gmar chasima tova to all of my friends out in the blogosphere!

I (heart) these things...

at the request of Dude with hat, i have returned briefly to post about seven things i love:

(these are in random order)

1. making people happy- for example, today at work i completed a project for a client and he called me up and told me how much he loves it and that made my day!! i love doing things for people and seeing their pleased reactions.

2. the feeling when something suddenly clicks and everything becomes crystal clear- this applies in Torah learning but also in secular studies... whenever i don't understand something and then i find another way to explain it that i really like or when someone gives me a new piece of information to complete the picture.

3. driving!

4. singing and music- i've discussed this before :-) 

5. hanging out with close friends and just shmoozing and having fun

6. swimming and anything to do with water

7. fave foods, well a few of them: sushi (just had an awesome godzilla roll from Sushi Metsuyan), (israeli) iced coffee, coffee ice cream, whipped cream, and corned beef

follow-up post

at a wedding last night, i saw the person i mentioned in the previous post, who i had decided to forgive and forget what she had done. 

i gave her a huuuuge hug and spoke with her for a few minutes and did NOT, not even once, have any negative feelings towards her or speak negatively about her. it was such an incredible feeling!!

i hope that all of you will take this opportunity to forgive someone who hurt you at some point because its an amazing feeling to finally be done with that horrible feeling for once and for all.

:-)

forgive AND forget

I recently learned about forgiveness.  It's a mitzvah to forgive someone for something he/she did to you when they come to you and apologize. It's an even greater level to forgive someone when he/she did not even come to you to ask for forgiveness.

I left the shiur with a mission: to forgive someone I've held a grudge against for nearly four years.  Even though I thought I had forgiven her for what she did and how she acted towards me, I did not forget.  And in Yiddishkeit, it's not ok to just forgive but one needs to forget also. Because if you still remember, then it means you still hold a grudge. So I decided to honestly and completely and wholeheartedly forgive and forget the incident. Because I can truly see how though this person may have wronged me, she actually did me the biggest favor because I ended up where I did and it was all yad Hashem- truly.  (though i did not realize that at the time, of course)

I feel like a burden is now lifted off my heart. 

And I know that when I see her next week (and I know I will for sure), that I can go over to her and hug her and honestly ask how she's doing, and forget the past, because the future is so much more important.

When i think of her now, all i can do is smile. It's a funny thing, mechila (forgiveness). Totally changes everything upside and right side up.

hey guys!

just wanted to check in and say hi! hope y'all have a great shabbos!

news flash

i will be taking a hiatus from this blog for a while. feel free to go through the archives and comment, comment, comment!

enjoy the rest of pesach!

(i'll still be checking other blogs and commenting, so i won't be totally gone :)

Well, almost all cooking has been finished and we're all heading to bed, B"H. Just want to wish everyone a Chag Kasher V'Sameach! Enjoy it!!!!

Can't wait for Bircas HaChama very early tomorrow morning :)

TAoPP part 2

for all those who had trouble figuring that out (lol)... this is The Adventures of Pesach Prep continued!

In keeping with the funny/weird theme: I took my brother shoe shopping for Yom Tov. He (finally) found a shoe he liked and it was on the clearance rack. My bro tried it on and it fit ok so we asked the salesguy, Sean, to bring out the other shoe. Sean returned a few minutes later and said sadly, "I can't find the other shoe. I think it was thrown out." (!!!) I've never heard of Macy's throwing out new shoes before! Have you?

Also, I think I now appreciate men's shoes a little more. I used to think they're all the same, unlike women's shoes. But after shopping tonite, i think i'm getting the hang of it! there's tons of variety- loafers, tie-ups, tassels, cowboy shoes, with a heel, with rubber sole, in black, maroon, tan, pointed toe, square toe, square-ish toe, round toe, up toe, down toe, with design, without design, one color, two-tone, the list is endless. 

so now, all you girls out there who until now thought guys' shoes are all the same, i hope you'll reconsider. i have :)

The Adventures of Pesach Preparation

If i were writing a novel called The Adventures of Pesach Preparation, this would definitely go in it: While my brother was vacuuming the car, his yarmulka fell off and was sucked into the vacuum! He had to go buy another one! How funny is that?? :-p

to be continued :)

Here's a great inspirational song to listen to while you're preparing...

M.O.

You know, some people would be envious of Michelle Obama. I mean, she is First Lady of the U.S. But I really don't envy her at all.  There's a lot of stress and expectations. People expect many things from her. She can't make any mistakes because she represents the President. And when she's outside of the U.S., it's even worse. Because she represents America.  

I'm not into politics at all (and that may be a whole 'nother discussion why not) but I am into fashion.  The President and First Lady were in Europe this week, spending some time in England. Out of all things to talk about, the press focuses on Michelle meeting the Queen, her etiquette, and her clothing!  

There's one sweater that got a lot of criticism.  (Quoted from Time Magazine:) "Then Thursday morning she was off to the Royal Opera, dressed in a sequined, patchwork cardigan, the kind of goofy outfit that in another context could get a teenage daughter eye rolls from her baffled parents." 

I actually like the sweater. I think it's really cool and original. When I first saw it in the pictures, I thought, hey, i'd like to get myself one of those! Only problem:  it costs $800!! 

