Breaking news! According to The Onion, Life on earth will be unfair. (Source: April 1997 issue) If you have done more reading (in the past 10 years) instead of porn-collecting, you would have been better prepared for Life before you even considered therapy/suicide/murder due to any or all of the following:
1. you got booted out of a downsizing company
2. you were sent to jail for stealing M&M's
3. you got one-upped by a fresh graduate
4. you discovered you are already balding in your 20s
5. you realized you're a victim of racism - and yet, a racist yourself
6. you found out your partner is/was/still is gay
7. you lost a finger due to an accident
8. you lost a breast due to a disease
9. you needed to undergo a lobotomy
10. you got dumped by your girlfriend for somebody with a bigger dingdong - but you told everyone otherwise
Friday, October 28, 2005
Halloween Costumes
For the very first time ever, I will be the generic-ghost-looking-almost-like-Morticia Addams on Saturday night. Butt-long grey hair and fangs. I am not sure if I can pull it off, though. I might look like a trying-hard witch. Haha, witch. I'll need a hat and broom for that. Anyway, the good news is I became successful at convincing (well, more like prodding) David to be Dracula. He hates dressing up, but ten irritating "please oh pleeeeeaaaasssssseeeeee???" made him say "okay okay." He's wearing the dracula cape and will have fangs too. Trick or treat!?
Friday, October 21, 2005
The Luxurious Things In Life Are Free: Part Une
New York City is home to the most luxurious places and experiences in the world. Where can you find a no-menu Japanese restaurant offering unparalled 3-course prix-fixe meals for a whopping $300-$500? (It just makes me vomit) What about going shopping for a Devi Kroell purse worth $2,180 at Barney's. (puh-leez, the store name reminds me of the purple dinosaur). I think it's disgusting.
The city of lights (and social sin) can easily swallow you to shameless materialism, that you just really have to close your eyes and paint a picture of the millions of starving and homeless people around world who barely spend a dollar a day to make it through.
I am a poor student living off my parents' allowance budget and a little off my part-time campus school work, but I am still lucky enough to get little luxury perks New York City has to offer - and I get them free! I will now include a series in this blog and call it The Luxurious Things in Life Are Free, and will update it every time I experience anything luxurious - for the price of none.
1. The Fifth Avenue Apartment experience
A friend of mine's aunt is one of the wealthiest in New York City, and David and I were invited to dinner once at their beautiful, beautiful, beautiful 5th Avenue apartment. I cannot even begin to describe it as I may not bring justice to it. Basically, it's a doorman building facing Central Park. The doorman rides with you in the elevator and presses your floor (in Manila, this is NOT a luxury - and it is a different story here), and when you step out of the elevator, you are already stepping into the apartment.
An elegant console greets you, and as you walk inside - you realize that there are two full floors occupied. They have a butler (wow, they actually exist!), a stay-in cook, plenty of art on the walls, a beverage fridge filled with champagne, Bailey's (yum), Heineken, spring water bottles and sodas, it has a full kitchen, 6 bedrooms, great views, everything you can ever imagine. You look at the diplomas hung on the wall and see nothing but Harvard University. The toilet sink is (probably) made of ivory, and it smelled of pretty flowers.
We had a simple pre-cooked dinner and watched Closer on-demand at the den. It was a good experience - but that's just about it.
When we left, it was raining outside and the doorman hailed a cab for us (gosh, that was cool!). We talked about it and thought that a life like that is simply a "nice to have", but not an "end all, be all" of everything. Sometimes it is more fun and happier being just normal than anything else.
And then, as we quietly drove home, I remembered the life I lived back home. We had more than 6 bedrooms, our 4 fridges are always packed with food and drinks, our 4th floor balcony had a great view of Manila and our walls were filled with diplomas from the best universities and colleges in the Philippines. No, we did not have a doorman or a butler, but our dogs are our good (and noisy) guards and nothing beats the warm welcome of my mom. And of course, home is nothing like New York City, in ever sense of the word.
