Planet Earth

I've always wanted to watch Planet Earth, and finally my sister (well, actually her boyfriend bought it for her!) got the whole tv series. I watched it for the first time with my lovely Mother while knitting my first scarf (yay me!).

Four years in the making, Planet Earth was the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC, and also the first to be filmed in high definition! The series comprises eleven episodes, each of which features a global overview of a different habitat on Earth. At the end of each fifty-minute episode, a ten-minute featurette takes a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of filming the series, which I found the most interesting! The measures they go to for the perfect shot is quite interesting. Some camera men spent 125 hours in a tiny hole to capture a rare bird doing its mating dance. Very fascinating, and I recommend you to watch this series. One word: AMAZING! I used my iPhone to capture some of the moments; enjoy!

This video is about Forest Elephants- which I didn't even know existed! They are red, and yellow in color- I heart elephants.

I couldn't get over the amazing time-lapse Photography effects, to show time passing by and plants and nature taking its course. It was extremely cool to watch. Check it out!


Not all of it was beautiful, and lovely; there were points in the show that I didn't even want to watch. There were lions attacking the elephants and eating them, and a Mother fox stealing new baby eggs from a goose to feed her young, and there were monkeys eating their own kind! It's a tough world out there - survival of the fittest!

Watch a new, educational show today for the first time- It makes you appreciate Mother Nature, and the beautiful, amazing world we live in!

Green Wedding Fair

Today I went to my first Wedding Fair, with my sister and Mom. It wasn't a typical one, because all the vendors had environmentally friendly products & services of some kind. It was quite interesting, but generally quite expensive.
The Grassroots Wedding Fair is an event to celebrate local and sustainable businesses. Our event will be a lively affair with music, food, gorgeous handmade products and fantastic green businesses. Feel good about the wedding choices you make.
I got some cool ideas, filled out a million raffle draws (I hope I win something!) and realized how much planning actually goes in to a wedding! Wow. I felt a bit overwhelmed. However, I'm thankful most of my wedding will be planned for me, overseas in Thailand by the resort! This makes me happy, as I'm hoping to have a stress-free day. But, even still, just picking a venue/destination and trying to find a place that will suit everyone has been stressful, and challenging. I've been told that I shouldn't be planning the wedding for anyone else, but I want to make it as easy as possible for people to come. Is that such a bad thing? I am being selfless, and considerate of others. Yes, it's my wedding, but I want important people to come! .......(Ok, venting there for a minute...)

These were some lovely set ups- very Thailand-esque which I adored. You can't really see it, but the tree in the back has different colored lanterns hanging in it! I also loved the flower petals along the ground, with the Buddah! For our reception when we get home, I'd like to re-create this kind of thing, but do it cheaply on my own, without the help of a thousand dollar Wedding Event Coordinator! I look forward to this, actually! This Wedding Fair got my creative juices flowing and I got really excited about everything for the first time. It really sank in-

HOLY CRAP- I'M GETTING MARRIED!

There's Only One Level

Today, for the first time I thought I'd type in, I AM BORED into Google Search and see what comes up for ideas on what to do. I found this site: www.bored.com and it had many different games you can play when.... you guessed it, you are bored! I had no clue you could be so entertained, by such ridiculous fun. I guess it is quite rare that I find myself bored so I wouldn't normally turn to the
internet for ideas; this was new to me. This is definitely where to go, if you are feeling bored, as it will keep you occupied for long life-altering minutes.

Name of the Game: 
There's only one Level
Description:
Can you figure out how to beat the only level? It's not as easy as you'd think...

I feel like I lost 25 minutes of my life doing this particular game; I am not the type of person to give up, so I was determined to beat it! You can see, as I died 222 times while completed this "one" level. The record is about 3 minutes or so to complete it. See if you can beat my record!

You can tell I'm getting pretty desperate for things to try for the first time!! This whole first thing, is becoming quite challenging. I need to take my Mom's advice, and actually plan things out a week in advance, so I'm not stuck at the last minute doing ridiculous things like I did tonght.

Either way, it was entertaining and something new!

Text to Haiti

On January 12, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti.

Following the success of "text to donate" services made famous by American Idol - which in one night this year raised more than $450,000 from more than 90,000 cellphone donors for the Keep a Child Alive charity – a number of groups are allowing generous souls to help Haitians just by pressing a few buttons on their cellphone. 

I normally wouldn't even think twice about this, but I LOVE TEXTING. This is a screen shot of my iPhone to the left just before I hit SEND. I wouldn't normally do this kind of texting. It's the first time I considered helping a worldly disaster via texting on my cell phone. It's sort of a weird concept, but enjoyed being able to help even if it was just a small action. If everyone in the world did a small thing to help, it would equal a large effort. 

