Putting up the Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree is now standing next to the window. When we are not looking, it peeks from behind the shutters and looks outside. Sometimes, I catch it swaying lightly to a silent hymn. When we turn off the lights, I glimpse beautiful things: fireworks, winks, silver berries, red kisses, sparkling circles, and green mistletoe. I pointed my camera at its magical branches and took some frames:

When a woman loses a tool bag in space

Many of us probably watched the video of the female astronaut who lost a tool bag in space:



Now here are some priceless comments on the video:

-So now what! Shall we all on earth start wearing a security helmet? Shishhh!

-*on earth somebody gets hit in the head* OW! WHAT THE HELL?!?!

-Houston :: send up another Shuttle with a tool bag ... ASAP.

-"umm. mission control, tell Arizona to lookout"

-Stupid #@%&*, she should be restricted to making astronaut sandwiches and cleaning the inside.

-Looks like it was done on purpose...
->unlike your birth which was a total accident.
->Or your existence which is a useless one.

-Women, know your limits...

-I'm just glad she wasn't drivin

-This is why you don't put a woman to do a man's job. Shouldn't she be doing the dishes inside the space station or cleaning the male astronaut's laundry? What the hell is she doing out there.

-Get back in the kitchen dummy.

-Dang...MacGyver could figure out how to get it back!!! haha...o well no use cryin over spilt milk :)

-Hey, I just got hit by a wrench that fell from the sky! Can I sue NASA for this or can I just sue the astronaut that lost her stupid tool bag????

-What a charming mistake she made. Brings me back believe in womankind space traveling. A small mistake for Mrs. Stefanyshyn-Piper, but a great for mankind. I really appreciate this, I love and admire her. Too lot of space events are perfect, masculine, patriotic or only a very tragedy. She brought fun in space, and that`s what counts the lot.

-For everything else MASTER CARD!! XD

-When I was a kid I wanted to be an astronaut, when I see shit like this I don't have any regrets I didn't.

-I was just sitting there , The Hatch just Blew . Nope , I didn't touch anything . It Just Blew.

-"Lipstick no, compact no. What's with these wrenches? This isn't my bag!"

-did they check lost and found ?? maybe someone handed it in

-Women..*sigh*..

-Luckily she doesn't work in nuclear industry.

Opening - Atlantis Style

Just watch:



Source: Neatorama.

Expensive Accidents in History

An interesting list of the top 10 most expensive accidents in history is featured in Wrecked Exotics. Here is # 10 and #7:

#10 Titanic:



The sinking of the Titanic is possibly the most famous accident in the world. But it barely makes our list of top 10 most expensive. On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage and was considered to be the most luxurious ocean liner ever built. Over 1,500 people lost their lives when the ship ran into an iceberg and sunk in frigid waters. The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today's dollars).

#7 B-2 Bomber Crash:



Here we have our first billion dollar accident (and we're only #7 on the list). This B-2 stealth bomber crashed shortly after taking off from an air base in Guam on February 23, 2008. Investigators blamed distorted data in the flight control computers caused by moisture in the system. This resulted in the aircraft making a sudden nose-up move which made the B-2 stall and crash. This was 1 of only 21 ever built and was the most expensive aviation accident in history. Both pilots were able to eject to safety.

The Roof at Night

I was standing outside where the moon bathed everything in its glow. I looked at the sky line and saw shadows racing on the walls.

Conversations III : In the Spirit of Voting

We were watching the last debate between Obama and McCain...

Brother(10 years old): Eh..I am voting for Obama for sure.

Me: Interesting thought. May I ask why?

Brother: I don't like McCain. McCain will ban abortion which is silly of course.

Me: who told you that?

Brother(In a worldly tone) : Why, everyone is talking about it.

Me: Umm, do you know what the word "abortion" means?

Brother(huffing): Are you mocking me? of course I know what "abortion" means.

Me: What does it mean?

Brother: Women's right to vote. The nerve of McCain!

The Big Picture

Awesome photo blog with unique and fantastic high-resolution photos that cover different topics ranging from sports to astronomy. It became an addiction for me.

To check The Big Picture, click here.

At the Greek

We went to The Greek restaurant on Ventura Harbor yesterday. The food was great and the view was very nice. The view of the marina at night was very romantic with street lights casting shadows on the walk side.

