Advice 2 Love

Ever since I was a kid, I really enjoyed watching cartoons on TV or reading about them in the newspapers. You get so involved about each of the characters and learn about their daily struggles. Each of the episodes usually involved some kind of lessons in life whether it is sharing, loving or even how to deal with bullies. 

One of my favorite cartoons was Peanuts. Charlie Brown was the main characater and in most incident he was always trying for the football team to kick the ball, but never made it. It never discouraged him as he went home and came back the next day to try again. You don’t always succeed in life, but the most important thing is to get up and try again. The Declaration of Independence was not written in one day, it took weeks for them to come up with it and even today, it is still being revised. 

Dream, like you never dream before because every goal in life start with that. As Charlie Brown says, “continue to play football and maybe one day I can kick a field goal”. 

Here a story about the author of Charlie Brown by the book, The Sower’s Seeds by Brain Cavanaugh:

A story is told about a boy named Sparky. For Sparky school was all but impossible. He failed every subject in the eighth grade. He flunked physics in high school. Receiving a flat zero in the course, he distinguished himself as the worst physics student in the school’s history. Sparky also flunked Latin, algebra and English. He didn’t do much better in sports. Although he did manage to make the school’s golf team, he promptly lost the only important match of the season. There was a consolation match; he lost that, too.

For an active and busy person like myself, Costco has been a life-saver. Not only do they offer a huge selections of products, but often times, 20% cheaper then most supermarkets. You’re find everything you need there including some of the latest books and magazines. I was wandering around the magazines area this past weekend when I noticed a young teenager grabbing a box of books. I don’t know if she was attached to the handsome Edward Cullen or the lovable Jacob Black in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Series, but she was glued to the book. 

With the introduction of new books like Twilight and Harry Potter, young adults are enjoying reading more. It was no longer seen as a chores or an homework assignment, but something done as leisure. It a extremely wonderful feeling to lose yourself in a whole new world where vampire come alive and wizard are thought to be cool. 

Reading has many benefits including gaining new information on things, improving one writing ability and increasing one vocabulary. Professors around the globe encourage their students to read as it build imagination and develop a sense of creatively. So go on and open a book. You might be surprise on what you’ll discover. 

Comments? What kind of books do you like to read?

Every time I traveled somewhere, there is always something new that I learned. On a recent trip to Hong Kong, the importance was Feng Shui was evident everywhere from buildings to theme parks. Disney even acknowledge of used of Feng Shui in the theme park in Hong Kong allowing the shifting of it’s main gate by twelve degrees, therefore suggesting a better qi environment. 

What is Feng Shui? According to wikipedia, “it is a ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to use the laws of both Heaven (astronomy) and Earth (geography) to help one improve life by receiving positive qi.” In English, the term Feng Shui translate to wind and water. It is taken from the passage Zangshu (Book of Burial) by Guo Pu of the Jin Dynasty. He writes, “Qi rides the wind and scatters, but is retained when encountering water.” 

Going to any bookstore or library and you’ll find hundreds of books on the art of Feng Shui. People believed the important of creating harmony within a living environment and so avoiding negative or bad energy. Here’s 5 tips to improve your home.

1. Cutter. Are you a pack-rat? Do you need everything? Get rid of some stuffs that you no longer need and make some room in your house. Not only will it be more inviting, but less to clean. 

2. Make the entryway inviting. Put a mat out there or hang your child’s artwork. For one, it will help stop the dirt from coming in as guests wipe their shoes at the door and your child will love you for acknowledging their masterpiece. 

3. As the saying goes, “See the light at the end of the tunnel?” Light is important. It is positive engergy. Make sure all the light in the house is in working order and there is no burn our light bulb. You don’t want to be coming home one night and entering a dark house. Not only can it be a bit dangerous, but it also bad Feng Shui.

4. Don’t sit with your back to the door while working on the computer or on your study desk. Not only will you have no idea who coming, but they could also be leading over and reading what you’re doing. This is especially true at the office.

5. Make sure all your doors in the house open and close easily. No pulling or pushing. This drag down your qi. It is also important that if there is an emergency such as a fire, you can get out quick.

Give it a try and see how this new art can help you improve your own qi.

Comments?

