6/29/2011 0 Comments Italy, Yoga, The Finish LineLast night my family and I visited a group of relatives for a dinner party. And as we sat around the dinner table that was filled with the colors of food and conversation, my mother and her cousin got in the subject of my plan to take a study abroad trip this next Spring to Rome, Italy, for an Art History program. When my mom's cousin realized that the program was only one quarter long, he began to persuade me that spending only that much time in a country that you want to grasp as much as you need and yearn of is practically useless, that in order to really get something out of the language and art and the country itself, I'd have to stay in Rome for a year instead.
And I knew he was right...Especially because he told me that when his daughter was in college and spent a year in France, she had gone from telling him during an urgent phone call that she understood no French after the 3-month mark, to relaxedly saying towards the end of the year that she spoke as fluently and confidently in French as in English! And so, I will definitely keep the idea of staying in Rome for one year in mind. :) (And probably in France too, since French is my minor and the French language is one of many things I enjoy surrounding myself with...). Committment is a big thing when it comes to, really, any type of situation. Whether it's going on a trip to Italy to learn about its art history, or deciding to take a yoga class after months of avoiding exercise (I admit I'm a sort of victim to that situation...), committment is key to getting far. When one begins to face the seemingly difficult things about trying to get to the finish line, such as noticing that you can't do the tree stance as well as you would like, all you can do is place those difficulties in the brightest light possible--in the light that convinces you that rather than hurting you, they will help you gain more confidence to get to where you want to go...So really, once you have taken the time and learned to master the tree stance, you will be one major step closer to being the true devoter to yoga that you wanted to be. :) Committment means moving as far as you can without looking back; looking the obstacles daringly in the eye and telling them they will be overcome; and celebrating all the little and big accomplishments as you move along the path of long-term achievement and enhancement. ~~MC
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Hello! So this is a sort of continuation of my last post--about the wonderfulness and splendid aura of sunshine, and about the breeziness of Summer season. :) Especially if you're a Seattleite, one's eyes will be opened to a new world when it comes to sunny places! Before I flew to California last week, I was covering every inch of myself with warm shoes and clothes as I spent 90 percent of my days at coffeeshops, cozying up to hot mugs of heaven that helped me escape from the rushing (yet calm-inducing) waterfalls happening outside the windows... ..And now all of a sudden, I'm wearing flip flops, jumping in swimming pools, and eating frozen bananas (covered in chocolate and on a stick, otherwise just a plain frozen banana wouldn't be delicious of course ;) ), in a place where clouds and rain are replaced by an overwhelming wash of baby blue and golden yellow! Plus, not only have I actually seen my toes free from the constraints of shoes and colder weather, but my eyes have also beheld seemingly endless beaches infused with the sounds of laughter and splashes, as well as with the rich smell of flowers and Summer that linger all the way into cool nights. I do love Seattle and its cozy lifestyle, as there's no other place where I'd rather live, but it is always nice to have a change of scene from time to time. :D It's exciting that way, because without that kind of change it's hard to see life as a never-ending series of adventures--which is how people mostly want to live their lives. So whether it means taking a vacation like what I'm doing, or just switching up a few decorating pieces in your home for a fresh look to wake up to the next morning, your days will become more of an eye-opening experience than a set of routines. So put on your brightest swimsuit, take in a breath of the fresh scent of something new, and jump in! ~~MC You don't realize how big of a diffference a change of weather makes, until the weather changes...That's why I'm telling you to enjoy every sunny day that comes to you! :) (both in the literal and figurative sense...)
My family and I flew for our lovely family vacation to California, to a city about an hour-long drive from Los Angeles; and since our plane landed, I have been almost overwhelmed by the joy that comes with sunny weather--Flip flops, short pants, swimsuits and swimming pools, cold and blazingly refreshing drinks; I actually needed to take a step back to believe that I had just swtiched to these wonderful things, from Seattle's almost-completely-opposite weather (not that I don't love Seattle; but it never hurts to step out of routine and into something extraordinarily different..). So throw on your flip flops, put on your most flattering pair of sunglasses, and get yourself outside to enjoy the golden rays! It will make the rest of your day positively, infinitely, undeniably more relaxing and filled with that highly-anticipated Summer vibe. ;) ~~MC 6/23/2011 0 Comments A New SoundWould you like a small dose of entertainment today, just to get your mind off of life's worries for a few minutes? :) Well, here's your chance!
