Green Grass from Holland @ World Cup

Hey everyone!

In case you haven't noticed, the world cup kicked off this
week. Holland is present once again and according to my
theory will win it this time round! "Clock work Oranje"
has been close several times (2 times finalists in the 70's
and several times in the Semi and Quarter finals after
that -pretty impressive for a little country if you ask me!).
Holland won the European Championship in Germany in
1988 and it only makes good sense that they should win
the World Cup this time there as well! So if you want to
support a winning team support Holland (there are several
ways you can do this, the most obvious would be wearing
orange and painting Dutch flags on your face....).
You can check out www.knvb.nl for info on the team of the
Netherlands and anything to do with that. Well I leave you
now...Hup Holland HUP!!! Win die CUP!!!
Warm greetings from Malta,
~Lucas~

P.s. As for the Titel: Yes the World Cup is being played on
grass from Holland. I guess the German grass wasn't good
enough, so they kindly requested some from the Netherlands ;)
Actually it comes from a place near to where I used to live
before I came to Malta. Just a nice little bit of useless info
for you ;-) Ok bye...logging off. ;)

Lila :-)

Admit it, many of you who where reading my blog where
really wishing to finally get to see some pictures of my fiancee.
So hereby I post some nice pictures ;-)

~Lila in Gozo~


The 2 of us near Azure Window.


Lila @ work.


Warm greetings from the little rock
in the Med.
~Lucas~

Magnificent Tigers

WOW!!! These are my favorite animals.
I will write more about them later. They are so beautiful.
These two seem to have decided to stick around each other.
Hope you like this awsome picture as much as I do!
I dedicate this one to you Lila ;-)

Continued...
So here I am again...its been a while, I know.
Just try combining exams and making arrangements
for your wedding some time...its pretty stressful at times
and doesn't leave you with much time for blogging!
Anyways I wanted to update this blog a bit.

The reason that these are my favorite animals is that to
me they portray such majesty and gracefulness.
What a beautiful fur they have! Kind of golden-orange
with white patches and black stripes.
They walk swiftly on their huge paws, usually in utter
silence. Nowadays they are almost impossible to find
in the wild. I'm not sure I'd want to meet one in the
wild though ;-) Although I'm sure if I would see one
I'd almost feel like hugging it, but I guess once they
show their huge sharp teeth and claws this feeling
would quickly dissapear!

Tigers are fierce hunters. The biggest member of the
cat family moves through its territory alone and hunts
at night. Using its keen vision and hearing, along with
a powerful sense of smell, the tiger sneaks on its prey
stealthily. Those stripes help to camouflage tigers.
Tigers run extremely fast over short distances and can
leap over 10 feet in a single bound!
They can see 6 times better at night than humans.
After a meal, the tiger has a long drink of water, and an
even longer nap...
Ok, that's all for now.

The Siberian or Amor Tiger; an amazing animal.
I certainly hope we do not need to add it to the list of
extinct species any time soon!
Kind regards,
~Lucas~

What's in a name?

!Hi everybody!

Your thinking: "Title: NAME ....now whats that all about?"
Well, to be more specific I just wanted to briefly talk about
my name :-) You see my older brother was given 2 names,
my father has 3 names my sister has a very long name and
I have a short name. Now over my name there has been
a little confusion.

You see when I was born I was given the name Lucas,
but as a given name (what my parents called me) Luke.
So as a boy I was called Luke by everyone leading to
some confusion when we lived in Holland, because
Luke being an English name doesn't make any sense when
it is pronounced in Dutch. So especially in the South some
called me "Luuk", which I didn't like at all as it sounds like
the French "Luc". At that time I really didn't like French for
some reason. So I always insisted they pronounce my name
correctly. Later, onboard the MV LogosII, some people
started to call me Lucas and I liked it especially the way that
the South Africans said it. So I started to think hmmm
actually, why do I live by an English name when I'm Dutch?
So slowly I got more pro-Lucas. Then when I was in
North Africa I told people they can call me either or even
Luqa (Arabic & Maltese), so I was called all three names
and then other people started to call me Luqa as well.
So I ended up creating an e-mail acount with "lucas_luqa".
When I sailed on board the MV Doulos about 45% called me
Luke another 45% called me Lucas and 10% called me "hey you" :-)
Well by now you must be getting pretty bored by this story so let's
see if we can quickly kill it.... For all those who are still reading
now: Chapeau!
In the end people called me any of the above mentioned names,
depending on where they got to know me, where they were
from and a few other factors.

