100 Things I am appreciative of fin 2006

1. My perfect health
2. My wonderful husband
3. The Secret for successfully going mainstream.
4. Meeting another like-minded person last night.
5. Experiencing a wonderful evening at Lisa’s place.
6. Enjoying the Jazz Party tremendously.
7. For being free to do as I please.
8. Improved relationship I have with my brother, Shad.
9. Creating some beautiful piece of jewelry.
10. Selling more jewelry than ever.
11. The Kite Runner. (Book)
12. Connee Chandler who writes from a different dimension and played with me this year in a bracelet swap.
13. Attending an A-H workshop in Tarrytown, NY.
14. Making peace with residing in MA.
15. My new desktop computer.
16. Andre for Technical Work.
17. My coming into alignment with all my Vibrational Escrow.
18. Panama Cruise.
19. Visiting Costa Rica.
20. My mp3 player.
21. The opportunity to host a Daily Quotes Journal online.
22. Amazon.com
23. For new friendship with Sheba and Anna and Donna.
24. For an enjoyable summer with people I love.
25. For my parents starting out 2006 with us.
26. Discovering Yama Zakura. (Best sushi in northeast)
27. For believing in myself.
28. For realizing I am powerful.
29. For KNOWING.
30. Having our own personal gym.
31. My birthday trip to Niagara Falls.
32. Attending my first bead show this year.
33. My luxurious bathtub.
34. An Unexpected Light (book)
35. My daily meditations books.
36. Daily Appreciation Journal
37. BOPA Book
38. Richard Barnes
39. Keith Arnold
40. Learning EFT professionally.
41. Practicing EFT on self and others every chance I get.
42. Spending a day in NYC
43. UGH boots
44. New winter coat.
45. Gifts of jewelry from Andre.
46. My potted and climbing roses.
47. Gardening in the summer.
48. Cross-stitching
49. Interest in Gourmet Cooking
50. Applying the teachings of Abraham-Hicks in my life on a more consistent basis.
51. Seeing how I create my own reality.
52. Manifesting things readily.
53. Experiencing a California type winter, just as I asked!
54. My vehicle.
55. American Express Card and its services.
56. Having AE deal with HD
57. Phil for introducing me to Anna.
58. Playing the Abraham Games/Processes with others.
59. Constantly asking myself, “How can I feel good now?”
60. Realizing there is no death.
61. The profound experience I had when I heard them clearly laughing and celebrating eternal life.
62. Selling my books on Amazon.com
63. Freecycle.com
64. Opening Doors Within by Eileen Caddy
65. Ernest Holmes
66. Email
67. Andre for driving us both, when we go out together.
68. For knowing on a soul level that my happiness does not depend on anyone else.
69. For having no fear.
70. SKYPE
71. The most leading edge valuable resource at my finger tips 24/7 – the World Wide Web.
72. Siddharta by Herman Hesse
73. My marital relationship and all the contrast, which causes me to refine and clarify what I want.
74. New clothes, shoes and accessories.
75. New recorder.
76. Acquiring Autumn by Lenox.
77. Granite countertops.
78. Netflix.
79. My IRA which is doing Excellent
80. The New Yorker
81. Massage Chair
82. Yorkshire Tea
83. http://adorablebead.blogspot.com/
84. http://where-ever-i-go.blogspot.com/
85. http://blissings.blogspot.com/
86. http://blissings.zaadz.com/
87. Opportunities to travel.
88. Meet like-minded people.
89. Being an Uplifter.
90. Inspiring others.
91. All the cards, letters and gifts I receive to that effect.
92. Making a profound difference in the world, just by being happy.
93. Panhala- I miss your postings Joe Riley.
94. Talking to myself.
95. Yoga practice
96. Our large, spacious home
97. Beautiful, quiet neighborhood.
98. Tut.com
99. Choosing to project a part of my consciousness here, so I can have this leading edge experience!
100. Writing this list, which took an hour of being profoundly grateful for all that I have, and all that I am.

The perfect Gift

He said to her 'i bought you a present today, the gift I wanted to get you for the longest while. You can see the gift wrapped box it's in but thats all!' he went on, 'you get to see whats in there on Christmas day'.

There was a moment of 'silence' on the chat screen, then she typed, 'its shoes I bet, caus you said its in a box'

He laughed 'hahahaha' then said 'you know what, from now until Christmas that box could contain anything you want, anything you desire could be in there, something small or maybe keys to something HUGE!'

'So you're giving me a box of 'whateveriwantitobe'?' she typed in.

'You know' he typed, 'your desires and your feelings of what it could be up until the point where you unwrap and open the lid on Christmas will be the most you will ever receive' he said to her smiling behind the Dell.

'huh?' she said, 'what do u mean?'

He typed effortlessly 'well you see, you will look upon the 'not knowing' of whats in the box with the grandest of possibilities. You will look upon it and wonder and with wonder you will get the 'feeling' of what it would be like to receive what you desire to be in there, you would have brought yourself to a place of already possesing it'.

'ummmm,' she typed, 'so you saying that me desiring what could be in there and getting the feeling that what I think is actually in there is the most I will get? So whats the point?'

He typed, smiling wider as he did , 'whether what you wished for is in there or not the fact is you brought yourself to a place of already receiving it, and out of this what you desired will be in your path of physically manifesting itself in your future, a lot nearer your future than you think!' he went on, 'besides what do you prefer having a desire and having that grand feeling of already having it or having a desire and the feeling of not having it?'

'having a desire and also having the feeling of already possessing it is what I much rather have' she quickly typed.

'good, keep dreaming, keep your mind wild with expectation that what you desire will be yours, and get yourself in that 'feeling' of already having it and that will be presents more 'grander' than I could ever give' he typed and then added, 'lol maybe I should just get everyone empty gift wrapped boxes this Christmas with a note inside that says 'Your desires of what you thought was in here are more priceless than anything that it could ever hold'.

She typed in immediately, 'thats sweet, and feels so true, maybe you should :)'

'I won't though as true as it is, but keep on desiring and let it all be easy, ttyl' he typed 'Magnificient Creator over and out'

by Shad Samad Ali.

Yoga Retreat

The best weekend yet!

We had the most amazing weekend in the state of MA. People were actually nice!

At the Home Depot we were met by a Greeter, who directed us to the person we were seeking.
This person, listened to our issues and promised to take care of it.
Hooray for the Home Depot, MA.

Next we went to Sam's Club in Worcester, to look at printers. We had a real IT person to help us! This guy gave us some valuable information and sound advice. I came away with more knowledge about my software/hardware than I had known, and what's more, I really understood everything I was told.

Our final stop was at Yama Zakura,http://www.yamazakurasushi.com/ our FAVOURITE new sushi place in all of MA. It was as good as our favourite places in San Francisco. We had the best time sitting up at the bar, and chatting with Anna; the owner and Sushi Chef. What a lovely, gracious evening we experienced here.

At home, when I was done talking about our fabulous day, I watched "Alice doesn't live here anymore", which was really good. I recognised a few good actors in there.

I am still reading 'Tough Choices' and will probably conclude the book, tonight, if I stop writing this blog now...

Cunard Contest

Today was voting day in MA, so I voted to win the Cunard contest this week...
I just have to figure out a travel companion if #1 is not available...

More earrings were made today.
What a rampage of inspiration this has been! What is most remarkable is that I am able to accomplish all of this, without neglecting any other aspect of my daily routines.
This is what happens when one works from inspired action: everything is accomplished with grace, ease and effortlessness. YAY!

Earring Week!

I think this is the week of earrings!
I spent the day playing with my jewelry components and created twenty two pairs of earrings!
It was most enjoyable.

I want to be inspired to create bracelets tomorrow and necklaces on Wednesday.

Currently, I am reading ‘Tough Choices’ by Carly Foriana. I’ve always been a great fan of hers and I have seen and heard the stuff she wrote about.


Now for my latest pleasure food:
I really like chocolate covered pistachios from Trader Joes. I hid a container of it from myself, and now I can’t find it!

HELP!

New Game

I am playing this fun game which someone else invited me to play: http://www.stevepavlina.com/million-dollar-experiment.htm
I really want to know what our Collective Power of Intentions can create.

I am already creating so much abundance in my life and I realize there is room for even more. I love the creation of it most of all.
I like when I get stuff, but I like it more when I am in the process of getting it – if that makes any sense at all.

