Having "Me" Time

Christmas came and vanished in a blink of an eye.  In a couple of days it will no longer be 2011 and I am going to have to rewire my brain to write my dates with 2012 (or in the Buddhist calendar 2555).  So much has happened yet there are still so many things waiting to happen.  Who knows what the future holds? Will the year 2012 be the end of the world or will it bring with it renewed hope? I suppose we will just have to live through it to find out.   I pray though that whatever happens, it brings happiness and that at the end of it all, we can look back and appreciate the year we had. The last few days I have finally gotten into the digital book age with the initiation of my first reading of a novel on tablet.  I never thought I would. (Thank you Alex for downloading roughly 10GB worth of novels onto my tablet!)  I had always been somewhat old fashioned in my preference for paper and having documents printed out.  I like the smell and feel of paper. I love feeling the texture of pa

It's ten days until Christmas and I'm counting down even though I'm a buddhist.  I like the Christmas season because it brings with it joy, happiness and brings out all the good things in people.  It makes us think of others and not only of ourselves.  I suppose I also like it because I grew up in Europe where we had Christmas trees decorated along entire roads, Father Christmas roaming around giving out presents and of course we had the Christmas market at the Old town square.  Christmas songs played everywhere and television showed Christmas movies.  A favorite of mine is always "A Christmas Carol" for I think the lessons it teaches us are ones to remind us of what we have.  Thank you Charles Dickens. The story teaches us to not only think of ourselves but to also think of others.  At the beginning, Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly old man who disregards Christmas and is so stingy he lives in a cold room with but a few coals on the fire.  Although previously en

Sometimes, happiness can be found in the littlest places.  You do not need much space to be happy as a friend of my discovered this past two months during the recent flooding in Bangkok.   Happiness is something that for different people comes from a number of reasons. Even though this flooding was disastrous it actually brought a little happiness to some people. Now, let me give you some background.  My friend is usually is a lady who is extremely house-proud and will spend most of her waking energy looking after the house, cleaning and putting things in order.  Yes, everything is top notch shining, bright and everything is set in its proper place.   Not an inch too far to the right or to the left.   She enjoys it and enjoys having a house that is always beautiful to look at.  No trash left lying around. No shoes or books left where they shouldn't be. Then the flood came.  Everything had to be moved to the second floor. Everything that was movable that is. Everything was sta

Since the flood prevented me from exercising regularly and now that it has gone, I find myself in the festive season with my weight going uphill. I gained 3kgs last week (now 2kg down and 1kg left to go) which is the most I’ve ever gained in the last year or so. It’s during festive times like these when our weight go up and up. (I mean it’s a time for meeting friends, hanging out and having fun. What this means is a lot of eating, drinking and late nights. A routine that is wonderfully suited to gaining weight. ) Fear not, with some exercising planning, you can keep your weight in control and get it back down before you find yourself unable to fit into the pretty dress you had ready for New Year’s Eve. Of course, in between meals do not forget to also watch what you eat. The more you eat the harder you have to work at burning it out. Since I gained 3kgs, I had to find a way to get it down and fast it must before it reaches a new steady state. When the weight is in a steady

Good friends are rare. Good friends who remain good friends decades later are even rarer.  Tonight I dedicate to my post to a friend whose birthday was a little over a week ago (AA) . It's a birthday I never forget and remember it every year for it falls close to Thanksgiving.  It's good for it also reminds us to be thankful of our dearest friends.  Every year we have a "celebration" that has become tradition for our cosy group of three close friends.  Yes, I remember meeting her first year of college.  It came out in one way or another with us helping each other out, going for our first dim sum together, spending time together and yes we 'clicked' right away.  You know when you get along with someone, like you know when you don't get along with someone.  We talked about everything. We talked about life, thoughts and everything that could be talked about. What I remember most is how she is always so happy, genuine, and so determined in everything she d

I love this myth. This is a myth that says one should not eat after a certain time if one wants to lose weight because food eaten later will turn into fat.  I think at a certain time during my chubby days I too tried this and guess what? I stayed chubby.  I still ate a lot and did not exercise and so yes, I remained chubby no matter what time I ate. Now the myth works for some people, because they end up eating less.  They tell themselves not to eat after a certain hour, and so mindless snacking is avoided.    Especially if you lived in an apartment like I did, the fridge was just convenient and easy access.  Watching TV, I could see the fridge and when you have nowhere to walk, (because the space is small)  you walk to the fridge.  You open the fridge and peek inside. A snack, a piece of cake, a chocolate catches your eyes and before you know it, it's in your stomach! Some say, however, that eating late results in more fat because your metabolism slows down at night and burn l

Okay, I still have two myths remaining about food.  This ninth myth is one that apparently some people still believe in even though it has been proven to not be true.   It started, according to the article, in the 1960's and1970's when research showed elevated levels of aluminum in patients with Alzheimer's disease.  This scared many from using aluminum pots, pans and foil to store food. If you are thinking to yourself, like I am now, " Oh no, I use those products all the time to store my food!," I have good news for you.  Subsequent research has failed to find a substantive link between aluminum and Alzheimer's Disease.   Experts say that aluminum absorbed by the body is processed by the kidneys and urinated out.  So fear not! Aluminum will not sicken you. No one yet knows the real cause of Alzheimer's disease so I think it's best not to get worried by 'myths' or other mistaken beliefs.  I think if you spend your life worrying about what w

Today is Father's day in Thailand as it is our Majesty the King's Birthday.  He is the "Father" of our beloved country.  I therefore would like to wish all the father's of this world a very Happy Father's Day!  Without our fathers none of us would not be here today.  What I love about days like this, is that it is a day to remind us of the good others have done for us.  It's not just a about giving, but also about showing appreciation and thanks. It's not only a day for children, but it is also a day for adults. Afterall, even though we are older we still have fathers.  Some may not be living with their fathers, some may have fathers who are ill, some may have fathers who have passed away but still today is a good day to show our fathers how much we care for them. Give them a call, a hug, a good day. So today, give your father a big hug and tell them "Thank you" for all they have done for us. :) Make your fathers smile today!! :)  Forget

I want to write about so many things, but I cannot do it all in one night so today I thought I'd write about a little revelation I had today. It has to do with clothes. Yes, girls never have enough clothes, shoes bags and accessories.  We love our little fashion items and do not hesitate to buy more even though we have closets full of similar stuff at home.   Then we run out of space and need more. Today I went to pick up a suit I had made.   On the way out,  I passed by some stores and spotted several nice dresses.  Thinking to myself that I am always wearing the same style of clothes, a dark skirt and a shirt,  I thought to myself that I should get something different.  (I suppose that's the excuse I give myself.) I went in and tried on dresses, pants and shoes.  I eventually bought myself a dress and a jacket. Yes, I now have something new for this holiday season. I am happy. Upon returning home, as I always do when I get something new, I decided to take out something