Commercial

Ben and Frankie, ignore this.

Everyone else, enjoy.

http://www.upworthy.com/the-beer-marijuana-commercial-that-is-making-people-everywhere-rethink-their-position?c=upw1

Jellybean Life

Below is a link to a video illustrating our lives with each day represented by a jellybean.

It is a powerful message.

http://www.upworthy.com/this-dude-just-used-jelly-beans-to-convince-me-to-live-my-life-to-the-fullest-2?c=upw1

Jim Crow

With all of the publicity about the movie "The Butler," I'm reminded of growing up in the segregated South.

We owe a debt of eternal gratitude to the brave souls who confronted Jim Crow head on.  God knows, things aren't perfect now, but they're better.

We're better.

At my home in Texas in the 50's, 60's and beyond, we didn't protest, object, or push back.  My folks understood the real threat of harm for those who did, and they made sure we took a passive role of support.  From the television, where the brutality of segregation was sometimes seen, we said a hushed thank you to the black and white folks who took up the mantle and made a positive difference for all of us.

But my folks were afraid to speak up.

Afraid of the backlash of protesting.

Afraid we'd come up missing.

Afraid we'd be hurt, or worse.

You see, terrorism was a real threat for many of us, long before 9/11.

When I think of this time, I wonder if the roles were reversed, if I would have responded differently.

I wonder . . . would I, like Ruby Bridges' parents, have sent Ben or Frankie off all alone, as first graders, to an all-white school that didn't want integration, knowing they would have been ridiculed and scorned, simply because they're black?  Would I have allowed them to be treated so poorly and possibly even hurt?

Honestly, no.  I wouldn't have.

But thank God, for those parents who did.

Where would we be, if someone had not said, "Enough is enough," and followed that with real action, ushering in real breakthroughs?

When race matters come up, black folks are often encouraged to "get over it" and "move on."  I understand the comments, but I don't think the folks who are making these suggestions, get it.  They don't seem to understand that every experience we go through (good, bad or indifferent), frames who we become and creates the lens through which we see the world.

Yes, times have changed.

And, yes . . .

Things are better.

But . . .

. . . when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. - George Santayana

Great Message

Ashton Kutcher just went way up on the list of people I admire.  See why below. Skip to 1.44 to avoid the screaming teens.

http://www.upworthy.com/ashton-kutcher-just-told-a-bunch-of-teenagers-how-to-be-sexy-in-the-smartest-way-ever-3?c=upw1

Do the Right Thing

This supports my theory that most people are good, and will do the right thing.

Please watch this video clip from the Huffington Post and see if you agree.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/casey-neistat-do-right-th_n_3764501.html?ref=topbar

Precious Gems and a Tea Plantation

I forgot to mention in the previous post, we visited a jewelry store where we were shown a video illustrating the processes and procedures of procuring the priceless gems.  It is laborious and requires much patience because they have to dig deep and excavate tons of soil to find the tiniest of stones.  Sri Lanka is famous for the blue sapphires.

Below are some craftsmen at work, making rings.

 Next door, a lady was weaving cloth.

The next day, we drove up a couple of hours north to higher elevations, where we visited a tea planation.  I must admit, I was a little skeptical going to see an active planation because of the negative connotation that word implies.  In this case, it refers to a tea farm, where it is grown and processed for consumption.

A fascinating fact is that there is no irrigation needed to grow tea here.
The dew that forms in the higher elevations is all the moisture needed.
The ground is a red soil that is very, very fertile.

A snake charmer on the side of the road.

A daring soul!

Closeup view of tea leaves.
Interestingly, all variation of teas come from the same leaves,
with rare exception.
Green tea uses the baby leaves,
and black tea uses the whole plant - leaves and stem.
The differences come from mixing leaves once they are processed.

This is what it looks like to harvest the tea.
The string on these baskets are put on your head, and the basket rests on your back.
Not a comfortable feel, at all. 

A view of baby leaves.  

The name of the tea company.

This was a tough day, as we spent eight hours on the bus.  The charm of the two lane roads quickly faded when it took 3.5 hours to travel 30 miles.  The roads were populated with big work trucks, public buses and TukTuks.  The traffic jams and just slow movement caused by these vehicles jockeying for their spot on the road, was crazy at times.

We rolled into Colombo at 8:30 that night, needing to sleep in.  Thankfully, that was the plan.

