Asian Pacific Islander Celebration

May is my favorite month of the year. Not only does it celebrate my birth month, but it also highlights other celebrations such as May Day, Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, Memorial Day .... and last but not least, Asian Pacific Islander Month! At work the Heritage Committee which I chair, coordinated the Asian Pacific Islander Celebration which was a blast! Ambassador Oscar Valenzuela from the Philippines Embassy in Cairo came over and spoke as our guest speaker.

Yours truly did poetry readings on ancient poets from Japan and China, and taught the assembly the structure of a Haiku, a seventeen syllable Japanese Poem, that contains 3-lines with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. In an interactive exercise, I had the assembly create a Haiku based on our celebration:

Asian Pacific, (5 syllables)

We are here to celebrate, (7 syllables)
Together we learn! (5 syllables)

Our Commanding Officer taught everyone the intricasies of Japanese writing and symbolic meaning. There are over 52,000 Japanese characters, known pristinely at the scholar-level. However, the average person fluent in Japanese only needs to know 800 characters to read a Japanese newspaper. Japanese is read top to bottom, then left to right. Sheeesh. I better stick to English.

Afterwards, we had dancers from the Philippines Embassy demonstrate the "Tinikling Dance". This is a Filipino folk dance that has 2 dancers hop and sway within 2 clapping bamboo poles. The dancers move in and out of the poles effortlessly, as Filipino folk music is played. The celebration was wonderfully concluded with a bounty of API cuisine and festive eclectic music. It was a great way to learn all the different cultures of my Asian peeps, and was a fantastic way to end a fave and fabulous month!

Summer Sistas Pledge

Preface: Last night gentle breezes and sounds of summer urged me to dress in light fabrics and summery colors for a dinner outing I knew would look great in cute strappy sandals I got in Italy several summers back... what changed my mind on said Italian strappies was the deplorable state of my toes and feet that needed a major Sally Hansen pumice stone overhaul. I've had a hard time finding a decent pedicurist in Egypt, where the culture finds viewing the bottom of one's feet extremely offensive. Sigh, so I've inexpertly have had to do my own, and in typical Gina-procrastination-fashion, failed to give myself a much needed pedicure. This has therefore prompted me to steal this cute excerpt from my sister Pamela's blog (that, btw, she got from another).... and hope that all the "Sistas of the World" unite on this very important summer pledge:

The Open-Toed Shoe Pledge

As a member of the Cute Girl Sisterhood, I pledge to follow the rules when wearing sandals and other open-toed shoes:

1. 
   I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.
2. 
   I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free.
3. 
   I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.
4. 
   I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow.
5. 
   I will shave the hairs off my big toe.
6. 
   I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed BFF, co-worker, mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.
7. 
   If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.
8. 
   I will not live in corn denial, rather I will lean on my good friend Dr. Scholl's if my feet need him.
9. 
   I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes. This is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle.
10. 
    I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages.
11. 
    I will be brutally honest with my BFF, sister, mother, co-worker when she asks me if her feet are too ugly to wear sandals. Someone has to tell her that her toes are as long as my fingers and no sandal makes creepy feet look good!
12. 
    I will promise that if I wear flip flops, I will ensure they actually make correct "flip-flop" sounds while walking, and I will swear NOT to slide or drag my feet while wearing them.
13. 
    I will promise to go to my local nail salon at least once per season and have a real pedicure (they are about $25 and worth EVERY penny).
14. 
    I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs of wear... nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals.
15. 
    I will promise (I added this myself) that I will abide to all of the rules above, or else my fashion license gets revoked for the summer. A Happy Sole is a Happy Summer!

Happy Summer, my Sistas!!!

Stone-Cold Aggression!

Could've knocked me over with a feather....