(and notice that it only comes in small and medium... let's say you're a size large, G-d forbid?)

What do you think?

Design

Poll: Do you like the design of my blog?

Results: 4 users said yes, 3 users said no

For all those who said no, would you mind telling me what it is that you don't like so i can fix it?

And for all you yes-ers, please tell me what you do like about my blog.

Thanks!

I passed by this sign today while driving in Queens. Pretty scary, no?

Picture Perfect (i wish...)

i had an argument with my mother today. her friend, who thought of a boy for me, dislikes the photo on my shidduch "resume" and wants a different one. i really am not so photogenic so i dont have any good pictures i would want to give this shadchan, other than the one that's on my resume now which is from my brother's bar mitzvah. so this shadchan decided she doesnt like that picture and wants another one. i dont have another one! i like that one! but my mother wants me to find a different one... and she wants my yearbook picture. 

okay, first of all, my yearbook picture is from THREE years ago. second, i hate it!! i really really really don't like it and i would never want any guy who is deciding whether or not to date me (or worse, his mother) to see that. 

i decided to google "shidduch picture" to see what others in the blogosphere had to say on the topic and i arrived at this site, which said:

"12/23/2003

Ed. Note - Possibly of interest for those who'd like to lightly touch up" their shidduch photo.

HATE YOUR YEARBOOK PICTURE? Attention students and teachers: get rid of unsightly pimples, remove orthodontic braces, circles under eyes, double chins, stray hairs, etc.  I will retouch your yearbook or other photo for only $10!"

The last line of the ad was the best... it says: "Remember Hashem made you perfect, but the camera makes mistakes!" awwwww... how sweet!  lol

in the end, however, i caved, and sent the yearbook picture. because i figure the shadchan will compare the two pictures and come to the conclusion that the first picture is much better (which is exactly the conclusion i want her to come to!!) 

PS. i had always heard a rumor that the guys in lakewood had a library filled with all high school yearbooks from all the schools all over the US from all the years. but a guy i went out with recently claims he has never seen a yearbook in Lakewood yeshiva. THANK G-D!! (all you girls can breathe a sigh of relief)

Blogging about Life

Child Ish Behavior, on SomethingDifferent's post about Blogging Inspiration, linked to a little quiz to figure out what type of blogger you are. I took the quiz and it revealed what type of blogger I am....

Let me know what you think... Is it true?

You want my... honey??

no, silly! they wanted my blood! 

recently i donated blood for the first time! the first time i willingly gave blood was in high school when i was tested for Dor Yesharim. when i heard there was going to be a blood drive i was kinda nervous about donating. im not squeamish with blood but the thought of someone sticking me with a needle and taking a pint (!) of blood out of me really made me nervous. in the end, thanks to (the good kind of) peer pressure, i decided to give blood. 

B"H i was totally fine, though i actually saw my friend faint in front of my eyes! (but that's a different story) it took about fifteen minutes, maybe less, and then it was all over. and i feel so great about giving the gift of life! you know, they say 60% of people in my region are eligible to give blood and only 2% do. every 2 seconds someone else in the world needs blood. it's a major thing to be able to give. so if you're eligible... do it! you'll feel so great afterwards (okay... maybe two hours later, after the weakness and lightheadedness has gone away :)

one of the girls i was with said something really amazing that got me thinking. she said that we're at an age now where we will do something to willingly hurt ourselves because we know something good will come out of it. think about it...

when i was younger like 10 years old, no way would i allow myself to get hurt if i had the choice. why have to suffer willingly? but now, as a 20-year-old, i understand that it may hurt for a second or maybe for 15 minutes will im being pinched with a needle stuck in my vein drawing out my blood, but afterwards i'll be ok and i'll be able to save someone's life. 

it's a really amazing idea if you think about it. the more i think about the concept of taking my blood to give to someone else, the more amazing i realize it is. my blood going into someone else's body is pretty cool. and the whole thing about different blood types is cool too. i can't wait to find out what type i am! lol

fyi here are some facts about giving blood:

1. one pint of blood can save up to three lives

2. the average adult body contains 10 pints of blood

3. 500,000 Americans donated blood in the days following September 11th, 2001 

4. A newborn baby has about one cup of blood in his body

5. there is no substitute for human blood.

JUST DO IT!

Dance Evolution

Every once in a while i'll find a song that i absolutely love and get obsessed with. i listen to it a million trillion times until i get sick of it and then move on to the next song. the song im obsessed with now (and listening to now :) is Michoel Pruzansky's "Al Tirah" which i got off the Oorah Shmorg CD that they sent out in the mail. it's one of those songs that just puts me in a good mood and makes we want to dance.

