Chores are Development of Responsibility & Life Skills

As we are born and become children, majority of our parents/grandparents/guardians have taught us about responsibility, doing chores around the house and to gain experience and knowledge on to keep clean, tidy, and organized. Also teaches kids to obey, and prioritize life to do what is important first, and then make time for fun and play after.

When children wake up in the morning, they teach them on the importance of getting up to make the bed, brush the teeth, groom themselves, wash up and shower for good hygiene, and then they teach them how to eat, and then venture off to school with the grandparents/parents/guardian or with a school bus.

During school, the teachers and other staff of the school teach kids on importance of learning about the world, how to read, write, to learn about many subjects such as sciences, music, gym, dance, language classes, mathematics, chemistry, and the most important thing to teach children to be kind to other classmates, develop group skills during group work, also leadership.

When school is over and the children are on their way home, that skill to teach them about sharing, kindness, respecting others should also be implemented at home, so as they can continue that outside of school. The children come home, and the importance to wash hands, and change out of their clothes, and to start homework if they have homework that day and teach them to do homework first before they play with toys, tablets, colour and all that.

When it is time to make dinner and set the table, it is always a good idea to get your child involved in cooking, helping set the table with plates, cutlery, and then children should start to develop skills on washing dishes, and after dinner to help clean the table with a cloth, taking the dishes to the sink, and make the parents/guardian/grandparents life easier and for the children to help them out. This also teaches them for the future when they have greater responsibility when they get older.

Nowadays, it is so difficult to teach children these life skills because of the screens, video gaming consoles and technology that has taken over. Nowadays children always want to feel that sense of entitlement to do whatever they want, whenever they want without having to listen to their parents/guardians/grandparents. They feel the need to always want to be on their screens and not develop skills that will benefit them in the future. some Kids these days are immune to technology and less hands on skills, not having manners, not respecting and being kind to others, talking back to adults and also rude gestures and mannerisms. Some children are so spoiled and tend to have an answer for everything. We should never allow it for it to get that far.

Children see everything, they are observant, they listen to everything that goes on in the house. start them early, influence them in such a way where it becomes easier to ask them to do chores. Tell them to do things in such a way where they won’t feel threatened. Give them conditions that if they do not help clean, or do simple things like washing hands or whatever, tell them that they will not have a birthday party, tell them that they will not be allowed TV Time or play time if they do not eat, or listen to do things around the house. Also, nowadays children do not have an idea of responsibility and helping out family. They need to learn that.

Nowadays, children are untouchable, and if heaven forbid, you really yell at them and give them discipline, they will use it against you and they may involve teachers and other authorities. These days, showing children how to do chores, and get them off of their bums to help around the house, and develop these important skills is a chore and a very difficult task in itself. These screens, smartphones and devices are like a magnet to them.

As adults teach their children that it is bedtime, that means washing up again, brushing teeth, undoing the bed, getting clothes and everything ready for the next school day or whatever else, making their lunches, and everything.

Then the days that children are at home, it is important to teach them how to vacuum, wipe and mop the floors, dust the furniture, clean doorknobs, clean the kitchen counters and the table, take out the garbage, help wash the car and everything. Of course it is important to give them time to play, and do fun stuff as well. I am not saying that they should always be doing chores and everything, but they need to learn balance, time management and everything. There is a limit and time for it all.

It is the time now, and to be strict with children. strict in such a way that will not intimidate them, but to put them on track. Set rules, guidelines, time limits to screen time, and monitor what they look at and supervise them to make sure they are making good decisions while on the computer and so much more. That is the important thing.

When you see they are trying and everything and doing great work at school, and at home, give them gifts, or surprise them to a movie, take them out to an amusement park, take them to play in the park, when they obey and do good, give them an allowance of whatever amount you wish, teach them the value of a dollar when they do get allowances and teach them about spending accordingly.

One day when I have children of my own, all these things will be taught to them and I will not allow them to do whatever they want all the time. Not going to happen. they need to be taught lessons of life and develop skills.

If you have children and/or take care of them such as being a guardian, babysitter, or grandparents. What skills and what things do you teach them?

Eating Healthy is becoming Impossible

In the last little while, as I have been venturing off to the grocery store to do my weekly shopping for food and other necessities for the home, I have noticed that eating healthy is becoming impossible with the huge price hike of fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods. It has been absolutely crazy.

Doctors, dietitians, health pros keep telling us to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, but they should also realize that groceries are not cheap anymore. Many years ago, it was decent, you could go a long way to stretch your dollar, but now food, cost of living is increasing. People have to work harder to make a buck, and that is just ridiculous.