Thank goodness for http://www.freecycle.org/
which is where my stuff goes after I’ve done admiring and appreciating it.
The thing I love most about freecycle, is the appreciation letters I get for stuff I give away.

I thought appreciation was a lost art until recently.

I have thrown the paddles overboard

My life has been unfolding in the most extraordinary way. It has been so delightful that I could hardly stop to post here. Hence the reason you have not read anything new for weeks now.

I’m stopping briefly to say that my life is an amazing ride.
Maya Angelou is right; ‘won’t give nothing for my journey now’

It is amazing to be in the flow. A cool friend called me up the other day and said he won an Ipod.
This was just weeks before he told me he wanted one. How cool is that?

Some months ago, on my way back from Niagara Falls, I discovered Mayan Chocolate ice cream by Haagen Daz. It was all the rage with me, I was belting out ‘I could die now, this is so good’ to all and sundry. Good thing, we drive with the windows up.

Guess what I discovered this past weekend in New Hampshire while shopping for my favorite merlot in the entire world? Not only my favorite merlot from Sterling Vineyards but Unconditional Chocolate by Dove.
Now, I do like chocolate with a hard shell and I was saying to myself before opening the container,
‘Won’t it be nice, if this had a hard shell of chocolate?’

I proceeded to open the container after getting situated in the car, and screamed so loudly André` came running to see what was the matter! A coating of hard shell chocolate that’s what!
I am truly blessed. Truly.

Sheba will totally understand that statement for all eternity. Let me repeat: I am truly blessed.
I could tell that Andre understood it too, when I pronounced in a loud voice, ‘I could die now!’
This chocolate ice cream is soooooooooooooo good that I found myself speaking in Sheba’s native tongue:
mmmmmmmmm. mmmmmmmm. Mmmm. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmm. Mmmmmmm.
mm. mmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Southern Maine

After a delicious cup of café latte, we decided to set off for Southern Maine.
Halfway there, we stopped for breakfast at the Cracker Barrel where I purchased a lovely angel card from http://www.bluemountain.com.
I can always find something magical at the Cracker Barrel store.
We then drove to Kennebunkport, Maine, which was very quaint and tiny. It reminded us of Newport, R.I a bit.
It was an extremely pleasant day, so we walked on the beach where I picked up quite a few Abundant & Blessed stones. These are smooth rocks, which you can keep in your pocket and whenever you feel one of them, you are to remember how Blessed and Abundant you are.
If you get one of these from me, consider yourself really, really blessed and abundant!
If not, go find one yourself, the next time you are at a river or beach. Look for the smoothest stone you can find, and one that is small enough to fit into your pocket unobtrusively. When you feel the smoothness of it, remember that is exactly how your life ought to be; smooth and effortless.

We drove to Wells, York and Kittery where we did a bit of shopping. I found some lovely coffee mugs at the Wedgwood store, as well as some chocolate truffles from Lindt.
Surprisingly, I ate only one. Actually, I am not surprised, since I tapped myself for that chocolate addiction. I’ll talk about tapping in another post.

For now, I just wanted to write about this terrific day we had enjoying the coast of Southern Maine.

At home, we watched a charming movie entitled
‘Say Anything’, while enjoying a smooth bottle of 2001 Merlot from Sterling Vineyards.

Now, I am about to do a bit of reading from
You Are God Get Over It, before calling it a night.

Maybe

Maybe...we were supposed to meet the wrong people before meeting the right one so that, when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.

Maybe...when the door of happiness closes, another opens; but, often times, we look so long at the closed door that we don't even see the new one which has been opened for us.

Maybe...it is true that we don't know what we have until we lose it, but it is also true that we don't know what we have been missing until it arrives.

Maybe...the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Maybe...the brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; after all, you can't go on successfully in life until you let go of your past mistakes, failures and heartaches.

Maybe...you should dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you dream of and want to do.

Maybe...there are moments in life when you miss someone -- a parent, a spouse, a friend, a child -- so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real, so that once they are around you appreciate them more.

Maybe...the best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.

Maybe...you should always try to put your self in others' shoes. If you feel that something could hurt you, it probably will hurt the other person, too.

Maybe...you should do something nice for someone every single day, even if it is simply to leave them alone.

Maybe...giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back. Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart; but, if it doesn't, be content that it grew in yours.

Maybe...happiness waits for all those who cry, all those who hurt, all those who have searched, and all those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of all the people who have touched their lives.

Maybe...you shouldn't go for looks; they can deceive; don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.

Maybe...you should hope for enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy.

Maybe...you should try to live your life to the fullest because when you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling but when you die, you can be the one who is smiling and everyone around you crying.

Maybe you could send this message to those people who mean something to you, to those who have touched your life either positively or not, to those who can and do make you smile when you really need it, to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down, and to all those whom you want to know that you appreciate them and their friendship. And if you don't, don't worry; nothing bad will happen to you. You will just miss out on the opportunity to perhaps brighten someone's day.

I intend

It is Saturday and since we went to bed at 2am, I just now woke up and is having coffee while sitting up in bed, reading, writing and surfing.
I am doing my Abraham Hicks exercises which has to do with amping up my vibrations and creating the day how I want it:

I intend to watch the IFC (independant film channes) and the Sundance film channel today, as they all have really good movies, with good strong story lines.

I intend to eat the leftovers from all the food I prepared yesterday, for the next three days!
Yay! no cooking! Yay!

I intend to continue reading and savouring You Are God Get Over It.

I intend to exercise for an hour and take a long bath soaking in the tub for another hour or two.

I am looking forward to doing all of these things which I enjoy wholeheartedly while knowing that everything else I have asked for is coming to me in it's own time. I am not worried about them at all. Instead I am just focused on doing as much as I can to feel as good as I can.

What I did today...

Another absolutely blissful day!

I am doing a self-study course on EFT which I find to be extremely interesting and rewarding.

I managed to get in an hour of gardening which consisted primarily of pulling weeds and sowing about 40 tulip bulbs.

The weather has been extremely pleasant here lately. All I want to do is bask on my zero gravity chair on the deck.

I also received my copy of The Slow Down Diet today from Amazon.
A delightful read and absolutely no surprise. Nevertheless, I am glad to see my thoughts in print there. I love that feeling of “I knew that!” when reading something which appears radical to the peanut gallery. From tomorrow I start week one of this really fun diet. Let’s see… for week 1 I have to increase my eating time by half, and remember to breathe deeply. I can’t wait for breakfast!

All Paths Lead to Source.

I was reading a quote by Abraham earlier on, which talked about there being endless paths to Source and that it is the connection to Source that we are all seeking. We do well to compliment others on their choice of path, rather than ridicule, criticize or oppose them.
All paths lead to God because there is only One of us.
I love the idea of so many different paths and religions. I like the rituals, celebrations, costumes, traditions and food.
Essentially, we are all wanting the same things: Abundance of health, wealth, joy, happiness and ease of living. To grow and evolve into the larger parts of whom we sense we are. We are constantly striving to be larger than the limited physical self we project here.
Truth be told, we are larger and sometimes, in our finest moments of pure bliss we feel and sense our greatness and ultimately our oneness with All That Is or Who We Truly Are!

Abundant Blessings Abound!

Today was just another day of Blessings!
I woke up to stovetop latte that was deliciously strong with a splash of Bailey’s.
I thought that was a great way to start the day.
No sooner, was I finished with the java, I received a lovely surprise phone call from my friend Farida, followed by another surprised call from Sheba who is having a ball in England.

The skies were cloudy enough for me to get some important gardening in as well. André surprised me by showing up for the heavy chores. He transplanted two huge evergreens and a pine tree. I was impressed and extremely relieved that I did not have to dig those holes in the ground amidst the granite, nor did I have to uproot the trees for transplanting.
Who knew husbands could surprise you that way?

I have made great strides in weeding out the crabgrass from most of lawn I actually use. I really do not plan on weeding them from lawn I don’t walk on.

We spent the latter part of the evening sitting out on the deck, drinking Sing-Tao and munching on spicy chicken wings- homemade of course.

Later on we watched a funny children’s movie named Hoodwinked, a tale about Little Red Riding Hood with a twist. I liked that Granny was empowered to be a rebel and a leading edge creator.