My family and I saw this music video on the huge screen at the EMP, when we had just seen their Avatar exhibit for Father's Day (my dad is in love with that movie...). We were at first planning to just stroll through this area because we thought it was only for sitting and watching if you were bored or waiting for someone to be done looking at an exhibit...But then the four of us found ourselves half an hour later, still sitting on one of the cozy benches, leaning relaxingly against the back wall, and enjoying the music videos by Ok Go and pondering at their great effort and creativity used behind the camera! So here is my personal favorite of Ok Go's music videos that were shown at the EMP...I hope you enjoy it! ~~MC P.S. Since we saw these videos I've now gotten more interested in this type of music; I usually listen to pop, jazz and French music, so it will be nice to listen to something refreshing for a bit. :) Hello all!
I hope you are enjoying the first day of Summer so far--It's finally here!! :D ...And I think I was this excited as to use exclamation points already by the second sentence, as well as a giant happy face, because Seattle doesn't get purely sunny days very often during the year (as you probably have already heard), so today is definitely a day to enjoy. :) It is cloudless in the sky and the birds are gleefully chirping nonstop, and I plan to savor every minute of it until the Sun goes back to its resting place. Anyway, I want to share with you the first recipe I decided to bake from, that I read in the lovable memoir A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (I mentioned her in a previous post on this page, called Coconut Sauce and Powdered Sugar). I baked the amazing chocolate cake last Wednesday late at night, as I stirred up the hot fusion of rich butter and delectable chocolate while watching Love Bites from the corner of my eye as it played in the living room. And once the cake was ready, I had to lie to my mom that "I used oil not butter", and "No, I didn't add any sugar," to get her to enjoy the dessert...My family is very healthy, so that was the only way I could get them not to miss out on the times one may find some of life's little pleasures in desserts. Thus, I ended up eating most of the cake until I finally scraped up the last of it this morning as part of my breakfast...yet I didn't mind that one bit. ;) I have to warn you by saying this is honestly the best chocolate cake I've ever made or tasted...I needed to warn you before you also find yourself trying not to devour all of the cake! I hope you enjoy the chocolate mountain of heaven; I sure did! (see the recipe below I copied from Molly Wizenberg's well-known and well-beloved blog Orangette.) ~~MC P.S. I personally thought the cake tasted better after it was refrigerated for awhile...That way, it tastes denser as you get a stronger taste of the rich chocolate. 7 ounces (200 grams) best-quality dark chocolate 7 ounces (200 grams) unsalted European-style butter (the high-butterfat kind, such as Lurpak or Beurre d’Isigny), cut into ½-inch cubes 1 1/3 cup (250 grams) granulated sugar 5 large eggs 1 Tbs unbleached all-purpose flour Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and butter an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the base of the pan with parchment, and butter the parchment too. Finely chop the chocolate (a serrated bread knife does an outstanding job of this) and melt it gently with the butter in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring regularly to combine. Add the sugar to the chocolate-butter mixture, stirring well, and set aside to cool for a few moments. Then add the eggs one by one, stirring well after each addition, and then add the flour. The batter should be smooth, dark, and utterly gorgeous. Pour batter into the buttered cake pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the center of the cake looks set and the top is shiny and a bit crackly-looking. (I usually set the timer for 20 minutes initially, and then I check the cake every two minutes thereafter until it’s done. At 20 minutes, it’s usually quite jiggly in the center. You’ll know it’s done when it jiggles only slightly, if at all.) Let the cake cool in its pan on a rack for 10 minutes; then carefully turn the cake out of the pan and revert it, so that the crackly side is facing upward. Allow to cool completely. The cake will deflate slightly as it cools. Serve in wedges at room temperature with a loose dollop of ever-so-slightly sweetened whipped cream. Note: This cake is even better on the second day, so consider making it the day before serving. Lately, I have gotten in the phase of playing and replaying this song. (I get in many phases--My Jack Johnson phase last autumn, the Ke$ha phase a few months later, then my OneRepublic phase, etc etc :) ). This song came out just a few weeks ago, so it's relatively new.
