New Years Resolutions.

Every year we make New Year's Resolutions. I've been thinking about mine. They are always the same and I never achieve them. I am always trying to change my bad habits. However, those are always the things that I turn to for comfort or for my needs.

It's really hard to change.

I will still write them down anyway.

1) Eat better.
2) Drink less.
3) Exercise more.
4) Be more empathetic.
5) Try to make every moment a good one.
6) Choose to forgive.
7) Be patient.
8) Accept the changes that come with life.


If there are anymore I'll re enter later.

Awesome days

Today I accomplished all the things I needed to do.

1) I set my intention for the day. I wanted to have happy interactions with people and have a feeling of peace. I wanted to give love and receive love.

2) I wanted to do everything on my to do list... go to work... go to my second job... head to the gym... go to the steam room... I did all that! w00t! I as this close to cancelling on my second job today and bailing on the gym but I'm so glad I didn't. I got a burst of energy from it. Feels great. I feel I am on the way to a better lifestyle.  I love the feeling of being in the steam room. It's a strong reward for me. Usually when I'm on a roll with the gym I stick to it for a while and I get that feeling again. I need to keep it in mind.

And I think maybe setting my intention for the day is something I should try and remember to do everyday. Why not wake up everyday with a intention of how your day will go.

If you don't know what it means to set your intention of the day it's very simple. Before you go on in your day, sit in silence, and think about what you want your day to look like. More importantly, think about how you will give that day. Why give? It's something within our control and it's generates good feelings.  Do not imagine your boss telling you that you did a great job or the man of your dreams showing up at your door. You can't control people with your intentions. Instead, try to visualize positive interactions, feelings and overall what you will do to make your day successful and go out your door with that positive energy instead of the morning drabby debbie downer feelings that we usually get on gloomy cold mornings.

I think it worked for me today. Today I reached out to someone from my past with good intentions. I haven't heard back from him and I don't think I will but that's ok. I got something back today. I met three random people and had three random conversations. There is enough goodness to go around. You should just give and someone will give it back to you. It might not be from the person you want it from, but maybe that is how it's supposed to be.

They say that once people let go of things that hold them back... three new things will come into replace it. Things can only come to you if there is room for them. So set your intentions and get rid of all the junky feelings you have. Replace them with something new. Renewal.

Canadian Thanksgiving

It's Canadian Thanksgiving today. I am in Washington celebrating with my family.

I just wanted to make note of this week. At work it was crazy and hectic as usual with the added load of planning for a Thanksgiving lunch for the staff and kids in our program.

A lot of team work and planning was put into this and in the end we had such a wonderful event.

Our lunch was beautifully decorated and food was delicious. We had enough food for kids to bring leftovers for their families. Most important of all the company was so great. Our kids were happy. The staff was happy and it was just a celebration if being together. We are definately a group of strangers that became a great big loving family. In the end we are very lucky to have eachother.

Today I'm in Bellevue with my own family and I feel so lucky to have such a caring and loving family to be a part of. I am grateful for so many things. I am grateful for a mom who is always trying to make sure we eat enough and wear enough clothes. I'm grateful for a dad that wants us to have the most clean and beautiful house to live in. I'm grateful for a sister that is always excited to bring the family out to enjoy a beautiful day. I am also grateful for my nieces who have made every day so much more special. Also for a brother in law that has become family.

I am also grateful to be alive and happy. Healthy and strong. I have great friends and family and I am also just happy with myself. I'm grateful for everyone who chooses to be in my life and everyone who was made my life meaningful. I'm also grateful for living in Canada where we have rights and freedoms to live our life as we choose. So I hope everyone out there has something to be grateful for.

Karma

Ever feel like you are experiencing Karma? Sometimes the Universe throws something at you that reminds you of who you are and what you learned, even if you feel you've learned it. It's a good lesson actually. Every body needs a reminder. Now I'm experiencing Karma. I will accept it and let it be. But experiencing Karma really opens your eyes. Rather than just knowing what you did wrong once you can feel what you did wrong. We are all innocent people just unconscious.

Karma and dharma. I gotta focus on my dharma now

Life lesson: don't complain about the choices you make like you have no choice.

If I refuse to ask questions I will have to live without answers and not complain.

I will have to accept what is without letting it be meaningful.

