: About Me

My name is Ted Onulak. I am happy to serve helium as the Wine Steward for the Food and Drink channel. Many thanks to the Food Team for their support.

I invite the Helium community to preview my new CD, "Blues Noir", which is available for download at the link below. Some of the songs are based on poems and song lyrics that I have posted on Helium. For more information please see the link to Ted's band.

I am a first generation American, born of Eastern European parents, in Jersey City, NJ. I have always considered myself a seeker of knowledge and have had a checkered academic career due to my varied interests. Among these are music, cinema, history, psychology, foreign languages, international relations and literature. I finally settled on a major in Eastern European Studies and graduated from Rutgers University. Aside from the language concentration, I studied all areas of Eastern Europe and took a minor concentration in International Relations, broadening my interests to Asia and the Middle East. I thought my best bet for employment would be in the Washington DC area, thanks to my language abilities and education. I speak Russian, Ukrainian, German, Polish. However, life grew more complicated for me as I was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition, called Retenitis Pigmentosa, which caused an increasing loss of vision. During this time, I was an ESL teacher for clients in the International Monetary Fund and World Bank group, free-lance translator and jazz musician. I also took an opportunity to teach English in the Soviet Union for one semester in 1989 during a critical time.

Next, I began working on a US Department of State contract for the admission of Soviet refugees to the United States. I worked my way up until I became Refugee Operations Manager and travelled extensively in Russia and increased my Russian language ability and general knowledge of life in post-Soviet Russia. The program morphed into a worldwide program and I continued as Operations Manager until 2003, when my loss of vision made it impossible to continue my duties. At that time, I decided to retire on disability.

In 1998 I married my pal/sweetheart/partner in crime from Brazil and began to study Portuguese and absorb the rich culture of my new "country-in-law". I continued to perform on saxophone, vocals and harmonica, and pursued a life-long ambition of becoming a writer. I have published several restaurant reviews in the Virginia Merchandiser, won a prize for a Halloween short story for WUSA in DC, and am anxious to work in Helium on a variety of genres.

I am quite an accomplished amateur chef and have a life-long passion for food and wine, and am a recent member of the French Wine Society. I have worked with disability issues as a member of the Arlington County Commission for Persons with Physical Disabilities, Foundation Fighting Blindness, and spent four months in the Virginia Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and became proficient in computer for the blind with the JAWS program, Braille, mobility with the white cane and other areas of daily living for the blind. While at the Center, I was elected chairman of the Student Advisory Board and took an active part in issues concerning students at the Center.

I am an avid reader, through Library of Congress Books for the Blind on tape. I enjoy classics, history, biographies, international thrillers and current events. I read about 30 books a year. My wife and I like to travel abroad at least once a year, (aside from a yearly trip to Brazil to visit family) and have visited Russia, Ukraine, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Moldova, Spain, Italy, Cuba, Mexico, China, France and Tunisia.

I write short stories, screenplays, poetry, songs and articles on international issues, and food and wine.

I am considered to be fairly witty and have a great sense of humor. I love discussion and argument, and participate in writers' workshops. Playing music keeps me in touch with young people and helps me maintain a youthful outlook. I have many friends with varied backgrounds and nationalities. I enjoy all kinds of concerts, theater and presentations. I look forward to sharing my thoughts, writing, and criticism with the Helium community.

My passion is ...

Doing everything with passion: playing the sax, cooking, Living "la dolce vita"

I know too much about ...

fine Bordeaux, but I know a lot less than I thought I did since joining Helium!

My parents always told me ...

Always try to be good - but if you can't be good be careful.

My childhood ambition ...

To be an archeologist and discover lost civilizations.

My favorite memory ...

my wedding night

Why I write ...

I write to express inner feelings, to better understand the world, to make people think, and to make people smile.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

I am reading "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, listening to new Brazilian CDs and rough mixes of my original tunes, watching out to not cut my fingers when I cook!

My first job ...

Washing cake pans in a bakery.

My best moment ...

I hope it hasn't happened yet.

My inspiration ...

The curious antics of the human race.

Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Apple harvest

8 of 30

In the corner of the yard There was a small apple tree Planted by my Dad When I was only three He told me then, it would take years to bear An immature tree is still unprepared The tree grew tall And so did I No fruit would come Hard as we tried But one hot summer Some apples grew I was almost a man Which my father well knew When autumn came we saw Four ripe apples on the tree Dad took one for himself And gave one to Mom, my brother and me We laughed at his pride But he explained to me It’s not about the size of the harvest But the love shown to his tree  

More..

Writing:

Rating:

• Marketplace Premier Writer
• Creative Writing Silver
• 1Writing Contest Winner
• Marketplace Approved Writer
• 5Marketplace Articles Sold
• Channel Manager Wine
• Helium Charter Member