Lovely Day

Hello Monday...Hello Everyone =) Let's open up this last day of January with a smile. So, tomorrow will be a new month. How's your January went so far? Great I hope. I'm just gonna start this Monday with such a simple but really cute notes below (source). It's called "How To Have A Lovely Day". I'm sure no one resist a lovely day, including you, right? Just those simple points of life that can make your day lovely. The last point surely is the most important thing according to me. Why? because when you simply wish others to be happy, the positive wish will eventually get back to you. Have a lovely day =)

(image via icanread.tumblr)

Poached Egg...

Can you make a perfect poached egg? It's looks so easy to make one but surely we need to practice to make a really perfect poached egg. I remember the first time I made a poached egg...didn't work well until I browse lots of "how-to" videos on Youtube and found the perfect one. So, now I can make a perfect poached egg. It's so easy when you finally now the trick on how to make one perfect poached egg. Here's one recipe by A Couple Cooks. Perfect for a Saturday or Sunday morning. Have a great weekend =) xoxo

Poached Eggs

What You Need

• 4 fresh eggs (it helps if your Mom raises her own chickens!)
• Splash of vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Water
• Four small bowls
• Large skillet
• Slotted spoon
• Tea towel

What To Do

1 Fill a large skillet with about 1 1/2 inches of water. Add a pinch of salt and just a splash of vinegar. Heat over medium-high until the water just starts to bubble. You want it just below a simmer (about 190°F). Be careful to maintain the temperature throughout the cooking process – you don’t want the water to boil.

2 Crack each egg into a small bowl. Carefully slide each egg into the water. Make sure to give plenty of space between each egg. The egg whites will spread out a bit as they hit the water, but soon start to form up.

3 Allow the eggs to cook for 4 minutes, until the whites set. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place on a tea towel-covered plate to let the water drain off. If you want the egg to look nice, you can trim the edges before serving. Enjoy!

(image and recipe by A Couple Cooks)

House with Colors...

Found this image below on Apartment Therapy. Colorful was the first thing that came up on my mind seeing the image. Fun was the second thing I could think of. But I don't know about what others think about this room. Some might think that it's too colorful, too distracted or maybe too playful or too busy. So, as always, on my Tumblr I asked others opinion about this image. Most of them said it's colorful but it's fun, although there were some people think it's to colorful, way too many colors being used in this room. However, you can think whatever you want to think. For me, the house is fine, fun, and perfect for a summer or a holiday getaway =)

• naranjas answered: Yes!
• ash-leonie answered: It’s a tad busy, looks like a pinata threw up in there :(
• maharlikanwarrior answered: i love you like always :)
• imathome answered: Wow pretty cool!
• white-crow answered: nope
• nomnomnomyummy added: that looks so dandy and quaint (: id live there!!
• lurrvee answered: It reminds me of Phoebe from Friends. So, it’s awesome.
• heyitszachhh answered: not at all
• queenanne added:looks like a southwestern cafe
• rurymon answered: No, its unique
• abitofsilliness answered: Not too colorful. But definitely too ugly. ;)
• dawningthedarkestnights answered: THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH COLOR
• iamcandygirl answered: yes, is this„
• gwashoppa answered: i like it! it is not too colorful.
• jermiony answered: yes:(
• icanbethatperkie answered: Yes
• orating answered: Nice colour, but definitelt too busy for me with all the mosaic patterns, angles and shapes!
• captjasha answered: yes, but i like it.
• wanitaberoda answered: i absolutely love it!
• tso answered: surprisingly not! but i couldnt think straight here…sorta forces you to only feel happy and never reflect..
• sitihajarkawi-sihaka answered: yes..:) but it looks great!
• hweehuishia answered: The colour combinations are funky cool :) awesomeeeee~ hehehe
• outburstofjoy answered: not if you were a gypsy
• fleaflyflooflum answered: it is! but the colours go together really well!
• nomnomnomyummy answered: no its fuckin amamzing.
• toppermostpoppermost answered: It’s like a real live Polly Pocket house.
• ohstaywithme answered: no wayyyyy
• crazycakes answered: yes.
• koltoncotton answered: No
• cookincrafter answered: umm i’d have to say yes.
• synthiat answered: yes.
• keggerrrr answered: no!
• bonjourkimie answered: It’s a little bit busy, but for some reason I think it works for the room.
• kradylla25 answered: yes..but it’s nice..i like it :)
• iambird answered: yes
• fellinlovewiththevoice answered: it is absolutely beautiful in all of its colours and patterns!
• smileysya answered: yup
• cierraw answered: NONONONONONONONONONONo
• smallmeasureofwarmth answered: yup
• simplesolution added nooo it’s amazing! color
• rebeccamr answered: no, it’s awesome!
• maryashley added be my summer home?
• vomitingeyes answered: NO! It’s perfect!
• chillinglikeice answered: way too
• lovehappens19 answered: It’s like the one I saw at Bali.
• sitizuhairah answered: yes!111
• miscue answered: yes. but i’m okay with it!
• lucyd-dreams liked this
• umyahwhatever answered: Absolutely not. It’s perfect. In every way.
• tuesdaysinbloom answered: if i were to say that one thing was “tooo” distracting it would be the tiles in the back. But if done right, this could be really funky.
• murmations answered: absolutely no! love how quirky the room is, i can only imagine this extremely happy person living in there.
• toomuchto answered: It reminds me of an Urban Outfitters store.
• youarebeautifuls answered: yes
• xxterixx added:hohohoho I like it :>
• fashionandsincity answered: its so cute. love it
• thefancyflamingo answered: As Tim Gunn says “that’s a whole lot of look”. I’d tone it down just a bit.
• driftdreamer answered: yes
• insidecrashedcars answered: noooooo such thing. no way. its amazing
• cornflowerteco added aaaaAAAAAAAAHHHH THIS IS BEAUTIFUL
• iqahspastic answered: yup..but lively!
• pearlsandpalmettotrees answered: ew. yes.
• hazydaze answered: :o no!
• athousandfacets answered: I’d love my office to look like that!

