I remain positive and hopeful

It is best to remain positive when triggers of ache befall me. I try. I really try.

Yesterday, was a tough day. I was overcome with the hurt again and this time,  I did not feel anything. I was numb. Never before have I felt this and it scares the living daylights out of me. I do not summon the sadness and heartache it comes in ebbs and highs.

I am not sure how much more time and what more do I need to say or think to get past this. There are no more tears to be shed. My body is exhausted from the mental and emotional circus I have been through. My tough days are getting tougher to overcome...

Yet, I remain positive and hopeful that up until the very end...our love wins.

Mastering HTC One S

"Mama's got a brand new toy!"

To say that I am enamored with my TMobile HTC One S..is so close to being accurate. What is there not to get all giddy and excited about this thin, sleek, fast and with all the widgets and doodads this doohickey comes with. Marvelous! I mean "phat fast!" and I love it.I carry just one phone now when I used to carry two. Imagine that.....

Iphone, begone!

I will have to figure out how to take a photo of this and post it here. You will love it. The first objective I really had when looking for a phone was a phone that did it all... simple request...and this baby, does everything EXCEPT wash the dishes!!

I can organize with it, take excellent photos for the Yelp (tm) reviews I do and the food I eat and the flowers I grow..everything! With excellent, no make that exceptional pictures! Love it. And I know that any woman wanting to get the next best thing to having a concierge follow you around all day,  HTC One S is the next best thing.

I am not a technocrat but I know a good gadget/friend/ memory/secretary that I can hold in the palm of my hand (with a nice red stylus' help) when I see one.

I can load free apps on it..FREE. I got Angry Birds (tm) for R..he plays it almost every night and he is getting very good at it, if I may say so myself. Constant correct practice does pay off. He enjoys it as well.

All the apps are for Android OS, so this is all new to me. And I love new things, who wouldn't, right? I am learning new good things everyday with this phone.

It has the ice cream sandwich operating system. I can move things around with a flick of the wrist, just right at my fingertips. Wow!

It synchronizes everything from my contacts, to Facebook (tm), Google (tm) Hotmail (tm) , I mean this baby is very, very good. I can even blog and load photos with this. Amazing!

I downloaded the ColorNotes App..and I can do lists for the day, for the week, monthly..and just like that - when I am done with it, I tap on the list name and it is gone. Did I say it was fast? I did. And it is.

I hardly endorse any product ever but this one, let me say that if you are looking or in the market for a new phone - look no more - HTC One S is the best there is in the market right now. Google knows what it is doing. And I am pleased with my purchase.

The PlayStore is an app that is a gift that keeps on giving.

The phone quality is very good, crisp and clear.

The screen on this - leave me speechless. It is so freakin' great.

I love to text and this is so much more fun to text with.

It has a Movie Editor App as well.. it takes 99 continous photo shots with just one held press. Whoa!

Wifi - OMG! It will take me a whole day to herald the wonders this piece of technology can do. When I am at home and have Wifi, I can make calls via wifi. No need to use my plan minutes. And when I am out of wifi coverage area my mobile network just kicks in ..how great is that?!

I have graduated from the Iphone (tm) it was very good, but by golly this is even better..much better..no comparison.

Okay, is the drool apparent? I think I am foaming in the mouth when I start talking about my HTC One S.

Consider it. I am sure you will not regret having one. Just remember to charge it nightly. Depending on your use of the unit it can drain the battery life in general but if you use it within reason, charging it at overnight will suffice for a one day or whole day use.

Ok enough said..I love it!

Thank you R. :-)

How does one begin to garden..

Oh, you know how it goes..I believe that you also know how to start gardening. Remember, there is a gardener in everyone. maybe you have not yet discovered that side of you the one that can grow either vegetables, herbs or flowers..it is in every one of us. You gotta to believe.... to make it happen, is my mantra.

A few simple tools is all you need. If all else fails -  hands are our best tools  take it from me,  I had some pretty long nails when all these gardening began. They are down to a stubble now - and then again there are gloves - but there's nothing like getting some dirt in your hands.  A small trowel, a four pronged fork, a pair of gloves, a bucket for watering..viola! You are well-equipped!

Pick what you would like to work with.. be it with veggies, flowers or herbs. Keep it simple. Read the instructions. Ask questions at the nursery. Each plant that is sold out there come with a tag that help us make these babies grow. We want to succeed in seeing each plant come to life... in color..and no better color is there that is good for the eyes and the environment better than green.

Don't forget to water - preferrably in the morning. Moderation is the key. Plant or re-pot them in the morning as well. We would not want to send our babies "to bed in their wet pajamas" now, do we? There you go..it's the simple things make gardening fun.

 Do not over think things. Do I talk to my plants? - Shhh...but I do. I sing even..gently of course. I also listen and try to "read" what each one wants or likely need.

Pick dead leaves and unsightly petals off the plant. Plants love to look pretty too! Bugs can be picked by hand from the plant without squashing them or worst using pesticides. 

Composting is also a good thing. Take some dirt, dig a hole and nourish with peelings from your kitchen..anything..banana peels, onion skins, tomatoes, potato skins, sprigs of herbs - anything.. then cover with dirt..and aerate now and again. Water the top and if compost is ready, use.. there is beauty in simplicity, I say. No need for smancy-fancy fertilizer - make your own, be creative.

Here are the photos, I promised..Enjoy!

Happy gardening, everyone.

There is a gardener inside everyone..

Gardening is such an addictive endeavor.

I plant for a living. Really, I plant things to grow and then make my living out of that. This is not new to me or me to it! So when the "project" of creating a garden for R was undertaken..I jumped into it with full heart, both arms and legs!! I am loving everyday of it. The photo above is a collage of the blue flowers that I would never find in my neck of the woods, and became my inspiration to start off this project.

