Niagra Falls Road Trip
September 15, 2009
My cousin Jonathan at Niagara Falls, NY
Two weekends ago, I drove longer than I’ve ever driven before, close to 1000 miles (back and forth), that is to Niagara Falls, NY.
The GPS Navigator literally took my family, friends and I along the scenic route, that is through the mountains, even a few valleys and quaint old towns of Pennsylvania and upstate New York.
Whilst I was excited about the trip (and it was great!), nerd that I am, I was more excited about using my new Canon Powershot G9 camera which has been taking some impressive pictures as of late (thanks to that I’ve read the 200 page manual).
Akhenaton
Ethiopian Food- YUM!
July 15, 2009
(REPUBLISHED)
Ethiopian food is officially now one of my favorites! After passing by the Dukem Restaurant on the U Street Corridor in Washington, DC for over three years and looking on with curiosity, I decided on Saturday to take the plunge with a couple friends and try it out.
Now, a forewarning if you plan to visit, the Dukem Restaurant is not one for fine dining, if that’
s what you’re looking for. The atmosphere is relaxed, a bit noisy and service is a tad bit slow, but the GREAT food (which I will talk about later) makes up for where everything else falters.
While the experience could easily be compared to eating native Indian dishes like roti (read more) and paratha (read more), the ‘bread’ served and known in the Ethiopian locale as injera (read more) might be an acquired taste for the picky eater. It “tasted and looked spongy”, said one of my friends and I have to agree. Notwithstanding that, I found the taste to be curiously delightful.
What sto
od out most however is that with the exception of the injera, our entree which included hot spiced lamb, stewed chicken, dhal and some other Ethiopian delicacies was served on a single platter from which we all ate, using our hands (no utensils used).
In the end, I have to say that my experience at the Dukem Restaurant (website) was a mixture of the unique and the mouthwatering. Being with the right company made it a worthwhile visit also.
Below are the links to some of my favorite local (DC) restaurants:
Thai Chili Restaurant- Thai
The Taj Mahal- Indian
Pho Fever- Vietnamese
The Islander- Caribbean
Funeral Arrangements for Lisa Francois
February 15, 2009
As promised, here are the details for the Celebration of the life of Lisa Francois.
Viewing of body: Thursday, February 19, 2009 from 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Service: Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 6:30pm
Repast: To follow after Service at 8pm
New Life Seventh-day Adventist Church
885 Thomas Boyland Street
Brooklyn, NY 11212 Click here for directions
Phone: 718-342-6829
Burial: Friday, February 20, 2009 at 9 a.m.
Gather at R. Steven LeGall Home for Funerals
169 Empire Blvd.
Brooklyn, NY 11225 Click here for directions
718-722-7800
Rest in Peace- Lisa Francois
February 8, 2009
This is something I refuse to believe, I cannot come to terms with and accept what I heard about an hour ago. Lisa Francois, one of my best friends, someone I have spoken with on the phone almost every day for the past eight years (including this morning) passed away.
I spoke to Lisa this morning as she was traveling to Maryland from New York, we were making plans for tonight- bowling.
She was in New Jersey when we spoke, “we are stuck in traffic, the GPS said that I would get there at 2:41″. Those were the last words that I heard from Lisa at 11:34am this morning.
Sigh
UPDATE: News Story from WBAL 1680
One Dead, Two Hurt In I-95 Crash
Saturday, February 07, 2009
WBAL Radio as reported by Robert Lang
Maryland State Police are investigating a Saturday afternoon crash on I-95 in Harford County that killed one person and injured two others.
Troopers say the crash occurred on I-95 southbound near the Churchville exit around 2:30 p.m., when a car crossed two lanes of travel and then flipped over several times, before landing against a tree. All three people in the car were trapped inside.
Troopers say the backseat passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. It took rescue crews more than two hours to get the victims out of the car. The driver and front seat passenger were flown to Shock Trauma.
State Police kept I-95 southbound closed for two hours while the victims were being removed from the car.
The left shoulder and left lane was reopened to traffic after 4:30 p.m., and the entire highway was open by 6:15 p.m.
The victims’ names have been withheld pending family notification.
Atlantic City/ New Jersey Trip
April 6, 2008
I am writing this as I am returning from a trip to Atlantic City, NJ and New York, NY. I had an great time in both places. I witnessed a live performance by Vanessa Williams, at the Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, NJ and spent time with two of my best friends who live in New York City.
I can go on and on about how great this trip was, but I’m tired; in stead, I will share the photos. Click here to view.
mail@pharaohsprotege.com
How do your friendships fare?
May 21, 2007
Today, as I sit and look back at the past week, I have to say that it was a lonely week. A lonely week when it came to friends that is. It seemed as though most (if not everyone) was too busy; too busy to call or return calls, send text messages or e-mails. That it happened all in one week amazed me.
A quick note: Friends of mine who read this blog, don’t get upset now, this is not a friend-bashing rant; I would never do that, mainly because I am not perfect regarding the aforementioned either.
So, what or who fits the mold of a friend? How do we know if the people that we have in our lives are deserving of the word ‘friend’ (or even best friend)? Author, Speaker and Professional Certified Coach Valerie Burton says that friends would
- …enrich our lives. They inspire us when it comes to the secular and/or spiritual matters of our lives
-
…even in the hectic pace of their lives, refuse to allow an overloaded schedule to crowd out space for connecting with us
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…be there in the critical moments of our lives. True friends emerge during the tough times of our lives
Dr. Gary Chapman, Counselor and author of “The Five Love Languages” writes that the ‘languages’ you would find in healthy friendships/relationships are Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Gifts, Acts of Service and Physical Touch.
Looking at the aforementioned tells me one thing; friendships need constant reciprocal maintenance. In my opinion, this should not be hard at all because (genuine) acts out of love are second-nature.
I did the following experiment on some of my friends and family today just to see how much effort (in terms of time) it took for me to reach out to those I care about…
- Text message saying ‘how are you doing?” (how r u dng)- LESS THAN 10 SECONDS
-
A phone call just to wish them a great day- 15 SECONDS
-
An e-card, just to let them know that I care- LESS THAN TWO MINUTES
-
Write or Respond to e-mail from a loved one. LESS THAN TWO MINUTES
When I was done, I was like Whoa! With 24 hours in a day (24 HOURS!) how could I in good conscience justify anymore not having the time to respond to an e-mail from my mom or to check up on the other people in my life whom I purport to care about? Really, there is no justification!
Now, on the other end of the rope, there are some realities that we need to accept when it comes to friendships such as that
- …friendships actually die. They do! For a moment, I felt heartbroken when a great friend of mines felt that they* had become too dependent on me and started what they* called a “withdrawal process”. This was hard, but I have been learning to accept this, we need to accept that friendships do die.
-
…sometimes we outgrow our friendships and as we reach different stages in our lives our ‘requirements’ when it comes to friendships do change. There are many people whom I’ve met in my lifetime that I have actually outgrown. That is life!
The loss of friends should be seen as another chapter in book of our life experiences. I’ve always been of the opinion that everyone we meet in our lifetime (everyone!) is for a reason, some for a season, some for a lifetime.
So how do you fare today when it comes what you invest in your friendships? Do you need to reprioritize your friendships? I have to work on this myself. I also have to sadly drop a few and give the deserving others more attention.
The Bible gave great advice on how to do this; it says in 1 Corinthians 1-:24 that as you (we) create boundaries to maintain pure friendships, it is important to think of others before yourself (ourselves). Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
From my heart, to yours,
Akhenaton
* Please forgive the use of the generic word