(Yes, the time is correct; it's 3am and time for bed!)

People in Canada can now donate to Salvation Army's Haitian relief efforts via text to give to Haiti. Text message donations came a day or so late to Canada compared to the text to give to Haiti service in the USA. Now, by texting Haiti to 45678. The text message donations will go to the Salvation Army`s relief efforts in Haiti. Text Donors will then get a text message asking for confirmation of the text donation, reply with YES.
..........................

But be careful.

Not all "text to donate" services are created equal. There are scammers that typically come out of the woodwork in the wake of catastrophes, hoping to strike it rich through fraudulent schemes.

Haiti's 7.0 earthquake, in which hundreds of thousands might have died, is no exception.

Help a community in need~ every penny counts!

Studio Lighting- Still Life

Still life photography is a demanding art, one in which the photographers are expected to be able to form their work with a refined sense of lighting, coupled with compositional skills. The still life photographer makes pictures rather than takes them.

Before you begin to understand studio lighting you have to think about what lighting is, or even to go back a bit further and think about what photography is!  The word photography is from the Greek and means "Drawing with light" and when we use artificial light we are basically drawing with light but trying to use the light in a way that makes it look natural. This sounds much simpler than it is, but I learned all about it in my class yesterday.

I had my first experience with studio lighting and setting up all the plugs, power packs with 2400 Volts of energy, cords, fill cards, grids, lights, light meters, Cstands, sand bags, soft boxes, sync flashes etc, with a group of three other people. (I was thankful I didn't have to do it alone) It was quite intidimidating, because before now, everything has been set up for me by the Professors at the College and I just take the photograph. It was more fun than I expected though; professional Photography here I come!

It is a lot of work to set up a simple Still Life Photograph, and I don't think most people have any idea! You have to take many things in to consideration, and the slightest movement of a light or camera can drastically change the photo. It took us 3 hours to take about 4 somewhat decent photographs. Lighting is everything- if you get it wrong by even a few inches, everything can look horrible.  Still Life Photography is for the most patient, perfectionistic kind of people. I'm nore sure that it's my style, but it is far more interesting than I thought it would be. It was definetely a good learning experience!

Here's a few of the shots I took:

Take a Photography class, and try something you might not otherwise do. You may surprise yourself.

Fat Burger

Fatburger is a quick casual restaurant chain. It operates in the United States, Canada, and various other countries. It uses the slogan The Last Great Hamburger Stand. While it is a fast food restaurant, the food is cooked -not frozen patties- and made to order. I just assumed it was going to be like McDonalds or Burger King; the name of the place threw me off.

I went there as my first today, because I wouldn't normally go to a place that uses the word fat in the name; it doesn't make me feel very good. Everytime I passed by it, I would say to myself, "I'm never going there!"

A friend at work today, told me that her and her husband go to Fatburger every Tuesday as almost a ritual, since they moved to Vancouver a few months ago. She seemed quite excited about it, and told me the bugers were actually really good. I was shocked, and intrigued. I'm not much of a Fast Food person, so it was not appealing to me.

They sell BEER there! I didn't have one, as I was driving but this is not typical of "fast food" chains. Also, the interior of the place was very retro 70's diner style, which surprised me as well, as I never looked in to the restaurant before. And, I will admit, it was the best burger I've had in a long time. I got the Swiss and Mushroom Burger, and it was covered with mushrooms, and cheese, and the burger itself was very juicy; not so juicy that it went everywhere though. On a scale of 1 (being gross like McDonalds and 10 being the burgers my fiance makes) I'd give it an 8.

Tip#1 : Don't eat this burger while driving, as it is full of toppings and they will fall all over your lap and onto the floor.

Tip#2: Order the french fries with mayonnaise, as it is very good mayonnaise. mmmmm!

Try a new restaurant today, you might be surprised!!

Buy a little Something Something

I found this really unique website CLICK HERE -The Something Store- and I thought it was interesting enough, that I would take the risk! It was started in Long Island, New York, and all the reviews I read about it, were quite positive! Basically, you buy something and you don't know what this something is until you get it in the mail. I don't know about you, but I thought this was hilarious and loved the surprise aspect!  Here's what the message on the website says: Your Something May Be Anything

It may be something you need, something you want or something you desire. Yours may be a cool gadget, rare book, table game, handmade necklace, reverse clock, box of gourmet chocolates, popular video game, big-box retailer gift card, the latest version of a software, a set of kitchen knives, a pair handmade earrings, garden tool, kitchen appliance, unique home decor item, electronic equipment, magazine subscription, office supply item ...
Your something will most likely be brand new, though it may also be refurbished.
Guaranteed Fun, Guaranteed Value
Simply, we guarantee that your something will have over $10 in value, per MSRP, or we will refund the difference..

