Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Only February and Yet...

A girl can dream, right?
Last week it was literally 80 degrees out... that's high 20s/low 30s for my celcius friends. It's cooling back off, though it's still pretty warm for February - but I could really just stand to kick it on the beach, you know?
Thankfully this is Israel - I'll have plenty of time for that soon enough - and I'll even have time to wish it weren't so hot.... Hahahaha.
Image (somewhere in southern California) from FashionToast via Etc....

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Kadoor Maim...

That means water polo in Hebrew (literally, the words mean "ball water"). So I've just got home from our very first game - three cheers for Maccabi Haifa. We didn't win this one, but we played very well - AND we had the best cheering squad on the planet there tonight!
I'd like to, accordingly, take a moment to say thank you to all of my friends - you're really more like my Haifa family - you guys are the best. Also, a very special and extra big THANKS to Tia Maymay for organizing everything - you're an angel!
*y'all!!!! They made signs and EVERYTHING!*

Friday, February 19, 2010

With Love From January....

MaSovaida, Lydia, Mae, Aimee
*Lydia's Birthday*

The Big Dance...

I have my first Israeli water polo game (first water polo game in Israel?) tomorrow. I'm pretty stoked. I'm truthfully a little nervous... I learned last week that I'll be playing 2 quarters in the field - and then 2 quarters at my usual position in the goal.

!!!!

I haven't played even a minute in the field since I was 16 - but we'll see. If it doesn't kill me, it'll make me stronger, right?
The raddest part is that some friends of mine here at the Bahá'í World Centre have organized a sherut full of people (fans. I have fans!) to come out and watch since the game will be in a nearby town. This is actually one of the nicest things that's ever happened to me! I don't think a single friend - much less 10 - has ever been to a game of mine before!
Anyhow, wish us luck, kids.... I'll post updates after the game or sometime early next week!
*disclaimer* This is not my team, the image is courtesy goo.gle.ima.ges - circa page 5 or 6 ("women's water polo").

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Reading... Meet Rainbow

Bayan and I are still reading - he's really liking Harry Potter! A couple of weeks ago, his mom told me how well he did on an English quiz he'd had, so I wrote him a quick note of congratulations to let him know how very proud I am of him - well last week I got a letter back from Bayan when I got to class.

My heart almost burst, I was so happy!

Anyhow, I've got this collection of old postcards I picked up at a second-hand shop (the Clothing Exchange, for those 'in the know') and one of them had the image above (Van Gogh: The Sower) on it... I decided it would be an excellent card to send Bayan's way. Afterall, he did use real stationary last week!
I tell you, that kid knows the way to a girl's heart!

...Now Look At Me

Provided today by the website that's like tv for people who don't have tv.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Putting Things in Perspective...

Bahá’ís all over the world will soon be fasting... for 19 days my life will seemingly revolve around the rise and fall and rise of the sun. But first there is a period known as Ayyám-í-Há. A time of reflection, of service, preparation and joy.
I hope it's not cheating, but I'm starting a little early this year. Well, with the reflection bit anyhow. For 19 short days I will abstain from eating or drinking during the hours the sun is up. So I limit myself to two meals per day instead of my usual (...okay 5. I eat 5 small meals a day). But it always strikes me that this still represents more food than many people see each day - I'm never uncomfortable nor do I starve. And however tired or quiet I become, I tend to be shockingly more productive during this month.
Anyhow, this out-loud thinking jag was started by the relief I felt about 45 minutes ago by simply marking everything in my goo.gle rea.der 'read'. 415 items gone in one fell swoop. And while it's nice to be clutter free (even virtually), the fact that was the most liberating thing I've experienced in a long time really kind of saddened me.
Bahá'u'lláh teaches that true liberty consisteth in complete accordance with God's laws.

This is me... ready for the Fast.

Just One of Those Days...

Image courtesy I Am a Greedy Girl
Motivation: it's 80 degrees outside
Also... I have my first water polo (non-scrimage) game in Israel this weekend - pretty stoked, by which I mean I'm super looking forward to it. ...kinda nervous,though. I'm traditionally a goal keeper - but I understand that I'll be playing 1/2 of the game in the field! *gulp*
Wish us luck, kids!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

I Expect Big Things This Year, Kids...

Happy Chinese New Year (and Korean New Year!)
Tiger! Tiger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, and what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? and what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tiger! Tiger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

The Tyger - William Blake

Happy...

William Blake

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Planning Ahead: Recipe Style...

So I've been promising recipes for at least a week now - and I've finally found a few free minutes to sit down and put them up here. I hope that you like them... I tend to eat pretty simply when I'm cooking for myself for a couple of reasons (I'm heck-of picky and can't really stand left-overs) but for the purposes of this post & the recipes I'll be including as time goes on it's because I'm just one woman - ie. I'm not cooking for a family, etc. So I guess not liking left-overs is relevant to this post, afterall. ...I digress.
Quinoa (red and white)
I've decided to start with a quinoa salad - it's simple and can be adapted to suit many a taste bud and pairs great with almost anything you can imagine/what's currently available in your pantry or at the local veggie (or even fruit) market! I give you my favorite iteration:

Ingredients: (per one serving)
1 cup white quinoa, cooked
1/2 of 1 red onion, diced
1-2 persimmons, skin removed and diced
1 stalk spring onion, finely sliced
1 avocado, cubed
Juice from 1/2 a lemon (or maybe a whole lemon)

Cook your quinoa the way that you would cook oatmeal or rice. Ie. 2 parts water/1 part grain - if this is new to you, there are several helpful websites and youtube clips with proper instructions (I checked!).
SIDENOTE: Red quinoa has a nuttier flavor than the white quinoa, so experiment with which taste you prefer based upon the ingredients you'll use. They are rad mixed - but I use the white quinoa in this recipe.

