Wrapping up 2013 – Highlights of My Year

Wow, what a year it has been. Today is the last day of 2013, and there have been ups and downs, but mostly ups, and I have been so blessed in the past year with such incredible and beautiful Highlights, that I will never forget and I usually jot down all of my highlights in a note so that I can look back to see what I have accomplished, where I traveled, and other important days to remember. Here are the highlights of my year:

Did a Bit of Traveling by air and on the road — traveled to Dominican Republic, Boston, Massachusetts, (Had a Layover at the airport in Newark, New Jersey when I was landing I saw New York City — Yes I consider that A place I went to and saw this year), Visited Michigan, Cambridge, Ontario, and Niagara Falls.

When I visited Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo, went to the Be Live Hamaca Resort where I met incredible and lovely people and we became friends. It was a great gathering.

I had always wanted to go and eat and drink at “CHEERS” Bar in Boston, Massachusetts, It was an iconic TV Show from back in the day in the 80’s and 90’s, and I scratched that off my bucket list. Thank you to my kouyrigs/sisters in Boston for making that possible and for making that happen. Had Nachos and Beer there. Its a must to have The Cheers beer.

I visited the iconic and popular University of Harvard, touched John Harvard’s Shoe. toured Harvard Square and its vicinity, and ended up Graduating (lol)

Mastered the Boston Accent — MASTAHD THAH BAHSTAN ACCENT

Tried Sushi for the first time ever in the summer and I loved it. Now cannot get enough of it. Thank you to someone who is very dear to me, who introduced sushi, sashimi, maki rolls and so much more in the Japanese Cuisine.

Had the best lobster ever at the Lobster Pool in Massachusetts. I also dined at the Cheesecake factory

Went to a few parties here and there.

Attended Bible Studies and Conferences

Went to the Armenian Toronto Summer fest with my great friend, but I call her my sister from Montreal that I did not see for a while. It was a great reunion.

I am proud to say that this year one of my friends became a Contestant on Jeopardy and I can finally say I know someone who was a contestant on Jeopardy.

Met some of my Online Facebook friends in person, whom are like family to me now.

My Blog and Social Media and marketing success went through a roof, where I got an offer to write recipes in the Food and Drink Magazine, I have Robert Herjavec, Kevin O’Leary, Arlene Dickensen, and Jim Treliving subscribed to my blog. They are from Dragons, Den, I have reached close to 400,000 blog hits, Famous chefs such as Massimo Capra, Jamie Oliver, and Jacques Pepin and more have followed me as well. My LinkedIn Profile has been seen and followed by Arlene Dickensen. Plus so many people around the Globe have viewed and followed my blog from places I had never even heard about. Many people have added my blog site to their websites. So many more highlights that I cannot even remember them all. Thank you all for the support, and I will continue doing my work in 2014 and beyond.

I have written over 700 Articles.

Accomplished many personal goals and achieved excellence

All My cousins and I reunited for the first time since 1999, the summer I came back from Armenia.

Here is to 2014, with many more highlights to come.
Have a lovely New Year and best wishes, Health and happiness.

Save Michael Muhney — Fans Are Heartbroken

Hello, in the past 48 hours, Social Media recognition has gone through the roof to reinstate Michael Muhney who plays Adam Newman on The Young and the Restless and he was let go from the show. I find that to be so unfair. Many Groups and Pages on Facebook have been created, and many fans on twitter are writing hashtag’s to tweet #savemuhney #savemichaelmuhney #muhneymovement #yr #michaelmuhney and so much more. Now more than 1.3 million signed petitions have been signed and will continue to grow. We cannot stay silent and we must voice our rights. We fans have a say more than anything else.

Its like building a home, but without the foundation, it will collapse, its like that with Michael Muhney, he is the foundation and we love him and want him back on our Show. We Young and The Restless fans are not just fans, we are a family and we stick together in thick and thin and we stand tall together and we will get justice. We love you Michael Muhney!

Here are some facebook Groups and Pages for you to sign up!

For the Love of Muhney

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FortheLoveofMuhney/

We love Michael Muhney Save Adam Newman

https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-love-Michael-Muhney-Save-Adam-Newman/638057436240360

Don’t FIRE Michael Muhney

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dont-FIRE-Michael-Muhney/879230082093498

Fans of Daniel Goddard and everything Y&R

https://www.facebook.com/groups/155565134566707/

If you think of any other website boycotting this decision, please comment below with the link.

