If I had to choose my three catch phrases it would be Teach, Love, Laugh (hoping that the laughing will help me lose weight). I’ve chosen Teach because I won’t have any source of income except my ability to teach English. I now have experience in it and plan to work more freelance. With my drive and capability I can potentially earn quite a bit of money!! Love, because isn’t that what we are all looking for? and Laugh, because I believe with comedy and laughter you can heal just about anything and anyone’s problems. Also, my laugh has magic. I’ve lost some of my magic since 2007 and after working for a few years and having my dream still in front and behind me, I need to go and get it!!

Now its time to come up with some destinations… hummmm…

IF I HAD TO CHOSE::: GERMANY, SPAIN, & TURKEY!! POW I THINK I JUST DID IT!

Love rests on no foundation. It is an endless ocean, with no beginning or end.

You have no need to travel anywhere-journey within yourself. Enter a mine of rubies and bathe in the splendor of your own light.

Walk patiently through this troubled world; you will find great treasure. Even though your house may be small, look within it!

Any thought on both? I am just trying to read and I love my iPhone app because I have access to free books, but I just found out Kindle has free books too. I think my pocket strings will like the Kindle more!!

1. Avoid museums. This might seem to be absurd advice, but let’s just think about it a little: if you are in a foreign city, isn’t it far more interesting to go in search of the present than of the past? It’s just that people feel obliged to go to museums because they learned as children that travelling was about seeking out that kind of culture. Obviously museums are important, but they require time and objectivity – you need to know what you want to see there, otherwise you will leave with a sense of having seen a few really fundamental things, except that you can’t remember what they were.

2. Hang out in bars. Bars are the places where life in the city reveals itself, not in museums. By bars I don’t mean nightclubs, but the places where ordinary people go, have a drink, ponder the weather, and are always ready for a chat. Buy a newspaper and enjoy the ebb and flow of people. If someone strikes up a conversation, however silly, join in: you cannot judge the beauty of a particular path just by looking at the gate.

3. Be open. The best tour guide is someone who lives in the place, knows everything about it, is proud of his or her city, but does not work for an agency. Go out into the street, choose the person you want to talk to, and ask them something (Where is the cathedral? Where is the post office?). If nothing comes of it, try someone else – I guarantee that at the end of the day you will have found yourself an excellent companion.

4. Try to travel alone or – if you are married – with your spouse. It will be harder work, no one will be there taking care of you, but only in this way can you truly leave your own country behind. Travelling with a group is a way of being in a foreign country while speaking your mother tongue, doing whatever the leader of the flock tells you to do, and taking more interest in group gossip than in the place you are visiting.

5. Don’t compare. Don’t compare anything – prices, standards of hygiene, quality of life, means of transport, nothing! You are not travelling in order to prove that you have a better life than other people – your aim is to find out how other people live, what they can teach you, how they deal with reality and with the extraordinary.

6. Understand that everyone understands you. Even if you don’t speak the language, don’t be afraid: I’ve been in lots of places where I could not communicate with words at all, and I always found support, guidance, useful advice, and even girlfriends. Some people think that if they travel alone, they will set off down the street and be lost forever. Just make sure you have the hotel card in your pocket and – if the worst comes to the worst – flag down a taxi and show the card to the driver.

7. Don’t buy too much. Spend your money on things you won’t need to carry: tickets to a good play, restaurants, trips. Nowadays, with the global economy and the Internet, you can buy anything you want without having to pay excess baggage.

8. Don’t try to see the world in a month. It is far better to stay in a city for four or five days than to visit five cities in a week. A city is like a capricious woman (or a capricious man, if you are a woman): she/he takes time to be seduced and to reveal him/herself completely.

9. A journey is an adventure. Henry Miller used to say that it is far more important to discover a church that no one else has ever heard of than to go to Rome and feel obliged to visit the Sistine Chapel with two hundred thousand other tourists bellowing in your ear. By all means go to the Sistine Chapel, but wander the streets too, explore alleyways, experience the freedom of looking for something – quite what you don’t know – but which, if you find it, will – you can be sure – change your life.

Even tho I haven’t really been anywhere all year, I still have a drive and a force living within me. In a few weeks Eat, Pray, Love staring Julia Roberts is going to be hitting the cinemas. I am almost positive within a couple (notice I didn’t say few or many) months, I too will be on my own journey I originally set out for.

I am now back and waiting/looking for a job! this ish sucks…

here are some notes from the trip there. but it took forever.. i have pics on my fb if you wanna see..

12-19-09

First things first.

