Season's Greetings

 

Merry Christmas

 

The Deck of Cards

 T. TEXAS TYLER

"The Deck Of Cards"

Play "The Deck Of Cards"

During the North African Campaign, a bunch of soldier boys had been on a long hike. They arrived in a little town called Casino. The next morning being Sunday, several of the boys went to church. A sergeant commanded the boys in church.

After the Chaplain read the prayer, the text was taken up next. Those of the boys that had a prayer book took them out. One boy had only a deck of cards, and he spread them out. The sergeant saw the cards and said, "Soldier, put away those cards." After the service was over, the soldier was taken prisoner and brought before the Provost Marshal.

The Marshal said, "Sergeant, why have you brought this man here?"

"For playing cards in church, Sir," was the response.

The Marshal asked the soldier, "And what have you to say for yourself, son?"

"Much, Sir," replied the soldier.

The Marshal stated, "I hope so, for if not I will punish you more than any man was ever punished."

The soldier said, "Sir, I have been on the march for about six months. I have neither bible nor a prayer book, but I hope to satisfy you, sir, with the purity of my intentions." And with that, the boy started his story...

"You see, sir, when I look at the Ace, it reminds me that there is but one God.

And the deuce reminds me that the bible is divided into two parts: the Old and the New Testaments.

When I see the trey, I think of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

And when I see the four, I think of the four evangelists who preached the Gospel: there was Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

And when I see the five, it reminds me of the five wise virgins who trimmed their lamps; there were ten of them: five were wise and were saved, five were foolish and were shut out.

When I see the six, it reminds me that in six days God made this heaven and earth.

And when I see the seven, it reminds me that on the seventh day, God rested from his great work.

And when I see the eight, I think of the eight righteous persons that God saved when he destroyed the earth: there was Noah, his wife, their sons and their wives.

And when I see the nine, I think of the lepers our saviour cleansed, and that nine of the ten didn't even thank him.

When I see the ten, I think of the ten commandments that God handed down to Moses on a tablet of stone.

When I see the King, it reminds me that there is but one King of Heaven, God Almighty.

And when I see the Queen, I think of the blessed Virgin Mary who is the Queen of Heaven.

And the Jack or Knave is the Devil.

When I count the number of spots in a deck of cards, I find 365, the number of days in a year.

There are 52 cards, the number of weeks in a year.

There are four suits, the number of weeks in a month.

There are twelve picture cards, the number of months in a year.

There are thirteen tricks, the number of weeks in a quarter.

So you see, Sir, my deck of cards serves me as a bible, an almanac and a prayer book."

And friends, this story is true. I know... I was that soldier

The Global Goan - December 2023 edition

The December 2023 edition of the Global Goan is out.

Please click on the following link to read my article, "Boilanchi Gaddi" which appears on Page 65. Please share with your friends.

The Global Goan Vol4 Issue09 Dec23

https://online.fliphtml5.com/kdhdu/umvw/?fbclid=IwAR0gdFnA4c_U15MGkizwEKEZwCL7sg0KfaAkUijX1EmL2YfgGZxuajhjpfs#p=64

The Global Goan Vol.4, Issue 09, Dec. 2023

The key magazine to keep Goans united worldwide. Contains a lot of Goa related articles mainly by Goan authors. Rated PG it is a good read for all ages in the family.

Mississauga Sunset

 Meanwhile in Mississauga just now, a glorious sunset brings to an end a beautiful day, with a lot of hope for a better tomorrow with good health and happiness for everyone.

 https://youtu.be/O9wfxSHQfhI?si=hZ0HgN1v5m6CnzzB

November's Beaver Moon

Moonwhile, in Mississauga last night after a hazy start, the Beaver moon made an appearance and lasted the whole night through with a Tuesday mornning's first light snow fall in November and still up in the sky this morning. This full moon is nicknamed the "beaver moon" as beavers in North America prepare their dens and stock up for the incoming winter. Photos by Tony Fernandes.

Mississauga Sunset

 

Meanwhile, in Mississauga - a beautiful cloud formation set against a backdrop of blue sky made an overall gorgeous sunset, 281 degrees looking West. Sat Nov 18, 4.52pm Location Erin Mills Pkway/Dundas.

Things that go Ping! in the Night

Things that go ‘ping’ in the night!