Fall ponderings.

The leaves have not changed and the weather is still reminiscent of summer. The only real change I've noticed is the mist in the morning and the dew that covers my car window in the morning. The days are still hot and muggy. Last night I went to a concert and it was still pretty warm out. We have had a long summer and I am grateful for that. Now it's Fall, and we are back to the hum drum of school life. Back to regular working hours and running around panicked in a classroom. With all the changes, I feel a difference in my mind and my body. I feel excited and tired all at the same time. I feel enthusiastic. I love the new year feeling when you get that rush that makes you think this year will be the year that our students will learn something they will carry with them for their entire lives. This will be the year. There are so many things to accomplish and the road is so long we can only imagine the finish line. But sometimes imagination is better than seeing the real thing. Imagination fuels creativity and hope. Sometimes the real thing will stop you in your tracks. So thank goodness for the illusion a new school year brings with it.

I noticed today that since I've started working again my shopping has gone up. Is this a coincidence or is this shopping therapy? Maybe I need to be more careful about this since I should be trying to save money as a life goal. The school year is when I do my New Years resolutions. It's when I feel like it's time to start a new. When I have an inkling to get a high instead of buying clothes I should go exercise which is my other life goal. I need to remember my goals. Actually I always remember them. I need to work at them. It's so easy to put them on the back burner.

Now also I am trying to ignore a situation or move on in my life and not let little things bother me. How do you do that? Do you just accept what is? That is essentially not resisting life. Be appreciative? I am. But sometimes it's very confusing where I am supposed to be. If things are right for me. If you are not sure are you just suppose to accept what you have and be appreciative?

Maybe the better thing to do is to look at this again in a few months. Not resisting also means stopping something that doesn't work. Things deserve some time however, I should not just be waiting around for the thing that is not working to disappear. Things like that don't disappear. I should also not be unreasonable with unattainable expectations.

On that note... I need to go to the doctor... one of these days I will go to the doctor... I really hate going to the doctor...another thing on the back burner. Avoidance is a great ability and can also be terrible.

Fall resolutions: Watching my spending, go to the gym, let go of something if I have to, go to the doctor... and stop putting things on the back burner.

Now it's time to go out and have a drink with the girls! 

I'm gonna pop some tags...

I went thrift shopping today! I was inspired by a coworker who found an awesome deal and I was feeling pretty lucky. I haven't found anything good in a long time but my good feeling was right. I found a load of stuff :)

A crystal 2-tier high tea stand. I don't have much crystal but this tea stand was really quite beautiful. I really like it. I got this for $5.


This is a creamer of a retro coffee set. I saw the coffee carafe last year at the same thrift shop but didn't buy it. This little guy is $1.


Baoding balls: I had these as a child. They make a ringing sound as you swirl them around in your hands. I find the sound and action very relaxing. Maybe they will help me with meditation. $6.


Asian style trivet. I love trivets and I use them a lot. Even though this is not vintage I liked how new it seemed and the style. $6. It feels like iron.


A beautiful glass jar. $1. Ill do something crafty with it.


Vintage binoculars with a leather strap. This is so beautiful even as a decorator piece. It works really well too. I need to clean it a little bit bc it is dusty. I splurged on this one because it was such a unique find. $20.


That's it for what I bought. However there was a bunch of other things worth noting in this blog.

1) This is a hand painted teapot made in occupied Japan. Too bad it had no lid.


2) Retro instant camera Kodak! There were a bunch of vintage cameras out there. I picked this up for another collector who loves vintage cams.


3) Vintage Camera #2. This one is also going to the collector.


4) Spotted!! An 88mm video camera. I picked it up and it was super heavy but useless without any film. It was sooo cool though. It's quite a striking piece of machinery.


That's it for the thrift shop today!!!

Sometimes life's occurrences seem really random but they can't be. Sometimes things seem pointless but I'm sure they are not. Just my thinking going off into different directions. I like to be a hopeful person and believe every action, occurrence, emotion happens for a reason and a good one at that.

Feeling grateful, feeling good.

