Nellie's All Natural

You may have seen this lurking at Community Natural Foods, Sunterra, the farmer's market...I came across it at the Calgary Stampede and the laundry detergent was too much of a steal to not buy and try it out.

Being on a recent all-natural kick, the short ingredient list and environmentally friendly benefits really have me vouching for Nellie. It reminded me of Borax but the difference is, you only need a measly tablespoon per load and I feel more comfortable using it on delicate fabrics. The shorter and more understandable the ingredient list the safer in my opinion. No fragrances that give me headaches, no weird colored dyes, no irritated skin!

The real test was whether it would freshen my brother's clothes. It's a fact that boys stink. It's also a fact that my brother tends to leave his wet clothes that have been swishing around in commercial detergent, hard water, and his sweat in the washer for hours. We all know that musty wet towel smell. I've tried adding baking soda, washing with Borax, rinsing with white vinegar, all good methods but takes a lot more effort. Nellie's actually worked! One tablespoon, one wash. If Nellie's can get the smell out of all his laundry then it is the real deal! This is worth every stinking penny!

www.nelliesallnatural.com/

The Skinny on Oils

Have you ever wondered what you're putting on your skin or read the ingredients in the products you use?

Being a long time product junkie alongside being a trained professional in the spa industry I never really thought about how products might be affecting my skin, just that I loved trying new products and never hesitated to shell out more $$$ for something that would really work. People who've looked in my bathroom cabinets can attest!

During my trip to the Dominican the humidity made my skin the softest it's ever been. The heat made my face so sticky that a simple Dove bar soap I only used on my body before was the only thing that I felt got my face feeling clean enough. And the moisturizers I used made my skin feel stuffy so I stopped using it in the morning and only used a simple face cream at night. When I returned to Calgary I realized my skin had never been more clear and even toned since I was 12.

I concluded that the products I had been using made my skin so sensitive and reactive that in order to combat the symptoms, I would switch to a different product. The majority of products are manufactured by chemists using ingredients that are not found in nature. Imagine rubbing chemicals into your skin day by day that may have come from the same place we get our gasoline. To stop the cycle and minimize exposing myself to so many unknown ingredients, I decided to mimic the conditions my skin was exposed to in the Dominican. Minus the sun!

It all boils down to biology. Our skin is meant to secrete toxins and produces natural oils to keep it moist and functioning properly. Take away the oil by over-washing and pasting on oil-free creams and we are risking free radical damage, inability for it to purge dirt, causing dry cells which clog pores and trap dirt and oil. You guessed it, the perfect recipe for blemishes and premature aging! Stripping away the skin's natural oils will also cause it to overproduce to compensate. The skin does more than just secrete, it also does the opposite. Everything gets absorbed through the skin. Where are all those hard to read ingredients going?

Natural cold-pressed carrier oils are great at mimicking the natural oils of your skin. It's easily absorbed and only contains one ingredient, pure and simple! So I've managed to find several uses for these oils. I use coconut oil as an all-over body moisturizer. Jojoba and sweet almond oil is great as a makeup remover and nighttime moisturizer even gentle enough to use around the eye contour. Avocado oil is great as a conditioning treatment for your hair before shampooing and so is sweet almond, olive, and jojoba oil. I confess to putting these oils in my hair before a hot yoga class. Don't laugh I was multi-tasking and it worked amazingly! ;)

It can take some getting used to, putting oils on your skin, especially your face but in my experience the oils do wonders and the money I'm saving is the icing on the cake!

Milky Way

I've been drinking milk alternatives for quite some time. Not due to lactose intolerance or a milk allergy. My love for soy milk started from childhood, drinking the Vita brand that incorporated a bit of very tasty coconut milk. That soy drink is sweetened but I became accustomed to plain soy milk all the same. When I have drinks at Starbucks, very rarely do I not order with soy. In my opinion they just don't taste as good when it's just regular milk! I'll go through the types that I've tried.

Soy Milk

Pressed from these little beans you can reap the benefits of protein without the cholesterol and fat in cow's milk. It's a legume which you can feel good about drinking because it's healthy and packed with vitamin E. It has a slightly nutty taste, which I really like and also comes in various flavors. When purchasing soy milk watch out for added sweeteners. Many brands have added sugar and you could unknowingly be consuming unnecessary amounts. Because the calcium in soybeans are not actually digestible by humans, calcium additives are usually included in the carton. You can even try making it yourself - my dad has cooked up batches of soy milk from beans right on the stove numerous times.

