Makeup & Stilettos

When you see women with makeup on, it's usually layer upon layer of it.  Like they're made up for the stage, or like Forrest says, that "embalmed" look.

Side note - I can't remember if I've written about the use of makeup here, and of course, I'm too lazy to go back and check.  So, if this is a repeat, please forgive me.

I'm still surprised when I see a woman all dolled up.  Especially since, on the one hand, they go to great lengths to cover up so they won't be seen, but then many wear makeup that makes you take a second look and go  . . . hmmmm.

Every mall has at least a half dozen stores that sell makeup exclusively, and they do brisk business.

Shoes, namely stilettos, are popular with the locals, too.

I was reminded of this when I noticed someone at work with heavy makeup and shoes with six-inch heels.  Of course, I was then curious to know what she had on under her abaya.  Designer clothes, too?

I think most women dress up to be seen or noticed by guys, but since dating in the true sense doesn't happen here, what's the point?  Are they dressing to be noticed by other women, maybe?

The malls are also filled with stores selling formal wear.  Some of it pretty risqué. These are worn to weddings, where only women are in attendance, until late in the evening when the groom shows up.

They start this practice young.  When we have special programs, our girls as young as first grade, wear formal floor-length dresses with full makeup.  Reminds me of "Toddlers & Tiaras."

So, when it comes to makeup and shoes, our worlds are not that different.

Emma

Thirty seconds of fun, thanks to a French-made commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RRDSj62tlvQ

A Sigh of Relief

My Mom used to say, "Tell me who you follow, and I'll tell you who you are."  I didn't really get this one until I had Ben and Frankie, and even then, it didn't gel until they were off to college.

It all came together for me when I met their friends.  It was only then that I could breathe a sigh of relief, and rest in the knowledge that they had chosen their friends wisely.

A deliberate act or a fluke?

No matter.

As parents we stumble along, praying that we get things right.  Sometimes we do. Sometimes we don't.

Should we earn an "A" for effort?

Maybe.

Probably . . . because . . .

Parenthood is no joke.

As wonderful as it is, I think it's the hardest job we'll ever have.

Somehow, if you're lucky/fortunate/blessed, once your kids grow up, you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

That's when the real fun begins.

She's My Hero!

Watch this granny dance and listen close as she gets in the car.  I love her!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/dancing-nana-grandma-dances-video_n_2823349.html

Questions?

If you know someone who is cheating in a relationship, do you expose them, or let the certainty of karma take it's course?

When the dirt is all out there for everyone to see, do you continue to embrace that person, or kick them to the curb for their indiscretions?

What if this person is family?

What if the aggrieved is family?

Do you shop around for a hit man?

Or do you do the humane thing and forgive?

Is there any indiscretion that we should deem unforgivable?

Do kids from broken homes make better mates because they want to be better than the disfunction they witnessed and were inescapably a part of?

Or, do they make the same mistakes because they were never taught how to create, or be a part of, a caring, positive environment?

Finally, why do people screw around in the first place?

Is it just because they can?

Or, is it because they think something is missing, and so they look for greener pastures?

How much of their inner conflict is based not on what their mate is or isn't doing, but on their own shortcomings that they have refused to deal with?

I know you're thinking . . . I missed my calling.

I should have been a shrink.

You can stop rolling your eyes now.

Think about it though.

They're master at asking questions (although I'm not claiming to be).  As part of their training, do they have a mandatory class on questioning strategies to get people to give up and share their deep dark secrets?  Does this trait help them in their own relationships?  Or is it an annoying tick their mate has to deal with?

OK.

Maybe psychiatry/psychology is not my thing, but it sure is interesting looking from the outside in.

What are some of your questions?

Last Words

The link below from Salon features famous last words.  Interesting.

http://www.salon.com/2013/03/07/famous_and_infamous_last_words/

Classic Quotes

Hat tip to Roz for sharing this.  It's the closing remarks of an email.  I've cherry picked the best to share with you.

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN,

YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE.

SO - ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

 

~Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect!

 

~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!

 

~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

 

~You sleep better on a lounge chair with theTV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".

 

~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..

 

~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ???

 

~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

 

~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear again.

