Wish List 2012

Circle Scarf, American Apparel, $28. 

I got this scarf in grey last year and I've worn it more than any other article of clothing I have ever bought.  It is so comfy and versatile, I wish I could have one in every color.  Fortunately, that's an option!  

Chuck Taylor, Converse, $70

Many people have certain staples in their wardrobe.  Sometimes staples wear out and for a product under $100, there's no excuse for when they turn smelly and gross to not replace them.  If you know someone with a staple item, perhaps you can provide them with that task.  Personally, my staple is my Chuck Taylor's.  Make the pair you get something special with the customized option! 

Madison,Warby Parker, $95

If I took a shot every time I heard someone mention Warby Parker this season, I'd be wasted. 

Retro Pop Phone, Overstock.com, About $18.

Always thought these were funny and a perfect gift.  For the goofballs.  

iPower Case, C. Wonder, $58.

Practical & nerdy.  

Elite Israeli Chocolate Bars, IsraeliProducts.com, $1.99

I did a couple stints in Israel, among other places and with each trip, I usually have a favorite food or product I'd love to be able to bring home with me or have at my disposal once I am home.  In my case, these chocolate bars with pop rocks in them are a favorite of mine.  Find out what the product is and get that for whoever you are buying a gift for.  It doesn't have to be food either.  It will not only make them extremely happy but also remind them of a great memory and show that you really pay attention to the details!  

Day 7 - Hawaii Honeymoon

There are a couple of things that are associated with Maui.  One of those things is the Road to Hana.  Everyone says "It's not about Hana, it's about the ride there."  Basically, there is a ton of really amazing things to see along this absolutely ridiculous road...and we were pumped!  

Part of the Road to Hana

A very cool perspective of what the majority of the road looks like.  Blind turns for 80 miles. 

We were out by 8:30AM and tried to be prepared as best we could.  We filled up our gas tank, stupidly chose not to get a picnic for the road, and headed to mile marker...well we got lost within the first couple minutes, haha! Apparently the miles restart a little up the road so we were searching for a waterfall in the wrong place.  If you don't count that little mishap, our first official stop was to watch some surfing right next to the uber-cute surf town of Paia at Ho’okipa Beach Park.  

Next up was Twin Falls. We parked and hiked for about 20 minutes and made it to what is the epitome of Hawaii in my opinion, swimming in a waterfall in the jungle.  

David behind Twin Falls. 

After that we tried Waimea Falls again, which was a bust, again (the first mentioned earlier). An OK hike but there were no falls so it was really disappointing when that is why we hiked for an hour.  I would have rather done something else if I knew they weren't visible.  Wasn't meant to be.  

Anywho, we continued on down the road. OMG winding and turning over and over. I've never done anything like it. Just madness.  It got to the point that it was funny because it was so absurd.  David did a really great job navigating.  We passed gorgeous beaches and cliffs and valleys and a bunch of other falls we could see on the side of the road and finally stopped halfway for the famous banana bread.

After the scrumptious snack, we hit up  Wai'anapanapa aka the black sand beach. I was really looking forward to this specific stop but I didn't know why.  The weather was perfect and the second we parked and got there, it began to downpour.  Not a good sign but only a slight delay.  We tried to get to the beach but took a wrong turn and ended up in these awesome caves.  A great five minute detour hike.  

Then we got down to the beach.  It was magical.  I can't explain the sound the water makes when it washes back into the ocean on the black pebbles but something about it was just so special.  It is such a beautiful and unique place.  I bottled up a very small amount of sand and wish I had brought a proper bottle even though I am sure it's illegal.  There were also other things to see there like a blowhole and an ancient, sacred burial ground.  The weather was still not great and we were starting to get really hungry so we didn't stay as long as I would have liked and I was sad to leave.  This is my new favorite place in the world. I loved it. 

A view from the path heading to the beach. 

Beach level. 