Almond Milk

Almond milk is very finely ground almonds mixed with water. I haven't tried to make it at home because almonds are insanely expensive and a one litre carton of almond milk at Superstore is only $2. This is my personal favorite because it contains half the calories per serving than skim milk, soy milk, or rice milk. It also tastes like skim milk and substitutes in recipes exactly like cow's milk! Like soy milk, some brands have added sweeteners. It's very high in protein, very low in fat, and is tolerated well by people sensitive to soy.

Rice Milk

It's basically the water left from boiling a lot of rice. As you can guess, this milk contains a lot more carbohydrates than the others because of the high content in the grains. You can also guess that it tastes like the water that rice is cooked in. In other words, it's not that tasty. You're better off drinking what you can strain from congee. I think rice producers got a little too adventurous with this one. You can tell this is not my favorite. Although I do like a good rice cordial!

So if you're thinking of replacing regular cow's milk for health reasons or if you are switching to being vegan there are alternatives. It's great to change up your drinks with something different from time to time and these alternatives have a longer shelf life! You don't have to refrigerate until it's been opened so you can always have milk on standby.

Meditation and Awareness

Meditation can mean many things to different people. To me, it's a state of awareness attained by completely being unaware of your current state. Confusing, I know! How do you think about nothing when you're trying to make yourself think of nothing?

I've been practicing yoga for about three years, on and off. My experiences with meditation started in the yoga studio during the first Savasana of each practice. At first my time spent meditating turned into falling asleep and either jolting awake or scaring myself awake when I started snoring.To prevent myself from falling asleep I began to mindfully concentrate on my breaths. This kept me awake but also led to thinking about what I was going to eat after or what plans I had for the week.

Practice after practice was spent like this during meditation, I didn't know what it was supposed to be or if I would ever get anything from it. Eventually I would start lucid dreaming, being completely aware that I was awake but still dreaming. These dreams were silent. Most of the time they were irrelevant to my current situations, sometimes I think they were indications of what I needed or what I desired most. Sometimes it was people, other times just objects floating in black space.

One practice I decided to focus on my third eye with my eyes closed. I remembered just focusing, then my mind going blank, no emotions, no feeling, complete silence. The next thing I could remember was seeing subtle waves of purple moving across my mind like billows of smoke wafting from a cigarette or a long, slow-moving flame. I remembered thinking it was the most spectacular thing I have ever seen with my eyes closed in an awakened state. I watched it for as long as I could but the more I thought about it, the more excited I got and the faster I came out of meditation. The color quickly disappeared. The next time it appeared was about a week later, when I was awaking from a sleep on a Saturday morning - the time when our minds are at a standstill, in between knowing we are awake and not knowing anything at all. After searching the internet I discovered that seeing purple during meditation is quite common and is believed to signify opening of the mind. Very cool! :)

What happens when we meditate, we can't tell for sure. There are no tangible results to measure what has changed. I believe that it trains the mind to not focus on one thing and to let go. What we experience and how we react comes from inside after all. Seeing things with a clearer mind releases the weight and moves us forward. Being aware that outside forces can only harm us as much as we will allow them to. Things continue to eat at us for as long as we want them to. Only when we are consciously aware can we consciously make a change. Your soul will tell you. It's easy to be content and happy when you forget about everything else and realize life is ultimately about you but the events that happen in life are not always about you. Forget and let go but be aware. :)

My 10 Favorite Asanas

In no particular order, here are my favorite yoga poses and their benefits. Most of these pictures capture the poses in their full form but there are always variations.

Bound Warrior - Builds strength, improves limberness in the spine, and is a great stretch for the whole upper body.

Tree - Works on balance, concentration, and strengthens feet Remember to do the same to each side with all poses for full benefits.

Cow Face - Supposedly it's supposed to represent a cow with one ear up, one down, and the legs are the lips. Personally I think that describes a donkey. This is a deep stretch that strengthens the spine and with regular practice, helps to relieve hip and knee pain.

Eagle - Also a strengthening and balancing pose, this decompresses the spine, knees, hips, ribs and shoulders.

Half Moon - Strengthens and improves balance, this aids digestion and lifts the mood.

