In Bali

We are LOVING Bali! It is full of culture, greenery, beaches, and everything good in the world. The kids fall in bed every night and they have been so much fun to be around. We spent a few nights in Bangkok and indulged in all the shopping and fun we could possibly handle. We have been in Bali for 4 days now and are how staying at villa in a sweet restort near the beach. We will be leaving for Ubud tomorrow, which I hear is awesome (thanks for the suggestion, Bev). We are off to a safari park today with a water park and thrill rides.

Hinduism is awesome in Bali. Their gods are depicted in such a cool way. I am snapping photos, but it will have to wait.

Sorry for the lame post, just wanted to keep up on my journaling.

Monkey Business

This

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Xavier declared he was starving when he got home from school a few days ago. When asked why he said, "Cause a monkey ate my lunch." Impressed by the creativity of his lie I then said, "No really, why didn't you eat your lunch?" That is when Heavah said that Xavier and her have received clear instruction on how to deal with the nasty monkeys that roam their school grounds. She said they must slowly back away and allow the rabid thing to take whatever he pleases.

Maybe I should arm him with a slingshot...or maybe a speargun. Here's got a pretty good aim.

PS - We are finally taking our long, overdue 2008 family vacation. I will be gone a month. I doubt there will be much blogging going on. But I should have some good stuff when I return...IF I return...

Facebook Lifecycle

You could totally Facebook MY mom.  Do it!  Especially if she doesn't know you, it will make her stir for hours.  

I recently read about Mark Zuckerburg, the creator of Facebook, and how he pioneered cyberworld's phenomenon. Fascinating, really.  Facebook has been an invaluable tool for me to keep in touch with others. I am not sure what I would do without it.  I know there have been a billion blog posts about Facebook, but I thought I would add my own.  

This is how my relationship with Facebook has developed:

1. Received one or two 'So and So wants you to join Facebook' emails. 

2. Deleted them quickly cause no doubt it is like My Space where you only see drunken high school kids swear like sailors.  

3. Receive a personal email from a trusted friend who suggests that, "You really should do this...Blank (Miss Popularity in highschool) has become a lesbian and is now in a relationship with (Miss Athletic in elementary school).

4. Start up an account only on the promise to myself that I will delete it after I get to see all the lame highschool drop outs get uglier and fatter.  

5. Receive a flood of friend invites from people who I barely remember, and yet, when I see their name, I must know more.  

6. Spend a ridiculous amount of time viewing a girl-I-knew-in-3rd-grade's dog and my sister's friend's brother's Disneyland trip pictures and make no comments (then they would know I was watching them).

7. Begin to post only adorable photos of myself and my children so I can rise above all the high school and elementary school trashiness.

8. Find that profile picture is getting once a day 'Hey baby...' friend invitations.

9. Quickly change profile picture showing me holding a baby or with my husband, and only receive 'Hey baby...' friend invites monthly.

  

10. Realize that I can be sneaky and read all the wall comments between two people I barely knew before, and yet, I still want to find out all the gossipy details.

11. Realize that other people can do the same so refrain from putting anything on someone's wall that may be discussed at a girls' night out.  

12. Find that I am in too deep and can no longer delete the account.  I do, after all, have over 200 friends (surely something to put on a resume).  

13. Accidently join all the lame clubs (namely, Stop Using Puppies as Shark Bait) and find that I have so many applications I can't manage all vampire bites and pokes I receive.

14. Start searching people who I once knew and have no way of finding again.  

15. Find old boyfriends that surely won't accept my 'friend' invitation, but send the invitation anyway.

16. Correspond with old boyfriends and feel very uncomfortable doing so.   

17. Let husband see old boyfriend emails ("See you are so much better..."), and send my last email with 'keep in touch'.

18. Suddenly feel completely comfortable with having a Facebook account and prove it by posting many ugly pictures of myself (which subsequently get the most comments of any other posted picture), and not caring one bit.  