Here is a few items they have shipped recently: 

So, there ya go! Today my first was spending money on something, and having no clue what I'm getting for that money. It's a gamble, right? I will keep you posted on what I end up getting. Hopefully it's something, rather than nothing. I have a feeling it'll be goooood!

I'm going to be optimistic. I can always just re-gift it next year at our Tacky Gift exchange at Christmas time.. muuhhhahahah!

Try something random, or different you wouldn't normally do- TAKE A RISK!

Order date: Jan 25, 2010 11:54 PM PST  Google order number: 7778729825789** Jennifer Drage

Shipping Status  Qty Item   Price   Not yet shipped  1 One Something  -  One random item.

Robbie Burns Day & Haggis

I've definetely heard of Haggis, but always thought it was something disgusting and never tried it. In Scotland, every January 25th they celebrate the birthday of their national poet, Robbie Burns; they call it Robbie Burns Day! I really had no idea that this festivity took place, so it was interesting to hear about my friend Andrew ( and some of his old friends) talk about their past experiences with this Event. Go here to learn more: Robbie Burns Day

A special 'pudding' is served on this day, called Haggis which has been cooked inside a sheep's stomach. It's not the sweet desert pudding you might be thinking of, but a savoury delicious, texture-filled delight. It is made from the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep. These organs are finely chopped and mixed with toasted oatmeal, onions, and seasonings. Then everything is boiled in a bag made from the sheep's stomach. (ours was not made in a sheep's stomach apparently)  This is the first time I tried it, and it was very good. I didn't think about what was actually in it, or else I might not have eaten it. Liz, my lovely friend, told me it was some of the best Haggis she's had. So, I lucked out for my first time trying it. 

In Scotland tradition, you are to serve Haggis with "Neeps and Tatties" (mashed turnips and mashed potatoes) which was deliciously made by a lovely couple I met tonight. You are to read aloud Burns' famous Address To a Haggis before the cutting of the Haggis. After, there is supposed to be whiskey toast (which we didn't do) then the company will sit and enjoy the meal. Burns dinners have been held in his honour for over 200 years. Interesting, right? I thought so. You learn something new everyday; you try something new every day. This is the life. 

Thanks Liz and Andrew for hosting such an intersting dinner party!

Laundry

I am feeling a bit sad right now, so decided that I needed a pick me up. What better way to cheer myself up, than by doing something nice for someone else! I really love this and just thinking about what I did, makes me smile :)  Maybe next year, I'll write a blog about doing something nice for someone 365 days in a row!  That would be really great, don't you think?

Today I did something simple and something you could do if you live in an apartment building with shared laundry. You can leave money in the machine for the next person to pay for their load of laundry. It won't break the bank, but it will leave you feeling very good, happy and even a little sneaky!   I decided to keep the money on the outside of the machine rather than putting it in as a credit, because it is 10pm and most likely no one will use it until tomorrow morning. How long does money sit in the machine, before it resets? I wasn't sure and I didn't want to risk it.

I think it's important to leave a note to let the person know it wasn't a fluke or mistake. I want them to know that what I did was an act of kindness that was meant to be purposeful and I want them to spread the love. I also think the note adds a nice personal touch, don't you? 

Performing acts of kindness has been proven by scientific research to offer direct benefits of improved health and happiness to the giver and receiver!!! This is soo awesome!  For more information on the benefits of kindness click here to see Positive Psychology Studies on Happiness.

The Benefits of Acts of Kindness

Dr. Lyubomirsky summarized the benefits of kind acts as:

• Helping see others more charitably.
• Feeling better off by comparison.
• Relieving guilt over other's misfortune.
• Feeling interdependence and cooperation.
• Feeling generous and competent to help others.
• Being attractive to others.
• Being appreciated.

I do it because I know the person receiving the kindness will be happy--it's the spreading of happiness that makes me want to do it (not for my own benefits) but it's nice to know it goes both ways! 

