Lemons are neat since they have so many versatile uses, from making natural household cleaners to cooking. And the smell of citrus blossoms are also very inviting.
Beautiful view of the blue ocean mixed with some yellow lemons and green grass. Lovely photo from Amalfi Coast.
There is one place in the world that loves it’s lemon, and it is located in the beautiful Amalfi Coast of Italy. I first saw scenes of this place from Rick Steve’s Travels on PBS. The views are amazing and the place is very colorful. A great mix of the blue ocean and yellow lemons.
There are actually many varieties of lemons grown in this part of Italy, especially in Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. The big and bumpy ones are actually citron and are popular in making jams or desserts. The ones grown in Sorrento are smaller but very aromatic. These two types of lemon are made into granita (or Italian shaved ice mixed with lemonade). The classic summer drink of fresh squeezed lemon juice is a favorite. As well as gelato (it’s like sorbet or “sorbetto alla limone”).
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I first heard about Dr. Weiss from the Oprah show a while back. Dr. Weiss brought up issues on reincarnation, past lives, as well as using hypnosis to help deal with phobias (fear). He is the author of many books, the two most popular is Many Lives, Many Masters and Same Soul, Many Bodies.
Dr. Weiss is a graduate of Columbia University and Yale Medical School, he is also the Chairman Emeritus of Psychiatry at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami. Dr. Weiss also maintains a private practice in Miami.
In Western cultures we rarely hear about reincarnation as many people don’t believe this is true. But in Eastern religion and cultures, reincarnation is widely accepted.
Dr. Weiss was never a believer either until he came across patients who came to him for help. Under a hypnotic regression, the patient can describe their past lives very clearly. In hypnosis it’s not like your body is being taken over, it’s more like yourself in a relaxed state. And all your memories are still there but it just needs to be activated.
After Dr. Weiss became a true believer, he had a difficult time introducing this idea to the traditional teachings of medicine and psychiatry. He once said in an interview that when he returns to make a lecture at Yale University, he talks about this subject in a theology (religious) studies and not in the medical school.
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I came upon this neat project, ““. It is a free art project where each month artists are invited to participate and to contribute a print.
The artwork is free and available for download. Of course just don’t try making money out of them! They are copyrighted material that belong to each individual artists.
Some of my favorites are posted here. This art by Marjorie Ann Velez is for the fruit lover, like myself. I think it would be neat to print on cardstock.
Maybe make hand made cards with them or use as wall artwork for your home and office. It’s also a great way to help artists promote their work.
This one for the garden lover. Nothing like fresh veggies and flowers, art by Jen Oaks.
Each week (usually on Monday) 2 + prints are added to the available downloads.
I was lucky enough to catch The Betrayal on PBS recently. I first heard about it from Nye Noona and wanted to join the conversation with my own review of the film here.
This story is remarkable and sheds light into one refugee family escaping from war to find a better life. But the story also reflects many similarities that face other refugee (especially from Laos) and immigrants who find their way into the U.S. The film also reflects on the consequences of war as well as the resilience of a family and their tale of survival.
It was interesting to see this documentary filmed in over the course of 23 years. As for the title, The Betrayal (Nerakhoon in Lao) - the father feels betray by the U.S. government. In turn, the family feels betray by the father’s absence. And the mother also feels betray not only by her husband but also by a false hope of life in a new land.
The lessons soon turned into long conversations about Lao culture and philosophy, the country’s recent tragic history and the story of Thavi’s own tortured trip from Laos to Brooklyn — from being a 12-year-old hero-worshipping son of a Royal Lao officer to a beleaguered son and brother trying to keep his fatherless family together on America’s gang-ridden streets. It’s a story rich in ancient Lao lore and sensibility, seen through the fractured glass of geo-political violence and scrambled again by the realities of America’s poor inner city. -P.O.V.
Read more of the film description here.
My most surprising moment while watching this film was the return of the missing soldier father only to be leaving them again, for the second time. In his 13 years absence, he had another family and they now live in Florida. His father didn’t bother to call or check up on his previous family again. A family where 8 of the 10 children are now living in the U.S. It was until years later that one of his son was killed by gang members did he decide to call Thavi. And from Thavi’s interview from P.O.V., the film from his half brother’s funeral was the most difficult part to edit.