 

Thank you!

 

Fans of The Young and The Restless – Upset and Disappointed

In the past few weeks we have heard about Michael Muhney (Adam Newman), Billy Miller(Billy Abbott), and several months before we heard that Michelle Stafford(Phyllis) has left the show, and Billy and Adam are on the way out as well. When Jeanne Cooper Passed away in May, 2013, The Young and The Restless and the Soap Industry lost one of its Iconic Members, Actresses, that was the face of Y&R. That alone was so upsetting for many supporters, and fans. It took a while for us to mourn her passing in real life, and it still is for us.

What is disappointing and upsetting is that all these changes are happening so fast, and these talented actors and actresses are being let go. I know in my previous blog, I have written about this, and I know that this is not real life, and its a story, and its a soap opera in a fictional city, with a story line that is being fed to Television and are being transmitted to every fans homes, but for some The Young and The Restless, seems and is so real to them. Fans spend an hour a day tuning into their favorite show. Playing around fans feelings and emotions and their dedication and support for this show and not appreciating fans, by giving back great quality is something a lot of us cannot even fathom, and cannot even believe that it is happening or has happened.

We all know what happened when they were going to let go of or When Eric Braedan who plays Victor Newman was going to get off Y&R, Petitions went around, everybody was so ticked off and angry about this whole situation, things got out of hand, but it seems that Michael Muhney’s and Billy Millers exit has really gotten fans even more Upset and disappointed. I cannot believe that the executives and those high up in CBS are tolerating this, and how they are letting this happen. They do not appreciate fans at all. It is all about making a quick buck to their pockets. If these executives appreciated us, then we would not be going through all these problems, we would not be going through these issues right now.

I know that the Actors and Actresses who are presently on the show now are not to blame as they appreciate, love and respect fans, that they want to give back to us and I can see that from their twitter, Facebook, Instagram or whatever place they post and they share their personal lives with us as well, and they share so much with us. It is the people high up who have to ruin and rain on Fans Parade, and they have to be the ones who mess everything else up for us all. In the end we suffer the most. They do not realize that.

I have met incredible and lovely Fellow Soap fans like myself in the past 24-48 hours and I can feel their pain and anguish of what they are going through, I will be by their side and I too will stop watching after January 30th, and I too will no longer be a fan, and that will take effect once, I do not see Billy Miller, Michael Muhney on the show. As far as I am concerned, I will go spend my One hour doing something else, and I can be going on with my life’s responsibilities. So I stand tall with other fans. We are disgusted and we are furious. Thank you for ruining a good thing you had Y&R….

The Young and The Restless – Fans Are Not Pleased

Since over 20 years ago, I began to watch The Young and The Restless, and many actors and actresses have come and gone throughout the years, but recently in the past 2 years or so, many changes have been happening and many of the actors and actresses are being let go. As if the loss of Jeanne Cooper who played the iconic star Katherine Chancellor who passed away in real life in May, 2013, wasn’t grief enough for us all, which the show will never ever be the same without the patriarch of the show. Things changed drastically since then and I do not know how much more of these changes us Fans can handle anymore.

Now, Michael Muhney who plays Adam Newman on the show. Victor Newman’s son, he has been let go from the production, as well as Billy Miller who plays Billy Abbott on the show. It is not fair for us fans all to have characters that we have grown to love spend our 1 hour with Monday to Friday’s, being changed around. Us fans are not pleased with all these changes. These producers, executives do not realize that the Fans are the bread and butter of shows, that we are the reason why they have ratings, were the reason why they are number one for the past 25 years. These recent changes can break that streak. Now there will be a boycott going around to not watch the show on January 31st, the day after Michael Muhney (Adam Newman)’s last air date which will be January 30th. Also David Tom is going to Replace Billy Miller as Billy Abbott, but Billy Miller has done an incredible job.

