LIFE AS IT IS

It started out of curiosity, but soon turned into a rule of my grocery shopping -- I read the nutrition labels on foods before buying them . Ten years ago, I did not care to decode Nutrition Facts labels. I would just pile up my shopping cart with whatever I wanted to eat -- bread, jam, peanut butter, cereals, cookies, chips, candy, fruit juices, ice cream, frozen dinners-- you name it; I did not care to find out if these were wholesome or not. I ate what I wanted to eat! Living in a country where grocery stores are giant, food options unlimited and portion sizes huge, overeating is not uncommon. I gained weight in the first few months of my life in the U.S. It was after I put on weight that I began to wonder if I was overeating like many others or, if it was my diet that was unhealthy. It was during this time that I became curious about the hundreds of words in small font that are printed on any packaged edible item in this country. I learned from those easy-to-understand labe

Watercolor and petals from my California Dreaming roses.

Is life stressing you out? Aren’t there times when you want to escape, go somewhere or do something to relax your nerves? While it is not possible to go on holidays frequently to get away from the mundane 21st century life, it is very much possible to give yourself a short break every day, even it is just for 5 minutes. To enjoy this 5-minute vacation, the first thing you need to do is disconnect yourself from the outside world. Not completely, of course, just switch off or silence your cell phone for 5 minutes, so that a ping or a flash on the screen does not distract you. Sit in your balcony Sit in your balcony early in the morning or at the end of a long and tedious day to treat yourself to a hot cup of your choice of drink— creamy coffee or thick steaming tea... Gaze at the blue sky or whatever bits of blue sky that peek out from behind 10-storey residential properties. Enjoy your tea, enjoy these 5 minutes. And when you do, try to put aside all the worldly worrie