【46】Play, Eat, and Dress Scary for Halloween @ PAA--Oakland, Office--Lawrenceville

Despite the fact that nowadays many traditional Holidays have become big commercial opportunities for those bloody capitalists, it’s still nice to enjoy some holiday spirits in your own way once every a while. After all “There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treating looking for a brightly-lit front porch.”

My first ever Halloween experience ever was made possible by both +GlobalPittsburgh and +Pittsburgh Cares.  A day before the 31st, GlobalPittsburgh had a bowling night at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association. It only cost $13 for two tickets for me and Emma, who I knew from the GYM at CMU (Now she is working on a Science Fiction novel while preparing for her Jaw surgery back in California). Didn’t dress up though for I was at work during the day, but did pick a bright orange shirt to wear for the spirits of it. Met a couple, formed a team of four, and had a good time. Three people did stand out from the crowd and won the prices for best dresses for this Halloween: Camille with her skeleton dress; Tom with his superman shirt; and Xin with his warrior outfit. Well, overall it was a nice occasion. As the group walked out of the PAA building, we passed a dining area, many genteel dinners were eating there and people were enjoying some good conversations. Wow, I thought, it’s a nice event in a tasteful building and I don’t mind being a bystander at all.

Then Halloween resided in the Pittsburgh Cares office. Deb, dressing up in a Pirates outfit regardless of the fact that her favorite Boston Red Stockings just won a great game the night before, brought the office some sweet pumpkin cookies, Holly made many delicious breakfast potato pancakes, and everybody, well, wait, not everybody but four people who didn’t want to be party poppers, dressed up conservatively for a spirit of Halloween.  I only had a sweater designed by Matt that remotely fit the “scary” theme, so that was my choice for that day.

My scary storytelling for Halloween? ….I think I have gotten one. This is kinda scary, but it’s part of Pittsburgh’s charm as well.  On the day of Halloween, I met a gentleman in the morning on the bus, who was the same gentle that pointed out the right bus for me to take on the first day of my work back on September 3rd.  He had an amiable nature and seemed to be a person who was easy to talk to. So I asked his opinion about the new art work in front of Carnegie Museum as the bus passed by. We both were confused by it and joked about it.  Then before the day was about to finish, I talked to my supervisor Benjamin Weaver, about Michael Sypolt, the gentleman I met on the bus, and his willingness to help out with HandsOn Tech’s efforts in the future. It turned out that Ben knew Michael from the web because he has been an active and dedicated advocate for improving the public transportation system in Southwestern PA! ……….So…….at this point…..., it seems that not only we bump into people in Pittsburgh, but also we bump into interesting and respectable people, and the whole city is a one big community. Isn’t this scary enough to add a little bit Halloween flavor to the day?

Maybe we shall really stay curious, not only for those brightly-lit front porch, but also those people we come across everyday. I know, I will.

Beer winning trivia @ Pittsburgh Athletic Association, Halloween

1. The Pittsburgh Athletic Association is a nonprofit membership club organized in 1908 by real estate developer Franklin Nicola and chartered in the same year. It continues today to offer comprehensive athletic facilities, sports lessons, spa services, fine dining, and overnight accommodations. One if its interesting features is that it has a swimming pool on the third floor.  The clubhouse has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard and it faces three other landmark buildings: the  Cathedral of Learning, William Pitt Union, where I met +Albulena Krasniqi  and Sarosh as well as +Janera Solomon ,  and the Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial, in which a documentary movie “Gasland 2” was screened during early summer of 2013. Bob and Siew invited me to go and I saw Bridget and Elisa there as well.  

2. Halloween, also known as All Hallow’s Eve, is the time in the liturgical year (October 31st) dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers. Mass Irish and Scottish immigration during the 19th century increased the holiday’s celebration in the United States. Confined to the immigrant communities during the mid-19th century, it was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and by the first decade of the 20th century it was being celebrated coast to coast by people of all social, racial and religious backgrounds. Typical festive Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, attending  costume parties, decorating, carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing prank, and watching horror films. Because many Western Christian denominations encourage, although no longer require,  abstinence from meat on All Hallows' Eve, the tradition of eating certain vegetarian food for this  vigil day developed, including the consumption of apples, colcannon, cider, potato pancakes, and soul cakes.

