Happy New Year, 2011 !!!

I can’t believe another year past, and it’s 2011,now !!!

When I think about my childhood & teenage years, at that time I thought 2000 is like another generation, and it was far from then, and now it’s already 2011!
Computer, I-pod, I-phone, music, everything became digital.

But cars are not flying yet, like the movie “ back to the future part 2 “.

gallery.xemanhdep.com

Maybe around 2500 ??

I wanted to write many things by the end of 2010, such as another SWTS’s reviews , Johnny Weir’s awesome performances ( Bad Romance & Ave Maria ) at Kaleidoscope on Ice, etc..

Fortunately my work has been busy for Christmas season every year, so could not make to write my personal blog until now.

The most surprising things I did in 2010

Quit smoking.

Yes ! I quit cigarette on October 24, 2010, cold turkey !

This was not in my list of the resolution for 2010, and I didn’t think I would quit smoking cause I always enjoyed smoking.

I decided to quit. when I saw the price of a pack of cigarette became over $10 !! ( A carton of cigarette became over $70 )

Also I wanted to see the strength of my will power after reading one of my favorite musicians ( Toshihiko Takamizawa)’s book.

He inspired me so many times actually life changing things since I was 20. I don’t know why but what he has been doing give me power and strength.

I had been a smoker for a long time, even though my cigarette was the lightest one, which have only tar 1mg , nicotine 0.1mg. I was smoking 6 to 10 cigarettes a day , but not at home, mostly in our balcony. I didnt like the smell, so I didn't smoke at home.

Even though I know how bad smoking is and it doesn’t bring anything good for health & beauty besides wasting money.

It’s just a poison which ruin one‘s body, brain and skin and also others as well if you smoke in front of someone.

I’ve quit cigarette twice in the past, but this time I have confidence I will never smoke anymore.

I know smokers feeling, I think they all know how bad smoking is, but many of them just can not quit from the addiction and the habit.

Non-smokers or people who never suffered to quit smoking always start preaching using health issue cause by smoking.

Even previous smokers can not understand the psychology of smokers.

They won’t be listening to their advice what they already know. They had been hearing same things over and over from non-smokers.

Each their own. I suppose no one can control them except them.

The more they give the pressure, the more smokers resist , like start smoking when no one is watching.

The smokers have to get the feeling “ willing to quit “ other wise, they can’t quit.
In the USA, people see smokers like smoking is the worst thing to do. While there are many other thing which are not good for health as well.

Fortunately, Ray ( who doesn’t smoke ) never preached me to stop it.

Just told me that what is so wonderful about it to just smoke bad air ? breathing fresh air is much better.

And I laughed, because it’s so true.

Ray had tried many kinds of cigarettes when he was a college student but didn’t get addiction, so he quit it soon without trouble.

But for coffee he has addiction.

I quit smoking by taking herb “ Fo Ti “ ( this herb makes me feel really good and well -balanced feeling ), drinking crushed ice water ( Love eating the crush ice), putting cinnamon bar, which is similar shape as cigarette, in my mouth.

But the most important part was I was really willing to quit cigarette.

Once I quit cigarette, I found everything is easy wherever I go somewhere or whenever I take action , because I don’t need to worry about the place where I can smoke or not.

It’s my body, I need to be responsible for it to keep healthy life.

Another thing I’m proud about in 2010 is I could keep healthy life without having any health issue.

The thing I was unable to achieve was weight control.
My weight was often ups and downs and as a result I didn’t lose weight this year and didn’t reach to my best weight.

In 2011, my top resolution for my life is ..

Well-balanced meals habit, everyday exercise, helping people, being optimistic and positive, lose weight to my best weight.

Who was The Mysterious Masked Messenger who visited Mozart ?

