Illusion of Individual Conciousness :

Do we think of ourselves as separate from others because of our limited view and how does this limitation affect our creativity, knowledge, wisdom, health, success, and happiness? Humanity is at a pivotal point in history and the choices we make right now will affect us for a very long time. It’s imperative that we expand our consciousness and move into its higher frequencies. As we build an alignment with higher frequencies of consciousness, we will be able to utilize the energy, knowledge, and creativity available through the interconnectedness of all things.

With practice, we can attune with our Higher Self, which is always in rapport with the higher frequencies of consciousness, in order to acquire new knowledge and wisdom. The progressive integration of, and ability to manifest these higher frequencies of consciousness will eventuate in self mastery.

Conscious alignment with our Higher Self allows us to utilize the energy, knowledge, and creativity available through the interconnectedness of all things. The more focused and conscious our attunement, the greater can be the energies of the transformative frequencies realized, and that which is needed will be magnetically drawn to us. Each transformation in consciousness leverages another and then another until a critical mass is achieved that sets into motion a paradigm or even a quantum shift in consciousness.

Together, as a group of conscious servers, we can choose be the impetus that sets into motion a transformation that supports, uplifts, and sustains the progression of all individuals towards more exalted frequencies of consciousness.


Source : IFGT

Mediterranean Tuna Spaghetti :

Mediterranean tuna spaghetti. 

This Mediterranean tuna spaghetti recipe features a quick tomato sauce that bursts with flavor. 

Serves 4 Portions of Mediterranean Tuna Spaghetti.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic (The more the better..)
• 2 large tomatoes chopped 
• Red bell pepper chopped (optional)
• red pepper flakes or pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste or some pounded *Fried ikan bilis*
• 1 can (7 ounces) tuna (I used 2 small cans of 190gm each)
• 3 cups tomato sauce (I used 1 can tomato soup)
• 1 teaspoon sugar and salt to taste.
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley or spring onions
• some mixed dried herbs
• 1 pound spaghetti
• shredded parmeson or other cheese.

Preparation:

Add the olive oil, garlic, to a large saucepan, and turn on the heat to medium. When the garlic begins to sizzle, add the tuna and stir for 2 minutes then the canned soup till just before it starts to simmer.

Stir in the red pepper, tomatoes, anchovy, sugar, and parsley/mixed herbs. Bring to a simmer, and turn heat to low. Stir occasionally. 

Boil the spaghetti according to the directions on the package. Drain, but do not rinse.

Add the spaghetti back to the pot in which it was cooked, and pour over the tuna sauce. Toss with tongs to coat the pasta with the sauce. Cover and let sit for 3 minutes to absorb the sauce. Serve hot.

** I served the sauce separately.....topped on spaghetti with some chopped spring onions and shredded cheese.

Enjoy!

xoxoxo

Nur

Start Living instead of Existing :

 Motivation of the week. - This is your Life, Do what you love. 

The above graphic says it all.

This Is Your Life,  a British biographical television documentary, based on the 1952 American show of the same name. 

Tip for divine tasting lemonade -

Iced Lemonade or Iced Lemon Tea are both so refreshing and great as a thirst quencher. I discovered that a secret ingredient makes it taste oh so divine! 

Squeeze 5 lemons OR few squirts of ready concentrate lemon juice (sold in those cute little plastic containers that look like lemons. You can get them from most supermarkets.)

Add 1 -2 cups of sugar (it all depends on how sweet/sour you like it)

1-2 liters of water (again, it depends on how concentrated you like yours)

a splash of vanilla (yes, vanilla! this gives it that special taste.)

1-2 tea bags (I used orange flavored tea bags).

Enjoy!!

Vegetarian Sesame Pilaf -

I am in the mood to try different recipes this week. Had 4 different colors of capsicum, fresh mushrooms and beans in the fridge. I improvised on a recipe of Sesame Brown Rice Pilaf With Garlic and Vegetables to make a Vegetarian Sesame Pilaf. Recipe is Adapted and tweaked from original recipe at yummly.com.  I totally forgot to take a photo of the pilaf, so I am posting the photo from yummly.com. ...the only visual difference being that the rice was not brown. It tasted good and I will definitely make it again in the near future.

Serves 4 

1 cup onion (chopped)

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup carrot (coarsely shredded)

1 cup green/french beans (cut)

1 cup fresh white mushrooms (diced) - I used this in place of broccoli.

1 cup bell peppers (diced). I used 4 different colors and omitted the squash.

1 tbsp sesame seed (hulled sesame seed toasted in a dry skillet)

 2 cups basmati rice (long grain)

4 garlic cloves (crushed and chopped)

2 cups water + 1 cup fresh milk

mixed dry herbs

salt and pepper to taste.

