Moshi Monsters

Forget about fixing the water pipes
Patching the dry walls
Painting the house

Forget about the upcoming election
Responding to everyone's comment
Convincing everyone why voting is vital to our destiny

Forget about the proposal deadlines at work
Analysis reports
Summer interns and projects

Forget about delayed phone calls to relatives
Forget about long over due visits

You are given a crucial task above all this:
To take care of an imaginary pet
For your nieces have made you a Moshi Monsters account
"Dear Aunt Nargess,
we have made you a moshi monsters acount. Your user name is -- your password is --
Victoria Natalie"

Human Rights

My colleagues and I usually get many mass e-mails at work on a daily basis. Some are about daily news and activities on center. Some about someone forgetting to turn off their car lights. Some about mandatory trainings we should take. The list is long. We have got pretty good at going through them quickly.

A few years ago, one of these e-mails stood out. I initially had read it quickly. It sounded like the building manager was reporting on maintenance of one of the restrooms. As I was about to delete it, I noticed something odd. Everyone could use that restroom. It was now a unisex bathroom! What? Really?!

I recalled the Ally McBeal show and how its unisex bathroom was the source of controversy and so many stories. The e-mail went on emphasizing guidelines for using this new bathroom. I could not understand it. Why were they introducing complications to a work place? It was not like a new law was passed that required work places have a unisex bathroom!

Apparently, I was not the only one who was puzzled. We started talking among each other, and by word of mouth the mystery revealed itself very fast: an employee in our building had had a sex-change operation. Before the operation, he was legally considered a man. After the operation, he became a she. Apparently, there is a law that says he should live with his new gender for at least three months before he could legally be recognized as a woman. So, in this three-month period, she cannot use the ladies' bathroom legally. She cannot go to the men's bathroom either because she does not look like men anymore. Legally, the employer should provide restroom for the employees. The employer cannot discriminate or fire a person based on sex/gender either. So, they have to provide her a bathroom. On the other hand, the employer cannot say this is just for that person's personal use. It should be available to all employees. So, the bathroom is made unisex and it is announced to everyone they can use it if they wish!

It was strange. Part of me actually felt proud working where every individual is valued this much.

Toilet Education

It was almost a year ago. I was coming back from a conference in San Diego. Before the flight, I went to use the ladies room. A mother and her small son entered the stall next to me. The boy asked something along the lines of whether girls had the same body parts as his. I could not help hearing how this mother was going to teach the differences to her son. "No" she said. "God created man in his own image, and then he created the woman for him, so you should remember to be kind to your wife when you grow up". She then went on emphasizing how the woman's body is not perfect like his. The message was to be kind and nice to women when he grew up, but not for the right reasons. It was patronizing. You have the perfect body, you are the image of God, and she is not. She was made for you, so the least you can do is be kind to her. In a restroom in San Diego's international airport, a boy learned from his mother he is the image of God and perfect, and women are created for him and are not perfect. In fact, he must have already felt superior to his own mom! I was puzzled during my whole flight.

So Long Hubble

"Hubble now back on its own for the final time with a gentle release by one but carrying the finger prints of hundreds of thousands", announced the speaker, as Atlantis said goodbye to Hubble.

Love and Jealousy

"Victoria, do you know you are going to have a new cousin?", I asked tonight happily.
"Yes, that sucks!", she replied strongly.
"Why?", I wanted to hear it from her.
"Because you should only be our aunt".
"Yes!", Natalie agreed firmly.
Oh, I can never get enough of their love.

Blue Sky *

We've waited long for this day to come
For all the midnight lights we've burnt into the morning sun
I can't wait to see your sweet mysteries
The moon, the stars, the sun, the universe, the galaxies
Fly home on your silver wings
With a new song for the world to sing
Light this candle, make it right

Yes, you can change the world
True love discovers, and
She stands, and she won't back down

Oh yes, you can change the world
There is no other one
Believe and you will find blue sky

Gonna chase the dream, we gonna set it free
Gonna make it real, gonna make it shine, gonna keep it grooving on
One small stepping stone, baby we're not alone
Gonna take you farther, higher, faster then you're out of sight

You've got my flame in your fire, baby
You've got my twinkle in your eye,
Reaching for the distant light

Yes, you can change the world
True love discovers, and
She stands, and she won't back down

Oh yes, you can change the world
There is no other one
Believe and you will find blue sky

Don't you change too late, hey, yeah yeah
Or Fade away, yeah, yeah, oh,
My stars won't wait

Yes, you can change the world
True love discovers, and
She stands, and she won't back down

Oh yes, you can change the world
There is no other one
Believe and you will find blue sky

by Big Head Todd and The Monsters


* This song was originally written for Discovery's launch in 2005 (STS 114), the first space flight after Columbia's disaster. Later, it became Hillary Clinton's campaign song. Today, it describes thoughts and feelings of most people at GSFC, who are counting down for the launch of Atlantis, (STS 125) last Hubble's servicing mission, scheduled for launch on May 11, 2009, after more than a year of delays and unexpected obstacles on the way.

Just Be

Grown-ups like to make heroes of themselves
For making sacrifices for their kids
For doing this and that for their sakes
You look deeper and you see
So often the innocent angels are used as tools
For pushing grown-ups' dirty games

They are used and manipulated
Their innocent hearts are scratched
And no matter how hard you try
You cannot really do anything
For s/he is not your kid
You have no authority

You are helpless
You watch
All you can do is just to be there,
"Just be there for them",
You think,
And that is all you can do
You are helpless

I am helpless
Hoping not to break into tears this afternoon
When I see my angels
For I do not know how much longer I can enjoy these regular gatherings
My heart is in one thousand pieces
And all I can do is just to be

Just be
Just be the aunt they love
Just be
Maybe they remember
Maybe
Maybe

Just be
Just be
Just be