Perhaps the most mysterious legend about Mozart is that of the " Masked Messenger ". This mysterious masked messenger is also known historically as the "Man in Gray" , "The Mysterious Messenger" , "The Gray Messenger". The story of the masked messenger was featured prominently in the movie “ Amadeus ". Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart How much of this story is true ? When Mozart died in the early morning hours of December 5, 1791, he left his final masterpiece, the Requiem , unfinished. A few months later, a completed score of the Requiem was delivered to its anonymous commissioner. How was the Requiem completed and how would Mozart have completed it had he lived? These mysteries have tantalized musicians for over two centuries. Mozart received the commission to compose the Requiem from the “ Mysterious Messenger" in the summer of 1791. The Messenger paid half the commission in advance, ...

Health tips from an extra-terrestrial named Bashar - from a planet called Essassani

photo credit: skyseeker Mt. Fuji via photopin (license) Today, I would like to write about health tips from an extra-terrestrial being named Bashar who is from the Essassani Planet . He is channeled by Darryl Anka. Planet earth used to have beautiful clear air, but since a long time ago the air has been polluted everywhere. and the cause of most illnesses comes from the poison in the environment we are in, with the polluted air. Nowadays, it's hard to find places where there is beautiful clean air. and in this unfavorable environment, he is suggesting how to live healthy. Health tips 1. Clear Oxygen According to Bashar, the air after storms and typhoons have gone away, is the most clean ( purified ) and is good for our bodies. However when there is an overdose of artificial oxygen by using tools such as oxygen tanks , this can cause a lack of water, and will weaken cells. ...

Sweet Food which does not get fat - Warabi mochi

I recently love eating this sweet food that Japanese call " Warabi mochi " which is made of 0 calories food psyllium in my coffee break time. It's sweet food but I use Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener instead of sugar when I make it. Lakanto Monk Fruit sweetener is 0 calorie s and 0 glycemic and very similar taste as normal sugar. It is said it's derived from monk fruit, which looks like a small green gourd native to regions of China and Thailand. It's not artificial so it is not bad for health so I feel comfortable eating it. Warabi mochi is a food which is normally made of Kinako ( soybean flour) & sugar & warabi powder and it's one of my favorite foods. However it's high calorie foods so if I eat a lot, it's easy to gain weight. Because Warabi mochi flour is Starch and has sugar in it and is high calorie. So I was not eating it. and then recently I found the recipe of diet Warabi Mochi which is made of Psyllium...

Beauty skin care, Ninon de L'Enclos ‘s Secret of her young skin

Besides extra virgin olive oil, I’ve been doing a mixture of another great natural formula since two weeks ago. This information came from Ray who happened to find about Ninon de L’Enclos ’s amazing story concerning her youthful skin. According to the article, Ninon de L’ Enclos is known as a famous French beauty from the late 1600s. She kept her youthful skin until 85 years old when she passed away. Even in to her 80’s she was attracting many young men who fell hopelessly in love with her. She never published her secret of her youthful skin until the end , only telling her special friends about her secret formula. There is no photo of her, but seeing her painting in other websites, she looks in her 30’s when she was 85. According to the article, her face was as smooth and free of winkles in her 80’S as it had been at 20. She hated wrinkles and successfully kept her skin youthful , using her special secret formula. This information blew me away, and immediately ...

Franz Liszt’s dangerous love

Franz Liszt was quite tall in his generation, standing 6 feet 2 inches tall , long blonde hair , piercing sharp eyes, pianist' long narrow and delicate hands and fingers. His body build was very slender. People who knew him described his personality as full of charm, charisma, and very knowledgeable. And he loved brainy women. He was the consummate artist. It seems that Liszt loved dangerous love , which thrilled him and gave him excitement rather than a stable, peaceful , safe love. Franz Liszt While reading about his biography, I was wondering why he fell in love with two princesses who were already married. Marie D’Agoult He seems to have had a lot of love affairs in his life, someone found out that he had at least 26 serious relationships in his life ( besides countless other affairs ) but the only ladies he thought about marriage was with these two princesses , Marie D’Agoult and Carolyne Sayn Wittgenstein ? Charlotte Von Hagn ...