And when I tried looking for the official music video (which I didn't end up finding), I instead ran into this lyric video which was better than I expected! It really looks like effort and creativity was put into making it, so much so that you can be easily fooled into thinking that this is the official video that Gym Class Heroes and Adam Levine made (I'm now even a bigger fan of Adam Levine than before thanks to the great show The Voice; he just seems so nice!). ;) Also, I love this song because it's unlike the many others on the radio that talk about the same themes (love, heartbreak, etc.), which one can get tired of at some point. Even though this song does address love as its theme, it does so in a way that makes the tune stand out--through the expression of love for music itself, for the times you hear a tune that moves you to the point that you choose to admire it as well as tthe person who brought out that same aura. I hope you enjoy this video (and song) as much as I have! :) ~~MC P.S. Happy happy Father's Day! :D 6/15/2011 0 Comments Coconut Sauce and Powdered SugarFor today's Life au Cochon post, I'd like to excitedly advise you to read this quote :) ...And here it is:
"Whatever you love, you are." I ran into this quote while immensely absorbed in this lovely memoir I started reading yesterday (it's called A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, who not only wrote this intimate life account but also created the well-known food blog Orangette, and who recently opened a pizza restaurant in Seattle; I truly admire her and all her accomplishments!). Wizenberg seems to effortlessly douse each word of the quote in a rich, creamy, pearl-hued coconut sauce, before lightly coating it in a delicate floating cloud of powdered sugar; then, in a final flourish, she heats and molds together this meltingly delicious combination, turning into a succulent union of all things one person can love. In other words, Molly sends a warm sense of comfort to the reader, letting us know that you have the freedom to throw all the things you love and enjoy into one nicely-wrapped bundle of yourself. You can bring yourself closer and closer to showing exactly who you are to the world, by fulling devoting yourself to your own fusion of coconut sauce and powdered sugar. And to that, I couldn't agree more. I personally love this quote because it convinces me that I can pick and choose what I want to devote myself to; thus, the things I choose define me--Like when I draw in my sketchbook, randomly decide to bake a blueberry cobbler whose recipe I found online (I did this last night actually...And I can still hear the subtle bubbling of the hot blueberries huddled safely under the oat-flour mix), and when I decorate my ears with the so-relaxing-it's-like-I'm-listening-to-the-sounds-of-nature jazz tunes by Madeleine Peyroux or Norah Jones. It seems relaxing and even like a giant sigh of relief, to know that you have all the power to decide who you want to be. Your identity is in your hands, and just like how you can mold a thick, charcoal-hued block of clay into any shape of bowl or cup or anything else you want, you have the all-encompassing potential and ability to shape your colors and textures that make you. What are the things that make you sing and dance on your tip-toes? What things make you want to leap with joy and start to hug random people (well, that might be going a bit too far but oh well)? :) ~~MC 6/14/2011 0 Comments SNLSNL is one of the best shows to watch for obvious reasons. :) It's a great way to get your weekly (or daily, if you're someone who enjoys watching reruns...) laughs as it has such variety in the cast, the skits and the kind of humor they all show.
I decided to post this clip from the season finale--I personally think Justin Timberlake is one of the all-time best SNL hosts, as this is one of the best monologues I've seen probably ever!! So sit back, relax, and get ready to laugh like a crazy person (well, at least that's how I ended up laughing...)! I hope you enjoy it! ~~MC P.S. Sorry the video is bad quality; I wanted to post the Hulu version which was better, but for some odd reason that didn't work...But don't worry, you'll still get to enjoy Justin Timberlake's comedy quirks and singing all the same! :) 6/14/2011 0 Comments The Most Honest ThingThis morning (and yesterday morning), I rediscovered another amazing way you can make your day better...And that is taking a walk or jog outside in the midst of Mother Nature's surroundings. :)
Not only will you get fresh air in your brain and lungs, you will also get a taste of something that presents itself exactly the way it was meant to be...I would say nature is the most honest thing on Earth, that it doesn't try to hide itself--what you see is what you get. I have always found this notion to be comforting, and so running for the first time in months yesterday brought me back to that state of silence that you can enjoy for yourself. So instead of sleeping in (which is nice too I'm sure ;) ), take some time to yourself to walk in the nature, and breathe in an air you can't find anywhere else. ~~MC P.S. I took these pictures during a jog in the park near my house last winter...It was a lovely, crisp, fresh winter morning and I didn't want to leave!...And I couldn't resist taking these pictures while running (well, not while running; I just kept stopping in my tracks to take them; though I didn't end up getting as big of a workout as I would have without my camera phone, I enjoyed being in the nature anyways :) ). 6/11/2011 0 Comments What Happened This Morning?"Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day."
I ran into this quote recently, and although it's unknown as to who actually said it, I found myself struck by its (obvious yet still profound) meaning. To me, it stated that a person always has a choice--he/she has the freedom to decide either to stay upset through the rest of the day over something that went wrong earlier, or to put that firmly in the past in order to enjoy the oncoming things that will make their day a great one. What do you think? How do you go about a day even if things go wrong? Do you find yourself spending the rest of the day questioning why things didn't go the way you wanted; or do you end up trying to remember what had happened because you completely forgot, as you snuggle up safely in your bed in remembering only the fun times you had during the rest of the day? Please tell me what you think, I am all ears (not pig ears, obviously because I am a human...). :) Have a lovely day! ~~MC |
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