A few things I have noticed since my along waited journey into first class. I’ve been on about 5-6 airplanes a year since I was 2 years old, with return flights and connecting flights we are looking at a good 300 plane rides. And this friends is my first broadcast form FIRST CLASS. One thing you notices behind those tacky gray shades is everyone is first class is on the plump side, minus the few children that occupy the seats, I bet their nanny wipes their butt for them too. (Excuse the resentment J_)

And what else is cool here is they actually feed you. I truly thought that all domestic airlines stopped purchasing food for their passengers… this is a myth, THEY STILL HAVE FOOD!!!

These are my first observations of first class. But if I had to choose, I’d go in the back and be with my people!! I do like being closer to the lovely steward. I am so used to getting up and “helping myself”. The only thing that has been a little questionable is the fact they don’t have ketchup, I’m pretty sure white rich people are as plain as day and looooove ketchup? What happened? Sorry Behrod, Ill make sure next trip to grab you come packets.

I also wanted to send a shout out to my Germans, Swedish guys, and Turkish bloods for the laughs, jam sessions, and the most amazing dance sessions last night.  We represented all corners of the world and came together and killed it at Sutra last night. I only go now with them, but it is seriously still one of the coolest places, but with everywhere you go, it doesn’t matter where you are, it matters whom you are with! And I was with some great people!!

Ok, time for me to head back to la la land before we get to Chi-Town in 2.5 hours.. I thought it would be a great idea to just party through the night and not sleep.. I’m kinda on life support right now.,. NIGHT ! (mind you its             10am!)

….

Ok, now it is 1:30pm Chicago time. Which means it is 2:30am Russia time. I just wanted to expand more on this class system I have been experiencing, seeing that I am going to Russia, it only seems right to talk about the class system. We got off in Chicago, poor mom had to sit the whole 4 hours here in coach.. I was pretty comfortable, not gonna lie, but I just think that is because I need to sleep on my stomach.  Once we got to Chicago we had a 3-hour layover. Normally we would go to the Admirals Club, this exclusive club that cost $400 a year and you are in a club. Free cookies, cheese and crackers, veggie platters and get this… plastic toilet seat covers that rotate! It is a nice place to unwind and relax while waiting for your plan. When I travel just looking at impatient people makes me feel a little impatient, here, you’re family. Which brings me to the main point of this particular rant. Ron AKA Dadi has been a member for about  years now, we always are traveling with him or have first class which gives us automatic admittance. Today, we only have 2/3 first class tickets so if the third person wants to go into the Club, one would have to pay and extra $50!! I sat and talk to the woman after mom and Behrod went upstairs I sat in the lobby of the club and I went up to the woman. I told her that I am already being punished by flying economy and she had no sympathy. I understand rules, I may not always follow them, but I have to live by them! Does anyone else have any idea why when they make you pay, it is some outrageous price that had no proportional collation to the original dues? 12.5% of an annual dues is a little much for a person who isn’t even fed a steak dinner! I am actually really agro’d over this! Even when I worked at Disneyland if you were an annual pass holder and you cam on you blackout date, the cost for a new ticket was $25, later becoming $35 for the day, the price of the ticket was $52, now $60. Proportionately that seems reasonable, especially when you are going to spend the whole day there. I bet if I got into the Admiral club here by paying the $50, I would have to pay again in Brussels..

This world man!

(3:25 pm Frankfurt time)

Twenty-four hours later and we are not even close to Moscow. So I wrote a few weeks ago that I have pretty good vacation karma., I totally jinxed myself. I took a big sleeping pill and woke up the flight attendant and a plan of angry passengers. What had happened?? Our flight couldn’t land in Brussels so we were directed to Frankfurt! A problem you may think, but I love Germany. If it were up to me we would spend the whole time here and go to Iran after Christmas! Lol

Monday December 21, 2009 –

5:19 am – LA- 2:19 PM Berlin- 4:19 Moscow.

Well, you guessed it. The flight is still messed up. We are going on 48 hours of travel time and still not in Moscow. Let me break down the last 24 hours. We tried to arrive in Brussels via American Airlines flight 88. There has been a terrible storm that came into Europe and threw everyone who was traveling or trying to travel out “the cold”. Our flight was due to leave at 8:00 am from Frankfurt. From Frankfurt we were going to go to Brussels and try to make the Moscow flight out. Due to the fact that AA had poor planning skills, me along with a gustimated 5000 passengers had no next destination planned due to the set backs of yesterdays flights. Once we checked in at Frankfurt, the flight that was now due to leave Frankfurt and go to Brussels was now going to depart at 10:30 am Germany time and land around 11:30 am Brussels time. Thus making it impossible to make our 11:45 am flight out to Moscow. We now had to “choose” (I say choose because you choose nothing when shit get messed up this bad, they choose for you) a flight from Brussels to Vienna or Wien as I so looove to call it, then from Wien to Moscow. Because this alternative keeps us with out bags it is the one that we choose.