 

 

~~~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

 

Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!"

 

 

The Corniche

The Corniche is a beautifully designed stretch of beach that I pass every time I drive to Abu Dhabi.  Below is a link with pictures of it.  Take the time to read the captions. They speak volumes to the way of life here.

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/tourism/in-pictures-abu-dhabi-corniche#1

Chris Tucker and the Russian Embassy

Last Thursday I trekked to Abu Dhabi to see the comedian, Chris Tucker.  What a treat that was!  Surprisingly, there were lots of local men and women.  I kept thinking, do they know this guy?  Do they know that he can be risqué?  And if, or rather, when he is, is that going to be a problem?

Nope.  Not at all.

They were lapping it up.  It helps that Chris comes off as the cool kid that everyone wants to hang with.  Some of his best material were the local jokes.  Again, the crowd loved him.

Now to the Russian Embassy.

I'm headed to Moscow for Spring Break, and so is one of my teachers and her family. She asked if I've gotten my visa.  Of course, I hadn't thought about it because in most places you can pick them up at the airport when you land.

Anyway, thank God for this lady.  In order to visit Russia, you have to go online and get an "invitation" to visit the country, and complete a lengthy application.  Without her help, I would have been up a creek.  She also shared the GPS coordinates, which was critical to finding the place.

Interestingly, it is not anywhere near Embassy Row, where most are located.  It is housed in a large, old nondescript building surrounded by storefronts.  The only clue that you've found the place are the guards posted at every corner.  They were kinda cute.  Very laid back.  Teddy bearish.

Inside, the place was manned by Russians, unlike the American Embassy, which didn't have an American in sight.

There were Russian speaking folks there for visas, too.  Not sure why they needed them.

Here's is how it works.

You present your paperwork to a clerk, who checks it, and when its all good, she takes your passport and gives you a bill for the services.

Here's the wild part.

They don't handle any money directly.  You have to go to their bank where they have an account, deposit the money, bring back the receipt, wait for a while for them to complete everything, and then you're done.  My friend suggested I park Luther and take a cab to the bank and back.  Again, this was great advice.  It took a total of two hours, although with all of the running around, it seemed a lot longer. The only branch of the bank open after hours is in Abu Dhabi Mall.  What a madhouse that was!

Anyway, thankfully, with the visa in hand, I'm ready to go.  Come April 2nd, I'll be on my way.  The following week I'm headed to Ethiopia.  You can be sure I'm checking their visa requirements as soon as I post this.

Things have been crazy busy at work, so the break will be a welcome reprieve.

Hope that all is well in your world.

More soon.

Cheers.

Good Doggy!

This was forwarded to me from Roz.  Huge thanks to her for sharing this clip of this amazingly helpful pooch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=P9Fyey4D5hg

Jailed

A woman in Abu Dhabi was jailed for handing out bibles.  Probably not the smartest thing to do in a Muslim country.

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/courts/abu-dhabi-woman-accused-of-proselytising?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Daily%2BNewsletter%2B28-02-2013

Chastity Explained

A very interesting and surprising article on a recent study by researchers at CUNY about religious affiliation and pre-martial sex.  It was found on "The Dish."

http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2013/02/24/which-religions-are-the-most-chaste/

Global Warming?

Hat tip to Forrest for sharing this video.  It's four minutes.  Stay with it to understand the enormity of what we're witnessing.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/hC3VTgIPoGU?rel=0

Presentation is Everything

We had another celebration at school today, and with it came a parade of many cakes.  Beautiful, layered, decorative, and inviting . . .

. . . until it was time to eat them.

I should mention that utensils are not used to cut the cakes, so after the first fist digs in, your appetite for the cake diminishes completely.

The kids are darling, though.  They want to share with everyone, especially the adults in the building, so many of them came by my office with boxes of the remnants of the beautiful cakes that were.

Thankfully, I brought some veggies to munch on and I could show the kids I was dieting, when they insisted that I partake of their goodies.

This whole scene is reminiscent of the traditional meals we've had, where these huge woks are filled to overflowing with food, and everyone digs in.  Most of the time there will be a serving spoon, but if there isn't one, you just scoop things up with the flat bread that is served with every meal.

These experiences have taught me that presentation is everything, and even chocolate is a turn off once it becomes finger/fist food.

