randomstuff

Random Thoughts...

Who said that 'the only stupid questions are the questions that aren't asked'? That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard
considering I have a slough of dumb questions that I have been asked.

Why do they put testers of things like bubble bath out at places like The Body Shop? How does one test bubble bath in a
store?

Why do we say Boston Celtics with a soft-C instead of a hard-C? I'm sure many Americans are looking like dumbasses
while traveling in Ireland referring to things as 'sell-tic' crosses instead of 'kell-tic' crosses. I was almost guilty of this.

A lot of guys must forget their ties when traveling. That has to be the answer why the Tie Rack is at just about every
airport around the world.

was just thinking about Forrest Gump's quote 'Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get.'
Clearly he never realized the beauty of customized boxes of chocolate. After all, everybody knows what a See's Bordeaux
looks like.

Don't the round little seeds in papayas look like small animal poop?

Am I the only person that feels bad for those people who are working and have to stand outside of an empty restaurant as
they watch a restaurant across the street with tons of business?

I saw that they make a Nestle's Crunch cereal. Kind of funny when you think about it since it's a candy bar with a cereal
in it. So essentially it is like a cereal within a cereal...

I have a crush on Timbaland. He has such an adorable babyface. And who does that man not make #1 hits for??? I had
no idea (until watching MTV this morning in Brazil) that he was behind the Pussycat Dolls' 'Wait a Minute'.

I am still boggled by what the difference between a latte and a capuccino is. I ask and they explain. But in the end, it
always sounds as if they are the same thing.

Am I a total loser for getting a warm and fuzzy feeling every time I hear 'Hotel California' or 'California Dreamin'' being
played in different non-English speaking countries around the world???

Why do people use the term 'all corners of the world'? There are no corners on things that are round. Duh.

Does anybody else realize how much trust we put into people on airplane flights? We are seated next to complete strangers
yet we get up to use the bathroom and leave our bags/purses at our seats. That being said, people on planes must be some
of the most trustworthy bunch of people. I have never heard of a theft occurring on a flight.

I am on a Copa Airlines flight as I type this. I love them. Proof that all you have to do is put a little Tootsie Roll in a snack
pack to make me sold on your airline.

Camels and llamas have striking resemblances to each other. Well, with the exception of the hump(s).

Armrest struggles aren't only a regular occurrence on flights; they happen just as often on bus rides.

Is it odd that I woke up one morning to 'Breaking News' of the paternity case for Anna Nicole's baby while in Cuenca,
Ecuador? I guess that is what happens when a city has the 'American Network'. Do people at home really care about
this???

I have to mention how much I love the little Apple logo. Every time I turn my ipod on and I see that little apple with the
bite taken out of it, I smile inside because of how adorable I find it. Odd, I know.

I am beginning to think that nobody else in the world learned about 'home keys' when they learned how to type.
Everybody seems to peck at the keyboard. I have observed this in internet cafes worldwide.

There was a great story in 'The Australian' today about a holiday party being ruined in Ireland because a camel (Gus) got
out of his stable and ate all of the meat pies, sandwiches and Guinness (which he opened with his teeth). They had to
postpone the party.

They had a dessert called a 'Fluffy' at the McDonald's in Singapore. I thought back to our little Maltese that my sister and
I named Fluffy. I literally started laughing inside at that moment finding it humorous that my dad (who was a pretty
straight-to-the-point kind of guy) let us name our dog 'Fluffy'. It is funny to picture him talking about 'Fluffy' (I guess he
figured it was better than what we originally wanted to name her: Madonna).

I wonder if Paris and Nikki Hilton ever actually stay at Hiltons.

I feel like I have albino toes. In Thailand I stripped them of nail polish and it's kind of bizarre looking at them. But I have
to say that it has grown on me. I feel a bit 'natural' but that's okay.

Reading international newspapers is great. Today I learned about a Singaporean who broke a Guinness record of fastest to
type an SMS (aka 'text') message. In Cambodia I learned about a dog who was electrocuted (and survived) when he peed
on an electrical cord. In India there was a 23-year old boy who shot and killed his mom because she was nagging him to
get a job (just to show it's not only Americans who do crazy sh*t).

