tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226508502012-09-20T17:22:06.362+02:00....mother, retreaded librarian, cyber-dissident, epicurean, african denizen, aspiring thinker, eternal student of life....Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-64769225570292334532007-01-11T08:30:00.000+02:002007-01-11T20:54:38.785+02:00

Yeah, I guess everyone must be wondering where I disappeared to. Blogging, I'm afraid, is far more labour intensive than the average person imagines. Especially when there's a life to be lived and much to be done.I have been extremely busy. My time has been spent running around trying to sort out papers and tickets as well as make an effort to be a decent mom. Milla has been going to a local

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-21597419645277697562006-12-23T07:32:00.000+02:002006-12-23T19:41:21.116+02:00

Prague 360 News - The Killing of the Carp! I think that the Fish Blood Bath of Christmas with Photography by Jeffrey Martin (click on the above link) is a more than adequate representation of this annual festive tradition. Note: this image is a bandwidth chomper!When we visited the local market on the square, my five year old daughter, Milla, was fascinated by the phenomenon and wanted to "stroke

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-80047077800065716452006-12-23T05:33:00.000+02:002006-12-23T18:07:12.287+02:00

This week we were taken on a tour of Liberec, a nearby city that experienced its most recent economic heyday towards the end of the 19th century, when it served as the major textile manufacturer for the region.Todays picture is of Ještěd, a mountain range in this region. If you look closely at the tiny picture under my Blogger profile you will see the Ještěd television tower in the background.

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-24971537170801267472006-12-21T06:16:00.000+02:002008-12-13T15:22:19.530+02:00

Photos taken with my Nokia (for fun). The Square and the Ginger Bread House The Market and Decorations Darkness Descending on the City Centre The Crowds, the Crowds! Milla Rides a Carriage (800 krone for 20 Minutes!)Technorati tags: Staroměstské náměstí a Týnský Chrám; Photos; Christmas; Nokia; Prague

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-77839606103533146252006-12-17T01:56:00.000+02:002006-12-19T19:04:14.732+02:00

My husband arrived this morning from London. We will be having one of those huge Czech feasts to celebrate his return - lots of knedlecky, pork and wild mushroom goulash and christmas cookies. Granma makes some mean biscuits that look like walnuts and contain lots of ground nuts and cream - delicious!Yesterday we took Milla to Prague. It's become even more glamorous than when Marek and I were

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-5007424036555972432006-12-15T00:00:00.000+02:002006-12-17T17:09:15.340+02:00

On Thursday this week, President Václav Klaus returns from Africa, where he visited Nigeria and South Africa. I hope that he enjoyed our hot summer weather! Here's what the South African press had to say about the trip.Also, while I'm waiting for my husband to bring back my camera, here are some terrific photos uploaded to Flickr, which were taken by vigor. Enjoy!Technorati tags: Mbeki; Klaus;

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-20817776932582804502006-12-14T03:12:00.000+02:002006-12-17T13:59:37.413+02:00

Hi, I thought maybe it would help to show a map of the Czech Republic. We are living in Northern Bohemia, right near Liberec. Jablonec is more towards the right of Liberec but also very near the border of Germany and Poland. Today we took a walk in the forest up behind Granma's house. Unfortunately, Milla didn't meet the three bears. We also visited the kindergarten to find out if they will take

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-33105291333331090742006-12-09T05:57:00.000+02:002006-12-09T19:04:28.166+02:00

Some inventions prove to be winners in the long-run. Witness the humble motor vehicle which started out looking something like the machine above more than 100 years ago.ReadWriteWeb reports that the Attention Company has produced research regarding bloggers, or what they refer to as people who are “Out There". Apparently, as employees we are characterized as: Fast followersMore flexible Open

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-89875753009218716262006-12-08T10:17:00.000+02:002006-12-08T11:12:05.986+02:00

We arrived in Prague on the 6 December via Frankfurt (there are no direct flights from South Africa). Granpa was there to meet us and we packed all our luggage into his Merc and headed off straight for Jablonec.The weather is scarily mild for this time of year. On average, 10°C with no rain and few clouds. Milla, our little girl, is very disappointed by the lack of snow.The first thing we did on

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-62587197166052993412006-12-08T10:00:00.000+02:002006-12-08T15:03:59.170+02:00

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic IntelligenceDiane, you are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well. An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convincing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.You would make a fantastic

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-3907054166040158612006-12-03T00:56:00.000+02:002006-12-03T13:08:53.724+02:00

Hooray! My little girl can swim! It's 34°C here in Africa and Ouma's pool looks all too tempting!Technorati tags: swimming; South Africa; Summer; weather

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-53485959774027192952006-11-25T07:47:00.000+02:002006-11-26T10:07:23.919+02:00

One of the advantages of being a "knowledge worker" is the fact that I can spend hours online evaluating web resources and tools. Mostly, I rely on Bloglines to keep track of recent news, research and topical blogs that I enjoy reading. It's a great way to scan information sources without having to spend hours actually trying to search for stuff before deciding if it's relevant. With Bloglines I

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-46158253038686794182006-11-22T09:52:00.000+02:002006-11-22T10:14:13.934+02:00

