A young lad, Marcus Ainey poses for his Cabinet Card photograph for the Hawkins Brothers who were traveling photographers. Marcus is looking quite serious as he rests his arm on the handlebars of his prized tricycle. He is dressed up for the occasion wearing an interesting cap and outfit. He has his handkerchief neatly tucked into his pocket ready for any nasal emergencies.

Happy Birthday, Juliet. I hope it is the perfect birthday, filled with all of your favorite things.

I’m no scientist, so I couldn’t tell you the exact statistic of the number of marriages that end in divorce in this day and age. More than half, I believe. And that doesn’t include the people who stay married only because it’s convenient or they’re just committed to staying together (regardless of their true feelings towards one another). It’s pretty sad. How could two people who are supposed to be so in love with one another fall apart like that? One minute they’ve committed their lives to one another and the next they’re asking for it back. I’m talking about Christian relationships too.

You know what it is? It’s pressure. As a culture, we’ve been lead to believe that there’s a man or a woman out there in the world who will complete us, who will make us feel whole and fill us with joy and vigor and excitement for the rest of our lives. They’ll always be caring and understanding, never angry or hurtful, they’ll be our solid foundation ’til death do us part.

Think about all that. It sounds great. It sounds perfect. And it sounds like a lot to live up to. Many might try to be that person, but they will all inevitably falter and fail. We get comfortable in our relationships. We get passive. We get lazy. It happens. Human nature makes us take our loved ones for granted sometimes. It’s just what we do.

Of course, there is someone who fits that description, only they don’t falter or fail. In case you hadn’t already figured it out, it’s God. He’s the only One that can fill up our hearts like we need, the only One that can make us feel whole.

So put that in perspective. In essence, when people get married and their hearts aren’t committed to God, they’re committed to each other. Essentially, they’ve forced expectations on one another to be God. To love as good and unconditionally as He does. That’s insane. It’s impossible. No wonder they crack under the pressure. The nicest people in the world can do everything in their power to be as Godly as possible, but they simply don’t have a chance to even come close to matching what kind of love God has for us. So maybe they stop trying. Maybe they look outside their marriage and find another man or woman, someone who makes them feel “whole” again. And it all falls to pieces.

Why do people have affairs? I’d say feelings of inadequacy are the most common culprit. They can’t live up to those expectations so they find someone else with lower ones. And it makes them feel good about themselves again, that there is someone in the world who they can satisfy and make alive and new and excited. But that relationship is built on even weaker ground and crumbles so fast it’s ridiculous. Lowering expectations doesn’t make that person’s love any closer to what God has to offer.

And that’s the reality of the situation. There is no man and no woman in the world who is going to be able to live up to God’s love. It’s flat out impossible. Not even the best, most loving parents in the world can come close to loving their own children as much as God does.

If this all sounds sad and depressing, maybe you aren’t hearing me right. Maybe your head isn’t where it needs to be. I’m not implying that no one will ever have a full, wonderful marriage. I’m not saying that two people can’t stay true to one another and be in love until the end of their lives. It’s completely possible. I’m sure everyone knows at least one couple who fits that description. But it’s impossible without God.

And this is true about more than just romantic relationships. Think about all the things we use to try to enrich our lives and make ourselves feel complete, whole, and accomplished. Our jobs and careers. Our closest friends. Our families. They have the ability to fulfill us temporarily, but it’s fleeting. It’s great for a few days, maybe weeks, maybe months, maybe even years. But eventually, it dissipates. It’s the focus on God and knowledge that everything good and wonderful in our lives is a blessing from Him that makes them last.

The number three has long been considered a Holy number, and for good reasons. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Mind, body, spirit. Raya, Ahava, Dode. Proton, neutron, electron. Blue, red, yellow. It’s everywhere, from the base of our anatomy to the foundations of our spirituality. And rightfully so. It’s a strong number.