2. The Madison Square Garden Suites
David's friend works at Goldman Sachs and enjoys the perk of watching games from the lavish Madison Square Garden Suites. He had four free tickets to the Rangers vs. Thrashers hockey game and we did not hesitate to go at all. The box had about 10 cushioned seats, and about 5 tall bar stools. It had a fridge filled with drinks, a dedicated waiter to take your food orders (and the menu has a wider selection than the lower box's burgers and hotdogs!) and a fantastic view of the rink.
His friend's co-worker (probably a VP) came with his family and ordered food for everyone. We had chicken fingers, nachos with guacamole and Coronas. All free! I have never watched a real hockey game, and the last unofficial one I have seen was in the movie The Mighty Ducks - circa Joshua Jackson's adolescent cuteness. That's not counted of course.
At the beginning of the game, the people stood up and sang Star Spangled Banner. I got goosebumps. I know the Philippine National Anthem by heart and I will never forget it for the rest of my life. But will there ever come a time when I will have to know two national anthems? Maybe. In one condition: only if David knows Lupang Hinirang - in Tagalog. ;) hehe.
The city of lights (and social sin) can easily swallow you to shameless materialism, that you just really have to close your eyes and paint a picture of the millions of starving and homeless people around world who barely spend a dollar a day to make it through.
I am a poor student living off my parents' allowance budget and a little off my part-time campus school work, but I am still lucky enough to get little luxury perks New York City has to offer - and I get them free! I will now include a series in this blog and call it The Luxurious Things in Life Are Free, and will update it every time I experience anything luxurious - for the price of none.
1. The Fifth Avenue Apartment experience
A friend of mine's aunt is one of the wealthiest in New York City, and David and I were invited to dinner once at their beautiful, beautiful, beautiful 5th Avenue apartment. I cannot even begin to describe it as I may not bring justice to it. Basically, it's a doorman building facing Central Park. The doorman rides with you in the elevator and presses your floor (in Manila, this is NOT a luxury - and it is a different story here), and when you step out of the elevator, you are already stepping into the apartment.
An elegant console greets you, and as you walk inside - you realize that there are two full floors occupied. They have a butler (wow, they actually exist!), a stay-in cook, plenty of art on the walls, a beverage fridge filled with champagne, Bailey's (yum), Heineken, spring water bottles and sodas, it has a full kitchen, 6 bedrooms, great views, everything you can ever imagine. You look at the diplomas hung on the wall and see nothing but Harvard University. The toilet sink is (probably) made of ivory, and it smelled of pretty flowers.
We had a simple pre-cooked dinner and watched Closer on-demand at the den. It was a good experience - but that's just about it.
When we left, it was raining outside and the doorman hailed a cab for us (gosh, that was cool!). We talked about it and thought that a life like that is simply a "nice to have", but not an "end all, be all" of everything. Sometimes it is more fun and happier being just normal than anything else.
And then, as we quietly drove home, I remembered the life I lived back home. We had more than 6 bedrooms, our 4 fridges are always packed with food and drinks, our 4th floor balcony had a great view of Manila and our walls were filled with diplomas from the best universities and colleges in the Philippines. No, we did not have a doorman or a butler, but our dogs are our good (and noisy) guards and nothing beats the warm welcome of my mom. And of course, home is nothing like New York City, in ever sense of the word.
2. The Madison Square Garden Suites
David's friend works at Goldman Sachs and enjoys the perk of watching games from the lavish Madison Square Garden Suites. He had four free tickets to the Rangers vs. Thrashers hockey game and we did not hesitate to go at all. The box had about 10 cushioned seats, and about 5 tall bar stools. It had a fridge filled with drinks, a dedicated waiter to take your food orders (and the menu has a wider selection than the lower box's burgers and hotdogs!) and a fantastic view of the rink.
His friend's co-worker (probably a VP) came with his family and ordered food for everyone. We had chicken fingers, nachos with guacamole and Coronas. All free! I have never watched a real hockey game, and the last unofficial one I have seen was in the movie The Mighty Ducks - circa Joshua Jackson's adolescent cuteness. That's not counted of course.