By Tony Fernandes

It’s late. We’re just about to retire for the night. My wife has just finished watching her favourite late comedy show. The TV is off and she’s about to walk up the steps to the bedroom when she hears a shrill but soft 'ping-ping' sound in the corridor that turns right to go up to the bedroom. She frantically tries to pinpoint the abnormal eerie sound. I’m awake up in the bedroom when I hear my wife calling out to me and asking me whether I can hear any high-pitched sound. I reply that I can’t.

So I decide to go down myself to check and I hear the mysterious and eerie sonar-like sound too, but cannot pin-point exactly the source, direction or location. At times it appears as thoguh it is coming from a distance. Should I go outside? I decide not to. Then we check every electrical gadget and charging stations around the house, and every nook and corner of the kitchen, dining and living room. No news. Various scary scenarios race through my mind. We think it could be the smoke or CO alarm, but no, it is not. Aliens? I have no idea.

Now, we think that this is not something that we can sleep over with anyway. We have to solve the mystery before we get a good night’s rest.

So my wife goes down to the basement to check, and reports that she can't locate any ping sound there either. We check out the coat cupboard in the passage leading to the guest washroom. The answer is negative. No sound.

Then we check the guest washroom too. No luck. On the left in the passageway area there’s my famous set of shelves with my hobby items along with my toolbox.

Cupping my right ear to home in to localize the mind boggling sound, I stoop down closing in towards the toolbox and ah-ha! The ping gets slightly louder. It appears to come from the tool box which I quickly open and then the sound gets even louder and voila! And there we have it. The strange sound from the culprit is heard loud and clear. As it turns out, it is from a Stud-Finder which had a small screwdriver snugly lodged against the activator button of the stud finder waiting to be separated from each other that caused the ping.

In fact I had used the stud finder that very morning to hang some photo frames on the wall. It has now been assigned a new place (solitary confinement) in order to avoid such mind-boggling scary incidents in the future.

All Souls Day

 

All Saints Day

 

Happy Halloween

 

Memento - In Memoriam - Joachim B. D'Almeida - Requiescat in Pace.

 MEMENTO

in loving memory of our dearest friend

JOACHIM B. D'ALMEIDA.

Month's Mind Holy Mass 

Celebrating the life of our loving friend

of many years.

You will be missed.

REST IN ETERNAL PEACE.

Autumn

 

Malaika

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8jxALtWGVQ

The Voyage of Destiny

Goans have always had a penchant for travel far and beyond the borders of our homeland in search of work. Some traveled to the eastern shores of British and Portuguese Africa in the days of colonial past.

Those were the days.

The Voyage of Destiny

The timber deck beneath my feet rumbled
And leaving a surf trail in its wake
Its way out it gently nudged 
From the quiet and serene Marmagoa harbour.

The legendary “Kampala” so white and sleek
Gleamed in the hot afternoon sun;
From the grand pier’s edge
My folks waved tearful adieu;
More then a  thousand score
From the aft deck I waved too
Till my arm was sore
And could see them no more.

Fifteen days and nights seemed like a year
We pitched and rolled on the ocean waves
Into the vast expanse of the Arabian Sea;
A plain horizon eventually yielded to landfall finally
And amid apprehensions aplenty
I set foot on the golden shores
Of the East African country.

Familiar faces
Friends of my family
At the docks I recall they came to greet me
‘Jambo’ they said, ‘Habari’, ‘Ashante’, ‘Karibuni’,
The very first words I heard in Swahili.

Hard work and good times;
parrot and sparrow,
To hills, lakes
and the snow-capped peaks 
of the Kilimanjaro

I still reminisce and adore.
picnics and safaris galore
Wildlife from lion and zebra,
Under a canopy of skies so azure;

While history 
took its course with uncertainty,
To embark on yet another voyage
 Must have been life’s destiny;
I rejoice today as I look back and see
How we still dwell in great harmony;
I thank God for this great country
That welcomed me and my family,
While for a better future I pray
For one and all in this century.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Balls Falls, Ontario

Ball's Falls also known as Balls Mills, Louthe Mills and Glen Elgin, is a historical ghost town located in what is now a part of Jordan in the Niagara region, Ontario, Canada.