But let me explain the head ach that came with this journey.  We woke up at 4:00am Germany time to be in line at the airport at 5:00 am. We were told someone was going to be there. I felt like I was standing in line to watch the new release of the Twilight movie or something. The employees didn’t arrive until 6:00am. We were able to see an agent at by 7:00, but because we wouldn’t have been able to retrieve our bags in time for our Tehran flight and another miscommunication of the woman sending us to Lufthansa. (Another headache, she book Mom and I and forgot Behrod on the Lufthansa “Austrian Air” Flight) So then we had to go back to her and ended up on the Brussels flight. FINALLY waiting for our plan to board the once 350 people now about 200 people on our Chicago to Brussels flight, we waited and waited and finally left.

Now we made it to Brussels, but you wouldn’t, couldn’t, nor should you ever imagine the ZOO they created in baggage claim. Behrod and I were already pretty snappy, fighting the whole way to the Baggage Claim window. That’s when I saw a Daniel Galbriath look alike screaming at the AA people “Isn’t this supposed to be the Center of Europe My bag is sitting in a plan 50 meters from here and I have been waiting for and hour and a half.” I felt so bad for the guy I had no idea what to do or say. He started yelling in Dutch and another gentleman and a younger lady chimed in too, it was all-comical and I snapped out of it. Then we  decided that Baggage Claim was a bust and we needed to go to the ticket counter to exchange our tickets and make the trip to Moscow official… luggage and all.

OMG I forgot to tell you. So the night before we were leaving, I finished up some laundry and ended up with 5 pairs of clean underwear. I had no more room in my suitcase, so I just shoved it in my carryon. Needless to say, that was possible the smarted decision of my traveling life, not only did I have clean underwear but so did mom! Poor Behrod, I think that is why he is in a bad mood!

I don’t know what was worse waiting for our tickets at the ticket counter, or listening to the other passenger’s stories there. We were among the few who had options open for today but there was a family that came in from the Chicago flight (the one that departed the day after us) and they were going to a city in Niger, Africa. They literally missed their flight by ten minutes! Guess when their next flight out is?? They have a maybe on Wednesday and a definite next Sunday! Imagine coming from the states and not even wanting to come here, then being delayed for 6 days!! That sucks!! I am just glad dad or Fredo isn’t with me, or else we would be in the Hospital ward of the airport looking for heart donors!

So here we are, 6:05 am LA time 3:05 pm Brussels time, and 5:05 pm Moscow time. We have officially been traveling for 48 hours and are not even closed to where we were supposed to be 24 hours ago. I have to say this is my first time experiencing all these delays and such this bad. I am just glad I have mom with me. The last time this happened I was coming home from DC, but I got a free flight out of that and was able to go to NYC last month. I hope I can get a round trip ticket to AUSTRALIA for this mix up!

December 22, 2009

After a million and a half hours on the road, we finally arrived in Moscow. Thinking it was the end of the road, we still weren’t even close. We had to file the last of the claim for us to receive our bags. This line took a good 3 hours but some people were there for a good 4 or 5, so I didn’t complain too much. I thought that Dad might have come to the airport, so I asked a guard if he spoke any English? As he was texting or playing a game, with out any eye contact he told me that he didn’t. When I asked him who did, he shrugged his shoulders. It was at this point that I was relieved we only had a good 18 hours in Moscow! We filed the claim and took a 40 minute taxi ride to the hotel it was 2000 rubles, which at an exchange rate of 30 came out to 66.66$. we hopped into the cab and headed on our last stretch to the city. I was a little relieved when I heard some Madonna and Elton John on the radio, it was fascinating how the radio would play some American music, then a little Spanish and of course some Russian. I am pretty sure no one understood most of the music, but it was just white noise.

4 shambeh, December 23^rd, 2009

We arrived in the Iran Komanie Airport. There wasn’t too much stress there because we were without any baggage. I have found it to be pretty easy to travel without any baggage. It is about a one hour ride from the main international airport to the city. When we arrived at the airport, we just walked right through and say everyone. I was able to identify everyone there but it was funny to watch Behrod’s face when he had to meet everyone. Yasi, Fatemeh, Zahra, Aunt Shalah, Shanaz, Mitra, and Begat were all there, also Dr. Liagati and amu ansari came to say help. It was kinda funny because we still had no luggages. Me, Behrod, Fatemeh, and Yasi hopped in Zahra’s car and headed to Aunt Behgats house where all of dad’s luggage had already moved to. They came over but we were all pretty tired considering we landed at 2 am. In the morning …. And that’s where it ends!

