Month: May 2012

Strawberry Love!

   

Thank you for the Strawberries!! Something inspiring to blog about…

I do not know about you but I am a big fan of strawberries. There is something about Strawberries and summer… the red mouthwatering, juicy, delicious and hoping that they are as sweet and delicate as they promise to the eyes.. What more can I ask other than a fresh healthy pack, rich in antioxidants (Vitamin C) for lunch.

Did you know the benefits of adding strawberries to your diet?

  1. To begin with Vitamin C also known as Immunity Booster. Add two cup servings of strawberries to your daily requirement, and your required daily dose which is 103mg of Vitamin C is done.
  2. The antioxidants properties in strawberries help to prevent cataracts (which can lead to blindness in old age). Our eyes need Vitamin C to protect our lens them from the sun’s harsh UV rays. Having said that, note that high doses of Vitamin C pertaining from Supplements can be risky however Vitamin C from fruits and vegetables is not risky.
  3. The eye’s cornea and retina are also strengthened with the help of the Vitamin C present in the strawberries.
  4. A phytochemical called ellagic acid, found in strawberries, helps cancer prevention like suppressing cancer cell growth. (WOW!)
  5. Strawberries not only contain Vitamin C as one of the antioxidants but also contain lutein and zeathancins.
  6. The power of Vitamin C is crucial to the production of collagen, which helps the skin’s elasticity and suppleness. Personally speaking, at my age we lose a lot of collage, hence eating strawberries might help in keeping the skin looking healthier and younger (cough cough)..With roaring temperatures in Kuwait, we get over exposed to skin damaging UV-B rays, so ladies do eat a lot of strawberries to keep the WRINKLES at bay.
  7. According to a lot of studies at Health and Heart centers, strawberries contain a powerful heart health booster. Phytochemicals or flavonoids and ellagic acid can provide that antioxidant effect, from which our hearts can benefit. So in order to reduce the oxidant damage as well as blood lipids, both of which play a vital role in heart diseases and diabetes, can just be avoided by adding my STRAWBERRIES TO YOUR DIET!
  8. Strawberries provide an anti-flammatory effect also, which helps to reduce the inflammation of the joints (which may lead to Arthritis or Heart disease). Fights bad cholesterol in the blood or LDL, which causes damage to the arteries.
  9. Since Strawberries have earned the title for the Most Heart healthy fruits you can eat, strawberries are considered a medium source of potassium with 134mg per serving. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and sometimes even helps to lower high BP by acting as a shield against the harmful effects of sodium.
  10. Fibre – problems from lack of fibre cause constipation and diverticulitis and inflammation of intestines which are generally seen in senior citizens. Strawberries boost fibre and contain about 2 g per serving, hence adults managing diabetes, esp. type 2 diabetes should enjoy Strawberries reasonably in their diet.
  11. Maintaining a good healthy weight is one of the things all of us want. Strawberries are naturally low calorie (28kCal per serving), low in both sugar and sodium and fat free. And total carbohydrate content is equal to less than a slice of bread. You can have a much healthier much tastier snack by adding 3 cups of serving which adds up to less than 100 calories.
  12. And for all the mommies and wanna be mommies out there, have loads of strawberries cox Folate is B-vitamin and it is necessary in early steps of pregnancy, for  the development of the baby’s brain, skull and spinal cord. The folic acid in the strawberries prevents certain birth defects (spina bifida).

And Last but not the Least – Romance with Strawberries

Strawberries are the stuff of myth and legend, very beautiful, earthy, sexy, an edible valentine and a romantic fruit.

Touted as an aphrodisiac fruit since the times of ancient Rome, the strawberry was a symbol of Venus. The Italian legend that states when Venus wept for Adonis, her tears fell to earth and turned into heart-shaped strawberries. In the French countryside, there was once a tradition of serving newlyweds cold strawberry soup to help promote the aphrodisiac of honeymoon romance.)

Perfect tiny or not so tiny red shaped fruits… dip them in premium chocolate, or gently roast them over the BBQ or melt them in your mouth with delicious sweet cream

Strawberry cheesecake, always, a favorite of mine…Tempting!! Well, start off your Weekend with Strawberry Love!!

R.I.P Robin Gibb

The irony of life, we always start paying attention to life and esp people when they are gone!! I am sure just like me there are millions of people out there in the world who are actually searching for his all old, all time favourite songs and will be amazed to even notice some songs we actually forgot or just realised that it was actually sung by the Bee Gees..

Well – i am sure Bee Gees will end up with more likes, searches and even more sales to follow … however unfortunately Robin Gibb will never find out … “talented beyond even his own understanding”.

I hope you all enjoy the below video from One Night Only, these are almost 30 of his top all time hits..

