Hannukah and All Things Merry

Hannukah (like most Jewish holidays) are sneaky little buggers.  They come in and out of life without a second glance because they aren't monetized, commercialized and "Americanized" like most Christan holidays out there. Not that I have anything against Christian holidays!  I am a HUGE fan of Christmas as I grew up 1/2 in a Christian home and I love the idea of creating your own holiday traditions so who knows what mash up of Christian/ Jewish/ Buddist/Hindu/Agnostic/ Pagan ( ;-D) holidays I will celebrate in the future! 

In any case, I realized that my few and far between Australian readers may not know what Hannukah is so I have compiled a little info and pictures to help explain! :) According to wikipedia (the go-to site for info, yes I am rolling my eyes as well) Hanukkah , (the Festival of Lights) is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the second Temple in Jerusalem.  Direct Link to the Article here.  The story of Hannukah has to do with a lack of oil needed to light the eternal light that burns in all synagogues.  The miracle of Hannukah is that the oil that should have lasted for only one day lasted for eight.  To honor this miracle we eat lots of goodies fried in oil (potato pancakes, donuts etc) and light a candelabra called a Hannukiah for eight nights.  

Our latke before and after pictures :) 

 Makeshift Hannukiah at Liz's house because we didn't have enough candles... 

 Hannukiah at my house (I made that when I was little!) :) 

Ps. I got a new camera recently so more pretty pictures to come! 

Catch up time! :)

Los Angeles really has some pockets of goodness and when Tellu and Maarit were visiting a few weeks ago we tried hard to hit them all! One of my friends from Berkeley is a native LA-ian and so he gave us the tour  including some trendy bars/ restaurants in West Hollywood.  I have learned that West Hollywood is truly the place to see and be seen! We also went to Santa Monica and Venice beach, which is very close to where I work.  Venice beach reminds me a lot of Berkeley.  Lots of crazies out but the truly marvelous part is the mix of people and activities, cultures etc that mingle along the boardwalk.  We rounded out their time in LA with a trip to soup plantation (all you can eat buffet that actually rocks) and Costco (of course).  I had a marvelous time with them but they really made me miss the other Australian friends that I have left behind...

I hope everyone has had a marvelous Thanksgiving.  My mom and I drove up to Berkeley to see my sis and have a belated Thanksgiving with my cousin mark in SF on Friday.  He lives in an area of the bay called "Foster City" which was a beautiful little town right on the bay.  He shares a beautiful, waterfront house with some friends  and it was interesting to see a new part of the Bay Area.  Below are some pictures from our festivities :)
The rest of our weekend has been pretty low key.  I went to the farmers market this morning with Dan and Kristin which was great fun (despite the rain) and my sis got an awesome backpack for her trip to Argentina/ Uruguay at the North Face Outlet.  Unfortunately I was too small for all the backpacks but I hope to find my own perfect fit soon! ha ha

Thank you for everyone who has touched my life in the past and present.  If you are reading this you must mean something to me and I am thankful for you all! Happy Thanksgiving! xx

YAY Social Life!

Tellu and her friend Marit came into town today on a stop of their world tour and we had a blast... and the fun is still not over! I will be sure to update you all later but I just want to say that all is well and I will write more about my actual fun weekend later :-)
Here are some pics of Tellu and I from Australia, in case you forgot what she (or I) look like (since I haven't written in so long!) he he

Falls Festival 2009

First AFL game- Brisbane Lions! 

Race Day :) good times! 

YAY for Australia friends coming to visit! Makes me super happy! :-D 

Two Lessons

Part un: 

Up until this point I had not really grasped any illustration of personal growth due to my 13 months in Australia.  This weekend I took the coastal train down to San Diego to visit my friend Becks.  She came and visited me in Australia for a month and she kept mentioning how she felt she had grown even in that month away from the states.  Sorry to divulge your feels Becks, but she feels more independent and a generally stronger person.  I thought I hadn’t changed.  I thought I was still that same person from high school and then college to now.  Turns out I am wrong.  At one point in the weekend Becky and I talked about how we are thankful for the fact that we got out of LA for college.  I didn’t get into UCLA and at the time I remember feeling pretty bummed because I thought I would be unhappy if I didn’t live close to my family.  When my mom first dropped me off at Berkeley I cried, but I am so thankful that I ended up there.  In any case, when it came time for Australia I didn’t feel scared at all.  A year away from home, psh, I can do that.  I went without knowing a soul and yet I remember feeling happy and comfortable almost instantaneously.  One of my friends gave me four letters that I could open at different points in my year there and they were labeled “when you are homesick and just want to get on the next plane home” to “wanting to move to Australia forever” (or something to that degree).  In that 13 months, I opened all of them but the intense homesick one (which I opened at the end just for kicks).  My long winded point is that I really feel that I did grow in the past years and I am only now realizing it… hopefully my next adventure will be just as rewarding!

