But My Absolute Favorite: So Far

Call it beginners luck, if you must, but I really love this picture! The light, the reflection, the image! Sigh.

Starting on the (left) side of the bed: A Day in the Life....

Modern Impressions of Light: A Study

So it hardly compares Monet's study of light - "Grainstack(s)" - but I woke up early one morning about 2 weeks ago (let's not get hasty with the trend spotting, but I am getting ready for the Fast) and caught this sunrise from my bedroom window. I'm still learning how to use my camera - to which end I begin a photo class on Tuesday - but I'm really happy with the pictures here: the screen, the way the light reflects on my little view, and in the third - the way that the light is so wonderfully framed by the iron "embellishments" on my window. Middle-Eastern detailing for a Middle-Eastern sunrise....

Not Exaclty Different: Not Exactly the Same

Starbucks isn't on any corner, "Target?" is met with a blank stare - but Israel has imported another favorite of mine: IKEA. My friends (Anahita, Rashel, Leili, Behi, Joanna - pictured) and I took a field trip to IKEA in September. The title of this blog post says it all: all.

Guerilla Hair Care: MacGyver Couldn't Have Freaked It Better

So for those of you in the know... I've recently cut my hair and come back into the blonde spectrum of color. I basically have a blonde version of Katie Holmes' hair cut - or, for those of you really in the know, a graduated bob. But whatever.
As is true with all hair cuts (no matter how great they are, or how many compliments you receive - yes it is, and you better believe it(!), respectively), I haven't been able to reproduce what magic Roi created in the salon. Mostly because I don't have the "khoseleh" (Persian word for endless amounts of patience) for it, and the fact that I still don't know how to use a hair dryer. Sigh, I know - blame it on my childhood as a tomboy, but it's true.
Anyhow, I decided that today would be different. So borrowed my friend Nasim's curling iron and I woke up at 6:30 (gasp! It's true) to curl my hair - cute style. Noting that Nasim's curling iron is from the States, I plugged it into an adapter and began curling away. Several minutes later I realize that the iron isn't as hot as it once was - apparently adapters and converters are different.... But I couldn't just stop!
Thankfully my mom made me read Little Women when I was 8, and I know how they used to do "back in the day". So here I am at 7:30 in the morning, heating a curling iron against my clothes iron - section by section, piece by piece.
...but I look good, though.
And don't worry, my new photo teacher assures me that that can be reinacted for posterity's sake.

Something New: A Recommendation

From the Bahá’í Writings:

"O thou daughter of the Kingdom!
Know thou that prayer and supplication are the water of life, through them one's being is quickened and one's soul refreshed and gladdened. Do thou persevere therein as far as thou art able, and recommend to others likewise to engage in prayer and supplication."

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Something Old: A Dream

My souls touch and flex guiding the muscles of my legs to ease the cares of my lonely days. While my palms unite and I imitate the mantis, my now exhausted self looses the anchors of my mind. Flex and stretch and hum and purr - with each movement and syllable I am transported closer to a world where nothing makes sense, but where everything is perfect.

Here I am in a calm, deep, and ancient forest. Coniferous tree piercing the crisp blue, now thunderously grey sky. In all of this you appear. A flash of many colored wings. Silently your powerful wings propel you through the forest. Silently you catch my eye and I begin to run, my only thought to keep pace. For now I know your secret, as it is my own. Towards you, each step closer I take, a fresh bit of potential I realize. To greater heights I am lifted, each beat your wings do make.

With my dreams for example, I know what I must do. To catch the bird that is my soul, I must turn my thoughts from free to God's.

My New Hobbies

So I've decided to make cooking my hobby since I've come to Israel - feel free to leave recipes for me to try! Yes, I know... But I decided that I could always go back to eating a bowl of soup or cereal or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich if I failed, but if I succeeded - well then I'd have something really tasty and healthy to eat!
Some things to consider when cooking is your hobby (especially if you're an expat):

1. No matter where you are, cooking for one person sucks.
2. WHAT IS CELCIUS?!?
3. Gas top stoves yield much different results than electric top stoves. I'm learning, though.
4. Recipes gleaned from gourmet cooking websites? Double all of your prep-time and add 20 minutes to your cook-time.
5. I'm not very good at desserts. This is actually a good thing.

And now for my new (as yet unexercised) hobby: photography! I will finally learn how my camera works and then you all can see what I'm really about.... But more on that later.