Half Pigeon - Personally this makes me want to swear because it's a very intense way to open the hips and mine are apparently fairly tight. The more challenging, the more you need it. We hold stress, tension, and anxiety here so it can release a fair amount of emotions and feel very frustrating. This pose stimulates organs, decompresses the spine and improves alignment.

One Legged Down Dog - Yes, it looks like a peeing dog. This builds upper body strength, relieves stress, improves digestion, and alleviates cramps.

Plow - Good for headaches, insomnia, thyroid, and abdominal organs. This will also give a good stretch to the back and shoulders, especially if you spend your day hunched over a computer.

Revolved Head to Knee - This is pretty much good for everything. Your muscles, back pain, organs, you name it, this is good for you.

Extended Triangle - Relieves backache, improves flat feet, and relieves stress.

Namaste!

Luscious Lashes

Long, thick lashes are what every girl wants. They frame your eyes and define their shape. Unfortunately, not all of us are blessed with a perfect set of dark, thick curly lashes. Genetics, age, chemo, whatever the cause, some of us just don't have it. Here are the alternatives:

False Lashes

Ever look at mascara commercials and ads and think that if you buy it you will have those lashes? It's not going to happen unless you put on some false lashes first.

They are very affordable, ranging from $5-20 in stores depending on how fancy you want to get. You can even try Ebay to order multiples from Asia where girls sport false lashes daily. They come in full strips or individuals (which are more like clusters). The strips are easier and faster. The individuals give a more natural look or accents certain spots. These lashes can be reused, just remove glue remnants and store carefully. To clean them, very gently dab a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and lightly sweep over the hairs.

TIP: To avoid looking like you have two rows of hairs growing out of your eyelids, lightly curl your natural lashes first, just from halfway on the hair shaft to the tip. Don't over-curl. The curl in your natural lashes will match the curl in the false ones. Apply the lashes as close to the roots as possible without losing contact with the skin. Very carefully use the flat end of a toothpick to gently dab a little glue to the outer edges of the lash strip as reinforcement. If it looks like a mess, don't worry, the glue dries clear. Lightly sweep one coat of mascara over the entire set to bind your natural lashes to the false ones. Use a liquid liner to finish to blending.

Lash Extensions

Done in the beauty salon, these are more expensive, up to $160 for a new set and maintenance visits anywhere between $25-50. However the benefits are clear: they look real and are fuss free. The esthetician applies each hair one by one and last anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks, shedding with the natural lash or from wear and tear. These cannot be worn with mascara if you want them to last. Oils will separate the lashes from the glue and too much steam will do the same.

Lash Serums

What's the hype around these? They promise fuller, longer lashes and the best part is, they are REAL. They start from a $10 lash conditioning treatment to a $170 serum that was formulated by physicians. Lucky you, I bought into some of these claims and tried a couple myself so you don't have to!

Rapidlash is a $60 tube with very meagre contents. A thin, nightly application is all that's needed and is supposed to last up to 6 weeks. It was created after an ointment for glaucoma patients resulted in thicker, darker, and longer lashes as a side-effect. After 3 weeks, I definitely saw a change. After four weeks people were asking if my lashes were real. That's how long they were! Because of the price tag, I sought an alternative after the tube ran out.

Avance is a Korean lash serum that I ordered from Ebay after doing some research. $8 a tube plus shipping was a steal, not to mention how much more of the product I was getting. I applied this liberally, nightly. My lashes turned out thicker and I guess fairly long but not as long as with Rapidlash. I liked that this was less pricey and the results were comparable.

There are many serums in the drugstore, none of them I've tried but my theory is that if you condition your lashes by keeping them nourished they will take longer to shed, thus each lash is retained longer. I can attest that once I stopped using these serums my lashes shed normally and they didn't reach the same lengths as before. Or I could just be getting old. :(. Applying lash serum has worked it's way into my daily routine now and I won't be stopping anytime soon. :)

Origins

Not to blatantly promote but...this is really good stuff.

I've been using Origins for about 7 weeks now. Typically, when starting a new skin care regimen it can take up to 6 weeks for your skin to adjust to the full benefits. Common misconceptions people have when trying something new is that if it doesn't work right away or if they find conditions get worse, the product will not work. In many cases the skin is adjusting or may be purging which is why breakouts are common when switching to something new. Be patient!