At about noon, once we checked out of the hotel, we were to take a city tour of Colombo, as we just passed through it from the airport on our way to Kandy, and then hang out until departure time.  I opted out of the tour, and rested instead.  Not surprisingly, I was the only one who looked alive when we reached Dubai.

Random Pix

Hotel #2 in Kandy.  Can't remember the name.

View from my window.

This note was in the window of my room in the Queen's Hotel.
Unfortunately, there were no monkey sightings.

A relic form the past.

Note to self -

Don't read any more books recommended by Oprah.  I devoured The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, finishing it in less than two days, reading it the entire flight.  It was an awesome read until the end.  Then it had a typically sad and dreary ending (like most of her books) and I was sorry I was suckered in . . . again.

Well, that's it folks.

This concludes my adventures in Sri Lanka, a land I'd visit again in a heartbeat (in spite of the traffic).

Backtracking to Day 1 in Kandy

Here are some highlights of the first day in Kandy.

Orange or "King's Coconut"

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

They're marching through the streets, headed to lunch.

Going to lunch.

The following pictures are from the Regent Spice Garden.

The Spice Doctor

Sandalwood Tree

View of the garden.

The Queen's Hotel where we stayed the night.

There was a photographer in the lobby taking wedding pictures for a wedding that was to happen later that morning.  Interestingly, weddings are not performed in the Buddhist Temples.  Instead they are held in hotels or reception halls.  We saw three weddings this day.  Also of note, the prospective bride and groom confer with astrological charts to determine the best day to get married.  I wonder if the divorced rate in lower because of that?

The little boys are a part of a wedding party.
The one on the right doesn't look like he's too excited about the festivities.

Don't the boys have the coolest shoes?

The little girls in the wedding party.

Later in the day, kids on a field trip.  Students throughout the country wear white uniforms to school.

Lost & Ditching in Kandy

Allow me to explain the title.

Today was another full day, which I'll get into in greater detail in a minute.  First, there is a culture dance show that happens everyday at 5:00.  It occurs each day just for tourists.  There are that many folks who visit where they are able to fill an auditorium each night.

Well, the 20 or so in my group were scattered throughout the building, and when it was over, God only knows where any of them were.  I couldn't find the bus we were traveling in, so I decided to take a TukTuk back to the hotel.

I missed a visit to a famous temple, but we would have gotten home at about 10:00, and quite frankly, I hoped to be sleep by then.  Thus my "lost & ditching" adventure.

The day began with a visit to the Peradeniya Botanical Garden.

Wow!

The trees are called the "drunken cypress."

Here are a couple of videos of the cultural dances.  Here's hoping they uploaded OK.

 

Kandy, Sri Lanka

The day began with an hour delay out of Sharjah.  The 4.5 hour redeye seemed a lot longer because I was surrounded by little people - three in front, and one across the aisle.  The three in front were wonderful - 4 year old twin boys and their two year old brother.  Sweet as pie.  Their Mom and Dad made sure they were settled, each with an iPad, and at two and four years old, they put me to shame the way they were racing from app to app, having a grand time.

The toddler across the way was the little booger.

He screamed from the time we took off, for three hours . . . straight.

Yes.

You read that right.

Three freaking hours.

And . . .

His Mom and Dad did absolutely nothing to calm him down.  By the three hour mark, several folks stopped by their seats, but it was only when the flight attendant asked them to go to the galley, did any of us get any peace.

Now, we've probably all experienced traveling with a cranky kid, but I'm sure each of us did everything we could to settle our little people down.

It was really frustrating and rude for these parents to do nothing . . . nada . . . to shut this kid up.  You know, maybe walk with him, sing to him, feed him, bounce him up and down.

Anything.

Anything at all,  but they just sat there and let the kid wail.

Thank God, once we landed, things went very smooth and Sri Lanka was a sight to behold.

Luscious greenery at every turn.  There are mountains all around, covered with trees that are a deep shade of green.  It looks like one huge garden that is in full bloom, with no fruit or vegetables yet.  Once the fruit and vegetable appear and are ripe, the green stems turn to brown, and the garden isn't as colorful anymore.

Anyway, that description doesn't begin to describe how beautiful this place is.

The city of Kandy has not been exploited by rapid growth.  In fact, being here, you kind of step back in time. The roads were two-lane throughout our three hour travel from Colombo to Kandy.  No fancy places.  No big, new buildings.  Everything looked like it has been here a while.

It reminded me a lot of India, but it is so very clean.  Everywhere.  You can tell, these are a proud people.

It is so much more inviting than India because of this.

