All posts filed under: Lifestyle

Thoughts About the Underworld

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As I mentioned before, our company decided to move office locations in the city to combat the unreasonable increase in our lease renewal in San Francisco.  At the moment the demand is high here in tech-city extension, I call it – after Silicon Valley.  So, we had no choice but to move to a new office space – in the underground. Which I am still having trouble getting used to. But you know what happened to me as a result of being eight hours in the deep darkened space with no natural light or air?  I have changed my mind about…the underworld places around the world I wanted to see.  I am no longer interested, now that I realize I do not like the idea of not having a quick escape, but nevertheless here they are for your consideration. {featured image source}

Monday Morning Beautiful Things

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It was very difficult for me this morning, to get up and get ready for work. Especially after having a week to simply explore my city – San Francisco, for those just joining in the fun here.  I realized while commuting in, that my mind is blank, even though I have a list of to-do’s a mile long, which I’ve written down, I feel completely numb this morning, and can only focus on beautiful things I found online: {source}

Much Needed Time Off

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I did not realize just how much time away from a computer was needed until I decided Monday morning last, to simply not get online, or check work emails, or blog or write. There was a feeling of calm, even while running errands, and doing chores, the idea of not being plugged in made a world of difference in how I felt overall. So, I vowed to myself that – this sort of unplugging will be done several times throughout the year. Where I simply leave my phone on Do Not Disturb mode and my computer logged off and find joy in the simpler things in life. Like walking six miles across the city. Sitting by the ocean and taking in the views. Reading in a park. Lunch in a new farm-to-table eatery I’ve wanted to try out forever. Reconnecting with a solid friend and be completely entertained by her Schnauzer. Taking photographs of everything . Walking across town again, buying a new lipstick or gloss. Enjoy watching a herd of grazing goats for hire …

Things You Should Never Say…

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I normally don’t shock easily – about the goings on around me or even around the world. But recently I’ve raised an eyebrow or twitched an eye at a few strange comments –  which I felt the need to share – to either put a smile on your face, or have your jaw drop. Never tell a middle-aged woman you see daily, ‘oh I see you are wearing makeup today,’ when she wears makeup everyday. ♦ At a retail store – while consulting with a makeup artist about a facial primer – he says ‘this one is used on dead people, so it is lasting and oil-free.  ♦ ‘This product will help your dull hair look alive, not like a young person, but you know, for your age, you should try it.’ ♦ Ordering a salad with no mention of fat-free in the ingredients, the gal behind the counter asks if I would like fat-free dressing?  ♦ Walking in through the front door,  you pre-warn you’ve had a bad day,  and he decides that moment …

Do You Ever Think…?

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There are constants reminders to be and do positive things, or the need to think of yourself a winner, or how to be the best person you can ever be, and well, even the suggestion to persevere no matter how difficult the road ahead. This got me thinking to see the glass half full this morning – or to some of you perhaps, filled to the rim 🙂 Enjoy my craziness.   {featured images source} ♦♦♦ What book are you reading now? I am reading Inheritance by Dani Shapiro 

Food: Dinner Tonight – Szechuan Noodles with Chicken

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This recipe is perfect and I plan to change nothing – for dinner tonight, on this rainy cold Wednesday – while I contemplate refreshing or enhancing my blog. INGREDIENTS 1/3 cup peanut oil 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or smashed 1-2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 inch fresh ginger, grated 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds 8 ounces Chinese egg noodles 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 1-2 tablespoons chili paste (sambal oelek) 1/2 pound ground chicken or pork (optional) 1 red onion thinly, sliced 4 green onions, chopped, plus more for serving 4 baby bok choy or green cabbage, chopped {more} On another note, I was sad to have watched the last episode of Victoria Season 3 on Sunday, but the commercials for Beecham House after the finale got me feeling hopeful – will you watch it once a premiere date is set for the US? And if elsewhere offering up this show – have you seen it?   

All The Questions In The World

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Yes, it is happening again, where on a gloomy rainy day, I start to questions too many things. I think mostly on day two of a work week, while still trying to get adjusted to  sitting in the basement of a building not so retrofitted for a city built on sand and destined for earthquakes. I do cringe with every step I descent to the underground, and sometimes even hold my breath until I leave work. There are worst things in the world and I’m sure someone reading this is saying, how selfish of her to be thinking otherwise.  But in talking to the group of employees, who got the shorter end of the stick, about our placement, I realize that although no one is happy in the basement, they are not willing to complain about it. Which got me thinking about the topic of complaining. Is complaining really that bad?  Or is complaining a waste of your valuable time and something that should be avoided at all cost?   How to Complain Less is the …

How I Look Forward To Mondays

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Most of my life, I have never looked forward to Mondays until recently. Not because my weekends are boring, but because, as I get older, I am loving the idea of going to work. But even though that is the case, there are some sluggish start to Mondays, and that’s when I know I haven’t taken the right steps to prepare me for the day. By Thursday the week before, I have already planned what I need to do over the weekend to help recharge my mind and body, so that the days ahead would be as stress free as possible. You know, where the stress takes over every ounce of your being, elevating anxiety to about a ten – those kinds of days. First – Winding down on Friday night is important – where an Italian meal is in order paired with a good bottle of red  and two movies, comedy is a must.   Saturday early morning, wake the house up to a full-on breakfast, the kind you have no time for throughout …