All Hallows' Even

Today, the 31st is Halloween. While the holiday originates from the USA, it is popular all over the world these days.

Halloween means Hallows Eve (the eve before the Day of the Dead, on the 1st of November), and its origins are Celtic. 2,500 years ago the Celtic people from what is now the UK celebrated New Years Eve at the end of the summer, not in December, and for them this day was the 31st of October. For some reason, the Celts thought that on this day the spirits would come out of their tombs and walk the earth. To scare off the spirits, people decorated their houses with bones and other scary objects that would ward off the spirits. 

Nowadays, Halloween is most celebrated in Anglo-saxon cultures where people dress up like monsters and fantasy creatures and do Trick-or-Treating.  Most homes, put a Jack-o-lantern outside on the doorstep (I have 6!)

Halloween is now popular in many other countries thanks to movies and TV shows that have shown this fun holiday. Really, it is pretty fun to dress up like a witch, a zombie, or a vampire! I do it every year and it's about a month of planning and cracking the head as to what to dress up as.  I chose to be the Dark Widow this year :0) Why?  I just thot it was sexy :)

Hey if dressing up and trolling about isn't your thing you could always just get together with friends and watch horror flicks.  The Shining, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, Chucky...! Since I'm a scardy cat to all degrees when it comes to watching horror flicks, the earlier is so much less of a hassle.  I remember watching 3/4 of Jaws from under the seat! Heaven only knows how i survived the Haunted Forest on Thursday nite. I kid you not, when i say that more adults had the crap scared outta them than the kids...*shudders* 


And now I leave you to go create mayhem with other ghosts, ghouls, goblins, demons, witches, vampires. To stand around a couldron, mix and chant and down its poisons...HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

      Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.
       Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin'd.
       Harpier cries:—'tis time! 'tis time!
        Round about the caldron go;
    In the poison'd entrails throw.—
    Toad, that under cold stone,
    Days and nights has thirty-one;
    Swelter'd venom sleeping got,
    Boil thou first i' the charmed pot! 

       Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 

       Fillet of a fenny snake,
    In the caldron boil and bake;
    Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
    Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
    Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
    Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—
    For a charm of powerful trouble,
    Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

       Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 

       Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf;
    Witches' mummy; maw and gulf
    Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark;
    Root of hemlock digg'd i the dark;
    Liver of blaspheming Jew;
    Gall of goat, and slips of yew
    Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse;
    Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips;
    Finger of birth-strangled babe
    Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,—
    Make the gruel thick and slab:
    Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
    For the ingrediants of our caldron. 

      Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 

       Cool it with a baboon's blood,
    Then the charm is firm and good.

Stupid People Suck

I certainly don't profess to be the brightest bulb in the bunch but I really have no patience for outright stupidity. They say ignorance is bliss but it's only bliss for the ignoramus, not for those of us around them who have to witness it. And I'm not talking about the Darwin Awards, presented to the Grand Poobas of Idiocy. I'm talking about everyday dumb.

I work for an institution that employs over 10,000 people. A large number of the employees have multiple advanced degrees from the most esteemed universities across the globe. We're a development institution and we employ the best and the brightest. Or so we thought.

We utilize the same phone system that can be seen on the television show, The Office, which is your first clue. It has lots of bells and whistles and one of the advanced features of this system is that you can listen to a phone mail message directly on your computer through your email. It's very convenient when you're checking your messages remotely and don't have access to a phone. The phone system isn't without some glitches and hiccups but you learn to roll with the punches and move forward in a logical manner when something goes wrong.

At approximately 2:29PM, I received an email regarding a "message from an unidentified caller (555-555-5555), with the text "TESTING". It seemed rather self-explanatory to me, a test by our IT department. I deleted the message, minimized my email and continued working on my spreadsheet.

Just about every minute, that small window would pop up in the lower right hand corner of my screen, "You have mail."

I finally decided to check my email again and found no less than 20 emails, all referencing the first email. I looked at the recipient line and noticed that someone had inadvertently sent it to ALL USERS. Woops. Well, shit happens. I felt bad for the person who accidentally hit ALL but not as bad as I did for the person whose phone number was referenced in the email.