Speaking of leading edge, I just concluded a great book entitled ‘A year of pleasures’ by Elizabeth Berg.
The book reminds me so much of the Abraham teachings.
When the main character in the book lost her husband to cancer, she was told both by her husband and her best friend, to purposefully do one thing each day that brings her happiness in a very conscious way.
I really liked that because Abraham says to do five things each day that brings us joy and then do anything else after.
I just ordered a copy of The Slow Down Diet as well, as I think the trick is to become vibrationally aligned with my food, instead of going on all these diets and denying myself the good stuff!

An Unexpected Light

‘So who’s your friend, Sayeed?’
‘Him? He’s my cousin from … Kabul.’
‘Sayeed,’ says the man, ‘you haven’t got a cousin in Kabul.’
‘I have now,’ muttered Sayeed, and led me forward …
- Pg 341, An Unexpected Light by Jason Elliot.

I am continuing with my reading of this book, which has so much depth and substance to it that I literally forget to drink my tea, which is always cold by the time I do remember to break for a sip.

Another beautiful day in South Grafton followed by a blessedly cool evening. Even the frogs are singing with delight!

I found some fabulous blouses today at excellent sale prices. What made this deal so extra delicious is the fact that all the bloused fitted well and looked very becoming!

I have returned to my low carb diet and for dinner I prepared coleslaw with slow cooked spicy beef ribs.
It was delish (slang for divine!).

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Today was a long series of Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhs.
Let me explain:
I was awoken with a back massage, followed by home-made latte on the deck where the temperature was 62°F. The birds, flowers and gentle breezes were heavenly.

Lunched at Red Robin where the gourmet burgers are exquisite.
Sat on massage chairs at Brookstone’s for well over an hour, while listening to Latin Salsa.

Reluctantly left there for Sam's Club where we investigated some new electronic gadgets, and I bought yet another paperback novel.

Prepared grilled vegetables for dinner, accompanied with left over pot roast. I was quite surprised at how scrumptious this tasted!

Drew a lovely rose scented bath and proceeded to read An Unexpected Light – a story about travels in Afghanistan by Jason Eliot.
This book has completely captured my reading attention this summer, like no other. For me, it is better than if I had personally gone to Afghanistan. Jason Eliot tells of an Afghanistan that only those who dwell there know about. He is the most eloquent travel writer I have ever read. What a breathtakingly marvelous read this book is. Can’t wait to continue reading tomorrow.

'Tis late and I must retire now into a relaxing slumber of Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh’s

Lazy Summer Days...

I am having so much fun this summer that I’ve been too tired to post here.
My aunts came to visit and we had a blast enjoying every experience we participated in.

One weekend we drove to Franconia Notch State Park, where we spent the best part of a day in the Flume Gorge. We even cooled our feet in the rushing, waters.
On the return journey, we stopped at some malls to check out the sales, which turned out to be quite a bonanza for the visitors.

I enjoyed browsing the sales with these ladies. They wanted to shop the sales and it became a full time occupation on the hot, humid days.

When we weren’t shopping we were eating all kinds of fabulous foods at home or out. Fresh lobsters, corn and cherries, from the market, to restaurants such as Smokey Bones, The Cheesecake Factory, Panera’s, Sichwan Gourmet, Legal Seafoods, and of course breakfasts at The Cracker Barrel.

Newest finds included Mayan Chocolate ice cream from Hagan Daz or just chocolate ice cream with a splash of Chambord raspberry liqueur.



One morning we took advantage of the cooler weather by spending it walking and exploring Longfellow’s Wayside Inn in Sudbury. The birds, butterflies, dragonflies and ducks were a remarkable sight!

In the evenings we played dominos, and listened to music of the 60’s and 70’s.

We also discovered the British sitcom My Family, which kept us in stitches most afternoons, when we were recuperating from shopping trips.

It has been and continues to be a fabulous life!
I look forward to some quiet time to catch up with my reading, beading, and some talk time with my old friends this week.

blissfully funny joke

This is so funny, I just had to post it here:

It takes a college degree to fly a plane but only a high school diploma to fix one:
a reassurance for those of us who fly routinely in our jobs.

After every flight Qantas pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe sheet", which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft.
The mechanics fix the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.
Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor.
Here aresome of the actual complaints submitted by Qantas pilots (marked P)and the solutions recorded (marked S) by maintenance engineers.

By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on the ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what they're for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one)
: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under the instrument panel. sounds like a midgetpounding on something with hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

A postcard I'd like to send

Today I received a reminder postcard from my chiropractor, which contained the following pre printed text:

Just a friendly reminder:
It has been ____________ since your last visit.

Remember your spine needs a checkup to stay healthy. Call for an appointment.


I’ve been toying with the idea of sending a postcard to him:

Dear Chiropractor,
My spine has been doing a superb job of taking care of itself for the last four decades, and it has every intention of continuing to summon well- being.

The only reason why I visit you from time to time is when I freak out at the slightest feeling of discomfort. I am glad you are there for me to rely on, but I know that I do my own healing.
You see, I allow myself to release resistance when I pay you a visit, quicker than when I try to do it all alone.

I want to get to where, I can fully rely on myself, without needing the crutch your visit provides.

If you’d like me to visit, so that you can pay your bills, I can do that, but do understand that it won’t be because my spine needs a check up to stay healthy.

My spine and I are doing really, really, well.


Regards,
Leisure Goddess

The most profound film of my lifetime

I finally had the pleasure of seeing one of the most extra-ordinary love stories ever told on the screen.
This movie is so exquisite that I was glued motionless and probably breathless for two hours and fourteen minutes.
This film accurately depicts a love that transcends every barrier known and unknown to the human race.

How did Ang Lee manage to depict the elusive essence of love- things which at one time could only be felt by the heart and experienced in the deepest privacy of one’s soul - with such clarity and impact, I will never know, nor do I need to.

The cinematography is breathtaking.
The story is the most heart wrenching emotional journey I have ever experienced.
This is one of the finest films ever made. I feel blessed and privileged to have seen a movie of this caliber in my lifetime.
The director is Ang Lee. The film is Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx, and the story first appeared in the New Yorker, Issue October 13th, 1977.

Is Yahoo Daily Horoscope written by an Aber?

I think it is:
Gemini -me
You're able to envision success so vividly that it becomes real almost as if by magic. Yours, more than any other sign, knows the power of creative visualization. You don't let little obstacles get you down. Previous Day Next Day

Cancer - hubby
You'll reach your destination in plenty of time, even if you go the scenic route. What's wrong with taking your foot off the gas pedal, anyway? The only sense of urgency here is your own. Enjoy the ride. Previous Day Next Day

Capricorn -brother
Hold yourself and the company you keep to high standards. Reinforcing quality brings you luck -- or does enforcing those measures create it? You know that it's not solely a material world. So should your friends.

Well -being

Today, I am looking for Clarity, Wellness, Abundance and Humor.

I know they are here somewhere and I do intend to find them.
Sometimes they show up without me having to actually look for them.
Today however, they are playing a game of Hide and Seek.
That’s okay, because I am enjoying the game too.

They didn’t bargain for that one!
You see the purpose of looking for them in the first place is so to feel better and when I feel better, I allow in more of my Well-being.

Everyone has Well-being assigned to him or her, but not everyone allows it in easily.

I am usually very good at allowing it in and sometimes ( like now) I have to apply diligence.

Clarity showed up when I decided to focus my thoughts on what it is I really want.

Wellness and Abundance showed up simultaneously as soon as I started appreciating my blessed life.

Finally, Humor was actually lurking behind me the entire time! Laughing at how seriously I was playing this game.

Well-Being wants you too!

DSM-IV

The following post will have me classified with a label from the DSM –IV, but that’s none of my business!

Last Thursday I was in an extremely good feeling place.
I was excited to be going to a bar to watch the soccer game between Trinidad & Tobago and England.
For one thing, I had never watched a game at a pub before, so that was cool in and of itself.

I am driving along with my good feeling self, enjoying the country road and looking forward to some shopping before the game.
I see a line of cars in the opposite direction heading my way, with all their headlamps on.
I think nothing of this, because my headlamps are also always on.

Before the cars passed me, I heard laughter and applause. Without missing a beat, I said out loud, “Yep, that’s how I feel too. Really happy today. I have a feeling we are going beat the pants off England.” More laughter and applause.

