- Uma finally “forgave” me for torturing her with a bath.
- A very energetic walk and running for a couple stretches —done to try to catch a photo of the sunset, more than for exercise, but it still adds up for my boot camp :D
I walked briskly to the very top of the pyramid. I had to make a couple stops to catch my breath! And, for the very first time, I finally went inside the church on top —I cannot normally go up to the atrium because dogs are not allowed. Today Uma stayed home because she got scared of the firecrackers; good thing I had already walked her in the morning, but it’s the day that I can’t accomplish walking her twice a day! Anyway, the church is very nice inside, and I shall return at an earlier hour to get some photos. - My dad prepared some hot chocolate with the tablets I bought a few days ago. He even brought it up to my room while I’m here with my Mac. That was very sweet of him; I felt very pampered :)
Saturday, January 30, 2010
2010.01.30
Shrimp and mushroom risotto with squid ink
SHRIMP AND MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH SQUID INK
Makes about 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1 handful medium-size headless shrimp
- olive oil
- 1 pinch oregano
- 1 pinch dried hot red pepper flakes
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup dry white wine
- fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- salt
- 1 tiny pack of squid ink or the ink of one squid (you can add the squid to this dish if you choose the latter option)
In a thick skillet, heat some olive oil and add a little of garlic and the shrimp. Add salt sparsely. Cook for one or two minutes till the shrimp turn pink. Do not overcook; it’s OK if it’s undercooked (it will finish cooking with the risotto). Remove and let cool a bit. Peel the shrimp and set aside the meat. Put the skin, feet, and tails in 3 cups water and bring to a boil to make the broth. Add salt to taste. Strain.
In the same skillet, on high heat, add some more olive oil and a little garlic for a few seconds; then add the mushrooms and salt to taste. Cook for a couple minutes and set aside.
In the same skillet, on medium heat, add some more olive oil and the onion; cook until translucent, stirring, about 1-2 min. Add the garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, and stir until the garlic is pale golden, about 45 seconds. Stir in rice; stirring constantly, cook until it’s translucent, 4-5 min. Add wine and cook until it’s absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in the squid ink. Keeping a strong simmer, stir in 1 cup of the broth, stirring until it’s absorbed. Keep adding 1/2 cup of it at a time, letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is tender but still al dente and creamy-looking, 18-20 min. (If your run out of broth, add boiling water. Or there could instead be the situation of broth left over.)
Stir in the shrimp and mushroom and cook for another minute or two.
Presentation
Serve immediately with a dash of parsley on top.
Cook’s comments
Maybe the mushrooms have nothing to do with this dish, but it’s to feed our inner hobbit ;)
Other kind of fish or clam stock can be used, too.
Enjoy!
Entry #23: A little running
Today I ran couple of stretches in my daily walk.
Happy belated birthday, Julie!
Just a little late :S I hope you had a wonderful day yesterday.
Cheers to you!
Sunset #34
A splendid sunset on the mangrove of Puerto Morelos after having a delightful walk on the beach with Uma and Gala. November 11, 2006 —a lovely 40th birthday :)
Haiku #25: For you, my dear Gala
Beautiful Gala
contemplating horizons
my loving doggie
Remembering you
January twenty-ninth
and the rest of days
My dearest Gala
from the deepest of my heart
I’ll love you always
Friday, January 29, 2010
2010.01.29
- Remembering my beloved Gala. Here she is playing in the sand she loved :) Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the day she died. I woke up to my morning pages and wrote the full length of them about her. I remembered her with a smile. I spoke on the phone with my brother, and we both talked about nice memories of her.
- A nice meal and a movie at my aunt’s. Just as I was about to leave, and we were talking about the movie, I barely mentioned Gala’s anniversary, and, suddenly, I don’t know what happened, but I broke down in tears. My aunt gave me a long, warm, and very loving hug, very heartfelt. I kept on crying to myself for a good 20 minutes on the bus ride home; the 30 minute walk from the stop helped me dissipate my head. The night was clear and the moon was glorious.
- The full Moon with Mars very close.
Entry #22: Binge eating from distress
Completely busted boot camp today; I succumbed to binge eating :(
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Entry #21: Dancing and pampering
I need to focus on dancing and pampering this weekend.
2010.01.27
- An idea I had a while ago (carrying a dog on a bike) executed to reality by someone who crossed my path today. The dog could’ve been a bit comfier, but he didn’t seem to complain.