We fans deserve the last say, were the ones who have the most right among anything else. I know that the actors and actresses on the show care, adore and love their fans, but its the people who are high up that mess everything else up, hiring people who cannot do the job right with terrible writing and story lines now have become so boring and making fans angry. I am not trying to brag or boast about myself, but I feel that I should go to the rescue and save this show and do all the writing myself for Y&R. They would save themselves a lot of hassle, and they will save themselves many fans, that they can lose if they do not smarten up about the casting. These executives do not know how much they are playing with Fans emotions and feelings. This is not a joke to us. Games should not be played when it comes to fans. We want to be with our TV Family for years to come, but if this is going to continue none of us will watch anymore

Fans spend so much of their time on message boards, forums, Facebook pages and groups, they spend an hour a day of their busy lives tuning into Y&R, some PVR and record the show, so they can watch it the minute they get home from work or other responsibilities, just so they can tune in and not miss an episode, Fans spend so much of their time writing and interacting with other fans, but I am grateful for that because I met so many incredible and beautiful people who share the same interest as I do, but CBS and The Young and The Restless owe us a lot. and we deserve happiness too, and our voice should be putting up the volume on the show. Letting go of key characters whom have been the reason for the ratings to skyrocket for the past 25 years is not right at all. This is not a joke to fans, some fans have dedicated their lives to this show. Some people a lot of money to go see their favorite actors and actresses at conferences, events, breakfast, lunch or dinner gatherings, at shows and so much more. Fans even spent their week with them on a Cruise Ship too.

The executives need to think twice about what they do to the show and to their fans. I really hope they make wise decisions or else they can lose a lot of viewership. Fans can be doing other things with their busy schedules and responsibilities but no, they choose to watch Soaps. They better think long and hard. That is all for now.

Thousands Still Without Power in Wake of Ice Storm in Toronto

On December 21st, 2013 a major Ice Storm hit havoc across Southern Ontario, and mainly in Toronto and Greater Toronto Area’s, that left hundreds of thousands of Hydro Electricity Customers out of power and thousands of people are still without power at this moment. Trees and branches hit power lines which left peoples electricity crippled. This is unlike anything the City of Toronto and Southern Ontario has seen before, and in the history of Storms, this is the worst ever weather that walloped in our area. Homes have hit the all time low temperatures in their homes. some at -2 temperatures, that even blankets are not able to keep people warm. Across the cities that have been effected, have warming stations where people can come spend the night, sleep over, have some warm and hot food and beverages. Some have started to get frustrated and some have become so cold that they cannot handle it anymore. I know that it is frustrating and I know that its not a great thing, but Hydro workers are doing the best they can and are working around the clock to get these Electricity transformers working again. I know some are running out of patience, but what can you do? It will take time, but I am sure that things will get back to normal by the weekend. Do not lose hope. Things will work out for the better. Believe me.

Earlier this week, there was a loud boom like an explosion going off, and there have been many reports saying we heard a loud boom, some said that It is Santa Claus on the roofs of the houses, some thought it was a tree that hit the roof, little did people know that there was a Frost Quake that hit and that only happens at extreme cold temperatures after an Ice Storm hits or when there is extreme frost. It rarely happens, but its surely scared a lot of residents and woke a lot of people up. It was heard in the middle of the night into the wee hours in the morning. I hope everyone stays safe and if there is no urgency to go out or do things, do not go out. Stay home, be warm and I hope that those people who do not have power get their power soon and hopefully by today. Hope it can be some sort of New Years Miracle.

 

The Boxing Day Rush – No Thank You

Well, it is that time again where Christmas is behind us, and today is boxing day. Many people will go or have already gone out for Boxing day shopping to get their hands on great sales and deals in the retail world, where people get discounted products and everything. I am one of those people who has never gone out to shopping centers, malls, and plazas to go shopping on a crazy day like today, and it just gets me stressed out. I really do not feel like getting trampled on, and attacked by other people. I would rather go shopping at a later time and not battle through big and long line ups, and I would rather shop being sane, then insane. It’s winter time, its cold, snow on the ground, what am I going to do? I would rather stay warm at home and relax, then having to venture out. The time I do go to Malls is Mid January, where things have calmed down, and where I can shop in peace.

Do you like to go shopping on Boxing day, or are you like me and stay home or stay far away from anywhere that requires shopping? If I really do not need something, I do not purchase it. Even if its on sale. When I do need something stores will always have something, so I am not in that rush to get something if I am not going to be using it. How about you?

Well, new years is a few days away. Cannot believe 2013 will be over and gone in less than a week. This year went by so quickly. It is unbelievable. How was 2013 for you? Did you do anything exciting? what were some of your highlights? Have a blessed new year, all the best to 2014.