The Moral of the Story is...

A wealthy old Gentleman decides to go on a hunting safari in Africa, taking his faithful, elderly German Shepherd along for the trip. One day the old German Shepherd starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old German Shepherd thinks, 'Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!' Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the old German Shepherd exclaims loudly, 'Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder, if there are any more around here?'

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. 'Whew!' says the leopard, 'That was close! That old German Shepherd nearly had me!'

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So, off he goes, but the old German Shepherd sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, 'Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!

Now, the old German Shepherd sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, 'What am I going to do now?', but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old German Shepherd says...
'Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!'


Source: Unknown. I received this as an email from a friend. If you know the source of this, please share it with us.

Great Commercials: Part #14

A funny commercial from AT&T about their rollover minutes feature. I love the father's sharp wit.

Tricks of the Mind

I flexed my fingers and resumed writing. The glow of the lamp softened the biting darkness. Words moved flawlessly across the page. Coldness started creeping to my right hand. I dropped my pen and massaged it with the left one. It felt as a ball of lava dropped in a sea of ice. I exhaled, closed my eyes, and rested my head back.

Ah.. the welcoming quietness.

I heard it then...a faint sound. The hair stood on the back of my neck. Sudden coldness infested my feet. I sat rigid on my chair listening. The sound was menacing in its purposefulness. Someone (or something?) was pacing in my room. The sound of feet walking on a thick carpet emanated from the floor behind my back. This being decided to pay me a visit in the middle of the night. It wafted closer, and its light breath fanned the back of my neck. Icy needles shot through my spine and my back slumped.
I sat there like an old woman not daring to breath. My toes touched the cold floor under the desk, and the contact jolted me back to my senses. I turned around ever so slowly.

Darkness started back at me, mocking me.

Living Your Fullest Potential

Jonathan Mead from Zen Habits has written a great article about reaching your fullest potential in life.

"7 Essential for Living Your Fullest Potential" lists in a great and simple language useful ways to help you re-charge your potential to the max. Here is number 1 of the list:

1. Have an open mind. Everyone talks about how important having an open mind is. But what they don’t say is how much having an open mind can affect your potential. A lot of opportunities pass us by because we’re stuck in a limited pattern of thinking, or we’re afraid to take a risk. If there’s no actual real (or perceived) danger, take the risk. The worse that can happen is you’ll look silly. Having an open mind is the first step to reaching your potential, because it gives you the willingness to take risks. We’ll never be the best we can be by playing it safe. As the saying goes: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve always been.”

As a musician, when I make a mistake, I’ll cringe and think I sounded terrible. After I’m done playing and ask someone if they heard my mistake they usually say “What mistake?” There’s a good chance you see yourself more critically than other people do.

This had me thinking a lot about the way I perceive things, and the way I make choices. I want to toy with new ideas, and try new things, but I stumble out of fear or hesitancy most of the time. This needs to change.

London from Sky

Beautiful photos of London from above at night. To see more click here.


Source: The Big Picture
Photos by Jason Hawks.

A kiss from Mommy

I saw her kiss him, and I could not resist. I snapped a photo of them.

My Grandfather's Finger

"It was a stroke of pure luck." He said.

He held his stiffly-bent index finger in front of his face and smiled.

"If it was not for that coincidence, I would not have joined the army." My grandfather chuckled.

"What happened?" I asked in anticipation.

"I was very young. A boy of no more that 10 years or so. I was playing with my mates when I lost balance and fell on my hand. I heard a muted crack, and I screamed. I broke my index finger."

"They aligned my finger with a small stick and tied them both with a piece of cloth." He paused and stroked his silver hair.

"The next day, I stood watching my friends play. I was fidgeting with my injured finger when the stick fell from its wrapping. I looked around, but I could not find it. Then the genius idea hit me." His eyes twinkled.

"I put my index finger on top of the middle finger and tied them both. I thought, 'my other finger can serve as a stick'."

He demonstrated this by crossing his index and middle finger.

"Days passed by and no one paid attention. It was time to remove the wrapping. I spread my hand, and I noticed it. My index finger healed cleanly with a permanent bent."

We both laughed.