Summer is almost over. School starts in just two weeks! I can't quite imagine going back to work just yet. There is still so much summer I want to soak up before I allow myself to be absorbed in thoughts of a less carefree nature. When you are having a good time you don't want it to stop right? Though I must not assume that the fun and the happiness ends when the season is over. I've had such a wonderful summer. Why wouldn't it carry on? However, summer is definitely my favourite season and always has been. It's always been the three months where I feel like I get a refill on my love of life, my soul and my heart. Do all summer babies love summer the most? Are there people out there that hate summer? I can't imagine why they would. Summer is where the good feelings last longer, when your skin stays hot and where you can have picnics at the park. It's such a beautiful season.


Andrea is born in the fall, she loves fall. Michelle is born in the winter... this I will have to investigate. Are we all drawn most to the season that we were born in? There is something special about every season even though I use to despise fall. Now I strive to always appreciate what nature has to offer. Summer: great weather, sunshine, warm breezes and wearing sun dresses. Fall: changing of the leaves, enjoying more coffee in doors, reading more books, rain drops on your face and coffee.  Winter: cold and fresh air through your nose, crispness, a blanket of white snow, warm beverages, fireplaces, and excuses to cuddle. Spring: light showers, landscape of green, life resumes, and seeing the first flowers bloom. These are things to look forward to soon. I hope that every season brings something amazing to share with us. A year flashes by so quickly now. Before you know it I will be blogging about summer again.  Speaking of change, the seasons we know now are also changing so much now around the world. Maybe 10 years from now seasons will not exist or will have changed definitions. The world is changing so fast, and so are we. Maybe one day fall will be my favourite season.


I am feeling a bit philosophical today. I think it has got to do with feeling good and wondering how I got to where I am today. Thinking of the last two years of my life I've been through some interesting situations. Because of those situations I have learned to rely on people more, ask for help, and I needed to connect with people deeply. One thing I really learned was to appreciate everything I had. I sort of see how random events connect now from last several years. Everything happens for a reason. Things are supposed to come full circle one day. It's not quite there yet but I'm sure that the trail will be much more obvious once I get there. A seemingly random thing which occurred a couple months ago will make sense one day. Take a look at your own life and see how obstacles have steered you onto another path. It's as if life is one of those really well written novel series where the writer has inserted clues in the first book about the third book even before it's written. I find that so fascinating. Are we all just characters in our own novels or in a big series? Who's writing these stories or are they already written?


Yesterday I was watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain on CNN. He started his series by saying something like since he was born he has been trying to get as far away from where he was and what he was born as. He said it in more a more poetic way of course but I felt his words very deeply. The words really carried a story of change and evolution both physically and spiritually. Some people desire that change and some resist it but we all have to endure it. Life is an endless journey. Around every corner you learn something new and you are an ever evolving person. If you don't change that's just all in your mind because you have. You should either bend like a reed or stand straight and stiff like a tree but the storm will eventually get you. Either way you won't be the same. Why resist life? Go with the flow, bend with the wind and see what happens. Maybe you'll get swooped up somewhere beautiful and find your new amazing home. Sometimes I feel like I haven't really learned about life until recently although I'm sure I've changed in the past. When I think back to when I was younger my focus on life was so different, nothing really affected me. I don' t know where this opportunity in my consciousness came from where I can now accept what is revolving around me. I can see everything more clearly now. I can see what is important to me now. I am also able to give and receive to the world more than I was able to before. I am so grateful for that connection.
I like to think some lessons in life are necessary in order to become a better and happier person. Things happen to make you change and evaluate what your purpose in life is. In a short period of time a tragedy actually becomes a blessing. Sometimes you gain something even when you lose something. Though no one wants to lose something precious you would never evolve if you didn't lose something dear to you. It's not out of regret or shame that you change, but more like you reach the depth of your inner person.You feel more, emanate more, absorb more, understand more, care more, you become more because you become a beacon that has gone deep and now you are sending that signal out for others. I feel like I vibrate at a different frequency now. I feel my frequency is capable of reaching out to a lot of people. I feel like I can help and give and be of service with no reserve at all. Or maybe I'm just happy today. Whatever it is I am grateful. Maybe tomorrow will be a different story but I'm happy about where I am now. Where are you now?