	Combine the onion and oil in a large shallow saucepan (with a tight fitting lid). Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until onion is golden. Stir in the rice and cook 1 minute. Add in the garlic; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the water and milk and bring to a boil; add in the salt, pepper and herbs. stir thoroughly, cover and cook 35-40 minutes or until almost all the liquid is absorbed (do not stir). Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes in it's own heat. In a seperate pan, use a little sesame oil and saute the mushrooms and vegetables for 3 minutes. Mix the vegetables with rice well, drizzle little sesame oil if desired and sprinkle the sesame seeds. Spoon into a serving dish and serve immediately.
	Original recipe :   Sesame Brown Rice Pilaf With Garlic and Vegetables found at yummly.com Bon Appetit! Nur, xoxoxoxo

Do we share the same Secret or Disguise?

"How strange it is. We have these deep terrible lingering fears about ourselves and the people we love. Yet we walk around, talk to people, eat and drink. We manage to function. The feelings are deep and real. Shouldn’t they paralyze us? How is it we can survive them, at least for a little while? We drive a car, we teach a class. How is it no one sees how deeply afraid we were, last night, this morning? Is it something we all hide from each other, by mutual consent? Or do we share the same secret without knowing it? Wear the same disguise?" -- Don Delilo

Today I Choose.

- We Live by Choice, Not by Chance....and we're free to alter the course of our lives any time we want. A beautiful quote by an anonymous author : 

I Choose…

to live by choice, not by chance; 

to make changes, not excuses; 

to be motivated, not manipulated; 

to be useful, not used; 

to excel, not compete; 

I choose self-esteem, not self-pity. 

I choose to listen to my inner voice 

not the random opinion of others.

Happiness -

Remember, HAPPINESS is a way of Travel, not Destination.

Everyone wants to be happy and people always say they want to be happy yet they spend no time thinking about Happiness. Life is full of challenges and it's in how we confront these challenges that determine our levels of happiness.

Happiness research, a field known as "positive psychology," is exploding. Some of the newest evidence suggests that people who focus on living with a sense of purpose as they age are more likely to remain cognitively intact, have better mental health and even live longer than people who focus on achieving feelings of happiness.

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

 Abraham Lincoln

Words of Wisdom by Daisaku Ikeda

“Now I can say with confidence that happiness doesn’t exist in the past or in the future. It only exists within our state of life right now, here in the present, as we face the challenges of daily life.”

 You yourself know best whether you are feeling joy or struggling with suffering. These things are not known to other people. Even a man who has great wealth, social recognition and many awards may still be shadowed by indescribable suffering deep in his heart. On the other hand, an elderly woman who is not fortunate financially, leading a simple life alone, may feel the sun of joy and happiness rising in her heart each day.

Happiness is not a life without problems, but rather the strength to overcome the problems that come our way. There is no such thing as a problem-free life; difficulties are unavoidable. But how we experience and react to our problems depends on us. 

Interesting Reads : 

20 amazing facts about Happiness.

50 ways to be Happier
The Happiness Project

Very interesting vedio by professor Paul Bloom, Yale University.
The Good Life : Happiness

Bubble Tea.

I received this information via forwarded email which explains the ugly facts of the Bubble Tea. I do not know how far it is true, but I do not want to take any chances where my kids are concerned. Most teenagers love this!

Bubble tea brings sweet excitement to our taste buds but it is also very harmful to health. Milk essence is the main ingredient in bubble tea. The main ingredient of milk essence is hydrogenated vegetable oil (trans-fat). Experts says that a glass of 500ml of bubble tea a day far exceed the dosage limit of trans-fat for human. It will lead to heart and blood vessel diseases.

Milk essence gives the bubble tea the fragrance and make it very tasty. The fragrance and tastiness derived from a type of chemical. This chemical has trace of arsenic, lead, copper and many harmful minerals. Frequent consumption in long term will lead to heart and blood vessel disease, cancer, asthma and other health complications.

Consuming the black bubbles is equivalent to consuming plastic. Normally these bubbles were made from cassava (tapioca) powder. This alone does not give the rubbery texture. To make it more rubbery, millet protein is added. To improve the mouth feel further, artificial plastic powder is added. This type of artificial plastic material will never be digested and absorbed into the body. It will remain in the body and cause havoc to our health. You can imagine what will happen to your health after prolonged consumption of trans-fat and plastic.

True or False?

Pete Olsen: The Twitter & Social Media Guru - Learn How to Build your Brand on Twitter and Social Media!