Watch on Youtube: watch?v=x1iTp6aWm_Q&feature=related

Track Listing
 1. You Should Be Dancing 2. Alone
3. Massachusetts 4. To Love Somebody

5. I’ve Got A Message To You

6. Words

7. Closer Than Close

8. Islands in the Stream

9. One

10. Our Love (Don’t Throw It All Away)

11. Night Fever/More Than A Woman

12. Still Waters

13. Lonely Days

14. Morning of My Life

15. New York Mining Disaster 1941

16. Too Much Heaven

17. I Can’t See Nobody

18. Run To Me

19. And The Sun Will Shine

20. Nights on Broadway

21. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

22. Heartbreaker

23. Guilty

24. Immortality

25. Tragedy

26. I Started A Joke

27. Grease

28. Jive Talkin’

29. How Deep Is Your Love

30. Stayin’ Alive

31. You Should Be Dancing

They say that in the second before our death, each of us understands the real reason for our existence, and out of that moment, Heaven or Hell is born. Hell is when we look back during that fraction of a second and know that we wasted an opportunity to dignify the miracle of life. Paradise is being able to say at that moment: “I made some mistakes, but I wasn`t a coward. I lived my life and did what I had to do.” Paulo Coelho

An Ordinary Indian Woman

I remember reading this about this young lady back in 2010, and for no apparent reason, I thought of this lady and wanted to know the outcome of her sacrifice.. Was she still alive? Did she get justice? Did she achieve her goal? Well I guess not!!

To be honest, back then I didn’t think much about spreading the word, nor did I blog.. but now I feel differently…

Please read and share, it is about an Indian woman who has spent the last 12 years of her life fasting (hunger strike) against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and has vowed not to call off her protest.. However it doesn’t seem that she’s being noticed at all…

No eating, no drinking, no combing her hair, no looking in the  mirror.. Hats off to her determination and I sincerely hope the government wakes up and doesn’t turn they blind eyes on her Fight for Humanity!!

Link : http://www.odditycentral.com/news/indian-woman-has-been-on-a-hunger-strike-for-the-last-12-years.ht

Iron Lady of India : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irom_Chanu_Sharmila

 

How to argue fairly

“The most important thing for a good relationship is to learn how to argue peaceably”

Disagreements are a part of human nature and though they can be tiring at times, if they are handled properly they can be settled with no long term damage to a relationship. Almost always, it is not topic of the argument but lack of any ground rules that make things spiral out of control.

First and foremost is the way you approach an argument, an argument occurs when two people have differing opinions on a topic, each believing that they are right. Unfortunately people approach the argument looking for control or for staking their claim to be right rather than looking for a resolution where all parties are heard and opinions debated. Remember this is a relationship not a full body contact sport like wrestling where there has to be a clear winner.

Some specific points to follow are:

Privacy matters – No arguing in public, the argument is between the two of you and that is where it remains.

The past is the past – We all have made mistakes, an argument is not the right time to bring them up. Keep the argument relevant – old grudges should be left out

Don’t make it personal – Stay focused on the topic, you have an issue and sort it out – Don’t start on personal traits, if it is relevant to the topic, then approach it in a different manner that shows how you are affected by it rather than exclaim the personality trait over and over.

Is anybody listening ?– Make an effort and listen to what your partner is trying to say – sure you might think that it has all been said before and you know what it’s all about but you really might not have a clue. Besides it lets the other person vent, and perhaps that it what is really required.

Graceful exits – The ending of an argument is critical to a relationship, notice if your partner is trying to end the argument and accept it – It could be in the form of a joke in the middle of an argument or an action such as walking back into an argument they just ran out on.

Importance scale– People disagree all the time, is everything you disagree about that important to you  that you need to get mad all the time or is it something that you can let slide and leave it for the important stuff.

Watch the clock – It is an argument not a war – there has to be a time limit – If you feel that you are going around in circles, let it go and cool down. Come back to it another time.

Communication is the key in any relationship and it is the lack of it that causes friction.

People tend not to speak when something small upsets them under the guise of not wanting to create issues but these small things tend to build up resentment in one and usually an extremely small incident occurs that causes your partner to face the full wrath of your fury.  At this point the other person is wondering what was that important that caused all this to happen and blames you back for getting mad all the time . So next time don’t let things build up and explode – Talk people ! Talk!

And most importantly prioritise, and do not sweep it under the rug!

Laugh Until You Cry

Life is shorter than it often seems. Sometimes we are only given a few minutes to be with the ones we love, and hundreds of hours to spend thinking of them. Cherish the moments you have with your friends and loved ones, because in one single second they can be taken away from you forever.

 

Happy Mothers Day to Me!

Having posted this overwhelming drawing, “Wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day” from my One and Only, I do not feel the need to post anything else or write anything else – Just feel blessed to be a mom to a somewhat naughty, full hands on but also to the most sensitive, lovely, caring and adorable son….
So here’s wishing My Mom, myself and all the kool moms – a very Happy Mother’s Day!

        

My Recycled Decopatched Tissue Box

It feels nice, when some people remember small details about you NOT  because you always remind them but JUST because they care.

So a friend of mine, was kind enough to get me the Decoupage stuff I have been talking about and so terribly wanting to go out and buy, but somehow I keep postponing it…

Well! Guess what?  I have loads of it now and yesterday I made this – do tell me what you think about it. (If you move the cursor on the pictures in the given order – it gives you a brief description)

I started out with an empty tissue box (had to initiate my recycling as well as creativity).. Thanks B…..