From Portland to Cannon Beach

We have been in Oregon for the last 4 days. Tomorrow we are heading home. This family trip includes my sister, brother in law, my two nieces and my parents. It has been more than I had expected. First of all, this is the first family trip we have taken in several years. I wasn't sure how it would be like to travel with my family as we often bicker here and there and with kids around I had imagined it to be quite crazy. However it wasn't. It was so fun. So many unexpected things happened. Like tonight, we had a bonfire out on the beach and made s'mores. My family doesn't do that but they did it because I really wanted to and everyone ended up really enjoying the experience. Out of all of us I think Avery had the best time. She was always smiling.




Avery digging in the sand at Cannon Beach.
I think this was the first time she ever played in sand. Once in a while she even ate sand. Hmmm... Not a good idea. Abbie enjoyed all the food she got to eat. That girl can eat!!! She also kept trying to break out into the patio where she was normally forbidden to go. My nieces remind me of me lol. I feel very proud of them.




Kids fooling around in the hotel room.

Also, it was really nice to spend some time with my parents. We never get to just relax around each other. Tonight I even got some time to sit on the beach alone with my dad and to stare at the stars with him. I showed him the Little Dipper because he has never seen it.

Some highlights of the trip: We went to the waterfalls by Portland and hung out at the beach to watch the sunset. My mom learned how to roast marshmallows. We ate at some damn good restaurants. Most memorable was all the time I got to spend with my nieces and see all the excitement in their eyes everyone time there was a new experience.

Here are some more photos.




Wakeena Falls.




Multnohmah Falls.




Apizza Scholls in Portland: on the weekend they get so busy there is no take out orders allowed and you have to reserve your pizza dough. The pizza is 18 inches across!!!




Rooster Rock and the Columbia River Gorge.




Another photo of Rooster Rock.




Bonfire night.




A visit to the Haystack Rock to check out who got stuck in the tide pools during low tide.

Cannon Beach in the morning is a gorgeous site too.




Great trip!!!
I am thankful for all the new memories!

21 days

Michelle says it takes 21 days to change a habit. In Behaviour Science it also states you should wait at least 3 weeks before you change any part of your behavior plan because it takes that long for a change in behaviour to occur. Most people don't give life changes more than a week before they give up. Either they forget there was something they were supposed to change or be conscious about or they get frustrated and give up. Gotta remember not to waste the valuable lessons we learn in life and just go back to our easy habits.

My major life goal this year is to be patient. It's been a running life theme. Impatience affects my interactions with people and my attention to details. How do I train myself in 21 days to be patient? I really think this will take longer than 21 days. Michelle has challenged me on this so we shall see. I'm going to write a behaviour plan so when I feel impatient I will have a coping strategy or a replacement behaviour. I need to some how break down my behaviour so I can work at my impatience in small increments.


I also have a goal of self restraint I need to work on. I have two focuses in my life in which practicing self restraint is necessary. These areas are two things I really need not dwell on or further investigate. It will be a daily goal but I consider it a goal I really have to take one day at a time. Lets cross fingers that I will be successful. These two will be difficult.


As everyday we are changing and are different people moment by moment its important to have some sense of direction or idea of where it is you are headed. Not too long ago I wrote a list of goals or wishes of things I wanted in life. Deepak Chopra said to write out this list somewhere and carry it with you everywhere. Read it in the morning. Read it before you meditate. Read it before you sleep. This engages your mind to connect your wants with the Universe when you are conscious. Just by doing this you can tap into the energy that is with us all and connects everyone and everything in the Universe. We can affect all energy with our thoughts. Though it may not bring things to you on a silver platter it will open up doors and map out new roads for you that you would have never been able to see before. Sadly, I wrote this list but lost it.

I feel very inspired to write a new one. Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life you forget to work on your spirituality. Today seeing lightning light up the night sky seemed to bring some of that pureness of thought back. I will write one tomorrow as I think my wishes have changed since then anyway. Maybe that's why I lost that list anyway. It didn't suit me anymore.

More food and fun!

Last week was the last week of summer school. It seems like it went by so fast but if you really think about it summer is half over. Now I can sit back and relax a little and enjoy more fun in the sun. I think the solid schedule made me more productive though.


The week started off with a hike in Lynn Valley. I guess the word hike should be lightly used as it is actually very easy trail walking except for a flight of stairs. It was really fun. Lynn Valley is so different during the summer. It's teeming with people just sitting around on rocks and people watching. There are police men scolding people not to drink in public and men just prancing around in their underwear because they did not bring swimming trunks. Kids are jumping into the canyons and it's just really fun and chill. According to the info center there are plenty of animals that live in every acre of Lynn Valley. We were looking for salamanders and we got lucky. Look! We got a photo of these two very rare creatures before they were able to scuttle away!



