Great Quote!

God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. --Voltaire

New York Smells Like Maple Syrup!!

OK, this might be the strangest post ever. I was noticing a strong sweet smell as I walked home tonight..like maple syrup. I thought I had sat in something and was smelling my coat..i was sure I had sat in syrup.

Then I saw this article in the New York Times saying that the ENTIRE CITY OF NEW YORK SMELLS LIKE MAPLE SYRUP!!!!!!!!! It is all over the news!!

This is CRAZY stuff....very perplexing...I can't wait to hear the explanation for this!!!!!

A lifetime's Not Too Long To Live As Friends

A lifetime's not too long...
Originally uploaded by suzannemo.

Today's post is dedicated to friends, not necessarily the kind that you see a lot or are in the same time zone, but the kind that are always in your heart no matter where they are.

This picture was taken during a crazy Arab dinner party we had last summer. We were all living in New York at the time. Only 15 months later:
Hanna is in Germany...and engaged!
Oussama is in Tunisia..and engaged!
Shazly and Heba are in Egypt.
Kai and Juan are in Malaysia.
Ibrahim and Faisal are back in Dubai.
Nisrin (hiding behind Faisal's big head :)) has moved to Egypt.

Its tough sometimes living in a world where all your friends seem to be moving in concentric circles which cross only at times and otherwise leave you with friends scattered all over the world. But the good thing is that friends like these you know are always there for you even if they aren't physically present.

New York, NY

New York, New York
Originally uploaded by suzannemo.

New York. I love this city. I have lived here for 6 years and it has become MY city. It is starting to hit me that I may be away from the city for a while. I have long said that New York is like an addictive substance. You know it is bad for you, but you JUST CAN'T LEAVE IT. Maybe I should go through a 12 step process to try to get out of New York.

Step 1..admit you have a problem... yes, I have a problem.. I am 27 and don't own a car, don't have a yard, and share a bathroom....and yet days like today I wake up, look out my window and thank God for putting me here in this wonderful city which is as crazy, ambitious, multi-cultural, and alive as I am. Then its back to step 1 again...what was the problem?

Nata posted a quote today that I loved: "The beauty of New York rests on a completely different base. It's unintentional. It arose independent of human design, like a stalagmitic cavern. Forms which are in themselves quite ugly turn up fortuitously, without design, in such incredible surroundings that they sparkle with a sudden wondrous poetry." The Unbearable Lightness of Being Author: Milan Kundera

Reflections...

Its been a really crazy week...I'm going through one of those "what the BLEEP phases" where I can do nothing but stand in awe of how incomprehensible life is at times.

This week I have realized how lucky I am to be surrounded by amazing people who I can always count on to make me smile, to make me laugh, and to help me keep life in perspective. Thanks to everyone who has helped me make it through a tough week. To mom & dad for being the best parents in the world and always supporting me in everything I do no matter how crazy it may seem, to Anu and Cindy for always making sure I have a smiling face to come home to at night, to Asha, Jen S., Jen H., and Carly for being the four people most willing to talk me through my own mental gymnastics. I love all of you more than I ever tell you and I hope that some day I can give back to all of you what you have given to me. You keep me sane :)

Application Submitted and Off to Sleep...

It is done. My Application for a 2006-2007 Fulbright Scholarship was officially submitted today. It is out of my hands now. I did all I could... I spent hours upon hours brainstorming, researching, reading Moroccan publications, and talking with everyone I could about my research ideas. I crossed the atlantic to look into the feasibility of my project firt-hand and to arrange my affiliations....and it all came down to one little envelope full of my future. I will know the results in January. Inshallah, I will get it. If not, then at least I know it wasn't because I didn't work hard enough to prepare my application.

A big thanks to everyone who helped me with recommendation letters, with reviewing my application, and with staying sane throughout this whole application process.

Nomadlife Reunion!

Just got home from the Nomadlife reunion here in New York. What an amazing night! It was so great to catch up with old friends and enjoy stories about "the good ole days." Thanks so much to Dody, Sarah, Kevin, Saki, Soraya, Saki and Vishen for making the voyage to New York to make tonight so much fun!