Christmas and one other thing

So some kids I know got World Monopoly (not sure of exact title). Instead of getting $200 to pass Go, you get $2 million. Instead of buying properties for $400, $500, you buy them for $600K and more. Houses are a million, depending on which property you land on. The biggest change: no paper money. Yes, that's right. No paper money-just a little calculator thing. The money is on a card (like the casino) and you just insert the card into the machine and press the buttons. At first it was awesome (because you can buy lots of world cities like Barcelona, Istanbul, Sydney, Hong Kong, Paris-), but then I thought wait, this calculator thing is just helping the "lazier" kids of this generation by not making them count money and instead pressing keys. Ugh! Is this really going to help make our kids smarter??

The other thing is that I was out to dinner last week and the people next to us just walked out and did not pay. DID NOY PAY!! The waitress was stunned and called over the hostess to make sure she was not going crazy. Indeed, they had left the restaurant. The bill was over $80 we heard them say. What assholes!! How do you do that?? How do you live with yourself?!

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This makes MY BLOOD BOIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New York immigrant dead in apparent hate crime

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A 31-year-old Ecuadorean man who was beaten last Sunday in what New York City authorities say may have been a hate crime has died at a Queens hospital, his brother said Saturday.
Jose Sucuzhanay and his brother, Romel, had left a party on December 7 at St. Brigid's Roman Catholic Church when several men approached them in a car in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, police said. The men allegedly began shouting anti-gay and anti-Latino vulgarities at the two men.
Jose Sucuzhanay suffered severe head trauma and was taken to Elmhurst Hospital. He died Friday night from his injuries.
Romel Sucuzhanay, 38, escaped with minor scrapes and has talked with detectives on the case.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said she was "horrified to learn that anti-LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual) and anti-Latino slurs were used by one or more of the assailants, raising this event to the level of a hate crime."
Quinn said she was in touch with the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force. According to police, however, the attack has not been categorized as a hate crime.
"This is a wake-up call and shows how far we still must come to address the devastating problem of hate crimes in our communities," said Diego Sucuzhanay, Jose's brother, in a written statement. "Only by exposing these crimes and working together will we be able to make a difference."
No arrests have been made in the case. Police are offering a $22,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the attack.
Sucuzhanay's mother arrived Saturday in New York from the family's home outside Quito, Ecuador, only to learn that he son had died, said family spokesman Francisco Moya.
He said the victim had lived in the United States for more than a decade and was a legal resident, working as a real estate broker.
A news conference is expected to be held Sunday afternoon.

http://http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/13/hate.crime/index.html

Livid

UGH!!

I am just going to start right into it:

1. I was waiting for the bus and a student had left something in the classroom; the professor brought it back out for him. Kid didn't even thank him.
2. So far I have complained to Pier 1 Imports about their freaking hot dishes that they say are microwave safe but burned my thumb to the point where it got white only after a minute in the microwave, to Milet for making a dictionary that is missing 30 pages, to a lawyer about my old apt. complex not bothering to return my security deposit, and to the current apt. complex and another company for another issue (too long to write). Where will it end?? When will people do their job... and CORRECTLY!! When will anyone take responsibility?!

On the brighter side, I bought corduroy pants and love them. Haven't bought corduroy in years. And The Contender started-new season!! Love boxing! :)

Anyone else....

....getting goosebumps when listening to Obama's acceptance speech?? This is such an amazing day in history.

Headlines from around the world of Obama victory

Making history today!!

EL PAIS: Obama culmina el sueño de cambio
John McCain concede la victoria del candidato demócrata y le llama para felicitarle.- "El pueblo americano ha hablado y ha hablado claro", dice el republicano.

LA NACION: Obama a un paso de ser el próximo presidente de EE. UU.
10:01 PM
Washington (AFP) El candidato demócrata a la presidencia de Estados Unidos, Barack Obama, cosecha una diferencia de 207 a 140 grandes electores, los representantes estatales que eligen efectivamente al mandatario en un colegio electoral de 538 miembros.
A las 03H00 GMT del miércoles Obama está a 63 puntos de convertirse en el próximo presidente de los Estados Unidos. Son necesarios 270 grandes electores para obtener la Presidencia.

