His character was so in love with this ungrateful woman. Aaaarrggg…makes me furious!

For the last couple of weeks, my daughter had been asking me to take her to watch “The Great Gatsby”. I had been procrastinating since I remembered not enjoying the book in highschool. The content was out of my depth at the time. I had no idea then what parties, love, alcohol, heartache and the Prohibition were all about. I remembered thinking Jay Gatsby was a fool. Of course, I had no idea then what love could do to a person. Finally, last night I consented and we went to watch Buz Luhrmann’s rendition of the book.

Now I can appreciate F. Scott Fitzgerald’s cunning and cynical words. Either Mr. Fitzgerald had an uncanny ability to read into the twisted and sometimes dark  human psyche or he must have experienced some excruciating heartache in his lifetime to have been able to conjure up such a tragic love story. How could anyone write such a heart wrenching tragedy? How could F. Scott Fitzgerald have the stomach to create a character so full of innocence and hope such as James Gatz to simply tear him down to such a low point so as not to even have allowed him an honorable death? How could he not have at least allowed him to clear his name before abruptly ending the story?! How????

This was the moment I realized what a phenomenal actor Leonardo Dicaprio is. I actually could feel his agony in this scene. It was difficult to watch.

On several occasions, this movie made me more uncomfortable than I care to admit. The storyline was laden with extremes between naive hope and harsh realities.Gatsby loved Daisy so much that he spent five years trying to build a life that he thought she would appreciate. He practically handed her his heart and soul. While he was concerned only about her happiness and well being, she was solely concerned about keeping up appearances, her status and comfort.

To think that all his hopes and dreams would be shattered by foolish, obsessive and childlike devotion to such a self-centered woman…ugh, so upsetting. I dislike this story more than you can know; especially the heartbreaking ending. Not because love didn’t prevail in the end but because of my disappointment and disgust towards human nature. Ultimately, Daisy was watching out for Daisy. No pretty romance story can change the cruel reality of it. These are the stories that always make me wonder why people insist on wanting to fall in love.

I don’t get it!

The Great Gatsby

]]> http://globetrottermama.com/2013/05/20/the-great-gatsby-the-great-disappointment/feed/ 0 globetrottermama THE GREAT GATSBY Gatsby http://globetrottermama.com/2013/05/11/god-i-missed-you-guys/ http://globetrottermama.com/2013/05/11/god-i-missed-you-guys/#comments Sun, 12 May 2013 02:59:50 +0000 globetrottermama http://globetrottermama.com/?p=1400 ]]> So sorry I’ve been MIA lately. I’ve had lots going on. In three weeks, I had a few deadlines to meet, finals at school, registering for summer semester and moved to a new place. I’ve had a couple of weeks off between semesters so I’ve just been enjoying some time with my little person and friends. Life is good. After these few weeks I started thinking of all the little things that I take for granted and all the little things that truly make me happy.

I have truly enjoyed these weeks. I’ve simply spent time with the people that I care about. My little person and I have moved into a home where we found everything that we had prayed for and more. Thank God. Little by little, we’re getting to a better place. She’s still getting very good grades in school. I ended the semester well. I got good grades as well which is definitely rewarding after all of my hard work. I’ll be taking two classes for summer semester; both online. This will be my first time so let’s see how it goes.

Like I said, I’ve really been enjoying my break. Last weekend we attended a “mini-teatro”. Translation, “mini-theater”. The “Centro Cultural Espaniol” in Miami hosted it. It was the coolest event EVER! It consisted of five minute plays in air-conditioned freight containers. They were showing comedies and dramas. We got there a bit late so we only had enough time to watch two comedies and they were great. One was about sex in the future and the other was about how God is undeniably a man. I’m definitely keeping a closer eye now on the “Centro Cultural Espaniol”. Let’s see what’s next!

Just another M@rca happy hour. Love these people!