"Forward 8 years from that day, and I am standing in the health examination room for the army's applicants. The doctor looked at my hand and grimaced. He wrote something on my slip and dropped it in the box next to him."

"We stood outside waiting for our names to be called. They were calling by first name only. I heard mine. I could not believe my ears. I was accepted after all. I took the piece of paper and went to the registration lines."

I looked at him for a moment then realization dawned on me.

"No!" I breathed.

He chuckled. "Yes, there were two people sharing the same name. I accidentally took the man's slip, and he took mine. I did not realize it till much later."

"What happened to the poor man?" I asked.

"I wish I knew." He whispered softly.

"Did they ask you to leave?" I asked, knowing the answer in advance.

"No. They realized that I can use my hand perfectly fine. It was just a matter of abnormality in its look."

Free Hugs

Please, hug someone you love today.



From Free Hugs Campaign

Toby is Biting Everything

Toby just can't help it. His specialty is chewing shoes and table clothes.

Chewing his favorite toy, my winter slipper

Chewing the hem of my dress

Chewing the table cloth

Chewing his teething toy

Almost chewing my sibling's hand

Morning Mummy

..more like morning yummies.


Source: Craftzine

Ahmed, Say Something Funny

While I was surfing through my former university's website, I found the following article that caught my attention:

CSUN Professor’s Documentary on the Life of an American Muslim Comedian to Premier at Film Festival.

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., July 21, 2008) — The idea for the film, "Ahmed, Say Something Funny," was hatched about six years ago when Cal State Northridge cinema and television arts professor Thelma Vickroy caught a performance of comedian Ahmed Ahmed at the Comedy Store in Hollywood....."I am interested in doing stories about people who are kind of on the outside but trying to make their way and be accepted," Vickroy said. "Ahmed was born in Egypt, but came here when he was only six months old and grew up in Southern California. He’s chosen one of the absolutely hardest careers you could possibly choose—to be a comedian and actor. I couldn’t resist." Vickroy spent the next five years chronicling Ahmed’s career from the stages at the Comedy Store to his international tour as part of the stand-up comedy team known as the "Axis of Evil."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Slow Motion Lightening

Awesome video that I found featured in Neatorama. I could not resist but share.

Fishing Trip

Pictures I took of our fishing trip in Lake Casitas.

Earthquake Fun

I thought I became dizzy when my desk and monitor started shaking slightly. The shaking stopped for a breadth of a second then the dreaded tremors hit. The walls and the cubicles started swaying. I put my hand on the edge of my seat and held my breath. "Please God, don't let this one be the big one," I prayed silently. My mind went blank for a second then my thoughts went to my family at home. Gasps and exclamations rose from the cubicles surrounding me. I looked at the opposite building through the glass window from the 4th floor where I was sitting. I watched in fascination as the glass windows of the other building vibrated. It lasted about 20 seconds but it felt forever. It was a bitter reminder of the power of nature that we choose to forget.

Did anyone feel the Los Angeles earthquake when it hit on Tuesday?

Quotes that Made Us Laugh and Wince - Part#2

"If I had a choice of having a woman in my arms or shooting a bad guy on a horse, I'd take the horse. It's a lot more fun" - Kevin Costner, Actor.


"Whenever I watch TV and I see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean I would love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff."
- Mariah Carey, Pop Singer.


"I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were ever supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever." - Miss Alabama, in the 1994 Miss Universe contest, when asked if she would want to live forever.


"The only happy artist is a dead artist, because only then you can't change. After I die, I'll probably come back as a paintbrush." - Sylvestor Stallone, Actor.


"If only faces could talk..." - Pat Summerall, Sportscaster, during the Super Bowl.


"Minks are mean little critters. Vicous, horrible little animals who eat their own. They're not beavers. I wouldn't wear beavers. I'd rather have a mink coat made of mean little critters that are killed in a very nice way and treated nicely for their short, mean lives so that I could keep warm."- Valerie Perrine, Actress.


"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body."
- Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward.


"Always go to other peoples' funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours."
- Yogi Berra, Baseball player.


"Fiction writing is great, you can make up almost anything." - Ivana Trump, on finishing her first novel.


"I'd run over my own mother to win the Super Bowl."
- Joe Jacoby, NFL Football player, of the Washington Redskins.