Think about a bicycle. Only two wheels. The best bicyclist in the world could ride that bike for a long time (as long as they can stay awake, probably). It would probably shock and amaze people how good they are at keeping that bike upright. But eventually, inevitably, they tip over. Physics catch up with them. They get exhausted, they hit a bump, they shift their weight too far to one side. The best bicyclist in the world can’t stay upright forever. Try as they might, they’re destined to fail.

Now add a third wheel. Make it a tricycle. How long can that same guy keep the tricycle upright? Forever, right? As long as it exists. He doesn’t really even have to try because of the invaluable stability of the third wheel. At the same time, he obviously doesn’t have to be the best cyclist in the world to keep it from falling over, does he? A two-year old can ride one without tipping over for a long time. That’s how much safer the third wheel makes it. That’s how much easier it gets.

That’s what today’s marriages tend to miss. I’ll wager that a comparable amount of marriages through history weren’t getting it either, they just didn’t have the option of divorce. And that doesn’t make them any better for it. But that’s what our relationships are missing. That third component that will make them unshakable: God.

I’m convinced that if two people are completely and wholly focused on pursuing God and His will and His purpose for our lives, they can be nothing but good for one another. They can’t help but benefit from being around each other, whether it’s friendship or more.

We pursue a lot of things in our lifetime. Everyone at some point has at least one goal they’d like nothing more than to achieve. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But we have to realize that unless those things are second to God and His will for our lives, they’ll never give us true satisfaction.

People always ponder the meaning of life. The answer is pretty simple: “To serve God.” How we go about doing that is what’s complex. We hear a lot of callings in life and feel compelled to chase a lot of passions. Ultimately, no matter what you choose (because God has given you that ability) as long as you keep Him first, as long as He’s your third wheel, you won’t fall over.

Bike maker Sacha White is one such parent who went on to create a custom tricycle for his daughter that cost him around $10,000.

The luxury trike features the finest components with a Brooks leather saddle, cro-moly frame, headset from Campagnolo, front hub and rear wheels from Phil Wood and front end forks fashioned from stainless steel.

PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW Vanilla Bicycles.

(Source)

When I visited Copenhagen Cyclery this weekend, I also test rode the Velorbis Mobii Trike. Yay, trike! I’ve been wanting to test ride a three-wheeled beast for some time now. When I wrote about the WorkCycles Bakfiets a couple of months ago, I mentioned that I could not know for sure how I felt about it without riding a trike for comparison.

The Mobii (love the name!) comes in one size and two powder-coated colors: orange and gray. Designed and handmade in Denmark, this thoroughly modern, steel-framed stunner has the power to erase whatever old-fashioned connotations the word “tricycle” has.

Riding the Mobii with regular clothes and shoes is as effortless as riding in a car. The trike is equipped with all of the classic city bike features that make it so easy to get on and go: chainguard, fenders, wheel lock, plush sprung saddle and no-slip pedals. Unfortunately, a major benefit is missing: lights. Generator lights are so important on a bike like this. The omission is a head-scratching misstep.

Changing gears is simple and hills less daunting with the SRAM 5-speed internal hub. The weather-protected and doubled-up roller brakes and coaster brakes remove all worries of stopping power, no matter how heavy the load.

Someone remarked that the bakfiets is a cargo bike that can carry kids, and the trike is a kid bike that can carry cargo. I agree with that, as the Mobii is designed with passengers’ comfort in mind. The trike has a large box on the front rated to carry 220 pounds, equipped with a plush bench seat and two safety belts. There is ample room for two small children and several bags or boxes of additional cargo. The weather cover can be unzipped and removed. The front door unlatches and opens so little ones can easily climb in and out.

Of course, a cycle with two front wheels is not as maneuverable as a regular bicycle. This problem is ameliorated on the Mobii: the two front wheels and the box turn separately from the rest of the bike, making cornering a bit easier.

