My sister Adina suggested the name for this blog. It's a literal translation of a popular idiomatic expression in Hebrew, “al hapanim.” It makes no sense in English, but in Hebrew it means, loosely, “it sucks” , “the pits”, or “terrible.” Example: I went to hear my favorite singer perform last night, but could hardly hear a thing because the sound system was “al hapanim.”

I like the name because it says a lot about the way I perceive life and its experiences. Like the expression (which has a meaning that is very different from what one would think, based on the literal translation) most of the time things are not as they seem on the surface; if you take the time and effort to look more deeply, you'll discover – often – that the reality is very different from the way it appears “on the face of things.” This is a lesson that I have never stopped learning, and it forces me to re-think my opinions constantly. Which I think is a good thing. Sort of like the Socratic concept: “The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing.” Or, as a Zen Buddhist monk once told me (as I sat in the semi-lotus position, legs painfully asleep after a 45-minute meditation session), “keep your know-nothing mind”!

This idea, of things being different than they seem, is particularly true for the country in which I live, Israel. I hope to show what I mean with little stories and anecdotes about my life in Tel Aviv. It's pretty hard to avoid the subject of politics in Israel (unless you're either very enlightened and detached, or totally unaware of your surroundings), but this is not a political blog – it's just a journal for my family and friends, and whoever else might be interested.

Here's an interesting article written by a friend of Adina's in the Toronto Globe and Mail.

By the way, we're both very excited today – 'cause our sister Jackie – who lives in New York – is in labour, about to give birth to our first niece, Sydney Brooke. (I've been eyeing an adorable baby outfit at one of the baby boutiques for yuppies in Neve Tzedek).