Pete Olsen: The Twitter & Social Media Guru - Learn How to Build your Brand on Twitter and Social Media!:

'via Blog this'

Happiness is a Choice.

People complain about being unhappy all the time. Who is responsible for your unhappiness? No one. Your choices determine your happiness: Happiness comes to those who choose to look for and find a happy outlook. There is always an opening to a brighter world: Find it and break through. Choose to be Happy. 

Do you see similarities or differences?

If you enjoy the similarities you see in life - you will be happy.


If you enjoy the difference you see in life...and appreciate the uniqueness of yourself and others - you find happiness.


If you see yourself or others as inadequate or not fitting in - you feel unhappy.


How you view life is your choice. Why not make a happy choice?

Guacamole Recipe.

Great with tortilla chips or as a topping for Mexican foods!

Here is the Guacamole Recipe I promised. Again, so many variations to the recipe....but I prefer a quick and simple one which is tasty too!

Ingredients

• 2 avocados
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 ripe tomato, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Peel and mash avocados in a medium serving bowl. Stir in onion, garlic, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper. Season with remaining lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Chill for half an hour to blend flavors.

Enjoy!

xoxoxoxo

Nachos Recipe.

An appealing Mexican appetizer.

I have been craving for Nachos the past 3 days but not really in the mood to go out and order one. I would love to indulge in a plateful of freshly made nachos at home, so I went on a hunt for recipes over the web. I discovered so many different twists to it but basically the same base ingredients are used. Found a simple one which appealed to me very much, from recipetips.com, but I shall tweak it a little to suit my taste.

So!...my project for today, if nothing comes up, will be to go shopping for these items. I think I will add in chunks of Avocado too if it is on the sweet side. (Had an Avocado and shrimp Salad once at Applebees in NY, and it was very delicious because the Acovado was sweet and milky to the taste...unlike the bland taste. Something to try very soon too!).

Nachos - Not just an appetizer...a perfect snack too!

Ingredients

• 6 cups nacho chips, multicolored or chips of choice
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded - more if desired - You can also use a ready made non dairy cheese sauce, sold in some supermarkets.
• 1/2 cup fresh tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup jalapeno peppers, sliced - more if desired - Basically, these are like our pickled Malaysian green chillies.
• 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
• Some bite size avocado chunks
• 1/4 cup prepared guacamole - You can get this ready made or make your own. I will include a recipe for it in the next post. 
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

• Shred the cheese or use packaged shredded cheese.
• Chop the tomatoes, green pepper, and red onion into small bits that can be easily used to top each chip.
• Cut the Jalapeno peppers/pickled green chillies and black olives into thin round slices.
• Using a microwave-safe plate, evenly space the nacho chips around the plate.
• Sprinkle the cheese over each chip, fully covering the chips with a layer of cheese.
• Microwave the chips and toppings until the cheese is lightly melted.
• Top the chips with bits of tomatoes, green pepper, red onion, black olives, and jalapeno pepper slices.
• Garnish the hot nacho chips with guacamole and sour cream for dipping.
• Add some bite size avocado bits to it if desired.
• Serve immediately.

Anyone up for a Nachos treat?...Try this recipe and Enjoy!

xoxoxoxo

Nur Diyanah.

HUG THERAPY.

Hugs are an important expression of affection. By hugging someone, you remind them that you care about them and support them. A quality cuddle lowers blood pressure and increases levels of feel-good chemicals in your brain, shows research from the university of North Carolina.

Hugging is healthy. It helps the body's immune system, it keeps you healthier, it cures depression, it reduces stress, it induces sleep, it's invigorating, it's rejuvenating, it has no unpleasant side effects, and hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug. Hugging is all natural. It is organic, naturally sweet, no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients and 100 percent wholesome. Hugging is practically perfect. There are no movable parts, no batteries to wear out, no periodic check-ups, low energy consumption, high energy yield, inflation proof, nonfattening, no monthly payments, no insurance requirements, theft-proof, nontaxable, nonpolluting and, of course, fully returnable. 

Hugging is good medicine. It transfers energy, and gives the person hugged an emotional boost. You need four hugs a day for survival, eight for maintenance, and twelve for growth. A hug makes you feel good. The skin is the largest organ we have and it needs a great deal of care. A hug can cover a lot of skin and gives the message that you care. It is also a form of communication. It can say things you don't have words for. The nicest thing about a hug is that you usually can't give one without getting one. Hugs are not only nice they are needed... Hugs can relieve pain and depression.. make the healthier happier, and the most secure even more so.. Hugging feels good and overcomes fear... It provides stretching exercise to short people and stooping exercise to tall people... Hugging does not upset the environment.. It saves heat and energy... requires no special equipment.. Hugging makes happy days happier and impossible days possible.