19. Feel thankful for Facebook and the connection it brings me to people who I would rarely (if ever) see again.  Use my home page as a place to advertise the place where someone can find out the real Terah--my blog.

20. Send out a 'Terah invites you to be her friend' email to all those who have the same apprehensions as I did, and email them a link to this page.   

Nepaliwood

I do, however have a secret crush on Shahrukh Khan and all things SRK

Ever since I moved to Dubai, I have been extremely intrigued by Bollywood movies. There would be line ups all over the place for long awaited movies and my Indonesian maid would play a soundtrack on repeat about 20 times a day. What is the deal?

I then had a friend offer me a movie that she believed would convert me to the Bollywood world of cinema. I struggled through the first hour and half of 'Oh, I love you, but the world has made us forbidden lovers...' and then a subsequent dance with scenes of the Himilayans and coastal shots in Goa. Ah, it was all special and happy but I could not find the real appeal. After about 2 hours of dancing and singing, I was relieved when the screen blackened (believing it to be over) only to find a big 'INTERMISSION' sign flash across the screen with a 5 minute pause. That was it for me. The possibility of a relationship with me and Bollywood was over. I don't even care that the 6 fingered actor is ever so cute. It can't make me suffer through any more Indian drama.

And yet, I am still intrigued.

In retrospect, I didn't give Bollywood the credit it deserved. At least it focuses on love and the film quality is one step above homevideos. It wasn't until I reached Nepal that I realized it could be much, much worse. I must preface this by saying I have yet to actually view a real Nepali film but I can make a somewhat educated guess as to what it would be about as there are a billion posters throughout the city that resemble this:

Oh yes, we have gone back 30 years to a really cheesy soap opera with a splash of blood and Hindu glitz

What are those creepy people doing in the corner?

Although I am tempted, I must pass...until today.

As I was making a stop to buy groceries today, I noticed there was a conspicuous group of people in the parking lot. My maid ran in to buy the groceries and I stayed to see what all the fuss was about. I came to find out that they were shooting a REAL, LIVE MOVIE! Wow. What are the chances (quite large really, it seems this city shrinks more and more the longer I live here; and they seem to release one movie a day!).

It was quite a production and I had to laugh inside because as some of the actors came to dote on my kids, I had a brief moment of awe. Funny, no matter how insignificant the country or movie is, you still somehow get star struck. Embarrassing confession, I know.

The female stars

The next Aishwarya Rai
So, although I have protested these movies in the past, I might just give this one 5 minutes of my time. After all, I am partially famous after watching this movie be filmed, right?

Out My Car Window

At times I can easily forget that I live in such a foreign land. It isn't until I leave the gates of my home that I realize that I do, in fact, live in a third world country. Yesterday, out my window I saw...

People walking to the market in coats that are way heavier than the weather requires...

People hauling all sort of items bringing new meaning to 'home delivery'...
Women in bright, colorful kurtas or saris...
People truly down and out...

More garbage than I care to see...

People taking bikes full of fruit and veggies on the busiest intersection in Kathmandu...
The army present at every corner...
Other nationalities such as this group of Muslim boys...
Sludge and grime that smells as bad as it looks...

Bamboo or other resources that have many purposes in Nepal...
Communist rallies...
Men and women selling nuts and other food items....
Mothers and children of all ages at the side of a very busy street...
Clothing hung to be dried...
Signs that show one should consult a dictionary before he/she names a business...

And that was just a short ride to the salon.

A Party for Royalty

Sedona was invited to a little girl's party. She was turning 3. The little girl was Nepali and part of our playgroup. I thought it was a little odd that the party was going to be held at The Crown Plaza, one of the two 5 start hotels in Nepal.

The guest of honor was of royal lineage in Nepal. Her parents own most of the businesses in Nepal and were probably one of the wealthiest families in Nepal. It was definitely the most elaborate party I have been to here.

There was a full course catered meal for adults and children.

With flowing white and dark chocolate fountains...