Side note - I really have to read the fine print on my travel plans through GroupOn (which I love, by the way).  I assumed, or rather hoped, that we would be at our destination within the hour after landing.  It was a three hour trip.  After a couple of hours on the road, all of us were starting to nod off, when we made a quick stop to grab something to eat.  From there, an hour or so later, we came to the Elephant Refuge, that has more than 60 elephants, from the very young to the old timers, enjoying the day in a shallow river.  There are hotels and restaurants built into the side of the river, and the elephants are close enough to touch, but we were advised not to.

Then it was lunch time for them, and they march up the path we had just walked down to see them.  It was an incredible sight to see the elephants marching through town, looking like they were ready to shop, but by the time I got my camera out and ready, they had turned the corner and were out of sight.

Oh well.

Next, we went a little further down the main drag, and those of us who wanted to, could ride an elephant.  Since I rode one when I was in Thailand, it wasn't a priority for me, but there was another single girl, so I rode with her.  In Bangkok, the elephant I rode was fitted with a basket with two seats, so it was just like sitting in a chair.  This time, there was just a blanket on the elephant, so you could really feel him moving beneath you.

After leaving here, our sleepless night was catching up with us, as we'd had a full day with little or no sleep, so we're all ready to head to the hotel.

There was another stop though, to an herb and spice garden, where we were introduced to all kinds of things used as natural remedies for all kinds of ailments.  It was way more informative and exciting than I would have ever imagined.

Then, the guy doing the demo, mentioned some concoction as great for reviving tired, achy bodies.  Almost as if on cue, about 10 guys appeared out of no where, and offered massages.

For those of you who know me, you know I'm not a fan of them, but my God, this guy's hands were magical.  What a rubbing good time I had!

Of course, we were given the opportunity to buy the potions, and that took a while.  My group/bus had 26 folks.

Once we were all accounted for, we spent another half hour or so on the road, then we arrived for our home for the night.  We were scheduled to be here two days, but that changed, so it's just for one night.

If you've made it to the end of this post, God bless you!

The one downside of traveling alone is having to wait until I write, to share my experiences.  It was such a great day, after a not so great start, that I didn't want to leave any part out.

I'm off to bed now.

Good night to me (we're 12.5 hours head of Pacific time; 1.5 hours head of Abu Dhabi)

Good morning to you.

PS.:  I have lots of pictures.  I'll upload them when I get home.

Ingenious!

For every woman who has suffered through a hot flash, "Hot Girls Pearls" were designed with you in mind.

This is absolutely ingenious!

http://www.thegrommet.com/hot-girls-pearls-body-cooling-jewelry

They're available on Amazon, too.

Great Graduation Speech

Below please find the link to George Saunders' speech to the 2013 graduating class of Syracuse University.  It's a powerful message.

http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/george-saunderss-advice-to-graduates/?_r=0

What If?

What if you accidentally found a letter your spouse wrote to you long ago, that is sealed, and labeled "to be read in the event of my death?"

But what if he was very much alive, do you tell him you've found it?

Assuming you do tell him, once he knows that you know about it, do you honor his request and not open it?

Or, does your curiosity get the best of you, and you read it?

This is the premise of the best book I've read . . . ever.

It's entitled, The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriaty.

As I've mentioned before, I love to read, but my least favorite part of any book is the beginning.  It's like you're walking into a room where someone is in the middle of telling a story, and you're trying to figure out who they are and how do they fit in the story being told.

Sometimes I'm tempted to write down all of the characters, to keep them straight in my head.

This book begins like this.  The first three or four chapters are about different people, in seemingly unrelated existence to each other.  So, you have to stick with it to see how they all fit together.

And just when you think you have it all figured out, there's a whole new layer added to the mix.

This book is very, very highly recommended.

Side note -

Today is my 57th birthday.  In the last six years, it has been tempered by the memories of my brother Terry's death.  You see his birthday was August 2nd, three days before mine.  He would have been 58.  So as much as I appreciate my mine, it is bittersweet.

Birthdays are usually times of reflection.  They are for me.  I think about all of the wonderful people in my life, and how, in spite of some tough times along the way, I'm richer because of these relationships.

I haven't gone out of my apartment in several days, and have no plans to leave today.  I really am hiding from the heat.  On Wednesday I'm headed to Sri Lanka for a few days, where it will be 20 degrees cooler.

As always, thank you for sharing this time and these experiences with me.  Knowing you're out there, connected through this blog, makes this time even more rewarding.