- Cajeta Flan mmmmm…
- Hammock time in my garden
Cajeta Flan
Cajeta (caramelized goat milk) gives flan the ultimate flavor. I had a cajeta flan at a restaurant in Mexico City. I have looked for the recipe online extensively, but all the recipes include the cajeta within the flan. So my “big” invention is really to substitute the caramel for the cajeta. This is really a regular flan recipe.
After I’ve had this flan, I have never gone back to the regular caramel flan.
FLAN DE CAJETA
Makes about 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 can of condensed milk
- same amount of regular milk
- 3 eggs
- dash of vanilla extract
- cajeta (caramelized goat milk)
Preparation
In a flan mold (I used a glass baking mold for a loaf of bread), pour the cajeta to cover the bottom, about 5-6mm (1/4”). Since the cajeta is very thick, let it sit a few minutes so it spreads itself evenly.
Pour the can of condensed milk in a bowl. Fill the emptied can with regular milk and pour into the bowl. Add the eggs and the vanilla and whisk everything together thoroughly. Carefully, pour the batter on top of the cajeta taking care so that the two don’t mix.
Place the flan mold into a larger mold filled with hot water halfway. Put in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours at setting 3 in a gas oven (about 170ºC / 325ºF). Since ovens vary greatly, check on the flan after an hour. It’s OK if the top burns a little, but not a lot.
Presentation
Take the flan mold out of the water mold and let cool for a couple of hours on the kitchen counter. Refrigerate overnight. Use a knife to loosen the edges from the mold and turn onto a platter. The cajeta should cover the flan nicely.
Cook’s comments
If you’re using a metal mold for the flan, reduce the oven time about 15 minutes. Check the flan after one hour of baking.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
2010.01.26
- Kites and their twirly tails.
- Finishing my cool grocery bag
- Working on a project with one my favorite kind of graphic design: menus and stationery.
Cool grocery bag done!
Today I even pulled a muscle in my lower back when I was exerting force on the press to apply the studs :(
The finishings of the unions (red bias strips) turned out quite ugly :( They took so much work, and yet the results are disappointing — not that I was aiming for Louis-Vuitton finishings, but still.
Hopefully the leather straps and studs —which came out nicely— will attract onlookers attention, instead of the awful red strips. It also came out a bit larger than I wanted (compare to the chair’s size), but it’s OK; it looks cool ;)
Voilà my grocery bag cooler than yours:
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Entry #20: Not during boot camp
I think I pulled a muscle in my lower back :(
Day 58: +2 = 37 countries
36. Finland
37. Italy
Monday, January 25, 2010
2010.01.25
- A handsome view of the Church of the Virgin of the Remedies seen from mid-way up the pyramid. Very nice weather in the last week. No clouds at all, very stable. Gorgeous sunsets.
- A very-long talk over the phone with my aunt A in Mexico City. She’s more like a big sister to me, as she’s barely six years older. We caught up on everything and talked about a full range of topics, from the upcoming Winter Olympics to having her accompany me to the Frida Kahlo museum/house next time i come visit. She also added going to Leon Trotsky’s house in our tour.
- Retaking the book “The Artist’s Way” is helping me to refocus. I hope that this time around I do finish it. I’m awed by so many serendipitous coincidences that are happening. Maybe it’s because I am taking action, and I am making things happen.
2010.01.24
- Lovely Sunday with many people flying their kites on top of the pyramid. There’s good wind up there and a large flat area to fly them. Plus a wonderful sunset and my two “extra” dogs behaving decently.
- I added going up the pyramid for an extra effort on my daily walk. It is not that bad —maybe about a 30º angle in a a pedestrian walkway—, but I still got to the first level barely catching my breath.
- A double feature: watching “Antz” and “Beauty and the Beast” on VHS. My neighbor is getting rid of a bunch of videos, so she’s letting me watch them before. As opposed to DVDs, with VHS you’re stuck with whatever language they come in, and they were both dubbed to Spanish. Of course, it’s hard to imagine the main character of Antz without Woody Allen’s voice, but the Spanish version does pretty well. As for Beauty and the Beast, well in my opinion, Disney is the only company that pays extreme care to their translations and dubbed versions, including songs, so it’s always a joy to watch no matter what version.
Entry #19: Up the pyramid
I added going up the pyramid on my daily walk.
Entry #18: Third week progress, one to go
One more week to improve my success percentage. Go Luna!
Week #2: Stretch daily
Weight: 182
Pounds: -2 (half a pound might be credited to having cut more than half my thick mane)
How to celebrate 43 years of life
How I did it:
Lessons & tips: live creatively, love passionately, laugh uncontrollably, learn constantly
Resources: Wonderful people
It took me 43 years.
It made me grateful
Sunday, January 24, 2010
43 down and 43 to go...