At the beginning of the game, the people stood up and sang Star Spangled Banner. I got goosebumps. I know the Philippine National Anthem by heart and I will never forget it for the rest of my life. But will there ever come a time when I will have to know two national anthems? Maybe. In one condition: only if David knows Lupang Hinirang - in Tagalog. ;) hehe.
MBA vs.Masters
I had just gone through Midterm week, and I couldn't have been any more relieved. I am glad that all of my classes this semester are more qualitative and reading-heavy. Also, my professors are cooler than ever (except for one prick) and they do their best to make you learn things.
It is David's midterm week as well, and poor him to have to go through Finance, Accounting, Statistics, Microeconomics and Strategy this semester. I would have had regular panic attacks if I took these courses all at the same time. I am not a numbers person at all. You can throw me out to speak in front of a thousand people or read and explain a dozen crazy chapters of Kotler's masterpieces, but never let me compute for p values or NPV's.
Dave and I were being studious on a Friday night once and I showed him some Harvard business cases we are discussing in class. I explained a little bit too about the methods our professors use in teaching and how different it is from my former Masters program. I'm not sure if he's just being biased or if he just believes in me too much, but he mentioned that I should have gone for an MBA. It sent me shivering down my spine.
Urk. Finance? No thanks. I had a measly B+ last semester. Microeconomics? Back in college, Economics was my most dreaded class. Statistics? Hmm, I could learn to appreciate it someday. Accounting? I don't think I ever got my parents' CPA genes. If not for the excess of quantitative subjects, I would have gone for an MBA. But I know in the industry I want to be in, I do not need more than enough mathematical equations to put to heart. Okay, I'm giving lame reasons now ;)
Personally, I don't think MBAs are for everybody. I recall talking to an MBA student in one of the welcome weekends Dave and I attended, and he said that MBA's are for people who have no damn idea what they want to do in their career. It may or may not be true, though. I did hear students say they want to get into VC, Start-ups, Private Equity, Investment Banking or whatever sounds like Wall Street. However, there is a 50% chance they might change their minds halfway through the program. Taking an MBA is a journey to self-discovery - and in discovering yourself, you need to get through plenty of dreadful numbers and strategic thinking. And in between, there are bountiful school-sponsored beer kegs and spinach quiches. (They have this enormous budgets for social and networking activities. I'm so jealous!)
Meanwhile, I believe Masters Degree programs are for people who already know what they want to do in the future. Most of the students in my program want to be in a career that sounds like or is located at Madison Avenue. The plans are not set in stone of course, but their general direction in life is pretty much mapped out. Yes, there are numbers involved and plenty of strategic thinking, but there are lesser panic attacks. With lesser panics, comes lesser alcohol. [Gosh, is there really a correlation? Anybody please disagree on this?]
I know David will be successful in turning things around for start-up technology companies, and I will definitely want to pour my passions into successful communications campaigns. So I guess that's the reason why we are here now.
A Masters is an apple. An MBA is an orange. You cannot compare it side by side. The only way you can gauge which is one is the best fit for you is when you take a look at where the alumnis are now, and envision yourself in their shoes someday.
It is David's midterm week as well, and poor him to have to go through Finance, Accounting, Statistics, Microeconomics and Strategy this semester. I would have had regular panic attacks if I took these courses all at the same time. I am not a numbers person at all. You can throw me out to speak in front of a thousand people or read and explain a dozen crazy chapters of Kotler's masterpieces, but never let me compute for p values or NPV's.
Dave and I were being studious on a Friday night once and I showed him some Harvard business cases we are discussing in class. I explained a little bit too about the methods our professors use in teaching and how different it is from my former Masters program. I'm not sure if he's just being biased or if he just believes in me too much, but he mentioned that I should have gone for an MBA. It sent me shivering down my spine.