I begin to get Goosebumps or thrill bumps, the kind that means you are happy beyond your wildest dreams, and even happier than that. (Okay this is where I lose my self in trying to describe this experience in words. It sounds lame and nothing like I felt. Anyhow, I’ll carry on the best I can with words which really does not describe what happens next).

When the thrill bumps came, it was followed by a feeling of such rapture that I knew it was not about the ball game anymore. I had never experienced such joyous ecstasy before. Let’s just leave it, as there are no words to describe it. Just imagine the most awesome thing you have ever seen and multiply that by infinity and that’s the feeling I am trying to convey to you.

By this time the line of cars are close- up and about to pass me, in the opposite lane.
Heading the line of cars was a hearse.
At this point, the laugher and applause was deafening. I begin to laugh so hard, that tears were streaming down my face. More joyous than when I go to Caroline’s comedy club in New York. More joyous than any thing I have ever experienced. Some of the laughter was raucous. I said, “Okay, okay, you are so incredibly happy I know. Abraham said that, but I did not know what they meant, until now.” More deafening laughter and applause.

The drivers in other cars were so somber looking. I felt guilty to be laughing so hard with free-flowing tears. I could tell we in two totally different worlds.

I thought, if only they could know that all is well. Really know it like I do now.
At one point for a brief second I became really envious and I said, “I wish I could join you.” And I clearly heard, “It’s not your time yet.” As the physical gap between the funeral procession and my car widened, the laughter and applause subsided.
I did carry the joyous feeling for the rest of day, which appeared odd, considering that Trinidad and Tobago lost to England.

Marvelous weekend

Our weekend trip to Niagara Falls was extremely enjoyable.
On our return trip home on Sunday, we shopped along the way which was even more unplanned fun.

I discovered Mayan Chocolate ice-cream by Hagen Das. It reminds me of cold “home-made hot cocoa.” Generous amounts of rich dark chocolate and cinnamon, to die for!
I made out with a pint of it.

The drive back, seemed shorter, no doubt because we stopped often to shop, eat, and enjoy a cup of coffee!

Today, I ran errands, unpacked and for the first time stayed indoors due to the high heat and humidity. I am so grateful for air-conditioning and enough space with enough things to do that I do not feel confined being indoors.

Today I installed some solar lights along the garden path to the front door. I was quite delighted to see them light up tonight.

My roses are also a sheer delight! They are all blooming beautifully.

The next time I eat a sweet it will most likely be a slice of baklava. I seem to have a greater appreciation for foods, since I now choose them very discriminately.

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

Today we spent the day touring Niagara Falls;
in front of it, behind it, and alongside it.
We were as close as we could possibly get. It was a thrilling experience. Being behind the Falls was awesome. We watched from a portal, as the water tumbled at some 600,000 liters per second.
On the Maid-0f-The-Mist boat we were close to it, and got rained on, which was ever so refreshing!

Last night we were there for the fireworks, which were a literal ‘in-your-face’ experience. That was incredible as well. The Falls are beautiful at night, as they are completely lit up.
I am thoroughly enjoying myself.

We are about to set off exploring again!

Soca Warriors played a good game

I have to say that the Soca warriors played an impressive game.
They worked relentlessly at keeping England at bay for 82 minutes.
I am extremely proud of them for making it all the way there and for holding their own against a favourite like England.

It was an exciting game to watch. I caught the game at a bar.
I enjoyed myself tremendously so huge success there!

Abundance

I was just upstairs in my craft room looking for some silver and blue beads to make my self a necklace for my upcoming weekend trip and I saw the huge amount of beads I have there! Beads of every different colour and many shades in between.
I felt so gleeful! All this abundance! Then I got to thinking about my abundance:
An abundance of health, energy and vitality.
An abundance of inspiration and clarity, when I need them.
An abundance of good books yet to be read.
An abundance of lovely handmade birthday cards and gifts.
An abundance of friends to play with.
An abundance of fantastic relationships.
An abundance of delicious things to eat, like moussaka, dolma, baklava, filet mignon, chicken Parmesan, fresh salads and more stuff than I can list here.
An abundance of cool mornings in which to garden followed by an abundance of rain in the afternoon so I don’t have to soak the plants myself.
An abundance of places to go and things to do.
An abundance of rooms to play in.
An abundance of DVDs and CDS to play.
An abundance of love.
An abundance of air to breathe
An abundance of hobbies
An abundance of roses, right after an abundance of tulips.
An abundance of abundance really!

Soca Warriors

Ya know that tiny little country that everyone wants to leave?

The one where every thing is the size of a postage stamp?

Where people are always looking for a cheap flight to some place for the weekend?

No, not Trinidad & Tobago, silly.

I am talking about England.

Yes. That's right. England, that island off the west coast of the European mainland...

Well we are going to beat the pants off them come Thursday.

We. Tiny little islands of Trinidad & Tobago, Wayyyyyyyyyyy down south; 11° off the Equator.

Watch...

World Cup and graduation party

This weekend we attended a wonderful graduation party given by our friends in honor of their son.

We enjoyed the company of this huge and cohesive family as well as the Greek, Italian and Portguese cuisine. There was so much delicious food and desserts to choose from, it felt and looked like the buffet on a cruise ship.

On Saturday we watched the match between Sweden and Trinidad & Tobago. It was quite exciting to watch a 10-man team play. In particular, I was impressed with goalkeeper, Shaka Hislop.

On Sunday I watched Mexico and Iran, but then decided to spend the day outdoors with our friends, enjoying the lovely spring weather. After 4 days of non-stop rain, nothing is prettier or more welcomed than blue skies, soft breezes and sunshine!

Do the work

In many of my spiritual readings the phrase “do the work” invariably shows up.
It was not until I was well into the Abraham-Hicks material, attending workshops, listening to hundreds of hours of recordings that I realized exactly what the “work” is.
The work is to get happy now. That is the work. Find the joy in every moment.
Look for it. Seek it out. It is always there. Always. Just look a little longer. Allow your senses to linger just a little longer and you will find the joy, and when you do you have done the work.
That’s it. That is all that is ever required.

Day 6

Poached eggs for breakfast.
Chicken salad for lunch.
Swordfish for dinner.
Snacks included the usual veggies plus nuts.

Raining as usual. Taught my Sunday beading class of three enthused little girls.
On their way out, one of them said, “May I give you a hug, because you are so wonderful!” Naturally, they all came back to give hugs. What a wonderful exchange of energy that was. I hope that spontaneity does not get beat out of them.

Chatted with two of my friend and my bro today as well. I love when people call to share their joy! It just adds to mine.

Day 5

Today I prepared boiled eggs with grilled tomatoes topped with mozzarella for breakfast.
Followed by grilled salmon, romaine lettuce and radish salad with homemade pesto.
Dinner was garlic grilled chicken breasts with spinach and mushroom stirfry.
I have not eaten this well in ages!!!
This style of cooking and eating is very becoming indeed.

In other news, I was perusing the New Yorker and read that Dr. Heimlich has performed the Heimlich maneuver once in his life!

The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda Ca, does not have a library.

The territory of Tokelau has a population of 1600 and is made up of tiny remote islands.

I read these useless things, and I thought you should too!

Finally, “The best thing to happen to Great Britain in the past decade is the increasing profusion of ways to get the hell out of the place.” Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, April 24th 2006.
If I lived there, I would want to get out often as well!

Day 4

It’s the fourth day of my new diet, and so far so good. I feel extremely well and I have no cravings for the white carbo. I eat a variety of foods all day long and the biggest surprise is how delicious food taste.
It is delicious to eat nuts in minute amounts versus fistfuls.

Tonight we had oven roasted vegetables with grilled swordfish, which was to die for!

I am now sipping on a cup of black tea. Still cannot get use to the herbal crap...

Day 2

This is going well food-wise. I am enjoying all the things I am eating. I am tired a bit more, but I suspect my body is having to use its own store for energy by now, and so it’s not exactly happy at this point. I expect to feel much better by tomorrow, if not now.
I was out gardening today, and did miss having a cold beverage other than water!

I am thrilled that I love to drink hot tea, as this is my habit now – the sipping of tea- when I feel the need to reach for something more.

Day 1 of South Beach Diet

I started the South Beach Diet today with the support of a few friends. The only thing I have to get use to is eating six times a day versus once or twice.
Other than that, this is easy!
Today I’ve eaten eggs, kippers, bell peppers, cucumbers, cheese, chicken and romaine salad, grilled mozzarella, stir-fried zucchini and grilled swordfish, along with 3 liters of water. Now, I’m enjoying a cup of green tea and enjoying some free time.