Forty-three years of life cannot be summed up in a paragraph or two —although it could seem that just a paragraph ago I was graduating from high school! Even though at the moment I’m struggling with many issues —probably the dreaded mid-life crisis—, I can say that I’ve had a good life so far, and I have much to be grateful for. I’m especially thankful of the people and pets that have touched my life in deeper ways than they can imagine, and I’m also thankful for the time we have been/were allowed to have together. That’s all I can say, but everyone who knows me well knows that my feelings go beyond words.
A sample moment of my life came the day after this past 43rd birthday. I was taking a class with one of my best friends as our instructor. What would my astonishment be that when the rest of the classmates arrived, the surprise cake and coffee and hot cocoa appeared on the table, and they all sang “Happy Birthday”. I had no idea, and not only was it a surprise, but completely unexpected. That could sound that it’s obvious that a surprise party is unexpected, but there is a difference, and I can’t explain it. It might have been a tiny get-together, but my friendships are that: a lifetime of tiny details that make the difference.
I wanted to have some photos to illustrate this entry, but my friend still has them on her mobile, and hasn’t been able to download them. More than two months have passed, so I’m just going to move on… to live my next 43 years with hopes of tiny details and great people and pets ;)
Week #1: Drink at least 2 liters of water every day
Starting weight: 184 :(
Weight goal: 141
One good habit per week, one pound per week
This past year has been disastrous regarding my weight. Not only have I not lost or maintained my already unhealthy weight but I have gained an extra 9 kilos (about 20 lbs). And now I’m at my heaviest ever!! Of course I have neglected to watch what I eat, and I have become very sedentary. I have observed, though, that this weight fluctuation has been around my parents. I have caught myself eating to their order —at my age!: “Come on, have dessert”, “Only two tacos? But I brought you 4.” And then I have observed their eating habits, and no wonder why I find myself how I am right now. I can’t blame them now for the choices that ultimately I am making, but it helps to understand my own background to divert from it consciously.
I took on a goal to lose 43 pounds a couple years ago. I lost about 15 pounds, but then gained them back and some more. Obviously, I gave up on the goal when I was going in the wrong direction. I’m retaking it with a time frame in mind: one pound a week, slowly. Certainly, my final goal is to lose weight, but more than that is to gain health and to gain healthier habits.
In my lifetime, I have read several books about diets and about eating habits. I will do an experiment of doing one thing a week towards attaining the goal. Some of those things will be just for the week being called for, some only for a few weeks, and some are to be incorporated for the rest of my days. I already made my list of 43 things to do in 43 weeks which will certainly have to benefit my body, mind, and spirit in some way. Even if I don’t lose the whole 43 pounds, I’m sure that in 43 weeks I’ll be in a better condition than if I don’t. I already started this past week with this, but I just made room for this goal in my Life List.
Friday, January 22, 2010
How to learn bookbinding
"Fun and interesting craft"
How I did it: I learned a little bit while in uni, but the real bookbinding I learned in a book with plenty of illustrations and detailed step-by-step instructions.
Lessons & tips: Before beginning, have on hand all the materials called for. Tip from past experience: My first time around I didn't have a brush, so I applied the glue with my finger. This time around I had a brush to apply the wheat paste, and it has made all the difference. The finish looks so much more professional.
Resources: I bought the book Bookworks by Sue Doggett and found it very helpful, clear, and easy to follow.
It took me 1 day.
It made me crafty
Journals
While in uni, I learned basic bookbinding (gluing the spine of loose sheets and with a paperback finish). A few years ago, I bought a book on bookbinding and learned to sew sections of the book and put them together. I only did two and kept all the material all these years. Now, I took them out of their storage boxes and consulted my book for instructions. I now have four lovely journals with hardcovers wrapped in handmade paper. I still have a few more to go, and I might give out those as gifts. I would also like to do some scrapbooks with this technique.
2010.01.22
- Enjoying a nice sunset while one of my “companion” dogs went crazy over a pitbull terrier (or something like that) that we crossed upon. Those two dogs will sleep like angels tonight after so much playing and chasing. It was a blast to watch, but Uma was ready to come home because she doesn’t like to play that rowdy.
- A new freelance job prospect.
- A delightful lunch with my aunt. I visit her every Friday, and we have become much closer this time around.
Haiku #24
Coincidences
As I’m making things happen
Serendipity
Dreading Walmart
Since living in a town where everything you need is just within a few blocks distance and the interaction with the people makes for a joyful shopping experience, I find myself dreading my weekly trip to Walmart with my dad. He likes the “convenience” of having everything in one single place, and he prefers to make a 15-km weekly trip to get his $16.30 2-liter diet cokes, instead of buying them from the corner store at $16. He thinks it’s too much of a bother to walk there even if they’re 30 cents cheaper, and he doesn’t mind being ripped off by a huge conglomerate.