Just past Wai'anapanapa is finally the town of Hana.  We were starving and I was panicked because there was nothing.  But then we saw this sign for Thai food.  It was a shack like structure off the main road called Thai by Prawnees.  With a very nice blonde local greeting us and "Mama", a little Thai (I think) lady cooking on the side and a hippy couple just leaving, this could have gone one of two ways.  Go figure, it was the best Pad Thai I have ever had in my life!  We spoke with the waitress/owner a bit who explained she moved up to Hana a couple years back because it is the only place left for authentic Hawaiians to live, however people like Oprah have started to infiltrate.  She was originally from Wailea, where all the big hotels are now.  She also let us know that the road we were contemplating taking home, which was stated as "illegal and against rental contracts" to take, was actually fine.  More on that later but if you ever find yourself in Hana, make sure you go see Mama and her crew for some delicious Thai.  

Although we passed a couple of things on the road that we said we would hit up on the way back, the thought of going back the way we came was horrifying and there was a little more we wanted to see just past Hana.  So with a little convincing by our waitress, we continued on our path and decided to take the forbidden road. We passed a red sand beach and literally drive right by the Sacred Pools without realizing.  I was bummed about it but was concerned about getting home before it got dark so we just kept driving.  The road was pretty similar to what we took but at least there was far less traffic.  And then it got weird.  

The road was not completely paved, as promised by the waitress.  Thankfully we had 4-wheel drive (and really no other choice).  It was like Mars meets the Golan Heights. I've never seen anything like it.  (Fast forward a day and we were speaking to a local who explained it like "driving on the moon.  It's like another planet out there.  But totally safe, you guys were smart to take that.  But also pretty courageous!")  It was a cool feeling though to know that we took the road less travelled and saw another beautiful side of Maui a lot of people don't get to see.  

We made it home just as the sun set and took a breather before our strategically placed rewarding steak dinner at Duo, our breakfast joint turned steakhouse at the hotel.  Just as I was stuffing my face with the complimentary COTTON CANDY (sour apple flavor!!!) dessert that comes with the bill, we saw Rob Riggle.  See a celebrity at the Four Seasons, check.  

Gilad Shalit HOME

I do have a lot to say about this, but for the moment, lets just be in the moment and be happy he is home.

Keep It Light

I am trying to stay positive in light of the negative things going on in our world.  There have been some powerful photos that only prove a picture is worth a thousand words.

and on March 23, 2011 a bomb went off in central Jerusalem killing one and injuring 31. 

Masada & Dead Sea

We woke up at 4am to hike up Masada. This first pic is of hundreds of us walking up the Snake Path just before sunrise.
Masada is supposed to have the greatest sunrises in the world but unfortunately, due to the sand storm the day before combined with the morning "fog", it was nothing like it should have been.
Then we took a short drive over to the Dead Sea. I love seeing everyone experience this for the first time!


After a fun day at the beach, we drove back up north to our final destination for the next 5 nights, Jerusalem. We went to a bar b q at Divon's house. Divon is the CEO of Sachlav, the program we were on. He invites 2 groups (over 80 people) into his home every week so they can see what true Israeli hospitality is. His whole family (9 kids) helps prepare the dinner and they are wonderful hosts. Divon and his family are one of the main reasons I love the Sachlav company. This is a photo of his backyard view. Can you imagine?!

Negev

Con't:

We arrived in the Negev desert in the middle of a sand storm. (Those are cacti - Israeli's are like cacti, rough on the outside and sweet on the inside.)

When I realized we were going to Merchav Am, I was pumped. I had been to this place back in December with my previous group. Out in the Negev, there is a group who moved from the cosmopolitan areas into the desert because they think (just as one of the original Zionist founders, David Ben-Gurion preached) that living in the Negev is the most crucial part of Israel surviving.

So this new community was just getting started in December and we go there and help them plant trees. As cool as it is to plant the trees and contribute to this settlement, the two guys in charge are really what make it worth every second. They are just so chill. Stop by and say hi to them if you ever find yourself in the desert.

A tree from December and the new planters.