Your ID @ +Michael Sypolt 

1. When did Michael Sypolt emailed Port Authority’s Service Planning Department providing an alternate suggestion to a service cut, which ultimately led him starting his social enterprise TransitGuru Limited in 2011?

【41】Celebrate the International Culture Festival @ Doubletree, Downtown

We often hear people talking, mainly complaining that “Bad things happen in clusters.”. I can channel that because I have had to cope with many tough situations in the past two years. However, I don’t want to consider those necessarily bad, because I know from experience that if you want, you can become a stronger person out of all those miseries. And, that, is one of the best thing I have experienced.

So let’s just say its opposite proposition is true as well. “Good things happen in clusters too.” In the last two weeks of October, a series of good things happened in Pittsburgh’s internationals community, and I was lucky enough to be part of many of them. Shortly after the Worldquest trivia competition on the 21st, +GlobalPittsburgh  had its annual International Culture Festival event at Doubletree, 1 Bigelow Square, downtown on the 24th. It’s during this event, I met Mr. Bill Flanagan, whose buy-in served as a direct catalyst for this blog moving from an idea to an action and ultimately a blog on the web.

Also during this event, I met two lovely professors, Heidie and Larry Hutchinson. Heidie came from the Middle East 30 some years ago to Pittsburgh, fell in love with the City, and has stayed on ever since. She was so infectious with her character that I was just drawn to her, as a daughter was drawn to her mother. Guess what? Two weeks after our initial meeting, we bumped into each other in a HandsOn Tech training workshop in Google’s facility at Bakery Square!  

Then Carlton Ketchum also at our table for the evening shared his many stories hosting international visitors in his house. One memorable event was that he spent $100 on getting  the Vantage Grand Prix car rides for several international youth visitors and he thought that’s one of his best spent $100 dollars. Love to hear stories like this: each citizen here in Pittsburgh is a diplomat for our city!

I remember Bill Flanagan pointed out the "U-haul" Index in one of his monthly email addresses, I was thrilled to know that I contributed to the increase of Pittsburgh's population in 2011. When I became a member of GlobalPittsburgh worked on a proposal with Tom Buell and Nadya Kessler, and attended many joyful and meaningful events GlobalPittsburgh organized, I was even more thrilled because I knew that I had come to the right place.

At the Cultural Festival, a room full of people from different nationalities brought in a vivid atmosphere that speaks itself for the essence of Pittsburgh's personality. Yes, it's about diversity, curiosity, respect, responsibility, citizen diplomacy through each handshake, and making this city a welcoming home for those who are looking for one in Pittsburgh.

A wonderful and meaningful experience. Many thanks.

Beer winning trivia @GlobalPittsburgh

1. It’s established in 1959, as a member of Washington, DC-based National Council for International Vistors, GlobalPittsburgh (formerly the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors) is the U.S. Sate Department’s designated regional service provider for the International Visitor Leadership Program and other government-sponsored international exchange programs. As of 2013, it has a network of over 500 members, volunteers, and citizen diplomats who ensure that visitors’ time in the Greater Pittsburgh region has bilateral impact.   

It currently has four major programs: International Leaders--Hosting overseas delegations; GlobalPittsburgh CONNECT--Serving international professionals, researchers, and student; Study Pittsburgh--Attracting & Engaging international students; and Business Link-- Serving regional corporations & international executives.

Your ID @ International Annual Cultural Festival

1. Who are those two special guest speakers during the 2013 CultureFest? Are they Raul Valdes-Perez, author for Advice is for Winners and Krishna Pendyala, Pittsburgh-based author and life coach? Or are they Bill Flanagan, TV host and Executive Vice President of ACCD and Jean Dominique Marie Le Garrec, French Consul?