I wanted to go to Lynn Valley because I really wanted to see Rice Lake which was not really part of Lynn Valley Park. It is in a very woody area and it's super quiet. Not much is going on here. It's just a quiet lake were you can do some rainbow trout fishing. Apparently the limit is 2 rainbow trout per fisherman. This lake wasn't too exciting but I am glad that I got to see it. I've been curious for a long time. What was interesting was that it was very smoky all around. Then we found out they were shooting "Arrow" in the area. There was filming crew everywhere with smoke machines. It was pretty neat.


Moving on from this... this week I sort of discovered a new love. Ginger beer: not the alcholic type but the soda type. It's sooo good. Some brands are stronger than others. I tried four so far but I only have photo's of Grace and Old Jamaican. The other two I tried were Fentiman's and Old Tyme. My favourite is the Old Jamaican. I had it at the Carribean Festival and it was so refreshing. Sometimes when you drink ginger beer it really hurts like how you have wasabi and it goes up your sinus's but this one brand in particular didn't do that. I wish I knew where I could get some more!






Notable restaurants... THE ONE... Taiwanese fair in Burnaby on Kingsway. The reason why this place is notable is due to the portion size of the food.
That fried rice can feed a family of 4 and it's only 8 dollars... it's pretty good too. It's the fried chicken nugget fried rice. I would definately order it again. They put chinese five spice in the rice too and it gives it a really nice flavour.



Shaved ice... this is huge too. Just make sure you don't add too much syrup because it gets really sweet.


Uhhmm.... yeah.... I know what your thinking.... lol... aside from the obvious it's just a really big slushie. Here is a tip for you if you want to check this restaurant out... bring a jacket... it's really cold in there.


Tokyo Time in Kerrisdale: This is now my new favourite Japanese restaurant. The rolls are just so fresh and tasty. They combine ingredients so well. The separate flavours compliment each other so well. It's a bit pricey though. Special rolls are between $15-$20. However the regular rolls are just as good. I love this place for their negitoro roll. It's the best I've ever tasted. They mix a bit of shiso in there so it has a unique flavour but it's also not to strong.


Black Sesame Crusted Tuna Steak.   This dish is tasty because of the black sesame but it's a bit too pricey for what it is. You can get similar dishes at Guu restaurants for half the price. It did taste very good though.


Vegetarian Gyoza: Tofu, cheese, kale.  For a vegetarian gyoza this dish had a lot of flavour. I wouldn't even mind trying it again.

Indian Summer Roll...



Bloody Winter Roll...

I don't remember what the big roll is but the other two are chopped scallop and negitoro.

All the rolls were good but you also don't have to spend big money on rolls to feel very satisfied. The rolls in the last picture were 5 dollars or less and they were great.

Food cart fest... My favourite thing there...blueberry mojito popsicle from Johnnypops!


And goat curry from the Carribean Fest... a must have if you go there... I wish I knew how to make this.


Sunday night I went to Kit's for dinner and we stayed at the beach for a bit. There were a row of chairs there that had some quotes inscribed into them. This was my favourite one because it's true. There is nothing wrong with being wrong though... just remind yourself you aren't always right...

So many fruits!!!

A couple of weeks ago I discovered a tree by Main Street that was full of figs. I love figs and this was very exciting news to me. The figs weren't quite ripe so I decided to come back sometime later to pick some fruit. I went back this weekend but unfortunately most of the fruits within reach were still too young. I will have to go back again in a couple of weeks when they should all be ripe. I did pick some to bring home though as I heard you can leave them in a sunny window and sometimes they will ripen. This was not the case for my figs. Now I have a bunch of figs that will never ripen and I feel bad that I took them. I will have to do something with them.

I lay under the tree for a considerable amount of time. It's also a nice little picnic spot. The tree is quite low and the leaves are extremely large. It feels very private and peaceful. All that green is very calming. It's a very pleasing color. I love seeing rays of light coming through leaves and I love seeing translucent glow. It's only during summer time that we can enjoy things like this. We should really take advantage of it. I think I heard on the radio today that we have had 33 days of sunshine. We are so lucky!