Jon & Kate Plus Hate

Is there anyone out there NOT aware of Jon & Kate's marital woes? My heart goes out to the children. And while I'm sure TLC also feels for this poor-choices-made and very misdirected couple, I'm sure they're lovin' the increased ratings as the world (yes, Jon and Kate Plus 8, is popular in Egypt too) speculates on the couple's future. Unfortunately, I did not see season five's premiere on May 25th, since Egypt only gets the syndicated re-runs, but I saw the 2-minute clip that TLC released. The first notable thing I saw was that Jon and Kate were no longer doing their interviews together, and at the end of the clip Jon alluded to problems that he and Kate were having. The tabloids have had a field day with this once heralded couple known for their extraordinary parenting of 8 children: a pair of fraternal twins and set of sextuplets. Talks of infidelity on both sides have prompted the proverbial office water cooler discussions, which alludes to allegations of Jon's affair with a 23 year old third grade teacher, and Kate's side amusement with the family's bodyguard. According to this week's People magazine cover article, Kate hopes her marriage can be saved, especially since she and Jon have quit their jobs to devote to their reality tv show full time. This, combined with the mortgage of their new $1.2 million home, leaves both of them "without a plan". In the same article, Jon admits that he made poor choices of partying late nights while Kate was away promoting her book due to his marrying and having kids too early (had 8 kids by age 27). What has further fanned the flames is the crass interview of Kate's brother and sister-n-law, who aired dirty family laundry by revealing Kate's alleged open-marriage contract she offered Jon when the couple privately began having problems 6 months earlier. What I took out of this interview is their thinly disguised anger at Kate for her alleged vehemence in not having TLC pay them for their sporadic appearances on the show. Regardless if their allegations were true, I thought it was in extremely poor taste that they would expose their family's problems, especially at a time when Jon and Kate were most vulnerable. Sheesh... want some more salt on that festering wound? I find it ironic that this couple can say that Jon and Kate are exploiting their children, while in the same breath say they were doing this interview for the children. What?!? Let's face it. Cultivating a relationship is hard work. All couples undergo problems. However, combine this with 8 children under the age of 10 and the global scrutiny of said lives on a hit reality show, and the factor for a successful relationship becomes skewed. I pray that Jon and Kate can work out their problems, and that their children can remain unfazed by the media circus that has followed them. 'Course I admit that my discussion of their parents' problems doesn't help either, as I've become one of "those people" publicly speculating, but I truly am a fan of the show. I just hope Jon and Kate can rekindle the love that was apparent in the show's earlier seasons.

Banking Challenges

Thought this pic was a joke until I read other-wise. Apparently, this bank is located about 2.5 miles from a nearby ski resort. Guess I'd freak out too, if I encountered people with ski masks entering my bank. LoL.

'Course people don't have much reason to enter banks these days as the economy seems to take a bite out of people's savings. I doubt this poor little piggy is suffering from a bad case of the swine flu.....

Talladega Tykes

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LoL. I came across a kewl blogging project that involves a little humor. Interested in creating a parody motivational poster? For mine, I combined a goofball comedy fave, "Talladega Nights", starring two of the funniest men on the planet - Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen - and two most adorable nephews in the universe. Are you ready to try it? Follow the directions below and have fun!

Directions:

1. Click on http://diy.despair.com/motivator.php

2. Upload a pic from your computer files

3. Enter Title and Motivational Text

4. Test out colors and fonts to your liking

5. Click on "create poster"

6. Save onto your desktop

Sunset Felucca Ride

Went on a sunset felucca ride on the Nile that was sooo relaxing. I'm fortunate to live about 10 minutes from the Cornish el Nil (along the Nile), where one can find a bounty of feluccas to take you sailing for a leisurely ride along the banks of the city. We had to hop over five feluccas, before we could get to ours on the end.

Our bright orange sail unfurled and we were off with the wind.

Across the way, we spotted other feluccas joining us on the Nile for a sunset cruise.

I was so utterly relaxed. My iPod sync'd with the mood of the sunset ride by softly playing Christopher Cross's "Sailing", which was the perfect song to sail to that evening.

Dusk gathered quickly. Sepia tones closed in around us, and a great number of sails dotted the darkening horizon.

Our captain was perched on the back, his arm languishly steering the tiller that directed the water craft along the gentle currents of the Nile.

Christopher Cross's song captured the magic of the ride as we rode off into the sunset....

"Sailing takes me away... to where I've always heard it could be... just a dream and the wind to carry me... and soon I will be free...."

The Choice.

So, after 70 years Archie has decided to marry. Will it be girl-next-door Betty? Or high maintenance Veronica? And what will his choice say to the masses? That he prefers sweet? Or vamp? Coming from someone who never settled... but is still an incurable romantic... I hope he marries for love. Or am I reading too much into a comic book? LoL. Annyhoo, which comic-licious are you pulling for?

got sand?

and ancient Egyptians raised pyramids out of the sand.....