Part deux:

I have been an intensely shy person.  Not to the point of social crippling but definitely to a strong degree.  Yesterday, I proved that I am growing out of this and again, I have Australia to thank.  Becks and I stopped at the beach yesterday before I got on the train and we not only met, but chatted to (for over 30 min) these two guys from Spain.  The exchange started with the usual “can you take a picture for me” question which really can be the ultimate ice breaker if used correctly ;)  I complimented one of the guys on his California sweatshirt, written in the Coca Cola script, he mentioned that he got it in San Francisco, and we launched straight in.  We talked about Nor Cal vs So Cal (he agreed Nor Cal rocks, reminds him of Europe) and then talked about Spain and travel and the El Camino walk (he was very impressed with my Spanish knowledge).  Thirty minutes or so later, we were exchanging phone numbers so Jose could give me a call when he moves to Hollywood (his dream) and starts making music.  Pre-Australia there is no way I would have started a conversation with someone and given out my number.  AND to top it all off, I started another conversation on the train ride back with a guy from LA that was reading Orwell’s 1984.  My my, look how I’ve grown! :) 

I guess these adventures out of our comfort zones are the best medicine/ learning experience that can ever be discovered.  I am sure all you adults know all this stuff, and I am sure my family told me this would happen, but it is nice to learn all this stuff alone!  Again, next big adventure- BRING IT!!  :-D  

Workin' Gal!

After a relentless 3 weeks (big whoop I know) of looking for a job I have landed a Digital Marketing Assistant position at KNOCK KNOCK, a company that designs and manufactures office and general organizational materials.  Their motto is “we put the fun in functional” and I have to say, the office resonates that motto.  (Check out their amazing stuff here).   With bright orange walls, a magical never-empty pretzel container and two dogs underfoot, it is hard to think of the place as a conventional office.  Of course the Venice Beach location doesn’t hurt and the people in the office embody the laid back vibe of the town.  Of course we all get work done (but in a fun setting; just as work should be).  Lunch time is always a unpredictable event.  On Thursday, three people had an in-depth conversation about “soggy” vs. “moist” and which foods/ objects fall under each word. 

What does a Digital Marketing Assistant do? To summarize my job: I am compiling a list of their current media contacts, will find more contacts and then pitch our products to them.  Common advice from established business people is often “learn how to sell” (yourself, a product, etc), and I am starting another step in understanding how to brand myself and the products/ company I am endorsing.   Another aspect of my job will be public outreach through social media like twitter, facebook, blogs etc.  I think that the company has an amazing product but has not yet learned how to really establish themselves (especially in the websphere) and that is where I will come in.  I have a few innovative ideas about how to get the ball rolling and I will slowly feed them to my boss, Krista. 

Well the downside of this job (outside of the minimum wage which will barely cover gas money, kidding… sorta ;) )  is the drive.  It is in Venice and LA traffic is a terrible, unpredictable beast.  Last week was a veritable mix of hit and misses and I hope by the time Dec 15^th rolls around (my last day) I will actually have a good sense of the area and how to get around in the least amount of area possible. 

Things I have already learned: there are two Starbucks close by and I have written down the bathroom key code for each :) (very necessary).  I have a new website I am obsessed with: google analytics, which compiles tracking information for Knock Knock to see how their visitors find out about them.  I have learned the back end of the site and managed to take down products as necessary.  I have discovered that Venice Beach is actually a very cool part of Los Angeles… but still does not compare to my beloved Bay Area ;) 

Missing that big 'ol Aussie county...

