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)