Although made for stability, the trike is not so stable if you ride it like a regular bike. I got a quick reminder of this when the front left wheel popped off the ground as I rode up the small sidewalk ramp. Yikes! I felt a bit topsy-turvey when turning in general, but nothing as dramatic as the wheelie.

As with the Velorbis Studine, the Mobii’s seat tube angle is steep compared to a bike like the Workcycles Bakfiets. This means my body is positioned somewhat straight up from top to bottom, as the pictures show. This was not an issue for me. Although I felt perched differently than on the Bakfiets or my Dutch city bike, I felt pretty much the same pedaling.

The geometry issue for me is the reach to the handlebars, which I felt was quite long. As a result, I had to lean forward a bit and keep my arms straight. The bars can be raised, but cannot be moved any closer to me. I would prefer swept-back bars that come to me, instead of me going to them. Then again, I may be the only person on earth who feels stooped over on this bike

The trike is totally stable while stopped, making it unnecessary to put a foot down for balance. A kickstand is likewise unnecessary. This is the major benefit of the bike. The equivalent of my “wheelie” moment with the bakfiets was when the bakfiets nearly fell over on me when I tried to push it up closer to the bike rack. That would not happen with the trike.

Here is the Mobii in gray. Now I want a disco ball for my bikes!

Whether one prefers a two-wheeled bakfiets or a trike is a personal decision.

My conclusion is that people who are somewhat wary of bikes and worry about perceived stability may favor the trike. On the Mobii I was perfectly balanced while stopped, even with no foot on the ground. I could walk the trike effortlessly without worrying about it tipping on me. Loading and unloading precious cargo would be a snap, with no need to set up a kickstand.

On the other hand, people who are one with their bicycles and worry more about speed and maneuverability may favor the two-wheeled bakfiets. The Mobii is not as fast or efficient as the bakfiets. For someone used to riding a regular bicycle, the Mobii handling sometimes could be awkward and frustrating.

I fall into the second category: I am much more comfortable on two wheels than three. With my imaginary child, I could see myself riding the trike to daycare, dropping off the kid, and then pulling a regular bicycle out of the hedges for the additional five mile ride to work. In a different imaginary-world-scenario, I could more easily see myself riding a bakfiets the whole way. That said, riding either type of cycle would become second nature once I invested in it and made it a part of my life. What seems awkward on the first ride becomes normal over time.

At $3,895 the Mobii is not child’s play, but for someone serious about transportation cycling with children, a trike is definitely worth looking into. I’m sure I don’t have to talk about the savings and benefits compared to a car, van or suv.

I know some of you out there have trikes (MamaVee and others) – I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Lipa was… GREAT! And I’m glad to say that I survived my first week there. (2 more weeks btw). Though my first day there was a nightmare, I wouldn’t want to go in details because this page might burst into rants. The people, place and the food made me want to totally forget about the disorganization of my stay there, or let’s say I was a victim of other people’s inefficiency. But since I’m more on the optimistic side, I was able to see the opportunity it brought upon. Again, lessons were learned. (Screw me, I had so many lessons these past few months). Fine, that’s me being boring again.

Credits to: Globosapiens.net

Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Lipa

1. The People. “Ano ga?” Though their accent sounded weird (because it’s superprofound Tagalog,and some words were very unfamiliar to me, plus they put emphasis to it), they’re so kind that they will offer their place for you to sleep at.
2. The Weather. Makati is summer, Lipa is winter. Maybe I’m a bit exaggerated but its freezing cold there and I can’t take a bath without having to heat water first. I’ll make sure my luggage contains a jacket next time.
3. The Food. Aside from it being cheap (37 pesos per meal), the taste was really good! Their famous Lomi is the best! Yummeh!
4. The Tricycle. Man, their tricycle is spacious and it would take you practically anywhere around Lipa. It’s like Lipa’s version of a taxi cab. Cool, huh?
5. The Simplicity. I have considered living there because of the style of living is so different from Manila. The workplace environment is conducive to my health (cough finally gone, thank God), less stress, less worries – those sort of work related things.

