TIME - HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT

If you think about time, it's fascinating. Most of us don't leave our homes without wearing a watch. Clocks and time pieces adorn our walls and tables at home and office. We attend to chores, duties and life decisions revolving around movement of the needles in the clock.  Time is a grand treasure chest of the past, present and future. Everday you are gifted with precious 24 hours, and how fast they fly, turning every moment you experience into the past and the next 24 hours which is your future, comes to you already. It's up to you to do what you want with your time, how you choose to utilize it, how you want to spend it, what you want to accomplish, how you choose to plan, feel, think, act. You can do nothing with it or exploit it to the fullest using all your wisdom and talent. But you can never control it's passage. You can procrastinate and time becomes your enemy. On the contrary, you can actually do so much with the time you are gifted each day . Time gives us happy, sad, fearsome, exciting moments. Time makes us cry and laugh.  It's takes through a constant journey of highs and lows in life.  It brings about a calm, after a storm. Time teaches us precious lessons. We can either learn from it or repeat the same mistakes. Time brings different people into our life, some fabulous and some quite unsavory. Some travel with us for a while and have to get off at their station and some travel with us till eternity. Time helps us forget, forgive, heal and renew ourselves. Sometimes we become impatient and weary, as we wait for seemingly long endless period  of time, for something important to happen or see our efforts bear desirable results. But everything has a mysterious reason. If we trust ourselves and have faith, time can only prove to you, of it's miracles and glory. There is a time for everything. When you wake up each day, do you plan or chart out how you want to spend this day, what new things would you like to do, what changes would you like to make in your life, what old habits you want to get rid of, what tasks would you like to accomplish, who would you like to forgive, what amends would you like to make, what decisions can you make that will alter your life positively?.  Time is a precious gift so invest it, use it,  in the best way possible.

ATTRACT BLESSINGS AND RISING HIGHER

IKEA - RAMADAN SPECIAL

IKEA at the Avenues Mall, has set up a lovely tent with seating, they have interesting daily meals during the evening after breaking of fast. The menu differs for each day. I enjoyed their new new furniture collection, especially the dining and kitchen.

POMEGRANATE THE AMAZING FRUIT - INTERESTING FACTS AND SYMBOLISM

I had posted earlier on the health benefits of Pomegranates. And now let me share some interesting facts and beliefs about pomegranates.

* There are 760 varities of pomegranates!

* In Spanish, Granada means pomegranate. City of Granada is named after this lovely fruit.

* There is a belief that exists among some scholars that it was pomegranate rather than apple that tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

* In Latin, pomegranate means apple with many seeds. (Pomum - apple; granatus - seeded)

* It's known as a lucky fruit. A supersition goes like this - If you make a wish before you eat a pomegranate, your wish would come true!

* Pomegranate festival is held in Goychay in Azarbaijan annually. Cuisine made with pomegranates, music and dance being the highlight.

* Pomegranate has a nickname - Jewel of Winter

* Pomegranate plants can grow up to 15 to 18  feet in height anad live to about 100 to 150 years in the wild, and 300 years or more in cultivated gardens.  They bear fruit in the second or third year.

* Afghanistan is the world's cradle for pomegranate cultivation, where they have more varities of pomegranate trees than anywhere in the world!

* When you cut open Jumbo pomegranates of Afghanistan, the seeds are ruby red and juicy.

* Iran is the world's largest cultivator and exporter of pomegranates

* Bedana pomegranate is classified as 'seedless' as it has very soft seeds inside and they are cultivated and used purely for making juice.

* Pomegranate is the national symbol of Armenia

* In Malaysia, pomegranate is called 'Buah Delima', meaning ruby fruit

* The juice of pomegranate will stain anything!

* This fruit is actually a berry!

* Ancient Egyptians buried their dead with pomegranates for eternal life

* Greeks break open pomegranate during wedding celebration.

* In mythology and religion, pomegranates have been a symbol of fertility, bounty,  marriage, abundance, and propersity.

* Buddhists consider pomegranate a symbol of eternal peace and is one of the three blessed fruits besides peaches and citron.

* Excavation of early bronze age (3500 - 2000 B.C.) holds the belief that pomegranate was one of the first cultiavated fruits by man.

* Chinese eat candied pomegranate seeds for good luck.

* In China, special pomegranate paintings with the fruit half open showing the seeds, are given as wedding gifts, as its symbolizes happiness and fertility.

* In Turkey, pomegranates are a symbol of good luck representing money and prosperity.