How Electricity Plays a Huge Role In Our Lives

As you may or may not have heard in the news in last few days, Toronto, Canada and areas outside of Toronto was hit with a crazy  Ice Storm, that left the city and a lot of areas without power, knocking down tree branches on wires that connect transformers for power. As much as over 360,000 customers or more were without electricity and it can take anywhere around 72 hours and as much as a week to restore power in some areas. This Ice storm is known to be one of the worst weather disasters in history for the city of Toronto and areas. For the past 24-48 and even more hours have been left without power and all the food in peoples freezers and refrigerators have become spoiled and whoever started with their Christmas Dinner preparations, I am so sorry that they are going through all that and I surely hope that those peoples dinner plans will not spoil and that they will be able to salvage the food for their Christmas Gatherings in their homes.

It is times like this where people really think about how essential, important and how valuable electricity is to all of us.

I am so Thankful to the Hydro Electrical workers of Toronto and areas for working around the clock, and taking time out of their Christmas vacations that they had planned with their families to ensure that everyone gets power back into their homes as quickly as possible, so that others can have a Christmas, so that others can have electricity back. Whatever the cost of a hydro maybe every month, I can say it is well worth it, because some people do not realize that electricity is one of the most important things and which make life easy for us all with basic things like doing Laundry, cooking, listening to music, which keep our phones charged, which keeps our computers turned on, that heat up our water supply, which keeps our lights on, heats the house and so much more.

Let us take this time to really appreciate, and keep with the Christmas spirit and always be grateful for what we have and lets be thankful to the Hydro workers who are working extra hard to get everything going again. Reach out to those and lets help each other get back up on our feet. God bless and I hope everyone gets power soon. My prayers, thoughts are with those effected by this Ice Storm.

The Toronto Ice Storm and Areas Around – Be Careful Out There

On Saturday December 21st, 2013, on the first official day of winter, a terrible ice storm hit the City of Toronto, GTA, and areas around, where over 300,000 homes were and are still without power, knocking down tree branches, trees, sparks from hydro electrical wires, and making it very dangerous for driving and being out and about. Many places have closed stores, restaurants and even churches were cancelled as Sunday approached. Many trees and other surfaces have thick layers of ice due to the rain, freezing rain and ice pellets that hit the ground.  Many people have put their skates on and started skating on the roads and on their driveways in the city, many pictures show that trees have been toppled on cars, driveways, and roadways creating havoc, blockage and so much more. Winter has hit Ontario, Canada very early this year and it has been a month of active weather with snow, sleet, and very cold conditions. We are officially in winter now, and we still have about 3 more months to deal with this all. This is the first time Toronto has been hit with an ice storm and it is the worst in History as it has been reported on television today.

Hope that people can get electricity restored in time for Christmas. This is not something people want to deal with before Christmas begins. Hopefully food in peoples fridge does not get spoiled, and hopefully people’s plans will not be put on hold. I pray that everything goes back to normal. Electricity is something that is so important and of value to people. I cannot imagine how people used to go without electricity back in the olden days. I want to say to people to stay safe during this active winter weather, and if you do not have to drive out if its not so important, please stay indoors, keep warm, and keep off the roads, and if you know any elderly people who live around you or have elderly people in your family, do keep in touch with them to make sure they are okay, and if they need anything or need to be with anybody right now, its a good idea to look after them and as well as anybody else who needs anything.

At times like this it truly shows peoples great heart and love for others to help them during this difficult time in this terrible ice storm. Its very great to be seeing people helping each other on the news on the residential streets, and giving each other a helping hand with clearing off the tree branches from the streets, and so much more. Hope all goes well and things will workout for the better in the end.

My Christmas Movie Favorites

For the past month or two, we may or may not have seen all the classic Christmas movies that have been airing on television and some of the Christmas movies stand out for me and are tradition for me to watch annually, and I never miss watching them. I enjoy watching them with having some popcorn, drinking hot chocolate, putting a blanket on me, and enjoying them with family and friends. These movies are wonderfully and tastefully done and I really enjoy them. Here are my favorite Christmas movie’s in no particular order.

1. Home Alone

2. Home Alone 2 Lost in New York

3. Santa Clause 1 and 2

4. Jack Frost

5. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

6. Four Christmases

7. Jingle All the Way

8. Miracle on 34th St

9. Christmas with the Cranks

10. Elf

11. Frosty the Snowman

12. How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

13. A Charlie Brown Christmas

14. The Muppet Christmas Carol

What are your favorite Christmas movies? What is your Christmas Movie tradition?

