The 2007 Miami-Dade County Fair

Streetblock upon streetblock upon mile of rides, food vendors, artists and more. In America things are just bigger and more extravagant.

Sarah and I went with some friends and have a fab time at the annual County Fair.
I did one ride - The Crazy Mouse - which convinced me never to ride anything other then a car or bicycle ever, ever again. While I calmed my stomach, Sarah and the others gayly defied gravity on many more ridiculous rides.

I firmly believe we were not made to be catapulted at improper speeds, be flung around sharp corners thousands of feet above Mother Earth, or be subjected to near-death experiences - at a price!!
If you put a fish behind the wheel of a car, he's gonna go: "This feels weird. I don't belong here!"

South Beach with our Guests

In the famous Lincoln Road in South Beach - a bustling, artsy area that reminds somewhat of Camps Bay, Cape Town, there's always something happening.

I had to capture this new fad, call it extreme on-the-spot marketing to attract customers. Real-time models dancing in the shop window - and just another store became packed!

I call that very innovating. Hope the costs of the dancers are made up for in xtra sales.

We spend one last evening with Leslie and Christa here before they left for respectively Trinidad and London. I have not seen vrint Christa since our wedding in February 2005. Nice reminiscing about old times eras and continents removed.

Leslie speaks 6 languages, which impressed me considerably.

In Miami some people are very impressed that I can speak 3 and half languages (Chinese) and learning Spanish. In that context, most Americans speaks English only. But six!

Sunrise

I took these pics this morning at the lake next to our house.

6:30. Best time of the day.

Special Visitors

My liewe ou vriende Christa en Leslie land toe die afgelope naweek in Miami. Onderskeidelik vanaf London en Trinidad.

Dit was fantasties om vir hulle gasheer te kon speel en heerlik om weer ou tye te herleef.

Hulle duik die week in die Keys waarna ons hulle weer aanstaande naweek te siene kry.

Broadway Comes to Miami!

Saturday night I had the wondrous privilege to tick off yet another item on my Must-Do-List. I saw a Broadway Show. Those of you living in London or New York might think "duh", but in most other places in the world that's a big accomplishment. Miami is culturally starved.

We saw WICKED, currently the most popular Broadway show, which tells the story of what happened before the Wizard of Oz happened. Thoroughly enjoyable. No, enthralling and magical.
Miami's newly build Opera House - the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts - was finished last month, a spectacular piece of architecture.
Through friends we were able to meet the cast of WICKED after the show, which was pretty special. I can now say I have met the Wizard of Oz. Down the yellow brick road...

Something said during the play that really stuck: "The Truth lies not in sense and reason, the Truth is what the people believe." Ironically true.

Calle Ocho - The World's Largest Street Fair

Wow!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

South Beach Sundays

Endangered Species

This is an actual billboard somewhere in London. Picture taken and send to me recently.

Bouwer Update

It's been an incredibly busy couple of weeks. The focus for us has certainly been on prioritizing and time management to fit our studies, marriage, work, more after-hours work, as well as the plethora of other wants and needs into the allocated 24 hour days. (Nothing unique, if I look at many of you.)

Our Sundays together has become a royalty which I value. Soos my goeie ou vriend Helen Punt van Bethlehem dit anderdag stel: "So ons kan nou maar netso wel Carpe Diem, want tyd is min, kyk net hoe het die laaste paar jaar gevlieg?"

This coming Friday Sarah will write the last of her licensure exams - and Math at that. After which, strictly speaking, nothing keeps us in Miami.
I'm going through a busy patch at work and in class. Tomorrow an important presentation for my 2nd MBA-block. And at work we're frantically working towards completing a project successfully by April 21st.

Being a procrastinator by nature I suppose this is a wonderful oportunity for growth. As Aristotle put it: Excellence is not an act, but a habit.

Tremendous Super 14 Weekend

My lekkerste klein plesiertjie tans is rugby. Alhoewel ek nie meer gereeld saam met vrinne om 'n regte braaivleisvuurtjie kan staan nie, verknies ek my in regte(!) sport, lees rugby en krieket.

Met die aanvang van die S14, sluit ek my deesdae Vrydag middagetes in my kantoor toe, want rondom hierdie tyd is daar altyd 'n LIVE wedstryd te kyk op Kuduclub!

Die afgelope naweek was daar min oor te moan - die beste rugby-naweek vir SA-spanne in die geskiedenis van die S12/S14. Nie een SA-span het verloor nie en 4 het inderdaad gewen! Die Bulle doen goed, die Leeus verras en is 'n plesier om te dop te hou en die Sharks speel wedstryde wat 'n dekade weg steeds om braaivleisvure bespreek sal word. Ruan Pienaar, jy's 'n trooper!

(Pic: Rugby365)

Key Largo Coffee House

This coffee shop is one of our favorite spots in the Keys. Think mucho rustic, laid-back, and fun.
It's South of Florida on the islands - or as they say in these parts - "on the rocks", around Mile-marker 100.
Weekends there's always a live band playing, the trees, the music and the people blocking out Miami for a short sweet time. Die enigste nadeel - dis sowat 120 myl Suid - 'n dagreis ver met 'n fiks perd. Maar dis lekker, dis lekker, dis tog te lekker hier, musiek op die draadloos en skuim op my bier....

Rugby Alive and So-so in Miami!

I was invited to attend a rugby match in Downtown Miami on Saturday. The Miami Tridents playing Daytona Beach Rugby Club, two of several rugby teams competing in a Florida First Division Rugby League. I was pleasantly surprised.
Additionally, there is a Second Division team and a Women's Rugby League.
The Florida First Division winner then plays the winner of the other states in the region, after which the winners of the different regions fight it out for the National Champs. The US national team
Rugby has a culture to it that stays the same all over the world. It felt real good hanging out with the rugby boys. Thoughts of Taichung Teletubbies!

I had to smile. Someone asked me where I'm from and once word spread that there was a South African, they all asumed I was a well-rounded player. I've been offered a position in the team, as well as an assistant-coaching job!

Pic 1: (Top) Miami players scrambling for the ball on Daytona's tryline. In the background is the Atlantic Airlines Arena, the headquarters of the Heat Basketball Team.

Pic 2: The sticks looking a little tired.

Pic 3: The view from the pitch. Cruiseships docking next to the McArthur Causeway, Downtown lying to the right, South Beach in the distance.

Biscayne Bay

Driving in Miami - Part 3

This morning while driving to work I realised that real FEAR is being stuck in slow-moving early morning Turnpike-traffic after you've had two cups of coffee and a big bowl of oats for breakfast...