The Best Year Ever

Today I was a part of a huge seminar called "Have Your Best Year Ever": it was more of a hit than I had anticipated! The event was a huge professional success, which I'm proud of; however, the biggest win was that it helped me to re-assess and re-engage my dedication to integrity.

I've gotten away from writing daily here, & that is one thing which I value. I don't want to see an entire month go by when I don't write; yet, by choosing day after day that I "don't have time" this happens. It is so easy to get caught up in what is important in any given moment, that we lose track of the things which we really care about making time for. This is where the importance of priortizing, conciously allocating our time, & discipling our actions becomes so vital.

One of the speakers was Casey Cunningham, the co-founder of XINNIX & a nationally recognized speaker. Both in content & delivery, her presentation resonated with me. Live with Passion. One book she referenced was The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, this is a book which I read in college, & was motivated by at the time. Unfortuantely, without action, motivation lasts less than 24 hours. The reference to this book (which I highly suggest reading) re-energized my desire to conciously take control of my life.

A few of the very actionable tips we received are as follows:

Formula for Success:

A few Simple decisions repeated daily

"A mission statement are Dreams connected to Action"

"Watch your thoughts; they become your words.

Watch your words; they become your actions.

Watch your actions; they become your habits.

Watch your habits; they become your character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny"

- Author unknown

Ask yourself this question, what are you passionate about? Without passion in our lives, there is no possibility for it to have nearly the joy it could if we followed what enthralls us.

Casey spoke about learning to give, & that's what it comes down to; no matter what our passion, we'll achieve more if we're helping others. She also emphasized the importance of learning to give -- life is not a competition: there is more than enough money to be earned, friends to be had, health to be enjoyed, & love to be embraced for everyone you could meet & share with. We should be ecstatically looking for opportunites to share our best practices with others, it is all about the "Gift of giving".

Our life is soley a product of what we choose to make it; today, I am re-dedicating myself to who I am, what I want my life to be. Carpe Diem!

The one with Brunelleschi's Dome

I just finished reading a book by Ross King about the unbelievable magnificence which is Il Duomo in Florence Italy: Brunelleschi's Dome.

In order to get from my apartment to the University were I was studying, I was privelaged to walk through Piazza Duomo several times a day. Many times the Piazza was littered with tourists, with which I became very agitated since they were unaware of their surroundings simply staring upward in utter awe. It is to this day the largest dome constructed in the classical manner; as much as I could easily get upset, on those rare occasions when I would stroll through & be the only person int he Piazza, I couldn't deny how breathtaking a sight it was. It is perfection of architecture: lacking & needing nothing at all to instill a great sense of wonder within you.

Simply reading about a facet of the city I know so well & long for, initially drove me to read the book; however, there were many interesting points to be found within it, both on cultural & historical notes.

"Hoping to make a name for themselves, these new inhabitatnts of Babylonia took it upon themselves to found a great city named Babel, "the gate of God": "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unton heaven"." (100). The Story of the founding of Babylon is quite funny when you consider its consequences, & the ensuing etemology of the word Babel. This word eventually found its way into the 2006 bomb of a movie "Babel" which was more horrifically awkward than anything else. Still I found it's allusion a good forumn on which to think, & I appreciate the author's reference of it espceically when considering the scope of Fioravanti's vision.

Other allusions I enjoyed include one to Dante's Devine Comedy: the buliding of the dome was described as "di giro in giro" or "circle by circle", which was a phrase Dante used to describe the levels of both Paradise & Hell. I find the notion of the encircling, or rather leading to deeper & more profound truths quite intoxicating. I also LOVE the parallel used near the end of the book to describe how being within the dome brings "tranquility of the soul" 164; walking through the pristinely quiet Bisilica brings to mind "grace under pressure", what a beautifully fitting analogy for such a magnificent triumph.

Filippo Brunelleschi brought to life a vision which has yet to be surpassed nearly 600 years later, his masterpiece inspires all forms of Ingegno (Genius) & is a vision which will forever permeate my psyche.

The one with Dance

It has been an incredibly busy week; I was hoping for something which was fun & would help me to unwind, & I found just that!! My cousins got Just Dance 2 on Wii for Christmas, & convinced me to try it with them after work. This is more fun than I can possibly begin to relay. I'll be the first to admit I have NO rhythm; however, that certainly won't stop me from getting into it! Though I was able to get very high scores -- several High Scores if we're going to be honest -- it was much more entertaining in a comic way than it was an inspired form of "dance". Between the cardiac activity, laughter, & sincere unadulterated fun, it can't be beat!

The music is all feel-good as well! Just Dance has a great mix from Techno "Satisfaction" straight from the clubs of Prague, to the soul-shaking Tina Turner's "Proud Mary". Then you can get into the 90's with Fatboy Slim's "Rockafeller Skank" or even try an Indian dance which reminds me of a wild video entitled "Really Crazy Indian Music Dance Video - Kallorri Vaanil" which makes me laugh uncontrollably EVERY time!