While I was sitting under the tree a lady was picking fruit with a light bulb changer. She was having a wine and cheese party that night and she was going to serve some figs to go along with it. She knew what she was doing and gave me some tips for picking figs. I think it's so cool that people pick fruit from the local park to eat at home. I wish that was more common. She was nice enough to get me a ripe fruit from the top to try. 



There was also a crab apple tree near by. I picked a couple and ate one or two. They are soooo sour.




In addition to this, my friend came over today and brought some fresh blackberries he picked from his neighborhood. They are very sour as well and I have a lot of them. I also have some pears from the backyard. I think tomorrow I am going to make a dessert with all these fruits. It will be like having a Chopped dessert round. Hmm... so fun. I don't know what I am going to make but I will update with a picture after a make it. I hope it tastes good!!!

Weekend Update

This weekend was relatively busy. Yet Monday comes along and now I can hardly remember what I've done with all that time. Time to reflect.
Went to the park a couple of times this weekend and one time Michelle joined me and brought me some treats. I call one of then the Blow your mind... Goat cheesecake with beet sponge cake. Wahhhh!!! I want more this was so yummy. You can get it at Beta 5 in Vancouver but I heard that they aren't selling cakes in a jar anymore. I hope that still mean s another version of this cake is available.




It is sprinkled with poached pears and comes with a little Baggie of colorful crumble. It's so crunchy. I love this cake THHHHIIIISSSSS much!!! Thank you Michelle for getting me one even though I didn't join the rock climbing cult.
Here is another dessert from Beta 5. It's a sour cherry pistachio cream puff.








So good. I liked the combination of pistachio cream and the sour cherry jelly inside. I would like to visit that bakery and get a bunch of stuff. Apparently they have a stout truffle. Hmmmm... My name is all over that one.
Saturday lunch was at El Camino's. I've blogged about El Camino's many times because we are addicted to the chickpea fries. We were craving chickpea fries for lunch that day but unfortunately they don't have them during the daytime. Who knew? What the! I think they should Never take them off the menu. We had to order brunch instead. They had a wide variety of South American style dishes to choose from.




This is what I ordered. I forget the name if it though. Spicy... A little too spicy for brunch. I ordered this because it had rice and beans and an arepa comes with the meal. However, It didn't appeal to me. Flavours were too strong. I prefer their evening menu more.

Sunday night I hit the night market and tried a couple of snacks. I also did a bit of shopping. There is this jewlery stand that sells knock off jewelry for $5 each. The items look quite convincing. I got a pair of Stella and Dot earrings :)
Snack wise, I think most notable is this French fry corn dog.




Looks like a great idea. It is made with a hotdog dipped in corn-dog batter and then coated with hash-browns and drizzled in ketchup. This was so disappointing. It lacked a lot of flavour. All they had to do was season it a bit and use a better quality hot dog. Unfortunately they didn't.
Here is a dish I have been ordering a lot at the night market. It's their palabok pancit which is a Filipino noodle dish. I love palabok and I can't make it myself. Even though they don't use the traditional fatter noodle for it I am happy I can order this. I like it alot. The sauce is savoury and there is egg and pork in it.




I love the palabok from PinPin on Fraser street though. That was is extra yummy and savoury.




These two are having Mango Sago from Mango Yummy. It's such a good drink! It's made with mango, coconut milk, tapioca and some sort if citrus. Yum!
Don't forget to take a picture with the duckies!



After the night market we went to Cascade for some polenta fries. We were curious about them. They are similar to chick pea fries just a bit crunchier and cheesier. I liked them a lot but you can't eat too many unlike the chick pea fries at El Caminos. However, I had a Pisco Sour there too and their Pisco Sour can give El Caminos a run for their money. It's just as good. I love Pisco Sours. I think they are my favourite drink. We also had onion rings there. The rings had a light batter and came with onion bacon jam and garlic mayo. Nice combo.











Ahhhh... Pisco Sour.

One thing that pisses me off

Yesterday I blogged about finding peace and contentment and always trying to appreciate what you have. Then today someone told me a story of what someone did to them. It makes me wonder why some people need to do horrible things to others. What do they get out of it? Why can't they just be happy on their own? It's all very senseless.