Lululemon

I've never been a big fan of Lululemon. Not for some humanist or moral reason, but because I could care less where my clothes come from or what label is on my clothing. I didn't want to buy into the hype and popularity of this place. Lululemon, " self-described as a yoga-inspired athletic apparel company- producing a clothing line that runs international from its company base in Vancouver, Canada. (I actually had no clue it was based out of Vancouver) I did know this store was popular, and I knew it was expensive so I've never bothered to be too excited about a hundred dollar pair of stretchy pants I could buy at Sport Mart for 40$. This comes from growing up in a place where the "coolest" store in town was Bootlegger, and I'm not joking it was the highlight of our trip to the Mall. I moved to Victoria when I was 19, and I was surprised how much people cared about what designer, or label they were wearing. It was a bit of a culture shock for me; I still just wear what's comfortable or looks good. I actually prefer no labels to be showing, as I don't like to be a walking advertisement.
So today, everything changed in my world. I went in to the Robson Lululemon store today (Downtown Vancouver) with the intent to try something on for the first time, and possibly buy something, using my GST/Climate Action Tax Credit cheque! YAY!  I thought this would be a good way to spend the money- new stretchy pants that I thought I'd never spend the money on.

I didn't end up buying these pants and you are going to think I'm crazy, as it goes against everything I've been blabbering on about! There was no obvious label showing the Lululemon logo and I didn't want to buy a 110$ pair of pants that looked like every other stretchy pants I own. I felt like I was paying the extra money to have that damn logo somewhere visible, so it seemed like a rip off that is wasn't visible. Ha! I'm such a doofus. The employee told me I wasn't the first to mention this, and many people have commented on this same concern, so she thinks the next line of pants that come out, will probably have the logo on them somewhere visible.

Anyways, I did end up buying one of their amazing hoodies, with the Logo clearly showing on the back of my hood; it's amazingly comfortable, good quality, expensive but I'm glad I bought it.

Interesting information regarding the Olympics here in Vancouver, and the Lululemon store which I found quite humorous:

"In late 2009, Lululemon released a line of clothing in an edition to celebrate a "Cool Sporting Event That Takes Place in British Columbia Between 2009 & 2011 Edition." The marketing effort avoided using Olympic trademarks and logos. Representatives from the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, while acknowledging that no explicit infringement had taken place, nevertheless expressed disappointment at Lululemon's tactic."- Wikipedia.

Treat yourself to something nice, and expensive once in awhile! You deserve it! Shop at a store you wouldn't normally shop at and try on clothes for the first time in a new store!

Lemon Meringue

Lemon Meringue Pie is one of my favourite desserts of all time; I just love the light, tangy and sweet taste. It's truly heaven in my mouth. Perhaps this might be an interesting wedding cake? (hahah, well it does go with my yellow theme! ) So why not learn to make it from scratch, right? I've never done this before and everything is better when made from fresh homemade ingredients! These are the ingredients for the lemon filling..

Added Interesting Note: Apparently, it's National Pie Day on Jan. 23rd, so you too can make a pie you've never made before! Check out this wicked website about the Pie Day where people perform "random acts of pieness" in celebration! :    Click here!

I've heard it can be a bit of a challenge to make the meringue part; I wasn't too worried, how hard can it be? Well, one tip, make sure you have a proper blender because without it, you are pretty much going to make a horribly non-fluffy, watery mess.  We failed miserably with the Meringue as we used our Magic Bullet - probably not the best choice. (perhaps just a whisk would've been better?) As the mixture sat for about 30 minutes it separated and the top layer tasted (almost) like Meringue. I scooped the fluffy part at the top and took a bite of the pie at the same time, and it was (almost) heaven in my mouth. It was missing the beautiful golden brown, marshmallow texture at the top.

According to the food historians, lemon flavored custards, puddings and pies have been enjoyed since Medieval times. It was not until the 17th century that they perfected meringue. (so I don't feel too bad) By the 19th century, lemon cakes were standard fare in American cookbooks. Lemon meringue pie, as we know it today, is a 19th century product. The earliest recorded recipe was created by Alexander Frehse in the mid-nineteenth century made with typical farmyard accessible ingredients such as lemons and eggs. (wikipedia).
Sshhh, don't tell anyone, but I like the lemon part more than the Meringue anyway, so I wasn't really that dissapointed. I made a yummy lemon tart! :) 
My fiance is going away tomorrow for 4 weeks, so I will probably gobble this all up myself in a few days. I cannot wait. I'll miss you, Matty! xo. 




Try something new today--trust me, you'll get a kick out of it!

Hip Hop

Today something happened sort of spontaneously. I've never done it before, and honestly was never interested ; not even the slightest. I learned some Hip Hop moves during a Hip Hop session at my work this afternoon. One of my employees is a huge dancer/musician/singer and brought some of his skills to teach the children.  I wasn't planning on taking part in the class as I knew ahead of time it was happening. I am a country gal at heart so the music didn't interest me at all. I was really excited for the children to learn about Hip Hop though and try out some new moves, however it wasn't something I was in to.