There are a few things that you might not find here in town, but that would only justify a monthly trip to get those few things and not your whole groceries every week. At least I have convinced him to buy the produce from the local market. I’m the one who goes, and he doesn’t eat any veggies anyway.
An incident at Walmart a couple days ago, now makes me not only dread the store but its customers as well!! I went into an argument with two people who cut in line, and the cashiers did nothing about it. While I was making my point, even more people cut in line, and everyone thought it was like the most normal thing. I left the store without buying. I could’ve gone to the manager, but I was having a day, and maybe I was getting my lesson for buying there! I know I’ll be returning there, but I’ll be dreading every second of it.
Checking in: Week 2 - Recovering a Sense of Identity
This check-in is a transcription of the one I did last year.
Morning Pages
I haven’t failed to my daily appointment with my pages. As to my experience with them, I thought I’d be writing about my [S…] experience and be over with it by now, but it turned out I still needed to explore other experiences and let out more, so I’ll hang on to that till I vent it all out.
Artist Date
I had a few artist dates this week. I knitted two or three times. I also managed to take a nap on my hammock, although I never went into sleeping, not even lightly, but I’m thinking of doing it again today. My other artist date really put me off. It was dancing. I even did a playlist of super hip, cheerful songs to get you moving. But not only does my Mac not have speakers that can really crank the volume up, but I actually found myself I could not “move”. I mean, I tried, but I felt so disconnected from my physical self, and that is a huge red flag I’ll be working on, to dance as I love it so much, and I’ll have to work on that if I also want to love.
Other Issues
This week, I’m trying to keep up again, but I’m behind my timetable. I know that I’m slower than other people and that I’m not keeping up with tasks, but “easy does it”.
- “Going sane feels just like going crazy.”
- “We must learn to place our artist with safe companions. Toxic playmates can capsize our artist’s growth.”
- “You will be led to new sources of support as you begin to support yourself.”
- “The essential element in nurturing our creativity lies in nurturing ourselves.”
- “It is actually easier to write than not to write, paint than not paint…”
- “Crazymakers are often charismatic, frequently charming, highly inventive, and powerfully persuasive. And [...] enormously destructive.”
- “[We’re involved with crazymakers because] we’re that crazy ourselves and we are that self-destructive.”
- “Your crazymaker is a block you chose yourself, to deter you from your own trajectory.”
- ”... our reluctance to take seriously the possibility that the universe just might be cooperating with our new and expanded plans.”
- “Synchronicity supporting my artist with serendipitous coincidences…”
- “Creative recovery is an exercise in open-mindedness.”
- “The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight.”
- “Attention is an act of connection.”
Entry #17: Smoothie
Manila mango, banana, yoghurt, and milk makes for smoothie heaven…
Thursday, January 21, 2010
And to close this goal with a golden brooch
I’m thinking now of getting some highlights done, but that’ll be part of another goal… in the future…
...and the Universe makes it happen
From my previous post, after I thanked the man and the woman for their kindness, I continued my stroll on the sidewalk, when a blaring radio, exactly as I was passing by, had a ad that said ”...Get ready for La Candelaria on February 2nd. We dress your Baby Jesus for the occasion…”. Of course! That’s why the woman was repairing her Baby Jesus back there.
So I’m smiling about the serendipitous occurrence, and, as I get to the corner, the woman catches up with me and smiles to me. I turn to her and ask her if she’s repairing her Baby Jesus for the Candelaria. She tells me she is. She adds that the craftsman had recommended to get a new one, but she rather have that one repaired instead, and that it will be ready by next Tuesday. I then ask her if she lives in a nearby neighborhood, and she tells me she is from San Francisco Acatepec —about 5 or 6 km south. “Have you been there?”, she asks. “Yes, a couple of times, and it’s a magnificent church you have there”. She smiles proudly at me and says goodbye.
I am still smiling as I write this.
Making it happen
Getting out usually proves to be most beneficial all around. Today, as I was photographing around town, I came across a sign that said “Se reparan Niño Dios” (We repair Baby Jesus). As I got out my camera to take the photo, a woman —carrying what I thought was a baby— asked me if the place was closed. “Sorry, I don’t know,” I replied. “I’m just walking about taking photos”.
