JULY 4TH CELEBRATION

(by photobucket)

We went to a friend's condo at the EMBARCADERO overlooking the Marina on the North, Coit Tower on the West, the Ferry Building, the Bay Bridge on the East, Transamerica Building and the Financial District on the South. Spectacular view 360 degrees! Not the typical high rise condos but separate homes like townhouses - just magnificent! A gathering of friends, old and new, great food, great music, (of course, I provided the music!), bright colors of the American flag everywhere, (of course, I wore my red, white, and blue jacket!). And, of course, we all watched and enjoyed the spectacular fireworks running simultaneously here in SF and across the bay from her roof deck. WHAT-A-VIEW!!

Great, fun celebration of the signing of the Declaration of our country's Independence on July 4, 1776, the "official" birthday of USA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, USA! HAPPY 4TH, EVERYONE!!

And Talk About... Healthy Cookin'

Here's Cooking Ayurveda -

http://vimeo.com/34276326

Comment

One thing I beg to disagree with on the handbook here is #2 -

In Ayurveda, the heaviest meal should be lunch as it is when our digestive fire, agni, is at its peak; hence, strongest, like the sun is at 12 noon. Sadly, in this culture, where everything is fast-paced, rushed and the like, no one has time to sit down and enjoy a good lunch, so we seem to settle for snacks here and there. There are healthy snacks but there are also junk food, so it's a matter of choice, although sometimes, also a matter of what's handy at the moment. Remember, life here is rushed, so sometimes we just grab whatever we can!

Shark Fin Soup

On the same bus today, there was an advertisement on shark fins. You know the famous Chinese Shark Fin soup? I've seen a similar ad about it before and I'm glad I saw it again today.

There's an organization, http://www.wildaid.org/sharks, that works on global shark conservation.

I remember when I was a kid growing up in Manila, the family was always invited to big Chinese weddings, banquets, known as lauriats. Corn soup was the most popular then - until shark fin soup was "discovered"! It was deliciously expensive, so expensive that only privileged Asian families could afford them! And that to be invited made you members of The Elite! And I was so proud to be part of it...

Looking back now, grown-up, more health conscious, vegetarian... how cruel were those who cut off sharks just for their fins! And they still do it today. Shame!! Me included! All I could think of then was that I must be rich to be able to rub shoulders with the so-called, Manila Socialites! Birds of the same feather flock together, right! Riight.

Mia culpa, mia culpa, mia maxima culpa... Lord, have mercy.

Nature's Prescription

TM

Yoga

Sleep

Exercise

Ayurveda

Fruits & veggies

All the good stuff, right stuff!

Feeling better already...

HEALTH IS WEALTH - Indeed!

A Hearty Meal

Tofu sausage omelette with sweet peas and green onions and a touch of lemon, multi-grain waffles and sweet maple, with bananas, cherries and cherry plums, and hot chocolate for brunch - homemade... by me! The rare times that I cook!

Join me! I'm home alone.

"Coconutted-Out"!!

Whew, did I max out on coconut yesterday! First, a coconut oil massage on myself, abhyanga, then an Indian sweet noodle dessert with coconut milk and a coconut biscuit at break time and finally, a coconut chocolate cookie for midnight snack!

That's it for awhile with coconut...

Hot Lunch!

Tofu sausage, (I didn't burn it this time), and rice! Did I burn the rice???? How could I burn the rice in a rice cooker??? Did the rice cooker break?? COME ON!!!! Rice is the only thing I can cook - in a rice cooker, too, so how can I!@#$%^&*!... No, I didn't, it's alright, whew! 

And hot ginger tea with lemon and honey for a drink! 

Care to join me? Life is sweet, you know. 

And with organic peas, naturally sweet, as side dish, green is good, life's even sweeter!

... And Sweeter!!

An afternoon in the gym doing some machines, (it was crowded being a holiday so I only did whatever was available). A sauna, a schvitz and a hot shower after! Then meeting hubby at Eliza's for a delicious chinese dinner!

What could be sweeter?!

Now for some "champuy"!

I tell you, too much of a good thing... is a Good Thing!

Serenely Delicious!

(Photo by Socorro de Castro)
Tea & Serenity

Deliciously serene!

Oops!!

We committed the sin last night!