Lighthouse for wellbeing

I attended the Abraham-Hicks workshop in Tarrytown, N.Y. yesterday.

It was a hoot! I always have a good time there, but yesterday I was so delighted to meet the effervescent, Esther Hicks. She is so beautiful, cheerful, and full of light that I was glowing too.

I posted the very first review on Amazon.com for their book ‘The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent.’ On December 13th 2005. As a result, I was delighted to have her autograph it for me. Esther said that Jerry reads every single review and every letter of appreciation they ever receive.

At the San Francisco workshop last year, Andre got to meet her and she autographed his Well-Being cards and the Ask And It’s Given Book.

I was also delighted to meet Jeanie from the office in San Antonio, since we always chat a bit on the phone, whenever I call for merchandise.

The A-H material resonates with me like nothing else does, so it is easy to see how all of this is such a huge part of my life.
I have to say that being a member of an online group of like-minded people really rocks as well.
We talk about all the good stuff we appreciate in our respective lives.
When not so good stuff is happening, list members will guide each other to better feeling thoughts, all the while reminding us of how wonderful we are!
Move over Dr. Phil we are no longer telling it like it is, instead we are telling it like we want it to be! We are after all creators and co-creators.

We have not heard enough of how worthy we are.
We are still seeking to justify our beingness and our deservedness.

Our loved ones, remind us often enough but we don’t really believe it in our core and that is what Abraham is wanting us to know in a powerful mega- wattage kind of way.

We are worthy onto ourselves.
Justification is not needed. Identification is not needed. We are born worthy. We are worthy beings.

I didn’t have any pressing issues to discuss with Abraham, but I thought if I was called upon (and they had me stand up three times and didn’t pick me) I would ask them, “How can I come to your dimension and talk on endlessly? As you are always inviting us to do?”
I did not get to ask them that consciously, but I realized today that the A-H yahoogroup serves that purpose in a powerful way. We do talk on endlessly there about things, which are important to us. The best part of course, is when someone (usually Connee) posts a quote from Abraham that is specific to the question or subject at hand.

What I actually like the most is that there is no end to any of this. It continues to evolve and expand, just as we are.

Life will always be satisfyingly unfinished.

I got it!

This morning I am up early gazing out my window. It is a bit quiet, not as many singing birds, but there is the sound of the rain and the woods are drenched with the grey blue skies above.
I love that I can look out into the woods from my windows. It is a real treasure, it feels magical but a better word for me would be aligned.

And it occurs to me that once you truly, truly feel the joy and appreciation for every single thing/event in your life you will be abundant in material wealth. There is absolutely no question about it. Once your dominant vibration becomes appreciation and joy all abundance will follow. Must follow.

The joy is surprisingly quiet. Sometimes I clap and shout 'YES' and other times, I am quietly pleased and delighted and there is just a whisper of, "thank you".

I say this even when I am experiencing non 'feel good' things. I am appreciative of the experience because it forces me to focus with more clarity on what I do want. Before, my focus was sloppy, so I got stuff I didn't want.

My only work is to feel good. I get that, I really do.

Becoming

Lately, I have been spending more time alone than with other people.
It has to do with the fact that they are always ready to talk about what happened or what is happening.
I find it boring because it doesn’t really help either one of us to get somewhere else.
I’d much rather talk about what can happen, or what we would like to happen.

Becoming, is what we are.

We are evolving beings or becoming beings, either way we are not static.

Change is the only thing that is constant and yet we find ourselves wanting to talk about and lament the same old, non-working issues, day in and day out.
I enjoy talking about the future.
It gives me something to aspire for. It also makes it easy for me to focus on manifesting exactly what I want. What Is, just muddies the waters, especially if I don’t like What Is.
Focusing on the solution is more rewarding than focusing on the problem.
Thinking of things I would like to embrace or become is like another breath of fresh air.

Unconditional love

Unconditional love is continuing to love someone else no matter what they think about me.

Unconditional love is saying no to a request, which I am not aligned with, even though I know the person is going to change the way they feel about me.

Unconditional love is wishing someone else the best, even if I never hear from them.

Unconditional love is severing a relationship with someone in this physical life, knowing his or her IB and mine are one.

Unconditional love is knowing we will always have our differences when we focus through our own individual filters, and not letting that get in the way of the fact that in reality there are no filters.

Unconditional love is waiting for someone to make the next move in a relationship and being okay with their decision no matter what.

Unconditional love is caring about how I feel, so much so that I am not willing to compromise my well being for someone else.

I remember

I remember ...
My mother loved me, her world.
My father loved me, his dream.
My home loved me, its 'supreme'.

I remember ...
I prayed with the blooming dawn,
I played with the glowing sun.
My life, the nectar fun.

I remember ...
I sang with the twinkling stars,
I danced with the floating moon.
All lost, alas, too soon.

I remember, I remember, I remember.

by Sri Chinmoy

I am just a man in a silly red sheet

I was surfing the web earlier and came across the phrase “I am just a man in a silly red sheet” in more than a few blogs.
Some people changed it to read, “I am just a girl in a silly red sheet.” Nevertheless, the ‘red sheet’ thingy was confounding me.
I first noticed it on my brother’s webpage and alerted him to it. I thought he had a typo and meant to say ‘silly red shirt.’
I decided to see what this meant and came up with some stuff I was previously ignorant about.
For example it is part of the lyrics of a song named ‘Superman’ and in fact, has nothing to do with Superman the movie!
Turns out I have heard this song many times before, but have not really listened to it.
The next time I hear it, I will be sure to listen.

Your work is just to be in love with your work

This quote reminds me of how I felt earlier on today, when I was inspired to create four sets of matching jewelry pieces.
It was such a joy to be completely immersed in the projects and when I looked up, it was only 11:35 am. Usually it takes me weeks to complete all of these projects.
I suppose this is what happens when I take myself out of the equation.

More and more I am getting the concept of living in the Now. Enjoying what’s happening Now. Thinking of what is happening Now or what I want to happen later. Not looking back, not regretting, not ifing, not shoulding, not coulding.

We really make such a big deal of our lives sometimes, and while it is a big deal, it really ought to be a big enjoyable deal.

Back to this fabulous glass of freshly squeezed lime, lemon and orange juice with just a sprinkle of Grand Marnier and Kettle One.

Ah yes, did I mention that Life Is Good?

The naked truth

Did you know that William Shakespeare coined over 1700 words?
Here are some of the phrases he also coined:
· Eaten out of house and home
· Pomp and circumstance
· Foregone conclusion
· Full circle
· The makings of
· Method in the madness
· Neither rhyme nor reason
· One fell swoop
· Seen better days
· It smells to heaven
· A sorry sight
· A spotless reputation
· Strange bedfellows
· The world's (my) oyster
· It’s Greek to me


Yes, William Shakespeare also coined the phrase ‘naked truth’.

Prayers

Prayer


I want to write about what prayer means to me. I know that it means different things to different people, and I also know that the word itself evokes different feelings in others.

For me, prayer requires imagination and a feeling of gratitude or appreciation for things, which have not yet materialized or manifested.

There are no ceremonies or rituals involved. In fact, I don’t believe they have any thing at all to do with my actual prayer other than to create a tranquil environment.

Believe it and then see it is my personal method of praying.
Everything that exists, originated in imagination, so by the same token, anything I am asking (praying) for must first exist there.

Therefore I say unto you, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe ye have received them and ye shall have them.”

Asking for what I want with the feeling as if I have already received it brings it to me faster. This is when I say, “My prayers have been answered.”

Praying with an attitude of gratitude, or giving thanks for something as if I have it already, causes that thing to materialize.