I proceeded to scroll through a plethora of emails as more and more entered my inbox. They were from people who had either called this person or just wanted to REPLY TO ALL that they had no idea what this email was about.

"Is someone handling this?", Director

"???????", Manager

"I'm not sure what's going on", Senior VP

"Note to all-stop hitting reply to all", Lead Coordinator

"I got this, too", Manager, Graduate Medical Education, MBA

"Why am I getting this message?", Country Rep Liaison

"Please don't hit reply to all", Senior VP FAQ Unit, CPA, MBA

"STOP REPLYING ALL", Special Assistant

"Stop including me in your emails. I don't have time to delete this." SAR Country Director

And my favorite: "I think the phones are going crazy!", Ombuds Office

Now, keep in mind that all of these responses were sent TO ALL. I guess they don't see the irony in that.

After about the one hundredth message, I wanted to reply TO ALL, "You're all a bunch of stupid idiots!!" but I thought that might be inappropriate and then I would just become one of them. Instead, I thought I would share this sentiment with you:

Stupid people suck

Truth Hurts Like A Kick To The Teeth

Sometimes, when it's the most important time to tell the truth is when it hurts the most.

Lie all you want about how your fucking day is, or your icecream preference- but when you tell someone their teeth are turning yellow, or that their boyfriend is a tool bag, you're really gonna cut deep. When you tell someone the way they're living their present is affecting their future, in a negative way, they aren't going to listen to you with open ears.

Teeth being yellow isn't subjective, it just is- and being colorblind is a disease. Rihanna getting back with Chris Brown isn't subjective, it's just stupid. Global warming isn't deciding whether you prefer wine or beer- it just IS. But isn't denial so much easier??? Is it easier to see the smaller picture.....

...is it?

Is avoiding the truth really going to hurt less? Sure, facing the facts right NOW is sort of like wiggling that tricky tooth that's hanging by it's last thread and hoping that it stays there, because the actual PULL of it breaking is going to make you want to vomit- the open fleshy wound is going to remind you that YES, the tooth is GONE. So, it's easier to play with the tooth with your tongue until you decide to bite into a burger and the tooth comes out.....all bloody and unwelcome, inappropriate and meal-ruining, looks like you're going hungry today.

Is it better to pull or wait?

I've done both- I've tied the string to the doorknob and then backed out the second it was about to slam- both literally and hypothetically.

Sometimes the pain is literal. When it hurts the worst, it usual is. It's the kind that makes you fall to your knees and instinctively grab your stomach ready for every piece of your vital organs to just projectile straight out of your mouth. The kind that hurts the worst, is the kind that was so toxic to your state of being that you MUST get it out to feel better. It's the elephant in the room, the "she's so blind", the "if only she knew....." or the "get your head out of the clouds." It's the stain.

No one wants to be told to lose 25 pounds- but their heart surely wants someone to tell them. No one wants to be told that they're going to get themselves into MORE trouble by ignoring the facts. No one wants to be be told, "just work fucking harder." Or, "turn your pipe dreams down a few damn notches so you can hear what's really going on." And often, the reason they don't want to hear it, is because their subconscious is already busy dropping hints in the form of small road blocks in the pathway of their denial....but when the truth hurts the most, you're even more likely to try and figure out how to climb the fucking mountain before you acknowledge that it's Mount Everest, you aren't wearing a Northface jacket and you've got Converse sneakers on.....right- good luck.

When the truth is hard to tell, it's most often to the people you love the most, otherwise, you simply wouldn't give a shit. So what if they're hurt, NEXT.

Truth is one of the things that in hindsight, after the lesson's learned, it seems to easy. Choosing to ignore truth only helps on the surface....choosing to "deal with it another day" or choosing to put off the fact that YES, you DO have to pay that bill- and NO, they won't wave the late fee- the longer you wait, isn't going to make it go away.