 ~~ And then, a lightbulb went off in my head! 365 days of firsts means don't say no to anything! I walked in the room and saw about 8 kids and two Staff doing the "motorcycle" and it was absolutely adorable! I joined in the Hip Hop class and we learned different moves like the "Chicken Noodle Soup" and  the "Snap" and "Let it Rain".  It was actually really fun! We watched an awesome video (see below) to actually learn the steps slowly one by one. The kids were so proud of themselves, and even I was really proud of myself when I figured out the "spin" move! It was uplifting, and made you feel good about yourself, even if you had no clue what was going on.

I would like to take a Hip Hop Class somewhere as it would be fun to learn more; the more we did it the more we got really in to it! It was a great workout as most of us were quite sweaty near the end. Our experience was full of so much laughter that who wouldn't want to do it again? I definetely recommend you try it out; rent a video from the library if you're afraid of a class and go for it! Try something new today :)

This is the video we watched as we were learning: This one was my favourite, the "Chicken Noodle Soup" TRY IT!!! It's super fun..

Acupuncture

Today I had my first 1.5 hr Consultation with an Acupuncturist. I've always wanted to do this, and my amazing Extended Health Plan covers $500 a year! I filled out am enormous form about my health, and any current concerns or issues I've had in the last 6 months.

WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE?

Acupuncture is an ancient form of Chinese medicine involving the insertion of solid filiform acupuncture needles into the skin at specific points on the body to achieve a therapeutic effect. No drug is injected. The needles alone create the beneficial effects of acupuncture. Acupuncture is used to encourage natural healing, improve mood and energy, reduce or relieve pain and improve function of affected areas of the body. It is safe and effective and is often successfully used as an alternative to medications or even surgery. Relief is often obtained with acupuncture when traditional medical therapy has failed. Dr. Karen Lam did a few quite strange things, that I wasn't ready for and didn't really fully understand. First, she did a "body test". I lied down face up on the table and I placed my right arm out pointing away from the side of my body. She got me to put my left hand on certain body parts like my nose, neck, ribs, lower stomach, etc. while she moved my right arm back towards my body. My job was to resist her pressure with my right arm, while my left hand was on a particular body part.  Apparently there were certain body parts that I was touching with my left hand that were weaker, and had a difficult time resisting to her pressure on my right hand. Does any of this make any sense?  It's difficult to explain. She was basically searching for weak areas in my body while testing my reactions when my body was in different positions. I was thinking to myself as she was doing this, "I could just push harder or lighter against her arm, and it could make a lot of difference in her "reading" of me. " It was kind of ridiculous, but I tried really hard to surrender to the process and respect what she was doing.  Then, she took my pulses. Yes, that is plural. She described it as the pulses of your lower, middle and upper body energies, rather than the actual pulse of your heart. Each part of your body has a certain energy that can be detected through both of your wrists. She put her fingers on my wrists in different places (she did both left and right) and held them for quite a long time. I watched her as her eyes were closed and she was "listening" to my energy.  Before the tests, I told her that my Mother and Oma had both had heart surgery. I told her I had issues with my bowels and digestive tract as well as my weight as I gain and lose a lot. She detected from the "pulses test" and "body test" that my heart, bowels, and thyroid were having the most problems. How much of her reading was just from the form I filled out in the beginning?  I know, I'm not being very respectful of the Medicine, but it seemed very coincidental that the three main things I talked about were the things she detected in the body tests. What's the point of the tests, if you can just get all that from the forms and conversation though, really?  Lastly, and the real kicker to the ridiculousness! She prescribed me with $125 (that is not covered by my medical) of herbs- a thyroid herb, a digestive enzyme, and some other one.  She did the "body test" again, put a bunch of random herbs on top of my stomach, and tested my pressure against her hand again, to see if there was an improvement. Apparently my body told her which medicines would be better than others!!!!???? This was soooooo weird.  She told me to lose weight in order to fix the heart problem! She also told me that I had a lingering sadness or depression; possibly grief, that I needed to work out? Not sure where this comes from, as I'm probably the happiest I've been in a long time! Not too sure about this one? There were no needles and very little mention of Acupuncture itself in the whole appointment. She wants me to start taking the pills and if nothing improves, than they'd start an Acupuncture treatment. I don't think I'm going to fork out the money; I wasn't convinced.  I'm glad I went though, as it was an interesting experience to say the least. .... 19 firsts, 19 days, 346 to go!

