Babies (The Documentary)

On Friday night a couple of girlfriends and I headed to Tacoma to watch the documentary "Babies." I haven't stopped talking about it to Joe since. The documentary shows four babies from their birth to their one year birthday -or about the time they stand up and walk. They're from Namibia, Mongolia, Japan, and the US. The first scene is in Namibia and 2 toddlers fight for a toy. One of them leans toward the other... and bites him! This is such a universal tendency it seems. I was almost expecting to hear the bitten baby scream "Charlie bit me!" The whole documentary was just fascinating. It's so fun to watch baby discover their feet, eat everything they find, play with pets, throw tantrums, smile, dance, play, imitate each other, and relate to their parents. All 4 babies, obviously regardless of their country and of the way they were raised, hit milestones at about the same age and in the same way (ah, that proud smile when they stand up alone!). After watching the babies from Namibia and Mongolia, the classes and books parents read in the US and Japan seem pretty un-necessary. I know, I know. I'll probably gorge on books when I am pregnant and a new mom. But I'll keep in mind the documentary and the organic way some children in the world are raised.

If you haven't seen this documentary, go. It's worth it!

And speaking of movies... Joe and I are going to see 10 movies at the Seattle International Firlm Festival. We have been in Seattle for four years and have never been there. So this year I bought a pass to force us to go. We watched The Hedgehog today, a French movie about life seen through a smart 11-year old's eyes. The movie was really good. As an added bonus, it was really good to watch a French movie and see actresses I know and enjoy. 1 down. 9 to go.

Book Quotes

I just started reading a book, and so many good quotes are buried within the first 20 pages that I had to share some with you. I love this book already!

"Women do different things when they're depressed. Some smoke, others drink, some call their therapists. [...] And I do what I have always done -go off on a book bender that can last for days."

I often read books in my baths, so this quote hit the mark: "Within my bathroom walls is a self-contained field of dreams and I am in total control, the master of my own elegantly devised universe. The outside world disappears and here, there is only peace and a profound sense of well being."

Oh, and that one is just spot on as well: "I collect new books the way my girlfriends buy designers handbags. Sometimes, I just like to know I have them and actually reading them is beside the point. Not that I don't eventually read them one by one. I do. But the mere act of buying them makes me happy -the world is more promising, more fulfilling. It's hard to explain, but I feel, somehow, more optimistic. The whole act just cheers me up."

I can't wait to read the rest of this book, called Literacy and Longing in L.A. It's a chick lit but it sounds like a very good one already!

Our Routine Lately

Reports for me and trip bookings for Joe during the week. Plus basketball games and some TV shows I can't miss (Nurse jackie, Tudors, The Good Wife). Weekends are filled with dog parks when the weather is good, church on Sunday morning for me, and afternoons of reading and chilling. Love it!

Joe has received an interview notification, which will be the final step in his Foster application. If he's accepted into the evening MBA degree, we will be in Seattle for 3 years. That means we can really settle in and relax. Our next 3 years are taken care of! Joe is da man. I am so proud of him for getting this interview. Please pray/think positive thoughts about his acceptance in the program.

That's it. Life is good overall!

Mid-Year Resolution

Yesterday I spent some time at the Seattle’s Japanese Garden. This place is a haven of peace and quiet in the middle of the city. It is a place conducive to reflection.

So I reflected.

It’s time I put my money and energy into what is the most important to me at this time. If you looked at my budget, you’d think my focus is on eating out. You’d be right. I love eating out. But it’s not healthy and it’s expensive. It is clear to me –and was really clear yesterday as I sat down in the garden- that I need to be healthier, both physically and emotionally. That means I have to calm down instead of always thinking and fretting about the future –where to live next, what job to apply to next, what school to go to next. That also means I need to get out more, work out again, and above all stop harming my body with gross food and alcohol. Now, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to become a vegan or that I won’t drink wine anymore. It just means I need to do things moderately.

I also need to be a happier person. I need to stop my lazy routine and really start doing things that are good for my soul. That means I’m going to keep on going to church, go to museums, go on hikes, get outside, and do something creative.

I need to broaden my horizon a bit, add colors to my life, and be good to my body.

It’s like New Year resolutions, except I need to really keep these ones if I want to be a healthy and happy person.

I will go back to the Japanese Garden often, to remember to take time to breathe and enjoy the sunshine.

Guess Who's Back!

Moi.

I am just back from a 2-week work trip in DC. I forgot my camera –though I usually forget to take pictures, even when I have it with me. The trip was good. During the weekend, I went to North Carolina to visit Jamie, a good friend who is in grad school at UNC. I had a fantastic time with her –we drank wine, watched a documentary, ate crappy food, and chatted for hours. Chapel Hill is a really cute town –a liberal bubble with a Southern feel populated by plenty of mid-thirty parents and intellectual students. I wouldn’t mind living there. I wouldn’t drive 4 miles out of Chapel Hill for fear of meeting them Confederates, but I still think I would have a pretty good life there. I saw as many Prius and Obama stickers as I do in Seattle. Aaah, home sweet home.

Speaking of Prius, Joe and I bought a new car -a Toyota Camry hybrid. I love it. We still have the 4 Runner, which we now call the Dogmobile, to go to the dog park.