I do not care, food should never be expensive and on top of all that, people need to pay food tax too. Some people are buying less healthy foods in other aisles of what they can afford. I remember one time I was shopping at my local store, and I was in the canned food aisle with the high sodium soups and those ready made noodle ramen soups as well as pasta and rice and all that, also aisles with sugar based foods, I couldn’t help overhearing these 2 people talking to each other saying, “I have been trying to get healthy, but I cannot afford it, the prices for healthy food is insane, so to feed my family, I have to do anything and everything, so I got to do what I can”. It broke my heart. Life has become so difficult. It is unbelievable.

These governments and those who control the prices for our food, should think about all the people that need to dig into their pockets a lot more, but I do not think they care about people at all, as long as they make the money, who cares the health condition of people?

If all these professionals are promoting and expecting us to eating healthy, then they should back us up and offer us coupons, or better yet to work with the government and these food companies, farms that these veggies and fruit come from to come up with a plan that healthy eating is important and where obesity, overweight people can be motivated more when they see prices becoming more reasonable.

For cauliflower now, it is at a staggering $6.00, then for apples it is almost $4.00 for the bag, and there the total is now $10 just for 2 items. For a bag of onions is like $3.50, for red, orange, and yellow peppers is $2.97 a pound. So on and so forth. So with tax and everything it comes up to $20 or more for those things. fruits and veggies should not be more than 1 dollar or $1.50 at the most. They are fooling us.

No wonder why people are so stressed out. I am planning on setting up a petition online to decrease prices for food and to encourage people to eat healthier.

What do you think about it?

Welcome to Canada Syrians! Thank you PM Trudeau

Dearest Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Canadian Government,

 

I am so proud of you PM and the Canadian Government for taking this positive initiative and beautiful step toward welcoming Syrians and Armenian Syrians to Canada to start a new, safe, happy, comfortable, healthy and great environment. Also for giving them new opportunities, where these people do not have to worry about the unsafe and harmful conditions that they were unfortunately stuck in. You made the impossible, possible and the smiles, the sense of relief on their faces when they landed in Canada, they can finally feel what freedom is, where they can hear peace instead of hearing bombs. You are the prime example of a true, down-to-earth and incredible leader who demonstrates selflessness, who is keeping promises you made during your Prime Minister Campaign, who shines to us and the world and remind us that we can trust and have faith again in Canadian politics and we can depend on you. God bless you PM, Your family, Canada’s Family and our country. I am proud and honoured to be Canadian and I love you Canada!

 

Welcome to Canada Syrians and Syrian Armenians!

With Love Always,

A Proud and Happy Canadian

Talin Orfali

Not a Big Fan of Microwaves and the Recipes with it.

In my life, one of the many joys I have is cooking with pots, pans, wok’s, Pyrex and all those cookware products, and making things from scratch on a stove top or putting it right into the oven or toaster oven. I prepare food in healthy and great ways to ensure that my loved ones get the proper nutrition and everything. One thing that I am not a big fan of is Microwave recipes and things to heat up in there. I seldom heat up a hot beverage or something along the lines of that during the winter months, but other than that, I resort to other cooking methods as stated above.

I used to buy microwave popcorn a lot many years ago, but then I heard the harmful chemicals and ingredients used in the bag and the popcorn itself got my stomach churning and thinking, Oh my goodness I used to eat that and all those chemicals went into my body? After that, I refrained from purchasing them, and I invested into a popcorn making machine and now I make popping corn from scratch.

I know some people have no choice in using it because they either have to heat up food that you take to at your work’s cafeteria/lunch room, or when there is a child or children in you’re household to heat up their food instantly and feeding them, or when you have guests over or whatever the case maybe. It is okay, no problem.

The ample amounts of stories and articles I have read about microwaves make me think twice even three times when it comes time to use it. I have heard the radiation that gets onto the food or the unhealthy rays that come from it and then to consume it. I can really do without that appliance. Nothing beats a real home-cooked meal without having to use recipes of microwave use.

Do you use microwaves?
Or would you rather use natural pot/pan cooking and heating methods?
What do you feel about them?

What is Endometriosis? Raising Awareness

Endometriosis is a immune system disease as well as hormonal of which cells are similar to that line the uterus *Endometrium* which produces growth outside of the uterine cavity. It is commonly on the membrane which the abnormal cavity lines to the peritoneum. Endometriosis is an excruciatingly painful feeling you get that is worse than having your menstrual cycle monthly. The most common cause is dysmenorrhea.

Endometriosis is usually diagnosed during the reproductive years, also has been diagnosed way before that as well. It can cause infertility, poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), you can develop many cysts, and many other conditions of the female reproductive system. It can cause irregular menstrual periods, missed periods, as well as causing dislocation of organs around the reproductive system with the bowels, bladder, fallopian tubes, uterus, ovaries. The nervous system can also be affected by Endometriosis. Hormonal imbalances can be a factor as well.