** LISTEN TO 'Al Tirah' HERE **

the last song i can think of that i was obsessed with and made me want to dance was on Shalsheles 4: "Ashira". I put on that song blasting and just danced the night away, listening for hours on end to the same song on repeat! it was a blast! though my sisters thought i was crazy!! but i got them to dance with me.
im not really a dancer. at weddings i'll dance of course but im not one of those girls who knows all the complicated dance steps. i know a few basic dances and i don't really have to any more than that because usually we use just the simple ones. i know the 6 step tho!! im so proud of myself. though i'd prob be too embarrassed to do it in front of everyone, for fear that i'd mess up lol.
when i was younger, in like 4th grade, i took dance class after school. i was one of the best in my class, really, and im not saying to brag or anything. i was really good but then i just lost it. must of been with all that growing and maturing, i just lost that talent. it's something i wish i could do. like ice skating. i've always wanted to figure skate! they look so graceful and beautiful out there with all the triple lutzes and double axels and spins. that's always my favorite sport to watch in the olympics.
so i guess i could learn to dance again. tho im content with just dancing in my room to my (now) favorite songs, although who knows how long it'll be b4 im sick of them!!!


here are some of my favorite songs for your listening pleasure... ENJOY!
Meidad Tasa's "Al Naharot Bavel"
David Ross's "Power to Be" (the Voices for Israel version is much better)
Baruch Levine's "Vezakaini"
and a lot of others that i can't think of right now!!


just as i was publishing this post, my friend sent me this link to such a cute video! check it out HERE. i wish i was on that flight!!! and please post comments... i, too, belong to the "I love comments club" :-p

rules are meant to be broken

rules are meant to be broken. 

or are they?

who made up all these rules about shidduchim? things like, waiting upstairs when the guy comes in to meet your parents, him opening the car door for you, who leaves the house first... all these things. who made them up? must have been someone. these things have become so accepted that if someone breaks the rules, it's like they've done something wrong, when in reality they haven't... they've just done something different.

and these days people are so against people being different.

but what i think is interesting is that i've gotten questions from shadchanim or people who have called me about my friends for a shidduch, like: what makes you different from all the other girls out there? what makes so-and-so different? 

so what's going on here? is different good or bad?

TGIF

TGIF, right?

I absolutely love fridays. it's not just because it's the end of the week and i'm off, with no school or work. it's because of all the preparations for shabbos and in anticipation of the weekend, which begins today.

i used to get up late on fridays because i didnt have to get up for school or work but then i realized it's so much nicer to wake up early and be available to help out my mom and do some preparations for shabbos. it gives me a sense of accomplishment.. like, look what I made! wow, i did that!

i think that is something i really enjoy- being able to accomplish something and look back at it, even years later, and be like, "wow! i really did something" or "i really made a difference" or "look what i went through and who/what i became." i think everyone gets that satisfaction from accomplishing something. especially if it took real effort on their part. 

i'm really excited for this shabbos! i've been tired all week. i haven't had a chance to catch up on my sleep because of purim and everything and it's been a busy couple of weeks. so i'm hoping i'll get a chance to get some zzzzzzs and enjoy the company that we're having :) it's gonna be fun!

now on a completely different subject:

i got a reference call for a shidduch for a friend of mine. this woman who called me knew no information about my friend, except her name (and i guess her references, cuz she had my number). so i told her to ask me questions (because that's the only way i'll talk about a girl... i hate it when people say, "so tell me about so-and-so..." and i'm like "um..... can you please ask me some specific questions?!") so what im really wondering is how did this woman get my friend's name and references. i mean, if she had the references then she probably would have her shidduch resume also and then all the other basic info would be on there too. except maybe she got the numbers from someone else, and why wouldn't that person share the resume with her?? anybody got a clue?

Purim

B"H i had THE best Purim EVER!

I think it was so great because it was really inspirational and spiritual but also really fun. I went to a Tehillim group at chatzos on Purim night, davened vasikin this morning, heard megillah, gave out mishloach manos (at home, to my friends, etc), prepared for seudah and had seudah with family and friends. it was amazing! i hope you all had as great a Purim as i did!!

Just want to wish everyone a Freilichen Purim and I hope you all enjoy the fun! It's a little busy around here but IY"H after Purim I'll be back...

ok i gotta admit, im a real girl!  i saw this quote on a classmate's looseleaf in high school, and i've never forgotten it since.  it's so 'me.'

Dreams

a year ago, in an art class, i learned something unbelievable: some people dream in black and white. i was shocked! i had always thought that all people dream in color. my teacher polled the class and we discovered that one student (my friend!!) dreams in monochrome. she couldn't imagine dreaming in color. i myself dream in color; all dreams are exactly like real life, except, of course, they're dreams. 

so i decided to do some research, as this is a topic truly fascinating to me, and this is what i discovered:

- Psychology researchers have discovered that if you grew up on black and white TV you are more likely to dream in monochrome than people who have watched color TV all their lives. 

- A psychology student did a survey of 60 people, half over 55 and half under 25. Only 4.4% of the under-25s dreamed in monochrome.

- Even more fascinating, before black and white TV, research has shown that people dreamed in color!

- According to research, most people dream in both color AND monochrome, but some only dream in monochrome.

