PragueBuzz!

I knew her name only because she was once married to the Donald, a.ka. Donald Trump.

When I heard her name for the first time, she was divorcing Donald. The divorce settlement went sour. Aren’t all celebrities’ divorces? Donald Trump declared bankruptcy with 900 millions dollars in debt.

I haven’t heard anything about Donald Trump until a few years ago this real estate king exploded on television with the reality hit “Apprentice,” which is now on its 5th season. At about the same time, to share a ride on the Trump’s phenomenon, FOX aired “Ivana Young Man,” a reality show hosted by Ivana Trump. In this show, she helps an older but rich woman finding love in young male contestants.

So why I blog about Ivana?

Michael, a contestant from Apprentice 3, compared himself to the Donald during one of his interviews. He claimed Donald marries Eastern European women and he only dated Eastern European women.

That got me thinking that Ivana is Russian until I found out today she is Czech.

Her being Czech surprised me a little bit, but her background shocked me the most. Up to this moment, I always thought Ivana was some blonde bimbo who hooked up with a rich man and got lucky afterward. Did you know she was a world-classed skiers during her teens, coached skiing, and spent sometime doing businesses in Canada before she made it to American celebrity scenes.

Sometimes first impression can be deceiving.

CD - gossip mood

This season marks my 2nd Christmas here in this awesome city called Prague. Compared to last year, this month has been unusually warmer, and snow flakes are no where to be found. For Czechs, family dinner on the 24th is the most important. Shops and businesses close their doors earlier, thus you’d better managed your time well and don’t wait until last-minute shopping frenzy.

If life in a European capital has brought daily continuing excitement and fresh beauty, then Christmas time heightens your senses tenfold. The sombre yet crowdedOld Town Square reminds you of scenes ripped straight out from a fairy tales with lit market stalls, shadow casts from the almighty Tyn Church, and bell chimes from the Astronomical Clock Tower.

To experience a rare religious event happening in a strong atheist city, attend a midnight mass held in many churches dotting around the Old Town.

The Grinch hasn’t stolen my Christmas nor has I done anything adventurous as wished.

• Attended Ernst & Young’s Christmas dinner party, tried my first oh-my-gosh Mojito, gambled away all my free fake money and changed my view about “poor” Eastern Europeans.

• Let the Lord be my witness as I was to the public murders of pitiful carbs. Apparently the peaceful Czechs love smashing carbs’ heads live during Christmas season. Since the Catholic Church banned meat during Christmas, the meat-graving denizens had no other choice than to sink their teeth into this unlucky chosen marine species. Since Czech is a landlock country without a tiny stretch of coastline, one of few fish available to them are lake-bred carbs. Catholic no more, but this Christian-cum-national tradition has passed vigorously on producing fish totes after totes at every busy street corner. 
• I am no innocent; I killed fish before. But skinning and chopping little fish was not the same as holding a 3-kilo slippery creature which wasted no chance to slide out of my palm. I took off a large amount of scales, however, I swear I will never touch a fish this big and take even one scale of them as that night and a few nights later I had trouble sleeping as I saw fish scales everywhere, even on my face. I had goosebumps on my face as I was writing this post and a year later editing it.

Czechs’ Christmas tradition

• Food: fried carb, potato salad, fish soup, and sweets.
• Czech keeps carbs’ scales for good luck, hoping that it will bring them lots of money in the new year.
• Golden pigs : kids believe that if they don’t eat anything for a whole day, they will see a golden pig.