Would love to hear from you. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2014.

In The Kitchen With Stefano Faita

Recently, I discovered an incredible, wonderful and not to mention great looking chef on television on CBC. I was flipping through the channels one time and I really enjoy cooking shows, so I stopped on CBC’s channel while I saw this cooking show, and I saw that it was In The Kitchen with Stefano Faita, so I started to watch his cooking show, and I automatically knew it was a show I would like then I began to love it. I cannot wait to watch his show daily and especially, by the way Chef Stefano explains the way to cook food, incredibly easy methods, very tasty, full of flavour foods of which I like. I love to cook myself and I can tell that he is not afraid of adding a lot of flavour and he is always enthusiastic and excited when it comes to food.

This past week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Chef Stefano Faita during his chat that he had set up for his fans to ask him questions, and he gave me tips and tricks on what to do with stir fry when it becomes too liquidy, to always make sure my wok is hot and to make sure the liquid from the meat and vegetables dry out before putting in the soya sauce or whatever seasoning , and I had also asked him how to make pasta from scratch and he explained it to me thoroughly and I got to see his recipes and he answered me so quickly because it was an hour chat with him. He seems to be such a great person all around and I am so glad I got that moment to talk with him. I’d love to meet Chef Stefano Faita someday and enjoy his food that he makes with his magic chef hands. I am really impressed, and there are foods and ingredients that I never knew of until I learned them from Stefano. I enjoy chopping, dicing and the way he handles food. He is a natural.

I have learned so much about cooking from him that, I cannot wait to try his recipes at home to feed my family, friends and when people come over whether it’s for the holidays, occasions or for no reason, just to hang out with great company and great food in the mix, that will keep people coming back for more as Stefano says while he is cooking on Television.

You can catch In The Kitchen with Stefano Faita on CBC at 3:30pm Monday-Friday’s  in Canada or you can go to www.cbc.ca/inthekitchen to obtain more information, Stefano’s recipes, and where you can connect with him on Facebook, Twitter and more. You can also go to a taping of his show and be part of his audience. I wish Stefano Faita the best and May you continue working with those Magic Chef hands that you are so gifted with.

The Social Media Playground – The Biggest in the World

When it comes to social media, we are responsible for the content we post, because once something gets on the internet, it never goes away. No matter if it is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or anywhere for that matter. We may believe that it is deleted forever, but think again. It is always going to be cached in the internet database. Is it appropriate? Is it bullying someone? and by creating photos and Photoshopping people in a distasteful way is not so good either. Did you know that a lot of information is stored behind a picture? If it is something offensive to others, that can hurt others, that can do emotional damage to someone, people can always find the origins of that photo that has been altered, Photoshopped or something that is done in a distasteful manner and that person can be in big trouble. There is also a thing called over sharing. Nobody needs to know what you are doing every second and every minute of the day, nobody needs to know when you took a shower, your last bowel movement, or when you went grocery shopping, nobody needs to know your extremely personal and intimate life. You can ruin your credibility, reputation and so much more can be at stake. It should not be anyone’s business but yourself.  So the bottom line is do we T-H-I-N-K about what we post? Think about this acronym.

IS IT
T — Thoughtful?
H — Helpful?
I — Inspiring?
N — Necessary?
K — Kind?

The internet is like a playground in a park, it is shared by children, teens, young adults, adults, young and old, strangers, some are people we know, some people we don’t know, and many people coming from different families. Well, now on the internet its kind of like the same thing, its a Social Media Playground. we share this space with hundreds of millions of people around the world. This is the biggest playground in the world. So we must be responsible for our actions and words. Some need supervision of what they post, some people need guidance, some need to really be careful of what they share. What is your opinion on this social media playground? How young is too young to be on the internet? When it comes to children and teenagers or anybody at any age for that matter, we need to exercise care into our posts, we need to really analyze and really read over and over again about the THINK Acronym that I had posted up above. Now I want to ask you, what you think about it. So I hope people will think twice before pressing on that submit or post button.

