I’m an ‘Entourage’ fan too…

It has been great fun listening to the European media’s account of the Obama tour of Europe. Michelle’s fashion sense – being compared with Jackie Kennedy, (I did like the fushia dress in Berlin), the fact she also wore J.Crew, broke protocol by putting her arm around the Queen of England or made former fashion model and first lady of France, Carla Sarkosy look like a drab mouse…. Some media even went so far as to say the real business being conducted (G-20 and the world economic crisis, NATO anniversary, Afghanistan) was boring compared to the thrill over Mrs. Obama’s wardrobe or charity visits.

To the dispair of much of my family and many friends, it has taken me awhile to jump on the Obama bandwagon. I am wary of rhetoric, a public relations cynic (knowing very well how the business operates) and when push comes to shove, a realist. Living abroad on the other side of the world, international relations means a lot to me and I sometimes have a hard time relating to the economic downturn in the heart of America. Yet, the Obama’s first state visit to Europe made me proud. Regardless of all the silly coverage around Michelle’s wardrobe, Europeans were impressed with both Mr. and Mrs. Obama. Obama’s winning smile was plastered across newspapers and the new President was welcomed with open arms and is regarded as a fresh breath of air. I watched Obama on CNN talking to students in Prague at the castle, where LeJaguar and I stood just three years ago. Mobile phone cameras pressed against his face, hands reaching out to touch him, the seemingly genuine smile never faltering, despite the concerned looks on the faces of his secret service agents.

And then was today’s news: Obama is a fan of ‘Entourage’, the quirky HBO comedy about an aspiring actor featuring a fast-talking agent named Ari. He is a tv sports-watching enthusiast like many male friends of mine, and what a revelation, he acknowledges he doesn’t watch the news! Hooray! Can you blame the man when he is likely to be the main feature in stories depicting gloom and doom? President Obama’s points have suddenly shot up ten-fold in my eyes. According to the article, he and Michelle recently saw ‘Slumdog Millionaire‘. So did I! AND he knows about ‘Gossip Girl‘!

Mr. President, I am thoroughly enjoying ‘Desperate Housewives V’ … who would have ever thought ‘fast forward five years on Wisteria Lane’ would be so entertaining?!  (Lynette Scavo rocks!) Showing in Belgium, Monday nights at 8.30 PM on BEtv. Can you pick that up on TiVO?  I’ll bring the (fat free) popcorn and then let me help you with a plan to encourage more American students to study abroad…

Daily Devotions & Wise Words

After another frustrating day at work, I drove home grateful to leave the rat race behind me. It’s a challenge to leave the subject of work off my blog on days like today. Yet, my vow to only mention work in passing forces me to concentrate on the rest of my life and appreciate what I have.

Struggling with writer’s block, I turned to my library shelves in search of wise words. Mark Twain? Been there. The Muppets? Been there. “Pooh’s Little Book of Wisdom”? Been there. Clearly lacking inspiration, I stumbled across a mini journal I bought two years ago called ”Daily Devotions”. I remember buying it in Savannah, Georgia at a time in my life when I thought such self-help books held the key to happiness. 

It’s funny, there are only two entries in that little “Daily Devotions” journal. The first on 24 April 2007 where my ’special prayer’ said, “May I find the strength and courage to tackle my three current demons and move forward.”  (Three?! Just goes to show you how hard it is to sometimes see the forest through the trees and what seemed like big demons can dissipate into dust with time..)

The second entry was on a plane on 15 August 2007 when I had cast my troubles away and concocted a crazy weekend trip to New York City to see Justin Timberlake in concert with KO. VIP tickets, 1 airline ticket, a new beginning. “This extravagant trip to New York  to see Justin Timberlake at Madison Square Garden with KO is the cumulation of a long difficult year – work and personally.  I like to think of it as a bonus treat to myself and the beginning of a new chapter of my life.  I have since lost my Grandma, yet, I know she is next to me.  This trip is a new beginning for me – and I can’t wait.”

That trip goes to show you how important it is to live life fully.  This month marks the one-year anniversary and sudden, tragic loss of my dear friend KO.  It’s days like today that I would call her from my car on the way home, always comforted by her wise words and rational side when I could find none myself.  

So it is in this spirit, and in tribute to KO, that I fill in my third entry in my “Daily Devotions’ journal for today, 6 April 2008: 

I am grateful for:

Having KO in my life, if even for a short time

Special prayers:

May her family, particularly her husband and brother get through this particularly difficult month. May family and friends continue to be by their side and may we all remember the happy times and hear KO’s wise words wherever we go.  She would want it that way.