2 mango martinis and a banana split

What a blissful day it was today!
I went to the fish market to get some cod, scallops and shrimp. As I drove there, I noticed how blue the skies were, and the flowers on the trees and the green budding leaves on others. The grass appears greener,
The daffodils as well as the tulips are all vibrant in colour.
Back home- I chucked the seafood in the fridge and pulled out my lounging chair. It was too beautiful a day to be indoors. Too precious to be doing gardening chores too, so I just sat on the lounger and read, napped and read in that order for the best part of the day.
I chatted with a friend in California for an hour and then I reluctantly decided to start on dinner.
Today we had mango martinis, codfish cakes, Chili Relenos, watercress salad, and Pico de gello for our meal. All made from scratch. Photographs were taken of these delicious dishes and will be posted when I am not so wiped out by those martinis.
After dinner, I caught my current favourite sitcom-‘Everybody hates Chris’.
I am quite enjoying ‘The Holographic Universe’ and I would recommend it to those who think Abraham-Hicks lack evidence…

To tell you that there is no such thing as random or coincidence- I first came across Fred Alan Wolf in the movie, “What the Bleep”. The next time I saw him was in the movie, “The Secret” http://thesecret.tv/, which was the first movie, I ever purchased and watched on the Internet.
He showed up again in http://www.monday9am.tv in “something for nothing”. He was also mentioned in The Holographic Universe. I love how this all comes together! Can there be any doubt that we are all interconnected or that we are all tapping into One Mind?

The Holographic Universe

I just saw the "Turn Off Your TV" week headlines, which started this week. I am amused. Really. For one thing, I grew up without TV initially, and when we did obtain one, I was far too engrossed in reading to give it up for a black and white fuzzy screen.
Nowadays, we have premium channels and all the HDTV that is available, and still, I will not give up my books for it.
Besides reading, I have taught myself jewelry making and beading, painting, embroidery and cross-stitch, faux glass painting, stenciling, scrap booking, card making and a ton of other stuff, which has not yet been named .
Some TV shows are interesting to watch such as 60 minutes, some episodes of The Sopranos, the early episodes of South Park, some PBS shows and a few highly entertaining movies. I watch for amusement and information not necessarily together.
Surely we do not need a "Turn Off Your TV" week to watch less TV. The interesting shows could be seen in less than 2 hours per week. So my big question is what exactly are people watching for so many hours to make it such a media alert?

Back to reading The Holographic Universe by M. Talbot.

Some things I know intuitively

Death is nothing more than a shifting of consciousness;
The energy of the individual being, is always with us.

Nothing is ever lost in the universe. Everything including every thought that has ever been, still exists.

There is no such thing as a co-incidence. For example my bank is trying to persuade me to invest in a mutual fund they are touting. This means more than 5% up front fees for the bank. I procrastinated because I am not feeling aligned. Today, the first thing I ‘happen’ to encounter online, is an article cautioning against that very thing!
According to Abraham-Hicks, "Procrastination is nothing more than your physical realization that you are acting too soon- that some mental alignment is in order. So procrastination is not a bad thing. It is the realization that the Universe has not yet sufficiently aligned the Energy." 2/8/91 Woo-hoo!!!

Bartering, eating, reading and blissing

I already subscribe to my local chapter of http://www.Freecycle.org, which is great for giving away stuff, but I find that I am wanting to trade my skills for those of others. http://barterzilla.com/ looks really promising. It is a newbie compared to
http://westernmass.craigslist.org. I am hoping that barterzilla really takes off.

Last Saturday we discovered a new Indian restaurant called Bollywood Café in Shrewsbury, across from Indian Café. The food was extremely tasty and everything was hot and fresh. We returned earlier today for lunch and were quite disappointed.
I guess it was the chef’s day off today, as the food was obviously prepared by his assistant or even the servers. It was that tasteless. Everything looked good, but lacked the balance of spices and flavours that is so unique to good Indian food. Even the kids in the restaurant were misbehaving. I guess they know what good food should taste like.
Next week we are checking out Indian Café next door…

Yesterday it was seventy degrees here, and today it barely got up to fifty. I liked it though, as it was the ideal weather in which to read ‘Angels and Demons’ by Dan Brown. It was completely unputdownable.
I read it in six hours straight. Now, I am about to read Da Vinci Code. These books were so popular for the last two years, that I was not inspired to read them before now.

I am planning to fill in the bare patches of my lawn (due to rocks) with clover. I think it is very beneficial to the soil and will look really good in the summer.
Clover has so many blessed advantages; I am surprised it is not in widespread use.

I am now going to prepare a pot of tea and settle down for even more blissing.

Panama Canal Cruise - April 3rd- April 13th 2006

April 3rd

After an uneventful flight from Boston to Fort Lauderdale, we taxied to Port Everglades for 15 minutes and another twenty minutes later we were on board our ship - The Coral Princess- 1:30 pm.
From our house to our cabin took a total of 6
Hours. Not once did we have to wait, not even for our luggage. What a great start to a great vacation!

Cabin A220 has its own balcony, which affords us views of the ocean. Right now I am typing these notes from my bed while looking out into the ocean and listening to the water swish by.
Feels good to be here.

Our cabin mates to the left are an English couple and to the right an American couple who loves country music.

We met with Jerry, our cabin steward from the Philippines. We alerted him to our personal preferences: feather pillows, pitcher of water, ice and fruit each day and then off we went for lunch on the Horizon Deck.

Turns out the Horizon Deck is just above us. We like the proximity to all this food!
Enjoyed a delicious lunch of grilled salmon.

Muster Station Drill or General Emergency Stations Drill took place in the Princess Theatre or one could watch it on TV in the cabins.
We were instructed on how to wear the life jacket and where to go.
On the Celebrity Cruise to Alaska we actually practiced the drill in real time. It was much more fun!

Ft. Lauderdale Sailaway on the Lido Deck with B-Sharp Duo was fun. The Cruise Director made sure everyone was in high-spirits for this.
My personal preference for a sail away is San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.
The ship sailed 2 hours later than schedule, which we were assured, would not delay our arrival in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

We went to the Lotus Spa and signed up for daily use of the Thermal Sanctuary Suite, which contained saunas as well as heated mosaic lounge chairs.

Dinner is in the dinning room with late seating for us.
We have four couples at our table.
It is nice to come together for the common goal of having fun!

The waiter could not find any hot sauce or Sambal for me, so they are going to get their chef to prepare some.

Right now though, it is very pleasant and relaxing to sit here with the gently rocking motions and watches the water.

The air is balmy, the skies are blue and I can truly feel the difference from whence I came. The air is softer here.

Day one closes with us sailing towards Jamaica.


Tuesday April 4th-
At Sea Day
Breakfast in the Horizon Court- Buffet style.
The pineapples were excellent! Coffee was also pretty good. Such a huge variety of food, but I am a coffee person in the morning, so I’ll wait for lunch…

We strolled around the ship for a bit, before enjoying the Thermal Sanctuary Suite where I promptly fell asleep on the on the heated mosaic lounge chair for thirty minutes or so. Then into the steam sauna for another twenty minutes and back on the chair…
Ah yes, life is good.

Lunch in the Horizon Court followed by games in the card room and Afternoon Tea at 3:30 pm.
I love afternoon tea on a cruise.
It is very relaxing and enjoyable as I get to meet all sorts of wonderful people who all have nowhere to go and all the time in the world to sit and chat.
No one looks at a watch, or speaks into a cell phone.
It is so refreshing to see others really enjoying life.

8:15 pm
Now it is time to get dressed for our first formal dinner.
This is always exciting as everyone dresses up in gowns and tux for a fun evening of fine food and celebrations.
The hot sauce was presented to me. It turned out to be medium hot very tasty chutney. They promised to work on it some more.

The Princess Theater featured “A Salute to Broadway” which was fun. The theatre is huge and the production is professional. We recognized the lead dancer from the Mercury (cruise to Alaska).
I met up with him later on, and he confirmed my suspicions.

“Wild Bunch Party” in the Explorers Lounge was not my style; all line dancing, which is too conformist for me. I am too much of a rebel for this type of entertainment, so we strolled over to the Universe Lounge where it was better, but alas bedtime won over at 12 midnight.

April 5th
Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Pleasant sitting out in the forward deck and watching our slow arrival into the port.
We got off a few hours later. Walked to the tourist village, which was over priced and over rated.
This is an extremely poor island where we were constantly hassled for money.

Walked into town and bought bottled coke from Trinidad, rum from Puerto Rico, Scotch Bonnet peppers sauces and Cocoa from Cadbury.
The exchange rate is $US 1.00 = $60.00 Jamaican.
The grocery store clerk, a kid who packed our purchases was very polite and did not beg for money so guess what? We gladly tipped him.

We made our way back to the ship where we did our Basking Rituals, which consist of two hours in the Thermal Sanctuary Suite followed by Afternoon Tea, Games, and chatting with shipmates.