Work is good; as usual. Love it. Love the work. Love the people. It’s been busy and that’s how I like it. We had someone leave yesterday. I know it sounds ridiculous but I was actually a little hurt that she wanted to leave our team. She’s such a smart girl and great person. I hope she’ll reconsider and eventually come back.

Anyway, I know this is a somewhat vague and pointless post but I essentially just wanted to let you know that I am alive and well! Enjoying life. School starts again next week. Stoked. Looking forward to it. I promise to get back to blogging on a regular basis. In the meantime, I’d love to hear how all of you are doing?

How is life treating you????

Much love!

Hurrem Haseki Sultan, also known as Khourrem or Roxelana, was the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent. She was said to be a cheerful, high-spirited, intelligent and influential woman. For years, she was the heroic figure to which most women in Europe and Asia looked up to. Roxelana had achieved in her brief life of little significance up to that moment, what no woman had ever before been able to accomplish in the centuries before her. She transformed from being captured in war and turned into a slave, to being sold to the Süleyman’s Harem as a concubine and ultimately becoming the Sultan’s wife.

It is believed that Roxelana was born under the name Aleksandra Lisovaka in in the town of Rohatyn located 68 km south east of Lviv, the capital city of Galicia which was then part of Poland. Little is known about her life prior to arriving in Istanbul. What is known is that she was the daughter of a Ukranian Orthodox priest. She was referred to as the “laughing one” and had great story telling abilities. She was also considered to be very beautiful for the time. She was captured in the 1520s by Crimean Tartars during a routine raid in the region and taken as a slave to Kaffa and later resold in Istanbul to the Süleyman’s Harem.

Once Roxelana was in the harem, she quickly won the notice of the Sultan. He took an immediate liking to her; historians say the fixation was mutual. When she arrived there were already four existing chief concubines and approximately three hundred other lower ranking concubines. Roxelana was one of the many lower ranking concubines in the harem. Of the four chief concubines, the Sultana Gulfem “Rose of Spring”, bore the heir to the Ottoman throne; Mustafa. Noticing the Sultan’s preference for Roxelana as he would have her accompany him in public on several occasions, Gulfem violently attacked her.

Seeing how enraged Suleyman was over the attack, Roxelana took the opportunity to convince the Sultan to have them banished. Under the guise that the heir to the throne had to train (traditional training: Sancak Beyliği) to eventually succeed his father, in 1534 Gulfem and her son Mustafa were banished to Mahidevran to the provincial capital of Manisa. Up until this point she was still simply his concubine. But she had gone from being a simple slave to a concubine amongst many; only to soon stand out above the rest. This for a Christian captive and woman of her era was a huge feat.

The removal of Gulfem was essentially the door that swung wide open to give way to the rest of her future. The French historian Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle wrote in the 18th century the book, “The removal of Gulfem was essentially the door that swung wide open to give way to the rest of her future. The French historian, Fontenelle’s Dialogues of the dead, in three parts. Dialogues of the antients, The antients with the moderns, The moderns. Translated from the French by the late John Hughes The second edition.” Not only did it have the longest book title ever known to mankind but it narrates in detail how Roxelana wittingly converted to Islam, used the religion to withhold sexual favors from the Sultan unless properly married and then eventually achieving what she had set out to do from the onset.  He resisted for three days but in the end, she was freed as a slave and legally became his wife; making the Sultan the first Ottoman emperor to ever legally have married.

She gave him five children of which her son Selim would eventually inherit the empire but only after Gulfem’s son Mustafa had been mysteriously strangled. It was rumored that he valued her opinion and gave her an active role and say in his political affairs. The tradition was that once imperial heirs became of age, they were sent away along with their biological mother to prepare to succeed the throne. Suleyman was so enamored with Roxelana that he couldn’t bare the thought and allowed her to remain at court with him for the rest of her life. In 1558, Roxelana passed eight years before her great love. She dedicated her life to her soul mate, her children, several charitable works and charities. She was a pioneer in the betterment and empowerment of women in her time. He and they loved her for it. And in 1566, the enslaved young Ukraine girl’s son became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Hello my lovelies! Just a quick post tonight. I’m sleepy.