So she rings the bell, and the door gets answered while I’m still busy adjusting my camera settings. As I step back to take the photo, I turned towards the open door to get a glimpse of the workshop inside. I didn’t expect it. The woman was unwrapping her Baby Jesus to have it assessed by the craftsman. He briefly looked at me, we made eye contact, and so I took a step inside to peak in.
It was evident that the sculpture to be repaired was high quality, and the head and neck, unfortunately, were severely broken in pieces. I really didn’t hear what they were saying as I was standing just inside the door looking around at the art pieces on the walls. I even spotted a couple of copies of Degas’ paintings —they were obviously copies meant to be copies and not falsifications. There was also a colorful good painting of a bullfight, which caught my interest as I have a project of making a series of bullfight paintings. There was too much going on in the workshop. Only now I take notice of the bicycle, leaning on the table, with a wooden crate carrying another Baby Jesus.
I’m normally a bit shy about asking people if I can take a photo, even if they’re not in it. This is something I really need to work on because, honestly, the worse thing they can say is “no”, and I’ll end up exactly as I started, so I really have a chance of winning if they say “yes”. So I got the courage to ask if I could take a photo of the broken Baby Jesus. The man answered “Sure!” as the woman stepped aside to let me get closer —geez, I’m getting tense as I write this!! Why?? Anyway, with my nerves a little less tense then, I asked if I could get a photo of the workshop, and he again agreed. I was so unbelievably nervous that I just snapped 3 photos very rapidly on automatic without care about composition or anything, just to get a snapshot instead of making the photograph.
I have to work on this and approach more people to get more practice. I think my failure here was that I didn’t expect such a positive response. But, at least, I made it happen. From now on, every time I approach someone, I need to be ready if they say yes… and then be diligent but take my time to make the photo.
My hair feels lighter and healthier
A year ago, I cut my own hair on an impulse. I was living in the Caribbean, and my heavy mane needed to go. I have wanted to get a decent cut for a while, and today, while walking the streets, I spotted this salon and came in to ask about the price to come later in the afternoon. It was very cheap, there was no one else, and they let me enter with my dog :)
So, again, on a whim, I had my hair cut right there and then. This time, of course, a lot better. I’m happy with the result because even though I wanted a good 7-10 cms off, she also layered it so that it feels lighter and healthier instead of my usual heavy chunk of hair. When I looked down, half my hair was on the floor, and yet I still have hair on my hair to style.
The idiosyncrasies of Cholula
Despite my rants and being ready to move out, I really like living here in Cholula. It is a fascinating place with the charm of a small town. And I just love the way of life here.
Today, I stopped at this corner to photograph a convenience store with an English name: “Baldo’s Store” —which seemed so out of place. It already made for a colorful shot… just when a bright-yellow VW bug pulled right in frame!
I cross the street as the traffic light changed, and a man with his horse comes to a stop for the traffic light, and a young boy pointing to it to his mom. Immediately after, the horse is passed by two bicycles. Everyone going around doing their thing in their own unique way of transportation, and everyone’s happy :)
2010.01.21
- A very colorful walk. Mexico is a pretty colorful country, but today it was everywhere. I guess color is in the eyes of the beholder ;)
- My dad brought my favorite tacos from Mexico City. Sooo good, yummy!
- Getting up, getting out, and making things happen.
Entry #16: Walking
Walking is being a big success, and it feels great!
S
A fabulous cactus “S” to get started on this project:
Happy sparkly birthday, SweetMK!
I hope you’re enjoying it with some wine, Brie, and grapes ;)
Hammock heaven
Today I ate lunch and wrote my morning pages —more like “afternoon” pages— in my hammock in my garden. I also tried to take a nap, but it was beginning to get a little chilly, so I called it a day. It was good enough. As the days are getting longer and warm in the afternoons, this will become more of an everyday thing for me.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
2010.01.20
- Even though today was a sucky day, I still managed to find some pleasant things to enjoy: like the view in the distance of the highest peak in Mexico, the Pico de Orizaba, thanks to a clear day after a week of rain (snow up there), gorgeous snowed volcano.
- One of the neighbors’ dogs tagged along for our afternoon walk, and Uma did more exercise than usual with him along, plus she didn’t freak out (as usual) with the firecrackers in the distance.
- My 11-year-old neighbor came over to ask for food because his school is gathering donations for Haiti. I had a few unopened bags and cans which I gladly gave to him. I am happy this kind of efforts are being done in all levels and places.
Content with my beginning efforts
As I’m embarking on watercoloring again, I realized I needed to shake off my rusty drawing hand. Plus, the base of a good painting will always be a good drawing. So I’m doing a daily 10-15 min practice as a goal within the January BootCamp, and I’m very pleased with the results.