Donations of the heart (acts of kindness):

Checking in with a friend today that I had not heard from for awhile

Goals and ideas for a better tomorrow:

Making time for a couple long overdue emails to other friends

Going to the gym! Five days last week, keep to task this week!  (Purely selfish – but I am determined!)

Notes:

One step at a time.

The beauty of laughter

You have to put on your best pair of rose coloured glasses and consider the glass half full in times like this to keep perspective and a sense of humour.  Friends are doing an amusing job of keeping me laughing as we navigate through excruciatingly long days, egos and uncertainty at work.

Laughter and camaraderie have a way of lightening the load and reinforcing you are not alone:

- We laughed until we cried testing the new ‘telepresence meeting’ room this week. London has never looked so close as we covered our eyes, yelling ‘nOOOO!’ to avoid examining the nose hairs of our comedian colleague who seemed to delight in pressing his face against the camera. (I can tell you high definition television takes on a whole new meaning!)

- Arriving in my office to see ‘Happy Birthday!’ on the white board in big letters, my desk covered in presents and a fabulous birthday book reminding me the day was mine and to live it up.

February birthday cakes

- Another friend winding me up about my birthday all day making me think it was forgotten yet again, until I received an email with a ridiculously cheesy ‘Hippo Birdie to Ewe’ tribute just before midnight.  

- My Flemish officemates teaching me Dutch: (translated) ‘a man with an ape’, ‘I did NOT sleep well’, ‘I love you’.  These are the phrases of the week…

- Borrowing a random lady’s mexican sombrero in a bar in Brussels (when she wasn’t looking), passing it around, taking pictures of all five of us, only to return it without her realising it….  followed by the great ‘frites’ escapade in search of Belgian fries and mayonnaise at 2.00 AM on a Thursday.  (We finally found an open friterie in the red light district on the suggestion of one savvy New York-based friend who ‘had never spent much time there’.) The owners were so amused by us, we ended up with free portions. (I am still finding frites in my cream coloured car interiour where no one is ever allowed to eat but it was worth it!)

- The Italian carnival trip last weekend with its own priceless adventures and laughter deserves a post of its very own.

- And so much more…

Yes, laughter heals and makes life all the more entertaining.  It’s been a good couple weeks.

Long live the travel bug

To escape the chaos of work and life, I take solace in travel.  

“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world,” (quote unknown) reads the words inscribed on an old greeting card tacked to my wall.  

It has been hard to see the forest through the trees the last couple of weeks.  Work is trying to say the least, (I will spare you the sordid details and preserve this blog from corporate tales of woe and dispair)!  It continues to pour rain…  Add a cocktail of snow, ice and wind for good measure and people are in vile humour.  Today’s icing on the cake was the incredulous news the Belgian government which already can’t govern (we’re on year two of non-governments and quick fixes) seems to have a new national bank on its hands!  The latest palaver in a string of many… sigh.

But I digress.  It’s clear the sunlight at the end of the tunnel for me is family, friends and travel.  So it is in this spirit that I confirm my 2009 holidays – at least the big ones! Miami and the Caribbean this spring, west coast in summer and Asia in autumn.  I think LeJaguar is in a bit of shock but has nevertheless graciously accepted my imminent departure for a ”girls weekend” to celebrate carnival in Viareggio, Italy.  Having a travel plan takes off the edge like a smooth glass of Oregon pinot noir.  It gives those of us who like to think of ourselves as travel connoisseurs, something to look forward to.

So break out the feigling, toast to travel, carnival and friends and enjoy the temporary escape from reality while you can.  It will be worth it.

(oh and go to the gym and pound out your aggression on the machines.  I’m staying the course!  It helps!  Work may be tough but if I can look and feel like a million bucks I will be unstoppable.) Go, go, go!

Much ado about shopping

I forgot to buy mint (for my Thai beef salad)

I need cream of tartar for my sugar cookies (from the British store) – but baking powder can apparently be a substitute according to WikiHow…

Fresh whole milk does not exist in the heart of Wallonie (for my eggnog – must go to Brussels’ supermarkets or the British store)

I ran out of scotch tape (to wrap the Christmas presents – and now the ‘librairie’ is closed for the weekend).

I love shopping in Belgium…