He won't get better if he isn't already GREAT NOW. Just one more cookie IS going to affect your muffin top, stop acting like it isn't. Not telling someone what they need to hear isn't going to make you feel ANY different about it, and it isn't going to make their situation easier by you being silent. Silence of words doesn't create silence in truth.

The things that we need to experience don't always feel like a trip to the spa. Truth, can sometimes feel like Helga's Swedish massage with two fists and elbows....but, when the bruises are gone- the knots are smooth, you'll stand up so much straighter.

Unique Urinals!

On a scale of 1-10, my maturity level, as you can clearly see, is somewhere along the lines of a high 1 today. Ok, ok, more like negative 1. I've started my weekend so a little slack can be provided eh? Thank you google image search for providing the entertainment ;)

Happy weekend Friends! I hope you have a great one!

The Invisible Man

I love the following photos...spot Liu Bolin :0)

Come, let's laugh :0)

If you’ve ever hung around a baby for any extended period of time, you probably noticed that babies have different cries for different needs - cries that their parents learn the meaning of after some familiarization with their little one. But oddly enough, parents don't usually try to distinguish their child's different forms of laughter.

Though there are many ways to laugh, from giggles to guffaws and from chuckles to cackles, it turns out that we humans laugh at the strangest things. And it's more than just the latest David Sedaris book or episode of "Saturday Night Live" that has us doubled over -- only about 90 percent of our laughter is related to jokes or humor. You yourself probably haven’t put much thought into the different ways you laugh, or why.

So what are some other situations that get us laughing.
 

The first is etiquette laughter. We’ve all been there.
Your boss cracks some terrible joke and you feel the need to laugh hysterically - to be polite - even though you are crying on the inside.

 
 
 

The second is nervous laughter.

Like when the nude model shows up to your art class and you find yourself shaking behind the easel trying to stifle your giggling
 
 
 

The third is Pigeon laughter.

Your out for a walk with you friend when something falls from the sky. You're splattered, you're friend is untouched.This event is anything but funny to you, yet your friend can't stop laughing. Its laughing without opening your mouth.

 
 
 
 
 

The fourth is Silent laughter.

OK those of us who have worked in cubicles, the silent laughter is a skill we've perfected so that we can look at funny web sites and videos at work.
 
 
 

And finally the fifth is Belly laughter. The most honest laughter.

The kind of laughter that has us rolling on the floor, clutching our bellies and laughing for air. 

Carolyn Birmingham said " A smile starts on the lips, A grin spreads to the eyes, A chuckle comes from the belly; But a good laugh bursts forth from the soul, Overflows and bubbles all around".
Let's begin or end our day with a hearty laugh in any which way you desire but laugh u must

Shrimp Briyani

Here's the recipe for the Shrimp Briyani as promised :0)

INGREDIENTS:

Shrimps - 2 lbs
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Yellow Onions (thinly sliced) - 2
Lemon Juice - 2
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Tumeric powder - 1 tsp
Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Curd/buttermilk - 1/2 cup (plain yoghurt would suffice too)
Cloves - 6
Cinnamon 1in piece
Cardamon - 4
Bay leaf - 2
Star Anise - 2
Basmati rice - 2.5 cups
Sona Masoori rice - 1 cup (no worries if you can't find this type of rice)

METHOD:

deshell the shrimps & rinse

add 2 tbsp water, lemon juice and salt

toss the shrimps and remove excess liquid

add 1tsp of chilli powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp tumeric powder & 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste & curd

toss the shrimps and evenly coat with the mix. Keep aside

heat ghee & oil in a deep pan

add onions & fry until golden

add cinnamon, cardamon, bay leaf, star anise & cloves - fry till fragrant

add 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste & fry untill smell wears out

add rest of the chilli powder, coriander powder & tumeric powder & fry

add the chopped coriander leaves & fry

add the shrimp mix to the paste and let it cook

add washed rice & fry

add 6.5 cups of water and salt

put mix into rice cooker

once rice is done, put the briyani into oven safe tray & spread put to around 2in thick

heat the oven to 350deg and bake 15 mins, uncovered (this will remove excess liquid and separate the rice)

Enjoy and bon appetite!