Pelvic pain can range mid to severe aches, cramps, and pain that makes you feel like you have been stabbed repeatedly. you can feel the impact to the legs, lower abdomen, back, and down to the rectal areas as well. It depends from person to person on the severity of the case. It causes urine urgency, as well as voiding painfully sometimes. It also complicates intercourse and makes it very painful.

If you are experiencing very painful menstrual cramping, it is best to go see a gynecologist, and your family doctor to send you to a specialist to see what is going on with an ultrasound, MRI, CT Scan, or whatever examinations are needed to determine the main cause of what is going on. It is always a good idea to be screened, even if you are not active in intercourse. When you are on your period and it is extremely heavy, and periods that last over 7 days, it is a good idea to get screened right away to figure out what is going on.

Unfortunately when you do get diagnosed with Endometriosis, there is no cure for it, however there are a variety of treatment options such as surgery, hormonal, and pain medication. It depends on a persons situation and varies from what stage of Endometriosis that you have.

Endometriosis is a huge thing and not many people know about it or maybe they have and some people do not know what it is. It always good to ask questions and talk to other women who have Endometriosis and to get educated on these things.

I want to spread awareness as much as possible about this as I know someone who has this and its unfortunate what she is going through. I wish her all the best with this crazy disease. Women and girls go through a lot as they are growing up and going into adulthood. The body changes so much, especially when you get your first menstrual cycle. It all begins. Sometimes even before that.
It is so important for women to see your doctors regularly. Even if you do not feel anything wrong, it is always a good idea to get checked out for a peace of mind. It really is a good idea because its better to be safe and to know. Best wishes to you.

For more information and Links of Interest in Relative to Endometriosis:

Understanding Endometriosis.
http://www.webmd.com/women/endometriosis/understanding-endometriosis-symptoms

More in depth look at Endometriosis
http://www.webmd.com/women/endometriosis/default.htm

Causes and more
http://www.endometriosisassn.org/endo.html

Women’s Health, Diagnosis and more…
http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/endometriosis.html

Other information
http://endometriosisinfo.ca/index_e.aspx

You can find more on your search engines.

The Purpose of Blogging – Why do we do it?

In the past few blog posts with the subject of communication and along the lines of what is relative to that, the way we feel, how we get our words and points across to the world and how we do it to reach out to others, and to share with the world our points of view, opinions, suggestions, to raise awareness on issues, to advertise, promote, social issues, recipes, tips, organizational ideas, simplifying life and so much more. We all have our own perspective and our own purpose when blogging and writing about our life. The question is why do we do it? Why do we spend time with writing? Why do we post our blog entries?

To answer those questions is quite simple. We all have a voice and existence in this world and there is just so many stories, journeys, experiences, moments, memories, being helpful, useful and beneficial information about life, travel, food, the holidays, situations, issues to address to the world and things that happen to us to share, to give our insight, and so much more. We spend time writing is because it gives us a boost, and the most important thing is how we feel, and how we want to communicate to the world. Blogging is a therapeutic yet rewarding feeling. It is like writing in our diary, but a virtual diary that we want to post public. We post blog entries to contribute something, an idea and something to share with the world.

Now with this being a virtual diary, there comes responsibility and thinking before we press the post button. There are private issues and things that should not be published of real private matters in ones home, in ones personal life. back in the day and maybe until now people have a personal and private diary, and I am sure you do not want certain people to open it up and unlock your diary of real personal things that you do not want people to see, its almost like the same thing with public blogging. You do not want to post private matters for the world to see, so always be mindful and think before you post something so personal.

Never keep your blogging private. It defeats the whole purpose of writing and expressing to the world. If you want to keep some of your writings private, make a diary, and keep it for yourself in hiding, but hiding a blog is pointless. Somehow no matter how private a blog is, somehow it can always be seen in a way.

Never stop blogging, never stop writing and most importantly never lose your purpose and perspective on why you started blogging in the first place. Never give up what you enjoy doing, never ever let anybody tell you to stop doing what you are good at. Well, nobody is perfect, however that should not define anything. You are in control of your own destiny, your own goals you want to attain from blogging and writing to the world. Remember you do not have to be a perfect blogger, its how you feel and what you want to accomplish. The beauty of blogging is something that is indescribable and the future of journal writing which is now.

So, what is your purpose? Why do you do it?

Communication Style – What is your Type?

As we go through life from the moment we are born, communication is and will always be a vital asset in our day-to-day lives. We need communication when we speak to our family members, boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, partners, groups, friends, colleagues, our bosses, fellow students, teachers, traveling, in social media, sending e-mails and so many different types of communication.