HURRIYET:
5 Kasım 2008
Obama kazandı

Zeynep Gürcanlı/hurriyet.com.tr
Demokrat Parti adayı Barack Obama Cumhuriyetçi rakibi McCain'i geçerek ABD'nin 44. Başkanı oldu.
ABD seçimlerinde sonucu Virginia eyaleti belirledi. Daha California'da sandıklar açılmadan, sonuç ortaya çıktı. Ohio,
Zeynep Gürcanlı YAZIYORPennsylvania ve en son, kritik eyaletlerden Virginia düştü. Virginia'da oylamanın ilk saatlerinde McCain önde gidiyordu. Ancak sonradan Obama'nın oyları gelmeye başladı. Ve Virginia, yüzde 51'e yüzde 49 gibi az bir farkla Obama'nın oldu.

LA STAMPA: PRIMO PIANO
PRIMO PIANO
Gli Usa scelgono Obama
Affluenza record, esplosione di gioia dalle piazze

LE MONDE:
DERNIÈRE MINUTE05h25
John McCain reconnaît sa défaiteLe candidat républicain a félicité, mardi, Barack Obama pour sa victoire dans l'élection présidentielle américaine.

Barack Obama est élu président des Etats-Unis
A 5 h 05, heure de Paris, les médias américains ont annoncé la victoire du candidat démocrate Barack Obama face à John McCain.

BBC: Latest News
Last updated at:Wed, 5 November 2008 04:30:02 GMT
Obama wins historic US election
Democratic Senator Barack Obama is elected the first black president of the United States, as John McCain accepts defeat.

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: BREAKING NEWS: BARACK OBAMA BECOMES FIRST BLACK U.S. PRESIDENT..... Racial barrier falls in historic election
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Senator Barack Obama appeared to have won enough electoral votes to defeat Senator John McCain to become the 44th U.S. president. McCain conceded the race.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Obama elected president; McCain concedes Democratic candidate takes insurmountable lead over McCain to assure White House win, and become America's first African American leader 11:25 PM 198

SPIEGEL ONLINE: HISTORISCHE ENTSCHEIDUNG
Obama gewinnt US- Wahl - McCain gratuliert Historischer Triumph für Barack Obama: Der Demokrat wird der 44. Präsident der Vereinigten Staaten und zieht als erster Afroamerikaner ins Weiße Haus ein. John McCain verlor deutlich, gratulierte und bot dem einstigen Rivalen seine Hilfe an.

MIDDLE EAST TIMES: OBAMA WINS!
By CLAUDE SALHANI (Editor, Middle East Times) Nov. 4 11:01 EST
WASHINGTON -- The election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States is unquestionably the best example America can offer to the rest of the world that democracy, despite its many imperfections, actually works.

عاجل ..وسائل إعلام أمريكية تعلن فوز باراك أوباما بالانتخابات الامريكية
فاز السناتور الديمقراطي الأمريكي الشاب باراك أوباما بأغلب أصوات المجمع الانتخابي ليصبح أول رئيس أسود في تاريخ الولايات المتحدة ...المزيد - MASRAWY

Realize I have to blog again

I have had so many things to say, but just didn't get to putting them on my blog, and now I have forgotten just about everything I wanted to say. Well, about Halloween, I wish people would realize what kind of Halloween costume they can pull off. We went to a bar Fri night and of course everyone dressed up and there was a really great band there who played everything from "Thriller" to recent pop stuff to songs from "Grease". The best costume was Michael Phelps in my opinion-this guy was perfect as him: had the white robe, headphones, tons of gold medals, aqua sox, goggles, and he was even the perfect height and look for it too. Now, HE realized that he could be MP. Other people, not so smart..... like the guy who was a sugar daddy (had clothes that said sugar daddy on them) but in reality was a loser who probably doesn't even know what to do to be a sugar daddy. Then there's the girl who tries to wear a sexy costume but is really nasty. Then there are the guys who wear the "orgasm donor"/gynecologist-type doctor robes and try to be cool for their girlfriends. And oh wait-did I mention Obama and Biden outfits yet? Or the prom queens? I mean I am not perfect but sheesh, you need to know what kind of costume you can buy for yourself. Just like you would wear normal clothes. If you don't look good as a Roman soldier or a bumble bee, don't wear it.

One more thing. We went bowling last night and the night rock-n-bowl bowling started late, like 11 PM. Some kids and their parents were just arriving.... for a birthday party. A birthday party at 11 PM?? Some invitees were holding presents, etc. which is how we knew. Um would you ever schedule a young kid's (like 8/9 I would estimate, with even younger siblings there) bday party at 11 PM?? :S Not to mention the fact that the night bowling goes til 130 AM. Would you let your kid go to that??

