moroccan chicken with green olives & lemon

yield: Makes 4 servings
active time: 25 minutes
total time: 55 minutes



2 Meyer lemons or regular lemons
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 4 1/2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed
1/2 cup green olives


Cut 1 lemon into 8 wedges. Squeeze enough juice from second lemon to measure 2 tablespoons; set wedges and juice aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper; sauté until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add next 5 ingredients; stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boil. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Add lemon wedges. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter. Add olives and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to skillet. Increase heat to high; boil uncovered to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over chicken.

地球日 アースデー

Coming 22th april 2009 is earth day . are you doing something to thank the earth on this day ? are you aware that you are only a guest on this earth ? think about it ..with the health of the earth getting weaker and weaker , are you doing ya part to help mother earth in any possible ways ?

give her a little loving kindness each morning when u are awake , on your way to work, send your love to the trees and clouds, the buildings and strangers u met on trains and buses ....

a little love goes a very long way, with more loving kindness spread out from each and everyone of us ...it forms ripple effects to bigger and larger areas , so plzs do your part for without our mother earth, where would we be ? ^__^

walking tour

this is a touching clip for me ! makes me cry when i see it though
please enjoy ^__^

http://koshiyen.twbbs.org/~ifplab/dl/walktourC.swf

flea titan where we went

on a particular sat day , a few of us met up for yumcha and chitchats as well as making the trip down to flea titan on 7 mt.sophia . True enough, its over crowded like zouk's market and theres cool little buys everywhere but one has to dig deep and breathe slowly as the air ventilations aint that great and its hot hot hot inside the building .....

nevertheless, each of us end up with a few new stuffs inside our bags hahahah .... then heavy downpours came and we decided to end our day over at cathay instead of heading down to betsy's side where theres another lelong going on .... if it wasnt that rain ... we wld have went over and had dinner 2gether as well ....

oh well, the surprises that life throw us at times ..... we just have to go with the flow ....

*__*

Learning To Love As Learning An Art : by Meredith Ian

Learning to love is like learning to master an instrument or an art. The following is a list of factors these acts all have in common.

Possibility—This includes having the time to devote to the art, and the physical capacity to do it. One can not very well pick up a violin if one’s hands are broken. Time, more often than not, is something that gets in the way of being able to devote oneself to loving.

Commitment—It is much easier to pronounce “I paint” or “I love you” than it is to actually master painting and to unconditionally love someone. Without the wish, will and dedication to work, it will never happen.

Goals—This includes the ultimate goal of mastering the art as well as all the stepping stones along the way. Staying focused on the present is important, yet without an idea of where one is heading it’s easy to get lost.

Instrument—Just as I can not very well master the guitar on a block of wood, I cannot love without an object for my affections. This doesn’t mean a person has to be in a romantic relationship to practice loving—we can practice loving human kind, friends, family, pets, god, and most importantly, ourselves.

Confidence—This does not mean that if you think you’re the best cellist, then you will be. It refers to accepting where you are in your practice. Expecting to be a master on your first try is unrealistic. Mastering an art takes a lifetime, and surely many mistakes will be made along the way.


Patience—Hand-in-hand with confidence, patience is needed to persevere through the low points. If martial arts were easy, everyone would do it. The same goes for love. Truly opening yourself to another, being vulnerable, and accepting the other unconditionally takes a lot of effort. It is a common misconception that “love should just come naturally.”

Model—If I took a person who has never heard music, gave him a clarinet and said, “play me some jazz,” he would not have the foggiest idea what I was talking about. In love, we model our behavior after those who influence us—whether it be from family, friends, a religious figure, mentor, therapist, or books.

Discipline—Practice makes perfect. Even when you’re tired, or when you’d rather just watch a movie, you’ve got to push through and always remember to keep at it.

Persistence—Working closely with confidence, persistence requires having faith in the process of learning. That even though you don’t get it all now, if you keep at it, eventually you will.

Environment—A safe space to learn, practice, make mistakes and try again is also needed. A ballet dancer needs a studio with a bar, and a lover needs freedom to explore and express his or her feelings.

While London has no shortage of fine dining options, fans of exotic food and nightlife can take the tube to Brixton in South West London, a well-known haven for musicians, artists, and activists. Along with an array of eccentric marketplaces, organic eateries, and late-night bars, you can sample your way through a variety of international cuisines including African, Caribbean, Indonesian, and Portuguese, a sound cultural alternative to traditional London pub food and high-end dining. Don't miss Brixton Market, chock full of vendors selling everything from African spices to cassava to Guyanese curries.

tHoUgHt of the wEEk (5)

"There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction."
-Winston Churchill

Departures

Synopsis
Daigo Kobayashi's life takes a turn when the band he played in is disbanded. Left with no job, Daigo, a cellist decides to move back to his hometown. At his hometown, he gets a job working as an undertaker, where he sees himself as the gatekeeper between the living and the dead. Through his job, he discovers the meaning of life and what it is all about.


PS: well, i sobbed thru the movies as its touching and its got a good storyline to make u wonder and think on lifes' journeys and stages of growth

neither

Athens was neither East nor West.It was spitted meat & spices roasting.It was tall buildings and modern shops.It was narrow,unpaved streets and clamorous bazaars. It had been the scene of revolution and brutality. It was anicent & civilized and passionate.

one can be seduced by Paris & charmed by London but it is in Athens that one loses its heart