I attended a seminar “Inspire For Tomorrow” at my Armenian Community center and it was about communication, and I learned so much in a couple of hours. It put things into a new perspective, it gave me new light, new ways to deliver our speech, our stories, and so much more. There are several ways you can communicate, but here are 4 styles of communication, that I have observed in my life and my thoughts on it all:

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– The Driver — Someone who is direct, to the point, detail oriented, who speaks their mind, who produces results, attaining goals, gets into competitive situations, taking charge and being in control, wasting no time to beat around the bush.

– The Relater — Someone who cares about a situation, who can connect with others by thinking of the other person first, who’s relationships and friendships mean the world to a person, someone who is relaxed, and feel cared for, becoming silent, introspective and withdrawn, being helpful, coinciding with others, comforting others.

– Analyst — One who always seeks data, second guesses people, making decisions after analyzing a situation, testing people, giving people to focus on interpersonal and communication skills, those who despise making mistakes, double-checking everything, not being able to trust situations and people until doing further research on a person.

– Expresser — Someone who recognizes emotions, who expresses feelings, and what that person wants to say, the over sharing person who keeps on talking, and beats around the bush, making a small story into a big one, gets excited, giving feedback, boring people because of overusing communication, explaining ideas to the core then saying things out of turn which then makes it into an argument and problems can arise of sharing too much information.

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All those 4 styles have good and the bad, but we must find a way to be consistent when we communicate with others, using the right tone, words, following up with someone privately about something that you feel is gone wrong, not announcing it in a public, group setting, taking up issues with the person directly, instead of involving others in the mix. People will appreciate it when someone brings the other person to the side and discuss with them a problem, situation or something going on, then finding a solution to the problem, solving whatever issue, and finding the right words, tone to express those feelings.

We must always think about how we are going to present ourselves, no matter where you are, whether it is about self-regard, being assertive, emotional self-awareness, self-actualization, independence. It could be a beautiful thing, but it is in the way we utilize it all.

Communication is a never-ending learning process, and nobody is perfect and makes mistakes, however to always learn from them and progressing to do better, to improve in relationships, friendships, is something that is imperative. If you believe you have made a mistake, do not worry, focus on the future and make it better, improve the way you speak to others, always ask for advice, always have a mentor, someone whom you can talk to a person whom you can trust if you are unsure of how to deal with a situation if you are unsure yourself. It is always good to ask, then to stay silent.

Always be confident, express your ideas to others, be in communication, always tell a person how you feel about something without offending them. There is always a way to go around it. How do you normally handle situations that are presented to you? What have you learned from it all?

Why is communicating and expressing yourself so important? Everyone has a voice, everyone has something to contribute to the world, that is why everyday in technology, and things of the world are being invented, new innovations, new concepts, context, perspectives, theories, discoveries are being made across the world, because many people communicate, and want to get out what they feel is right for the benefit of the world and its people. Each one of us can make a difference in this world, and communication is one of them and we begin just doing that. Without that everyone would not have a voice and this world cannot continue to move forward. That is exactly why Communication is key and so important in our daily life.

So no matter how we express ourselves, the most important thing is the way we do it and a way where it will not hurt others, and where we can find common ground with everything in our lives.

How do you communicate? What is important to you to get across to others? Best wishes to you in your journey. We can all do something positive, say great things and to avoid messy situations, by just changing our tone and the way we communicate.

Never Apologize for The Way You Feel

A lot of the times in life we go through many feelings, emotions, and sometimes we tend to apologize for what we are feeling and telling people our emotions. You have every right to feel what you are feeling, You never have to explain yourself to anybody. Never be ashamed of your feelings. I know they say that you have to express your feelings everytime and tell people exactly how you feel, however sometimes you cannot control feelings, you cannot explain the way you feel due to a certain situation. I know no matter what you have to tell someone how you feel, and not keep anything inside of you, but some circumstances say otherwise. It depends on the person and whom you can confide into easily.

If you keep on living your life on other peoples terms and the way they want you to feel, the way they want you to live your life always telling you what to do, forcing, commanding you to do something is not somebody you want to associate with. Find the path and the people who can relate to you, do what you feel is right for you. Sometimes you need to get out from the norm, and do what is best for you. If you keep on living your life to please others, to always try and impress others, to always keep proving yourself and working hard for other peoples approval, you are not going to get anywhere in life and all you are going to do is just live for other people.

