HAPPY NEW YEAR

A year has ended again, a new one is ahead.

I had a wonderful year, with many, many ups and very, very few downs. Just a confirmation of something I know since long: Life is great.

I am looking very much forward to 2010. And I wish you all, my friends, that the same is true for you too.

Thank you all for having been around.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!

WFP Video 1: Mali

From time to time I will post a link to a video from the UN World Food Programme. It will give you a good insight of what WFP does worldwide. It will be a different look at the world. I am sure you will be impressed. And if you can, you might want to support WFP with a small but most welcome donation.

Featured Videos | WFP | United Nations World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide

My Christmas

The most beautiful thing is that I am spending Christmas with my family. This has not happened often in the last 10 years. This years, it is my son's turn of not being around. But he got his gift thanks to Fedex. I bought gifts also for my wife and my daugther.

And I also bought a gift for me.


The Nokia N97 smartphone. As I am often on the road, it will allow me to check my email anywhere and even make hops on the internet. And I have downloaded about 500 pieces of music. So, waiting at airports for planes will not be boring anymore.

But to satisfy my other wordly needs, my family offered me somehting they knew I would appreciate:


Antu Ninquen, my favorite wine from Chile.

And now, Christmas day is coming to an end.


And I am digesting the Christmas pudding. And am getting ready for the next celebration: New Year's Eve.

It is great to spend the Year End festivities with the family.

Improving and moving

Everyday it is getting better with my hand. I still have some "pushes of pain" a few time per day, but the "normal" moments are more and more and my doctor is satisfied with the progress.

This is good because there are many things to do (like commenting on your posts). Then there is the year end season with all the activities we are all confronted with. And soon, a new year to prepare.


Let's just hope that the new year will, for once (and we hope for this every year), be good.

This year brought again, almost at the end, some disturbing thing. Three weeks ago, the Swiss had to vote for the interdiction to build minarets. This was accepted by the Swiss voters with some 57 percent. Shocking. And I don't give a s..t when, in other countries, people greet the "courage" of the Swiss. This vote is a shame and certainly no way to send positive signals to our Muslim brothers living in Switzerland. Of course, there are fears but still, there are more decent ways to solve problems.


But that is my country. From time to time they progress backward. And in a certain way, there is a courage when they vote. And above all, Switzerland is probably the only place where there is direct democracy.

Well, I will think about this from "outside". Mid-January I will leave again. I am going back to Sri Lanka for some three month. The people who had to flee from their places at the end of the war are now being released from the IDP camps and are returning to their places. A lot of work needs to be done to resettle them in good conditions. I will help them in this. And hope that we all will be succesful.


I have the chance to spend Christmas with my family before I go. And that is lovely. As it is the season, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, for you and for your loved ones.

Done

Repaired. Done. The bandage is off. My dcctor is pleased with the result. There is though still the wound, closing slowly and the pains are getting less and less. I am posting with both hands. It is still awkward. But things are getting back to normal.
Slowly, I will be back with you. Now, I have to clean the wound with antiseptoc soap and put some healing cream and in a few days I will start rehabilitation exercises to gain the full movement of my hand. Right now it is still a bit stiff.

I will be able to hold my glass of champagne at New Year's Eve. And then pack my things early January. I am going back to Sri Lanka.

Jazz on the 5th, Nr. 19

Another earworm. Cal Tjader, Red Norvo, Gary Burton, Milt Jackson. All great names in jazz music. All great performers and sublime vibraphone players. But the greatest, the one who started it all and was the first to use the vibraphone in jazz music is Lionel Hampton. He became popular when he started to play with Benny Goodman in the 30ties. And then he was around for many years. I saw him several times over the years, the last time in the late 90ties, a few month before he died. And he still had his verve. It was difficult for him to walk on stage but when he stood behind his vibraphone he went through a fountain of jouvenance and played like a king.

Among his many, many beautiful tunes is "Ring Dem Bells". I had lost the record with this tune on. But thanks to modern technology I found it again on CD. The song was recorded a long time ago. YouTube is really great. I made a search and found the original song. However not with a video or picture of Lionel Hampton. But, I am sure, you will love what you are about to see.



Isn't this great?

A quick update

Work after surgery is still going on. I still can use only one hand and I have a lot of moments of discomfort. So, not much of blogging and blog hopping.

My doctor will make an attempt to start to close the work site next week.