Although it's all very scientific I am going to contradict that lesson. I am not patient when it comes to my skin. If reactions don't subside in 10 days, it's gone! Having more than my fair share of skin ailments in my lifetime I've tried dozens of products. DOZENS. What makes me move on to the next is that after the honeymoon period if you will, the skin gets too comfortable with the product and it begins to get problematic again. This usually happens after 4 months. Another major factor to skin changes is the four seasons. Winter and summer months are particularly unfriendly to it so it's important to change up the products.

My choice to go with Origins started after I got tired of trying products that clean well but leave my skin irritated or end up clogging my pores. The main culprits: synthetic ingredients, preservatives, artificial fragrances and fillers. The only way to avoid any of these are to go organic and all natural. In came Origins. After reading thousands of reviews I tossed my regular products and bought the three most important products in a skincare regimen. Cleanser, toner and moisturizer. Four weeks later I now have a night cream, two masks, eye cream, body wash, body cream and a mattifying lotion. So far no reactions! I highly recommend. Worth every dollar!

http://www.origins.com/index.tmpl

I Heart Sugar.

On many occasions I think to myself that I consume too much sugar. There is a diabetic in the family and this gives me reason to believe that I should stop right there and curb this sweet tooth before I end up having to tote around a glucose monitor til the day I die.

Sometime two weeks ago, my big mouth challenged a caffeine-loving friend to not consume coffee for 30 days. To encourage this, I blurted out that I would not have refined sugar. And another fellow friend said she would not eat baked goods. The conditions were that I was allowed to have natural sugars such as juice and honey, and I was also allowed artificial sweeteners. The point is, I can't eat most desserts that I love like ice cream or cake :( or candy.

I am only 10 days in and I want nothing more than to sink my teeth into a sugary, buttery cupcake like there is no tomorrow. I admit, I cut corners - I buy organic cereal that is sweetened with honey or sugar cane juice and I eat boxed cookies with artificial sweeteners. And I confess, I have also mistakenly put things in my mouth that had sugar, not even thinking about it BUT I was honest about these slip ups.

It's incredible how much willpower it takes to turn sugar away. The office I work at has jars of Starburst and sugary granola bars 10 steps away from my desk. In the morning, I have to eat my toast with butter and not jam. I. Love. Jam. The mental struggle to turn away cupcakes on the weekend was just shy of being epic.

Has this lead to weight loss? No. I seem to have replaced my sugar fix with a carb fix. I've been eating more bread now than I have in the past 5 years. I have no doubt that once these 30 days are over that I will be stuffing my face with cake. Disaster. 40 days makes or breaks a habit they say? If I extend this by another 10 days I will find out.

Snowboarding Season - Fini!

This winter was my first full season of snowboarding, averaging one trip every other weekend since the end of December, totaling 7 days of cold, powdery goodness. Let's total up how much I spent shall we?

My awesome board and matching gear - I have to look good out there after all ;) :

Board, boots and bindings were ordered from www.evo.com's outlet, I ordered them early September when selection was still good and the 2010 inventory was marked waaay down: $390 including ridiculous shipping and duties. TIP: If you have friends who live in wonderful Vancouver, they might be able to do you a favor and drive to Seattle to pick up your gear right from the Evo warehouse and then ship it to you within Canada.

Helmet, goggles, gloves, socks, two jackets, two boarding pants, and Superfeet: $720. YIKES! I'll note though that the helmet, goggles, and one pair of pants were purchased last year. The only thing here that was not on sale was Superfeet. It's an athletic insole I bought to avoid having to buy new boots because there was too much space inside. Expensive, but not as expensive as new boots, this was the best alternative. Plus everything is real matchy-matchy. Bonus: the arch support helps my feet avoid cramping. Why did I get a second jacket and pants? It was life or death really. I was on the top of a mountain once and the fog was so thick, I could barely see past 10 feet in front of me. Blanket of white and guess what else was white? My jacket. I deemed it hazardous right then and there. I also hate trying to pick out people in the crowd when 8/10 people are wearing gray or black. My new teal & yellow ensemble will make me impossible to lose! (And it adds to the matchy-matchy.)

• Sunshine/Marmot Card: $99 (I think). First visit free.

• Louise Plus Card: $99. First 2 visits free, includes Kicking Horse Resort. Used once in both places, well worth the purchase!

• Nakiska iSki Card: $40. First visit free, discounts at Fernie, Nakiska, and Kimberly. Used free at Nakiska and received discounts on the second visit to Nakiska and in Fernie.