When your quinoa is finished cooking, mix in the other ingredients and eat hot.
*Mango can be substituted for persimmon if they're not readily available in your neighborhood. Be creative - and if you come up with something delicious, let me know! ...Monday's just around the corner!
*Oh... yeah. Peep the benefits of quinoa in the wiki-link above.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

On Things That Go Bump In The Night...

Whomping Willow
We've had some pretty amazing wind storms the past two nights here in Haifa... and my new flat has a tree just outside of my living room window. It's like I have my very own whomping willow. Three cheers for being a light sleeper?
...and sort of not used to living by myself and just maybe nervous that some creature is breaking in.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Updates...

Meat Free Monday may be more difficult than I previously suspected... it certainly looks to take more advanced planning than I was initially prepared for. I'll be posting some nice recipes in due course, however!

On User Friendly...

Image courtesy The Huffington Post

If you recognize this one, holler
I forget where I found it besides a very vague and largely unhelpful:
the interwebs

You should know by now how much I love love. In all of its myriad forms... but I'm still not sure what I think about Valentine's Day. But my purpose here isn't to bore you - so I'll just say that if I were in a position to be receiving (expecting?) a gift, shout out or general nice night out on the town... these would be kind of cool.
Just saying.

Monday, February 8, 2010

A Day in My So Called Life...

I watched an episode of My So Called Life on yo.ut.ube this weekend... I had sort of forgotten how much I loved that show. Well, that's not true. What I forgot is how much I identified with that show - least of all because I think that Angela Chase looks eerily like me.
It's amazing how powerfully I felt, simply by watching a single episode, the same sorts of emotions I felt in high school. This show is 16 years old (!!!)... but it still seems so present.
Weird, huh?

Street Style...

Glad to see that Scott Schuman is getting back to his street style roots - particularly with men's fashion. I was starting to think that everyone just hung out at fashion shows! *Sartorialist is linked to your right. Check it out.
Also... let's move to Milan, huh?

Further Proof That Libraries Are Awesome...

I really love this little blog - Missed Connections - basically an artist (Sophie Blackall) illustrates posts left on 'missed connection' websites. This time it was about one of my favorite places on earth - the library.

Shhh... I've always sort of hoped that I would meet someone in a library, or record store, or the like. Sigh. I know.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Do... Check Out This Blogsite

Everyone's favorite Renaissance woman has a new addition to her ridiculously rad resume.... She's got a blog, or a newsletter, or interweb domain space where she shares things that she's been thinking about, places she's visited, foods she's tried and enjoyed, and etc. It's called GOOP. I subscribe & get updates courtesy gmaildotcom - but you can also check out her site directly.
Anyhow, so there was an especially cool article awaiting me today. It's under the 'Make' category and it highlights the Meat Free Monday initiative sponsored largely by Stella, Paul and Mary McCartney. I encourage you to read the full article on Goop and to check out the MFM site (both linked for your convenience).
By sacrificing meat one day per week, you can make a direct impact on the environment - everything from emissions to reforestation to water conservation. While I'm not a vegetarian, I don't eat a lot of meat, so I realize that this initiative - coming from me - may seem cliche or not really sacrificial... but what if we all tried it for 1 month. There are 4 Mondays between now and March 1st (inclusive). I'll try it. And keep you posted - I'll even include recipes. If you'd like a head start on the recipe front, though, Ms. Gwyneth and the McCartneys have thoughtfully included some in their respective sites.

p.s. This is a direct manifestation of my move towards being a grown up woman. Recognizing that a problem exists in my world, educating myself about it, making a decision, and acting. ...it's how I roll.
*Stay tuned for reflection and re-action.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Enjoy...

I love this song - I feel like who ever wrote this song rummaged around in my most whimsical day dreams - you know the kind.... But what's really amazing is that I feel like this video is a beautiful tribute to music and to women. Women who are simultaneously confident and delicate, satisfied and hungry for something more....

Anyhow, for all of you who love love - here's an early jump on the weekend. Consider it the ode to my once and future friend I would write were I musically gifted. Cheers.

On Sincere Forms of Flattery...

So the other night some friends and I got together for a Grammy Party - Haifa style.... My friend Mae and I thought that it'd be fun to dress up as some of our favorite nominees. If you know anyone who knows someone who just happens to be seeking a back-up dancer, holler at your girl.
Yo.
...it's too bad you can't also see the shoes - next time.
[special thanks to Shazzarazi]

Monday, February 1, 2010

Leaving... On a Jet Plane

Dear Atlanta,
Y'all are lucky to be getting such a gem. Take care.
a.
Dead Sea
Our first Fast in the Holy Land...

Safe travels, Nasim. I love you.
 
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