* In mythology, the pomegranate was associated with three goddesses, Hera (abundance and prosperity), Aphrodite (beauty and love) and Demeter (harvest and fecundity).

* Pablo Picasso's painting 'La Grenade'  capture beauty of pomegranates. Many eminent artists have painted this wonderous fruit.

* Shakespeare wrote of nightingales singing on pomegranate trees in Romeo and Juliet

* Let us go early to the vineyards to see the pomegranates are in blook - there I shall give you my love - Song of Solomon, 7:12.

PAIN AND AGONY CAN BRING LIFE TO A STANDSTILL

Oh no, no, no...not pain and agony of the emotional kind. It's physical. For the last several days, my life came to a halt, a stand still, frozen with pain and agony from a sprain in my upper back. I can't remember when was the last time I experienced such excrutiating pain accompanied by the agony of it! Pain and agony are inseparable - be it physical or emotional you see. They visit our lives as co-joined twins! .

Now I can breath a sigh of relief, that I feel better than before. Some of the pain still lingers. But that's okay I guess, I can manage... I don't want to be ill during the weekend. The strange enligtenment we get  from aftermath of physical pain is, a realization - 'how important and valuable our health is'.

GWYNETH PALTROW - MAKE YOUR LIFE GOOD

Make your life good.

Invest in what's real.

Cook a meal for someone you love.

Pause before reacting.

Clean out your space.

Read something beautiful

Treat yourself to something.

Go to a city you have never been before.

Learn something new.

Don't be lazy.

Work out and stick with it.

GOOP (visit Paltrow's website).

Make it great.

- Gwyneth Paltrow

MY PHOTO FOR THE DAY - MERCEDES BENZ 1927

This photo was taken when I visited the 'Car and Carriage Caravan Museum' at Luray Caverns, Virginia, USA.

HAPPY RAMADAN

Wishing everyone observing Ramadan, a blessed and joyful Ramadan.

POMEGRANATE - MAGICAL SUPER FRUIT FOR HEALTH

The other day I was at Geant Hypermarket and I saw these wonderful looking pomegranates with bright red skin, and I thought, gosh it's been quite sometime since I've bought some. When my husband cut them open, I loved what I saw,  the seeds resembled deep red ruby stones. This must be a particular variety of pomegranates because there are several varieties imported from different countries. I've tried various kinds before, but this was special; ruby red in color,  they were very juicy and actually tasted sweet and quite divine!. Ever since I ate them, I been wanting to blog about the health benefits of pomegranates.   Pomegranates do wonders for your health if you include them as often as possible in your diet. In a separate post I'll  be sharing legends and beliefs surrounding this ancient fruit. You'd be surprised to know that excavation of early bronze age (3500-2000 B.C.) has shown that pomengranates were one of the first cultivated fruits! Amazing isn't it? Interestingly, in Buddhism, pomegranate is one of the three blessed fruits besides peaches and citrus. If you like body creams with fruity fragrance, try Pomegranate Body Butter from Marks & Spencer (one of my favourites).

Here's why I recommend pomegranate as a super fruit you should include in your diet. Let's take a look at the health benefits.

* Fights cell damage

* Controls weight

* Helps in avoiding clumping of blood platelets and prevents blood unnecessary blood clots.

* Powerful antioxidant

* Loaded with vitamins and minerals, especially B vitamins

* Lowers cholesterol

* Lowers blood pressure

* Keep heart disorders at bay; believed to prevent heart attack and strokes

* Has anti cancer effects that can inhibit breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer and leukemia

* Phytochemical compounds in pomegranates stimulate serotonin which combats depression

* Improves immune system

* Slows down alzheimers

* Prevents osteoarthritis

* Has anti-ageing properties

* Promotes smooth healthy skin

HUMOR - AUNTY ACID WHEN SOME PEOPLE COME INTO OUR LIVES

IMPORTANCE OF HOPE

MOTHER AND SONS

Sometimes, I  enjoy going through our old albums that has numerous pictures my daughter and son when they were babies till they finished high school. Rest of the photos taken after that are stored in my computer. When you have grown children, its so beautiful to go back into time, look at all those old photos and wonder how fast time passed by and those cute little children you cuddled and held, have grown into young men and women. 'My God, look at you when you were small!' - you can't help saying that.  It's equally fascinating for grown children to look at photographs of them when they were small and every photo has a story to tell.

Here is a beautiful photo of 'Mother and Sons'. Notice certain interesting features about the photo and it's subjects.

