand the test of the cobble-stone streets of firenze; so we're off to singapore to find a new stroller. to be fair, i'm sure india fought the first 10 rounds and italy snuck in at the last minute and stole the tko. i feel pretty bad, as it was a really nice baby-shower gift from our friends, and i suppose it's good that we got a lot of use out of it, i'm just surprised at how quickly india deteriorates everything. we now understand why the locals don't invest in anything of high quality; it's better to buy cheap and replace instead of buying expensive and still have to replace. :(
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la familia
2008-04-10 10:35:00
so i've been pretty lazy at posting photos lately. i probably don't have much of an excuse other than the fact that i've just been plain lazy about it. i suppose the two weeks of ignoring this due to work reasons makes it that much more difficult to get back into. the trip to italy was amazing, not only for the quality wines and food, but it was really nice to see my parents again after such a long stint. the visit only re-confirmed my suspicions that if we went home at christmas, there was little chance of us coming back to india. it's nice knowing we're going home soon, and we're trying to make the best of our remaining time.
More About: La Familia , Familia

italie
2008-04-09 10:35:00
our trip to italy was absolutely incredible. we're still confused as to why anyone would actually move away from this place, but are gracious enough that we can sample a pale imitation of the food back home. i'd like to think that i have some potential with cooking, but it was clear that anybody could make a great meal with the ingredients at the ready. my only dismay is that i'll never have italian food as good as last week unless we visit again. nothing against pizza pizza, but everything tastes better in italy.

godzilla
2008-03-20 20:53:00
and we're back. it's been a long haul, but the long weekend is buying refuge from work. it seems the past few weeks have been stressful on everybody, zen's caught a cold and van's getting a bit overwhelmed; but there is a silver lining in here somewhere. going to spend the weekend packing our bags for next week, 1 week on the tuscany coast is surely not long enough, but we'll be happy for the reprieve from reality.
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taking a break
2008-03-07 07:43:00
haven't had much time or desire to pursue this lately. works' been taking its fair share of cycles in the latest push to get something released.
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