We also stopped by the side of a winding road to check out, Makhtesh Ramon. It's a huge crater. The wind was so strong you could lean into it at like 45 degrees and not fall over. When we turned around to go back to the bus, we saw some cars on the cliff behind us.

Following our mitzvah of the day (that means good deed), we proceeded to my now least favorite night of the trip of sleeping in the Bedouin Tent. It's like Disneyworld in the desert, such a tourist attraction but that's not why I hate it. We all sleep in a tent together and usually people are loud and obnoxious and snore which does not help with the fact that you have to wake up at 4am to hike Masada AND it's crazy stuffy with sand and you sleep on dirty mats. But I digress, it's part of the trip.

Here's a pic of two ladies enjoying themselves on a rushed camel ride in the middle of that sandstorm I mentioned.

Northern Israel

PART 1

The trip started in the North, with team building exercises before we even got to the hotel. It wasn't clear but I think it was in the forest where when we were young we donated trees to Israel. I wish I remembered the name of the company that worked with us on the coarse because before we left, they took a lot of my pictures for their website. Hm...

We rafted on the Jordan River. It was fairly easy except for the fact that my boat couldn't keep itself away from the sides, where we were constantly stuck and being poked with branches. That said, it was one of the highlights of my trip.
Before we even began our second major hike on Mount Arbel, my knee gave out causing my ankle to bend. The second photo is the wall we had to climb down after this fun little mishap.

To be continued...

Israel Round 4

Flying over Tel Aviv

I just returned from my 4th trip to Israel. Each time, I have staffed a Birthright trip (except my first time when I was a participant). It was as usual, an incredible experience. Not so much life changing for me this time, but definitely for the people I was leading on this trip. That is one of the things I love most about doing what I do. Another reason I do it is because I know that I will never move to Israel but I feel like I need to contribute to the country in some way and me bringing these young adults over, having them make their connection to the country, and then they pass it on, and so on and so on, is my way of giving back. I met some unique people and did some amazing things that I plan on writing about soon, but for now here are some photos of the trip.

The Dead Sea

Birthright's Mega Event (5,000 of us)

My Group from Sachlav Kol Beseder at The Kotel

Eating Schnitzies (my favorite)

Tzfat, Kabbalah & David Friedman

Tzfat or Safed, in Israel is said to be the center of Kabbalah. There is something special and mystical about this place that draws me to it. In 2005 on my actual birthright trip, I was not changed until I came here.

Something about the connections and teachings really touched me in this place and since then I have been extremely interested in learning more about it. Hence me also getting into yoga a lot more recently. The city comes hand in hand with a lot of artsy things. There is a lot of great shopping for original jewelry and some nice pieces like menorahs and mezuzahs. Unfortunately it was raining and the group opted to not shop and my wallet remained heavy.

Our tour guide has a friend who lives in one of the many winding allyways that we went to visit. His name is David Friedman, he's an artist influenced by Kabbalah (and possibly some other external more organic influences if you ask me! ). A Kabbalistic artist. He gave us a lecture about his work and his life. He and his wife moved from Denver to Israel 30 years ago. Among other things, he was diagnosed with cancer and used Kabbalah and his art to get through and heal him.

He uses the letters Aleph, Shin and Mem often in art and meditation. The shhhhh sound and mmmm sound for breathing out and to breath in would be silent like the aleph. Shins are usually red in his work because it represents fire and Shin are blue for water. Yin and Yang, warm and cool. All felt in meditations and explained in Kabbalah.

You can clearly see bright colors and shapes and designs. In Kabbalah, everything has a meaning which leads to another meaning and so on. For example, each letter has numerical value in the Hebrew alphabet. And each number combined with another number creates something else. This atwork reflects much of this. I thought some of the pieces looked like quilts.

As he explained the pieces, it just got trippier and trippier. Like this one for example:


He says that people from different backgrounds and religions like this one because they relate to it. People into yoga see chakras, there is Hebrew written from top to bottom with the word for G-d, but then something crazy happened. A man mentioned that when you flip the painting on it's side, it also spells out ALLAH, the word for G-d in Arabic. Creeeeeepy!

