Advice 2 Love

Recently, I’ve been falling in love with one daily product — yogurt. Perhaps it is the sales at the supermarket or the many dozens of yogurt shops that pop up around town offering many favors to try that I just can’t resist. One yogurt shop located at Ward Center in Honolulu offers many different choices and allow you to try the favors before you purchase it. My final choices were taro, green tea and mango with some kiwi fruits and gummy bears. You are allowed to add on any other things that you want from fruits to candy and even different types of cereal. Be creative and enjoy! 

In addition to tasting delicious, yogurt are really good for you. It’s a good source of protein, potassium and vitamins B, but how do you know which yogurts are the best when you have so many selections? The first step to choosing the best yogurt is to select ones that are regular, low-fat or nonfat yogurt as these contain less fat and cholesterol. 

The second step is to choose your own sweetener. No one likes things that are bland. Some people add artificial sugars while other choose corn syrup. If you are sensitive to these products, try whole-fat flavored varieties or unsweetened yogurt and add your own fruits. Be careful that some favors contain more sugar then other. 

According to the National Yogurt Association (NYA), there is a seal that appear on their products allowing consumer to know that it contains live, active cultures high in calcium and vitamin D. For those who avoid daily products, there the option of soy yogurt. 

Try adding yogurt to your daily in-take whether it is for breakfast, snack or a late-night treat, you’ll be amazed at all it’s benefit. Comments?

While living in Hawaii, there are many reasons to enjoyed the outdoor and explored what’s new in the neighborhood. Instead of sitting at home or in a crammed office breathing recycled air, take a break and walk outside. Enjoyed the sights, smells and feel of the outdoor. 

When my parents or in-laws are out of town, I’m put in charge of taking care of their garden from watering the plants, picking up the fruits, pulling the weeds to raking the leaves. The feel of the sun, the trade winds and the occasional cheeping of the birds provide a refreshing relief to the busy city life. 

Gardening is a wonderful workout as it exercise the major muscle groups and helps to tone your body. Studies have shown that digging and weed whacking can burns 190 calories which is equal to playing double tennis. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), doing 30 minutes of gardening every day can help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke, but avoid working in the same body position for too long to prevent stiffness and always remember to pace yourself. It’s also important to drink lots of water every 15 to 30 minutes. 

Did you know the month of April is National Garden Month? It’s a good time to start on something that has been proven to help promotes health and wellness. 

Comments?

Do you love playing video games? Are you a fan of Cafeworld, Fishville or Farmville? What is it about these games that we are so addicted to? 

As far as I could remembered, the first time I played any type of video game was at a arcade located close to my house. There was a park across the street and a 7-11 convenience store located next to it. For a quarter, the game would entertained me for hours. I was introduced to Pac-man, Mudd, Street Fighter, Pinball and a whole lot of other games. It would be the prefect stress reliever prior to an exam or project. 

Till this day, I still continue to meet hundreds of gamers on the Internet as we all share a passion for playing video games. There are games that are required little thinking and can be play at leisure while multi-tasking. There are other games that required some level of skills and a story line that need to be follow. Often times, these are role playing games that you take on a character. You can either team up with your friends to destroy your enemy or take over a village. 

One of my favorite games was Street Fighter because I really love the animation of the character and I love Chun Li. There was a story line to it and I was eager to defeat all the characters to get to the ending. It was like watching a movie, but you can control on things will go. 

In just the last decade, in term of the world of video games, has seen a remarkable change. There are more female leads known as “it-girl”. Who could forget the surprise look of many gamers as the protagonist of Metroid was a female? Or the multi-million brand of Lady Croft, Samus Aran and Joanna Dark? Of course, there are children game too! Some, that is just for pleasure while others teach subjects like math or spelling. Our choices of entertainment are endless. 

Pop Quiz: Anyone know the name of this character or where she is from? 

Comments?

Opps! I meant to say my Canadian Idol for she is from Canada. Many things defined her as she is a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, but most importantly a giver. Whenever there is a crisis, she always there to assist. She actively supported many charity organizations around the world sending letters and donating millions of dollars. 

Celine Dion is actually one of the idols that I would love to met in person. Not only does she have a influenced voice, but she is really humorous. Definitely someone you want to hang out with as there will be no doll moments. With humble starting, Celine was the youngest of fourteen children. At a early age, her passion for singing and the desire to be a performer pushed her to succeed. With the assistance of her manager and now her husband, she released many top charting songs. Most of her songs were in French and some of her audience did not understand it. With the desire to satisfied her fans, she learned the English languages for 2 years and release Unison in 1990. 

Celine Dion’s music has been influenced by numerous genres, including pop, rock, R&B and her lyrics focus on themes of poverty, world hunger, love and romance. After the birth of her son, her songs began to emphasize on maternal bond. 

There magic in her voice and she is able to captivate her audience as they are touch by her music. Her road to success involved passion, attitude, the desire to never give up and singing straight from her heart. Celine Dion — my Canadian Idol. 

Comments?

OMG! It never cross my mind that this would actually occurred, but before I go on as to what happen, allow me a moment to say a few thanks. A BIG MAHALO (thank you) to all the friends and even lurkers that visited all 4 of my blogs on a daily basis. Without your love, support and comments — my blogs would not be where it is today. 

It’s been a roller coaster of emotion from very long days to many hours of video conferencing, but every moments was definitely worth it. As I sit here and start packing my bags to move, once again, across the Pacific Ocean. This time my destination is California. 

Woohoo! I accepted a job offer from the leading search engine and will be living in sunny San Jose for a few years. Yup! Going to love their free food, sliding down their quick access to reach different floors, their employee’s decompression capsule, innovation meeting rooms, the lovely facials and masseurs, pool tables, video games and even a car! Not getting my dream car, but this is even better. With San Francisco to the North and Los Angles to the South, 4 days weekend don’t seems so bad. There is also the options to drive to Las Vegas. Perhaps I could win the “mega-bucks”. 

My husband and I are in the process of negotiating a 4 bedroom, two story house near the golf course. We are looking to move our things around April 17th, 2010. As we go through this transition, I’m not sure if I would be able to continue updating my 4 blogs. Just in case you are not aware of the blogs site, here it is:

www.luxtraveldiscovery.com (Travel Blog)

www.styles808.com (Fashion Talks)

www.asiantvguide.com (Asian Movies and Dramas)

and of course my main blog, www.advice2love.com .

I will still be around for a few more weeks as I prepared myself from being a house-wife to a corporate executive. Much thanks to the wonderful “virtual” friends and those people that I’ve actually met IRL (in real life). MAHALO! 

Until next time, take care and Aloha! 

Haha! Happy April Fool Day.

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.

www.styles808.com

www.asiantvguide.com