Looking for a little luck? In search of a new job or career? Trying to get into a top college? Are you tying the knot and getting marry? Wanting to win the lottery? Whatever your reasons is, Daruma doll might be able to help you. 

Uh? What or who is Daruma? Daruma is a Japanese doll that is believe to bring good luck to people. You can purchase the Daruma doll at any Asian store around town and usually come with no eyes. What you normally do is make a wish and paint in one eye. When that wish is fulfilled or accomplished, you can paint in the other eye. The explanation how this custom started says that in order to motivate Daruma-san to grant you your wish, you must promise to give him full sight once the goal is accomplished. Thus the Japanese phrase “Both Eyes Open”. Meaning to ‘open’ the second eye, it expresses the realization of a goal. 

The doll is said to have been modeled after a Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma. From the last part of his name “dharma”, the Japanese pronunciation transform it to Daruma. 

The sysmbolism associated with the dolls originated from Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture, Japan when the founder of the temple would draw New Year’s charm depicting Bodhidharma. People would ask for a new one every year as it’s believe to bring happiness, prosperity and to ward off misfortune. The red color of the doll is perhaps the color of the Buddhist monk’s robe. The Daruma’s facial hair is a representation of animals in Japanese culture that represent longevity — both the crane and tortoise. The eyebrows are in the shape of the crane while the cheek hair resembles the shell of a tortoise.  There a Japanese proverb that says “The crane lives 1000 years and the tortoise lives 10,000 years.”

Today, the dolls are still made of papier-mache. They all have a round shape, are hollow and are weighted on the bottom so that they do not tip over which is similar to a tumbler doll in the West. This characteristic is called “okiagari” in Japanese which translate to get up (oki) and arise (agari). Most times you might find the saying, “Nana korobi ya oki” on the box of the Daruma doll which means “Seven times down, eight times up.” A call to never give up. 

What are you waiting for? Run down to the store and pick up a Daruma Doll. 

Comments?

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Are you ready? I’m rolling out 2 new blogs. Yup! Not one, but two. That’s definitely double the fun. Don’t you agree?

All I asked in return is for your support and love. Drop on by and check it out. Comments are very much appreciate as it help me become a better writer and blogger. Much thanks.

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People always say that eating breakfast is really good for you. You can’t escape those cereal commercials, advertisements on the trains to work or even newspapers ads. Its is not rocket science to know that eating breakfast will make you feel better and perform well at school or work, but millions of American skip breakfast. They become tried very easily and by mid morning is grabbing a cup of coffee or drinking cans of soda fills with caffeine. It’s definitely for a healthy way to stay awake nor is it a alternatives to lose weight. Your body expects to refuel the required energy everyday starting with the most important meal, breakfast. 

Chef Sato showing us the proper way to cut a pineapple

This past Saturday at the local community college, I was taught different ways to cook breakfast meals and I would like to share my experience with you. The class was in for a special treat as we had the community college’s chief instructor, the famous Chef Grant Sato, teach the class. In addition to being a Chef Instructor and the Operational Chef for KCC’S Culinary Arts Department, Chef Sato also assists the local Farm Bureau in developing recipes and programs to promote locally grown products in Hawaii. 

Chef Grant Sato was raised in the food service environment as his grandparents own Myogaya Resturant and Ike’s Tavern in Honolulu. Chef Sato’s cooking philosophy is very simple—create flavorful dishes that highlight the ingredients and please the eyes, taste buds and soul. 

It was definitely a pack house of more then 30 students. Each of them asking many questions and eagerly taking notes. By mid afternoon, we all learned different ways of making eggs from sunny side up, over easy, over medium, over well and scrambled. Besides eggs, we also learned about creating a pineapple upside down pancake, but you can also substitute the pineapple with other fruits. I couldn’t decided on my favorite dish because all of them were pretty good. It is either between the New Wave Eggs Benedict or French Toast. 

Chef Grant Sato’s New Wave Eggs Benedict

Ingredients:
2 pieces 3 oz salmon fillet
2 pieces potato pancake
2T sour cream
2 pieces poached eggs
1/2 cup hollandaise sauce
2T chopped chives

1. Place the potato pancake on the bottom of the plate
2. Spread a thin layer of sour cream and sprinkle with half of the chopped chives
3. Heat a saute pan on high and lightly saute the salmon to your favorite doneness
4. Place the salmon on top of the potato pancake
5. Top the salmon with a poached egg and half of the hollandaise sauce
6. Serve immediately

Comments? What is your favorite breakfast dish?