I could be wrong but I swear I just heard a reporter on CNN (who is doing a story on American politics) use the term
'wussy factor'.

I am convinced that I have an 'internal alarm clock' just like Kramer (on Seinfeld). When I know I have to wake up early
and will be getting limited sleep, I 'set it' and I always wake up without my alarm. The problem is that I am also waking
up every fifteen minutes throughout the night...

I walked past a Burger King today when I was at the Peak in Hong Kong. I find it pretty interesting that while both
Burger King and McDonald's are fast food chains selling the same type of stuff, their smells are so different from each
other. Not only that - no matter where you are in the world, a Burger King smells like a Burger King and a McDonald's
smells like a McDonald's.

I am currently up in the mountains of China at Wolong watching a Korean station (which is the only one in English) and
watching footage of Oakland, CA as they are showing highlights of the American League baseball playoffs. This is
definitely not something I predicted I would be watching right now.

I saw on CNN today that Richard Quest has an email address to email questions to. I know there are probably many
assistants checking this email account...but I emailed it to let him know about my crush on him and how excited I get
when I happen to be staying at a hotel with CNN and happen to be in the room when his show comes on. My email
address is now sure to be blocked from his account and flagged as 'potential stalker'... (Shoooooot. I have now been told by
a knowledgeable source that Richard...um...swings the other way. Apparently this was obvious to many people...just not
me.)

The people I was traveling with on my Trans-Mongolian trip were all from either the U.K., Ireland or Australia. That
being said, not one of them had ever heard of a Hershey kiss, a peppermint patty, a Reese’s peanut butter cup or a tootsie
roll. What???

About four months after it actually aired, I finally watched the finale for 'Top Chef' on my itunes. I have to state my
excitement that my hottie Harold won.

Since when does Brittany Murphy sing? I just saw a music video of one of her songs. Huh???

I just saw the Seinfeld episode where Elaine has an issue with the lack of use of exclamation points that the guy she is
dating uses. Well, I am currently reading The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. I really like him however I have the
opposite problem that Elaine had. I feel like he uses too many exclamation points...and half the time I do not think they
are warranted at all. Just had to get that out.

Okay. So there is this cable station that is occasionally on in different places that I stay called 'Star World'. This is where I
get my dose of Seinfeld, Friends and Oprah, to name a few. But I have to admit another show that I find myself oddly
really enjoying. Rockstar Supernova. Weird, I know, considering I am a totally rap and hip-hop chick (in addition to
Broadway musicals).

It is August 24th and I have finally had my first Richard Quest sighting on CNN! Hooray! I love him. Right now he is
taking pity on Pluto for no longer being a 'planet'.

This wrong-birthdate-in-my-passport typo on behalf of the U.S. Dept. of State is really getting to be a pain in the butt. I
have to write that my birthday is something different than what it really is in every document, landing card, VAT refund
form, visa application, etc. that I have to fill out.

If you want to see a confused look on somebody, check into a hotel with your twin sister and hand them both passports.
They see the last names and can tell by looking at us that we are clearly sisters. Then they go to check the age difference.
And they see that it is three days. The expression is priceless. This happened to us in Croatia.

Does anybody ever wonder how Lonely Planet decides what picture they are going to put on the cover of their books?
Some of the pictures they choose for countries are just random. Well, at least I think so...

It is probably best not to read sad books on airplanes. You will only look like an idiot when you are crying. I know this
first hand. In my case, Tuesdays with Morrie was the catalyst.

It is best not to watch episodes of Top Chef on itunes on an airplane just before meal service. You will only be sorely
disappointed with your meal. In fact, I came up with a new challenge for them for the next season...they should work at
Sky Chefs and come up with a great meal for economy class on planes. I am a genius!

I used to think I was a prime candidate for 'The Amazing Race'. I now know that I was wrong. I am constantly getting
on the wrong buses, getting lost, etc. And I always end up getting to places about an hour longer than it really should take.
Silly me for ever thinking such a thought!

If I am ever planning a trip with someone and I offer to find a hotel room on Orbitz...do not let me! I have proven to
myself to have a knack for finding hotels that are almost as far out of the way as possible. At least in Seychelles, they were
nice places...albeit far from the places that I wanted to be.