Even seemingly normal people can really surprise you with their darkness. Is this whole world becoming mentally ill? Or is there something in all of us that when given the opportunity will take advantage of a situation if they don't get caught. Sometimes technology really brings out the worst in people. It gives you the ability to hide who you are and pretend to be who ever you want to be. You can find out anything or access pretty much anything you want. You can also use it to mess up someone you don't like.

There are many ways to harass people. Too bad not all crimes are taken seriously. I've had my own experiences with harassment and it's interesting that the law is always on the perpretrators side. Some can prank call you from a blocked number endlessly, leave your personal information and pictures on the Internet and yet everything is out in place to protect them. Victims are left to feel vulnerable and helpless.

Did you know that in order to get a faked profile off a website you need to be able to provide the email address that was used to sign that profile up? That's really stupid.

Did you know that you can get the phone company to cooperate with you to find a blocked number on a LAN line but not a cell phone? Who uses a LAN line anymore?

Did you know there are prank calling apps out there that can change your voice and change the incoming call or text number to any number you want? That is so wrong.

Did you know to get a blocked number revealed you need to get a court order from a judge and pay the phone company hundreds of dollars. Even so, it would take 3-6 months to retrieve that number? What is the point of this? All the while, whoever is playing games with your mind is free to do so and do it while hiding behind the veil of technology.

I don't even understand why they allow people to block numbers. It seems really unfair. There can be no good reason to block a number. If there is then it should only be limitedly allowed. If you don't want your number revealed to someone why are you bothering to call them. It can't be for a good reason. Really stupid.

In this moment.

How to be happy? For me, it's to give and share my life with others. Also, I am learning that being happy means to think of your actions before you engage in them and always choose what will make you and others happy in the long run not in the moment. It's good to have lots of friends that let you practice your ever evolving being with them.


However, what is better than being able to enjoy your own company? Being able to sit in silence and feel ok with things just as they are is a gift. I love the ability to be in silence and just feel good. It's so peaceful. When your mind is quiet so is everything else. The whole Universe is still. However, there is a calm before and after every storm. Remember? The only thing you can count on is that things are ever changing. Eventually another storm will come and I wish that for those moments I could encapsulate the moments of complete comfort and contentment and bottle them up. How many bottles would one need? What would the inside of these bottles look like? Do they have a color? What substance would they resemble? Maybe they would be labelled as "Happy Food", "Time for a nap", "Drink me instead of beer", "Vegas". I see sparking butterflies in jars. The essence of grass and fresh air in bottles. A light blowing wind and sunlight coming from another one. The sounds of wild birds in another. Laughter of my nieces will be somewhere there too. Everyone needs a couple of bottles in their pantry for those moments you forget how ok everything really is. We should try to keep some in the pantry of our consciousness. What would yours look like?


Pain, on the other hand, should never be bottled up. No one needs to save it. If it's bottled up in you somewhere it's time to pour it out and let to go back to where it came from: the past. We can still label the unhappy moments in our lives but see that they are empty of their power. So many people allow the past to hold them hostage. They allow it to color their daily events. The past has no hold on you now. Just be happy with what you have in the moment. I once saw a movie a wonderful idea of how to get rid of unhappiness. Get a cup of water, scream your unhappiness into it then dump it out the window. Let that frustration splatter all over a plant rather than you. I think the plant would appreciate it more anyhow.


Some people say it's a choice to be happy. I think it's more of a choice to not let unhappy moments take over your life. No matter what we will feel unhappy sometimes and you won't be able to help it. That's just human nature. Just don't let it become who you are. It's just like how people let words define who they are. "I'm stubborn", "I can't do that", "I'm unhappy", it can truly become you if you let it define you. Be flexible. If you are aware you have some negative tendencies be conscious about them and don't let them ruin good things that are given to you. We are all happy individuals that have moments of unhappiness mask our true essence. If it weren't so we shouldn't be able to feel incredible for no reason.
Maybe next time you have a shitty day say thanks because without shitty moments we would never know how lucky we are just as is.




Kinda like that. Everything is a blessing in disguise.

Watermelon Cake

Need I say more... Sooooo good. The cream is made with coconut milk whipped into a cream. The "cake" is a whole watermelon cut into a cylinder. What a wonderful idea.