C’mon, this doesn’t mean I’m going to retract myself being an “Urbanite”. I still love Makati, it’s just that new things never fail to amaze me. They always do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to pack my things for yet another adventurous week in Lipa. Be back soon!

To loosely paraphrase the great Louis Armstrong- if you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand.

Photo credit: Etienne Musslin

- Gyro

Here are our additional photos taken during our Coron Island hopping. Enjoy!

]]> http://cabine13.com/2009/11/19/tricycle-vintage-pour-enfants/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:30:15 +0000 antoineleneuf http://cabine13.com/2009/11/19/tricycle-vintage-pour-enfants/

Bien que peut adapter a vous chers lecteurs, ce petit tricycle style vintage pour enfant fait bien délirer!

Heureusement il existe en bleu et rouge pour le petit gars!

Il coute quand même 250$…a eviter pour les enfants cascadeurs!

Scapegoat

In Biblical times, the Scapegoat was an important community ritual, whereby a litany of the sins and tribulations of the tribe were recited, and symbolically laden onto the back of a goat. The goat was then released into the desert, to bear their burdens away.

A cleansing had occurred, through the ritual of naming and atonement.

~ Melissa Penn

~*~
But scapegoating isn’t about ritual anymore, is it?

We don’t make masks, or sacrifice goats – we sacrifice people – people who challenge our status quo, make us feel uncomfortable, do things we don’t agree with or think are ‘right’ – or people who fail to do what we have decided they ’should have’ done. Scapegoats are people who are vulnerable to the hostile psychological discrediting some people use to shift accountability, responsibility, guilt and blame away from themselves. As was said in a recent Tricycle post, “if you want to hurt someone, demonize them first.” This is especially the case if, as the article suggests, you want people to approve of, or support the diminishing or attacking of another person(s).

Scapegoats are sisters, brothers, fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, lovers, husbands, wives, ex-anyones, co-workers – they sit beside you in restaurants, on buses, and at your dinner table.

Scapegoats are never born. They are made.

Scapegoat could be me …
or you.

Thoughts to ponder:

• Do you feel you have been scapegoated in your family?
• Can you see where you may have scapegoated others in your family?
• What might change in your family if people could deal openly and compassionately with the issue of scapegoating?

What an adventure and exploration we had.  Well they may be triplets but these 6  years olds are very much unique individuals.  Energetic Ethan – “E” was just the best little gentleman I have met……….  Gorgeous Grace with her mischievous smile was very enthusiastic and then there was Miss Olivia with her dainty features and stunning blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair loved being a super model…………..

Cheryl their mother wanted a particular look  for the portrait shoot which was perfect to shoot at one of my favourite locations…….. The Tinchi Tamba Wetlands.  We were able to incorporate some old world feel into the shoot and the children had fun trying to master the very very old tricycle.  The pram was a hit with the girls as was the scooter with Ethan.  By using a couple of props you are able to make your photography shoot fun and unique at the same time.   At your photography consultation we can discuss your requirements and arrange the perfect photography props for you.

What a wonderful afternoon spent with these three beautiful children and now they have some unique images to adorn their home with.

I just came across a fascinating review/discussion of The Book That Eats People on a blog called-  human behavior. Based in Australia, I believe, they bought the book Down Under. That makes me happy.

I see the author, John Perry, has read the review and wrote a great comment afterwords.  I love the fact that this book is dynamic and offers so many POV’s and can stimulate a discussion about so many different ideas. This reviewer is especially interested in the moral aspects of the story. Is it a good book? Is it scary? Does it have a moral perspective? How exciting to be able to think about these issues as part of a picture book discussion!

Here’s a link to the review at human behavior.