Prayer..

Do you say a prayer when you're hopeless and helpless? How do you communicate with God when you're looking for direction or when you're looking for a helping hand? There are times when I feel so lost and feel like I can use a helping hand from anywhere I can reach. Most of the time it feels good and I feel relieve after saying a prayer, only because I have been able to say all the things I've kept in my mind and heart. Makes me feel that I am not alone, that somewhere out there God is listening.

So, I was thinking about the right way on saying a prayer. Not on a religious side but more on a general aspect. Below is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi about prayer. The quote touches me a lot because most of the time I couldn't find the right words to say a prayer. It's sometimes hard to put how I feel inside into words. But then I saw this quote which changes everything. It says that prayers are better with heart without words than words without a heart...

“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul.

It is daily admission of one's weakness.

It is better in prayer to have a heart without words

than words without a heart.”

Mahatma Gandhi

I quotes three points below from wikihow.com regarding How To Pray.

How To Pray

• Take the time to pray. No matter how you pray or who you pray to, it can be difficult to find time for prayer during busy times. One way to deal with this is to make prayer part of your daily routine, such as praying as soon as you wake up in the morning, right before you go to sleep, or before every meal. Many people also pray during emotional times, like when they feel sad, scared, or happy. You can pray at any time of day, and as much or as little as you feel is sufficient for your spiritual life. Some people make it their goal to maintain a state of prayer all the time by remaining conscious of their spiritual connection throughout the day. No matter what, if prayer is an important part of your life, you need to put first things first and make time to pray on a regular basis.
• Make the request, or ask the question. You can ask questions, seek strength, send good wishes to others, or give thanks. Perhaps the most basic forms of prayer are requests for help in becoming a good (or better) person, and requests that God direct your prayer.
• End the prayer. Some people end or close the prayer with a special word (like "Amen") or phrase (like "May God receive our prayers") or a gesture (like bowing or making the sign of the cross), or simply by standing or sitting in silence for a minute or two.

(article source: wikihow - Image sources: ilya-mostex.livejournal & flickr.com)

Free will?

I found the image below from Serendip. It's an amazing website that I can't even explain what is it about. It is a recommended site for you to have a look when you're someone who loves to play with your mind and find out more about psychology. It's not just a drawing but it could determine your will. How is it possible? All you need to do is take a look at the image below and try to choose one of the statements below the image...

• I wanted the arrows to point to the right, SAW them pointing to the right, and am GOING to the right
• I wanted the arrows to point to the left, SAW them pointing to the left, and am GOING to the left
• I forgot the instructions. Can I go back please?

Have you pick one of the statement above? I have chose point 2 of the above choices.

Here are the explanation about what your will said about you...only by looking at the image above. All the explanation was made by SERENDIP.

The explanation for point 1 and 2:

CONGRATULATIONS. You have just taken an action which is not determined by anything else (since the figure can be seen either way) and which you controlled (since you decided which way to see the figure). The observations not only suggest that you have free will (a useful thing to know in other, perhaps more earth-shaking situations), but reveal some additional interesting characteristics of this attribute.