Do you dream in color? Or just black and white? Do you also find this fascinating? Share your thoughts, opinions, comments, etc.

ps. if you don't know whether you dream in color or not, sleep on it, and try to remember in the morning!!

surprise me!

what is it about surprises? some people love 'em and some people hate 'em.

a few friends and i surprised a friend today. it's almost her birthday and we decided to make her a party. so we planned something with her mother and we went over to her house at the planned time. guess what- she was sleeping!!! her sister went down to wake her up and she didnt want to get up! so we had to do what all good friends would do... wake her up! we went downstairs and came into her room singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY! boy, was she surprised! and she was like laughing and rubbing her eyes and totally not expecting it! it was so cute. but she wasnt upset at us for waking her up cuz it was worth it.

it was really nice just to shmooze (and eat and eat and eat)

reminds me of the surprise party we made for parents last year. their anniversary is in the summer so me and my siblings planned a surprise party for them on shabbos, cuz their anniversary came out on shabbos. i baked a lot and bought a lot of fruit. my mother didnt suspect anything. we invited a bunch of their friends and neighbors and set up dessert on our deck in the backyard. my parents had no clue! my brother sat on the front porch to tell all the guests to go around back. when it was time for dessert and all the guests were there, we told my parents to go out back, and then everyone yelled "surprise!" it was so nice cuz they were soooo surprised.. they had no idea we were planning anything! it was fun! here's a pic of the cake i made:

so any ideas on the whole psychology behind surprises?

Ash on your face... a big disgrace

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday.

I was walking in NYC, getting myself a coffee, when i noticed many people with black stuff on their foreheads. Had i not been in the subway last year on ash wednesday and noticed it and found out about it, then i would not have known. but i knew it was because of a christian holiday.

i just googled 'ash wednesday' and found out that christians put a cross made from ash on their foreheads as a sign of repentence, as it is the beginning of Lent, 40 days before easter. now, you may ask why am i telling you all this nonsense? it is because, as a teacher once to me, the christians and muslims have taken everything from the jews. in class we were discussing yerushalayim and what we do nowadays to remember yerushalayim. 

1. if one builds a new house, leave a square part of wall unfinished

2. under chupah chosson breaks glass

3. some have the custom also under the chupa or before the chupah to put ash on the forehead of the chosson (and then to wipe it off) as a sign of aveilus for yerushalayim (just like on tisha b'av we eat the egg and ashes, etc). the christians' custom of ash wednesday actually comes from our remembrance of yerushalayim! along with all the other things they stole from us and use in their own distorted ways. 

i just thought that was interesting. what was also interesting was seeing all these people with black smudgy stuff on their foreheads. i bet they are all self-conscious about it and wipe it off as soon as they can :)

Advice

First, i would like to express my thanks to frum college girl for turning me on to blogging. i found her blog, started reading, and haven't stopped... and started my own blog- all thanks to her! so thank you fcg!

Second, my blog started with my first post, rightfully named "First Post". i needed advice about my dating situation so i decided to turn to readers in the blogosphere to get some help. though i received little help and a lot of criticism (it's okay- im totally over it!!), i would like to ask advice on a present situation...

today i was talking to someone i work with. she works from home so i only get to see her on rare occasions when she comes into the office. i was talking to her today via IM and this is how the conversation went:

tembow: hi!

her: hi!!! how are you?

tembow: tired but otherwise great! u?

her: great!

tembow: that's good

btw when are you due?

her: ask A (another girl i work with) that question. she'll answer you

tembow: why?

her: she'll know

tembow: ok

gnite

her: gnite!!!

ok so i knew something was up! but then i got an email when i got home from work, from A.- the other girl i work with. this is what her email said:

hey tembow...

i meant to tell you but i think you were away when it happened.

but B. is no longer pregnant... she had a miscarriage :(

it's really sad because she was like 5 months along and it was a major deal... she was out for 2 weeks (pretty much the whole time you were away) 

i feel really bad that i never mentioned it to you... and i hope that i didn't put you in any type of uncomfortable position.

B. just asked me to tell you because she has trouble talking about it...

I FEEL SOOOO BAD! i had no clue and i just "randomly" asked her, i don't know why. it happened while i was in israel so i guess nobody thought to tell me or forgot.

do you think i should apologize or just pretend that it never happened??

A Wedding Story

B"H this week i've been to a fair share of weddings (and it's only Tuesday!) they've all been really nice and really different. now i can't really go into details but i want to discuss a few things:

1- why do people standing in the back at chupas feel the need to talk? come on- it's half an hour of your time! just be quiet! i think it totally disrupts the aura and atmosphere of the chupa when you have tons of people talking. it's almost like they think no one can hear them :)

2- the real reason why people should go to weddings is for the mitzvah of being mesame'ach chassan v'kallah, not for "showing yourself off" to prospective mothers-in-law or for catching up with old friends. you're really supposed to go for the kallah (in a girl's case). usually i don't really feel like im fulfilling this mitzvah cuz there are tons of people there and i dance with the kallah for maybe 20 seconds. but on a rare occasion, such as a wedding i attended recently, i truly felt like i was really fulfilling the mitzvah. every person counted, each girl who came. and it was amazing to see everyone come for that reason!

3- ever been "snobbed out"? (when i told a friend what happened to me she hadn't heard this term used before.. did i make it up??) at a wedding, i went over to a friend i hadn't seen in a month or two and said hello and she totally ignored and barely looked in my direction. and i know she heard me because i sat down NEXT to her! i was totally insulted and didn't talk to her the rest of the night, and of course she didn't say anything to me. now i know im supposed to be dan l'kaf zechus, but in this case it's too hard :( 

4- i don't need to even mention this because it's such a cliche already but i'll just say.... black black black black -with little exception (v'hamayvin yavin :)

all in all, beautiful weddings and nice to see friends and get my exercise of the day dancing the night away!

You gotta check this out! it's brilliant

i've been meaning to put up a new post but until i actually get it up, here' s a pic to keep you entertained!!