Thus feel free to call me: Lucas, Luke or Luqa...
they are all my name :-) You can also call me anything
else as long as it doesn't sound too bad! I've told quite a
number of people: " call me Luke or Lucas, as long as you don' call
me Ass..." I think that's fair don't you?
Let me know if you have any interesting/ funny name stories ok!
Warm greetings from The little Rock,
~from ME~

MV Doulos

This is a picture of me in front of the MV Doulos in Bremen. It's been quite a while since I was last on the ship. The last time was in Malta ('05) and after that there was the suprise visit of Logos Hope here in Malta (ended up staying for 4 months, till June '05!!). My brother Jaco phoned at 1700 H one day stating they (that is Logos Hope -he was chief mate at the time) were gonna arrive at around 2000 H. So I think I ended up doing the shortest line-up in OM history:-) I suggested recalling the ship "Logos HopeFULLY"! Unfortunately they rejected my preposition.... I thought they might honour it, having sailed on Logos II for a few years as well and all.....;-)

At any rate, the three years I spent on board the ships were
really amazing and I learnt a lot and saw many countries.
I had th privilige to do many different jobs and I really liked life
as a sailor, but not as an occupation for the rest of my life.
I've always loved ships and the sea, perhaps because my
ancestors in Holland were fisherman...must be something that
runs inthe blood (perhaps that could also explain my dislike of fish)....
When I was a teenager I considered joining the Dutch navy for a while, but I'm happy I never did, because I would have missed out on something that is a lot more fulfilling. As the ships had a big impact on my life I'm sure I'll write more about it sooner or later. Probably more sooner than later.... If you have any nice ship stories you'd like to share, let me know ok!

For more up to date information on the ships just check out the links on the side>>
Warm greetings from Malta,
~Lucas~

Jordan

Destination: JORDAN

As Lila is in Jordan I thought I'd do a little research about this country. Perhaps it is
not a top tourist destination, but as I did
a little research I came to the conclusion it
could very well be, if only the Middle East
didn't have the reputation of well...let's say not being exactly "peacefull". Many times I have been told that Jordanian people are very hospitable and once again that was confirmed by Lila the other day. In her words: "people here are very nice!" So she's having a nice time there and that makes me happy.
Thank you Jordan! ; ) شكرا

I could find the following information on Jordan, but I don't know 100%
if it's al true so if I'm wrong feel free to correct me.

People:
98% Arab (60% Palestinian, many refugees), Circassians, Chechens, Armenians, Bedouins.
Religion:
92% Sunni Muslim, 4% Shiite Muslim, 4% Christian.
History of the region:

Pre 20th Century History
Until the early 20th century, Jordan was part of Palestine, of which a part is now the State of Israel. The area is home to one of the oldest civilisations in the world - archaelogical finds from the west bank of the Jordan River have been dated at around 9000 BC. From 3000 BC the area was inhabited by the Canaanites and Amorites, and after them the armies of Sargon, king of Sumer and Akkad. Around 1800 BC Abraham led a group of nomads from Mesopotamia and settled in the mountains of Canaan (which roughly corresponds to present-day Israel). By 1023 BC the Israelites had formed a kingdom, led by Saul and then David, who captured Jerusalem and made it his capital. The unstoppable Roman Empire took Israel in 63 BC and placed it under the control of a series of consuls, including Herod the Great and Pontius Pilate. It was at this time that Jesus lived and preached in the area. The increasing insanity of the Empire under Caligula prompted a series of Jewish uprisings, which lasted for years but were finally crushed when Jerusalem was razed and the province of Palestine decreed. This defeat marked the end of the Jewish state and the beginning of the Diaspora, the scattering of the Jewish people.

In 331 AD Emperor Constantine became a Christian and gave his official stamp of approval to the previously illegal religion. Suddenly everyone wanted to know about the Holy Land, and a rash of buildings, including the churches of the Holy Sepulchre and the Nativity, sprang up all over Palestine to mark sites of religious importance. But Christianity's hold over the country was not to last long - in 638 AD Jerusalem fell to Caliph Omar and was declared a Holy City of Islam, on the grounds that the Prophet Mohammed had ascended to heaven from atop the Temple Mount. Christians around the world raised their hackles at this desecration, and by 1099 they'd scrounged together a crusading army and occupied Jerusalem, murdering everyone they could get their hands on and beginning nearly 100 years of Christian rule. But by 1187 the Muslims again had the upper hand - after decades of Christian/Muslim scuffling, the Islamic Mamluks knocked over the last Crusader stronghold in 1291.
The next 500 years were some of the quietest Palestine has seen. Empires rose and fell, and control of the country changed hands with monotonous regularity, eventually coming to rest in the hands of the Ottoman Empire. Much of desert Jordan sidestepped all this change and remained a Bedouin stronghold.