Growing up, one of my most favorite childhood book was The Giving Tree by Sheldon Allan Silverstein. It’s a book with simple words and pictures, but a very powerful message. Till this day, I still have the book and read it again from time to time. 

Parent’s love are unconditional and we as children often forget or don’t appreciate what they saficice for us. Perhaps it is our selfish nature as human beings to always take, but seldom give. Parents are similar to the tree in the story as they continue to give and give for the benefits of their children without receiving anything in return.  

THE GIVING TREE

Once there was a tree and she loved a little boy.  And everyday the boy would come and he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. And they would play hide-and-go-seek. And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade. And the boy loved the tree…. very much. And the tree was happy.

But time went by. And the boy grew older. And the tree was often alone. Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said, “Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy.”  
“I am too big to climb and play” said the boy. “I want to buy things and have fun. I want some money?”
“I’m sorry,” said the tree, “but I have no money. I have only leaves and apples. Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in the city. Then you will have money and you will be happy.”
And so the boy climbed up the tree and gathered her apples and carried them away. And the tree was happy.

There are moments in my life that I get so frustrated. Wanting to run toward the ocean and scream to my heart content. Is anyone listening? Fortunately, there are a number of friends in my life that would stop what they are doing to hear me out. All of these individuals are very busy as life demand for their attention, but it is their willingly to lean a few hours of their precious time to hear a girl voice out her pain is extremely priceless. Thank you, my friend, for your love, support and your listening ear. 

Below is a quote by Rachel Naomi Remen that speaks directly from my heart. 

“I suspect that the most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. And especially if it’s given from the heart. When people are talking, there’s no need to do anything but receive them. Just take them in. Listen to what they’re saying. Care about it. Most times caring about it is even more important than understanding it. A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well intentioned words.”

As Cindy Lauper’s most famous song, “Girls just wanna have fun”, ladies it your last chance to go wild before the BIG DAY. How are you going to celebrate with your girlfriends? This is your last hurrah as a single lady. 

Planning a great bacherlorette bash on a budget is easier than you think. Below are some examples:

Outdoor Adventures

 Going to your local government’s office to obtain a camping permit is not only easy, but rather affordable. You can pitch a tent, build a fire, play games, listen to the radio, take pictures or even chat all night. To keep cost even lower, you can have each girlfriends bring something whether it is food, wine, camping gear or games. Enjoy living in the wild!!

Cooking up some fun

While attending cooking school, it was not only educational, but a whole lot of fun. Why not share this experiences with your girlfriends? Many school offer one-time classes that are ideal for bachelorette party. Discuss what each person would like to make and your budget, then go over the details with the instructor and agree on a date. You’re all set for a night of friends, fun and food. Bon Appetite! 

A day at the spa

Look in the yellow pages for your local cosmetology school. Here you’ll get all the pampering you ever wanted for a much cheaper price and be able to help students get the much needed experience that they so desire. A definitely a win-win situation for both side. Doesn’t it feel good to also help other people?

Lunch Services

There are a handful of restaurant that closed for lunch, but if you enjoyed the food and kindly ask them, there is always an exception. I had my wedding shower at a Italian restaurant where the whole staffs was waiting on us. What was really special was that we got the whole restaurant to ourselves without paying the hefty dinner prices! 

Comments?

During my high school days, one of the reason why I ended up joining the news-writing team was to improved my awful grammar, but walked away learning a valuable lesson. Our instructor reminded us all that a pen is more powerful then a sword. At first, I thought he mistaken the 2 classes as he also was the fencing instructor too. Never in my widest dream could I have imagine that what I wrote could lead me on to magazine publications, winning a handful of scholarships and even writing a few blogs. I really enjoyed every moments of it and the elements of writing is instead far more powerful then a sword could ever be. 

Here a story I would like to share as it helps to illustrated my point.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said, “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.. 

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, ‘Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?’What he had written was: “Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.”

Do you think that both signs were saying the same thing? Of course, they mentioned that the boy was blind, but the 2nd sign also told people they were very lucky. 

Comments?