Social Faux-Pas

Break a social faux-pas, go to the movies by yourself, and enjoy it! I did. Well, i'm not gonna lie; as I was walking there, and sitting there alone I felt pretty lonely. I missed the first part of the movie where you usually chat with your friends, and chow down half your popcorn before the movie has even started. But, once the movie had started, and I slugged down into my seat , all was normal again.


Bonuses for going alone: (as long as the theatre isn't packed)

1. I could stretch my legs way out to the left or right and not have to worry about playing footsie's with my neighbour .

2. I could use both arm rests without sharing with the person to your left or right

3. I could eat my food, and not share !

4. You can put your purse on the seat next to you, and your jacket on the other seat next to you to rather than on the floor below you.

5. You can shed some tears alone, and in peace.

The movie I went to see has been in theatre for quite a while now, The Blind Side, so there was literally 4 other people in the theatre. The main reason I wanted to see this was because Tim Mcgraw played the sweet, supportive, charming husband and I heart him. I definitely shed a few tears of joy, and sadness. The movie is inspirational and exceeded my expectations as I really didn't think it was going to be anything special. It's inspiring, heart warming and reminds you not to live a selfish life. It's goes well with my Random Act of Kindness spurts; it encourages and motivates me to help others as much as possible.

I stayed to the bitter end of the movie to listen to Tim McGraw in the final credits.

The Homeless

My REAL first today, was the fact that my lovely sister and I saw our first George Clooney movie of the year. How is it that he is 48yrs old, and still beautiful as ever!? Up in the Air was a pretty strange movie, and definitely didn't leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

Moving on to my actual first today. I wanted to attempt to buy some food for a homeless person, and have them accept my offer, without hesitation. (I have tried this before, so it's not a true first but they never want the food)  I remember asking a homeless man once if he wanted a hotdog because his sign said "I'm hungry" but he wanted the money I would have spent on the hotdog.  I declined as I didn't want to encourage the drug addictions he probably had. Has this happened to you?

There are two type of homeless people in my eyes. One: the type who look like they have decent clothes, and normal social behaviors who could easily get a job. Maybe this is assuming too much? And two: the type that look and act like they are physically and emotionally suffering.

I bought a warmed panini sandwich for a man who had a sign that said "It's my 52nd Birthday" (It probably wasn't). He looked like he was 80 years old, shriveling and practically melting in the rain. It was really pouring! He was completely out of it, and when I handed him the sandwich he mumbled something, thanked me and that was that. He was more than happy to take what he could get. I felt an instant pang of heart ache for this man. He was obviously on some major drugs and probably had no clue that I had even given him food. I wish I could have done more for him.

I grew up in a place where you would rarely see homeless people because the weather was too cold to survive on the streets. So, I have a hard time walking by a suffering human being without feeling some sort of emotion for them. People who have lived in Vancouver for a long time are used to it; I don't know that I will ever get used to it. Driving by Pender and Hastings is hard for me. (this is the most populated homeless area in the city) It really makes me want to cry. I am currently looking in to doing some Volunteer work at a Shelter or Soup Kitchen in the Downtown East side. Anyone want to do this with me?

Help someone in need today; small efforts are better than no efforts.

Buy a Stranger a Drink

I was thinking long and hard today what my first would be. I'm quite an adventurous person already, so I think it's going to be a challenge throughout the year to try new things.

I went out last night (didn't post the blog yesterday like I meant to)  to sing some Karaoke with a few friends and I thought I'd do another R.A.O.K . ( Random Act of Kindness) As a single girl, I used to be able to get free drinks very easily.  I would just flash a nice smile, flirt a little, and be cute. It wasn't hard, and 7 times out of 10 the guy would offer to buy me a drink. muuhahahahaah! *evil laugh*

So, tonight, I gave back to all those men, and bought a drink for a stranger. I've never done this before, however, I wanted to keep it anonymous so I didn't give off the wrong idea. I explained my Blog to the waitress and gave her $6.00 to buy someone a free drink! (with extra money for a tip for her) I told her she could chose who it went to, but I asked two things of her. One: To give them a piece of paper with a message on it (I'm quite fond of giving people messages) Two: To keep me anonymous as I didn't want some creeper staring at me, or talking to me all night. She agreed, and after about 10 minutes, she gave it away; she didn't tell me who it was and they didn't know who I was. It was perfect! The waitress seemed happy when she had given away the drink and I was happy that she was happy! She told me it was a cool idea, so maybe she'll pass on kindness to someone else as well. But remember, buy a drink for someone else with no strings attached; just because you want to!