Checks

I ordered new checks bc of my address change and of course they came back WRONG because no one can do anything right anymore. Basically when I went in the first time, the girl typed the street wrong-there is a v and an i in the street name, and she put a c and an o. Letters right next to the v and i on the keyboard. UGH! How annoying! She didn't even double check, and was in a rush anyways and didn't want to bother helping me order new checks. Well I am sorry-if the people on the phone hadn't said that it would be 30 DAYS to get the new checks by phone, I wouldn't have had to come in. So, whose fault is that. When I went in the second time, I asked to get them rushed and not be charged for them bc of the mistake and having to go in yet again. We'll see. :s At least the palm tree and beach designs are nice.

Oops again

Geez, it's been another month since I blogged. :S

So when we went to Syr for a visit, we were driving down Route 5 and a guy was running down the highway NAKED toward 2 policemen pointing guns at him. Hum..... gotta wonder what that was all about! Kinda freaked me out.

I have also made a change that most everyone will be surprised about: I am cooking more. Well, if you count Crockpot cooking. :) We went to Walmart, I got all the ingredients from the cookbook I brought along with me, and made 3-bean chili. It was actually really good! Okay, so it's easy to just pour everything in the pot and stir it every now and then, but for me, that's a step up from Chef Boy-R-Dee can ravioli. I still hate cooking (especially involved things like BBQ chicken or something like that), so the Crockpot is my new best friend.

Whoops

I guess I haven't done this in a while, but everyone who reads this knows why. :) We have moved to Maryland!

So just some random things I have thought about lately:

1. I took Amtrak recently, and I was shocked about the lack of security on the train. Sure there are plenty of police in Penn Station, but ANYONE could board the train with ANY type of weapon. Yes they look at your ticket and make sure you have your ID, but what about a metal detector? We have so much security on planes, but what about trains?? My ride was still pleasant, but wish there was more protection. No one had to walk through any type of security device. I don't care if the train left later-I want screening. Same thing with Greyhound. They don't have anything either. How come the airports can have security and trains and buses not, especially with more people taking alternate transportation now??

2. This goes out to anyone: when you are invited to a wedding and you cannot go, do you send a present? I am asking for a few reasons, and I would like to know peoples' thoughts. If you do send a present, do you send just for good friends/family or anyone that invites you? If you don't send a present, is it bc you are too far away and wouldn't have any means of going anyways?

3. The Olympics are AWESOME!!

Which way do you want it?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/20/rude.awakening.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview


People complain that police don't do enough, but when they do, they say they are violated and it was an intrusion? Invasion of privacy? Sheesh. I would say gee thanks for caring and noticing!

I'm sorry, wrong change again

Simply put, at lunch the bill was $8.60. I gave the girl $20.60 SPECIFICALLY telling her that there were coins on top of the bill. I waited and waited for the change, finally went up to the cash register and said I am waiting for my change. She said oh yes hold on. Okay.... She handed me $11.40. I said this is not the right amount. She said yes it is you gave me $20. NO, I gave you $20.60. The change should be $12. (Don't question me!) She looked confused for a sec then said oh okay and gave me $12 in dollar bills.

Like we said in high school, no words.

Oops again

Another 3 weeks has gone by-sorry my loyal fans!

So why is it that I, and/or anyone else I happen to be physically present with, attract weirdos? Note the following weekend incidents:

1. At the Dollar Tree Friday, a girl asked me and my friends if we knew any fun places to go to in town (obviously we do). Then she asked if we had a razor. Yup, it's in my back pocket, let me get it. (Not really) She had no shoes and was pretty dirty with red marks all over her legs. I felt bad for her... I wanted to know more of her story. Still weird though. Might have been a prostitute...

2. At CVS an older lady said I looked as white as a sheet (REALLY? NOT) and that I need to know Jesus Christ. Then she hit my arm and told me to look at her purse. I didn't do that and finished paying.

3. While out last night, an older guy freaked out me and my friend. He was looking at his beer bottle like it had 5 heads and sat in the chair next to us for 20 seconds, looked at my friend like he wanted to do something bad to her, I was feeling very nervous, people put down empty beer bottles on our table and he grabbed them and looked at them like he had 5 heads, then walked away and stood in the middle of the dance floor. I was about to tell the bouncer about him when I lost track of where he went. Probably was high.

4. While getting a cab home, some guy followed us into the cab and asked where we were going. HOME IDIOT. He said where and we said nothing specific and I said "um I DON'T KNOW YOU" and he said "oh that's okay, I'll just share your cab". I said "UM NO" and he said "oh okay I just need to get the hell out of here" and he left.