Since it’s rather difficult to find people to uplift and support you as opposed to being able to quickly find anyone willing to try and knock you down…I have decided to be my own biggest cheerleader today!

I am so proud of myself for accomplishing as much as I accomplished today. I love my job and am proud of everything that I was able to get done in the time allotted. I finished up my World History class tonight and KNOW that I did well. I enjoyed it while it lasted. I’m sad to see it go.

May 1st is my ENC 1102 final. I plan to seriously study over the weekend. That’s pretty much it. All is well in my world. My baby is happy, I am happy and the universe is happy will me. That’s all that matters.

Thanks to all my true friends (that includes my WordPress friends) that take a minute out of their busy day to encourage me to keep going and to let me know they care. You guys are awesome!

Goodnight all. Much love!

Me at 30 years old.

This is a topic that I am very uncomfortable with; the thought of aging. I don’t care about the number itself and all that it implies. I don’t mind all of the stereotypes that come with being in my mid-thirties. The only part that bothers me about aging is my physical appearance. Yes, I know. It’s rather shallow and vain of me. But I can’t help it!! I don’t want to wrinkle. I am terrified of wrinkling!!

Me at 31 years old.

For years, I have gone to great lengths to ensure that my aging process is slowed down as much as humanly possible. And when I say, great lengths I am NOT kidding! I’ve tried everything short of plastic surgery and botox. For example, 31 was the year that I finally quit smoking for once and for all. That was the year I started noticing changes in my appearance. I quickly became paranoid and starting changing things up.

Me at 32 years old.

If any of my co-workers are reading this, you’ll be happy to know that I am about to give you the full list of the copious amounts of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that I have taken on a daily basis for years now. (They keep asking for it and I keep forgetting to take pictures of the labels.) Every morning,  before I eat breakfast, I drink collagen with hyaluronic acid. I eat a healthy breakfast 30 minutes later. I drink a black or red tea; both loaded with antioxidants.

Me at 33 years old.

Afterwards, I take krill oil, DHA, a 3 billion count pro-biotic, calcium, vitamin D, a multi-vitamin, liquid Q-10 and a half cup of organic whole leaf aloe juice. My favorite weekend treat is an original size Jamba juice acai, blueberry, raspberry, yellow vegetables juice, carrot, immunity, flax and fiber boost smoothie. I run 5k’s on a regular basis and practice yoga as much as I can. I avoid the sun as much as possible too but the truth is I love hanging out on the beach all day while enjoying some great company and some drinks.

Studies show that stress speeds up the aging process and I TRULY believe it. Thirty-two was a very rough year for me. Anything and everything that could have gone wrong, did. It took a toll on me emotionally and physically to the point where in March of 2012 I had been diagnosed with Lupus. The changes in me were becoming more noticeable. After my diagnosis, I ampped up my anti-aging obsession to a whole other level. I wanted to make sure I got as healthy as I possibly could. The doctor said I needed to significantly change my eating, drinking, sleeping and exercising habits. The more physically fit I became the less debilitating the sickness would be.

Me at 34 years old.

I heeded his advise. He made it abundantly clear that stress was going to be my worst enemy. I significantly cut back on the partying, drinking, poor eating habits, high-stress situations and toxic relationships. I made it a point to meditate, relax and sleep more. I changed my eating habits and started enjoying the quality of my life. Thankfully and miraculously, less than a year later, I went back for a routine check-up and the tests were inconclusive. I went back for another check-up after that and there were no signs of Lupus. It was inexplicable because Lupus is incurable. I firmly believe that it was thanks to my strict regime, perseverance and faith.

Now that the dreaded “L” word is out of the way, I am back to solely focusing on my efforts to not age!! In addition, I use all kinds of facial creams but I’ll leave that for another day on another post. Thirty-five is soon approaching. What am to do?! Anyone have any good suggestions for looking young forever???

I just had to share this video. I thought it was hilarious.