We've got guests!

Reading NMF#7's Israel Chronicles got me thinking a little...

I really look up to my parents a lot! they're such amazing people B"H and some things they do are just amazing.

I came home from work today and there was this single woman from israel, probably in her 30s, eating supper at my kitchen table.  i had NO CLUE who she was and asked my mother a little later who she is. my mother told me that she's just someone who needed a place to stay for a few days or a few weeks or a few months and she's going to be staying with us! 

now my first reaction (not out loud) was: what? this woman is staying with us? why us? we don't know her.. for how long? etc etc. But after thinking about it for a little bit i've realized that this is not the first time this has happened and it won't be the last i'yH and this is a really great opportunity of chessed and hachnosas orchim! we've had a lot of different types of people stay by us over the years. whether it be foster children, or a spanish giyores for Pesach, or two kids in need of a home for winter vacation, my parents have opened up their/our home for them! and its something i really look up to them for, because i don't know if i could do that time and time again like they have. it really is something i would love to be able to say in one second when offered: "yeah! i would love to have you stay here!" with enthusiasm and love. but i don't think im at that stage yet. tho it's something im striving for... to open to all diff types of people, all the time. iy"H one day i''ll get there. 

but right now im really looking forward to getting to know our new guest and seeing what i can learn from the experience.

diet motivation

my friend came up with the idea that we should have a competition, sort of like Biggest Loser, to see who can lose the most weight.

we set the rules as such: we have until pesach (about 5 weeks) to lose the pounds to get to our goal weights. whoever loses, has to take the other person out to dinner. [i know... eating after losing the weight... lol... but that's what we decided] each sunday morning we have to weigh ourselves and call the other person and tell them what we're up to.

i would like to lose ten pounds and she'd also like to lose ten pounds (except her weight is from having her baby and mine is just FAAAAAAAAAAAT :(

problem is... MOTIVATION

hopefully this contest will get me motivated enough to stick with it. im very competitive by nature so i hope this will work

so far today was great! i was really good and watched what i ate :) but it is only DAY #1 lol

we'll take it day by day

do i have any supporters out there in the blogosphere??

lazy sunday? nah

you know those mornings when you wake up and you think you have nothing planned, and then everything just falls into place and you have a jam-packed day?? well, that was my day! and it was great! like i've said before, i love busy sundays!! today was one such day...

between going out with a "little sister", going to the mall with a friend and her adorable baby, going to the AJOP convention and listening to some speakers, today was one crazy, amazing day (it's really cool how those two adjectives go so well together lol :)

hope you all had such a great day as i had! and like one of the speakers tonite said, "may you all have A LOT of worries!" (if you're a little confused at that- and you have the right to be- check out the AJOP convention speeches from tonite which will be on torahanytime.com sometime soon)

wake up and smell the coffee :)

I had an interesting experience today...

A girl in my class at school has 

never

had a

cup

of

coffee

before

in her

life!!

So me and another girl decided to take her to Starbucks (my favorite!!)

She was nervous- she's so cute- and when she took the first sip it took her time to get used to it. after a few sips, she liked it a little more but it was too much of a coffee taste for her and she couldn't drink the whole thing. and she said she felt tipsy from the caffeine (she never drinks soda either- can you imagine??) but it was a fun experience.

i've read some things people have written on their blogs about coffee, like how some people just don't like it but i had never heard of someone who hadn't ever tried it! that's new to me, as i've been drinking coffee ever since my father let me have some of his, when i was younger (and yet, i still grew!! despite all my mother said about coffee stunting my growth :)

im a big coffee person, not because im addicted or anything. im not. i don't get withdrawal on fast days B"H. i love the taste and the caffeine is good too. but i drink decaf too. the caffeine doesn't really affect me that much. if i drink a lot, then yeah, it does. but not a regular size cup of coffee. my favorite starbucks drink is a "tall skinny vanilla latte with whipped cream"!! YUMMY!

Do you like coffee? Does it make you do anything crazy- shake, get hyper, high??

oh, and check out the new poll on the right!

would you go out with someone who has had a broken engagement? why or why not?

I hate vorts!

I absolutely, positively, unequivocally dislike vorts (engagement parties)!

You get all dressed up to go to the kallah's house or a hall where you stand and shmooze with random people for all of half an hour (tops) and then go home. I always feel like i should go out afterwards because im all dressed up anyway :) Vorts are just uncomfortable because you can have these two-minute conversations with people you never see (and won't see until the next vort or wedding) that consist of something like this: (here's the one-sided version)

"Hi, how are you?"

"Good, Baruch Hashem"

"So what are you up to now?"

"Do you like it?"

"Oh, that's great."

"Uh huh"

"Good luck!"

"See you at more simchas! Iy"H by you!!"

These conversations are sooooo stupid! Most of the time you're not even listening to the other person's answers because their response is so predictable.

Then you go over to the kallah to say mazel tov. She gives you a kiss, says "thank you" to the mazel tov, says "thank you" to the "you look so pretty," and maybe points out her chosson. (If you're close to the kallah then this doesn't really happen. what does happen is some screaming and hugging and "I can't believe it"s from both of you.)

Before you leave you survey the room to see if there's anyone else you should say hi to, and then leave.

