Big changes coming up very soon...
I'm ready. For the most part. I'm about to do what I've been wanting to do. And the opportunity came up to allow me to do it. Still, big transitions can be nerve-wracking. Especially after calling a place home for 6 years, being in a fulfilling job for 4 out of those 6 years.
Am I crazy to be doing this? Am I crazy to give up a stable job in the health care industry in this economy? Am I crazy to embark on this big lifestyle change?
Maybe I am. And maybe that's a good thing.
"In a sky full of people
Only some want to fly
Isn't that crazy?
In a world full of people
Only some want to fly
Isn't that crazy?"
- Seal, "Crazy"
I'll definitely miss this city. It has given me so much - new friendships, new possibilities. Opportunities to dream, and dreams fulfilled. And I've found many, many happy places here. Places for art. Places for food. Places for peace and calm. Soon I'll be discovering a new city, looking for my new happy places. And that's a good thing.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
stress-cooking
It's been almost a month since I've written on this blog. As much as I think writing is therapeutic, I have been stress-cooking for the past few weeks. I made enough to feed an army. The funny thing about it is, there have been many days in which I didn't even feel like eating. But I stress-cooked anyway. I call it culinary therapy. There's something about chopping vegetables, stirring, smelling, and watching ingredients come together. It's like an escape from the many thoughts and worries going through my head, as I do nothing else but slice, dice, and stir... while listening to the calming, rhythmic sound of the knife blade against the bamboo cutting board, smelling herbs and spices come together like magic.
So one weekend I made 3 Indian dishes and 2 batches of Vietnamese yogurt. Oh, and my own hand cream.
Perhaps my "happy homemaker" mood is giving me this grounding feeling which I need so badly in times of uncertainty.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Ode to the day
Ode to the day
When I sit in a coffee shop
Not wearing a watch,
Having meaningful conversation
With a new friend
About our religions,
How they complement each other.
Talking about the beautiful sustainability
Of the environment,
The fair governing
of all countries,
Love,
And how all children have food, clean water, and good
educations
Learning about first and third world classifications only in
textbooks.
Drinking coffee produced by a man whom we know
Has the same potential as we.
Might I make decisions today that allow me to believe
Tomorrow can be that day.
- Poetry by Ashley Boone,
published in EcoWatch Journal, April/May 2009
******
Perhaps this is the true meaning of Independence Day.
Happy Fourth of July!
When I sit in a coffee shop
Not wearing a watch,
Having meaningful conversation
With a new friend
About our religions,
How they complement each other.
Talking about the beautiful sustainability
Of the environment,
The fair governing
of all countries,
Love,
And how all children have food, clean water, and good
educations
Learning about first and third world classifications only in
textbooks.
Drinking coffee produced by a man whom we know
Has the same potential as we.
Might I make decisions today that allow me to believe
Tomorrow can be that day.
- Poetry by Ashley Boone,
published in EcoWatch Journal, April/May 2009
******
Perhaps this is the true meaning of Independence Day.
Happy Fourth of July!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
"JUST GO."
...my inner voice said.
But when in doubt, I go back to these words of wisdom...
"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." - Andre Gide
(Thanks, CRC, for sharing this quote with me before I left Manila in 2003.)
******
"Even paradise can grow too small
When you hear the far horizon's call
Other lands await."
- From Why Explore? (children's picture book by Susan Lendroth)
******
Manifest your must.
Pursue your passion.
Define your day.
Dare to dream.
- Mary Anne Radmacher
******
And, most recently, in a conversation with my neighbor while doing laundry, she said:
"Trust your instincts. Nine out of ten times, your instincts are right."
Wise lady.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
watermelon salad
This recipe is what I categorize in my food brain as "an explosion of flavors." It's got everything - sweet, salty, sour, spicy, and pungent/bitter. I read somewhere that in order to reach real satiety while eating, it's important to combine all those flavors.
But, if nothing else, this dish screams "SUMMER!" and is a welcome treat on a hot afternoon.
Watermelon and Feta Salad
1/2 seedless watermelon, cubed
1/4 lb feta cheese*, cubed or crumbled
For the dressing:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp Trader Joe's mango chili vinegar (this just happened to be what I had on hand - or you can substitute another mild vinegar - try champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar)
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme or basil
1/2 of a shallot, minced
a pinch of dried chili flakes
Mix all the dressing ingredients in a glass jar, and shake to blend. Pour over the watermelon and feta cheese. You can also add some salad greens if you wish (I like arugula).
*Please do yourself a favor and use the real sheep's milk feta cheese. It's so much better. :)
But, if nothing else, this dish screams "SUMMER!" and is a welcome treat on a hot afternoon.
Watermelon and Feta Salad
1/2 seedless watermelon, cubed
1/4 lb feta cheese*, cubed or crumbled
For the dressing:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp Trader Joe's mango chili vinegar (this just happened to be what I had on hand - or you can substitute another mild vinegar - try champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar)
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme or basil
1/2 of a shallot, minced
a pinch of dried chili flakes
Mix all the dressing ingredients in a glass jar, and shake to blend. Pour over the watermelon and feta cheese. You can also add some salad greens if you wish (I like arugula).
*Please do yourself a favor and use the real sheep's milk feta cheese. It's so much better. :)
enjoy NOW
Here is today's "tea fortune" - what I find to be a more fun version of a fortune cookie - from the tag of a Yogi Tea bag:
"Whatever you are doing now is the most beautiful thing."
What a great reminder!
This weekend has been quite busy. I spent most of my time at home, sorting, cleaning, organizing... and somewhere in between, doing work for my online class. I'm getting a lot out of this class, but for the record, I would say it's at least 50% more work than being in a "live" class. And in all honesty, I haven't been feeling very "yogic" these days.