Total cost of all cards plus other lift tickets: $400.

Grand Total: $1510 not including hotels, fuel, and food.

Withing 7 days of boarding (not all were full days), I went from loathing the moment I would have to get off the chairlift to carving through trees. I am in love with it!!! The downside to it is that it's been interfering with my yoga practise big time! The muscles built in the legs from being strapped onto a board has reversed the work I've done in yoga. It feels like I'm back to step one. :(  At least the sport has lightened my hatred for winter a little bit and I have something to look forward to when summer is at it's end.

Insomnia

Insomnia comes in many different forms but in a nutshell, if you have trouble sleeping, it's insomnia.

I'm no stranger to insomnia, in fact it's been visiting me at least three times a month, sometimes twice a week, for the past three years. At first it was worrisome and I went weeks without having a restful sleep. When a person goes without deep restorative sleep, health issues arise and mentally, your alertness deteriorates. It's not a small problem.

What causes the inability to fall asleep comes from many areas. Stress, habits, physical health, emotional and mental well-being, even medication. When insomnia is persistent, it may be time to see a doctor. The problem with seeing a doctor is that 90% of the time they will push a prescription on you. Prescribed medicine can lead to misuse and dependency on the drug to help you fall asleep. Being a person who puts off medication until I physically and mentally can't handle the symptom anymore I was extremely hesitant to fill my prescription.

On my first visit to the doctor I asked for a drug-free remedy. He suggested Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Basically, take the time every day to tell your brain to shut up, and relax before hitting the sheets. Do nothing that can make your brain active and avoid late night exercising. This includes avoiding any activities in the bedroom. No tv, no computer, no doing crunches on the floor, if you're not sleeping or making whoopie, take it elsewhere. The idea behind CBT is that you will create the habit every night that tells your brain that it's time to go to sleep. If this didn't work, I had the option to fill the prescription.

A common wall that insomniacs face is that when we worry too much about falling asleep, it fuels the brain to stay awake. I concluded that the major factor in my case was that I couldn't stop my brain at night. I went through three prescriptions, all of them I was hesitant to take, I had to go back to the doctor three times before I found something I was comfortable taking and had the least risk of dependency. One worked and I only took half a pill for 3 nights and I was able to sleep on my own again thereafter.

Since then I've looked for non-pharmaceutical intervention. I tried valerian, which REEKS and I didn't find it to work. My sister's cat also gave me crazy eyes when he'd smell it. Apparently it's like catnip to felines. I tried a chinese herbalist which I should have gone to see first. Aside from the awful taste and the long process of producing a tincture, this is very effective. The tincture cleanses the organs and boosts the immune system.

A few simple solutions from my experience with insomnia is that if you can't fall asleep:

• Just get up and do something. So your brain doesn't want to sleep - reverse psychology yourself. Organize something, clean a little, I usually get sleepy after an hour of not trying to sleep.
• Drink some water. The body needs to experience a slight drop in temperature in order to fall asleep. If you are dehydrated the body can't cool itself.
• If you wake up in the middle of the night and feel hungry, eat some fruit. Your hunger signals will stop and your brain can relax.
• And finally, my personal favorite, and this works for me EVERY time, not even joking. Yoga! I don't mean bust out a full sun salutation (save it for the morning!), do an inversion. What I like to do, to minimize the increase in activity level (or out of sheer laziness) is I shuffle myself around so that my head is pointed towards the foot of the bed and my feet can prop up on the wall. The goal is to elevate your feet higher than your head. I inch up close to the wall so that my body is in a complete L shape. A couple minutes in this position or when I start to feel cold I come back to a normal sleeping position and I fall asleep in minutes. You may look weird with your feet up on the wall in the dark but I swear by it! This is not recommended if you are pregnant, have high blood pressure or have glaucoma. Aside from bringing fresh blood and oxygen to the brain and moving cold blood towards the heart, this is amazingly calming.

Creme Brulee

One goal down!

Not bad for a first try. I think it could have used a little less cream to make it denser and I would recommend using a torch instead of the broiler in your oven. As you can see, a few parts were starting to burn while some of the sugar isn't even melted.

To save you from the horror of how much fat and calories is in this dessert, I won't tell you the recipe but you can probably guess that it's not good for you. Which is why it's so DELICIOUS!