It was a nice weekend though. More than anything, it was quiet. We enjoyed a light breakfast this morning at Starbucks. I had a hot cup of Awake tea and a protein platter. My little person had a cold chocolate milk with a bagel and cream cheese. As I sat there skimming through my NY Times, I thought “God, I miss my orchids, desert roses and my Sunday’s on the balcony enjoying the weather, some breakfast, a hot cup of tea and the paper.” We used to have a very large balcony. I had several orchids and other plants as well as a patio furniture set. It was my little sanctuary. And so, I decided this morning to change my apartment search a bit.

I rather give up being close to more popular areas of town in exchange for a small yard or a very large balcony for my plants. I miss my Sundays. I used to read on the balcony for hours. I loved that alone time. There is something very calming and soothing about gardening. I’m not sure how to explain it. I usually leave the balcony door open and play some classical music in the background while I water the plants, re-pot the orchids, pull out dry leaves and remove unwanted items. Ironically, my Fridays and Saturdays look very different. I think I treat my Sundays as my day to ”escape the world” day.

Please pray for us that we’ll find our dream home. If you don’t pray then that’s fine, please wish us the best of luck!

How was your weekend?

What would my blog be without the occasional post about my beloved Turkey? I miss Istanbul more than anyone could ever comprehend. I was born in Spain. I’ve lived between Spain and the US all my life but my heart belongs to Turkey. Since the first time I went I felt an affinity for the country that I cannot explain. I felt as if I belonged there. It is always in the back of my mind. I could sit all day at Divan Kurucesme enjoying some Turkish wine and fine cuisine while watching the boats go by. The people are so inviting and welcoming. The energy around the city so embracing. The food, the ambiance and the intensity is like no other city in the world.

This is my favorite restaurant on the Asian coast. Del Mare.

The Bosphorus is beyond enchanting. It’s mesmerizing. The city is full of seagulls. You can hear their cries throughout the day. The salty crisp scent of the sea endlessly lingers in the air. Every few hours you can hear the Imam’s calling the faithful Islamist to prayer with their impassioned and solemn hymns voiced over loudspeakers attached to the mosques’ minarets. You can hear it in the middle of the night as well. At night it’s softer, distant and somewhat dreamy. On my first trip there was a small mosque right next to my hotel and one of the minarets was right next to my window. I loved hearing the hymn in the middle of the night. I’d walk over and sat at the window in darkness and watched how the Imam later walked out of the mosque quietly and put his shoes back on before locking the door and the heavy metal gate. There was something so private about it all that I felt I was somehow privy to while I was watching. I enjoyed being a part of it in some small way.

This is the view from the treadmill that I was running on early one morning.

I enjoy meeting the people. I love walking briefly through the bazaars before going up through the hidden stairwell to Pandeli. You can get a better look at the passerby from up there. The service is great. The food is authentic and delicious and for some reason we always get invited into the kitchen so the chef can talk to us. The Turks seem to think I’m Turkish; or so I have been told. They say I look Turkish and have no accent when I speak it. My friend Aslan is convinced I was Roxelana (Hürrem Haseki Sultan) in my past life. He would introduce me to everyone has Roxelana. You have no idea how proud that makes me; I have no idea why! Yes, I know it’s silly. Ha! I don’t care. I get a kick out of it. The point is…

Istanbul, I NEED you!! I hope to see you soon. Much love.

Me with my Turkish friend, Fer. – Istanbul

This is one of my favorite cafes in Istanbul. It’s very hidden away. No tourists. It’s right next to the very touristic Daruzziyafe.

I’m sick as a dog! I can’t keep anything down. I’ve been in bed for two days just waiting for the grim reaper to take me. Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic but seriously…I feel like the girls from Bridesmaids. I’ve been in this bed for two days bored out of my mind! Looking forward to tomorrow. Maybe then I’ll be able to eat something and get out of this bed. Can’t wait for tomorrow!!! Don’t you love Bridesmaids? I think it’s hilarious!!!

I swear I’m sick to my stomach. I just thought this was funny.