Sometimes you need to put your foot down and say, okay enough is enough. People talk so much about you and your life, gossip, spread rumors, put words in your mouth and what you should do with your life, however sometimes people need to look at themselves in the mirror first before they point fingers, criticize and belittle you. Some people have nothing better to do, than talk smack about other people, when they need to sort out their life and what they need to do. Remember nobody full knows you and about your personal life and what you are going through, and you never have to explain yourself to nobody.

Ignore people who talk so much bogus about you, and ignore people and block them out of your life. Life is too short. Be happy, be you, live your life on your own terms and your own comfort, and do not worry about anything else. People are always going to judge and point fingers. Don’t let it affect you and your life, well-being and who you are. True, compassionate and understanding people will be there for you every step of the way without explaining yourself. Remember others opinions of you, do no matter. Its how you make an opinion of yourself that matters. As long as you feel good about yourself and bring yourself up with good thoughts, confidence, the way you are is what matters the most.

People will always do and say mean things, but never let that take control of yourself.

I have realized a lot of things in the last little while, that you cannot expect people to understand you, your feelings and be on the same page as you, not everybody will be your friend and agree with you. I recommend that people should never stop being themselves, be who you are, feel what you want to feel. In the end we are all human beings in this world, we do make mistakes, we do wrong in social issues, we tend to sometimes associate with people whom we always have to try to fit in, do things to stay in the loop, however you never need to try to fit in, try so hard, and try to stand out, because there will be people who will appreciate you for you and there will be people who will love and cherish you and the memories shared and will share in the present and the future.

Wishing you the best with everything and remember never apologize for the way you feel. Always be thankful and just go on with life. There is only so much you can do and life will never give you more than you can handle.

The Benefits of Writing and Blogging in Social Media

All of us in this life have something special and incredible to contribute to this world, and whatever it is, each and everyone of us are gifted with something great. In this day in age with social media, blogging, writing and contributing to the digital world with our thoughts, words, feelings, emotions, issues, and other things is something so fabulous and the rewarding feeling of stepping out to social media and the benefits from it all is something that some people do not realize what an impact an individual puts on other people reading and engaging into peoples blog sites.

There are people always searching for something, and it is quite easy to get to a website/blog that has the topics that person is looking for when blogs are put as public and visible to search engines which I recommend people do, because what is the point of writing a blog to keep it private? I truly believe that when you sign up to write a blog, it is imperative to post it as public. There can be people reading the blog and then offer insight, comments, recipes, interests, music, about family, friendships, world issues, topics, hobbies, health, love, organization ideas, notes, tips, travel and so much more. You just need to moderate comments coming to your blog and everything will be alright.

The benefits of writing and blogging is something that is very important to me and my life. I have been writing for 12 years now, and so many articles written for my local community, for websites, for other social media sites among my WordPress blog of course. I saw so many benefits from it from not only engaging into other peoples blogs, and following people, but it makes the world a much smaller place and easy to interact and reach out to other people.

You do not need to be the perfect writer, or have the most perfect blog, you do not need to be 100% in your Blog writings, it is however you feel the need to write your blog and how you know it, how you want to express yourself to other people. Just make sure that your blog and what you write is something that you should always be careful and think about before pressing the submit, send, post button. Also with Social Media comes the social responsibility of the content we post, and what to post. Always use your discretion and if you are unsure about posting something, do not post it.

Enjoy your blogging journey, take in the benefits. You never know who stops by your blog, it can be someone famous, professors, preachers, and whoever is looking for information, inspiration, positivity, or whatever their heart desires. It is an amazing journey to go through. Even if you cannot blog everyday, no matter how many times you write, its amazing. There is no time limit or rules. Besides you make your own rules when it comes to your blog, but like I said use disrection and make wise decisions on what to post, and you will see the benefits soaring and you will see a whole new world to social media and blogging.

We are all in this together, we all have something to contribute and to share around the world. We all have different perspectives, opinions, suggestions, advice, feelings, emotions and so much more to give. Once we join social media, blogging, and the virtual/digital world, we can always do something fabulous with it, make a difference in this world and making everyone welcome to it. It is the way we handle it and the way we control it.

Blogging is a beautiful and incredible thing. Thank you to my fans, supporters, family, friends and so many others. Without my readers, blogging would not be possible. So again I say thank you.

Just have fun with it, do what you do, and enjoy the benefits of your social media journey through blogging and much more. many best wishes to you all.