Greetings from Switzerland

From Raksha to be exact. I received an email from my friend and former coworker updating me on her experience in Geneva where she received a full scholarship and is working towards her masters in Global (or is it International?) Devlopment. And she's not even 25 yet! Smart cookie. I suspect she will be a prominent figure someday and will indefinitely have a very colorful and rewarding career doing great things for the world. I feel extremely privileged to know her.

I love hearing about stories from people who travel, something I want to do to a certain degree, but some people are just meant to travel and would likely get more out of it than I would. Raksha had previously spent some time in Bangladesh to work with a Not for Profit Organization who provides microfinance services to underprivileged women.

Here is what she had to say about her current stint in Geneva so far:

Rebonjour everyone!

I hope this email finds you all well! I know it has been a LONG time since my last update but as you’ve probably guessed, the time since my master’s program started in September have been extremely hectic. But they’ve also been amazing - in a way I could not have imagined when I left Calgary. So I’ll try to summarize these last few months as best as I can, and apologize in advance for rambling.

Since basically the moment of my arrival from France (where I spent six weeks to improve my then non-existent level of French), I have fallen in love with Geneva. To name just a few of the things that I love and appreciate here:

• The physical surroundings are breathtaking. The lake in the middle of the city is beautiful – both on sunny summer days and foggy winter ones, especially with the mountains in the backdrop. And since I live on the ‘outskirts’ of the city, I’m so close to the mountains that I literally run into the hills of France when I go for a run. Needless to say, there are few better places for hiking or skiing in the world with the exception of Western Canada perhaps :)
• Diversity. People of every country, religion, culture, language etc. are here in Geneva – it is truly an international city. This makes everything from the daily bus rides to grocery shopping much more exciting. It (along with the three classes in French that I’ve had this semester) has also forced me to improve my French a lot, which is exactly what I’d been hoping for. Dining out here is also a great experience thanks to the variety of cuisine available – so far, Eritrean food has been my favourite discovery!
• Elements that I classify under the general heading of the ‘glory of Western Europe’ – architecture, museums, great performing arts that are accessible to everyone (students and the unemployed get the same discounts), small and well-planned cities, and the ability to travel to dozens of different countries for close to nothing!
• Public transport. Cheap, clean, incredibly efficient, and yes, always on time. I don’t know they do it.
• Chocolate – for less than a dollar, you get a family size bar of high quality chocolate. And there are so many delightful varieties. My personal favourite is a rather simple milk chocolate with a rice krispie layer – WOW!

Not included on that list are the two things that have had the most transformative effect on my life over the past year: the master’s program, and the people that I have had the good fortune to encounter here.

This last semester (from September to December) has been among the most intense periods of work that I’ve ever performed but the process of learning itself has been joyful. To take off blinders that I’d never realized that I’d been wearing and to discover new ways of looking at society, state, the environment, international and personal relations – even while frightening, was amazing (In case you are wondering, my courses this semester included: Political Sociology of Development, Global Ecology and Sustainable Development, World Anthropologies, Gender and Development, and Development Economics).

However, it hasn’t been all fun – aside from the massive amounts of reading and paper writing, I and many of the other students also spent significant amounts of time feeling uncomfortable and hopeless. Why? All of us were there because we intended to work in development, but the professors spent much of their time (very effectively) destroying our conceptions about development as both an idea and as a practice. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly what we had been expecting or hoping for.

Overall, I think we all came away with many more questions than any answers, and I realize now after some time for reflection that that is the best place to be at this point in the program: we are learning how to be more critical thinkers and question our own assumptions, and of course with that inevitably comes some pain. And I am looking forward to (and a little frightened for) the next semester, which will undoubtedly stir up more questions but hopefully at least start suggesting some solutions. I will also add here that the teaching has surpassed all my expectations – the professors are truly recognized experts in their fields and although they all have different methods and beliefs, their passion for what they do is clear and has had a huge impact on our learning experiences.

I should also say that the institute I am attending is small (300 students) and my program is even smaller (60 people). And these people have had as much of an impact on my ideas about the world as the program. The diversity in astonishing: most are young (I would guess the average age is 24) but their backgrounds range from being the children of diplomats to having lived in refugee camps, and they come from every part of the world. I cannot express how lucky I feel to have met these people and to interact with them on a daily basis - I learn as much from going out for a coffee with them as from several lectures combined. And our class discussions are always the best parts of any lecture. In addition to sharing a lot of fun and a lot of laughter, they’ve all made me realize how much I’ve yet to learn in a variety of realms. But they’ve also given me the best ideas on where to go, on the direction I want my life and career to take, on where I might be able to have the biggest impact. They, along with my “non-school” friends (who work in Geneva) and “residence friends” (who live at the same student residence as I) have made the past few months fantastic.

