Kirani "Jaguar" James, making all Grenadians proud

Kirani James post victory

My father is from Grenada, a beautiful country in the Caribbean. Although it's a small country of ~110,000 people, it's famous for its picturesque beaches (including the rare black and white sand variety), rivers, waterfalls, rainforests and mountain lakes. I've always loved and embraced my Grenadian side, the majestic Island of Spice (one of the world's largest exporter of nutmeg and mace).

Watching Kirani James represent Grenada in the 2012 Olympics over the past few days has brought great pride and happiness to not just Grenadians but sports fan around the world. Not only did Kirani's superb 400m performance win Grenada our first medal in history, a gold one at that......but Kirani did it was such class and grace.  Sunday, immediately after winning his heat for the 400m semi-finals Kirani "Jaguar" James asks Oscar "Blade Runner" Pistorious (the first double amputee to compete in the Olympic games) to exchange bibs with him. Today, directly after winning the 400m final in 43.94 seconds Kirani shakes every racer's hand before beginning to celebrate his victory. 

James said of Pistorius, “He’s very special to our sport. He’s a great individual - it’s time we see him like that and not anything else.”.... Pistorius called James a “phenomenal competitor” and said that trading the name bibs was “what the Olympic spirit is all about.”  (Today in London)

400m semi-finals: Kirani and Oscar exchange

“I just go out there and just try to do my best in terms of representing my country in a positive way. As long as I do that, they are going to be proud of me, and as long as they are proud of me I’m happy with that. But just being there and this being an Olympic gold medal, this is a huge step for our country in terms of stepping up to the plate in track and field, just going out there and putting us on the map.” (NY Times)

Kirani is now the only sprinter from outside the United States to break the 44-second barrier. At 19, Kirani has a very promising career ahead of him. As some focus on if he will be able to beat Michael Johnson’s 13-year-old world record of 43.18 seconds, I'm already so proud I'm bursting at the seams ;)

Kirani won by a sizable margin

Do you have enough?

Great article on The Atlantic: What My Son's Disabilities Taught Me About 'Having It All'. The author encourages us to stop asking "Do I have it all?" and instead ask "Do I have enough?"

Reading Marie Myung-Ok Lee's article reminded me of a quote that I memorized to say whenever I need to remember to be joyous/positive: "If we are not happy and joyous at this season, for what other season shall we wait and for what other time shall we look?...Be calm, be strong, be grateful, and become a lamp full of light, that the darkness of sorrows be annihilated, and the sun of everlasting joy arise from the dawning place of heart and soul, shining brightly." ~`Abdu'l-Bahá

My favorite snippets from Marie Myung-Ok Lee's article:

"When I look at friends and acquaintances, many with perfectly beautiful children and wonderful lives, and see how desperately unhappy or stressed they are about balancing work and family, I think to myself that the solution to many problems is deceptively obvious. We are chasing the wrong things, asking ourselves the wrong questions. It is not, "Can we have it all?" -- with "all" being some kind of undefined marker that shall forever be moved upwards out of reach just a little bit with each new blessing. We should ask instead, "Do we have enough?" 

[W]hat bothers me is the implicit expectation: that people are waiting for our inevitable breakdown, a breast-beating howl against fate that is sure to come once we realize we'll truly never "have it all" -- because of our imperfect son.........For all the people who are puzzled by my seeming happiness, I'll be glad to let them know my "secret." I'm not in denial, I'm not on antidepressants, and I don't live in a fantasy world. I have a wonderful husband and I am pursuing a career I've dreamed of since I was nine years old. I have a beautiful son, friends, and a working stove. I am not paraplegic. I have parents who, through luck and fate, had me here in the United States, and not in North Korea. I live in a time where my awful vision can be corrected with glasses. I am a college graduate. I am never hungry unless I choose to be. Do I have enough? Resoundingly: yes. And I ask you to take a moment: I suspect you might, too."

Teavana Cast Iron Tea Set: Elephants and green tea

After months of research and one failed attempt I finally found my ideal tea set, Teavana's Elephant Cast Iron Teapot and Hobnail tea cups. "The Elephant is a symbol of the strength of the mind in Buddhism teachings, as well as astuteness, strength and stature, wisdom, patience, courage and luck."