WestJet’s Beautiful Christmas Surprise – I Love This Airline

Christmas holidays are just around the corner and as you may or may not be aware or know about this, but in the last week or two, there has been a video that has gone viral around the world with millions of viewership of WestJet Airlines  when WestJet employees went on an incredible journey to surprise many of their Customers with unexpected packages and gifts awaiting them at the baggage claim area of Calgary’s Airport. In the beginning, there was a screen where you scan your boarding pass and a Santa Claus appears and he knows each passenger by their first and last names, Santa asks what they want for Christmas, whereas behind the scenes the Staff of WestJet were so organized and they wrote everyone’s wishes and then set out to buy these gifts, some thought it was a joke by saying they want Underwear and Socks, A Family wanted a TV, some wanted Tablets, a Camera and so much more. So everyone received exactly what they wanted for Christmas. The Person who wanted Socks and Underwear is probably kicking himself saying Oh my goodness, what did I do? lol

WestJet Flights were from Toronto and Hamilton on their way to Calgary so the team of WestJet staff sent e-mails right away to Calgary and where the staff there ventured off so quickly to buy the presents, bring them back to the airport and get them wrapped up and shipped to the Baggage claim area and get them all ready until the flights arrived there. More than 150 passengers came to a complete shock and some cried, were emotional and so many incredible things unfolded.

This and other reasons are why I love WestJet, they care about their customers and passengers, they go out of their way to make sure all passengers have everything they need, they have incredibly and awesome planes that is so comfortable. I flew with WestJet twice, so I know exactly how that felt. I wasn’t so lucky about the presents, but that is besides the point. Many airlines can learn and thing or two about service, about how to care for customers with always smiling, and so much more. WestJet is an airline that does not cut corners. They do everything so professionally yet wonderfully. This Christmas surprise was one that I will never forget and I keep playing this video on replay, and I have seen it more than 15 times. The smiles on these passengers faces and staffs faces are so beautiful, it is great to feel appreciated and money does not even justify anything at that point.

Passengers pay so much for airfare, people do their best to try to go away on trips and this tastefully done beautiful Christmas surprise was all worth it. I wish all airlines can give something back to their passengers. Not only to safely land and take off with their passengers to different destinations, but to show appreciation by eliminating the $25.00 luggage check bag fees, and by offering more services to better airlines. It goes a long way. These airlines do not realize it, but the more they do for passengers and keeping everyone happy, the more business they will have, the more better things will become. Money should not be everything, and Westjet made that very clear with what they did for these people. These things like what WestJet did to their passengers go a long way. It feels nice to be appreciated, it feels nice to make us passengers feel like we’re important, feel like were priority against anything else. Thank you Westjet for doing this. Beautifully and well done. Your forever customer, Talin Orfali — I will definitely be flying my third time again, but I hope soon.

Here is the video I am talking about. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zIEIvi2MuEk

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year – Love Talin Orfali

It is that time of year again. I cannot believe how quickly 2013 flew by. Just yesterday we were celebrating Christmas and New Years for 2012/2013, and now as 2013 is coming to a close, were doing it all over again with putting up the lights, the decorations, finding that perfect tree, or putting up a tree that has been in storage. I love Christmas time when everywhere is decorated with beautiful colours, beautiful Christmas lights on homes, wrapped presents, ornaments, tinsel, snow globes, candles, manger, stables, the nativity scene, Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, the Elves, Snowman, Mistletoe, Cookies and Milk, candy canes, the food, the celebrations, and of course and especially celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ with Mary and Joseph and the Three Wise Men and how Mary was chosen to give Birth to a King.

What are your Christmas traditions in your family? What exciting things do you do? Some families put on Christmas Sweaters, some families play games, and so on and so forth. What do you like to cook and serve to your loved ones? Christmas for me every year is always different, either we have a lot of people come over, some Christmases are spent going to other peoples homes, or going out to a party, so I cannot really say what is tradition with my loved ones, but every year is always different, but we do manage to always find a way to get together. When we do, we love cooking turkey, ham, rice, vegetables, gravy, and other things. I love baking my signature cinnamon cake which people I know love it, so they want more and more of it. It has been such a long time I have not decorated a Gingerbread house, but I think I will do that this year.

I love watching Christmas movies at this time of year like Miracle on 34th street, Home Alone 1 and 2, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Jack Frost, Four Christmases, Santa Clause, Santa Clause 2, I also love watching the Santa Claus Parade on television. I must have watched Home Alone 1 and 2 8 or 9 times this year alone on TV and I just love that movie especially. There is something about Home Alone 1 and 2, that make you get pulled into it and its so hard to flip the channel. After that Home alone 3-5 was all downhill and I did not enjoy them as much because when you change Characters, when you change the setting, it won’t be the same as the first 2. I know Home Alone 1 and 2 by heart, and if you put the movie on mute, I can say the whole script.

