Christmas Lights Galore

My boyfriend just doesn't understand why I love Christmas so much. To him, it's a "Hallmark" holiday - stressful, annoying, and mostly about consumerism. Of course, he enjoys seeing family, eating a yummy meal, and drinking to his heart's content. But he just doesn't view Christmas as glamorous, like I do. Maybe our differing views on Christmas are due to the fact that he's Catholic and I'm a Jew? Haha...yeah that's probably it. For me, it is exciting and flashy and fun, full of parties, sparkly decorations, and eggnog (which, ironically, I think is extremely tasty while his family won't touch the stuff). It is something amazing that I saw many other kids getting to do, but I wasn't able to experience. And maybe that's just it...I guess the whole idea of Christmas becomes less glamorous when you experience it year after year.

You see, when I was growing up, Christmas was kinda like Columbus Day; you get off from school but there's nothing to really celebrate, so you watch TV and order in Chinese. But now that I am dating a non-Jew, I can finally join in on all of the fun that I missed out on! - minus the whole going to church thing (and hopefully without being ex-communicated from my people!). I know that's totally NOT the point of Christmas...but really, what kid fantasizes about going to church (or synagogue for that matter)?

Above all else, my favorite part of Christmas has always been the lights. And although I never had the opportunity to hang up any lights of my own as a kid, my parents still took my sister and I out for nightime car rides in search of fantastic light displays throughout the neighborhood. Although they said it was just for us, I know they wanted to see them just as much as we did.

But without further ado, here are some of my favorite Christmas light displays of 2008 (and maybe 1 or 2 from previous years) as posted on this lil' thing we call the internet:


La Casa Di Babbo Natale - Melegnano, Milan, Italy
www.lacasadibabbonatale.com




The Grizwalds - Greeley, Colorado, United States
http://home.comcast.net/~thegreeleygrizwalds/index.htm


Dominic Luberto's home - Boston, Massachusetts, United States
(photo by Paul Keleher)


Alex Goodwind's home - Melksham, England
(photo by Getty)


John Scott's home - Northumberland, England
(photo by North News)


Home in the Philippines - Mandaluyong City, Manila, Philippines
(photo by EPA)


Swarovski Tree
(photo by Tanakawho)


"Blue Fountain" - Lausanne, Switzerland
(photo by Mclaire2)


Faucher Family - Delaware, United States
(photo by TheWorldThroughMyEyes)


Lights in Medellin, Colombia
(photos by Getty)





* * *
The following photos are of Christmas lights in Japan. They are simply gorgeous!

Christmas Illumination - Shinjuku, Tokyo
(photo by Kelvin255)


Southern Lights - Shinjuku, Tokyo
(photo by YoandMi)


Tokyo Midtown Illumination
(photos by Mori Chan)




Caretta Ocean XMAS
(photo by YoandMi)

(photo by Akra_ciel)

(photo by micamica)


Glass and Lights - Nogizaka, Tokyo
(photo by micamica)


Ebisu Garden Place - Ebisu Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(photos by YoandMi)



Tokinosumiko - Gotemba city
(photo by crawl+Ray)



...and lastly...I just couldn't resist....
(photo by y entonces)

Thai Tea Anyone??

I have recently decided that I MUST visit Thailand before I die. Its natural beauty is breathtaking, its culture - simply fascinating, and of course, who doesn't love peanuty chicken satay? But besides these, the thing that seems to really draw me in is the jaw-droppingly gorgeous architecture of their temples. Some have the most ornate and intricate designs which are thick in texture, yet the overall construction of the buildings are still relatively delicate. These buildings and the statues inside of them appear to glow with colorful illuminations of gold and other fantastic colors. The Rong Khun Temple, created by Thai artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat, looks as if it is built of snow and ice! See for yourself...






Here are images from the Temple at Doi Suthep...





Wat Phra Kaew:




Wat Phra Sing:

Wat Suwankhuha:



Wat Jong Klang:



But the BEST temple in Thailand has to be...THE TIGER TEMPLE!!!

Seriously...it's no joke. You can pet tigers. And those are some SERIOUSLY BIG KITTIES!

The Shimmery World of Abed Mahfouz

If you love glittery dresses as much as I do, then you MUST already know about lebanese designer Abed Mahfouz and his BEYOND fabulous evening wear. But in case you don't know, have a little looksy at some of his divine creations below. His dresses are to die for. Ironically, Mr. Mahfouz was originally an electrical engineer or something and then started getting into fashion by helping out his sister, who was a tailor. Boy am I glad he made the career switch!

You can check out his website too, which has many beautiful images from his collections. Also, of particular interest are his unique wedding gowns. http://www.abedmahfouz.com/

Staring at a computer screen has never been so fun...seriously...

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens...

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

Ah, how I love the lyrics of that song - Cream colored ponies, white dresses, satin sashes, snowflakes, lashes. But what? No mention of GLITTER!!!? How disappointing. :P Glitter would certainly have to be one my favorite things. But they do mention whiskers on kittens, so I can't complain.

Oh yes. I am completely aware of the super frilly, cheese-o-licious nature of this subject matter. If you have come to this blog in search of profundity and to acquire a greater understanding of the universe, I would suggest you look elsewhere. But that's NOT to say that I will never post about an important current event, discuss culture and the arts, and also throw in an occasional Sarah Palin joke.

However, the main purpose of this blog is to speak my mind about the things that I love (what else is a blog for??)...and those things include cats and glitter (among other things of course). Now you may be wondering: Why Cats? Why Glitter? HERE'S WHY:

CATS: They are plump and furry (at least mine are). They are damn cute when sleepy and if you show them affection, they instantly transform into comfortable vibrating massage pillows purrrfect for days when you need to de-stress! Now don't get me wrong, I also love dogs. But as a 20-something New Yorker with work and a social life, I like my pets to be independent. The dog will have to wait until I'm a soccer mom (not a hockey mom!).

GLITTER: What's not to love? It's shiny. It's sparkly. It's what dreams are made of. At least my dreams, anyway. If only I could bathe in a pool of glitter. Only then could I achieve my ultimate goal of becoming JEM and starting a glittery holographic 80's cartoon band. Haha - I'm silly. But anyway, glitter comes in every color of the rainbow (and rainbows are great!). It also makes for a brilliant light show on my wall, for example, when I reflect sunlight off of one of my sequined Forever21 tops.

Anyway, you get the idea. I'm girly and I like girly things. I'll be discussing shoes, clothes, cool furniture, catnip, music, art, and anything else that I feel fits the spirit of this blog. I hope you enjoy.