I’ve always been drawn to meditation. I believe the merits of proper mediation can bring about positive change. In my efforts to start meditating I came across some useful tips I thought I would share…

Start with posture. Your posture must be very comfortable and allow you to stay perfectly still. Ideally, legs are crossed and fingers clasped. Close your eyes. Now if you can… stop the mind from thinking. For me, this is often the most difficult part. And finally, relax. Totally relax.

When we cross our legs and clasp our fingers it allows our energy circuits to flow. And since eyes are the doors to the mind, so should our eyes be closed. It requires my full concentration to perfectly relax. Relaxation is one of the most important aspects of meditation because when the body relaxes the mind can “travel”.

If this is all starting to sound a bit too hare krishna, remember that meditation is a mental journey. According to vibrantenergy, the mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts and the trick is not to go behind the thoughts. But rather cut the thought, and come back to the breath..

Always. Witness. The. Breath.

To witness the breath means allowing the natural inhalation (or exhalation) happen on it’s own. This also helps with the whole relaxation process. At this stage of meditation I’m usually done my session. Which begs a final question: How long do I meditate? The meditation guru suggests you meditate for as long as your physical age – if you are 25 you would meditate for 25 minutes.

Happy meditating  :)

Well, according to Derek Siver, a free-thinking entrepreneur:

Announcing your plans to others satisfies your self-identity just enough that you’re less motivated to do the hard work needed.

Sivers references psychological studies that have found if a person announces a solution to a problem, before it has been achieved, it now becomes a social reality.

We are actuality sabotaging our own ability to accomplish our goals. So next time you’re tempted to call your best pal and spill the beans on your next big plans, try practicing a little…

It starts with denial. This was a no-brainer for me because I didn’t always have curly hair. I had stick straight hair, glossy and smooth. Granted I was six years old, but my hair was easy and I didn’t think about it (admittedly, not many six years olds do think about their hair). But as the years passed and I turned twelve/thirteen my hair began to change. It curled. Not only did it curl, it grew fuzzy and coarse. And as this hair change occurred, I stood in staunch denial. I don’t have curly hair, this is just a phase. It will pass. Well, guess what… it didn’t.

So then began the straightening procedures. I pulled and tugged and dried the crap out of my hair in an attempt to have that smooth straight hair that everyone else had. It’s true, not many people rocked the curls back in the 80′s; unless you were a pop star and sported the afro (and were black or half black). The straightening didn’t work so well and often left me frustrated and with sore arms and hands.

Until…. I reached the financially solvent age of adulthood were I was able to pay for straight hair. A new millennium was here and I, a young professional, found myself with disposable income to spend as I wish (i.e. on expensive hair treatments). When the keratin treatments came out promising smooth, straight hair for months I ran right into the arms of mister keratin. And he did exactly as promised. I had straight, smooth, glossy hair. The financial cost aside, my hair was soaked and saturated in chemicals. At the time I told myself that I did not care. That if this was the price for straight hair, I would pay it. But as the months passed I realized having chemicals so close to my brain and so near to my face was probably a bad idea. So as the keratin slowly released its grip on my hair, so did the smooth straightening effect. And as the curls (and coarseness) returned I felt happy. I felt pure and natural.

My wild hair stage.

And this is the prefect place to enter the next phase, acceptance. The acceptance phase in my curl journey was to embrace and even welcome my fate of a curly coif. The drama that ensued with this stage (there is always drama) is that I went a little too far with the embracing and decided to wear an afro, with wild hair coming out in all directions. I thought, “Why not cut off all my long locks! They are dry and brittle anyway. Rock the ‘fro!” Sounds like a great idea when high on confidence and loaded with courage. Alas, soon after my locks were sheered off, I regretted it. Ouch. No way to turn the clock back on that one.

The moral of the story is that throughout the process, each step was integral to get to where I am now – peaceful reconciliation. I knew then that short hair was not for me. And when my hair grew back (hair does grow back!) I had a newfound appreciation for my curly locks.

This blog is dedicated to my curly hair guru, Healthy Curls. Thank you Healthy Curls, you’re a brilliant inspiration to all us curly haired gals out there!

Parc-nature du Cap-Saint-Jacques

Isn’t she lovely… ?

Cap St Jacques, Quebec

Take Halla Tomasdottir for example, the Icelandic entrepreneur who started a financial services company in the midst of the greatest financial hardships Iceland has ever seen. Click here to watch how and why she is doing it.