It's always best to go to a vort with someone, in my case, I like to go with a friend who wants to get out of there as fast as i do. if i go with my mother she'll introduce me to everyone she knows (usually a lot of people!) and ask them if they know any boys for me, while i stand there and smile (uch!)

i'd much rather go out on a date!

Just a little more Tu B'Shvat inspiration...

I went to a shiur tonite and my teacher said something very interesting. she said that the four seasons correspond to different parts of the day:

fall=evening

winter=night

spring=dawn

summer=midday

Tu B'Shvat is at about 3:00 in the morning- neither day nor night.

My situation now (like many other bloggers and friends) is like Tu B'shvat- it's between childhood and adulthood. The lesson we should take from this is to be like the trees.. to wake up parts of us that are dormant. It's a good time to change! It's a good time to work on things.

Also another thing she said in the shiur is that this week's parsha is parshas yisro. A medrash says that the mann fell down from the sky together with jewels. The simple people only collected the mann to eat. The gedolim (great people) collected only the jewels. You would think it would be the opposite. What do the gedolim need the jewels for in the desert? Food is so much more important!? But the answer is that the gedolim weren't thinking about the "today." They were thinking how one day there would be a mishkan (tabernacle) and the jewels would be needed for that. The simple people only thought about what they needed at that very moment. Great people or leaders detect what is needed for the future - "haRoeh es haNolad" - see the future. They think about what will be needed; not necessary what is needed now. 

Tu B'Shvat Higiah

(remember the song... tu b'shvat higiah, chag la'ilanot...)

i got an email this morning from a NMF living in israel who told me how she was planning to have a tu b'shvat seder tonite with her husband and some friends. they were going to have 15 different fruits for the 15 shir hama'alos perakim of tehillim. i thought- such a nice idea. [the past few years, i've been in israel for tu b'shvat: last year i was at a chassidish tish where all the chassidim danced and sang as the new fruits were eaten by the rebbe. that was so nice! the year before last year, i went for shabbos (in sem) to a kiruv place where they were having a friday night dinner and tu b'shvat seder. that was so cool and enlightening because the people there were not-yet-religious and were asking me and my friend all kinds of questions about Judaism, etc.] so i decided where else to look for information about how to do a tu b'shvat seder than on the internet? so i put it into ask.com and arrived at this page.

i set up the table and everything and everyone in my family sat down to a tu b'shvat seder. it was really nice and really meaningful. (here's a pic)

you still have time.... until tomorrow night! so go for it!! :)

i don't know if you've heard or haven't heard about the passing of HaRav Noach Weinberg, ZATZAL, founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Aish HaTorah. I couldn't not post anything.

Rav Weinberg, there are so many people who owe everything to you because you returned them to their Jewish roots. You cared so much for every single Jew; you had such ahavas yisrael. Aish HaTorah will not be the same without you.

I have so much I owe to Rav Weinberg. Some reasons are personal but one I will share is that last winter when i went to Israel with some friends, i was privileged to take some classes in Aish Essentials in the Old City. It was an amazing experience. I was there with a few Bais Yaakov girls and there were not-yet-religious students there as well. I learned a lot and it was so interesting to hear what these students asked and thought about various topics. 

i was stunned to hear of the passing of Rav Weinberg today. he will really be missed. may he be a meilitz yosher for all of klal yisrael.

finally!

for the past few months my cell phone has been sick. it'll just shut off randomly or i'll get a message that comes up that says "insert SIM card" when i haven't taken it out at all. for months i've been saying i need to get a new phone. but the problem is... im in love with my cell phone! seriously, i resist change. almost all change. even good things like a new cell phone are hard. it takes me a while to get used to things but in the end i get used to it (so i just need to remember that i'll get used to it every time i need to change something or someone else changes something).

so anyway, finally i decided tonite is the night im going to the phone store. so i went. and i found a cool phone i like that's FREE!! so i decided to get it (and it's a cool green but that's besides the point :)

i was talking to the guy at the counter who was helping me and i told him how im so attached to my phone and i would totally keep it if only it wasn't broken. he didn't really understand that because here i am getting a new cool phone and i want my old flip phone back. but i told him i love it cuz i can text without looking cuz i know the keys so well, etc etc. im just comfortable with it. at the end, when he was giving me my new phone and the box with the charger in it, he hands me back my old phone and says, "in case you have separation anxiety." i laughed cuz it was so funny and true. but no, i will not go back to my old broken phone, though i do love it, because i've got this super cool phone to play around with now, and get used to. that'll take some time, but don't fear- just give me a week and i'll be over with the old one and completely in love with the new one! lol

my new phone is a Samsung Propel (you can check it out online). its got a full keyboard and it slides up- really cool! and i love the color (it's wayyyyy better than old boring black- besides, if im always wearing black it'll be a cool accessory, better than a color clutch :) 

im not a maniac text-er like that girl in the news who sent 14,000 texts in a month and set a record! i text pretty often, but not crazy. so it'll be interesting to text with a full keyboard instead of the nine keys at T9, if you know what i mean. 

just wanted to share the good news cuz im excited! though i lost some of my ringtones... :(

help wanted (needed?)

i need some help! i have a bunch of textbooks from college that i need to get rid of because im never going to use them again and they're just taking up space when they could be getting me money!!