Don’t turn away from the elderly, disabled, terminally ill or long term care residents because their needs seem beyond your ability to give. The one thing they need the most is the most simple, yet profound gift you have to give. Your kind hand holding theirs and a hug from your heart. The gift of touch is the most powerful healing you can offer another, and it is the most powerful healing you can give yourself. Give generously and watch yourself grow rich in what matters the most. Hug often, hug well. In a world that has grown more complicated, more fierce in the demands made upon our hearts and pocket books, there is one easy, free gift left. The power of touch.


Reprinted from an article by Kathleen Keating entitled “Hug Therapy”:

Hugging is not only a nice way to start the day, but it's also necessary for our positive physical and emotional well-being, according to recent research.Various experiments have shown that hugging can make people feel better about themselves, positively affect children's language skills and IQ, and help improve the mental outlook of the person who is being hugged, as well as the hugger. According to author, nurse and hug expert Kathleen Keating in The Hug Therapy Book, hugging is a very special form of touch therapy that significantly contributes to the way a person heals, and his/her overall health.

Another true-life example is given by David Bresler, Ph.D, former director of UCLA's Pain Control Clinic, who instructed a female patient suffering from reoccurring pain to receive four hugs a day administered by her husband. Once her hugging therapy began, the patient's pain subsided. Touch therapy expert Helen Colton says that touch is a basic healing need sometimes even more vital than medication. Colton's observations indicate that when a person's need for hugging is satisfied, he becomes physically and emotionally stronger and better able to handle problems or traumas.

According to Dolores Krieger, R.N., Ph.D., professor of nursing at New York University and expert in the field of touch therapy, when one person hugs or touches another, it actually invigorates the body by stimulating the level of hemoglobin which carries oxygen to tissues. When these tissues receive oxygen, they have a new energy that continues to rejuvenate the body.

Other research in the hugging field has shown that hugging helps lessen the chances of senility in people age 70+, increases liveliness, curiosity, problem-solving abilities and overall physical well-being, and substantially improves a newborn's developmental progress.

For more information on how you can bring warmth into a loved one's heart by hugging, read :

1. The Hug Therapy Book by Kathleen Keating, 

2. The Gift of Touch by Helen Colton

3. Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin by Ashley Montague

Mandarin Orange Salad.

It tastes as good as it looks. 

This Salad is festive enough for entertaining yet simple enough for casual family dining.

Ingredients

• 6 cups lettuce (any kind) - torn
• 1 cucumber, small - peeled, seeded, sliced thin (1 1/3 cups)
• 1 avocado - peeled and sliced (optional)
• 11 ounces can of mandarin oranges - drained
• 2 thin slices red onions - cut in half and separated
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup salad oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons vinegar (optional - use if you want a zesty taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

• Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss.
• In a separate container (a jar with lid or a salad dressing shaker work well), combine all the remaining ingredients (except the feta cheese) and whisk or shake until all of the ingredients are well blended and the oil is well distributed.
• When you are ready to serve the salad, toss the salad ingredients and add the dressing. (You may prepare the dressing ahead of time and refrigerate).
• Garnish the salad with feta cheese.

Enjoy!

Be Transparent.

I wish more people would be transparent and open without hidden agendas....life would be better, relationships and friendships improved and the world a better place.

judge not

Labled n condemned forever for one mistake in life? Don't worry, only God can judge you. Woe to the ones Who judge others secretly or openly...their day will come.  

Love

Do not look any further than your own Heart for the answers. 

You do not have to become anything more to be lovable. 

You only have to accept that you deserve love and it will find you.

Love doesn't make the world go around; Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale.

Virgil Love Quote: "Love Conquers All"

Ever has it been that love knows not it's own depth until the hour of separation.

Tweet #SweetSharings

Questions for 2012

Tweet #SweetSharings

♥ Happy 2012 Everyone! ♥

Questions for 2012

What shall I now release from my life?

What or who no longer works for me?

What am I holding on to that holds me back?

What thoughts or beliefs belong to the old me?

How am I being unloving to myself?

What do I believe that really works for me?

Am I ready to let go?

What is going on in my life that is terrific and wonderful?

Where am I being very loving to myself?

Where am I most content?

What do I want to bring to my life?

How do I want this year to be?

Who do I want to bring into my world?

How do I want to look?

What image do I want to project?

How healthy do I want to be?

How prosperous do I want to feel?

What kind of world do I want to live in?

Where do I want my spirituality to go?

How much love am I willing to experience?

~ Louise L. Hay