Giving...

Bangladesh was hit by a mild earthquake this morning, reported to be 4.9 on the Richter Scale ... Like we need more problems...

   

Time is running out... I leave Bangladesh in 2 months, how can time have flown by so fast? Can't seem to get "Rising Down" out of my mind... it aint hard to tell that the conditions is drastic, just turn on the telly check for the news flashin, how you want it bagged, paper or plastic, lost in translation or just lost in traffic, I dont wanna floss I done lost my passion, and I ant trying to climb yo i lost my traction, they makin me break, my contents under pressure, do not shake, I'm workin while the boss relaxin... The Roots There just doesn't seem to be an end to the work needed... That's tough to live with...

Carly has taken to calling me out in her blog ... which is hilarious, so here are some responses to her "4 Truths and a Lie" game... a) I've never been dragged out of bed to cover a shortfall in a bill at The Westin - YES I HAVE I will never forget this moment... after another tough week, full of sleepless nights, pressure from deadlines and an imposing sense of running out of time, the stars and moons aligned and allowed me one morning to sleep in... yet Ms Carly and Ms Emma, having spent the evening yet again at Casa Del Dengue, the luxurious and sought-after apartment I share with my Communist and Capitalist housemates (you're welcome ladies), had other ideas... I was awoken by a call from Ms Carly... I hold Carly in high regard; her wit and her blog have kept me entertained these last 10 months... so despite feeling cheated by the world at having been awoken on my only day of rest, I answered the phone... only to be told that the aformentioned couple (of knucklehe...

Nothing but love for these guys and gals... Peace Players International Mission - To use the game of basketball to unite and educate children and their communities. Vision - Bridging Divides Goals - PeacePlayers International has four main objectives: Bridge social divides Develop future leaders Educate children to lead healthy, constructive lives Build community involvement to ensure long-term sustainability Isn't that EXACTLY what the Big Bangs have been doing? I love the picture on their website of the Dalai Lama holding the ball... I may have found the perfect organisation for me...

You have to see this ... Every single day my conversations with people inevitably come back to how difficult it seems to change Bangladesh's current situation... Richard, from the Dhaka project, has a nice take on some of the issues relating to organisational development. Click here for the article . I have previously posted some of the other institutional issues this country has, as well as some random day-to-day problems which seem to grind this country to a halt at times... My roommates and I have been following the Zimbabwe "elections" (I hesitate to use any word directly related to democracy in this context) as closely as we can, with a mix of disgust, disappointment and, truth be told, a little sorrow... I can't help but feel this country is only a breath away from Zimbabwe's situation at times... with elections planned for the end of the year, and no candidates nominated as yet, the possibility is there... Expectations are a funny thing. Even when you thi...

Since I've been here I've received emails asking how to donate directly to Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh... Short answer? You can't. The NGO Affairs Bureau prohibits/limits money coming into the country and its people... the Ordinance is here . Hence why I only mention transfers directly to me or cheques to your local Habitat Office with a letter stating where you want the money to go... The language in the ordinance is fairly severe... so technically I can't buy a ticket for a Bangladeshi friend using my credit card, which is from an account overseas... Although the case may be made that its purpose is to stem corruption, that particular and unfortunate trait of developing countries doesn't seem to be disappearing from Bangladesh anytime soon... Click here for the articles . As a side note, that's not the only issue we face here... some of them perhaps more absurd than others... Click here .

More of my pictures and some of of my writing are on the Habitat Asia-Pacific website again. Click here to see .