Urk. Finance? No thanks. I had a measly B+ last semester. Microeconomics? Back in college, Economics was my most dreaded class. Statistics? Hmm, I could learn to appreciate it someday. Accounting? I don't think I ever got my parents' CPA genes. If not for the excess of quantitative subjects, I would have gone for an MBA. But I know in the industry I want to be in, I do not need more than enough mathematical equations to put to heart. Okay, I'm giving lame reasons now ;)
Personally, I don't think MBAs are for everybody. I recall talking to an MBA student in one of the welcome weekends Dave and I attended, and he said that MBA's are for people who have no damn idea what they want to do in their career. It may or may not be true, though. I did hear students say they want to get into VC, Start-ups, Private Equity, Investment Banking or whatever sounds like Wall Street. However, there is a 50% chance they might change their minds halfway through the program. Taking an MBA is a journey to self-discovery - and in discovering yourself, you need to get through plenty of dreadful numbers and strategic thinking. And in between, there are bountiful school-sponsored beer kegs and spinach quiches. (They have this enormous budgets for social and networking activities. I'm so jealous!)
Meanwhile, I believe Masters Degree programs are for people who already know what they want to do in the future. Most of the students in my program want to be in a career that sounds like or is located at Madison Avenue. The plans are not set in stone of course, but their general direction in life is pretty much mapped out. Yes, there are numbers involved and plenty of strategic thinking, but there are lesser panic attacks. With lesser panics, comes lesser alcohol. [Gosh, is there really a correlation? Anybody please disagree on this?]
I know David will be successful in turning things around for start-up technology companies, and I will definitely want to pour my passions into successful communications campaigns. So I guess that's the reason why we are here now.
A Masters is an apple. An MBA is an orange. You cannot compare it side by side. The only way you can gauge which is one is the best fit for you is when you take a look at where the alumnis are now, and envision yourself in their shoes someday.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Martha Encounter
My first non-fiction book purchase in NYC (apart from my school materials) came with a handshake and a signature. During my lunch hour today, I rushed to Barnes and Noble at Union Square to attend Martha Stewart's The Martha Rules book signing event.
I was not intending to buy her book and was thinking "Is it worth giving up my lunch money for a closer glimpse of The Martha?" I entered the velvet ropes and sat at the back with the group of people who are just there for pictures. There were at least 100 people there. She made a short speech about her book, talked about passion and being an entrepreneur and started signing books. (I was waiting for that famous "It's a good thing" line, but didn't hear it this time.)
The people lined up orderly to have her sign her book, and so I took my time to read the book's (biased) reviews and skimmed through its first pages. Although the content is probably nothing new, reading it suddenly reminded me of talks with my family about finding your passion and translating it into a business. A perfect gift! (I would have bought 6 copies for each of us, but that's insane) Plus, it's an easy-read.
I bought it anyways, and it costed me $21.63. Then, I lined up along with the other Martha fans. As I got closer to her, I felt one with the paparazzis. I had my camera handy and shot away! (It was not allowed of course, but I didn't care)
I finally approached her, handed my book and kindly asked if I could have her dedicate the book to my family. The _____ Family. (I even wrote how that spelled on a piece of paper for her convenience) Then, her (prick) assistant said she doesn't do dedications. Martha looked at me with sorry eyes and said, "Well, I hope your family enjoys it." - and signed it with what read like Marti Stewat. I shook hands with her and said thank you.
I was elated. I am not a huge Martha fan (I disdain her The Apprentice show), but I read her works, followed her scandal case, love her ridiculously expensive flowers and use Martha Stewart Living bathtowels. There is something about her that is charming - yet authoritative.
It took me an hour just to get my book signed. I was late for work. With no lunch (and dinner, let alone) money. So, I darted out of BN - $21 bucks poorer, but a Martha experience richer. So, I quickly dropped by Mcdonald's and ordered from The Dollar Menu.
I was not intending to buy her book and was thinking "Is it worth giving up my lunch money for a closer glimpse of The Martha?" I entered the velvet ropes and sat at the back with the group of people who are just there for pictures. There were at least 100 people there. She made a short speech about her book, talked about passion and being an entrepreneur and started signing books. (I was waiting for that famous "It's a good thing" line, but didn't hear it this time.)
The people lined up orderly to have her sign her book, and so I took my time to read the book's (biased) reviews and skimmed through its first pages. Although the content is probably nothing new, reading it suddenly reminded me of talks with my family about finding your passion and translating it into a business. A perfect gift! (I would have bought 6 copies for each of us, but that's insane) Plus, it's an easy-read.