Teavana Elephant Cast Iron Tea Set

My review: * * * * * (5/5 stars). The elephants remind my husband and I of Tanzania, the country where we met. The detailing of the family of elephants and mix of red/black color is very well done. The pot is heavy as cast iron is supposed to be, plus I wanted something that would lasts years without breaking. The pot keeps tea hot for at least 1 hour. The steel mesh does not go all the way to the bottom of the pot so if I need to make less than 30-40 oz I use disposable tea filters. The hobnail design on the tea cups makes them much easier to hold/grip than the others I tried out. 

Teapot Product description : Enameled on the inside for years of use, preventing rust and oxidization, and is equipped with a stainless steel mesh infuser for use with loose-leaf tea, the ideal way to brew. 40oz (1.2L) capacity. Made in Japan
Tea cup product description: These cast iron cups feature a traditional Japanese hobnail design, which symbolizes strength, and is painted on the outside and enameled on the inside with a 3-ounce capacity. Made in Japan. 

Beautiful but full of lead

What I've learned from this whole saga is to be extremely wary of products containing lead - I tried to go the exotic traveler's route at first. I purchased a tea set in a local market in Akka, Israel for about $30. One seller warned me that the cheaper products contain lead. We ignored him, assuming he was trying to get us to buy his more expensive ceramics. However when we returned to NYC the lead test was positive (we used 3M-LeadCheck Swabs). Guess we'll be using the beautiful ceramics as decoration only :(

Teavana has multiple locations (http://www.teavana.com/retail), but I visited their store on Lexington and East 87th.
1291 Lexington Ave.
New York, 10028

Ziggy Marley: I'm a Runner

I am loving Runner's World piece on Ziggy Marley - "I'm more satisfied with natural highs. And running satisfies me in that aspect."....Click the video below to watch

If you haven't heard his music before, check out my favorite two Ziggy Marley songs:
Beach in Hawaii
Love is my religion 

Brooklyn hero: some happy news for your week

I have an obsession/interest with trying to be informed. I read my favorite news source The Economist every week. I browse Foreign Policy's Morning Brief daily. I laugh through The Daily Show (although with US politics it's more of a cry/laugh). Unfortunately the way the world is all this information can weigh on one's soul. So I love it when I come across a happy making story.

This week's happy story is about Stephen St. Bernard, a Brooklyn resident who caught a falling girl and saved her life. He even suffered a torn tendon in his shoulder from the event. I personally love how he thanked God that he was able to catch her.

An anniversary of Yin and Yang

Wedding in Central Park

July 17, 2010 in Central Park surrounded by our loved ones and beautiful weeping willows overlooking the water, my husband and I were married "in the heaven of Thy mercy". Blessed "that from the union of these two seas of love a wave of tenderness may surge". I’m so grateful that I found the love of my life in 2007 in a small town in the beautiful Tanzania. Together we are Yin and Yang. In fact, once people get to know us this is often what they say. And not just because we’re a biracial couple ;)

“At its heart are the two poles of existence, which are opposite but complementary. The light, white Yang moving up blends into the dark, black Yin moving down. Yin and Yang are dependent opposing forces that flow in a natural cycle, always seeking balance. Though they are opposing, they are not in opposition to one another. As part of the Tao, they are merely two aspects of a single reality. Each contains the seed of the other, which is why we see a black spot of Yin in the white Yang and vice versa. They do not merely replace each other but actually become each other through the constant flow of the universe."
~ Aaron Hoopes, Zen Yoga: A Path to Enlightenment though Breathing, Movement and Meditation

Veggie BBQ

Clockwise starting top right: Marinated portobellos, bean salad, grilled corn

The hubbie, dog and I traveled to Westchester to spend the Fourth of July with my family. We had a great time enjoying the fresh air, eating BBQ food that we made, sitting by the pool, playing with my nephews and watching our dog run around the backyard high on life.

Here's the recipe for the delicious marinated BBQ portobello mushrooms I made:

Busu enjoying Westchester life

Ingredients:
-1 sweet onion
- balsamic vinegar (glaze or dressing is better because it's thicker)
-Gorgonzola cheese
-1 garlic head
- 5-8 portobello mushrooms

Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 400*F
- Cut off the top of the garlic head, wrap in foil with olive oil and bake for 20-30 mins until roasted
-Saute cut onions in a pan
- Add garlic, vinegar and cheese to the onions - - Simmer all ingredients until cheese melts
- Remove from heat and pour over mushrooms
- Marinate mushrooms overnight in the fridge
- BBQ