SPREAD THE LOVE~~

Pad Thai

Here I go again with the Thai food experience and trying something new for the first time. I have a fear of Thai food as I'm severely allergic. The last time I went to a Thai Restaurant there were peanuts in my food which I didn't realize. That was a year ago, and I refused to repeat that experience, until tonight! We went to the Thai House on Robson Street, and it was delicious! I wanted to order Pad Thai as apparently it's quite good, and a traditional Thai dish. 

Since Matt and I are going to Thailand for our wedding, we want to be fully aware of what to expect so we have a healthy, sick-free experience there. We ordered it without the peanuts; it traditionally comes with peanuts. My first few bites were full of fear, and worry, but once I realized I wasn't going to get sick and die, I sort of enjoyed it. It wasn't the best food I've ever had, but it was fairly good. Perhaps I need to have it in Thailand to fully experience the goodness of it? 

ฉัน แพ้ ถั่ว ลิสง และ cashews. กรุณา คุณ สามารถ รับประทาน อาหาร ของ ฉัน โดย ไม่ ถั่ว เหล่า นี้ และ เก็บ รักษา ถั่ว ลิสง ห่าง ไกล จาก อาหาร ของ ฉันฉัน จะ ตาย ถ้า ฉัน กิน พวก เขา. ขอบคุณ มาก. มี วัน ดี. (apparently there is no Thai word for cashew)

This is the message I will bring to Thailand (laminated-Matt's idea), that explains my peanut allergy to the Thai people, in hopes of avoiding a major sickness while we are there. It basically says: I am allergic to peanuts and cashews. Please can you make my meal without these nuts, and keep the peanuts far away from my food! I will die if I eat them . Thanks very much. Have a good day. 

Overall, my first experience with Pad Thai, on a scale from 1 -10 would probably be a 5. Does anyone recommend a good place in the city, that serves exceptionally good Pad Thai? The kind you would eat in Thailand? This will not be be the last time I try this dish, as I'd like to experience it again.

Word of Advice: Go out to a restaurant, and order something you've never tried before! Order something you wouldn't make at home, and try something for the first time!


15 days of firsts down- 350 to go!

Massage Therapy

Nourish your physical and spiritual well-being through the healing power of touch.


"If we don't get rid of the daily accumulation of stress, we can end up storing stress in particular areas of our bodies. This can lead to many illnesses and can actually shorten our lives. Though it may appear to be a luxury, there are huge health benefits to having a long, relaxing massage that rids our bodies of accumulated tension, stiffness and stress. Aches and pains, tension and stiffness will melt away and you will leave feeling relaxed, yet revitalized and restored. Many clients apparently report a feeling of absolute clarity and the ability to once again, focus!

Massage has been documented as one of the oldest healing arts in the world. Records documenting its use date back over 3000 years. Massage has been used by the ancient Chinese, Hindus, Egyptians and Persians. " Coal Harbour Massage Therapy Clinic

Why haven't I done this before? Well, it's simple; I'm a crazy lady. It's also because before I met my lovely fiance I never had the Extended Medical Coverage to pay for massage therapy, and I was too poor to afford it. Now, I have $500 covered per year and at 80 $ for an hour session, I will definitely be taking FULL advantage of this. It's too bad that I didn't do this at all last year.... Ohwell... This is the year of firsts, so I won't be missing out on anything! (I'm doing Acupuncture next week!) 

My Massage Therapist was awesome; she was very friendly and easy to talk to. I wasn't uncomfortable at all. Her name is Jennifer Williamson at the Coal Harbour Massage Therapy Clinic. My upper back and neck feel AMAZING! I felt like my posture was better, and I could walk without soreness in my back.  I have been having headaches and minor aches in that area before but now the pain is practically gone.  She hit every spot that was feeling sore, and than some. Parts of the massage hurt a little but after a few minutes of massaging the area, it felt gooood! The tension had released..

I will probably try out a bunch of other Massage Therapists though, just to see if there is better or worse out there. Anyone have any recommendations? I was so involved in the massage and the experience of it all, I forgot to document with photos. So, here's the photo from their website.

*sigh* Good times!

Tallest Penny Tower-88!

My first today was to break this dude's record of the 'Tallest Penny Tower' of 84 pennies! It seemed like it would be very easy; boy was I wrong! I made it to 88 pennies, but with three attempts. Woo-hoo!