Sushi, Sashimi, Wasabi, Maki Rolls – Love Asian Food

In the many years I have heard about sushi, the maki rolls and Japanese style cuisine, I told myself that I will never try sushi ever in my life and I will stay away from it because I am thinking about all the raw fish and everything and how I do not like things raw, but then I said let’s go to an all you can eat Sushi place, and so I decided, you know what? Why not, so I went and I had the Sushi and I fell in love with it. Now I am so addicted to all that, the Miso Soup, The California, Avocado Rolls, Dragon Rolls, Volcano, there are so many names for them. I tried the Salmon, Tempura, noodles, seaweed green salad, and so much more. I always said that I won’t try it, but now I can’t get enough of sushi. Its healthy and good for you and its so tasty and when you put it in the soya sauce, its extra tasty. I have become a sushi expert now. Been to that restaurant like 10 or more times. Once you get hooked, you will want to go all the time.

My first Sushi experience, my great friend showed me the ins and outs on what to order, the best things on the menu and choosing and selecting different types of sushi’s and rolls for me to try. The first time i went I went with the simple ones, then. They bring you tea when you get into the restaurant, they put soya sauce and this green very spicy hot dip named wasabi where you mix it with your soya sauce to make it have a kick to it, they bring you a little bit of a salmon too. The second time when we went to sushi, I had the more advanced type of sushi and I loved it all. It was so yummy and it depends on how they are made. You can’t eat sushi everywhere.

I always like to try new things and I am very happy and excited that my great friend introduced me to it. I want to try to make sushi myself so that when I entertain at home, we can have a sushi night all prepared by me. I might take a course or learn to do it from online. Maybe I can become a sushi chef later on in future, but now I will just stick to the all you can eat Sushi place I go to. When we went to all you can eat, you could eat as much dessert you want like mango or mousse cake, green tea ice cream or different varieties of them, and as well as you have a selection of soft drinks to choose from as well. There was just a place mat style menu and anything on there you can eat as much as you want.

If you order too much and you leave sushi, maki rolls or something on the plate and do not eat them, depending on the place, they charge you if you leave them. They try not to waste any food.

Now, you can’t try sushi from anywhere. Do not buy the ones in the sushi boxes you see at the malls or whatever. When you go to a sushi restaurant, observe that there is no fish smells, and make sure they bring it fresh to you. Not in a box because you never know how long the ones in the box sits for. always be cautious and mindful of where you buy it.

I love Asian food. Not only Sushi, Sashimi, Maki Rolls, The Wasabi Sauce with Soya Sauce, I love Shanghai Noodles, Korean BBQ Where the waiters bring you the raw meat and you cook it right in front of you sometimes. Depends which restaurant you go to, I also love Vietnamese food, Pho, Pad Thai, Vegetable Pad Thai, Chicken Pad Thai, and other foods. Do you like the peanut and peanut butter sauce you dunk your shrimp and veggie rolls? I get excited when I go to a Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, restaurants. I can eat this weekly. I want to go eat Asian food now. I am craving it.

Do you like sushi and other Asian food? What do you mostly enjoy?

Comfort Food At its Best

There are days where we have had a bad day, something emotional might have happened, personal issues, or just that your day may have been rough at school, work, in a social setting, a disappointment and sometimes you just feel like over-eating more than the norm, but on comfort food. Sometimes there does not have to be a bad day, some people indulge on comfort food whenever they like. I know they say in moderation, but sometimes you cannot contain yourself and control the amount that goes into your body, but once in a while it is perfectly okay to over-eat or to cheat days where you feel like you need to have carbs and a little bit of sugar in your body.

Sometimes in the spare of the moment, you feel like heading to your local convenient, grocery store, restaurant and just grabbing a bite to eat, or loading your shopping cart with all these snacks, comfort food, and goodies. Its alright to do it once in a while I guess right? :).

What gets your taste buds rolling? My Comfort food at its best includes a variety of things which keep me going when I have a rough day, or when I have had a good day too. It does not matter.

My list of Some of the Comfort food I enjoy include:

— Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Spread
— Frito Lay — Lays Ketchup Chips
— Kit Kat —
— Hummus
— Pita Bread Chips with Labneh (Pressed Yogurt)
— Doritos Cheese Nacho Chips
— Cashews, Peanuts, Sunflower Seeds
— Crackers
— Pretzels
— M&M’s Peanut/Milk Chocolate
— Nerds
— Fast Food
— Pizza
— Pasta

There is a lot more to this, but those are my main things.
What about you?
Do you indulge in Comfort food often?
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How to Exercise and Diet With No Pain, No Crazy Diet Plans

All if not Most of us know the pain and stress that comes with exercising, eating well, following a diet plan, getting quick results in no time, thinking about the pain that comes with exercise and much more. Well, do not worry, I have the solutions and tips to steady, healthy, painless results that will benefit you in the future, but first you will need to dispose all those diet pills, protein bars, energy drinks, and all those crazy smoothies that are loaded with oodles of chemicals, harmful toxins that do more harm than Good which is a recipe for diseases later. Do yourself a favour a get nutrition out of real food, and skip those energy diet stores. Safety is number one and getting healthy and fit will not happen overnight. Work at it. Even if it may take a year, just get yourself up and be patient.