Oh, I know I could go on forever on noticing all the bad proportions, lack of expression, so-so shading, Uma’s eye gone askew… and I didn’t even finish that one because she looks nothing like my beloved doggie, but I’m not going to beat myself over it. I need to practice more, but I believe it has been a good start, especially because I’m doing it. And, as Julia Cameron writes in her book “The Artist’s Way”, “I’m giving myself permission to be a beginner”... well, to be a beginner again :)
Happy hoodie birthday, John Lee!
I hope you’re having a fantastic birthday :o)
PS – I can’t believe I actually found a hoodie in my photo archives!
Entry #15: University ID will be available until late February...
Won’t be able to use uni’s facilities for exercise :(
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Given up soda for good
I’ve been doing really good with this goal for the past three months. Except for a major faux pas, a glass for lunch at my aunt’s, and two cubas libres (maybe three :P) on Christmas Eve, I have not been slightly lured towards drinking soda. To add up to my achievement, I have been consistently drinking two liters of water every day.
I’m very happy with this accomplishment, and so, I’ll mark it as “done” :)
2010.01.19
- A morning walk with Uma: a clear day with the spectacular snowed volcanoes, people jogging pepped me up —I was in my Jan-boot-camp walk myself—, farmers sowing the fields with horses… it was the perfect laid out stage for a great day ahead…
- Though it was a relatively quiet day, it turned out to be a great day —the kind that are life-changing. I got the call from the Spanish Consulate. Tomorrow, I’ll go by to pick up my papers. I called my brother to give him the news, and I just bursted briefly into tears from elation! I was ecstatic! He was truly happy for me :)
- Sparklers: I had bought them for the holidays, but didn’t get to them then. Today, however, seemed the perfect day to light them and play around with them :)
Entry #14: Rumble, rumble
My joints rumble… I so need to get in shape…
Monday, January 18, 2010
Fires, pollution, and breathing
One of the bad things about Cholula is the practice of burning trash. This is not only done here, but in many places of Mexico as well —and I can only assume in many places in our planet, too. I believe it comes from the custom of burning agriculture waste supposedly as a way to compost the fields. People also do it in a smaller scale in their homes.
In past centuries, this practice was a mere burning of organic waste. But now, in the age of plastics, people do not think it twice before throwing in all kinds of trash. “It’s cultural; it’s been done for centuries”, that’s their excuse. “We need to get rid of the trash”, that’s another one. “Nature also burns down forests; it’s part of nature’s cycle, and we’re just giving her a hand” (!).
This is bad no matter where on the planet this is done, but it’s even worse when they do it in the middle of the city next to residential homes. Many mornings, I have woken up to the smoke of my neighbor’s bonfire. We have gone to talk to them, but they continue to do it, although more sparsely. I now keep my window shut, but the smoke still seeps a bit through the cracks.
Moreover, I live just a couple blocks from a few agricultural fields which are in the middle of the city, just south of the pyramid where it’s prohibited to build since there are many archeological vestiges underneath. So the people in these fields, also burn their waste as if they were in the open country.
I just think it’s sad that we take for granted our breathing. We breathe without thinking, but it is the main thing that keeps us alive —even before water, before food… But let’s keep on burning our trash, so it “disappears”! How long will it take us to notice that we’re just transforming it into the smoke we’re breathing in? Maybe never. The trash will be within our bodies, our brain cells will be dead to comprehend, and maybe we’ll be dead altogether :(
Entry #13: Need to try harder
Time to turn up a notch this January boot camp!
Item #10: computer CDs
After getting an external drive, backing up and storing in CDs is a thing of the past for me. I copied what needed to be copied to my drive, and then I proceeded to primitively destroy the “evidence”. I wish I had had a shredder…
2010.01.18
- Talking on the phone with my brother. It reminds me of our closeness and helps me forget the distance between us.
- A long walk with Uma. She was super excited since she just walked around the block with my dad the past two days that I was away.
- The moon smiling at me :)
Haiku #23
Clouds, rain, wind, and fog
creep through the hills and fields of
misty Zacatlán
Zacatlán
This weekend, I left it all and went with my friends to their home in the small city of Zacatlán, two hours north of Cholula. It is located on the edge of a beautiful gorge in the Sierra Madre Oriental.