There is some chance that when you first saw the figure together with the two buttons, you did not in fact immediately see the arrows pointing in the direction in which you had decided to see them pointing. What this indicates is that the power of free will does not extend to determining what you see; what you see at any given time is determined by actions of your brain which you cannot fully control (and of which you are not aware). What you were, however, able to do is to withhold action until you did see the arrows pointing in the direction you had previously chosen. What this indicates is that one part of your brain (the part that contains YOU) is capable of observing the variable inputs of another part of your brain (the part that is responsible for what you see) and deciding whether or not to act based on the perception offered at any given time. This may be a less potent "free will" than you might have wished you had but, if you think about it for a while, its actually not bad at all.

The explanation for point 3:

Ambiguous figures, of which the Serendip logo (circa 1994-95) is one example, make possible some interesting observations bearing on the existence and meaning of "free will". In most people's minds, "free will" has two relatively distinct properties. The first is the idea that what one does is in some sense "free", that is "not determined by something else". The second is the idea that one can onself control what one does.

Whether one sees right of left pointing arrows most easily can be influenced by details of the constuction of the figure (colors, exact shapes, and so forth), previous experiences with other figures, stable personal preferences, and mood. The important point, however, is that with all of these held constant (as they are as you look at the figure right at the moment), the figure can still be seen in either of two ways. In short, your perception of the figure is variable in a way that seems "not to be determined by anything else".

(all source from serendip.brynmawr.edu)

Mixture House..

What do you think about the house on the picture below? Good? Common? The usual house? I tell you what...This is not just a common 18th century house (source). Well, if you look at it from the front yard, it may seem to be just a normal house but wait until you see what's on the backyard. I was amazed of this house, it's like mixing a modern and an old house become one. Located nearby the Grand Union Canal. I had no idea where it was, but when I have a look on the web, turns out that it's located in England...which I think makes the house looks better. Look at the images below, isn't it a great house. While you can enjoy the modern glass house, you can also enjoy the old green scenery =)

(source: freshome.com)

Saying NO...

Have you ever find it hard to say "NO" to other people? Sometimes I can't say no to other people but as I develop more and more, I try to allow myself to say no to certain things that I'm sure I don't want to or I can't do. It's not like I always say no to every single thing but to only certain things. There are many reasons why people often find it hard to say no to other people. They fear that they would disappoint other people, they won't let other people feel the rejection, they want to feel that they can do anything to please others and so on.

However, we don't always have to say yes to other people. Because we do have our own life and if the offer from other people doesn't not fit into your schedule perhaps, don't do it. And if the people accept your rejection (politely of course), I am sure they will understand and won't put any pressure on you. The most important thing is your willingness to do the offer and the sincerity. Here are 5 tips on how to say no politely to other people from eHow by missbb.

How To Say NO Politely

1. First and foremost keep it simple. Don't make up excuses or lie. Just tell the truth. Ex: "I think you're kids are great, but they are too much of a handful for me to handle. Sorry."
2. Be kind and gracious. If you were invited to an event, thank them first and foremost for inviting you and thinking of you, but politely decline. Ex: "Thank you so much for the lovely invite, but unfortunately I'm going to have to pass this time.
3. Don't try to take on every project, every errand, or favor for others. You don't want to be overwhelmed or end up feeling bitter towards others. Let them know that you would really like to help them, but simply can't at this moment. Ex: "I don't want to tell you yes, then have to let you down." "Sorry, but I've got enough on my plate as it is."
4. It's perfectly fine to say no to anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. Even if other people don't understand the big deal, simply tell them straight up that you'd feel really uncomfortable and ask them to respect your wishes. Ex: "I'm sorry but I just don't feel comfortable doing this. I am going to have to decline.
5. If someone becomes pushy, stay strong. Don't get upset or angry. In a calm voice tell them you're sorry, but again you're going to have to say no, and there is no way you can tell them yes. Be clear that no means no, and then move on to a different topic.
   

(article source: ehow.com)

Over the rainbow..

Hi everyone? Good Morning...Today I am going to open this week with a memorable song..and old song that I'm sure most of us know. It's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". Why do I chose Glee version of the song, because the beat is more relaxing in a more happy way. Especially when it has Ukulele as one of the instrument. This song always lift me up, always been able to give my face a smile...and hope this time I can bring smile to brighten up your day. Listen to the tune, sing the lyrics...Have a great Monday =)

Somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high

And the dreams that you dreamed of

Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow

Blue birds fly

And the dreams that you dreamed of

Dreams really do come true ooh ooooh

Someday I'll wish upon a star

Wake up where the clouds are far behind me ee ee eeh

Where trouble melts like lemon drops

High above the chimney tops thats where you'll find me oh

Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly

And the dream that you dare to,why, oh why can't I?