I'm currently reading The Color of Water by James McBride. Despite my misgivings, it's turning out to be an excellent account of the life of an African-American man born to a white, Jewish woman. I love the story about him getting on the camp bus with another kid whose father is a Black Panther and screaming out the window to his mother as she stands and waves goodbye. She is standing next to the

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-45786228831408611242006-11-21T01:36:00.000+02:002006-11-22T10:14:59.587+02:00

When I was working in Government, I once wrote that I was African on a form, only to have my selection scratched out and replaced with "white". Ouch, that hurt!Turns out, I am an African, at least Xolela Mangcu is prepared to stick his neck out and argue my cause. I think I'm in love..... (smile) -------------------- I spent the whole of Saturday learning the art of hard selling. A local company

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-13013914556847647592006-11-19T08:39:00.000+02:002006-11-19T21:24:14.726+02:00

I grew up in a house where everyone was constantly busy doing something physical. Whether it was housework, gardening or sport, my parents and siblings seemed to be in a state of perpetual motion. I, on the other hand, could think of nothing better than to sit and read everything and anything.With very little critical input, this often led to literary choices which were embarrassingly cliched. On

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-68022426880590864442006-11-17T04:06:00.000+02:002006-11-17T16:38:21.904+02:00

Work-related Blogs and News by James Richards contains a useful selection of posts about the pitfalls and possibilities of blogging, both from the perspective of the employer and employee. Richards also includes a list of links to blogs by occupational category. Here, you can find a collection of blogs by people who are currently employed, as well as some links to blogs by those who may have been

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-14466746928788278252006-11-12T02:27:00.000+02:002006-11-12T16:53:36.053+02:00

"Did I disappoint you?Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?You act like you never had loveAnd you want me to go without"- U2: One - lyrics The time is fast approaching for us to board the plane bound for Europe. We have sold up and/or given away most of our worldly possessions. The cost of shipping everything across and storing it until we found long-term accommodation wasn't worth the effort.

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-36265427516597589592006-11-11T08:39:00.000+02:002006-11-13T09:19:11.679+02:00

Softly, softly, catchee monkey..... More litigation cases ....Technorati tags: Deloitte; accounting firms; Kelon; Edmund Burke

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-51220188433240280402006-10-31T09:53:00.000+02:002006-10-31T10:15:59.570+02:00

My dissolute youth has, once again, come back to haunt me by way of a weakened immune system. Mononucleosis and all that, y'know. First Milla got 'flu and then she kindly passed it on to me. It was a particularly nasty strain (for me) and I'm only now beginning to surface after a week in bed, coughing and wheezing. Thank dog for asthma pumps and calendula balm facial tissues!Oh, and some boffin

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-68120317907978198082006-10-18T10:51:00.000+02:002006-10-18T11:13:29.105+02:00

My sister and I took Milla to the Johannesburg Zoo last weekend. We saw lots of wild school kids but not much other wildlife. It turns out that that Zoo is being refurbished and much of the "fun" sections, like the farmyard, are completely closed for upgrading. Milla was thrilled with all the company and managed to insinuate herself into a crowd of toddlers who were spending the day there. I

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-75360390517877262532006-10-10T00:56:00.000+02:002006-10-11T09:05:48.669+02:00

I just finished reading Toby Young's book, "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" and enjoyed some of his observations, especially the bits about Meritocracies and how neoliberalism instills people with the misguided notion that success is exclusively related to skill and effort. Oh, please! I've worked in enough large corporates to know that success is related mostly to who you are and how well

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-46769916922041902242006-10-02T11:49:00.000+02:002006-10-02T12:06:28.402+02:00

It seems my family is playing tricks on me by making all my childhood memories come flooding back in full, sentimental force. Every night, my mother prepares a three course meal for Milla and me, each time offering up some childhood favourite, long forgotten in the passing sands of time.Fresh vegetable soup for starters, thick oxtail stew and garden peas as a main course with a light, hot lemon

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-76387507645312916162006-09-26T02:28:00.000+02:002006-09-26T14:29:04.830+02:00

Either the Archbishop's views appeal to the sentiments of an average middle-class whitey like myself, or his opinions penetrate deep into the heart of the concerns of the broader South African population. I hope that the latter is the case because his recent Steve Biko memorial lecture at University of Cape Town certainly held resonance for me and reflected many of my own thoughts, so it would be

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-75678552806828332782006-09-13T04:39:00.000+02:002006-12-03T09:45:01.923+02:00

Webaba silale maweni The blogging from here on out will be a bit spotty. The house has gone, along with most of our possessions, which were either sold or given away. Also, the ADSL line and the PC that I use for posting up stuff are both no more... I am staying at my mom's house in Jo'burg with my daughter. Milla's dad is staying at his mom's house in Tshwane (Pretoria). This is so that I can

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22650850.post-58850308589508611972006-09-08T02:22:00.000+02:002006-09-08T14:59:05.164+02:00

The feckless beast that is Technorati, which once, like some Greek deity, briefly provided shelter to my lonely little blog tags, has now abandoned me.For more than five days now, my pleas have been ignored by the heavenly messengers that echo my distress into what appears to be an abyss of indifference.I don't ask for much, maybe one or two extra stragglers to pass over my meagre offerings. No

Diane Babaknoreply@blogger.com1