Check out my new site – Expat Heather

I’ve just launched a new travel website geared towards the international expatriate community. From now on, I’ll be blogging about travel, expat life and world issues on my snazzy new blog. 

Check out the new site

Expat Heather

Read the blog 

Expat Heather Blog

On this site I’ll be continuing to post more personal updates, family photos and random musings. 

This is the first time I’ve attempted to create my own website, and it has been quite the project! Some of the articles featured are re-posts of my previous articles, but I’ll be writing lots of new articles on expat life and travel in the coming months. 

Enjoy! 

Massachusetts Senate Race: Somebody Stop the Robocallers!

I don’t understand how lobbyists think that disturbing people with dozens of automated phone calls on a public holiday is going to encourage them to go out and vote. When you’re working at the computer, keeping control of three dishes on the stove, trying to relax and read the paper or corralling your children who are off from school for the day, the last thing you want to do is get up and answer the phone for an impersonal message. After three or four of these incidences, you start getting frustrated, and after a dozen it’s tempting to leave the phone off the hook for the rest of the day. In our house, nobody’s answering the phone, so if you really need to get ahold of us, call our cell phones or send an email.

We’ve had the doctors calling to tell us to vote for Scott Brown so he can block the health care bill. The Democrats are calling with pleas to vote for Coakley so she can send it through. Ted Kennedy’s widow called with an entreaty to keep her husband’s seat firmly in Democratic hands. A friend said that Pat Boone called him (an automated message of course) to ask for votes in Scott Brown’s court.

I find these messages insulting and annoying. I wasn’t planning on voting, but now I’m thinking about going out and voting for Joe Kennedy – the race’s third party candidate.

1.2 Free Airline Miles with $3,150 Worth of Pudding

For anyone who ever doubted if airline mile promotions are the real deal, check out the story of David Phillips, aka “The Pudding Guy.” 

Pudding on the Ritz

A true inspiration to collectors of airline miles and all frugal travelers!

Need Travel Inspiration – Sign up for a Somali Pirate Cruise!

“Like ducks in a barrel. They turned the ship around and we saw them cry in the water like little girls. Saw one wounded pirate eaten by sharks–what a laugh riot! This is a must do.” — Zeke, Springs Kentucky USA

This quote is taken from the Testimonials page of Somali Cruises, a company that allegedly takes tourists on a cruise from Mombasa,Kenya to Djibouti, going back and forth up to eight times along the Somali coast. The purpose of the cruise is to attract the attention of hijackers, and then fight back with heavy artillery. Bring your own high-powered weapon or rent them for use on the boat – an M-16 costs $25 per day plus the ammunition, an RPG costs $200 and firing from a mounted mini-gun for 30 seconds cost $450. You can use an AK-47 for free, but you have to pay for the ammunition. I guess you could go “BYOA,” Bring Your Own Ammunition, and save. 

At night, the boat plays loud disco music to attract the attention of pirates. Equal to a sort of “happy hour,” passengers get to use night vision equipment for free after 7 p.m. Complimentary snacks and beverages are served throughout the night watch hours. 

Looks like a spoof to me, but what if this is for real? 


Somali Cruises

photo collage by: Mass communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky

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Cow’s Tongue – Traditional Portuguese New Year’s Day Meal

My mother-in-law annually prepares cow’s tongue for New Year’s Day. It is quite labor intensive as she needs to clean all the tongues and take the skin off. This year she made three tongues.

Snowstorm hits Fall River!

Here’s the view out of our side door on Sunday December 20th. About a foot of snow fell last night, and it’s still coming. When we first thought about coming back to New England from Lahore, I was terrified by the thought of the cold New England winter and driving in ice and snow. Thankfully, this first storm happened on a Sunday so I could enjoy a restful and quiet day at home, and the only thing I had to scratch off my schedule was grocery shopping. Just thought I’d post this for all my Lahori friends who haven’t seen snow this high before!

Here’s our poor old Volvo covered in snow.

Vote for My Photo "Baby in a Wheelbarrow"

I recently entered the Examiner Photo Contest: Faces & Places. If you just adore this photo of kids in Hunza Valley, please vote for it here

Beauty is Gori

Pakistani journalist Talha Zaheer takes a look at racial attitudes in the Indian subcontinent. This article points out a lot of the things I wrote about earlier on the blog here. Check out Zaheer’ post at Dawn News:

http://blog.dawn.com:91/dblog/2009/10/19/beauty-is-gori/

Fashion Design Schools in Lahore

I recently wrote a piece about where to study fashion design in Lahore. Check out the article if you’re interested in learning more, and be sure to add a comment if you know of any other good fashion design schools in the city.

Where to Study Fashion Design in Lahore