"Sin... &... Sinful"

And the words, sin and sinful, I heard a lot these days! I had a Christmas luncheon gig in a posh hotel in town the other day. The program director had to interrupt my piano playing several times because of speeches, toast, raffle tickets, etc. At the end of the party, he apologized for doing so and he said, "Your music was fantastic, I hated to interrupt. Doing it was like a sin."

I didn't really play well, believe me, I was tired from a sleepless night after work but I just liked his line, "... like a sin."

Then last night, at a classy Japanese restaurant, my brother-in-law who is in town visiting with his fiance said about dinner, "This is so good, it's a sin. This is sinful!"

Consequently, I asked Norman, "Is it sinful to eat a piece of the Swiss chocolate they brought us or shall we wait till Xmas?"

So far, we haven't committed the sin yet. Perhaps on Xmas Day when it's no longer a sin!

Mmmm...

Funny how it smells like homemade fresh-baked pandesal (bread) even now as I am writing about Elsa's pandesal! She brought me the bread, etc., this noon. Now it's night time and I put the rest in the freezer so it can last longer cause it's a lot, and I smell its freshness right now. So strong!

The sweet smell of the wonders of God!

"CLAIM AND BELIEVE"

"Today, I claim my Perfect Health."

This thought, very innocently, came to me yesterday after talking about the EMMYS 2010 and Eating (somehow, the 2 meshed together) on my music blog. 

Something wonderful happened after that. I took a break, walked around the neighborhood and went to one of my favorite book stores. Something got my attention, a small beautifully packed box of recipes entitled EATING WELL -Healthy In A Hurry - there is my claim! Nature talking to me again, as usual! It was a wonderful experience, the start of something good.

This whole experience started when I text and emailed home to say a little prayer for me to be able to get this job offer at a nearby company. Somehow, I knew deep inside I was gonna get the job but it was my brother Mike's message to Claim and Believe that nailed it. So...

"Today, I claim my perfect job in Health."

"Today, I claim my perfect career in Music."

I no longer dream it, I live it!

Mmmm...

Lychees...one of my favorite fruits!

Mmmm...

Hot water with fresh mint and lemon - delicious! At a fancy Italian restaurant -great food, great company, great birthday!

GUILTY PLEASURES

All right, I had a Mrs. Field's cookie and I'm guilty. But, hey, I only had 1! Well, it's not the cookie that I'm guilty about. T'was semisweet chocolate chip cookie, so not bad, but what made me feel bad was, usually, I'd get a cookie or 2 at the most, only when I have loose change or singles in my purse. But to go back to my locker to get a $20.00 bill and break it just to buy a cookie, almost got 2 to justify spending more than $1.50 for my $20.00 bill!? Excuses, excuses...Hey, I'm geting there. I'm conscious of what I'm doing. Discipline, discipline, discipline, I know.

But, hey, when I was eating, a lady stopped right in front of me, apparently looking or waiting for someone. And right on my face, almost hitting me, was her handbag, and guess what was written all over it - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE......

There's a reason for everything, folks. Nature supports even my eating Mrs. Field's cookies, once in awhile!

Anyway, Love, it's all over me, in and out, so above, so below, around me, everywhere. Nature nurtures! I shall sit still here now. Amen to that! Amen.

From guilty pleasures to a new beginning, yeah. I like that. Love it!

A Nice Cool Walk

Just got back from a nice cool walk at Union. Visited a friend and daughter and granddaughter for dinner and chat. And daughter, Yasmin, is such a pro on the computer, she combined my 2 blogs together! Finally, my blogs work! God, thanks, Yasmin! I was almost giving up on one of them. I owe you one! 

And thanks for a delicious dinner and dessert, you're a great cook, like mother, like daughter! And, oh, Sadie is such a beautiful baby, like mother, like daughter! Alright, like grandma, too!

Zita, Yasmin, Sadie, thanks for the invite! Moments like these are priceless.  Luv ya...

Jazzed Out!!

I'm all jazzed out this weekend from the street fair and my solo gig yesterday plus the Jazz Worship at Calvary today! And all "flagged" out with my american flag outfit from my american flag baseball cap to my american flag jacket right down to my american flag socks! I have a pair of american flag tennis shoes but I couldn't find 'em!  And, oh, all "corned "out from all the corns on the cobs - roasted, wood-fired and steamed! And, of course, all full with good food, too. Nice to be home and just relax...I'm wiped out!!

FILLMORE JAZZ FESTIVAL

Jazz street fair! Great! Lots of fun!