Dinner was a Caribbean theme of which I enjoyed the flying fish and coo-coo the best. Pepper Sauce was not an option, however I had my own, thanks to a bottle of scotch bonnets, which I purchased in Jamaica.

Akos improved upon the Sambal which was better than the night before.
He promised to work on it some more.

April 6th
At Sea Day
Andre was fortunate enough to witness the sunrise this morning. We had a sit-down breakfast this morning, in the formal dinning room as opposed to the Horizon Court where Buffet is served.

More Basking Rituals…
I went to a lecture on pearls in the wheelhouse lounge but fell asleep for all of it. Not bad for a holiday.

When I awoke it was lunchtime and I had samplings of the Mexican Cuisine. The fried chicken breasts in cornflakes batter were particularly good.


At 3:40 we went to Afternoon Tea where we met with a lovely couple from New York. It was their first cruising experience. We shared our comparisons with Princess and Celebrity.

At 4:45 we checked the Horizon Court for Pistachio Ice Cream but it was already closed. We found instead, some amazing avocado sandwiches and some desserts, which were quiet, irresistible. (Yes, we are here to eat and bask)


Returning to our suite, we played a round of domino on the balcony until 6pm.

In the Princess Theatre we saw Claire Gobin perform on the violin.

Dinner was fun. I like our table, especially Don and Margaret.

We caught the magician who was funny. He performed in the Universe Lounge, which I really like. It is filled with couches or sofas and loveseats. Very posh and cozy and yes, I always fall asleep there.
The waitress asked me what I wanted to drink and I said, “Not right now” and she being Thai and brand new to the job, pulled out a pencil and pad and proceeded to right the name of the drink down!
I had to explain to her that Not Right Now is not a drink, it just means no. Needless to say, I crack myself up at that for a long time.

April 7th
Panama Canal
Woke up very early, breakfasted and watched our ship as well as the Galaxy manoeuvre their way into the first three set of locks in the Panama Canal. Incredibly fascinating and exciting to be a part of.

Boarded our Panama City Tour a few hours later with our magnificent tour guide Giovanni and our driver Tony. I initially expressed a desire for fresh mangoes, and Tony sighted some on a tree. He promptly pulled the bus over, climbed on top of it and picked me some mangoes.
Panama is a dirt-poor country, which is full of litter as well as abandoned buildings and begging children. Giovanni and Tony did make this tour one of the main highlights.

We enjoyed a few pre dinner cocktails on our balcony before going to dinner, which was an enjoyable affair.
They didn’t have a “Being Together” Anniversary to celebrate so we called it our 18th WA which was observed with a fabulous dessert made up of a mini sponge cake with a delicious chocolate filling and covered with dark chocolate icing. Yum!

We went to bed soon after since we had to be up at 6am.

April 8th
Costa Rica.
Beautiful. The most breathtaking country I have ever seen. The land is a lush green and bountiful.
We drove for 3.5 hours to the Irazu Volcano, which is a crater, filled with emerald colored water. The area is so peaceful. We saw all kinds of plantations on the way to Irazu. We even saw a sloth, monkeys and other creatures of the wild.
We stopped for lunch, which was local and delicious.
Stewed beef, rice and steamed vegetables, with black beans served on a banana leaf, followed by rice pudding for dessert. We finished off with freshly brewed Costa Rican coffee.
I loved the mountains, all the fresh air, all the bountiful, luscious fruits and vegetables I saw on the roadside stands, in the market place and in store fronts.

We have just now sailed from the port in Limon, Costa Rica on our way to The Bahamas.

I am sitting on the balcony typing these notes and thoroughly enjoying the balmy air along with my rum and coke.

Dinner in the dinning room was a delicious affair. We enjoyed tasty meals and desserts.

Tropical Night Party was great fun. Andre was a part of the musical chairs event. This is where the guys are up for grabs by the women. Andre sort of won this contest. I looked on with the judges.

Sunday April 9th
At Sea Day
We did a whole lot of Nothing. Woke up at 10 am, went for a workout, yoga and more Blissing Rituals
Lunch was pineapples followed by Afternoon Tea where we met another Canadian family from Ottawa and Calgary.

Dinner was very good and so was the Tiramisu.
We watched the Princess Dancers perform Salute in the lovely Universe Lounge.


April 10th
Grand Cayman.

We tendered to the Grand Cayman, where we went to the Butterfly Farm for 45 mins and then onto 7-mile beach for 2 hours. We had the beach all to ourselves and that was wonderful. The water was cool, clear and very inviting.

We walked to Singh’s Roti Shop, where we had some of the best dalpouri we have ever had anywhere.
We also met a Trinidadian couple that worked as photographers on the Galaxy.

They were with us in Panama and did the same route we are doing. They promised to email us photos of the Coral Princess going through the Panama Canal.

We embarked at 2pm and went for the hot tub, swimming pool, and steam sauna.

Afternoon Tea was refreshing as always. Met some folks from USA. The Tea Service staff is impeccable.
I really enjoy and appreciate the tea on this ship.
It is one of the most unhurried affairs, and I get to meet great people all the time.

Found some good ice cream in the Horizon Lounge as well.

Played dominoes on our balcony before taking a siesta before the evening events.

The Sambal was made by an Indian chef and it was very good! I asked for the recipe.

Tuesday April 11th
Costa Maya.

I walked into the fishing village from Tequila Beach and saw massages on the beach being advertised for $20.00 for forty-five minutes, which I did and it was the best massage I had ever experienced.
I spent some time browsing the shops which all had the same merchandise.

Returned to the ship for Blissing Rituals…

Wednesday April 12th
At Sea Day

Today is our last full day at sea. We had a lot to do, friends to meet, seafood buffet to sample, the cakes display where the desserts were the best of the whole cruise.

We also saw Sarge perform. He is a multi talented comedian.

This day went by in a whirlwind of activity.
We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. I loved how people had time for each other, and did everything without cell phones and watches. Everyone we went was enthused and thrilled to talk about his or her lives and shipboard experiences.

Thursday April 13th
Disembarkation was the fastest and smoothest operation ever. We were out of there in time to catch an earlier flight to Boston.
In our house by 4:45 pm, 8 hours from the time we left the ship to the time we arrived home.

We had the best weather throughout our entire cruise.
Then again, we always do.

Cruising is our choice for vacations. We like doing a whole lot of nothing.

I decided to give myself a clue stick, and learn the latest vocabulary words and phrases.

Most managers I know complain about the continuous partial attention they endure from their audiences during meetings. The managers would like to return to the days of audience members having just a pencil and notepad in hand.

A friend of mine once had a brokeback marriage.
That is so much easier than saying she got divorced because her husband was gay.

Some of my relatives are more frienemies than friends.

I can say with confidence that I am a Knowbie.

I don’t care much for voice-novels. I prefer brief phone messages.

Some would say my blog is a me-moir.
Well if it’s not about me, then who???

I think I’m coming down with IFS or Information Fatigue Syndrome. There are simply too many new terms to explore!

Springtime is for sowing seeds

It is an extraordinary spring day here.
65 degrees with brilliant blue skies and piercingly bright sun. I am squinting my eyes as I look across the landscape in the direction of the woods.
I love the peace and quiet here. The buds are beginning to open now, and I can even see a few crocuses popping out of the earth. I have always loved neighborhoods when it’s like this. I think of all the silent homes around me, whose owners are preoccupied elsewhere.
It seems to me they are missing the best part of home life. I never feel this way on the weekend, too many disturbances such as lawn mowers, weed eaters, screaming children and just general mayhem.
I look forward to taking myself off to somewhere else on weekends. So far, I end up in places where it is silent, with no humans around. Much like I experience right here during the week!

This brings me to the next question – What do I want?
I answer this question a thousand times a day. I have learned that if I do not know what I want, I get all kinds of useless, less than usable life experiences. In other words, I get things I do not want.

From observing my lifestyle of the past 15 years, I gather that I love quiet settings for dwellings.
A home on several acres, overlooking the ocean and mountains, with tall trees, roses, lavender and rosemary in the landscape.
I can see myself standing on the deck looking over at the ocean and experiencing the clean, crisp wind, as it whistles on by, and the soft gentleness of the sun on my skin.
What’s that smell? Ah yes, the subtle fragrance of roses, and sometimes lavender and sometimes rosemary depending on which one allows themselves to ride with the wind.