I bought it anyways, and it costed me $21.63. Then, I lined up along with the other Martha fans. As I got closer to her, I felt one with the paparazzis. I had my camera handy and shot away! (It was not allowed of course, but I didn't care)
I finally approached her, handed my book and kindly asked if I could have her dedicate the book to my family. The _____ Family. (I even wrote how that spelled on a piece of paper for her convenience) Then, her (prick) assistant said she doesn't do dedications. Martha looked at me with sorry eyes and said, "Well, I hope your family enjoys it." - and signed it with what read like Marti Stewat. I shook hands with her and said thank you.
I was elated. I am not a huge Martha fan (I disdain her The Apprentice show), but I read her works, followed her scandal case, love her ridiculously expensive flowers and use Martha Stewart Living bathtowels. There is something about her that is charming - yet authoritative.
It took me an hour just to get my book signed. I was late for work. With no lunch (and dinner, let alone) money. So, I darted out of BN - $21 bucks poorer, but a Martha experience richer. So, I quickly dropped by Mcdonald's and ordered from The Dollar Menu.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Midtown Garage
Everyday, I walk a block down, passing a garage and find myself swinging my face to the side until it hurts, locking my eyes to these very handsome creatures. The one in blue is a policeman. They wink back and my day is made. Cool.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Calling India
I needed a validation code to register Quickbooks 2005 in the computer today, so I called their 800 number to request for it. It did not take long before I was forwarded to an operator. The reception did not sound like it's connected to the USA, and the operator sounded Indian.
"Good afternoon, Pam. My name is Neo. How may I help you today?"
"Oh, I just need a validation code for Quickbooks 2005?"
"Ok, let me just run through a few questions before we proceed."
"Alright."
"How are you today?" - (uhm... what?)
"I'm good, thanks."
"And how's the weather there now?" (are we talking about the weather now?)
"It's good, pretty gloomy as it will rain this afternoon."
"That's good to know. Ok, we may now proceed. Is this your first time to install Quickbooks?" (he said it like he was reading his cheat notes...)
"Yes."
Then he asked for the License no. and I gave it. And then he said it will take a few minutes before the computer generates the validation code. Uh oh. How many minutes? 10 more minutes of small-talking? I haven't got all day.
Then he goes, "Sooo... how long have you been working for your company?"
"Couple of years, I guess."(not), said I.
"I see... is it fun?"
"Sure, it is." (notice, it's a one-question-one-answer exchange) And then I thought, what the heck. I have friends who are working in call centers back in Manila, so what the heck.
"So where are you from? Is this in Bombay?", I continued.
"Oh no, we're located at the southern part of India."
"What time is it there now?"
"It's 1130pm now."
"Oh that's nice, it's 130pm NY time."
"You should visit India as you are very much welcome here."
"I've never been to India - but I'd love to go."
"Have you tried Indian food?"
"I love Indian food! I like the Chicken Tikka..."
"... Masala! (he cut me) That's my favorite!"
"I wouldn't have guessed. But, that's good to know."
"Do you like spicy food?"
"I like Thai-spicy and a little bit of Indian curry-spicy."
"That's good. Why don't you come to India, it is beautiful here."
"I really will, but not now. I have many things going on. It gets crazy in New York. So... is the code ready yet?"
"Oops! It just popped out. I'll give it to you now."
And he did. And it took us another 2 minutes talking about non-Quickbooks related topics. We didn't go as far as talking about his mother, but he was nice. Oh, and I asked him to spell his name (it was N-E-O)... and I said, "Like in The Matrix?", and he jumped "Yes! Yes! I like that movie a lot and I am very impressed with NEO in the movie." and another 1 minute of talking about The Matrix.
Before I put the phone down, I was asked to complete a little 3-question survey regarding the whole experience of calling the operator. I was battling between giving a lower score for being not business-like, and a high score for trying to entertain me through food, Matrix and travel talk. I gave him a 9. :)
"Good afternoon, Pam. My name is Neo. How may I help you today?"
"Oh, I just need a validation code for Quickbooks 2005?"
"Ok, let me just run through a few questions before we proceed."
"Alright."