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Dave Leiker is the owner of Kansas Photos. He has a nice collection of photos from landscapes to critters. I have to admit I never thought about Kansas very much. But after looking over the photos of Dave’s collection, I’ve come to see that this place is full of beauty and charm.
Here are some of my favorite from Kansas Photos. The overgrown meadow with the abandoned shed seems sad, but is full of history.  And the endless field of crop sunflowers is always a welcoming sight. To order prints, please contact Dave Lieker here.
I also like the description too. A little humor goes a long way, especially of “Grandpa Grasshopper”. For more detail images, please visit Kansas Photos.
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Nye Noona reminded me of the beauty secret that Asian women have been using for some time now. Using egg whites as a facial mask help to whiten faces and retain glowing skin. It turns out that women all over the world are doing the same thing too.
Even a Swedish soap company knows about the secret. Victoria Scandinavia soap company makes facial soap using egg white. Below is a photo of “Egg White Soap” labeled as Lanolin Agg Tval Eggwhite Facial Soap. Their specialty is the addition of lanolin and rose to soothe the skin even more.
As for the egg white facial mask, it’s very simple. Separate egg whites from their yolks by cracking cold eggs and shifting the yolk back and forth in the shell halves a few times. Save the yellow yolk for cooking.
Then apply to face until it dries. Then rinse off with warm water. As with any facial, it is suggested that you don’t want to apply egg white to your face more than once a week.
Some people even suggest using they egg yolk to help remove the egg whites off your face too. The egg yolks help loosen it up and makes rinsing much easier.
I did try the egg white tonight. It was more foamy after I stirred it. So I ended up applying some on my face before I took a shower. I even had some left over egg white and decided to add to my hair then rinse off with shampoo. But next time I will leave it on longer, so it’s more of a mask rather then a face wash. I’m glad everything washed out very nicely and was not sticky at all.
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My beauty product review today is from Wei East. It is the China Lotus Face Mask made with extracts of Chinese Lotus seed, Lily bulb, Chinese Scarlet Berry, Persimmon, fresh Aloe Vera and other ingredients.
Photo from HSN.com.
This face mask is more like a very moisturizing face cream. It goes on well and is not tacky at all. The direction say to apply to face and then remove with cotton ball after 5-10 minutes. Or you can just leave it on for extra hydration. Since I put it on a very small amount, I didn’t have to remove it.
The pros with this face mask is that it really does work. It leaves my skin much more healthy looking the next morning.  I tend to use it two times a week just to “waken” up my face. I noticed that it leaves my skin less dry and a bit brighter too.
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This is the other cute vintage card I found. Sometimes I think the idea of sending cards and letters will soon be obsolete. As people these days have so many other ways to communicate. There is cell phone, emails, and text messaging.
So in many ways, getting a simple hand written note in the mail can be really special!
Looks like a good day at the floral shop. I like the little girl in the red dress. And the smiling little gray poodle too. And there is even a gentleman giving the lucky lady some flowers.
Card possibly circa 1960s or 70s. Copyright by Famous Artist Studios, U.S.A. Images scan from Canoscan LiDE 100.
I found some cute vintage cards at the local charity shop. They were sold for 25 cents each.
When I was younger I used to enjoy drawing flowers and animals. And these days, reading children’s book just for the illustrations is a good way to relax. Just brings you back to being a kid again.
I like how this cartoon is very colorful and somewhat simple too. You really don’t see cartoons like this anymore. Everything looks much more modern now.
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My plant or flower of the day is the Balloon Flower and also called Chinese Bell Flowers. The Latin name is Platycodon grandiflorus.
I think it’s an interesting looking little flower, especially when it looks most like a balloon. As the buds mature, they inflate into the shape of balloons. Then after that they open to reveal a colorful blue or purple star or bell shaped flowers.
Photo from Plantcare.com. Notice some of the balloons? I love them!
The name Chinese Bellflower is popular, as there is another pretty flower with the same name. But both are equally beautiful in their own way.
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