This is a city with the charms of a small town with plenty of photo opportunities. I couldn’t take them all as I was with company, but I still got a few good shots. Not only was it a decent photo excursion, but it was a delightful getaway with very good friends :)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Entry #12: Not enough progress
56% this week: barely half way of my success :/
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Remedial tea for coughing (take 2)
Thanks to Tarrador’s suggestion of adding ginger, I gave it a try, and it turned out amazing!! So here’s the recipe with that modification:
Remedial tea for coughing
Ingredients:- thyme
- a garlic clove
- cinnamon stick
- lime zest
- orange zest
- grated ginger
- honey
Infuse in hot water for about 4-5 minutes and strain.
Not doing great with this goal
I haven’t really put myself into this goal completely. I just carry it out about twice a week; the rest of the week is only one walk per day. Sadly, that’s more than the vast majority of dogs around here.
Just yesterday, a couple of dogs tagged along for the walk. They’re the neighbors’ dogs, but they let them roam free instead of walking them. So the dogs were super excited to see us and decided to come along. They were even more excited when we got to the flower fields, and they ran all over the place. They couldn’t believe themselves! So I took a few pictures,and one of them even got curious about my camera.
It was a very nice and enjoyable walk for all. They’re young dogs, and they reminded me so much of the time that Gala was with us, and she made Uma exercise a lot more than she does now. Of course, Uma is now older, so she doesn’t follow the young dogs too much, but she definitely feels a lot safer and comfortable around them.
I have found that Uma is much more enthusiastic about her walk and less afraid of fireworks when other dogs are around. And yesterday, with two, she was happy as a pack :)
How to drink at least 2 liters of water everyday
"Keeping well hydrated is a step towards better health"
How I did it: Every morning, I fill up two 1-liter bottles with fresh water. This way, I already have my minimum "dose" ready to be drunk. I keep the bottles next to my working space to remind myself of drinking. If I finish them up and I am still thirsty, I can always grab an extra glass of water as a bonus.
Lessons & tips: Having your bottles of water ready since the morning is my biggest tip. Whenever I failed to do this this, I tended to forget how much water I had already drunk, or I would remember too late in the day.
Resources: Two 1-liter bottles.
It took me 3 months.
It made me feel hydrated
Well hydrated
For over a month, I’ve been consistently drinking 2 liters of water everyday, so I’m considering this goal accomplished.
Entry #11: Knees & neck
My joints rumble… I so need to get in shape…
Checking in: Week 1 - Recovering a Sense of Safety
This check-in is a transcription/translation of the one I did last year.
My first “week” took me 16 days to accomplish, because it was until the end of the first week that I found about the tasks. Now I know I have to read the whole chapter at the beginning of the week.
Morning Pages
I wrote 11/16 morning pages. The experience of writing daily (or almost) has been revealing. The pages have allowed me to discard thoughts that have been circling my head.
Artist Date
I divided it in three sessions of knitting. That way, I could accomplish both my artist date and my abandoned knitting. I will continue knitting, but I’ll add another activity for my AD. The book does not state that I cannot have more than one AD a week ;)
It was curious to be knitting and be conscious that it was a date with my artist. They were brief dates because my hands started to numb after a little while. I am happy to have carried out this task and, especially, to fulfill myself.
Other Issues
A significant issue for my recovery has been to include watercolor vignettes in my daily pages. This has allowed me to see my “painter artist” within and to see that I do have an abandoned gift, but that it can flourish with a little push and letting it flow with this universal energy.
- “It takes nurturing to make an artist.”
- “Progress, not perfection.”
- “In order to recover as an artist, you must be willing to be a bad artist. Give yourself permission to be a beginner.”
- “But do you know how old I will be by the time I learn to really play the piano/act/paint/write a decent play? Yes… the same age you will be if you don’t.”
- “If being an artist seems too good to be true to you, you will devise a price tag for it that strikes you as unpayable. Hence, you remain blocked.”
- “It is audacity and not talent that moves an artist to center stage.”
- “Affirmations help achieve a sense of safety and hope.”
Very reacquainted...
After three months of getting reacquainted with 43T, I’ve been jotting down notes of the good, the bad, and the ugly:
The Good: Kudos to the Robots- New image: clean, elegant, and hierarchically well structured.
- Dragging goals: very nice improvement over the previous version.
- New calendar as a recap of past activity by year/month: very cool
- The “How I Did It” section provides a useful place of ideas and how-to steps.
- 43 Places had a nice revamping, and it’s visually very appealing.
- 43Pl: The activity panel is very cool, and it encourages you to improve.
- When you click to “see all entries” of a goal, it brings you back to 1-10. Why not directly go to 11-20 if you already clicked the arrow?
- When you enlarge a photo, sometimes it goes offscreen, and you can’t get out of it unless you back your browser.