i decided to do a search for the best online textbook buy-back site. so i conducted an experiment. i took the ISBN of one book i want to sell and i plugged it into a few web sites to see which site would give me the most money for my book. the results were that bookbyte.com would give me the most $ back for my book, but after doing some google searches for "bookbyte reviews" i decided that i should not use them. a teacher suggested using facultybooks.com, but they don't pay that well. i could use amazon to sell back my books but they only pay you when you have a buyer and that could be tomorrow or, well... never.

so im back to square one, with all my books still sitting on my shelf and no idea what to do with them. so if you've got any ideas for me, im up for anything at this point!

one track minded

i got an interesting text the other day from a friend. it was rosh chodesh shvat. this is what it said:

Happy rosh chodesh :) two weeks and chag labachurot

so i texted her back "what?? i have no clue what you're talking about!"

she texted me back "the freezer opens on tu bshvat. it's not a chag la'ilanot but for bachurot to get dates!"

OMG i was laughing so hard!! it was so funny...

checking my email later that day i found an email from another friend which said this:

"a few more weeks and they'll be free!" and then had this pic. how funny? 

now i know some people will have a heyday with this post and come out and say how it's crazy how the boys are in the freezer... shidduch crisis... stupid thing, etc etc etc. but that's how it is so let's just "deal" with it LOL

i (personally) cannot wait! :p

This one's for you SD!

In response to SomethingDifferent's meme and request that i do it too...

Here's how it works: You type "[your first name] needs" into Google. Copy and paste the words into your blog. (click here to check out SD's meme)

1. Tembow needs your help. (I do?)

2. Tembow needs a new hair stylist. (What i really need is to get my hair done; i've got the stylist)

3. Tembow needs a computer router. (Okay, this is a weird one.)

4. Tembow needs a family that will be patient, consistent, kind and loving. (Baruch Hashem, I have one already that is all that and more!)

5. Tembow needs to chill. (I think i chill way too much instead of doing all the stuff i need to do. sometimes i can really be a procrastinator- especially when it comes to exercising!!)

6. Tembow needs a makeover. (i'd love a FREE one!!)

7. Tembow needs to eat. (haha :) this one is definitely NOT for me)

8. Tembow needs and wants a date! (true, true. i am single right now lol anybody know any guys??)

9. Tembow needs to stop being so grouchy! (lol lol lol)

10. Tembow needs advice. (Thank G-d for all of you guys! that's what you're here for!!!!)

thanks SD! this was cute

My husband doesn't like that.

i went out yesterday with a married friend. we went shopping at the mall and over the course of our conversations, in and out of the many stores, she said at least 3 times "i can't wear that. my husband said i shouldn't." we saw cute open toe shoes in one store and she said her husband doesn't like the way open toe shoes look with tights. her husband doesn't like it when she wears wedges either. he doesn't think it's tzniyusdik. my question is: is it supposed to be like that- where she can't wear what she may like because her husband says no or because he doesn't like it. where's the balance? i know of course if you love somebody then you care about their opinion and you wear things that they like to see you in but really... let's say i really like belts and my husband doesn't. does that mean i can't or shouldn't wear them anymore?

finish the sentences...

OK, here's a cute meme i found on somebody's blog. basically just finish the following 8 sentences:

1. I wish I could...

2. My biggest fear is...

3. I hate to...

4. I love...

5. Today I will...

6. Yesterday I...

7. My hair is...

8. I will never...

* I tag: Something Different, Frum College Girl, Harry-er than them all, NMF #7, Bad4Shidduchim, TooYoung2Teach, and The Jewish Side of Babysitter.

Here's mine all filled out:

1. I wish I could be one of those people who is never bored and always doing something useful with his/her time. I received an email from Aish today that said: "Rabbi Eliezer said... Do Teshuvah one day before your death. (Pirkei Avos)" Rabbi Eliezer's disciples asked him, "How can we know on what day we will die?" He answered, "That is precisely the point. Since we do not know on what day we will die, we should live every day as if it were our last." (Shabbos 153a) I know this sounds morbid, but it puts everything into perspective.

2. My biggest fear is to lose someone I love and not get to say goodbye.

3. I hate to speak publicly. though im okay in a small group or 1-on-1 but i hate public speaking! someone once analyzed my handwriting and told me that i would be good at it, though. go figure!

4. I love that feeling of closeless to Hashem, standing at the Kotel, and being able to speak to Him freely and be completely there in my thoughts.

5. Today (it's so late now so i'll do it for tomorrow) I will try to view everything that happens with a positive attitude.