This is what Nepali royalty looks like...
A cake with Sportacus from 'Lazy Town' (Do we have this show in America? It might just be an overseas children's show. My kids loved it in Dubai). Her name was also sung by a children's choir over the speakers over and over again...
The party princess and her father...
Sedona really happy to have chocolate cake...
Me and my girlfriends...
A man who adored Asa. He kept saying he wanted his daughter to marry him. I know arranged marriages are big here, but seriously?
The magic show...
The train ride in a dress that is way too big for her...

So incredibly happy to be riding on something...

Sedona and her boyfriend, Fin...
I think Sedona and Asa truly believed they had died and gone to heaven. It was quite the royal event.

Only in Nepal...

TB

Recently we received a notice that they have discovered 3 cases of tuberculosis (2 inactive, 1 active) at the school. We were then told not to worry too much as 47% of all Nepalis have TB.

I am not sure what news makes me feel worse.

25 Random Things

Because apparently my Facebook account will be revoked if I don't do this...

1. One of my dream vacations is to go to the 'stans' (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkistan, etc.) to go carpet shopping.

2. I hate the fact that I love rap. Damn that Eminem and his catchy lyrics.

3. I am fine with boogers. For kids, picking and eating is just fine with me.

4. I  let my kids do some dangerous things at times. A broken arm is a small price to pay for being fearless.

5. Even though I have two full-time maids, I choose to clean sometimes just so I can be in control of something in my life.

6. Speaking of maids/nannies I often try not to talk about them too much when I am with others who don't have one. It either spurs on jealous or makes them judge me as a bad mother.

7. I am actually a very private person. I don't really ever share my inner most thoughts. That is why blogging is always a little uncomfortable for me.

8. Because of this, I often leave a conversation thinking that I've said too much.

9. Even though I earned a 4.0 GPA in my Master of Communications, I sometimes still, have, difficulty, with comma placement.

10. Although I can appreciate good food, I don't care about it. I could easily eat Ramen noodles for a week straight and be fine with it.

11. I don't eat chocolate and soda pop grosses me out.

12. I have no desire to live back in the US or Canada.

12. I am a plain person. Although on occasion I will indulge, I don't get excited about makeup, shoes, or purses.

13. I love to read and I devour any good book I get my hands on (especially historical fiction). Also, I probably enjoy children's books more than my children do.

14. Taking a bath with candles, magazines, incense, plush towels and ice cream is a sacred moment for me. I haven't had one in years but I still dream about it.

15. I am a 'difference feminist' and embrace Lucy Irigaray's theory of 'Love'. I integrated this idea and Benjamin Barber's definition of democracy for my master's thesis.

16. I don't care for old movies; however, my favorite movie of all time is Wizard of Oz.

17. I was 17 when I first kissed someone.

18. I am the youngest of 5 and there was a large age gap between me and my siblings. That is why I like to be alone a lot.

19. I don't understand women who find identity in the number of children they have or how busy their schedule is.

20. I have designed and taught 4 MBA courses.

21. When I was 12, my brother skateboarded across America (DC to Santa Monica, Cali). My sister and I recorded a song for him, which was played over the air across the country, including KROQ in LA. I still cannot listen to that song without being really embarrassed.

22. Living overseas has made me harder and softer. Harder in the fact that I could go for days without showering and I can live without electricity; softer in the fact that I have no idea how to turn on my iron and I can't change more than one diaper a day without getting grossed out.

23. I don't care for infants. I would much rather give birth to a 6 month old baby than endure the first 6 months of baby nothingness.

24. Ever since I was a child, nothing has scared me more than Ronald McDonald. 

25. I secretly feel sorry for every other woman out there. I got the best man and I know it.

Impromptu Ballet Performance

Yesterday, Axel insisted that I quickly come downstairs. As I followed, I knew poop or puke must be involved. I was so relieved when I saw Heavah and Sedona waltzing around to Vivaldi.





There was a lot of prancing and twirling...

The scene was so heartwarming and I thanked God that I had two little girls.