The weather was so beautiful this weekend. Summer’s last hurrah, I suppose. We tried to spend as much time as possible outside, since Evie is going to be penned inside all winter. This may have backfired a little bit in the sense that she now is really excited for playing outside, and is going to be disappointed when the weather turns cold and we can’t.

Anyway, we practiced riding the tricycle on Friday and Saturday, and her improvement was incredible. On Friday she was constantly steering into things and had trouble keeping the trike going in a straight line. By Saturday, she was steering pretty well. She still gets distracted easily, and then forgets to steer, but at least when she is paying attention she does a good job. She also figured out how to peddle on her own. The tricycle has a handle on the back, so normally we push her. But once she figured out how to do it on her own, she didn’t want anything to do with that handle. In fact, she made me remove the handle and carry it, so she could be sure we weren’t pushing when she wasn’t looking. She usually needs a push to break her inertia, but once she is going, she can keep going until she stops. Then she needs another push to get going again.

(You can see another video here)

Growing up, we could play in the yard whenever we wanted, but living in the city, it’s not so easy for Evie. Finding a place to play means walking to a designated playing area. So, on Sunday, Evie and I walked up to the Midway to play in the grass there. We played tag, kicked balls, climbed up and down stairs, had races, and played hide and seek. It was a lot of fun! I figured Evie would have a good time, but I was surprised at how much fun I had.

One of the funny things that happened was when we were playing hide and seek. We were basically in a big field, so there really wasn’t many places to hide. Evie didn’t care though, she thought it was so much fun. She would just run out into the middle of the field and stand and wait for me. Not wanting to just walk right over to her, I would make a big show of looking around a few places before “finding” her. If I took too long, she would helpfully yell, “Daddy!” so that I could find her. So, when it was her turn to count, she told me exactly where to “hide”. I ended up hiding a few feet away (by hiding I mean sitting in the open, but covering my head). When she was done counting, she got pretty mad that I wasn’t hiding where she told me to. So I told her to count again, and I moved to the exact spot she indicated. When she was done counting, I expected her to run right over to me. She knew exactly where I was; she placed me there. But instead, she made a big, exaggerated show of looking in a few other places first. Here I thought I was fooling her. I guess there’s no putting one over on that kid.

She continues to surprise me with her grasp of language. Like when she told Sara, “Maybe we could wear similar sweatshirts!”

She also continues to surprise me with making up songs. I would expect at her age she would be into repeating songs she hears a lot, or in making up songs about what she is doing. And she does do both of those things. But when she and Sara both wore pink shirts, she burst out singing “Two pink girls, singing in the rain!” No idea where that one came from. It wasn’t even raining.

Finally, the other day she was taking a nap when she cried out, “I want it, I want it, I want it!” so I opened the door, but she wasn’t sitting up. I whispered, “Are you awake?” as a joke, since I knew she was awake; I had just heard her. But she wasn’t awake, she was completely out. We have been noticing lately a new possessiveness, a new demanding-ness, a true toddler I-want-it-all-and-I-want-it-right-now-ness…but usually not when she’s sleeping.

In philippine tricycle is use for transporting all sort of items dead or alive.

 

I was born in Quezon City and stayed there until I was twelve.  Then moved to the United Kingdom to live with my mother.  After seven years, we came back and Manila was not the same as I remember it.  Maybe because everything is different to the eyes of a child.

We came directly to Santiago City to stay.  Santiago City at first was a very quiet place for me.  Too quiet in fact and I did not like it one bit.  People here go to sleep very early unlike the cities where almost nobody sleeps.

But after just a few weeks of staying here, it grew more and more in my heart.  I found that the silence of the inner towns is quite relaxing.  And the busy on goings of the center town is very pleasant to the eyes and ears.

Santiago City is a host to picturesque rice fields.  The people are very friendly and they welcome you with open arms.  Many businesses have established themselves here because they see the progress it continues to make.   There are many places to visit within and outside the City.  Only a few short rides and you can get to see the other cities that Isabela has to offer.