Exercising:

We all know that exercising has a lot to do with weight loss with the balance of food, but visit your doctor first, ask what type of exercise is good for you, whether its elliptical, treadmill, weight lifting, exercise bike, sit ups, push ups and whatever. I am going into my 3rd week being on the treadmill. The first week I began walking at 2.5 speed at 10 minutes, then I increased my exercise the week after to 15 minutes a day, then as I began my 3rd week, I am doing 20 minutes on the treadmill each day at 2.5 speed until I get to an hour much later.

It is important to pace yourself and begin to exercise and just get your body moving, then when your body gets used to it, slowly increase your time on a treadmill and exercising with whatever you have. Never begin at the top. Work your way up to prevent yourself from hurting and then you won’t want to do it anymore. Trust me, I have been there and done that. I refused to ever go back on the treadmill because of it, and now with learning how to do it, I began a pain free exercise that I will see results in the long run and your body will thank you later. You don’t want to hurt your Body, you want to get healthy and do it safely.

Skipping Meals — Do not Do it!

Skipping meals will not only do harm to your body, you will lose nutrients that your body needs to fuel up, Never skip meals. Eat smaller portions through the day and never go hungry as you will end up eating more and then that will add up the calories. Eat fewer calories, but portion them out and follow healthy recipes, but never ever starve yourself. You maybe losing weight, but what are your insides telling you? Getting healthy doesn’t mean that you have to skip meals, it means to eat everything, but limit yourself.

Water – Drink plenty of it.

Never drink Ice Cold or Cold water. Always drink warm to hot water as it will absorb into your body more and you will be hydrated. Put lemon or a little cinnamon to add flavour to your water and drink. Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily. You will end up using the washroom more, but that is a good sign. It means your body is getting rid of fat, and toxins. Your organs will function better, and your bowel movements will improve from being so constipated, well if you get constipated.

Food Intake — Eat everything: Never cut out anything:

Eat equal amounts of carbs, breads, grains, fruits, veggies, meats, pastas, cheeses and other foods. Never ever cut anything out from your diet as everything has its nutrients, with iron, folic acid, niacin, vitamins and minerals needed for the body to function. Always be aware of what your purchase at the grocery store, and read the nutrition labels… Sodium and Sugar are in a lot of our foods, and it is not very good for you, but if you limit the quantity ingested, you will see results. Follow the labels, and go from there. The more you cut out sweets and carbs from your diet, you will want more, so limit yourself and never ever let these crazy diet plans get to you.

What really angers me is when people waste a whole egg, do not throw away the Egg yolk, eat the whole egg, you are entitled to eat it one everyday, and sometimes a couple of times per week, but do not cut it all out. It really makes my blood boil when people waste food like that. DO NOT. Eat EVERYTHING!

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Trust in me, I have been there when it comes to pain and trying to seek fast results. It put my body into pain for weeks and sometimes I could not even move. I was sore, I was crying in agony and in pain. I gave up very quickly because I did not want to feel that burn pain in my lower leg calve muscles. That killed me. I just couldn’t deal with it anymore. I began so many times with my exercise and stopped within the few weeks or 3 months. I just didn’t have the energy to do it anymore because of the pain I endured. It was so bad, That I cried.

Don’t let over excessive people give you advice on how to workout and eat right, don’t let these extreme diet plans, exercises get in the way. Do it as you feel, and listen to your body. Don’t allow over extremists to control your mind and your motivation. Get motivated by doing it at your own pace and never fall for gimmicks, and those diet stores with terrible chemicals that will hurt you in the long run. So save lots of money, get moving on your own time and never ever allow others to control you. Lose weight, have fun doing it and do not stress over how long it takes. Longer is better. trust me.

You will thank me later.In a year or less from now, you will find me and say, Talin you were right about all this. I am glad you opened up my eyes. Exercising and Eating everything should not be struggle, it should be fun and exciting.

All the best and enjoy!

Smartphones and Tablets — Have They Taken Over Our Lives?

As mobile devices serve a good purpose in life to communicate with others with texting, calling, spending time with apps, and having fun with them, but there should be limits. I feel that human face to face communication is diminishing, and that mobile devices have gone out of control. Social skills and speaking is deteriorating as our tongue freezes up and cannot come up with conversations instantly, whereas it is easier to communicate with texts and writing messages, but I prefer the old fashioned way, where people come together, enjoy, create memories, laugh, talk and do fun things together, to put the phones down and actually verbally do the talking instead of the fingers. I know that it is a personal mobile phone and you can be on it 24 hours a day, but you do not need to be on it constantly.