Paintings in New Frames

Ball's Falls, Canada

 

First Quarter Moon Phase Mississauga

 

MOONwhile last evening it was First Quarter in Mississauga, Canada. This moon phase, with an illumination of 52.39%,  is currently 7.61 days old on Friday, September 22, 2023, located in the constellation of Pisces. Last night's moon appears orange as it reflects the light from the Sun rather than creating any of its own. The sunlight hits the Moon prior to going through our atmosphere. Sometimes the sunlight will appear orange while the Moon still appears white. However, when the Moon is low to the horizon, it will also appear orange. Photo by Tony Fernandes, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, with Moon Data and View Location.

Beyond the Sunset

 

Beyond the Sunset - by Pat Boone

Dedicated to the soul of

Joachim D'Almeida

Please click on the link below to listen or join in.

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F_p2wuonJB3Y%3Fsi%3DTJN1EiuDJ29wOtnM%26fbclid%3DIwAR0PLbYiICmZqPTp6VlfjQv5qBUWG5_lQFXKC9jggnXdxOJ_2GD3uN6wqtA&h=AT1Z1f8DIxj24mwCu2506cb0Z5aNxaOgnwrux0OutjppHiOntftxAnNCNlRQaYSJiT8zEqSdKmZ-OjM4UGMwT0YTO_zfAk_JS4P_QgiRIVT2IfSd3cKo-2mrf7iqolQgHuYIGtn40KPifl_zdNbOwg

Joachim D'Almeida - Rest in Peace

 “The friends who loved you in life will therefore treasure you in death. Our life was blessed through your friendship. May you find blessings in the next life, dear friend.”

Joaquim D’Almeida, our dearest friend for the last 50 years, passed away on Friday 15th Sept. 2023 in Mississauga, Ontario. Canada. We still remember the good old days when we first met him and his family members thereafter in Dubai.

May the good Lord keep you dear Joachim in his loving care. You were a  fine example of a good friend and a fine human being - kind and helpful. Thank you for your true friendship which we will cherish and treasure forever.

Joachim D'Almeida

Born: 16 Aug 1944

Died : 15 Sep 2023

Rest in Eternal Peace.... and sing your favourite song

"Chaudavin Ka Chand Ho" till we meet and join you again.

Tony & Edna Fernandes - Mississauga, On. Canada.

Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Riverside Drive, Windsor, Ontario

 

Church of Our Lady of the Rosary

Roman Catholic Church,

Riverside Drive, Windsor, Ontario

Detroit Skyline from Windor, Ontario, Canada

 

The Global Goan Vol. 4 Issue 05

 The Global Goan Vol. 4 Issue 05, September 23 is out! Please read and share. My article is on Page 35.

https://online.fliphtml5.com/kdhdu/gfte/...

The Global Goan Vol. 4 Issue 05, September23

ONLINE.FLIPHTML5.COM

The Global Goan Vol. 4 Issue 05, September23

The Global Goan - A monthly magazine which is mostly by Goans, sharing their thoughts about Goa. An entertaining read, it is enjoyable and good!

25th Anniversary of the sad Swissair tragedy - Maritimes

 

Remembering the victims of the Swissair tragedy during our trip to the Maritimes in July 2003. A memerory to last a lifetime, drving without a GPS. Can’t believe it was 20 yrs ago.

Once in a Blue Moon

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

Moon while, in Mississauga, in addition to its "supermoon" status, this particular full moon was the second to occur in the month of August, the first having occurred on Aug. 1. As a result, the second full moon of August on the 30th, is called a "Blue" moon because it is the 2nd of 2 full moons in a single calendar month. Hence the timeless phrase of yore “once in a blue moon” which is rare. As we all know full moons are separated by 29 days, while most months are 30 or 31 days long; so it is possible at times to fit two full moons in a single month. This happens every two and a half years or so. After playing hide and seek for most of the early evening of yesterday, the moon eventually gave in and let me capture a full image. 

Photographs by Tony Fernandes 

India's First Space Mission Landing on the Moon's South Pole - Chandrayaan-3

Celebrating the first landing on the moon’s south pole! Today’s Doodle celebrates the first succesful landing of the Indian Space probe on the moon’s south pole by the Chandrayaan-3 space mission! 

Benares Historic House, Mississauga, On. Canada