6. Yesterday I enjoyed my last day of vacation (for a while).

7. My hair needs help!

8. I will never forget the first time i drove by myself after getting my license :)

*Thanks to all those who did this meme! Hope you enjoyed... tho im anxious to see the results of Jewish Side's poll LOL :)

It's all in the details :)

well i just want to start off by saying that im so glad i did decide to go to israel because it was the best trip ever! i feel like i needed it to "recharge" my batteries and to give myself an uplift in ruchniyus. in america everyone is so into the gashmiyus and then you go to israel and you see people living in tiny apartments and focusing on learning torah and doing mitzvos and living on the minimum. it makes you realize what's really important. though, of course we still went out to eat and bought presents while we were there, but it's just a good reminder of what's important in life. like i feel like now i could really live in israel (for a little bit) when i get married IY"H. 

but newayz now for the details... :)

ten days is soooo short! i could have stayed for much longer, and i have stayed longer in the past, but this was what i could do for now and i start school on monday so i had to come back. i was totally not bored at all; we had so much to do. i visited my sister in sem, went to the kotel a lot, got brachos from rabanim/rebbetzins, visited relatives and friends, went out to eat, did some touring and A LOT OF DAVENING! it really was a very spiritual vacation. and it helps that i went with a friend who is sooo growth-oriented and really made sure we did a lot of ruchniyus-dikke things. it was truly amazing!! it was so gr8 to be back and to see teachers from seminary and visit the girls now in sem and see relatives and friends i haven't seen in a year. i came back on a high. it was great! it's good to be home but i wish i was back in israel, for real!

the last day i was in israel i went to a teacher from sem for lunch at his home. it was him, his wife, his daughter, me and my sister. it was really nice. we started talking about some things in hashkafa. i mentioned that i find some things to be so much easier for me in eretz yisrael than in america. he said something interesting- that in america, the boundaries are so much clearer. this is assur and this is mutar. that is for the goyim and this for jews. but in israel, because it's israel, people see things on the street going on and its less clear (for us simple jews) whats mutar and assur. it's easy to assume that everything in israel is holy and ruchniyus. but that's definitely NOT the case. and it gets worse and worse each year. what goes on in "town" and some areas is disgusting! really. i saw things with my own eyes. its gross. but on the other hand there's tons of kedusha. it's "zeh l'umas zeh"- the more kedusha there is, the more tumah there is as well.  it's really unfortunate but it's reality.

one more thing that was a wake-up for me... i was reminded by a great person while i was there how important it is to be "metzapeh l'yeshuah", to wait for and look forward to Moshiach's arrival every day. when a person goes to shamayim after 120 he will be asked a series of questions, one of which will be: "Did you anticipate Moshiach every day?" it's so important. we in chutz l'aretz don't always remember it. but for some people, it's something they think about every day. and it's so important. i want to try to remember that everyday. of course i say ani maamin during davening, but do i really look forward to moshiach? everyday? do i really want the geulah?? do you?

Im Back!

hey guys- im back from israel! B"H i had the most amazing trip ever! 

im so glad i went in the end... i was not bored in yerushalayim and  i even went up north!!

more details coming later...

just wanted to stop in and say hi and wish everyone a great shabbos!

ttys

So long, Farewell!

hey! its been a while since i last posted! quite crazy here with everything goin' on...

IM GOING TO ISRAEL TOMORROW!!! Im so excited but i have a million and one things to do, i haven't started packing yet, and i need to run a lot of errands and stuff. but since a lot of places are closed by now anyway, im gonna do stuff around the house that needs to get done too.

so long!! "see" ya in like 10 days!!

Conflicts

you know how in literature class in high school we always discussed a character's internal and external conflicts?

well, i'm dealing with those right now...

Should i go to Israel with everything that's going on now? should i push off my trip? cancel? go and be restricted to few areas of Yerushalayim?

plus i have 3 finals and one report due tomorrow and i haven't started the report!!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

sorry i just needed to vent a little and exclaim my deep frustrations dealing with all these issues right now

Sundays

I love busy Sundays!

im the kind of person who loves to be busy so today was a great day, B"H- super busy, tho.

this was my day (so far):

out for brunch with a friend at 12... menachem avel a friend who lost her husband... back home to clean up from shabbos (cuz if i don't do it, it won't get done :)... got dressed for a belated chanukah party at a family friend... off to the party... back home again to get dressed for a vort... off to the vort in a few minutes (waiting for my dad...)...

then i gotta do some work for school and study and figure out my trip to israel- i'm leaving I"YH a week from tomorrow!!!!!

all in all, a busy day- AND it's not even over!! :) even better!

oh- take a look at my poll to the right- i'd love to know what you think.

new great awakening

i came across this amazing article i can't wait to show my mother because it justifies all those mornings i woke up late!! lol

3 Smart Things About Sleeping Late

1. You may need more sleep than you think.

Research by Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Disorder Center found that people who slept eight hours and claimed they were "well rested" actually performed better and were more alert if they slept another two hours. That figures. Until the invention of the light bulb (darn you, Edison!), the average person slumbered 10 hours a night.

2. Night owls are more creative.

Artists, writers, and coders typically fire on all cylinders by crashing near dawn and awakening at the crack of noon. In one study, "evening people" almost universally slam-dunked a standardized creativity test. Their "early bird" brethren struggled for passing scores.

3. Rising early is stressful.

The stress hormone cortisol peaks in your blood at around 7 am. So if you get up then, you may experience tension. Grab some extra Zs. You'll wake up feeling less like Bert, more like Ernie.

OK, for all those who actually read the article, despite all the "scientific" stuff in there, i hope you enjoyed it! I thought it was really interesting, especially since i'm more of a late-night person if you haven't noticed by the times of my posts and comments lol. just a few comments...:

1. i once heard from someone that it's best to study right before you go to sleep because it stays better in your brain. i don't know if that has been scientifically proven, but i've heard it from a bunch of people (not that that means its true :)

2. when did "Zs" come to mean "sleep"... like in comic books, to show someone's sleeping...