Another creative genius lies in Elizabeth Gilbert’s address (watch here) on the intricacies of finding creativity and how to keep it; and most of all, whether it even belongs to us at all.

And I could not list my favorite creators these days without mentioning Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits. Besides advocating a simple, minimalist lifestyle Leo taps the creativity keg by believing the merits of creativity can be summoned by doing fun things you love every day. Shake your creativity tree! – Leo says. Blog! Listen to good music! Dance! Cook!

And go easy on yourself when your creativity is not flourishing. To live a creative life is to find fun when things start to feel stale. Finding new ways of doing things when the same ‘ol becomes routine and monotonous.

Creativity is not a spectator sport, it’s time to join the game. If only I could stop sticking inspiring notes and quotes on my fridge and actually do something creative… that would be something original!

These are fresh spring rolls we ordered in a restaurant/bar in Hanoi. The owner was a young guy who has an uncle in Toronto. Delicious food. If you will be in Vietnam, check out Caballos!

Spring Rolls in Hanoi, Vietnam

This was categorized under the “drink” section on a Malaysian menu in Kuala Lumpur. The food in Malaysia was hands-down the best. This “drink” is just a sampling of the strange and wonderful  items on the menu (…and yes, that is corn and nuts in there)!

Drink in Kuala Lumpur

We had the fortune of finding a night FOOD market in Malaysia (Langkawi island). The market was filled with rows of locals selling The Most Amazing food. The BBQ chicken (below) is among many of the delicious wares.

BBQ Chicken (malaysia)

Okay, now these scallops that were BBQed in their shell were without a doubt mouth-wateringly amazing!! I think we ordered them twice and went back the next night! These sea-fresh scallops were prepared with lemon, oil, garlic and shallots – cooked to perfection over a hot coal BBQ!

Delicious Sea-side Scallops!

Among the delicacies in Asia was the Dim Sum! And among the superb Dim Sum were the steamed pork dumplings. Large in size, these dumplings were soft and moist on the outside and warm and flavorful on the inside….

Pork Dumpling

One cannot count their food blessings in Asia without chicken satay. A peanut sensation, these BBQ skewered chicken loved their peanut sauce. The pairing was to-die-for!

Chicken Satay

And at last, I leave you with this seafood noodle medley from Vietnam. Noodles are high on any Asian menu and do not disappoint with fresh veggies, squid, shrimp and tender noodles done to perfection!

Seafood Medley

4 medium-sized potatoes (peeled and scalloped)
3 tbsp butter
1.5 cups of milk (I use 2%)
1/2 cup flour
1 cup of cheddar cheese
1 roasted garlic glove (optional, onions work well too)
Salt & pepper to taste

In a saucepan, warm the milk on medium low heat. In another saucepan, melt the butter. Sift the flour into the melting butter, stirring constantly. Once flour is absorbed, add the warm milk to the roux, half a cup at a time. Add the finely minced garlic (or onion), cheddar cheese, salt & pepper.

In a casserole dish, arrange the scalloped potatoes in a single layer. Add 1/4 cup of the mixture to cover the layer of potatoes. Keep layering until you’ve finished the potatoes. Pour any remaining mixture over the potatoes.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 375-degrees for 1-hour.

Enjoy !

Having read and absorbed Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel on the subject of marriage (Committed), I took notice of a particular study called the Marriage Benefit Imbalance. Now while this raises much controversy, the imbalance is still a legitimate theory in sociological study. The study argues that women do not benefit from marriage as much as their male partners do. And while current research and discussions surrounding this topic are far more complex than what I’m touching upon, I do believe the work does have its merits.

Besides Gilbert, I recently found myself drawing from another witty and liberated writer, Dorothy Parker. In honor of Ms Parker, herewith are a few of my favorite quotes:

That would be a good thing for them to cut on my tombstone: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment.

Constant use had not worn ragged the fabric of their friendship.

Heterosexuality is not normal, it’s just common.

All I need is room enough to lay a hat and a few friends.

If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.

Take care of luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves.

Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses.

Women and elephants never forget.

I am grateful for disappointment and consequences. For without these we cannot learn and grow.

I am grateful for the chance to enjoy moments when we are at our most vulnerable. Realizing the importance of living through these moments so we can push ourselves to become stronger.

I am grateful to be cognizant. To be aware of myself and my thoughts, however unsettling, intense or afflicted as they may be.

I’m grateful to be here, to be living this life. If we allow it, life has many lessons to teach us each day.

And I’m grateful for personal absolution. For the ability to release myself from past mistakes and move forward into the future with hope and optimism.

Happy new year everybody..