Is this place full of whackos or what?!

-On another note, I am adding "The Kite Runner" to my list of favorite movies. Top 10 possibly. Plus the soundtrack. I was a crying mess while watching it. Incredible story about Afghanistan before and after the Soviet invasion and the Taliban... tracing the lives of best friends from childhood to adulthood.

Oops

Wow it's been almost 2 months since I have blogged, but everyone knows why. :)

So silly JCPenney this weekend.... askim and I were buying a shirt for him for the wedding we are going to this weekend, and the total was $26.09 or something like that (might have been $25 but it's the .09 that is important). We gave the lady cash and she gave us back some dollars and then 75 cents. Even before that, I had said oh, I have 9 cents and she still gave us 75 cents back. Okay... even if I did not HAVE the 9 cents, 75 cents would still have been the wrong change to give, obviously. And she looked at me weird when I questioned the change! Can people do their jobs anymore? :S

Today

Happy half birthday to me!

2nd language, Iraq, golden Ipod

1. I was in JCPenney this weekend and the couple behind me in line was speaking Spanish to each other and talking about how much everything costs. They said "veinte" and their son said "what's veinte"? :S *sigh* They are not teaching him Spanish-what a shame!! :( I had to hold my tongue.

2. http://www.equalityiniraq.com/english.htm This was on CNN Special Investigations Unit tonight about women in Iraq-please visit.

3. There is an Ipod selling for 40K. YES 40K. I saw this on my local news and it makes me mad. Even the anchor said it is ridiculous that people would pay this much money for stupid technology but there are starving children everywhere. FRUSTRATING?? INFURIATING?? http://www.luxist.com/2007/08/21/the-40-000-ipod-shuffle/

Swirling

There are a lot of things I wanted to blog about and don't know where to start. I guess I will just make a list as usual (when I have lots of things to say).

1. My orangutan website has a new feature called Photo of the Week. This week's is soooo cute! http://redapes.org/new-feature-photo-of-the-week/

2. About politics, I just have to say that I give these people running for president a lot of credit for having so much energy to campaign-and it doesn't matter what political party you are to sit back and say wow, they really want this and are going after it full force. Especially McCain who is over 70 yrs old and hitting different states, making speeches, appearing at events. Kudos to you and everyone else who has been in the race at some point for even making the effort to embark on this tiresome journey!! I couldn't imagine having to talk to people every day, travel, etc. for more than a year. Isn't there a point where they say geez, I just want to go home and watch tv and skip this dinner event! But they can't.

3. There is an article on msn.com about how neat people are compulsive and how being too tidy can ruin your life ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23565682?GT1=43001 ). Here is a bad point to being tidy:

One, he says, is the loss of creativity. “If you make your environment very neat, you’re making everything predictable,” he says. “You will lock out bad things — you’re less likely to be late, things are less likely to spill or break — but you’re also locking out luck.” That messy desk or kitchen is more conducive to making the random connection that could lead to a scientific breakthrough or a new recipe.

The reason I bring that up is bc I am messy and have piles on the floor (or as my brother calls them, "landmines"). Always been that way-in high school, no one could even walk on my bedroom floor. But I like it-it's being free and not uptight in my opinion. What is weird is that I am so organized when it comes to paying bills and doing my bank accounts and keeping track of birthdays, but take a visit to my house and office, and you'll see the piles of papers. I am messy, not dirty. Huge difference. :P

4. 2008 is the YEAR OF THE FROG. Why? Because many species are going extinct and we have to help. Please sign up to be a friend of the frogs here: http://www.yearofthefrog.org/ . I bought a book called "The Lilypad List: 7 Steps to the Simple Life" and the author donates 1/3 of all royalties to the Amphibian Ark. http://www.amphibianark.org/shop.htm Take a look at all the other cool stuff you can buy there and sign the petition. :) Here is another cool site: http://savethefrog.com/ . And here is my frog, Eon. He will be 22 this year (well, maybe even older since I bought him from a pet store and who knows how old he was when I bought him). Thank you Mom for taking great care of him!

Tell me if this marriage will survive

A friend of mine has a friend getting married in about a week and a half. On her wedding website, she wrote this about the proposal. Names have been changed. Notice how she writes too (spelling, grammar, etc.).