"How are you today?" - (uhm... what?)
"I'm good, thanks."
"And how's the weather there now?" (are we talking about the weather now?)
"It's good, pretty gloomy as it will rain this afternoon."
"That's good to know. Ok, we may now proceed. Is this your first time to install Quickbooks?" (he said it like he was reading his cheat notes...)
"Yes."
Then he asked for the License no. and I gave it. And then he said it will take a few minutes before the computer generates the validation code. Uh oh. How many minutes? 10 more minutes of small-talking? I haven't got all day.
Then he goes, "Sooo... how long have you been working for your company?"
"Couple of years, I guess."(not), said I.
"I see... is it fun?"
"Sure, it is." (notice, it's a one-question-one-answer exchange) And then I thought, what the heck. I have friends who are working in call centers back in Manila, so what the heck.
"So where are you from? Is this in Bombay?", I continued.
"Oh no, we're located at the southern part of India."
"What time is it there now?"
"It's 1130pm now."
"Oh that's nice, it's 130pm NY time."
"You should visit India as you are very much welcome here."
"I've never been to India - but I'd love to go."
"Have you tried Indian food?"
"I love Indian food! I like the Chicken Tikka..."
"... Masala! (he cut me) That's my favorite!"
"I wouldn't have guessed. But, that's good to know."
"Do you like spicy food?"
"I like Thai-spicy and a little bit of Indian curry-spicy."
"That's good. Why don't you come to India, it is beautiful here."
"I really will, but not now. I have many things going on. It gets crazy in New York. So... is the code ready yet?"
"Oops! It just popped out. I'll give it to you now."
And he did. And it took us another 2 minutes talking about non-Quickbooks related topics. We didn't go as far as talking about his mother, but he was nice. Oh, and I asked him to spell his name (it was N-E-O)... and I said, "Like in The Matrix?", and he jumped "Yes! Yes! I like that movie a lot and I am very impressed with NEO in the movie." and another 1 minute of talking about The Matrix.
Before I put the phone down, I was asked to complete a little 3-question survey regarding the whole experience of calling the operator. I was battling between giving a lower score for being not business-like, and a high score for trying to entertain me through food, Matrix and travel talk. I gave him a 9. :)
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Rosh Hashanah
Happy New Year to my Jewish friends! I was able to try Manischewitz last weekend (in three flavors: Cherry, Blackberry and Grape), and I liked the Grape best.
For my dear friends back in the Philippines, you may read more about Rosh Hashanah here.
For my dear friends back in the Philippines, you may read more about Rosh Hashanah here.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Permit Me To Put A Cheesy Title Please, Oh, Please: Language of Love
Today, we had nonprofit Clients coming to the office, so my boss decided to cook authentic Slavic-Indian dishes for lunch. I had the privilege of coming to her apartment to help in the preparations because she was running late and still needed to take a shower (it was already 11am).
I was at the dining table busy spreading ajvar on mini croissant sandwiches and slicing ham and cheese, while she waits for her meat pie and feta cheese schnitzel to cook in her kitchen (They were all very good, by the way, that I wanted the recipe but then I realized I could not cook. Fat chance.). From the table, I looked around her disorganized apartment and found clothes in her living room, Bush was live on TV defending Harriet Miers, and there were tons of family photos. Very homey.
She talked about how she learned plenty of Indian recipes and managed to fuse it with her own traditional Slavic dishes, and that because her late husband is Indian, she has embraced Indian culture like it was her own. And then she showed me her wedding photo and she pointed to her RTW white dress from Target she bought just an hour before her wedding. She pulled it off! It looked very beautiful, and so did she.
And then my curiousity asked her how she and her husband met. And I asked casually, like on a sunny day. And despite all the clutter, the noise from the TV, and all the food that needed to be prepared, she still started her story.
Every love story is a beautiful story, but this one really made me smile. Their love story became so alive when she spoke and it gave me goosebumps. The good kind.
Her husband was born very brilliant - at 16, he gets into Medical school; at 22, he's a practicing M.D.; at 32, he's a well-established professor at the Columbia Medical School in NY.