I feel that smartphones and tablets and the constant changes to technology and gadgets are taking over some peoples lives and they can’t seem to put them down at all, they wake up with it, go to bed with it, they use the washroom with it, they eat dinner while being on them, they use it while at a coffee shop or restaurant among friends 90% of the time people get together and do not look at each others faces, and its just overwhelmingly taken over. what is the point of getting together with people when all that will be done is looking at screens? Where do we draw the line? Its become so bad that when people are physically together, they text each other when they are beside each other, and they communicate with their phone instead of looking at each other and moving their mouths.

I too have a smartphone mobile device, but I know my limits. I do enjoy my mobile device too, but I do not let it control my life, or my way of living. I will not let a screen device take over my life and who I am. Some people need to know limits, and when to put down the phone, like when someone is talking to you, when you are among a group of people, when you are in the washroom and so on and so forth. I sometimes go more than 12 hours without looking at my phone, I sometimes don’t look at it all day, as I do not let it control me.

Although mobile devices are important to have for emergencies and to contact people instantly, but some people overuse it to the point where things get out of hand and disrespecting others who are trying to talk to you when your head is so into that device, and its not healthy especially the radiation it produces. From your point of view, do you limit your use? What are your opinions about this issue? I would love to hear from you.  Know your limit and be within it.

The Start of My Health & Fitness Routine – Any Advice for me?

I am really excited to announce a new phase in my life beginning with the journey to getting more healthy and fit and to lose weight starting with:  – 15-20 minutes on the treadmill for the first 2 weeks everyday – After 2 weeks 25 minutes for another 2 weeks everyday
then the 2nd month 30 minutes, then up to 45 minutes the 3rd month, then 1 hour after the 4th month, then I will exercise 5 days per week after the 3rd month. Just the beginning, I will need to exercise everyday and keep at it. I was thinking about it during the weekend, I said what am I doing to myself? What am I doing to my body? I need to get moving.

Then I will do some Yoga as my Body gets skinnier. Eventually I will join a Gym, but I already have a treadmill at home.

I want to improve my nutrition and food intake, and eat healthier to keep the weight off. I will have a light breakfast in the morning with oatmeal, boiled egg, a glass of water or 2, then small portions throughout the day with portioned rice and pastas with a limited amount, drinking about 1-2 liter’s  of water a day, no sugar in coffee or tea, no chocolate, but dark chocolate, no refined sugars, candies, sweets, lots of veggies and fruit, more leafy greens, and foods with colour, more raw veggies… Hopefully by the summer time I will lose about 40-50 pounds.

How can I stop the cravings for eating a lot of Carbs and how do I prevent myself from eating sugary things? Its going to be a huge challenge, but I am up to changing my lifestyle, and the way I eat.

What websites should I visit that really help with Fitness and Eating well? There is a lot out there, but which ones are actually accurate and from the best sources?

What advice do you have for me? What do you think I should do in terms of portion control? what kind of things I should avoid, and all that other stuff? How can I maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle without overdoing it. I never want to over do it.  I would appreciate it so much. Thank you!

Talin’s Ultimate Couscous Salad Recipe

I would like to introduce to you a very healthy, flavorful, Couscous Salad recipe, which is full of essential nutrients, which will get your taste buds active and will want the whole salad bowl to yourself. Yes, it is that good! Couscous is one of my favorite things to add to vegetables, and add so much flavor with it. Excellent choice to serve at dinner parties, or regular dinners, for lunch, for dinner, anytime. Here is The Ultimate Couscous Salad Recipe.

Couscous Salad Recipe
Serves: 4 or more. depending on how much quantity you would like to prepare. play around with the amount of ingredients to your desire.

Ingredients…
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups pearl couscous
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 full cucumber, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 large tomato, diced…. preferably tomato on a vine…
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh herbs (any combination of fresh parsley, cilantro, arugula, basil, dill or mint)
• 1/3 cup raisins or more to your tasting
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted or not. you can just add them in.
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt

To Prepare follow these instructions…
1. In a large saucepan, bring about 2 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Add couscous and cook until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain with a strainer — preferably thin holed strainer so the couscous will not fall through.

2. While the couscous cooks, in a small bowl, mix the oil, mustard, honey, lemon juice and zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3. Add cooked and drained couscous to a large bowl, and then, pour dressing over warm couscous, mix well. Let it cool completely

4. After cooled completely, Add cucumber, tomato, herbs, raisins and walnuts to the couscous and stir. Taste for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper as needed.

5. Enjoy it when its cold – cover then refrigerate, about 1 hour. Better to eat cool…

Bon Apetit!