The songs continue with great dance moves to go with each such as follows: "Hey Ya" by Outkast, The Beastie Boys "Body Movin'", & a great African themed one which may be my fav!

I could probably win AFV (America's Funnies Home Videos - for those not brought up in the late 80's - 90's) with how ridiculous my moves look, especially when rocking leggings, a sports bra, & a white-neck-cut-out-off-the-shoulder T, but what matters is it gets you moving, is an adrenaline rush of fun, & allows bonding time with friends or family!

The one with Christmas Songs

Today I was feeling Festive! So I put on a darling little outfit (seen below save for my patterned stockings & black booties) & listened to Christmas music on my drive to work.

I wore a black pencil skirt, with a black ruffled shirt; patterned black stockings, a white lace-backed open sweater, a Cranberry red thick belt, & black stiletto booties! Fun.

Despite being a grown woman, I get giddy excited around the Holidays, & Christmas music really gets me to the it-is-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year place. Here are some of my favourites, I hope you have a wonderful Holiday, & that these bring a warm smile to your face!

My all-time favourite Christmas song is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" as sung by Katie Meula or Frank Sinatra; they both get it. There are deep levels of emotions inherent in this song which are too often overlooked when a performer approaches this song. It's touching in a very solemn way. My absolute favourite.

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a mighty & impressive thing to behold! Even on their most docile of tunes they bring immense presence which shakes you. Their Carol of the Bells is fantastic & riveting in that it brings Rock to Christmas in a beautifully elegant way! As a juxtaposition, their Christmas Canon is peaceful to a tee - it quite truly makes my heart break with joy!

Now Rob Thomas does a song which is just feel-good Christmas Spirit & I Love it for that! Merry New York City Christmas in guaranteed to bring a smile to my face EVERY time!

And now we come to a man who quite possibly may be the most gorgeous voice I have ever had the pleasure to hear: Bing Crosby. His White Christmas is a classic; also a movie which I can't get through the holidays without seeing! Bing's voice is like Burgundy, in all its forms: wine, wood, colour. It fills the room, warms, comforts & calms. It is slow & purposeful -- from a different time we've forgotten. This is seen perfectly in Do You Hear What I Hear? This song fills you with the hope of a greater belief...that anyone can have an effect on the world. Finally la piece de la resistance: Bing & David Bowie, The Little Drummer Boy - Peace on Earth. Encompasses everything the Holidays are about.

Wishing you the most happy of Christmases!

The one with an Aerator

Today was exciting in a way which multiplied! One of the Mortgage Planners in my office came in & brought each of us a bottle of wine as a Christmas gift! (Huge Wine Enthusiast if I haven't before mentioned it). It was quite a busy day, & I was looking forward to relaxing with a glass of wine. When I arrived home, my cousin begged my Aunt to let her give me my Christmas present early. I was nearly certain I knew what she got me, & her excitement to give it to me when I mentioned having wine confirmed my suspicions. I was thrilled when I was proved entirely correct: she had gotten me a Vinturi Aerator!

Now, what an aerator does is allow red wine to breath instantaneously, to 'breath' is simply to get air into the wine. As the wine pours, it gains velocity at which point two small air tubes on each side of the devise allow air to be pulled into the wine, making a little bubbily noise. This allows a wine which would normally decant for an hour to be ready to drink in seconds! Decanters (& now aerators) are used with older & more complex red wines due to the need to balance out the tannins in them. Tannis are acquired from the skins of grapes, which also give the wine its beautiful color; they're the dryness or slightly bitter taste that you run into most predominantly in the wines of Italy. Decanting or aerating allows the tannis to balance out, as well as lets the wine fully develop so that you can experience the wider range of the olfactory, gustatory, & tactile subtleties it has to offer. Swirling wine in the glass also allows it to better breathe, which is one of the reasons you see the in-the-know crowd doing so. Vinturi is one of the top brand of Aerators available currently!

Thank goodness I has suspected it, or my excitement would have been completely uncontained!

The bottle I was gifted, was from the Central Valley of Chile. Chile is a wonderful source of new & exciting wines! Granted, it has been "discovered" within the last 3 years or so, it is still providing intriguing & bold wines of good integrity at a fantastic price to quality ratio! The estate is Agustos, a 2007 vintage Merlot Reserve. Unfortunately, this wine is at the very cut-off of being considered a Reserve, & I prefer them with quite a bit more time to develop; however, I was pleasantly surprised. It has that piercing darkness of the Merlot with shining glimpses of ruby around the edges. In typical Merlot style, it's soft & easy to contemplate over. It's fruity, like cooked Blackberries or plums, with hints of mint & herbs on the nose. It is fruity on the palat, though still needs a few years to truly balance out. Perhaps I'll try it again in 2012? Today presented two nicely complimenting presents, which I'm happily enjoying!

The one with greek yogurt...