Isn’t life grand? Aren’t you glad you came?
I am glad you did too.

Hafiz in your Inbox

I love http://www.panhala.net
I subscribe to their daily email and look forward to the poetry, music and pictures on a daily basis.

It is a gift and a reminder that I am Source expressing in physical form.

Joe Riley the creator of this website, says that a poem by Hafiz which a friend had sent him was his inspiration for this marvelous website.

I am deeply appreciative of this wonderful gift of Joe’s and even more appreciative to be the benefactor.


To subscribe to Panhala, send a blank email to Panhala-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Happiness Inc

I know, I know, I have been lazy about blogging.
Wait! That’s not true!
I have been waiting for the inspiration.Yes that’s it. Waiting to be inspired and here it is:

This past Sunday, I decided to cruise http://abraham-hicks.net/ I have not done that in a very long time.In fact, not since the FAQ was being created.

If you are new to the Abraham-Hicks material and/or you have never been to a workshop, Abraham Processes and Workshop Notes Page is the next best thing! It was the first thing I did as a newbie; all of Connee Chandler’s lessons.
Connee is a genius with words which you will find out for yourself if you Subscribe to the Abraham Online Community Mailing List

To my first big surprise there was the 17 Second Process timer which is awesome. I immediately focused on the home with the ocean and the mountains in the background, in four years. That was kinda easy to visualize, because my parents live within view of the ocean in the Caribbean, so that did not take much mental energy to add the mountains, fields of roses,lavender and bougainvilleas.

The Faces of the List 268 persons there plus photos from the various cruises; a virtual trip on its own. Makes me want to jump on the next Abraham-Hicks cruise.

Powerful FAQ Info Resource http://abelist.info/ is like its namesake- Powerful! 'How can I attract money' was viewed 1339 times. This is really one of the best resources ever, and I am proud to be a participant.Kudos to the brain father of this brain child.

Meetings Wanted Page is a great place for finding like minded groups in your own local area if you are wanting that.

Love Letters to Jerry and Esther is wonderful reading if you are ever wanting self-appreciation. For if you can say this about someone else, it is true for you too. Here's what I wrote: J &E are my Earthly Guardian Angels; they continue to give me the Keys to the Kingdom. In re-reading that just now, I realize that I do have the keys to the kingdom, in fact I am the kingdom... and so are you.

Testimonials are in a sense what I am doing in this little rave...

The Humor Page is funny enough to share with my young nieces and nephew. I like that...

I like this for a license plate COCRE8R. License Plate Suggestions

"You know you are an Aber if..." page is chock full of good laughs too.

I'm guessing that the Abraham Singles has more females than males listed but I could be wrong... worth a check out for those that are seeking...

Read the interaction and inspiration for this page. This is what Abraham had to say about it.

This is one of my favorite resources of all times Abrahamian Downloads by List members We are all such GENIUSES!

Specialty Page has all kinds of intriguing things. It's like a curiosity shop; you don't know what you want, but you will be sure to find something great. Who knew you could see vibration ? Vibration Video Very cool.

My web adventure of this site is not over, there are more things to see and do. I had the incredible urge to explore it because I was thrilled to bits and pieces to REALIZE what a great blessing this website is to me. It is like the air that I breathe, it is the personification of well-being.

For me, when I am interacting with this website I feel the energy. It has the largest concentration of pure energy, I have ever felt. Some folks go to physical sacred places on the planet to experience this, and for some reason I experience it when I play here.

And guess what else???? You are not required to pay $17.95 a month for any of this.

Every single person who has ever contributed to this website and the genius creator who had the vision to put it all together for our enjoyment.

If you have ever wondered whether or not you have manifested anything in your life, wonder no more.

This website is your manifestation. Explore it and Enjoy it and keep Expanding it.

Yes. Even if you have not physically contributed, by just clicking on http://abraham-hicks.net/ you have manifested it.

There are no coincidences.

A kazillion thanks to David Gordon the webmaster. In a future blog I will post how David came up with the idea for this website.I have yet to ask him about his inspiration for it.

If you want to purchase cds, tapes, books, music and cruises go tohttp://abraham-hicks.com/ The official site of Jerry and Esther Hicks.Great stuff there.

And for now, I am complete.

Question

What does one read after reading The Kite Runner?

My Life

My name: LG

childhood ambition: To Teach

fondest memory: reading beneath my bed

soundtrack: Yanni (every album)

retreat: mountains in California

wildest dream: taste all the varieties of handmade chocolates in the world with my best friend Barb.

proudest moment: manifesting things I want.

biggest challenge: finding things to love about MA

alarm clock: when hubby leaves the bed

perfect day: lying in a hammock

first job: teaching

indulgence: massage

last purchase: Chocolate ice cream

favorite book : His Dark Material by Phillip Pullman

inspiration: seeing the pure joy in someone's eyes when they are thrilled with themselves.

my life: is a dream come true

my mantra : Feel good now.

Gratitude

People and events which touched me lately.

Over the weekend I felt some dis ease in my upper back area, so I took myself to the chiropractor today. It was such a lovely meeting. The receptionist was incredibly friendly and informative and the chiropractor certainly knew his stuff. A few adjustments later, I am as good as gold. By weekend I know I’ll be better than gold!

I received recommendation for a sushi restaurant about three towns over and was told that the restaurants in our area were all mediocre. I was glad to be told this, as nothing equals the disappointment I feel when I have to find that out in person.

Lately I have been experimenting with chowders. I have access to a fresh fish market and so I have been making chowder with cod, halibut, tilapia and shrimp.
I favour cod best of all.

I also had a lovely surprise phone call from my friend Eunice who lives in California. She is as busy as always with completing her yoga training from Ana Forest at the moment. In between she takes weekend classes as well as she goes on retreat. It is always a joy to hear from her.

It was about 10 to 14 degrees today. The coldest day I have experienced so far.
The sun is very hot in a brilliant blue sky, and so it makes for a beautiful, crisp and warm day, if you are sitting next to a closed glass window, with the light coming in.

I was also delighted to learn that my young friend Marc was admitted into Sam Houston University. He has such an amazing life ahead of him.

I enjoyed the closing ceremonies of the Winter Games. I am looking forward to being a part of the games in 2010 in Canada.

Trinidad & Tobago is currently celebrating Carnival, today and tomorrow.
What a huge fete and endless bacchanal that must be.
To lighten things up I pulled out my autographed copy of Tanti at de Oval by Paul Keens-Douglas the dialect always brings a smile…

I gone yes. Till nex time.

Evidence of my alignment

What ever you look for you’ll find so today I looked for evidence of my alignment and found a few:
- Front door parking and first in line at the Post Office.
- Friendly clerk who took care of my transactions.
- The number 333 on a building.
- Winning an ebay bid for less than $1.00
- Email from someone I was just thinking of.
- Sold three A-H cds this week.
- Received two books in two days.
- Read the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho which reminds me so much of the teachings of Abraham- Hicks.
- Digital read out of the clock this afternoon 3:33.

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Wicked weekend

It was a fabulous weekend.
I believe I perfected the art of doing nothing.

On Saturday we set out for Providence RI. On the way there I was hungry enough to eat my leather coat, and I thought, “Won’t it be nice to see a Panera ( bread and pastry store)
Bakery for breakfast?” No sooner than the thought left my mind, there it was and we had front door parking too!

We also had front door parking at the beadshop in Providence, except that it was far too expensive for me; the internet bead shopper, so we strolled along the streets of this college town, stopped in at Brown Bookstore and then over at a tea shop where I had the best masala chi ever. I’d go to Brown myself, just for this teashop. How can you not want to study in such a delicious environment? http://www.tealuxe.com/


Back home I sat in the first class chair (aka leather recliner) and promptly fell asleep.
Upon awakening I watched The Seventh Seal, an Ingmar Bergman film about the existence of God.

The Winter Games followed this where I learned that I adore snowboard cross.
If I were a “natural born skier” snowboard cross would be my sport. I can almost feel the freedom and exhilaration, which comes from being a rider. As an onlooker, I can feel the bliss…

I also discovered intrestingness at http://www.flickr.com where the most arresting photos are housed. Now I know where to go to feel moments of pure bliss…

I spent today making out like a bandit on ebay with the purchase of beads and crystals for my jewelry hobby.

All in all, it has been a fabulous three days, and I expect it to continue because I deserve the best...