I am so upset. I have learned that my favorite musical of all time (A Chorus Line) is going to be in San Francisco this
month...and I am missing it!

Am I a complete cheeseball for loving listening to old-school Lionel Richie?

I have to say that I am laughing so hard right now after watching The Daily Show where they did the story on the Pink
Taco. So great that I watched it three times.

I was watching BBC World News the other day and I learned something. They did a feature on the very first 'wireless' city
in the world. It wasn't too much of a surprise that it was in the Bay Area. It was quite a surprise as to which city it was.
Are you ready for this? It is the sleepy little beach town of Half Moon Bay.

While I was listening to SOS by Rihanna on my ipod I noticed something. She says 'Y-O-U-R making this hard...' Has
anybody else noticed that this is the incorrect spelling of the word???

(Thanks, Annette, for clearing this one up. I guess it makes sense that it is actually 'Y-O-U are..')

I love Jon Stewart. Absolutely love him. His show is really one of the only ones that I download on itunes when I have the
opportunity. Not only am I learning about current events...I am also laughing my a*s off...

I am currently watching a show on National Geographic and I have absolutely no idea why I am. It's all about airplane
flights gone wrong. Why am I watching this???

Whoa. I just watched an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I knew that this could be tear-jerking for some
(even my least emotional friend in San Francisco). But I had never watched it and never thought I would fall victim to its
emotional toll. But I was wrong. It was 1:00am and I was in tears. It was about an Oakland family who had a house
rebuilt so their daughter (who had extreme immune system problems) would be able to live at home without dying.
Literally. So very, very sad. I will now stop laughing every time somebody tells me that they cried after watching an
episode.

I just got done watching the last few episodes of Desperate Housewives. I know, I know. I'm a bit behind. Anyway, am I
the only person who gets irritated by Susan's character sometimes? I mean who would respond to somebody burning their
house down like that? I mean she was basically almost apologizing to Edie. What???

People use the term 'SMS' frequently. After many blank stares on my part, I learned that it is text messaging.

Is it just me or is it interesting that we're taught from the time we're little kids to never talk to strangers...let alone get in a
car with strangers. Yet we have no problem at all trusting taxi drivers. Why is this? Especially in unfamiliar cities. The
other day I was thinking "I have no idea where I am or what direction we're supposed to be heading in yet I'm trusting
the guy that I almost just got into an argument with because I wouldn't pay him more than 5 Egyptian pounds..."

I can't even begin to say what I would do for some dark chocolate right now. Everything over here (Egypt) is Cadbury
milk chocolate. That's not good enough. I need dark chocolate.

I am craving an Ice Blended from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf like you wouldn't believe. I'm just happy that they have these
in Singapore. I only have to wait five more months...

*(As luck would have it, I found The Coffee Bean in Tel Aviv.)

I tried pistachios today and I loved them. I also realized my love of baklava.

If a country spells and pronounces their country's and cities names a certain way, why does the rest of the world not
oblige and call these cities/countries the same thing and spell them the same way??? (For example, 'Jbail'--as it is known
in Lebanon-- is 'Byblos' in English) I, for one, think it would make things much simpler when trying to figure out what
city you are in.

I used my clothesline for the first time today. I'm in my hotel for 5 days so I thought it would be ample time for the
clothes to dry.

I bought a Colgate vibrating toothbrush at Heathrow airport and am loving it! I'm hoping this will prevent the need for a
dentist for this year.

Since I can't entertain for a while, I recommend people serving hummus with a pool of warmed whole chickpeas and
olive oil in the middle. It's delicious!

Is there a place where males are taught to hack up phlegm with excessive force? I simply don't understand it. I've never
seen females on the street (or in a bus, for that matter) do this. And then for those that get really good at this, is that when
they graduate to the level of learning how to blow it out of their nostrils? This is something I have a hard time getting
used to.

As Jerry Seinfeld once said... "God bless the chickpea." Geez, I love hummus.

I really hate it when men have the one long pinkie fingernail.

Bedouins in Petra annoy me.

As a kid, I remember always seeing pictures of double-hump camels. However, I've never seen one in person. Do these
even exist???

*(Thank you , Cearull, for letting me know that they do!)
** Oh my gosh! Who knew I would see these in Mongolia!!!