SALE AT NIKE

NIKE at 360 Mall has a lot of nice items under sale. Visit NIKE and 'Have a Nike Day'

WEIGHT LOSS - OVERCOMING EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TOWARDS FOOD

Whether we are trying to lose weight or not, most of us have a strong emotional connection to food since our childhood. Our parents taught us to finish the food on the plate and not to waste it. Even if we are full, we feel compelled to finish the food off our plates. We are told 'when so many people are starving in the world, how can we throw food away?'. Achievements, rewards, good times, parties, celebrations meant lots of food. So food has always been associated with happiness, giving hardly any importance to how much do we really need to eat to be alive and what food groups can give us healthy nourishment. Fats, sweets, high calorie in certain foods, amount of total daily calorific intake was never a criteria when we eat. We are fascinated, tempted and lured by the taste, feel and appearance of food. Over the years, when we put on weight, we realize, we have to lose weight because it isn't healthy to be overweight and that we could be heading towards lifestyle diseases. Why should we wait to be overweight to come to this realization? Well, its not that we 'don't know' the consequences of overeating or consuming more food that our output, it's because we have a huge emotional bond and connection with food through out our lives.

Let's take a look at some more  factors that emotionally connect us with food.

* Eating when lonely

(no one was actually able to ward off loneliness by eating!)

* Eating because you are sad

(The problem or sadness won't be resolved through eating)

* It's wrong to throw food away. We shouldn't waste food

(So take just the right amount you want to eat in the first place. Stop when you feel full. If you have food remaining in your plate, throw it away. Don't stuff yourself)

* It tastes so good, I'll have some more.

(That's additional calories, which will turn into fat you have to fight to get off. And if you keep repeating it everytime you have extra helpings or servings, you are inviting more fat into your body)

* Eating to celebrate accomplishments and occasions
(That's okay, as long as you know what and how much you are consuming, and whether it's good for you and know when to stop).

How do we overcome emotional attachment towards food? Ask yourself a few important questions each time you decide what to cook while at home, or what to eat while you are outside - at restaurants, parties, dinners, office canteen, so on

1. Is this food really required  for my body?

2. Does this food contain lots of fat, sugar or high calories?

3. Will this food give me nourishment - the right carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals needed for my body ?

4. Will this food be heavy on my digestive organs and system?

5. Am I over eating?

6. What good does this food do for me, will it fill me with energy, health and vitality or will it make me sluggish?

7. Listen to your body. Is it telling you that it's not hungry or its full?

What we feed our body is sacred as it's for our body's proper functioning and survival. Everything we chose to eat should be aimed towards attaining a healthy body. It's okay to indulge in foods you enjoy, occasionally, but in moderation. Our body is like a vehicle we own, through which we experience everything in this world and we need to travel the journey of life, using this only vehicle till we die. If you want to keep it in top working condition, it's important to feed it with the right fuel - follow a balanced diet with lean meats, lots of vegetables, and fruits. Eliminate the fat and sugars, junk food and wheat. And learn to say 'No' to unhealthy food. Honor your body. Feed your body what it really requires, and not what the advertisements,  subtley lure you into eating.

ENERGY YOU CREATE FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS

SHRIMPS

It's not always that I buy shrimps. They can be expensive during certain times of the year. Shrimps are high in cholesterol, although they are low in fat. However the latest studies is quite a consolation;  that if you are on a heart friendly healthy diet, its okay for you to have shrimps, especially if its grilled or baked or in a curry. When shrimps are large, fresh, and moderately priced, thats when my desire to eat shrimps becomes strong. When I visited Geant Hypermarket at 360 Mall, they had these wonderful fresh shrimps and I knew I had to buy some. I couldn't wait to prepare shrimps and they tasted just great.

HUMOR - AUNTY ACID WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT ME

SUKAR RAMADAN AT 360 MALL - RAMADAN 2012 SWEETS FESTIVAL

Yesterday, I visited the  'Sukar Ramadan' sweets and dessert festival  at 360 Mall. The exhibition started at 1pm, and the stalls were in process of opening to the public. Most stalls were open, but some were yet to open. It's better to visit the exhibition somewhere late afternoon or close towards evening time, as you will be able to see live preparations by chefs and all the sweet stalls would be open by then. Saturday July 14 is the last day of the exhibition. You will certainly enjoy the visit. I liked the stalls and displays by 'Baking Tray' and 'Rifai'. Baking Tray had put up lots of interesting items. Rifai has a variety of hampers and gift sets with sweets, nuts and goodies for Ramadan. There many other nice stalls as well. 'Diet Care' has a stall as well with low calorie sweets and besides they also promoting their healthy weight loss plans and low calorie tasty meals.