Yummie Mango Pie

Here it is finally...yes, yes I know it's taken me a helluva long time to get the recipe but voila!  It's easy and fun to make.  If you don't use all of the Alphonso Mango puree, you may wanna consider turning it into a mango slurpie, equally as delicious....enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Graham pie crust shell

1/2 can Mango pulp - Alphonso

1 packet unflavoured gelatine

4 oz sour cream

4 oz cream cheese

3 tabsp sugar

1 cup boiling water

METHOD:

Mix gelatine in boiling water and add sugar to this mix.

Blend mango pulp, sour cream and cream cheese until smooth. Add gelatine to mix, pour into shell and put it in the fridge.

Serve with mango slices.

We Are Family

Humanity When it comes to our families, we sometimes see only our differences. We see the way our parents cling to ideas we don’t believe, or act in ways we try not to act. We see how practical one of our siblings is and wonder how we can be from the same gene pool. Similarly, within the human family we see how different we are from each other, in ways ranging from gender and race to geographical location and religious beliefs. It is almost as if we think we are a different species sometimes. But the truth is, in our personal families as well as the human family, we really are the same.

A single mother of four living in Africa looks up at the same stars and moon that shine down on an elderly Frenchman in Paris. A Tibetan monk living in India, a newborn infant in China, and a young couple saying their marriage vows in Indiana all breathe the same air, by the same process. We have all been hurt and we have all cried. Each one of us knows how it feels to love someone dearly. No matter what our political views are, we all love to laugh. Regardless of how much or how little money we have, our hearts pump blood through our bodies in the same way. With all this in common, it is clear we are each individual members of the same family. We are human.

Acknowledging how close we all are, instead of clinging to what separates us, enables us to feel less alone in the world. Every person we meet, see, hear, or read about, is a member of our family. We are truly not alone. We also begin to see that we are perfectly capable of understanding and relating to people who, on the surface, may seem very different from us. This awareness prevents us from disconnecting from people on the other side of the tracks, and the other side of the world. We begin to understand that we must treat all people for what they are—family.

Only in America...

It's my day off and yet I'm up like the wide-eyed bushy tailed squirrel, sitting on the branch right outside my window. Did you know that squirrels are quite noisy creatures?

OK, ok I digress. As I always do when I wake up, I flip CNN on and the first piece of news that hits me is Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize...wow! And of course anything which happens to this Man, is up for international debate...geez.

Next up....NASA 'bombs' the moon! There is the urgent need to know if water exists on the moon coz water is heavy and would be difficult to carry...huh?....who's up for the moon as your next postal address??

Hhmm I like my 'adopted' country, really I do, I've been living here the past 10 years! But seriously! read on....

Only in America...

* are there handicap-parking places in front of a skating rink.

* do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

* do they leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

* do they use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.

* do they use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

* do they choose from just two people to run for presidency and 50 for Miss America

* do they make the sick walk all the way to the back of the drugstore to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

* half the money is spent buying food, and the other half is spent trying to lose weigh


* do they have braille on drive-thru ATMs

and wait here is the clincher...

Only in America is there actually a semi-important figure in American history who is named for a blow-job movie. Deep Throat. Think about it. How do school teachers handle this?



And on that note I wish you a very Happy Friday...party till you drop but do be responsible & careful!

Women, Islam & Iran

I attended a play called Beneath The Veil at the John Kennedy Center of Arts, DC this evening.  I really had no idea what I was in for as John and I had purchased the tickets on a whim for something different to do on a Thursday evening.

Beneath the Veil turned out to be a 90 min intermission free powerful production giving a rare glimpse behind the traditional veil worn by millions of women in the Middle East and around the world. It is the thought-provoking work by international award winning actress/activist Mary Apick who tells of stunning stories that expose the systematic and often violent oppression of women and children in namely Iran.