What to Pack

Shirts. Bring up to five short-sleeved or long-sleeved shirts in a cotton/polyester blend. Arrange mix according to season.

Sweater or Lightweight Fleece. Warm and dark is best — for layering and dressing up. Dark colors don’t show wrinkles or stains.

Pants. Bring two pairs: one lightweight cotton and another super-lightweight for hot and muggy big cities and churches with modest dress codes. Jeans can be too hot for summer travel. Linen is great. Many like lightweight pants/shorts with zip-off legs. Button-down wallet pockets are safest (though still not as thief-proof as a money belt, described below).

Shorts. Take a pair with pockets — doubles as a swimsuit for men.

Swimsuit. Especially for women.

Underwear and socks. Bring five sets (lighter dries quicker).

One pair of shoes. Take a well-used, light, and cool pair, with Vibram-type soles and good traction. My wife and I like shoes by Ecco. Sturdy, low-profile tennis shoes with a good tread are fine, too. (Some people bring along an extra pair of sandals in case the shoes get wet.) For winter travel, bring heavy shoes (for warmth and to stay dry).

Jacket. Bring a light and water-resistant windbreaker that has a hood. Gore-Tex is good if you expect rain. For summer travel, I wing it without rain gear — but always pack for rain in Britain and Ireland.

Tie or scarf. For instant respectability, bring anything lightweight that can break the monotony and make you look snazzy.

Money belt. This hidden pouch — strapped around your waist and tucked under your clothes — is essential for the peace of mind it brings. You could lose everything except your money belt, and the trip could still go on. Lightweight and low-profile beige is best.

Money. Bring your preferred mix of a credit card, a debit card, and an emergency stash of hard cash. I rely on a debit card for ATM withdrawals, a credit card, and several hundred dollars in cash as a backup.

Documents and photocopies. Bring your passport, plane ticket (or e-ticket printout), railpass or car-rental voucher, driver’s license, student ID, hostel card, and so on. Photocopies and a couple of passport-type photos can help you get replacements more quickly if the originals are lost or stolen. Carry photocopies separately in your luggage and keep the originals in your money belt. In your luggage, you’ll also want to pack a careful record of all reservations (bring the hotels’ written confirmations), along with a trip calendar page to keep things up-to-date as your trip evolves.

Small daypack. This is great for carrying your sweater, camera, literature, and picnic goodies while you leave your large bag at the hotel or train station. Fanny packs (small bags with thief-friendly zippers on a belt) are a popular alternative, but are magnets for pickpockets and should never be used as money belts.

Camera. A digital camera and a high-capacity memory card mean no more bulky bags of film. A mini-tripod allows you to take crisp shots in low light with no flash.

Earplugs. If night noises bother you, you’ll love a good set of expandable foam plugs.

First-aid kit.(see my previous blog about not getting sick!) I though I was getting sick, but I am just exhausted!!!

Medicine and vitamins. Keep medicine in original containers, if possible, with legible prescriptions.

Eyeglasses, contact lenses, and prescriptions. Contact solutions are widely available in Europe, but because of dust and smog, many travelers find their contacts aren’t as comfortable in Europe. I wear my glasses, and I don’t pack a spare pair, but I do bring a photocopy of my prescription just in case.

Sunscreen and sunglasses. Depending on the season and your destination.

Toiletries kit. Sinks in cheap hotels come with meager countertop space and anonymous hairs. If you have a nylon toiletries kit that can hang on a hook or a towel bar, this is no problem. Put all squeeze bottles in sealable plastic baggies, since pressure changes in flight can cause even good bottles to leak. (If you plan to carry on your bag, all liquids, gels, and aerosols must be in three-ounce or smaller containers, and all of these items must fit within a single, quart-size sealable plastic baggie.) Consider a vacation from cosmetics. Bring a little toilet paper or tissue packets (sold at all newsstands in Europe). Fingernail clippers and tweezers are also handy.

Sealable plastic baggies. Get a variety of sizes. In addition to holding your carry-on liquids, they’re ideal for packing leftover picnic food, containing wetness, and bagging potential leaks before they happen. The two-gallon jumbo size is handy for packing clothing. Bring extras for the flight home, as they can be hard to find in Europe.