Now, I’m on a well-deserved break until mid February when school starts again. Unfortunately, I won’t be coming back to Canada during this time – instead, I will use the time to relax, read, spend time with friends, discover more of Geneva and travel Switzerland and Europe, including visits to Spain and Germany in February. I’m also working part-time at a Geneva-based NGO called the Business Humanitarian Forum (http://www.bhforum.org/ for those of you who are interested). The experience has already been eye opening into the world of NGOs and development projects.  

All in all, I feel very lucky and happy to be where I am now. However, as great as Switzerland is, I do miss Canada and all of you. If you have the time to send me an update, I would love to know more about what’s happening in your lives as well.

Take care and all the best from the land of neutrality!

- Raksha

Spring 2011 Style

Spring 2011 Fashion Week has long come and gone and I am really excited about what has come out. The style is more laid back, very pretty and feminine, a lot of flowing cuts, neutral and pink tones, lots of floral print or matte solids, and relaxed fits. The new collections have arrived in stores and the following are the top trends I have picked:

Cognac Accessories

 And I mean the color cognac. It reminds me of the late 70's, and I can say that because my parents were in their prime during that time and they have remnants of that era still dotted in their closets and basement, remnants which include bags and belts in cognac. The color is understated enough to pair with any color and is a much needed step away from the usual black. I especially love a belt in this color on a dress or tunic!

The Shoulderstrap Hobo

This actually has been around for a few seasons (Marc Jacobs). My friend Steph has one and I love it! A lot of people have just been using the hand strap, lots of these hobos come with both options. This season, clip on the long strap! Again, neutral/woodsy colors. The shoulderstrap bag this season did not come out of nowhere. This accessory trend goes along with the laid-back feel we are getting with the clothing trend - functional and hands-free! Wearing this type of bag alongside the body also accentuates the figure and promotes a leaner, slender visual to the bodyframe. (Don't underestimate fashion and accesories!) It creates a vertical line down the body, creating "length". (It's like art!)

Floral Print

 This is as flowy as you can get. No restricted areas, flowing lines soften angles and suits any body type. The floor-dusting maxi dress made it's entrance a few years back in solid colors and have been morphing into patterned counterparts but it's huge this year in floral print. Again, this promotes the carefree, feminine attitude we see this spring.

Understated Nail Color

If you saw the MTV Awards in the fall you will have noticed, if you are that attention-detailed, that Rihanna was sporting a neutral nail color. You can't go wrong with it! If neutral is too boring for you, go for the red. Not dark red, berry red. It's not understated but it's a classic.

Long Natural Hair

Ditch the hair color! We are going amazon! Ok not that far but close. Long, long, un-heat-treated hair. That means do without the flatiron more days than not. Air-dry or twist it up into a braid or loose bun. If you want to go straight then go for super sleek.

And in case you haven't noticed, AVIATORS. We are back to 70's style for reals.

The Ballerina Flat and the Cage Shoe

Although not the best shoe for your foot, ballerinas are very functional and comfy if you're not planning on hiking. It also goes with dresses or pants so you can't go wrong.

The cage shoe has also been around for a year or so. It emerged after gladiator sandals came on scene. A lot less barbaric and much, much hotter, these are much more comfortable than toe-cramping pumps and strappy stiletto sandals that cut into your foot after a hour or so. Did I mention they're hot?

Black Swan

So I just went to watch Black Swan starring Natalie Portman, costarring Mila Kunis, directed by Darren Aronofsky. If you haven't seen the preview, here it is:

NOTE: It is RATED R for explicit sexual content so beware if you plan on going to see this with someone who you wouldn't be particularly comfortable watching such scenes with.

After seeing the preview I knew I was in for some twisted dark storyline, also because Aronofsky had directed Requiem for a Dream. It is not a film for everyone, I heard a lot of mixed reviews from others in the theater after the movie was done. It was very reminiscent of Donnie Darko so if you didn't like Requiem or Donnie Darko, this may not be for you. You definitely have to go into the movie with an open mind. A lot of people take films for their face value, not understanding the psychological depth of the storyline.