Franz Liszt and Frederic Chopin’s friendship Part 1

Frederyk Chopin I’m a long time fan of Chopin’s music since when I was a teenager. Started loving his music from hearing his Polonaise , then Noctunes , Etudes … Frederyk Chopin I was using one of Chopin’s Nocturnes as my background music for my answering machine when I was in my 20s. In Japan, many of his music is famous and used in many TV dramas, commercials, movies, and mostly wealthy bourgeois family scenes. My image of many of Chopin ’s music that I’ve listened to is of a cozy, bourgeois world. From almost all his music I’ve ever heard, I often pictured an elegant, wealthy family’s world or a story about a family who are living in a luxury antique style house. Many of Mozart ’s music reminds me of a social life in an older generation, a story about bourgeois world in a gorgeous luxury palace. For Liszt ’s music, his music is very variety, ranging from an image of a sweet passionate love story for couples, all the way to nightmare horror story type o...

My favorite ways of Law of Attraction Part 3 - Successful Wishing - Pierre Franckh

Pierre Franckh’s books “ Successful Wishing “ are another of my favorite books. There are series, 1 to 6 , and are not published in English , but I did find them in a Japanese book store, translated by a Japanese translator. Pierre Franckh is a German actor ( Movies & TV) from 1959 – 2003, and is also a movie director and a writer. Since 1996, he published many books and became a best selling author. Franckh wrote based on his personal experiences from when he was a child . I love the way how he writes , it’s very easy to read and direct to the point, very clear how to do it with step by step instruction. Also importance of finding what you truly want. Many people are actually not realizing what they really want and then when they get what they wanted, still not feeling satisfied. Pierre said that before making your wishes and order to universe, it’s important to clear ...

Organic foods and healthy living “ You are what you eat ? “

We‘ve been enjoying organic foods since a month ago. Because we care for our health and also organic foods taste more delicious than normal vegetables. Recently, I really feel the famous quote “ You are what you eat . “ is true. Although healthy life comes from balance between mind, body, skin care, good night sleep and activities besides food life . Health is a treasure. Also I realized that “ good blood circulation ” is one of the most important key to keep healthy and look young skin. After being amazed to see Styx’s ageless Tommy Shaw on TV, I started searching about “ secret of youth “. He looks so much younger than his age. Also, there was an interview with Styx on CNN in the morning about a week ago and they talked about what they think are the keys to longevity and a healthy life. http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2012/04/23/ex...

”The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”　- Albert Einstein　

Originally we were all creative because all children are creative. While growing up, many children lose their creativity by seeing, reading, hearing what many grown ups do and teach. According to a book called " Goal " by Brian Tracy, "Fully 95% of children tested between the ages of three and five are rated as highly creative. Of the same children tested again as teenagers, only about 5% rated as highly creative. What happened to them in the interim ? As they went through school, they were taught that if you want to get along, you follow the crowd. They learned not to question or challenge the teacher or to suggest unusual ideas. In their attempts to be liked and accepted by their peers, they allowed their creativity to die down, like a fire without fuel. " "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once they grows up." 　－　Pablo Picasso But if we don't use creativity, we lose it. It means that the more we use cre...

Charm of Kenichi Hagiwara - Shoken

From Japanese Movie " Ame no Amsterdam (Rain in Amsterdam)" I've been into the late 1960s to 1970s generation since several years ago. I don't know why but I'm very interested in older generation's people, trends, lifestyle, scenery, habit, TV drama, music, films, etc.. and not so interested in new things much. There are many new discoveries through checking out old stuff while reading and watching it, which I didn't know before. and about several months ago, I happened to find a youtube video of a famous Japanese actor called Kenichi Hagiwara who was my favorite actor in 1970s when I was a kid. His nickname is Shoken and he is also a singer of Rock/blues music. Shoken( 18 years old) singing ”Legend of Emerald” Shoken was one of the super stars in Japan mainly from the late 60s generation to early 80s. When he was 15 years old, he joined an amateu...

Miho's favorites

Search This Blog