Huna Principals..

Have you ever heard the word "huna"? To be honest, this is the first time I heard it and of course I have no idea what it means. Why am I asking this? Because I just stumbled across an article about "The seven principals of HUNA" (via). So, I was looking the real meaning of it and found it...Huna is a Hawaiian word meaning "secret (source). And by secret I believe it also means wisdom. It is widely known that the ancestors always give and inherit the best advice and wisdom to guide our life.

So, what are the seven principals of HUNA? You can read it all below. I am going to point out 2 out of the seven principal MAKIA (energy flows where attention goes) and MANA (all power comes from within). The reason I'm focusing more on the 2 points is because it suits my mood right now. It always feel right to focus on the present time, while not to forget about your plans for the future. By as we live in the present time, it's best for us to do what's best for now...the moment we're living...the present time =)

Ancient Philosophies that Stand the Test of Time

The seven principals of HUNA

The Seven Principles
The basic assumptions of Huna are these:

1. The World Is What You Think It Is - IKE

2. There are no limits - KALA

3. Energy Flows Where Attention Goes - MAKIA

4. Now Is The Moment Of Power - MANAWA

5. To Love Is To Be Happy With (someone or something) - ALOHA

6. All Power Comes From Within - MANA

7. Effectiveness Is The Measure Of Truth - PONO

MAKIA - energy goes where attention goes - BE FOCUSED

Put all your energy into achieving what you want out of this life, be focused and clear on what it really is you want. Place your energy into having a happy, joyful and loving life NOW. Focus your attention on what makes your heart sing and open up fully, take steps in achieving what you consider a fulfilling life and remember yours is most certainly going to be different to the other four billion people that live on this planet so encourage others to do the same and live and let live.

MANA - all power comes from within - BE CONFIDENT

True power that is from the heart and not from ego is very essential to achieving your goals. We need to be strong, confident and courageous to fulfill our potential on this planet. It really is the driving force that helps us push through the hard times on this earth, and when the power is pure it drives us to help ourselves and inspire others to do the same. So as with love, strive for clear power and build your mana everyday. See yourself to be full of confidence NOW.. choose to be a confident person NOW.. cultivate this energy and harness its full power and you will move mountains.

(sources:

huna.org &

ascensiongateway.com - image sources:

anina.typepad &

weheartit.com)

Faces..

I love phone booth...and I love seeing and taking pictures at the phone booth. It always feel so fun to take pictures there. Making serious faces, funny faces, scary face and all =) Here are celebrities photo booth pictures taking by a photographer Yu Tsai (via mymodernmet). There are Janet Jackson, Lea Michele, Lenny Kravitz and Anne Hathaway. I love all of their faces and reaction to the camera. My favorite is of course Janet Jackson's. I adore her since I was just a little girl...

(images via mymodernmet.com)

French Toast

It's been quite a while since the last time I posted a recipe. I guess it's now the perfect time to post a simple recipe. I am sure all of you know how to make a perfect french toast. I can never get enough of French Toast recipe. Most of the ingredients are the same from one recipe to another but some people add certain ingredients that can make a difference compare to the other recipes. This is a new french toast recipe for me. I Am Mommy was the one who made this french toast.

French Toast

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs (organic)
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons organic turbinado sugar (you can use white sugar)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (you can add more or less to your tastes)
• 10-12 slices bread
• 1 jar pure maple syrup (naturally organic)

Directions:

1. Beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt with wire whisk until smooth. Heat griddle to 375 degrees, and grease griddle if necessary. (I did not)
2. Dip bread into egg mixture (do not soak it) then place on griddle. Cook 2-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
3. Serve with room temperature butter and syrup and watch your family's faces light up with joy.

(image from I Am Mommy)

Fair or Unfair?

I found this image above on leilockheart. For a moment it looks like a regular quotes or something like that. But when you really read it, it contains deep and thoughtful writing. I often say on my previous postings about balance life and that life is somehow seems fair to us. Although there are those moments that we can say that life can be so unfair to us. But as a balancing act, life also offers those moments that we can say "Oh, life is fair to us". Have you ever felt that way? What do you think....or how do you feel after reading it?