I play chess occasionally.
I like chess, but I'm not real good at it.
Furthermore, I can't invest time in studying the game, so I learn as I go along.
Fabulous thing about the internet is correspondence chess.
A remote server keeps the boards and one logs in and makes the move, all within set time controls.
But one thing really gets on my nerves, both over the board as well as on line.
I hate it when people keep on playing in an obviously lost position.
On line, it is even worse.
Next example is a of a game with a 48 hour time control, each player has two days max before making the next move.
First thirty five or so moves were played within hours.
Now suddenly, my dear South African opponent decides he needs to take 36 hours to make a next move.
Consider his position, he plays the white pieces.



His king side pawns are immobilised.
His king has to go either to the B file or back to fourth rank and my pawn will promote.
Yet he keeps on playing.
Keeping a game alive that has been over several moves before this position was reached.

This post is not about the tv series of the three charmed witches, sisters, which my girls like to watch.
It's about gifts I received recently.
Those gifts were sent by a friend and I was particularly charmed to find gifts for my girls inside the parcel.

The package held a shirt for me, and herbal plasters, as well as a cd that I like very much.
Also inside were two combs, one for each of my daughters, made of ox horn.
The great thing is that it doesn't cause static.
My dear ones have long hair, and static is a nuisance.
These Ox Horn combs, made of keratine, the same material as human hair, are especially good for hair and scalp.
They are great for distributing natural oils, thus keeping the hair shinier and healthier, as well as increasing the blood circulation to the scalp and generating that tingling feeling.


Remembering school was to start soon, my friend added some school stuff too.
A correction roller for my oldest and colourful erasers with happy figures on it for the youngest, as well as a matching pencil sharpener.



I'll never forget the look on their faces, when they found those gifts, which I had spread on the table.
It's not like they never get any from me, but they were very surprised by this move of my matey, a person they never met or didn't know themselves.
Especially the youngest one was very enthusiastic and almost went to bed with the erasers.
Good thing daddy was watching. She carried those items around all day. She even took them with her to the couch where she sat to watch TV.

I posted earlier about my back ache, and my friend knew about it as well.
I never thought my matey would send me plasters though.
But there they were, and more effective than the medication I was prescribed to by a physician.
These plasters smell good, too, if you like the scent of herbal medicine, that is.
Activating blood circulation, reducing swellings and relieving pain, they helped curing the traumatic injury rather fast.
I was on Brufen for over two weeks, to little or no avail at all.



A supersized shirt ( to Chinese standards ) with a nice tiger print and Chinese characters, that I can't yet decipher, was included. Chinese size XXXL it fits me well.
I later looked up the meaning of Tiger in Chinese symblism and was surprised that, as opposed to here, the tiger is considered the king of all beasts. In animal symbolism the tiger deals with power, generosity, energy, royalty, protection, illumination and unpredictability.
Tigers are considered a yang energy and also a solar animal which associates them with sun, summer and fire.
Surprisingly nice extra information, though I'm not sure it was all intended that way, I wouldn't be surprised if it were, either.
Here's wee tired me wearing the shirt.



And last but not at least, there was a nice CD in it, too. Knowing that I like eastern music and that I practice Tai Ji, my dear friend bought me this double CD with Zen relaxation music , tunes with sounds of nature, water, birds etc, very, very beautiful.
The other CD contains music that sounds very much like the tunes played during Tai Ji class.





From the first CD, Zen and the Art of Relaxation by Anzan, here's The Bridge.



From the second CD, T'ai Chi by Thomas Walker, here's Bright Energy.



Frankly, I was surprised to find this much in the said parcel.
But I was particularly charmed that there were nice gifts for my girls too. After all, my friend doesn't really know them, still the gifts were very well chosen and very considerate.
Touched and charmed.
A very nice surprise, indeed.
If you read this, my friend, know that it made me very happy
And finally relieved me from that back pain
The girls promised to draw you a picture and a painting.


Tiger info source