The 2 weeks spent at work in DC were interesting. I realized that our office in DC is where the action happens and where everyone networks with everyone. I tried to meet as many persons of interest as I could. I am really bad at networking -I have no social skills- but I tried it anyway. We’ll see what the future holds. Well, the distant future, since I am very happy on my team and in my job for now.

No more trips for me until the summer. Then I should go to Eastern Europe or the Middle East. I have been away from home for 5 out of the past 7 weeks, and Joe was gone this weekend so it’s time to get back into the rhythm of things.

You know you’re welcome in the world of business travelers when… you are so busy you forget to buy a card for your husband for your 5^th anniversary. Oops. So yeah, it’s been 5 years. FIVE years. That means we’ve been together for eight years. Oh my. I feel old. I also feel lucky to have spent these years with him. We have quite a good life together. I was describing our life to a colleague and realized that we spend a lot of time together. We do the budget together, we cook together, we go grocery shopping together, and we watch UFC together (whaaa?). Oh, don’t get me wrong, we also fight together (though I have been known to give the silent treatment once too many). We’re just good. Together.

Insert yawn.

The Joy of Traveling

I traveled to the Philippines and Indonesia for 3 weeks in March. The trip was different from last one -in Sri Lanka- because we visited our programs for only 2 days and spent the rest of the time in workshops -read in conference rooms. I didn't experience anything truly local -apart from food, which I have to say was delicious.


There are a few elements common to all trips, though. One is that I am always afraid of sounding condescending when I talk to my colleagues -because I come from the US, which is the organization's biggest financial donor, which means that we are both respected and highly critized. Being from the US means that I represent both my organization's point of view, whether I like it or now, and the country's political position in the world, which is better now thanks to people's good opnion of Obama. Also, I don't want to be perceived as a white person who doesn't know anything about development's best practices -which is difficult since I feel I really do not know what I'm talking about most of the time! All of that means that I always try to find a balance when I travel between what I represent, what I can say, and the way I handle myself and approach people. It is always interesting to see yourself through other culture's eyes. I remember that in the DRC people couldn't believe the way white people treat their dogs. They kept asking me: "do you really buy special dog food? Do your dogs really sleep inside your house?" I could see in their eyes that they thought white people -wazungu- were crazy -and who could blame them?


The best parts of business trips for me are early morning/late evening alone time and car rides -the best thing would be to walk, but we mostly ride cars during these trips. The first gives me time to think, reflect, pray, and write. Business trips are draining, and it's good to go back to the hotel and just relax for a couple of hours before bed time. I come to a lot of aha moments when I travel and have time to be silent and think without interruption. I ofeten miss that when I come back home and get by into the rush of life without blinking. The second allows me to discover the culture of a country through landscapes and stolen moments. I love these little flashes of life -children playing, people chatting on the side of the road, women walking together. In the first week in the Philippines, we rode 8 hours in one day and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This trip was interesting. I met a lot of people, networked a lot, learnt a lot about myself (as cliche as it sounds) and about development. I also had time to appreciate new cultures, new food, and witness how people live their daily lives. I really love traveling -and love traveling to Asia in particular. Next up: DC for 2 weeks starting on Monday. I will be back right on time for Joe and my fifth annoversary. 5 years already. How time flies!




Cebu, Philippines.


Jakarta from hotel room.

Beautiful Blogger Award

My friend Jen, beautiful woman, soul sistah, fellow lol cat speaker and colleague without whom work would be dull, nominated me for a blogger award, which is so nice, considering I don't post that often -but hey, this is a good push to write more often! Thanks, Jen!

Here are the rules:

1- Thank the person who nominated you for the award.

2- Copy the award and paste it on your blog.

3- Link to the person who nominated you for the award.

4- Share 7 interesting things about yourself.

5- Nominate 7 other beautiful bloggers.

7 interesting things about me -well, "interesting" might be quite an overstatement...

1- I love to-do lists. I am so obsessed I even make lists of to-do lists.

2- You can bribe me with sour candies.

3- I can spend hours reading. Actually I do spend hours reading -magazines and books. I protest (Joe calls it nagging, I believe) a lot when Joe watches sports but truly enjoy the opportunity to read while he watches TV.

4- I know how to behave but lose all control during the football (real football, not the one sissies play with helmets and shoulder padding) and rugby world cup. I then become a rather loud French supporter.

5-I wanted to be a movie or documentary producer and studied film for a year at UCLA. I didn't like how fake people were and decided to pursue international relations instead. There went all hopes of having loads of money in my bank account.

6- I do not like anything with chocolate, lemon, or raspberry. Well, Snickers and Twix are the exception.

7- My favorite food is bread and butter. Followed closely by wine/cheese/bread. Actually I'll eat anything with bread.

Now on to my nominations:

1- Nancy, who should definitely blog again -because she's witty and insightful.

2- Sarah, whose blog is simply beautiful and inspiring.

3- Jane, emergency nurse and women's champion. She's one of my role models.

4- Sarah, incredible mother of 3 boys and gifted with amazing creative skills!

5- Heather, blogging about her life with her husband, awesome boy, and crazy dog.

6- Heidi, blogging from the OC, and living the life.

7- Kristi, superb writer and political soulmate.