Anyway, lastly, I also want to acknowledge those people who are not so lucky during the Christmas and New Year Holidays, that are alone, but not really alone because there are people in this world that are thinking of them and one of them is me, people who do not have a warm home to go to, those who are less fortunate, those who cannot afford or who do not have enough to provide for their families and I’d like to reach out to all of those people around the world and tell them that I am thinking of them and they are in my heart, mind and soul and my thoughts and prayers are with them all and I wish them the best for 2014 and I hope that they too can have a nice and lovely Christmas. I want them to know that they are not alone and that I am with them all. The presents and Materialism shouldn’t matter, but all that matters is togetherness and creating memories.  I wish everyone peace, harmony, happiness, health, success, and all the great things of life. I wish everyone a prosperous, great, and lovely new year. Many blessings to all and wishing everyone all the best. With love always, Talin Orfali

Dedicated to The Late Paul Walker — Gone Too Soon

Dedicated to The Late Paul Walker — Gone Too Soon
By: Talin Orfali

Sometimes I Think to Myself on How Unfair Life Is,
Wondering How I am going to get through this.
Asking Myself why great people have to leave us?
Wanting to know the answer is why I am making a fuss.

Paul Walker Gone too soon from all of us,
To some, the News Felt like we got hit by a bus,
That feeling of mourning will take longer,
but for the Sake of Paul we must learn to be stronger

Our Blue Eyed Paul, Has Turned into Ashes,
We don’t realize how quick our life Flashes,
Paul Has now entered into heavens Gate,
Who knew, that this would be his final Fate?

Our Sweet Paul has gained his beautiful wings,
but we all know that this news really stings,
He is no longer with us on this earth,
but We know the great things he has done since birth,

Oh Paul How can life go on without you?
We have no choice but to pull through,
We know your life from us was cut too short
which has put a lot people out of sort,

Paul we didn’t get the chance to meet,
but I can look above and have that chance to greet,
You will always live on in our hearts forever,
This is not a goodbye, its see you later,
Gone too Soon Paul Gone to Soon.

The Late Paul Walkers Movie — Vehicle 19

Last night I was watching a Paul Walker movie named “Vehicle 19” and the whole movie I was so emotional looking at him, thinking to myself that we will never see him in future films again and we will never see him do more humanitarian work such as what he was doing for the victims of the Typhoon in the Philippines with The Reach Out World Wide Organization. His death has broken my heart into millions of pieces. I cannot even comprehend how his family and friends are dealing with his untimely death, the same goes for his friend who died with him in the Red Porsche in Los Angeles. When I was watching Vehicle 19 last night. There were so many similarities from the movie which really got to me even more and it was freaking me out that . Here are some of the similarities I found from the movie that were in relative as to how he died in real life. Unfortunately:

1 — He was in the car for the whole movie
2 — He had the car spray painted with the colour “RED” and He died in the Colour Red with the Porsche..
3 — The week that Paul Walker and Nelson Mandela died, the movie was filmed in South Africa in Johannesburg and toward the end of the movie there was a picture of Nelson Mandela on a building.
4 — The cars in South Africa drive on the opposite side and the steering wheel was on the right side of the car, but in the Porsche he was a passenger so he was sitting on the right side.

As I was watching this movie, It freaked me out at the end to see all the similarities and It just broke my heart to realize those things. What a waste of talent. I have not stopped thinking about this since I heard it happen. Yesterday they laid Paul Walker to rest. It has hit me really hard. My Condolences to his Friend also. 2 young men who had so much life to live ahead of them, and lives were cut short because of losing control due to speed. I do not know what logic and what sense there is for the thrill of driving fast, speeding and going for a joy ride brings. A vehicle is a weapon and if not used and driven carefully, it can do a lot of harm, it can injure, it can kill, it can do anything. In the end were responsible for our actions behind the wheel. Driving is a serious thing and it is not a right, its privilege. Once we get behind the wheel of a vehicle, truck or whatever is motorized, were not only responsible for ourselves, our passengers, but were responsible for others lives on the road as well. Senseless deaths can be prevented but some people choose to do wrong and play with other peoples lives and well being. So many people’s lives have been lost, so many families have changed forever and lives will never be the same without them  . God give their and all families that have gone through these terrible and terrifying moments and also friends strength at this difficult time.