Good night to you.

Good morning to me.

Proud Grandma

Please indulge me for a moment as I slip into the very proud grandma role, and share a couple of pictures of my girls with you.

Milu at 6 months

Zadie at 2.5 years old

Replacing Lost Documents

Here's hoping you're never in the position of having to replace vital documents, but this link provides a wealth of information in where to go and how to get it done.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-alderman/how-to-replace-important_b_3689907.html

Thoughts?

The following is a link to an article about a young man who was fired for shaming customers with a tweet.

What do you think?

http://www.theawl.com/2013/07/millennial-fired-for-tweet

Obnoxious kid or unsupportive employer?

Ivy League Boys

Huge hat tip to Tiffany for sharing these articles.

They made my day.  Here's hoping they make yours.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/education/edlife/a-classic-high-achiever-minus-money-for-a-college-consultant.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/education/edlife/a-first-generation-student-striving-to-inspire-black-youth.html

Part of the "Wow" Collection

In Oprah's magazine this month, she features a collection of 50 things that make you go WOW!  Below are links to the ones I think are WOW, too.

A man who carves pencils.  http://www.daltonmghetti.com/index.asp

Instant prescription glasses.  http://www.adlens.com/eyewear/

Ice cream shop in San Francisco.  http://smittenicecream.com/home/Home.html

Eleven year old bow tie maker.  http://www.mosbowsmemphis.com/p/story.html

Gizmo that tracks your luggage.  http://www.trakdot.com/TrakDot/index.jsp

Bake a cake-in-a-jar.  http://www.getyourhotcakes.com

Flowers that last longer.  https://www.thebouqs.com

Enjoy!

Television Series

In Sacramento, I used to watch a lot of TV.  Since I've been here, I've watch very little.  That has changed in the last couple of days, where I have been glued to my gadgets, watching a couple of series.

They are both British shows.

The first one is Luther, starring Idris Elba.  It's a police drama, and he plays the title role as a brilliant, flawed detective.

The other is Downton Abbey.  It's about an aristocratic family and the servants who care for them.  I know, this doesn't sound exciting, but strangely enough, it is.

I've been watching both of them, pretty much around the clock.  My only salvation is that these series are short.  Otherwise, I'd probably loose some serious sleep.

It's been 117 all week, so I only go out when I absolutely have to, and that has been my rationale for so much TV time.

Today, I was feeling a little guilty, so I decided that I'd watch an hour, then read for an hour.  We'll see how that goes.

Here's wishing you a cool day, wherever you are.

Men Need Us

This is a fascinating article in the New York Times about the positive impact women, and especially daughters, have on men.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/opinion/sunday/why-men-need-women.html?hp

Traveling Tips

There are a couple of things that have helped me tremendously in getting around. One I've mentioned before, and the other I just discovered.

If you travel internationally, or know someone who does, getting an e-card, (that's what it's called here), will speed up the process tremendously when you're going through having to get your passport checked.  It only works in your home country, but when 300 people deplane all headed to the passport counters, having this card allows you to scan it and proceed quickly.  Getting it required going to a special counter at the airport, presenting my passport, taking a picture, paying a fee (about $60), and voila!  I had my card right then and there, ready to use.

The other thing that has helped a lot is something called "Priority Pass" which is a service that allows you to stay in the business class lounges at airports around the world, without having to have purchased a business class or first class ticket. Here's how it works. You pay a flat annual fee of $100, and each time you visit a lounge, you present your card, and you're charged $27.  There is another, more expensive option, where you pay $250(?) and there is no fee at the door.  I tried using it Houston recently, but their lounge closed at 6:00pm.  I did use it for the first time on my last trip, when I had a five hour layover is Moscow.  It was wonderful being able to relax and rest comfortably.  There was even a place to shower if you wanted to. There were complimentary drinks (beer and wine) and snacks.  I have the Priority Pass app on my phone, and can check for lounges at airports all over the world.  It tells where they are located in the airports, what services they provide, and their operating hours.  The best part is, you don't have to be connected to the internet to access this information.

Years ago, when I first started teaching, I began as a long-term sub.  One of the teachers where I worked was a world traveler, and she trekked alone.  I used to marvel at the many places she had visited, and thought she was a superwoman for going it alone.  Now, I don't claim to be a superwoman, but she planted that adventurous seed in me.  I hope that I have, in turn, planted it in someone else.

I share what I've seen and learned, not to brag or to boast, but as an encouragement to others to take that leap, whatever it is.