Life's Simple Equation

Don't

you

wish

solving

life's

problems

could

be

this

simple?

Home Sick With Homesick

Although the first day of Summer isn't officially declared until late June, I personally kick it off on the eve of Memorial Day week-end.... but this year I'm not feeling it. A lot of it has to do with the fact that I'm in Egypt.... and the rest of it with the fact that I am HOMESICK. For all my travels, home is the ONLY place I'd rather be. When I'm living in the states, I revolve my summer plans around my trips home to North Carolina. As I type this, I hear James Taylor's stirring melody playing in my head....

"In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina...Can't you see the sunshine...Can't you just feel the moonshine...Maybe just like a friend of mine...It hits me from behind...Yes I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind...."

I've been couchridden for the last coupla days with a nasty cold. The good thing about working at a research medical institute for infectious diseases is that if you're sick - you're encourage to stay home. And while it was good the first day, I am feeling serious pangs of cabin fever and homesickness on my 3rd day. Tomorrow I go back to work!

During my germ seclusion, I have pored over blogs and email communications and gotten a heavy dose of family updates that have me hankering for home. If I had not used so much vacation time at Christmas, I would've been able to squeeze in a visit this summer.... but then again, Christmas vacation was priceless and well worth every single moment of family time. I won't be home again until Christmas, and it's a lonnnng ways off..... Sigh.

To my family: Thank you for always keeping the light on, so I can always find my way back home. I love you around the world and back. I miss you.

"Yes I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind ..."

[Gosh, I get sappy when I'm sick.]

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON - 6 Mos & 2 Days!

Here's a FANtastic FAN-made trailer of Twilight's movie sequel, Twilight Saga: New Moon, that will debut on November 20, 2009! You better FANdango your tickets closer to the date, or else you may find yourself standing in line just for popcorn. Egads. Edward Cullen makes me giddy!

Update: Be sure to set your Tivo to the MTV channel on May 31st at 9 pm EST. Clips from Twilight Saga: New Moon will air on the MTV Movie Awards. I'm howling for joy! A-iooowwoooooo!

I'm such a Twerd.

Last Memories of Prague

On my last day in Prague, I went to a kewl sushi bar that had a conveyor belt that went around the room. Dining booths were on both sides of the conveyor belt, and diners could grab whatever dish they wanted.

I went shopping and loved, loved, loved the earth colored amber from Poland....

and lovely Bohemian crystal vases, dishware, sculpt art, and chandeliers found on every block.

Drank ample cups of European lattes' and people watched on the square for the last time.

Walked the Charles Bridge and admired the religious statues that were paired in parallel fashion from end to end.

I admired the tower that Emperor Charles IV built at the foot of the bridge.

The workmanship of the interior ceiling and statues placed at the top of the arch were lovely to see.

I walked past the Opera House, and admired my favorite art nouveau display located on the back lawn.

Went back to Old Town Square and saw the twin Gothic spires of Tyne Cathedral for the last time.

Was present at the hourly clockwork show of figures moving on the medieval Astronomical Clock, which was a favorite tourist spot for all Old Town Square visitors.

But my last impressionable memory of Prague, was the Czech red roof tops, and the winding flow of the Vltava River.

It was a wonderful trip and one that I recommend for everyone. The Czech crown converts to the euro in 2012. Take advantage of the (20:1) crown:dollar conversion, and go while it's cheap!

Prague Castle

Prague Castle is the second largest royal compound in Europe; second only to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. Starting from the 9th century, architectural styles varied in renaissance, baroque, and gothic designs.



The square below is where President Obama held his press conference on April 5, 2009.

The castle now is occupied by government offices of the Czech Republic presidency, and half of the compound is open to tourists.

This part of the castle below is from the renaissance period.

The crowned queen of Bohemia, Maria Theresa of Prague, was an advocate for women, and had this building commissioned below for elderly women who didn't have family.

The Prague castle compound also had St. George's Basilica below, which predates St. Vitus Cathedral.

I didn't tour the interior of the Prague Castle because of its lack of furnishings, but the compound was worth touring, and St. Vitus Cathedral more than made up for the castle tour, or lack thereof.