In Solitude
Sept 2010
Posts
My Escape to the Nature
Sept 2010, Wingfield Basin, view of Georgian Bay , ON, Canada How does it feel when your living room is a white stone beach for a couple of hours? and when the TV shows the view of a lake in a large screen? Here, in Wingfield Basin, Ontario, visitors come and go and the creative ones leave behind a furniture set. Next visitor can stop here for couple of hours and enjoy the view and the sound of the waves. I just got back from a weekend trip. I visited Tobermory, Ontario and surrounded area. I recommend this trip to everyone, specially those of you who live in Ontario.
Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)
Since I come across more books that I ever read (usually they are recommended by friends and colleagues or I hear about them in different occasions), I thought I should start a category on "book recommendations". Then, when I am less lazy, I can go back and pick one of them. Today, I heard about this book, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) . I was told it is easy read and interesting book.
Fashion vs. Style
I can't care less about fashion. I think it is sad to be told what to wear and this is exactly what fashion does. You hear people say they never wear this or that because it is so out of fashion .... I won't claim I have a particular style myself but I admire those who have. This is a blog that I have found recenlty and I beleive it does an intersting job presenting people with different styles.
Winter
Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer), Monet, from here What I don't like about the winter is not -20C temperature. I am quite all right with the cold; it is shorter days. It gets dark too early.
The Happiness Hypothesis
"Wisdom is now so cheap and abundant that it floods over us from calendar pages, tea bags, bottle caps, and mass e-mail messages forwarded by well-meaning friends." Jonathan Haidt wrote that in his book, the Happiness Hypothesis. It is so true but it seems that we can't use this wisdom at all since we are still looking for answers to our questions about life and happiness. Apparently, Haidt has compiled all useful wisdom that we need to know in this book, the Happiness Hypothesis. I have heard many good reviews about this t. It is not self-help book but a combination of ancient ideas and new research findings about happiness from socio-psychological point of view and it is highly regarded by scholars in this field. I will be reading this book and I invite you (if you get the hold of the book) to read it with me if you haven't already. I'd like to know what you think about it. It makes a more interesting discussion.
Memoirs of a Geisha
"Now I know that our world is no more permanent than a wave rising on the ocean. Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however we may suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper." ~ by Arthur Golden (Memoirs of a Geisha) I just finished this book and the above quote is how this book ends. It was one of the greatest book I have ever read. The story seemed very real. The author is very expressive that it was hard for me to believe that those words didn't come from a woman who actually endured this kind of living. I am not sure if I should watch the movie since usually the movie is not as good as the book itself. More great quotes from the book are available here .
this is not a post. it is a message
I couldn't find the article you were talking about on Psychology Today, Oct 2010. Could you please send me the citation. Thanks :))
The Meaning of Life!
Be Happy, show up, follow your heart, find a new perspective, have a sense of wonder, find people you love, set goals, help others, dance, pamper yourself, face your fears, go to a museum, exercise, limit television, get in touch with nature, lighten up, get a good night sleep, read books, buy yourself flowers, don't compare yourself with others, don't beat yourself up, be open to new ideas, don't focus on negative thoughts, focus on creating what you desire, make time just to have fun, keep the romance in your life, make a gratitude list, love your mother earth, want what you have, be true to yourself , because life is too short to do anything else. Live your life.
Homemade pepper spray
My family is a big fan of spicy food. So many different chilles and spices can be found in my mom’s kitchen. I still remember that when we used to live in Iran, my mom’s chicken curry was famous among my relatives. Not everyone could stand eating it but those few who could always talked about how delicious it was. If you are familiar with Iranian cuisine, you will find this odd since our food is not spicy hot and chicken curry is not Iranian food either. But this is my family and we are different. My mom’s experiment with spicy food isn't limited to chicken curry. For example, pick some fresh red chillies from the backyard. Cut them into small pieces and saute them in a pan. Put the lid on and forget about it for couple of minutes. When everyone at home starts coughing for no apparent reason, you will remember that you have a pot of hot chillies on the stove. Whatever you do, make sure your daughter does not take off the lid. If she does, there will be a very spicy vapour coming ...