Long Day

Have you ever had one of those mind-numbing meetings where two hours felt like twenty . . .

. . . in labor?

How is it that we folks who are teachers, who stand in front of people everyday, can be so out-of-touch with our audience?

Do we not see their glassy eyes?  Or do we just choose to ignore them and plow on?

Is it not obvious when some of us (OK, me) get five cups of coffee, four more than usual, just to stay awake?

And the restroom runs?

I lost count.

It was a painfully long day.

Here's hoping that yours is not.

My Toilet Fascination

Yes.

My toilet fascination is a bit strange.

OK.

It's really strange.

But in the spirit of discovering something new . . . in toilets, check this out.

http://www.nytimes.com/video/2011/10/12/technology/personaltech/100000001071311/the-toilet-of-tomorrow.html?VI-D-E-OB-AD-TXT-NA-ROS-0912-NA

GPA vs. FTA

Anybody else wonder if this kid's GPA (grade point average) is as prodigious as his FTA (free throws attempted)?

http://www.nytimes.com/video/2013/02/16/sports/100000002069966/big-talent-tiny-point-guard.html?emc=eta1

Addresses Are Coming!

This was the headline news in today's paper.  All the Western ex-pats are rejoicing!

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/every-home-in-abu-dhabi-to-have-its-own-address?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Daily%2BNewsletter%2B17-02-2013

Tattoos, Phones and Cameras

I think tattoos are silly.

I know.

No one cares what I think, but I wanted it on record.

I'm not a fan.

Interestingly, I've yet to see tattoos on anyone in my travels.  Although, to be fair, I can't say I was looking for them per se.  I'm guessing they're more prevalent in Europe.

I understand many tattoos are meaningful and touching.  The thing is, many of what was meaningful in my 20's, seems down right stupid in my 50's.  If I would have indulged then, I'd be spending a mint to get them removed now.

But that's me.

Old school through and through.

Now to mobile phones -

As I've shared before, this area is keeping Blackberry phones alive.  There appears to be more Blackberry mobiles than iPhones, by a long shot.  And, if not Blackberry, some other android platform phones have flooded the market.

Whatever the phone, they all seem to have cameras and they are used profusely. Interestingly, local women usually cover up when we pull out our cameras, but they take pictures of each other at will.  In fact, everything that is done, is captured by picture.  It serves as proof that it happened.

Speaking of old school -

For those of you old enough to remember Walter Cronkite, he used to sign off his newscast like this:

"And that's the way it is."

I would add, "in the UAE."

More soon.

Inshallah.

All Kinds of Love

The following story was emailed to me from my dear friend Ann.  Huge thanks to her for sharing this incredible story.  I think it's fitting for this day we set aside for love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

SOMETHING IN THE UNIVERSE THAT IS MUCH GREATER AND DEEPER THAN HUMAN INTELLIGENCE.

THE ELEPHANT'S JOURNEY TO PAY RESPECT, BUT HOW DID THEY KNOW?

Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller The Elephant Whisperer, bravelyrescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during U.S. invasion in 2003.

.

On March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died.

He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons and numerous elephants.

Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large matriarchs.

Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved man-friend.

A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to get to his South African House.

Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe not only because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these elephants sensed about Lawrence's passing, but also because of the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked in such an organized way:

Walking slowly - for days - Making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house.

So, how after Anthony’s death, did the reserve’s elephants — grazing miles away in distant parts of the park — know?

“A good man died suddenly,” says Rabbi Leila Gal Berner, Ph.D., “and from miles and miles away, two herds of elephants,sensing that they had lost a beloved human friend, moved in a solemn, almost ‘funereal’ procession to make a call on the bereaved family at the deceased man’s home.” “If there ever were a time, when we can truly sense the wondrous ‘interconnectedness of all beings,’ it is when we reflect on the elephants of Thula Thula.

A man’s heart’s stops, and hundreds of elephants’ hearts are grieving.

This man’s oh-so-abundantly loving heart offered healing to these elephants, and now, they came to pay loving homage to their friend.”

Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over 3 years!

But yet they knew where they were going.

The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects, honoring their friend who'd saved their lives - so much respect thatthey stayed for 2 days 2 nights without eating anything.

Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back.