"I have a God-given talent. I got it from my dad." - Julian Wakefield, Missouri basketball player.


Source: Amusing Facts

Quotes that Made Us Laugh and Wince - Part#1

"I think that the film Clueless was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness."- Alicia Silverstone, Actress.


"Sure there have been injuries and deaths in boxing - but none of them serious."
- Alan Minter, Boxer.


"I get to go to lots of overseas places, like Canada." - Britney Spears, Pop Singer.


"It isn't pollution that is hurting the environment, it's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it." - Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice-President.


"A billion here, a billion there, sooner or later it adds up to real money."
- Everett Dirksen, Congressman.


"If it weren't for electricity we'd all be watching television by candlelight." - George Gobel.


"Yes, maam? Right here, this lady. No, she! Yes, right, second row. Next to the guy in the blue shirt, holding her left hand up. It's a he? Sorry about that. Gotta be careful. I'm very sorry. Go ahead! I'm, excuse me, I'm very sorry. Go, ah, I, a thousand apologies, go ahead."
- George Bush Sr., Former U.S. President, at a press conference.


"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life." - Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for a federal anti-smoking campaign.


"China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese."
- Charles De Gaulle, former French President.


"I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."
- Greg Norman, Golfer.


"Give Bill a second term, and Al Gore and I will be turned loose to do what we really want to do." - Hillary Clinton, former first lady, at a Democratic fundraiser.


Source: Amusing Facts

Brain Quirks You Might Not Know About

StepCase Lifehack provided this entertaining list of Nine Brain Quirks You Did Not Realize You Had:

1) Your short-term memory has a max capacity of seven.

Humans have three forms of memory: sensory, long-term and short-term. Long-term memory is like hard-drive space, while short-term memory works like a very small RAM. This short-term memory can hold only about five to nine (average is seven) items at a time.
Remembering information longer than this requires you to either compress it down into seven units or store it in long-term memory. Most phone numbers are only seven digits.

4) You have two nervous systems.

One set controls excitation and the other controls inhibition. If you hold out your hand, you might notice minor tremors. This is caused by slight, random differences in the amount each of the two systems are firing.

7) You can perceive depth with one eye.

It’s a myth that depth perception is entirely the result of having two eyes. Binocular vision does assist in making a three-dimensional picture. However, most of your ability to perceive depth comes from inside your brain. It has been wired to look at angles and proportions to judge distance.

If you required two eyes to perceive depth then most optical illusions wouldn’t work and it would be incredibly difficult to gather information from flat photographs. Not to mention a lot more one-eyed pirates walking overboard.

The Newest Addition to Our Family

...is our puppy, Tobey. He is a 2-months old white Pomeranian. He is very adorable.

Being Quiet

Do I feel it, this quiet pulsing under my skin? Yes, I can sense the strong trickle of blood warm and steady in my veins when I put the tip of my fingers lightly against each other. Yes, I feel like a stretched web where my heart beats teetering every cord.

I laugh inwardly when they unceremoniously comment that I am demure, quiet, or shy. I instantly become a pond, and I swallow their words like pebbles momentarily breaking my surface. I let them squint at my watery exterior and think that the bottom is dark and empty. They won't see the core sighing with life between my chest and back. When I move my head sideways, I can hear the rush of ocean in my ear, but they can't. They are unaware that gilded images play on my irises under my closed eyelids every night.

When did being quiet become a shame?

The Wax Lamp

The beautiful IKARUS wax lamp by Aylin Kayser and Christian Metzner is one of the DMY Berlin Youngersters Jury Selection.

Source: MoCo Loco

Capturing Photos of Tania

My gorgeous cousin allowed me to experiment with my new camera and snap some photos of her. We took photos in front of the house in the afternoon.

Aaaand we are baking here...

Yep, it is unbelievably hot in LA. The weather has been crazy for the past three days with record-breaking temperatures. You know the feeling when you open an oven door to check on a cake you're baking? That's exactly what you feel when you exit any air-conditioned building to go outside. Scorching wave of heat will slam into your face and body making you wince. The sole of your shoes will start sizziling, and your clothes will stick to your body. Hello, summer! I hope this is not an earthquake weather.

A Day in My Garden