You are currently browsing the archives for January, 2010.
in knots
the strings are slipping round
we passed by the dreaming trees
and the childhood things.
stepping down from palaces
in daylight the world is harsher
the words we say are the way it is
we’re in denial without basic sentences.
we waited by the sideline seats
ghosts of the irony
waited there, haunting me
we’re in silent motion here.
It seems like I spend a lot of time snapping photos, editing, and posting. I try to post photos within a week of taking them, mostly because I feel like it is a waste to just keep them on my hard drive where no one can see them.
Nylon Parla has had two themes posted in the last few months: “Festive” for the Baha’i month of Honor, and “Cold” for the Baha’i month of Sovereignty. I’m in awe of the talent of the photographers that I work with, and having a lot of fun in the process of being challenged to take photos according to the theme assignment.
I went to the Shedd Aquarium on Monday for the first time in many years.
Since it was a free day AND Martin Luther King Jr Day, there were a lot of kids. Kids in strollers, kids screaming & running around, kids pressed up against the glass, kids with cameras…you get the picture.
My friends looked at me funny when said I wanted to hug the giant fish. I guess I find strange things cute.
The problem with the Aquarium is that you have to pay extra to see some of the cooler stuff, and we just didn’t have the time or patience to do it. I have discovered that I much prefer the Art Institute and the Field Museum…more to see for the cost of a ticket.
Do any of you have a favorite museum?
I looked at the ingredients in my kitchen last week and realized I had the ingredients for a full meal (shocking, these days, since I’m rarely home!). So why not?
Ingredients
1 lb chicken breast, diced into cubes
1 package pre-cooked risotto
1/2 diced onion
1 bunch chopped fresh parsley
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken broth
pepper, salt, garlic to taste
Parmesan cheese
-In deep pan or shallow pot, fry Chicken, onion, parsley, pepper, salt, garlic in a tablespoon of butter.
-As soon as the chicken is nearly done, add the broth, lemon, & risotto. Simmer for 5 minutes on low.
-When the risotto is cooked, add the heavy cream and simmer for another 5 minutes. At the very end, add Parmesan cheese.
Here is an update about the first day of the trial of the Baha’is in Iran. International pressure is increasing, but things are still very perilous for the believers there.
In light of the situation in Iran and last night’s horrific earthquake in Haiti, it is fitting to offer a prayer for assistance with tests and difficulties. Regardless of your faith tradition, prayer is a universal force.
Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Every man of insight confesseth Thy sovereignty and Thy dominion, and every discerning eye perceiveth the greatness of Thy majesty and the compelling power of Thy might. The winds of tests are powerless to hold back them that enjoy near access to Thee from setting their faces towards the horizon of Thy glory, and the tempests of trials must fail to draw away and hinder such as are wholly devoted to Thy will from approaching Thy court.
Methinks, the lamp of Thy love is burning in their hearts, and the light of Thy tenderness is lit within their breasts. Adversities are incapable of estranging them from Thy Cause, and the vicissitudes of fortune can never cause them to stray from Thy pleasure.
I beseech Thee, O my God, by them and by the sighs which their hearts utter in their separation from Thee, to keep them safe from the mischief of Thine adversaries, and to nourish their souls with what Thou hast ordained for Thy loved ones on whom shall come no fear and who shall not be put to grief.
- Bahá’u'lláh
What if all you wanted to do was improve the lives of the people around you, assist with education of all people and obtain an education, and be able to worship without fear of persecution? We know these things to be basic human rights, yet the Baha’is in Iran are suffering because they believe in a religion that that the government of Iran does not agree with.
The government is putting on trial seven people tomorrow. Seven people who are upstanding citizens who have never done anything to oppose the government. They stand accused of espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities, and propaganda against the Islamic republic, none of which are true.
Now the government has accused the Baha’is recently arrested of having weapons in their homes, a baseless and ridiculous accusation, as it is against the principles of our Faith.
“Furthermore each and every one is required to show obedience, submission and loyalty towards his own government. Today no state in the world is in a condition of peace or tranquillity, for security and trust have vanished from among the people. Both the governed and the governors are alike in danger. The only group of people which today submitteth peacefully and loyally to the laws and ordinances of government and dealeth honestly and frankly with the people, is none other than this wronged community.”
(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 293)
If you want to know more about the situation facing the Baha’is in Iran, go to iran.bahai.us to read the articles there, which include links to CNN and other news sources that are reporting on this matter. Please say prayers for all of the people of Iran, that this turmoil comes to a peaceful conclusion, and especially for those in prison for no other reason than for being Baha’is.
This Gregorian year was full of changes, travel, friends, family, and many good things. I’ve been avoiding most of the “end of the year” lists that take over our media at this time of the year, but of course I couldn’t help it…so I’m doing a kind of “year in review”. It is by no means comprehensive, as it would be ridiculous to get into too much detail
January & February were mostly cold and mostly uneventful. I celebrated New Year’s Eve Persian style. I was working a part-time retail job, looking for work. I went sledding for the first time in years.
In March I celebrated Naw Ruz (the Baha’i New Year), traveled to New York City to stay with my cousin and attend an amazing wedding. Fell in love with NYC all over again.
April got more exciting, since I was asked to work at the Baha’i House of Worship as the assistant to the choir director, in order to organize the choir festival (with over 2,000 attendees). I volunteered at the Baha’i National Convention, which is when the national governing body of the Baha’is in the United States is elected. I’ve always loved attending Convention.
I spent a lot of time in May with my family, and of course most of my time was spent coordinating the choir festival. I was also sleeping on my friends’ couch, two lovely ladies who saved me from a horrendous commute from my parents’ house.
June was the celebration of a childhood friend’s wedding in Chicago and the start of a new job. I moved down the street from the Baha’i House of Worship to the Baha’i National Center to my current job, and found an apartment near my office.
Then there was was the 3rd of July BNC staff picnic on the shores of Lake Michigan, going to the beach, and the start of something wonderful. The middle of summer is always blissful for me!
I mostly remember August in a blur of travel, packing and unpacking. I went to Nashville, LA, and Seattle for work trips and then to Greenlake Baha’i Conference in Wisconsin. I started off the month with another wedding, and missed a different wedding while I was out of town (count that, we’re up to 4 weddings!). I also moved to my second apartment for the year.
I celebrated my birthday with a week-long spree in September, starting with a surprise trip to the Chicago Botanical Gardens, then to the Friends of the Persian Culture Conference with many friends and family, and finally with a party at a friend’s house that included delicious food and fire-spinning.
We went apple-picking in October, went to a college friend’s wedding, I dressed as Mary Poppins for Halloween, and attended an amazing seminar on Baha’i administration in Chicago.
I moved to my third apartment in November, got the sickest I’ve been in a long time, and had a lovely Thanksgiving.
December was cold. I started trying to figure out where I am going to live. A trip to Pittsburgh over Christmas break started the holiday season (it was really nice to get out of town!), and a wonderful New Year’s Party finished off the year. It has been 3 years since I left to serve in Haifa in December 2006. I can’t believe it has been that long.
It was a good year. I’m grateful and lucky to be surrounded by such beautiful family, friends, and coworkers. I am looking forward to 2010…who knows what is next!
I took ten photos with my camera on my tripod from a hillside overlooking the city of Pittsburgh. With the help of Photoshop, the photos were stitched together. (view large)