Sometime in the late 60s, Mira (my boss) was sick and needed to see a doctor. So, she was referred to him by a friend because of his reputation and expertise. The doctor's appointment went well that not only did he get to "diagnose" her, he also got her phone number!
They went out a couple of times but he came off as an arrogant jerk - I guess because he's a smartass - that Mira did not want to see him again. He was persistently calling, and Mira was just being polite most of the time. Then one day, he stopped calling. Mira was relieved. One week. Two weeks. One month.
Riiinnnggg!!!
"Dobrý deň?", Mira answered. It meant "hello" in Slav.
The man on the other line spoke very good Slav and sounded so familiar, that she could not quite make out if it was a long-distance call from a friend back home in Yugoslavia, or some crazy prank caller.
It turned out to be him. Yes, her future husband.
In the past weeks, he actually flew to Yugoslavia just to learn about the culture and learned at least 600 words, and spoke them fluently. He embraced and fell in love with Mira's culture (and with Mira, of course!) without even her asking. Without any assurances. And that's what made Mira fall for him.
Come on? Without notice, a guy flies to your home country (without you there), learns your culture,then suddenly - and freakingly- speaks your language? What kind of woman wouldn't fall for that!?
So, they married, traveled the world, conversed in fluent Slavic (sometimes English), had Indian food, had a son (you should see the combination!) and were together for 20 years before he tragically passed away.
Sigh. Look around, you never know. Love may be speaking to you already. In Slavic.
I was at the dining table busy spreading ajvar on mini croissant sandwiches and slicing ham and cheese, while she waits for her meat pie and feta cheese schnitzel to cook in her kitchen (They were all very good, by the way, that I wanted the recipe but then I realized I could not cook. Fat chance.). From the table, I looked around her disorganized apartment and found clothes in her living room, Bush was live on TV defending Harriet Miers, and there were tons of family photos. Very homey.
She talked about how she learned plenty of Indian recipes and managed to fuse it with her own traditional Slavic dishes, and that because her late husband is Indian, she has embraced Indian culture like it was her own. And then she showed me her wedding photo and she pointed to her RTW white dress from Target she bought just an hour before her wedding. She pulled it off! It looked very beautiful, and so did she.
And then my curiousity asked her how she and her husband met. And I asked casually, like on a sunny day. And despite all the clutter, the noise from the TV, and all the food that needed to be prepared, she still started her story.
Every love story is a beautiful story, but this one really made me smile. Their love story became so alive when she spoke and it gave me goosebumps. The good kind.
Her husband was born very brilliant - at 16, he gets into Medical school; at 22, he's a practicing M.D.; at 32, he's a well-established professor at the Columbia Medical School in NY.
Sometime in the late 60s, Mira (my boss) was sick and needed to see a doctor. So, she was referred to him by a friend because of his reputation and expertise. The doctor's appointment went well that not only did he get to "diagnose" her, he also got her phone number!
They went out a couple of times but he came off as an arrogant jerk - I guess because he's a smartass - that Mira did not want to see him again. He was persistently calling, and Mira was just being polite most of the time. Then one day, he stopped calling. Mira was relieved. One week. Two weeks. One month.
Riiinnnggg!!!
"Dobrý deň?", Mira answered. It meant "hello" in Slav.
The man on the other line spoke very good Slav and sounded so familiar, that she could not quite make out if it was a long-distance call from a friend back home in Yugoslavia, or some crazy prank caller.
It turned out to be him. Yes, her future husband.
In the past weeks, he actually flew to Yugoslavia just to learn about the culture and learned at least 600 words, and spoke them fluently. He embraced and fell in love with Mira's culture (and with Mira, of course!) without even her asking. Without any assurances. And that's what made Mira fall for him.
Come on? Without notice, a guy flies to your home country (without you there), learns your culture,then suddenly - and freakingly- speaks your language? What kind of woman wouldn't fall for that!?
So, they married, traveled the world, conversed in fluent Slavic (sometimes English), had Indian food, had a son (you should see the combination!) and were together for 20 years before he tragically passed away.
Sigh. Look around, you never know. Love may be speaking to you already. In Slavic.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)