I Love breakfast, I've said it before, but I absolutely LOVE it! Most mornings I'm eager to get ou the door & have some fruit or a quick omelette; however, this morning I had an overwhelming urge for yogurt. And not just any yogurt: greek yogurt! My favourite producer is Stony Field Farms. Oikos is Stony Field Farms' label for Greek yogurt; their plain is to die for!

The simple joy of greek yogurt & honey....that creamy & tart taste with unbelievable smoothness & subtle sweet. It is the perfect balance of sweet & tart, pure healthy simplicity & decadence. I only ever discovered Stony Field Farms because it's very nearby one of my good friend's hometown; she convinced me to try it, & I was HOOKED! StonyField Farms is all organic; if you don't understand that, check out the FAQ. What you need to know, is it's better for you & better for the environment -- read sustainability -- everyone wins!!


The site quotes "Greek yogurt has an incredibly rich & creamy texture, about twice the protein
of regular yogurt, less lactose, and fewer carbs. So it's no wonder Greek is flying off the shelves".
I couldn't agree more, it's filling, it's an incredible source of lean protein, adds creaminess to dishes without adding fat (did I mention it's Fat FREE!) The texture, creaminess, & taste of Greek yogurt are comprable to none!



The fabulous thing is that yogurt can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. As Simple as just Honey (how adorable is the Honey Jar below!) Or add some nice Strawberries or Mango!

Another favourite addtion is Kashi Go Lean cereal! Another wonderful source of pure goodness & protein!

The Oikos website had dozens of recipes which are tantalizing & healthy; such being smoked salmon spread, spicy flatbread pizza, Tazatziki (YUMMM), Cheesecake with lemon curd, and so much more! Check out their recipe section & discover the joy of Greek yogurt yourself!

The one with a Handmaid

I recently finished reading Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale; it is an incredible book about the human spirit which begs us to question our own character. It was one of those books where I begin reading & have tear away from it because though it's enthralling, I can't waste away a day simply reading. The novel was written in 1985 & has since won over 1/2 a dozen highly acclaimed awards as well as being adapted to every form of theatrical entertainment. I watched bits & pieces of the movie; however, as is so often the case, it could not do justice to print.

The plot is of an alternative US which has become a Military Dictatorship, The Republic of Gilead, formed after the assassination of the President & the successive restructuring of society which results in the elimination of rights to any form of freedom for 90% of the population. In this society dress-code references a person's social function, from the Commander, Wife, Handmaid, Martha's, Aunts, Angels, Etc. The Sons of Jacob, are the Jewish men who more or less rule The Republic of Gilead. What is interesting however, is that while the rulers of the nation were supposed to be Jewish, they used many Biblical stories as justification for strict rules, being closely tied to the stories as they were. This in & of itself is not strange when concerning extremists; that is, until you realize that half of the time, they're using stories from the New Testament, which of course is there Christianity separates from Judaism. (This is the one factor which the movie does in fact fix.) Fore it is only in the Old Testament that Judaism and Christianity are in agreement. I wonder if this was a detail which was overlooked by the Author, or some other rather strange twist in plot.

The diction, & discrimination when it comes to which details to focus into are impeccable. They get at how truly we take our freedoms for granted. "I looked at the cigarette with longing. For me, like liquor & coffee, they are forbidden" (14). The main character is constantly flashing back to her previous life, what they call 'the other time', she sums up the existence of a Handmaid as such: "We lived in the gaps between stories" (57).

One of my favorite lines is "We lived, as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance, you have to work at it" (56). It brings to light our nature, ignoring the things which bother us yet we cannot change; however, she brings this to the ultimate. A place where she has no choice but to ignore the complete loss of her constitutional rights. I begs the question, what evils do we ignore? Are there things we should take the stand to change?

Questions continued to circle my mind as I continued reading to better understand her world. What would I do? Would I have the integrity, the austerity of spirit, the defiance of her friend Moira? Would I eventually crumble? Would I forget the freedom I now enjoy? Would I forget my current life, the people in it? Would I still look for Love in such desolate circumstances? Would I join the injustice? Would I know how to spell Hope?

As I said, it was an outstanding & provoking book! Even in such a seriously based book, I found an eerily funny note at the end. It is only in the end notes that you find out the book was based around the city of Bangor, Maine. Why this is incredible & funny to me, is that from the 1st paragraph I read, I was picturing the center of Bangor, where I went to High School & grew up. I went to a private school of the same ear in the center of the city which down to each brick and old window fits the "red center". There is no University, but as one walks from the school down into the downtown you pass a large wall, several chruches, a grand library further into the downtown, dozens of glass-front shops, and eventually the river. It's breathtaking becuase I don't know why it struck me as such, but from the weather to the buildings I could see it, almost feel it as being in Bangor. Despite having lived in New Jersey now for over a year, that is exactly what came to mind when I was reading the pages of The Handmaid's Tale.

Here are some pictures of Bangor, as well as final quote to consider:

"its barren landscape, yet perfect; it's the sort of desert the saints went into, so their minds would not be distracted by profusion. I think this is what God must look like: an egg. The life of the moon may be be on the surface, but inside" (110)