Soap. Not all hotels provide soap. A plastic squeeze bottle of concentrated, multipurpose, biodegradable liquid soap is handy for laundry and more. In the interest of traveling friendlier to our environment, I never use the hotel bathroom “itsy-bitsies,” preferring my own bar of soap or bottle of shampoo.

Clothesline. Hang it up in your hotel room to dry your clothes. The handy twisted-rubber type needs no clothespins.

Small towel. You’ll find bath towels at all fancy and moderately priced hotels, and most cheap ones. Although $50-a-day travelers will often need to bring their own towel, $100-a-day folks won’t. I bring a thin hand towel for the occasional need. Washcloths are rare in Europe. While I don’t use them, many travelers recommend quick-drying synthetic towels.

Sewing kit. Clothes age rapidly while traveling. Take along a few safety pins and buttons.

Travel information. Rip out appropriate chapters from guidebooks and staple them together. When you’re done, give them away.

Map. Get a map best suited to your trip’s overall needs, then pick up maps for specific local areas as you go.

Address list. To keep in touch, many travelers write blogs or send mass emails as they travel. But if you prefer to mail postcards, consider printing your mail list onto a sheet of adhesive address labels before you leave. You’ll know exactly who you’ve written to, and the labels will be perfectly legible.

Postcards from home and photos of your family. A small collection of show-and-tell pictures is always a great conversation piece with Europeans you meet. I just bring my phone with pictures or my lap top.. also you might want to bring your flashdrive to go to local print shops to print pictures of your family

Small notepad and pen. A tiny notepad in your back pocket is a great organizer, reminder, and communication aid (for sale in European stationery stores).

Journal. An empty book to be filled with the experiences of your trip will be your most treasured souvenir. Attach a photocopied calendar page of your itinerary. Use a hardbound type designed to last a lifetime, rather than a spiral notebook. My custom-designed Rick Steves Travel Journals are rugged, simple blank books that come in two sizes. Another great brand, with an almost cult following among travel writers, is Moleskine (also available at my Travel Store).

Optional Bring-Alongs

Spot remover. Bring Shout wipes or a dab of Goop grease remover in a small plastic container. This reminds me NAIL POLISH REMOVER!!!!!

Sandals or flip-flops.

Slippers. On winter trips, I bring comfy slippers with leather bottoms — great for the flight and for getting cozy in my hotel room. If you have room pack your robe too!!

Inflatable pillow (or “neck rest”). For snoozing in planes, trains, and automobiles. Many travelers also swear by an eye mask for blocking out early-rising or late-setting sun.

Hair drier. People with long or thick hair appreciate a travel hair drier in the off-season, when hair takes a long time to dry and it’s cold outside. These are generally provided in $100-plus hotel rooms.

MP3/video player, CD player, or radio. Partners can bring a Y-jack for two sets of earphones. Some travelers use digital recorders to capture pipe organs, tours, or journal entries. A small, portable radio adds a new dimension to your experience.

Adapters. Electrical plugs.–> DONT FORGET YOUR CHARGERS!!!!!

Insect repellent. Especially for France and Italy.

Who wants to go??  March 23-27, 2009 (oops, same weekend as Jay-z in LA!!)

Winter Music Conference Winter Music Conference, in its 25th consecutive year, is one of the most publicized annual music gatherings in the world. A pivotal platform for advancement of the industry, WMC 2009 attracted 1,910 artists and DJs, 3,228 industry delegates from 62 countries and over 70,000 event attendees for a concentrated schedule of more than 500 events presented across 5 days. Music, as one of the world’s most accessible cultural art forms, gives WMC the unique ability to cross economic, geographic and social boundaries. Over 1.3 million visitors from 183 countries log on to the WMC website each year. Established in 1985, WMC is the largest music industry gathering of its kind in the world. 3,228 Industry Delegates attended WMC 2009 from 62 different countries.. 2,748,637,621+ Media Impressions generated between February 1, 2009 and April 30, 2009. 221 Accredited Industry Guests, Panelists & Speakers participated in the WMC 2009 program. 503 Accredited Journalists participated in the WMC 2009 program. 52 Industry Panels, Seminars & Workshops presented at WMC 2009. 506 Total events presented at 127 venues across 6 days during the 2009 WMC week in Miami & Miami Beach. 1,910 Artists and DJs performed during the 2009 WMC week in Miami & Miami Beach.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Over 70,000 Event Attendees Participated in WMC 2009
Age	Annual Income
Gender	Education (highest level of education completed)
3,228 Registered Industry Delegates Attended WMC 2009
MUSIC INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS AT WMC 2009
DELEGATES BY REGION AT WMC 2009