I am sitting in my sister's room listening to "My Island Home" sung by Christine Anu and searching through hundreds of "job possibilities" on numerous websites.  When I came back to the states in November I talked about what I missed from the US (toliet seat covers, yogurt in bulk from Costco) and now that I have returned home I feel that it is only fitting to share what I am missing about that big island across the sea. 

My song choice isn't really that random, by the way.  I have been listening to a lot of Australian music lately.  I have my "Australia's Greatest Songs" mix, the mix of artists from falls festival (the concert from last New Years) and some other random artists thrown in.  Sometimes the songs just bring on general nostalgia and other times I get a sharp pang of sadness when I think about Krystle (my housemate) singing at the top of her lungs or Al and I dancing like crazy people at falls.  All good memories but the longing is still there...

I miss the amazing weather (when it wasn't raining) and the beach that stretched for miles and miles.  I miss being able to say that I "lived" there.  I wasn't just a tourist, I was a resident for a short while. 

I miss my friends at the gym and that gym in general.  I know this is lame but the fitness instructors at my Australian gym were absolutely incredible.  I knew then that they were amazing but I still didn't appreciate what I had until it was gone. 

I think that is the overall lesson from my experience.  I had an incredible life there and although I did realize it I didn't fully appreciate it until it was gone.  I didn't fully intend to write a wrap up of my experience today but I guess it just sort of unrolled... my word (ala "Eat, Pray, Love") to describe my experience is fleeting. 

Family Fuzzy Feelings :)

I come from a family separated by many miles and 40 or so states.  My dad's family is spread out in Virginia, Minnesota, and Indiana (mainly) and my mom's family is from the east coast; specifically Connecticut and New Jersey.  For those of you who have no idea about US geography (because you aren't from here or because you failed high school geography like many other Americans :) ), these states are extremely far from California.  

NOTE: I do have some other family from my parent's marriages that are in CA/AZ and who I love very much but for the sake of this blog entry I am discussing my family that is far away.  

I know that every family has their own traditions that they share but I think the distance makes our family traditions even more special and important in my mind.  It is kind of like a long distance relationship, every meeting is extra sweet because of the distance in between.  My dad's family is characterized by trips to the lake, strawberry shortcake, rhubarb (everything), barnyard canasta, fishing, and my grandma win's Christmas cookies (so basically... food :) ) 

My mom's family is defined by GOOD bagels, lobster, white fish salad, amazing corn, blueberries until our face changes color, excessive schedule planning, and lots of cultural adventures.  I have realized that two of my most distinctive qualities come from my mom's side: my constant planning and my habit of packing snacks even if I am leaving the house for 20 min or so... :). The planning is from my grandma who always has a calendar out with a stack of articles on things for us to do and a pencil in hand to ensure we get as much out of our stay as possible and the snack packing is mirrored in my mom's daily activities.  I think Todd appreciates the second and not the first but each of their quirks are seen in my daily manner.  Anyone agree? :) 

This trip back east has been no different :)  Tonight we are sitting down (outside) to attack some lobster, yesterday we made the shlep down to New Jersey to see my Aunt and Uncle and today Grandma, Grandpa and I made a trip to Gillette Castle.  It is an enormous house overlooking the Connecticut river that William Gillette designed and built as his retirement home.  This is the man who brought Sherlock Holmes to the stage and played him more that 1,300 times and yet his design of the house is almost as impressive as his theater repertoire.  It is a huge, three story mansion built with different kinds of wood, locally found stone, secret passageways and amazing views.  I highly recommend googling Gillette's Castle or clicking HERE as this "house" was really one of a kind!  We (basically Grandma) always seems to find some museum or interesting place that we haven't been to yet and it is such a treat to have someone else thinking of things to do! I have to admit that I am nervous about Todd visiting because Covina is not the greatest and I am thinking I may have to hire some friends or something to keep him occupied ;) 

Actually I am very excited for the possibility of sharing my family traditions with someone else.  Rachel, my friend from junior high loves coming over for our Jewish food and we love sharing our family/ cultural traditions with her.  Thank you to all my family that has nurtured and introduced the traditions that I treasure so dearly today.  It makes the distances seem small and the time between visits short and sweet.  I am really enjoying my family time and also counting down to the next opportunity we have to create memories and share our traditions :)