Personally I thought the movie was brilliant overall. I was in suspense all the way through, some scenes were uncomfortable to watch but I already expected a certain level of shock factor. I was very impressed with how it was made and was even more impressed with the performances. Natalie Portman was especially outstanding, if you look at her body it's clear that she had gone through some very intense training for the role. She's pure bones and muscle! She deserves an Oscar nomination if not the win. I also started to develop an appreciation for ballet as I was watching, so much that I want to go see a real performance this year.

The filming was phenomenal! You'll see when you watch.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I won't go into any more details. I'll let you judge for yourselves, I give it two thumbs up!

Do you know how to clean a fish and use a cleaver?

I do!

Turns out this requires a good knife, possibly a cleaver and a whole lot more muscle than I anticipated. This will come in handy when I decide to make my Bouillabaisse, goal #1 for 2011.

What were we making? My parents originate from Northern Vietnam or as some Viets call it, the communist part. But let me make myself clear, my family is not Vietnamese, we are Chinese. And we are not communist...except for my dad. Sort of. But let's not get into the historical details. Having parents who were born and raised in Vietnam results in a lot of Viet food in my house. The most popular of which is noodle soup.

The soup we made today is a fish soup with vermicelli noodles. Fish soup is more commonly eaten in N. Vietnam, or so my mom says. Viet noodles are primarily made with rice flour and come in various thicknesses and consistencies. The vermicelli noodle we used is called 'bún' in Vietnamese.

And the fish, we used perch. It's about the size of salmon, spiny, and scaly.

I was instructed to wear rubber gloves to do the cleaning and I would also advise anyone else to do the same. You get a better grip on the fish, your hand is protected from any bones or spines, and you save your skin from smelling like the seafood section at T&T Supermarket.

Using a chef knife we scrape the scales against the grain of the fish until it's completely scale-free. Using a cleaver we hack off the fins and tail. To remove the entrails we cut along the underbelly of the fish from head to tail and remove everything inside.We cut the head off from the gills then chop the head down the middle to remove the gills. Then we chop the fish width-wise in 2" sections ready for frying.

My dad supervised and taught me a little trick to using a cleaver. If your accuracy sucks like mine and you don't have the muscle to get the cleaver all the way through in one swing, you can use a chef knife to guide the cleaver. With your non-chopping hand, stab the chef knife vertically as possible to the food you want to chop, where you want to chop and then swing the cleaver down parallel with the flat side of the chef knife blade. The chef knife acts as a guide and you end up with a 100% accurate, clean chop! Another tip - turn the sharp edge of the chef blade away from you so you don't end up slicing your chopping hand in the process. Safety first!

When frying the fish, heat up the oil and remove half. Add the fish, then pour the rest of the hot oil on top to reduce the amount of hot oil that can pop out of the pan. We cook the fish all the way through and is added to the soup at the end.

For the soup base, we are using broth from last night's chicken we cooked. Everything I learn from my parents, I learn how to cook from scratch. Everything I ever ate growing up was made from scratch.

After removing the oil from the top of the broth we bring it to a boil and add tomato, bamboo shoots, and white onion, then salt and pepper to season, lemon juice and some vinegar to take away the fishy smell and gives it a really nice savory slightly sour taste to it. We use vinegar in place of tamarind that can also be used and still gives the same type of flavor.

Let me tell you something about bamboo shoots. The only humanly-edible part of bamboo is the shoot that comes out from the tip of a bamboo stalk. It's about the length of your hand and is covered with layers of husk covered in fine, silky fur-like hairs. This is what it looks like right off the stalk.

And this is what it looks like after removing the husks.

It is a fraction of the size of the original shoot. There is so much husk on these! Shoots are not cheap either, ranging from $2-$5/lb. The reason we like bamboo is for it's distinct flavor, the scent of which I recognized immediately after removing the husks. These are chopped and boiled for the soup.

After combining all ingredients to the soup, we boil the noodles til tender, strain and serve it alongside the soup, not in it. Although it's perfectly acceptable to just combine them right away, vermicelli is rather thin and would break up in the soup and is a pain to fish out with chopsticks so we leave them in their sticky texture separate from the soup and eat with a spoon and chopsticks. Fresh chopped green onion on top and we have a traditional Northern Vietnamese fish soup.