The play had several parallel and interwoven stories being told simultaneously.  There was

* the tale of the Iranian born Canadian photo journalist, Zahra Kazemi who was brutally abused and killed in their prison for taking photos outside a prison during a student protest in Tehran.
* the stoning of Soraya M. Buried up to her neck she was stoned to death on a trumped-up charge of adultery. Unbelieveably the first to cast their stones were her husband, father and sons!
* Neda Soltan known as Iran's angel of freedom. Killed innocently as she watched the Iranian election protests
* a plight of a widower who had to become a prostitute, formerly a teacher, in order to buy milk for her baby

* another woman who was also murdered for lifting her veil
* a 16yr old girl who was caught and publicly humiliated for having posters of Michael Jackson tucked away in her textbooks. She in turned committed suicide

There were a few more stories like these and honestly not only did it leave a bad taste in my mouth but a heavy heart.  I cannot imagine living in a world such as theirs. The daily mental anguish, the inability to voice their opinions, to be something more than just a sexual puppet for men...aarrrggggggghhhhhhh!!!

I wish Mary Apick all the best in using her talent to spread the news on the plight of women in Iran.  Hopefully with the aid of Amnesty International and other similar agencies, something will be done soon. It is not right for women, and/or all humans, to be treated in such manner in the name of religion!

Breaking Social Norms

Everyday, at some point, we follow unwritten rules. Deviating from social norms can leave people looking at you with a raised eyebrow, scratching their heads. Watching a fellow step out of general bounds, will certainly stir up some emotions. Some might let out a great big awesome laugh, while others might be highly confused and possibly slightly irritated.

I like to break the norm and bring about internal chaos to the unexpected individual every now and then, when I'm bored or just feel in the mood for mischief.  It could be at a restaurant, bar, govt office, Mall or even at the stoic premises of the World Bank ;-)

So what have I gotten up to most recently...let me count the ways...

Standing next to the person, not behind

Starting a conversation with someone while they are in a bathroom stall

Clapping when the barista (starbucks) makes your drink {or any order}

Facing sideways in an elevator

Stand on the left of the escalator

Saying "no, I am sorry I can't" when someones ask you to take a message

It is  easily recognized that when people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other otherwise those who march to a different drummer are used to getting beaten. C'est la vie, non?

Would you feel comfortable deviating from certain social norms? or How would you feel watching some else do it?

Reversed Projections

We all have issues, as well as undesirable qualities or traits that we don’t like about ourselves. I know I do. Most of us realize that we are not perfect and that it is natural to have unpleasant thoughts, motivations, desires, or feelings. However, when a person does not acknowledge these, they may ascribe those characteristics to someone else, deeming other people instead as angry, jealous, or insecure. In psychological terms, such blaming and fault finding is called projection.

When we are the target of projections, it can be confusing and frustrating, not to mention maddening, particularly when we know that we are not the cause of another person’s distress. Even people who are well aware of their issues may find that sensitive subjects can bring up unexpected projections. They may feel insecure about a lack of funds and thus view a friend as extravagant. Or, if they really want to get in shape, they may preach the benefits of exercise to anyone and everyone.

While we can try to avoid people we know who engage in projecting their “stuff” onto others, we can’t always steer clear of such encounters. We can, however, deflect some projections through mindfulness. At other times, we may have to put up a protective shield when we feel a projection coming our way, reminding ourselves that someone else’s issues are not ours. Although it’s difficult not to react when we are the recipient of a projection, it is a good idea to try to remain calm and let the other person know if they are being unreasonable and disrespectful. We all know that it’s not fun to be dumped on. Likewise, we should be mindful that we don’t take our own frustrations out on others. When we take ownership of our thoughts, motivations, desires, and feelings, we are less likely to project our issues or disowned qualities onto others.

The Theory of Intelligence

A friend forwarded the following to me recently and its so profound ;0) that I thought you, my dear friends, needed to be in the know. And well, it's also friday....


I don't think I've ever heard the concept explained any better than this.

' . . . A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.'

Cheers ya'll...bon weekend!