Modern History
When the Ottoman Empire collapsed after WWI, Britain took control of Palestine and created the state of Transjordan, under the rule of King Abdullah.
In 1948 Israeli Arabs and Jews went to war with one another. While everyone was distracted, Transjordan snapped up the West Bank and part of Jerusalem, then renamed itself Jordan. In 1953 King Hussein took the throne and Jordan entered a boom period, with a rise in tourism and plenty of aid flowing in from the USA. The Six Day War of 1967 put paid to Jordan's burgeoning tourist industry when Israel retook the West Bank and half of that huge drawcard, Jerusalem. In six days Jordan lost its money spinner and its agricultural land, and replaced them with a few thousand refugees as Palestinians streamed in from the Occupied Territories. By the 1970s, the PLO component of the refugee population was threatening King Hussein's power, and a bloody internal war began, ending when most of the radicals moved to Lebanon.
In 1994 Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty, agreeing to drop economic barriers and cooperate on security and water. This has raised concerns among Palestinians that they will be eased out of the region, as Israel and Jordan divide the spoils between themselves. At the same time, Jordan has been increasing its links with Yasser Arafat's Palestine National Authority and working toward agreements with them. In recent years Jordan has also restored relations - cut during the 1991 Gulf War - with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. King Hussein had begun moving the country towards democracy; the Islamic Action Front (with its links to the Muslim Brotherhood and fairly fundamentalist policies) has been the most successful party so far, but his death in February 1999 has left the future uncertain. King Hussein had named his eldest son, King Abdullah II, successor to the throne just weeks before dying, although the Constitution stipulates that both parents of the king must be Arab and Muslim by birth (Abdullah's mother was a British citizen who embraced Islam prior to marrying King Hussein).

Recent History
King Abdullah, the sort of monarch who enjoys dressing up as a taxi driver and talking with his subjects incognito, has the growing support of the international community as well as most Jordanians, including the large and influential Palestinian community. Under his reign, Jordan has moved closer to Israel with a 2002 deal to pipe water from the Red Sea to the shrinking Dead Sea at a cost of 800000000, and a 2004 deal to develop a desert science centre on their mutual border. At the same time, ties with Egypt and Syria have been strengthened.
The first independent elections in 2003 saw a majority of seats go to independent royalist candidates. There were signs, however, that Jordan's 'each-way bet' foreign policy was under pressure. In October 2002 a senior US diplomat was assassinated in Amman, and the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad was bombed in August 2003, killing 11 people. The following month the central bank reversed its decision to freeze Hamas bank accounts.

Ok that's pretty much as far as we'll go on the modern history of Jordan.
It will be interesting to follow the developments of Jordan and the region now that there is
a Hamas led government in the Palestinian territories and Kadima has one elections in
Israel and they stated that they want to define once and for all Israels borders by 2010.
We'll see what happens. I'm sure what happens in one country of the region affects all the
others as wel.

Here are a few more images.

<

A Deminer, with a M19 Anti-tank mine

(one of the many left over from the wars).

Petra, the ancient and Biblical city.

...and a few more random pictures from Jordan..... ; )

Amman, a Jordanian Bedouin and Aqaba

I'll try to visit this country sometime, but first a few other countries... If you get a chance to
visit let me know how you liked it please and you can send me some pictures perhaps.
When Lila gets back I might add a few of hers as she took the digital camera.
Kind greetings from Malta,
~Lucas~

~Mindset of an Eagle~

Eagle, close up>
Eagle in flight \/
















Wow, what a magnificant animal! As I promised before I would write a bit about the mindset
of an eagle. Eagles have always fascinated me ever since I went for the first time to the United States. Recently I was reminded of my fascination with these huge birds by an inspirational online message by John di Lemme. Eagles are amazing birds and in my oppinion they are
the most majestic birds on earth. Unlike many other birds when confronted by a storm the
eagle does not fly to the ground or some "safe haven" but it flies up and rises above the storm.
Many times in life this is the reason why we don't accomplish much, because as soon as we are confronted by a storm we tend to "fly to the ground", rather then soar above the storm.
In this way, with all the challenges in life, we would never get very far in life would we?
Unfortunately this is the way how many people live and I have also often been like that.
Now I am determined though to change my mindset and be like an eagle. You see the eagle
doesn't look at what others are doing, but remains focused on his target/ goal.
Therefore this animal may be called the champion amongst birds!
So let us not be lazy, negative or unfocused anymore, but rather be like the eagle;
undistracted and lazer focused with a spirit of expectation!
If we do this, great things will happen in our lives.

Some facts about eagles:
-Eagles may use the same nest year after year, adding more twigs and branches each time.
One nest was found that had been used for 34 years and weighed over two tons!
-The bald eagle can fly 20 to 40 mph in normal flight and can dive at speeds over 100 mph.
-Bald eagles can actually swim! They use an overhand movement of the wings that is very much like the butterfly stroke.
-Eagles have excellent eyesight and may be able to see six to eight times better than humans!
-Large eagles can hit their prey very hard. A bald eagle can strike with twice the force of a rifle bullet.
-The Philippene monkey-eating eagle is the second largest eagle in the world.
- Bald eagles mate for life. Average life span is 30 years.
-The eagle is aided in flight because its bones are hollow. Unbelievably, the total weight of an eagle skeletal system is only half the weight of its feathers! With a wingspan of seven to eight feet and a wide and rudder-like tail, the eagle was built to master the skies.


Ok, thats all for now on eagles and having the mindset of an eagle...more will follow later...
Today I still have many other things to do so its time to say goodbye, till next time.
At any rate don't be like a pidgeon who spend their lives
shaking about their mono-synaptic brain...or so it would seem to me :)
They hang out with the same crowd and get nowhere.
SOAR like an eagle!
Warm greetings from Malta,
~Lucas~