Have you ever tried to break a Universal Record? I'm not sure how this measures up to the Guinness Records but it was definitely entertaining, to say the least. I urge you to check out this website: Universal Record Database as it's hilarious and it can entertain you for quite some time. Search for "Tallest Penny Tower"!

Side note: (I'm also thinking of organizing an actual Guinness Record Attempt of my own: "Calling all Jennifers! - Let's attempt a Guiness Record, by having the most people with the name Jennifer in one place at a time" I think this would be awesome, and very doable because we are everywhere, and soon we will take over the world! " Stay tuned for this in the near future ....

Here's my video of the Tallest Penny Tower: I got this message after I submitted it to the website: "Thank you for submitting your record attempt. A confirmation has been emailed to you. The URDB moderators will now review your attempt, a process which may take up to 7 days."

I'll let you all know what happens. Keep your fingers crossed! *I MADE IT ON THE URDB.COM website for a few days as the Tallest Penny Tower, however someone recently has beat it! Argh..... maybe i will try to beat her?!)

Knitting!

Today, I learned to knit for the first time! I've been wanting to do this for awhile now, just never got around to it. I don't think it's something you learn to do in one day though, but I learned the basics of casting on and off the needle, and the basic knitting stitches you make on the needle. It was quite difficult at first, and I had no clue what was going on, (as you can clearly see on the video below) but once I got the hang of it, my speed and accuracy definitely improved quickly.

Here's the really interesting part! I learned from a couple of 10 year old girls with Chinese Chopsticks. Both of these girls are serious knitters; they've made scarves, hats, purses clothing for their stuffed animals and many other things. Watching them is hypnotic as they are extremely fast at it. I was told, that I can also become this good with a little practice. It was very sweet how they were encouraging me and telling me just to try again if I messed up. They were amazing, patient teachers and I almost felt like the kid in the situation; we had some good laughs. It was a fun role reversal, and I know they loved it. They were highly entertained while video taping me learn, so I will post a few clips of my slow learning process.

One of them knew a complicated form of knitting (well in my eyes it looked complicated) called purling. Anyone ever tried this? My goal is to be able to learn this style, as well. But first, I plan to make a scarf that I can actually wear, by using the simple knitting method I learned today.

So, continuing my journey of firsts, I encourage you to try knitting or something you've never got around to doing. It'll only make you feel good, and inspired to try something new tomorrow.

Peace.

Warning (these videos are long)....

Butter Chicken from Scratch

According to Wikipedia,  " Butter Chicken (or murgh makhani) is an Indian dish, popular in countries all over the world. The origins of butter chicken can be traced back to Delhi, during the period of Mughal Empire. According to a documentary by the Discovery Channel, butter chicken recipe was invented by a person working in the kitchen staff of a famous restaurant called Moti Mahal located in Daryaganj, the central region of Delhi. While the dish's general recipe is well known, the actual flavor can vary from restaurant to restaurant even within India. Butter chicken is usually served with naan, roti, parathas or steamed rice. " 


My fiance and I love Butter Chicken. Who doesn't really? It's so creamy, and tasty and bad for you! Mmmmmm-calories! It was a fairly easy thing to make, so if you've never done it before, I recommend trying it. Here's the recipe we chose; the ingredients were one of the most simple recipes we could find.  Click here to check out the recipe we used. A dash of hot peppers, a squirt of curry paste and a smidgen of cumin, ginger and paprika and you have one of the most amazing smells you'll experience. It was only the size of 3 loonies, but the smell was amazingly overpowering. Once you add the main ingredients crushed tomatoes and whipping cream (oh yah!) the mixture starts to boil quite violently, quite quickly.

NOTE TO SELF : (and others) wear protective eye goggles while the pot is boiling and wash your hands VERY thourougly after cutting the hot peppers.

You ask why? ha! Well, the pot started boiling rapidly and before I knew it a slow-motion drop of the mixture flew towards my eyeball and sunk right in and made a home for itself. At first it was just hot, so it a hurt a little and then the hot pepper started to burn my eye. My first instinct was to pull my contact lens out, however this turned out to be the worst idea of all time. My hands had not been washed since I cut up the hot pepper, so there was still remnants of the pepper on my fingers. AACCK! I couldn't get my contact lens out because it stung almost instantly, so as my makeup is dripping down my face, I was freaking out and my poor man didn't know what to do. I washed my hands with soap and tried again. It still stung alot, but not as bad, so I quickly pulled out my contact and soaked my eye in as much fluids as possible. The pain went away quickly-thank god!

Please take my advice when cooking this recipe!

However, I urge you to try something you've never done before, even if it doesn't go as smoothly as planned, it's worth it in the end. Our meal was delicious!