So I took a break and had a cup of tea. With sudden inspiration, I decided to work on a little project: hand cream!
I started with an 8-ounce tub of 100% pure shea butter from this market, for $8. I thought it was a great deal, though perhaps not the most attractive. Not that it had to be, but it was a mass of white, lumpy... stuff, for lack of a better word. However, shea butter is a really effective, natural moisturizer, and a little bit goes a long way. I work in a hospital and wash my hands so many times during the day, and in the evenings I like to cook/bake, so my hands end up feeling like the Sahara sometimes.
Anyway. I thought I could make it just a little bit more fancy with ingredients I have at home. I set up my makeshift double boiler, which is nothing more than a medium saucepan of gently simmering water reaching about an inch or so, and a heatproof bowl (I use Pyrex) that fits right on top of the saucepan, with the water not touching the bottom of the bowl.
I dumped all the shea butter into the Pyrex bowl, and let the steam from the water melt the shea butter gently. I used a spatula to break up the large lumps and stir it occasionally. Then when it was in liquid form, I added about a quarter cup (maybe a bit more...this is just a "guesstimate") of extra virgin olive oil and some extra virgin cold-pressed coconut oil. I decided to add the coconut oil because it is solid at room temperature, so I thought it would help the mixture set better.
And since I love all things lavender, I added several drops of lavender essential oil--enough for me to catch a whiff of it, but not too much that it becomes overpowering.
I breathed in the relaxing scent of lavender... aaaah.
I reflected on my "tea fortune" again.
"Whatever you are doing now is the most beautiful thing." And really, this can apply to anything - even mundane things like washing dishes, or the laundry. Ugh. I am reminded of the rising pile in my laundry basket. Okay, maybe not the laundry.
But back to my project. I just gave the mixture a gentle stir, then strained it through a fine mesh strainer (as natural shea butter may have some small dark particles in it from the nut) it as I poured it into small jars with tight-fitting lids, and placed them in the refrigerator to set.
That's how the mixture looks in liquid form, above, in the little containers. I wish I had fancier glass jars, but I happened to have those travel-size containers (probably from the dollar store).
I couldn't believe how easy it was!
I've been using it frequently today. It's lightweight, and absorbs easily into the skin... and it smells divine! I won't be using store-bought hand cream for a really long time.
Maybe next time I'll try different scents. I wonder if my bergamot essential oil would work well. Or vanilla....mmmm.
Until then, back to work...
"Whatever you are doing now is the most beautiful thing."
What a great reminder!
This weekend has been quite busy. I spent most of my time at home, sorting, cleaning, organizing... and somewhere in between, doing work for my online class. I'm getting a lot out of this class, but for the record, I would say it's at least 50% more work than being in a "live" class. And in all honesty, I haven't been feeling very "yogic" these days.
So I took a break and had a cup of tea. With sudden inspiration, I decided to work on a little project: hand cream!
I started with an 8-ounce tub of 100% pure shea butter from this market, for $8. I thought it was a great deal, though perhaps not the most attractive. Not that it had to be, but it was a mass of white, lumpy... stuff, for lack of a better word. However, shea butter is a really effective, natural moisturizer, and a little bit goes a long way. I work in a hospital and wash my hands so many times during the day, and in the evenings I like to cook/bake, so my hands end up feeling like the Sahara sometimes.
Anyway. I thought I could make it just a little bit more fancy with ingredients I have at home. I set up my makeshift double boiler, which is nothing more than a medium saucepan of gently simmering water reaching about an inch or so, and a heatproof bowl (I use Pyrex) that fits right on top of the saucepan, with the water not touching the bottom of the bowl.
I dumped all the shea butter into the Pyrex bowl, and let the steam from the water melt the shea butter gently. I used a spatula to break up the large lumps and stir it occasionally. Then when it was in liquid form, I added about a quarter cup (maybe a bit more...this is just a "guesstimate") of extra virgin olive oil and some extra virgin cold-pressed coconut oil. I decided to add the coconut oil because it is solid at room temperature, so I thought it would help the mixture set better.
And since I love all things lavender, I added several drops of lavender essential oil--enough for me to catch a whiff of it, but not too much that it becomes overpowering.
I breathed in the relaxing scent of lavender... aaaah.
I reflected on my "tea fortune" again.
"Whatever you are doing now is the most beautiful thing." And really, this can apply to anything - even mundane things like washing dishes, or the laundry. Ugh. I am reminded of the rising pile in my laundry basket. Okay, maybe not the laundry.
But back to my project. I just gave the mixture a gentle stir, then strained it through a fine mesh strainer (as natural shea butter may have some small dark particles in it from the nut) it as I poured it into small jars with tight-fitting lids, and placed them in the refrigerator to set.
That's how the mixture looks in liquid form, above, in the little containers. I wish I had fancier glass jars, but I happened to have those travel-size containers (probably from the dollar store).
I couldn't believe how easy it was!
I've been using it frequently today. It's lightweight, and absorbs easily into the skin... and it smells divine! I won't be using store-bought hand cream for a really long time.
Maybe next time I'll try different scents. I wonder if my bergamot essential oil would work well. Or vanilla....mmmm.
Until then, back to work...
Monday, June 22, 2009
the dancer
"The goal of my work is to reveal the transcendent through images which focus on the human body as a vehicle of transformation. I am specifically interested in finding a universal art which touches the evolutionary traces embedded in human experience and transcends the limits of nationality and gender, placed on us all in an aim of discovering what is truly universal about being human."
-Maureen Fleming, dance choreographer
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