- The Neighborhood Watch could have better navigation: once you report or defend a user, it would be better to bring you back to the NW list. Why bring you back to the user if you already took the time to evaluate him/her?
- Too much white space (especially the upper right-hand corner, below your n things, zeitgeist): as much as white space adds to the elegance and beauty of the site, it leads to too much scrolling.
- Too much scrolling: everywhere I constantly find myself scrolling and scrolling. I’d like a better way of navigation, but I really have no ideas now, and maybe the Robots are already working on it.
- The “recent goals accomplished” section was taken off the main page. Somehow, that little section made you aware of the recent successes of other 43Ters. You can still check it in the “I’ve done” tab, but I doubt anyone uses that one much.
- Double posts: There’s a glitch in Safari that takes forever to post something, only to finally come to a screen that tells you that Safari can’t contact the page. So you navigate back and press the “post” button just to find that your original post was indeed posted, and that you just reposted it.
- Cheers: a similar glitch goes on when giving cheers, so it turns it into a cumbersome task, instead of a cheerful joy. I’m guessing Safari does go to the “page of cheers” but then has trouble getting back to the entry/comment/goal cheered. Is it maybe a programming thingy that could be fixed or is it a Safari issue?
- The “How I Did It” section is very static in most users —even more so than their goals!— plus it adds to the burden of loading the page, plus more scrolling. Suggestion: make it a tab next to the “I’ve done n things” tab.
- Also, the “How I Did It” section has different a formatting method than regular entries.
- It would be great to have a preference in the account settings to have “post to blog” as the default when you write an entry. I have to click the pop-up menu every time I post an entry. I’d like to save myself this step.
- Also, a minor thing, when you add a new entry, it would be nice to have the cursor already flickering in the title field, instead of having to click in it.
- I find the “Today’s Tags” in Zeitgeist to be visually more appealing than the ones in our profiles; of course, everyone may think otherwise.
- I miss cheering photos.
- The search feature could be better. When you search for two or more words, the search does not necessarily bring you the most relevant to the top. You may have to browse for several pages before finding something. My guess is this is one of the reasons which has caused so many very similar goals.
- 43Pl: “Browse” and “Neighborhoods” should be separated from the tags and have a more prominent position like before. At first, I was put off that the hierarchy seemed to be gone, and it took me a while to find these two buttons which provide for the hierarchy but are hidden with the rest of the tags.
- 43Pl: you can’t see who thinks a place is worth it or not, like in 43T
- 43Pl: it no longer shows locals
- 43Pl: the entries no longer show the date it was posted
- All-consuming and Lists of Bests seem to have undergone no improvements :( I know that 43T is by far the most used of the sites, but maybe there’s a reason for it. Those other sites could be nicely improved, and I’m sure the user rate would go up. Unless you have goals on 43T of “visit all continents” or “read all the works of x author”, I find it redundant to have goals here like “visit Italy” or “read x book”, when you can go directly to those sites and not only have them as a goal, but you can keep the reviews in one place and easier for everyone to use.
- Lists of Bests logs you out when you choose one of your lists. You have to re-log in to access your lists and navigate again.
- All-Consuming: besides relative dates (i.e. 2 years ago), it would be good to also use real dates like in 43T.
- All-Consuming: posts that have ratings are missing the titles of what they’re rating.
- Photos missing from posts, comments: there used to be a directory where you could post goal photos. It was removed visually from the site, but you could still access it to post photos and link to them (useful in entries with more than one photo). Seems that they have physically removed the folder along with all the photos in there.
- Normal photos missing, too: also photos included the regular way, seem to have gone away. Not sure what the cause to this was.
- In my blog, many photo links are broken, even ones that do appear on 43T.
- It was sad to see many past 43Ters who deleted their profile along with all their entries —and mine if they belonged to their entry. But they left a bunch of deleted comments within my entries :(
- 43Pl: they changed the links, so now my blog does not link back to 43Pl.
- 43Pl: an entry I made has a photo that is not mine (or of the place for that matter), and the rest of my photos were all erased :(
Whew! This sure was lengthy, but by no means exclusive. I really did it for myself: still not sure if to commit more or to commit less to the site. I know we tend to be more critical than praiseful. In my case, I hope to have done constructive criticism. I remember there used to be an “ideas” site which the robots removed, maybe because we bombarded them with much more than they anticipated or could handle :P
The bottom line is that I do love this site and its community, and I can certainly live with the minor flaws it has, but when photos and entries —that you’ve taken the time to post— disappear from your history, it can drive users away.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Entry #10: Bike ride
Couldn't find a moon dispenser
So I decided to logo myself ;)
Thanks RoNF for the invite!