Cat LIsOmi Adventures

Li and I just got back from a couple weeks in Morocco: Marrakesh, the desert, and Essaouira (a coastal town). Photo highlights . Flight Do not fly Royal Air Maroc if you can help it. We flew this airline from New York to Marrakesh via Casablanca and we will never fly it again. The toilets had no toilet paper on an 8-hour flight. In fact, the first flight's toilet was clogged with two rolls. Some time during the flight, someone removed the two soaked rolls and put them next to the sink. Also, a passenger was so incensed at the rudeness of service that she threatened to punch a flight attendant. Marrakesh Riad: We stayed in Riad Aguaviva in the medina (old town), near Bab El Khemis (which isn't touristy). The owners, David & Manel, are amazing. They made us feel like they were entertaining friends: great personalized advice, walked us to the main square on the first day to ensure that we didn't get lost, free laundry and drinks. David gave us two good piec...

We've been back at Google in Mountain View for the past several weeks. Catherine and I put together a "honeymoon highlights" album .

My sister got to see Cate Blanchett in "A Streetcar Named Desire" last night. The show is sold out but I stood outside in a 23-degree blizzard with a "Need Ticket" sign for 90 minutes and managed to get two tickets at near face value ($45 and $60 for $40-face-value tickets). What a snowstorm! It dumped a foot of snow while we were in the show. We emerged into a whiteout. I'm glad we weren't driving. Picture of Kweilin in snowstorm Photo album http://picasaweb.google.com/limoore/NewYork#

Hugh Jackman at the Metropolitan Museum of Art I saw someone who looked like Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) walking around the museum with a male friend. I asked my mom if it was really him, since she saw him in "A Steady Rain" on Broadway from the front row just a week ago. "No, Hugh Jackman is much bigger and more handsome. That guy is scruffy." Then a couple girls went up to him and my mom heard Hugh Jackman say, "No autographs. I'm with a friend." My mom followed the girls as they walked away and asked whether it was Hugh Jackman. "Yes, oh my god!" sighed the starry-eyed girl. Alec Baldwin at Streetcar Named Desire I was waiting for returned tickets to the sold-out show "A Streetcar Named Desire," starring Cate Blanchett, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). A black SUV pulled up to the curb where I was standing with a "Need Ticket" sign in front of the theater, and out stepped Alec Baldwin and a few friends. A g...

I was disappointed with the Nutcracker. I saw it for the first time in 20 years. I was expecting more adult dancing, but most of the first act seemed to be little kids running around. The second act had adult dancing, and I liked it, but I thought I'd like it more, especially since I'd taken a beginner ballet class last week. Maybe I need to see it again, knowing what to expect and what I want to focus on.

I liked this opera enough to see it twice. It's three acts about three women that the poet Hoffman has loved. The first act was beautifully staged with an extravagant set and cast (a spiral dragon descending from the ceiling, 50+ people on stage). A Korean soprano sang amazing scales, hitting notes high and low perfectly. The second and third acts impressed me less. The supposed star, Anna Netrebko, sang in the second act, but she just seemed like a normal soprano to me. I guess she didn't have songs that made it easy to appreciate her voice like the Korean did. The production showed a surprising amount of skin. In the first performance, the opening scene showed topless women with only stars on their breasts. The second performance was broadcast live to Vienna and other places, so the topless women wore bras. I could still hear the gasps and whispers when the curtain came up.

Yellow Fevah I almost didn't get into Tanzania - twice. 1) Immigration in the Dar es Salaam airport and 2) the Zanzibar ferry terminal (yep, you have to go through immigration again even though you're still in the same country), both wanted to see my yellow fever inoculation card. They were very strict and wouldn't let you into the country without proof of the shot. After pleading with different agents, I finally convinced the last guy to sneak me into the country. Whew! As you can imagine, I was really nervous when I had to go through immigration again at the Zanzibar ferry terminal. Luckily, I had a little more wiggle room with my immigration card (longer story)....so I was able to sail through customs. Worse case, I would have been shipped to the health center at the airport for an expensive shot....I think...I saw other East Africans being shipped over off to a "special health" area, so this rule isn't just for muzungos (white/yellow folks). Angry tout ...