The snapdragons are bright and sturdy..I love it! On the foreground are the basils that R likes (he used some yesterday for his roasted peppers, mozzarella and basil with olive oil salad - fabulous!!).

Geraniums and a yellow rose are also in the to-be planted list. Exciting!!

Here are some thoughts and lines that I have learned about gardening...

• "More grows in the garden than the gardener's sow' - Spanish proverb
• Water to plants are like "I love you's", the more you do it the better the results.
• A wise gardener anticipates June in January.
• As a gardener, I learn more from my mistakes than in my successes.
• I practice my optimism when I tend the garden.
• Patience
• Like people, plant respond positively to the extra attention.
• Cultivate the garden within.
• Notice how plants that are about to removed have a habit of suddenly doing better?
• Gardening is a way of showing I believe in tomorrow.
• I bury my troubles by digging in the dirt.
• Hope never dies in a true gardener's heart.
• Cares melt away when you kneel in a garden.
• Adam and Eve were in a garden, where it all began.
• So many seeds, so little time.

This afternoon, I spoke and visited my neighbors backyard garden to check out their cherry tomatoes that are in full bloom and have fruits. I need the tomato trellis. She is so kind to show me her plants and give me gardening tips.

 I even spoke to a lady who bought roses at the nursery as I was buying more herbs this morning for R's herb garden. The bond between gardeners are unique. And the veteran gardeners can spot a wannabe instantly. I had to pass the two question test. Luckily, I did! .It can be a very interesting verbal exchange as one stands in the check out line.

Non-gardeners are just gardeners that have not taken the time nor invested the sweat to grow things. Such therapeutic activity can really be good for you when you want to believe in the things that is more than yourself. Gardening can be loads of fun.

Planting can be laborious and outright tedious at times but seeing them do better the next day is the reward in itself..and them comes the fruits and the herbs..wonders of nature.

I will take more photos of the garden tomorrow. From zero life to what it is now..I love it! I will share the progress with you.

Spring is close and summer is almost here..the sun feels great in the morning as I water these plants, pull out the weeds..and the best thing is, I will get to do it again tomorrow. Life goes on.

Oishii..meaning delicious in Japanese

Sushi..Oishii!

 There are few simple pleasures in life, in a diva's life in  my case that is worth its weight in gold..or raw fish.. in this case.

I love seafood. I come from a place where seafood is accessible and fresh, daily..and yours for the taking (for a price, of course!). I come here in another part of the world and enjoy some more fish. How fabulous is that?!

Alas, but I cannot divulge where this place is..for even here, for a relatively reasonable price (lots of good things in life can come with a steep price tag..) you can savour, devour or in my case, love, love, love sushi..in a bento box. 

We have a weekend tradition that have started decades ago..meaning ten plus some odd years really..R and I have been going to this place and we have been trying their selection of sushis. We have favorites and...well,we have favorites..again this weekend will not be an exception.

Terrific and delicious sushi...next time someone invites you to go try a Japanese restaurant don't be turned off by the sushi word..raw fish - coz it's not all about that..it is about the best ingredients put together with a lot of care and meticulous precision with a splash of simple artistry for your pleasure and enjoyment. If you have to have good food, why not make it the best! Japanese food, let me tell you if made by authentic food handlers could be a heavenly experience..try it, at least once..some sushi are cooked, if I might add that to entice you to at least try it. Make it a gastronomical adventure. Cooked sushi are the ebi (shrimp) or the tako (octupos) or the mackerel and many others..with a little wasabi and sprinkling of soy sauce (kikkoman only, please!) you are set to have a great lunch.

Note: pictures below (Shrimp tempura roll, burdock salad and a piece of grilled mackerel and the ever fave - tuna roll, cucumber roll and an assortment of sushi..."Oishii".

These are pictures of our last couple of trips to this Japanese joint. Now,I can't tell you where it is coz then I have to kill you...hahaha..

Have a great and safe weekend everyone! I know we will..Cheers!

 

Cerebral Calisthenics....

It is such a lovely day today that I am posting something light and sunny..to be consistent with the gorgeous weather, the lovely view I am enjoying by the window sill - tapping on the keys to my computer. Listening to the chirping birds, the mountains, valley and hills are magnificent...anything more than this..I would be in Italy sipping a nice cup of coffee and nibbling some panaforte..hahaha..I wish! But again...

Let's have some fun, shall we...

Question: What do you call a good looking, sensitive and intelligent guy?
Answer: A hearsay or commonly known as.. a rumor.

Q: Why do men chase after women they have no plans of marrying?
A: Same reason dogs chase after cars they don't have plans on driving.

Q: Why are men like chocolates?
A: The good ones are usually rich and goes straight to your hips!

The answers to these questions are at the end of the page - try to do the test..WITHOUT CHEATING, please..

Brain twister: What is a fifteen (15) letter word for - one to one?

Rearrange the letters to the following 7 words to come up with a word that means "almost the same" as the original word given..
Use every single letter on the original word.
 Example:
 Astronomer - when the letters are rearranged I have - Moon Starer

Desperation -

The eyes -

Election Results -

A Decimal Point -

Eleven plus two -

Mother in law -

George Bush -


Answers:
Brain twister - keep thinking!! Huh! Not going to get the answer that quickly!!

Rearrange the letters to the word..
DESPERATION - A rope ends it
THE EYES - They see
ELECTION RESULTS - Lies lets recount
A DECIMAL POINT - Im a dot in place
ELEVEN PLUS TWO - Twelve plus one
MOTHER IN LAW - Woman Hitler
GEORGE BUSH - He bugs Gore

Hope you had fun..I did!