See it?

He also had works like this one,

which I immediately identified with as a Beatles cover and that was confirmed as his inspiration. It was funny how I saw the words written in the negative/grey space because after taking art, you are trained as an artist to look at that. But Mr. Friedman then asked if people were looking at the positive/green space and most said yes and he then said, look beyond it. Only then did the rest of the room see the letters. That was an interesting moment. Everyone sees different things.

All of his paintings have deeper meanings then what first may appear. Even if he didnt intend it like the first example I used. It was pretty sweet. I wanted to buy something but I didnt want to chance ruining it in the rain.

David Friedman's website Kosmic-Kabbalah.com states:

The artwork and teachings presented here deal with kosmic themes that are based on Kabbalah: infinity, kosmogeny (concerning the origin and evolution of the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical realms), Divine names, kabbalistic mandalas and fractal, sefirotic maps of the Kosmos. The dictionary defines cosmopolitan as one who is at home in all parts of the world or in many spheres of interest. If you are kosmopolitan (one who feels at home in all parts of the Kosmos) and are interested in the many spheres of the Kabbalah, you will enjoy visiting this site.

If this is something that interests you, I would also recommend reading his teachings sections.

Life Update

On the complete opposite side of what I just posted about, I have been living my life to the fullest I possibly can. I just returned from Israel and moved to Cleveland!

When people first hear that I live here now, the first thing out of every person's mouth is "Why?". Well the obvious reason is because of David. Yes I LOVE New York, and I will miss it more then I can say. But I know I can be happy here too. If there is one place I HAD to move, (minus LA), this is the best place I could come. I have friends here already, I am familiar with the area, I am comfortable here. I've actually become pretty defensive for living here, which I find slightly amusing.

I am excited to see where David and I can go from here. It's gunna be a fun and interesting ride, that will probably make for a good blog entry or two, but I don't doubt for a second that this was the right decision. It was and I am finally happy.

Before I got here I was in Israel. I staffed another Birthright Sachlav trip. The average age of this group was 19 and 20 so it was a little different to be with younger participants this time. I was way more nervous that they would be harder to handle but this group was amazing. They took in everything we had to say and were really just a happy and enthusiastic group. Gillian was my co counselor and she is an awesome teammate to have. I lucked out majorly.

What I liked about this trip was that it was still different enough itinerary wise that I wasn't bored with the actual travel part. I still have not seen so much in that country. I wish I could have stayed but I was too anxious to get home to Cleveland. Next time perhaps. I would like to go in the summer but after the second half of this trip went down, it's a tough call.

I got very sick unfortunately and really struggled. At first I figured it was just what all the kids were coming down with but it was something worse. I thought I had mono because I couldn't stay awake, then maybe bronchitis. Either way, I was unable to go to the doctor which sucked. I had such a hard time keeping myself together the second half of the trip and I felt so bad because I couldn't be there for the kids. I almost want to go back just to prove I can be better! Regardless of how I felt, they all said they had an amazing time and I am glad I got to be a part of that.

There were many talented and colorful people on this trip. One was from Ohio, 3 were from Oregon who we played in the Rose Bowl while we were there, some were from the Brooklyn bubble (Flatbush), some had never traveled before. We all got very close after New Years, which was spent at a club called Constantine in Jerusalem. I was not thrilled being away on my one year anniversary but after pouting for a bit, I gave in and let loose and enjoyed everyone's company.

One of the boys, Michael Benatar, is an aspiring filmmaker. He filmed almost the entire trip and is in the process of creating a highlights reel. He has part 1 and 2 finished so far and if you are bored or interested in birthright, watch them here!

(Side note, Aladdin just started playing on TV. How appropriate.)

All of my photos are here, but my favorites are below. Oh and if you know anyone interested in Birthright, I am always willing to chat (I could for hours)!

Co Counselors for The Doobies

So hipster on our first night out.

Behai Gardens

Hamsas

Jerusalem moon during sunset