How We Got Engaged:Nothing spectacular. I'm a perculiar person, so Kasey took me shopping for rings. We made a final decision on rings at Jareeds. The store clerk had to tell Kasey to do the official proposal. He just wanted to put the ring on my finger. So, you can see how romantic this man is. But I can imagine anything since he left the door open. Like, he is proposal to me on the white sandy beach on one knee. Yeah right. What really matters, I got the ring and a commitment to share the rest of his life with me.(smile)

WHAT?!!!!!!

Pics of FIO :)

I JUST LOVE HER!!

Fio is my new child :)

Well, new orangutan. :) I just adopted her for only $10/month!!

Adoptions Thank You
Dear Adoptive Parent,
We cannot thank you enough for your support of Orangutan Outreach and the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. We simply couldn’t manage without help from people like you.
Your adoption funds will go far to help Fio, Grendon, Kesi and Lomon– as well as all the other orangutans cared for by BOS.
We will be sending you updates and newsletters over the next few months– to let you know how your orangutan is doing, as well as to inform you about the latest news at Nyaru Menteng, Wanariset, Samboja and Mawas.
You will always be able to view your adopted orangutan(s) here. When prompted, just enter the email address you provided during the adoption process. If you gave the adoption(s) as a gift to someone else, please enter their email address at the prompt.
Please feel free to email us if we can be of any further help.
Once again, on behalf of the orangutans, thank you for your support.
Kindest regards,
Richard ZimmermanDirector, Orangutan Outreach

Yea!! I am so happy.

Why should they have to cater to us?

US, as in English speakers.

Marketing Lithuania: How about name change?
Officials say they may seek something easier to pronounce in English

updated 2:20 p.m. ET, Fri., Jan. 25, 2008

VILNIUS - Lithuania is thinking about changing its name in English to something easier to pronounce in plans to boost its image, officials said on Friday.
The small southern Baltic state, in the shadow of neighbours Russia, Germany and Poland, wants to raise its profile to attract more investments and tourists. A commission led by the prime minister approved a marketing concept that says the country of 3.4 million people should promote itself as daring. A name change is also being considered.

"Lithuania's transcription in English is difficult to pronounce and remember for English speakers, but the name change is only an idea under consideration," said government spokesman Laurynas Bucalis, who led the group behind the recommendations.
Lithuania or Latvia?No ideas have been presented yet as to what the name should be in English. In Lithuanian, the country is called Lietuva.
Many people outside the Baltic region often get mixed up between Lithuania and Latvia or even have difficulty saying where the Baltic states, which include Estonia, are located.
All three regained independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991 and joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.
"Bravery marks our history — from being the last pagan nation in Europe to a nation which sparked the Soviet Union's downfall, and today's resolute steps," Bucalis said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22841519/?GT1=10755

I don't think my art teacher from junior high would be too happy about this, and me either. :(

Hi

It's been a while! Just wanted to tell everyone I am still here....

I think this will be the year for charity. Not that I never donate to anything because whenever my friends have things they are doing like running in a leukemia race or Cass' (Erin) hunger thing she does every year (see her latest blog), I ALWAYS donate. I just love doing it. If everyone gave even $10 to a cause and skipped their Starbucks iced latte for a few days, charities would have so much more money. It's definitely possible. I think the world is going to hell, and it needs everyone possible to help with something.

My latest kick is ORANGUTAN ISLAND. I absolutely love this show and I plan on adopting an orangutan. http://animal.discovery.com/tv/orangutan-island/orangutan-island.html There are so many causes out there from cancer to saving rainforests to Red Cross.... trying to donate to everything would make your head spin. But these cute little orphans in Borneo... well, they have just captured my heart. Each little orangutan has lost their parents and now there is a project where they all live together. The show documents their struggles, adjustments, sicknesses, friendships, etc. They each have their own personalities like humans and it's so incredible to watch. Here is what the website quotes about the adoption:

It costs over $2,000 a year to rescue, rehabilitate and release each orangutan, so your money is desperately needed to continue the work. Over 800 rescued orangutans are looked after by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation at centers like Nyaru Menteng.
By adopting an orangutan, you are helping to provide care not only for your orangutan, but for all the orangutan orphans that are looked after by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. Each adoption offers real care to real orphaned orangutans. You can make a difference to an orangutan. You can give orangutans a future. With your help, we can give these orangutans a future.

And here is the adoption website: http://redapes.org/adopt-an-orangutan/ It's only $10 per month ($120 per year) and if someone wanted to help me adopt one (even $5), when I get the certificate, I could make a copy for them. :) I haven't decided which one I want to adopt yet, but I'll decide soon. Let me know if you want to help.