Guys Dunked Himself, Check it Out Fellas!

Well, I was watching the news when this video suddenly catched my attention, big time! Here you go for those who missed it! Pretty interesting and luckily he wasn't hurt at all! Whew!

Happiness on Hold

Well, I am just wondering if we can still be happy while facing a challenge, problem, health problem, death of a loved one, or whatever you call it. I think it's possible and it is definitely a choice. Here's something to think about and decide for yourself.

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are.
After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation,or when we retire.
The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with...and remember that time waits for no one.
So, stop waiting
--until your car or home is paid off
--until you get a new car or home
--until your kids leave the house
--until you go back to school
--until you lose ten pounds
--until you gain ten pounds
--until you finish school
--until you get a divorce
--until you get married
--until you have kids
--until you retire
--until summer
--until spring
--until winter
--until fall
--until you die
There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So -- work like you don't need money, Love like you've never been hurt, And dance like no one's watching.
Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.

Something Positive About Canada's Weather

Wow! I have nothing much to say about Canada except for one. It's damn cold! Well, yes. It is. I come from a tropical country and moved to an extreme environment weather wise is indeed challenging! Geez, I still have a lot of years to ponder whether I want to stay here until I get old! Alrigh, enough I won't think negative! I am still young. *wink* Shiesh!

As we speak, we are currently having a whopping -17. Relax! Yesterday was more or less around -26 plus the wind chill! It's even reported that a few of Canadian residents are still cold in their dwellings. However, it is said that our winter here is getting milder. Take a moment to read and click on the link below. Something to be positive about. It doesn't mean that I will stay home for the next two months of winter! Ha!
Cheers!
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/never-mind-cold-snap-fed-stats-suggest-canadian-20110124-130248-692.html

Oprah Winfrey's Secret: A Half-Sister

Oh, Oprah! You know how to surprise everyone in the world. You just know how to keep those eyeballs rolling, eh? Well, this is her farewell season and she knows when to drop the bombshell. What I appreciate about her is that she comes clean and tell her own story rather than let the media do it for her. I respect that. So, check this link below and see for yourself.

I am interested to see how this new secret revealed be a life-changing experience for the queen of talk in the future. Lucky sister!

 

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/oprah-finds-half-sister-talk-show-hosts-mother-20110124-071922-962.html

American Idol, What?

I am amazed that this show is still up and running... Anyways, here are some fun facts about the show according to Lyndsey Parker of Reality Rocks and click on the link below...

"Fun With Facts: Things You Didn't Know About 'American Idol' But Were Too Glued To Your TV Set To Ask"

A juicy new book titled American Idol: The Untold Story, by my esteemed fellow "Idol" reporter Richard Rushfield, is out this week--conveniently, and probably not coincidentally, just in time for "AI" Season 10's big premiere. Gobs of drama surround this year's crucial sink-or-swim season, but even a cursory, Cliff Notes-style skimming of Rushfield's tell-all tome proves that drama is nothing new when it comes to this crazy show. Truth really is stranger than fiction, sometimes.

 http://new.ca.music.yahoo.com/blogs/realityrocks/417463/fun-with-facts-things-you-didnt-know-about-american-idol-but-were-too-glued-to-your-tv-set-to-ask/

The Originals

American Idol 2011 Judges

Would you still watch this show given the fact that the original shebang is gone? What do you think? Pitch in some of your comments!

 

Yummylicious Treats!

 
Bite-sized treats filled with berries, oh so sweet!

Yield: 24

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 whole large egg
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Filling

• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon almond liqueur
• 1/4 cup whipping cream

Assembly

• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup fresh blackberries
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
• icing sugar, for dusting

Directions

Crust

1. For crust, beat butter and sugar together until smooth. Add egg yolks and whole egg one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Stir flour and salt and blend just until dough comes together. Shape into a disc, wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before rolling.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for two or three turns just to soften (this will help dough roll without cracking). Roll dough to ¼-inch thick and cut out rounds to fit 24 mini tart shells. Line tarts shells, dock with a fork and chill for 20 minutes. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until edges of shells are golden brown. Allow to cool.

Filling

1. For pastry cream, heat milk with scraped seeds and pod of vanilla bean. In bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch together. Slowly pour hot milk into egg mixture while whisking, then return mixture to pot.
2. Over medium heat, whisk milk constantly until thickened and glossy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain. Stir in butter, almond extract and almond liqueur. Cover top of pastry cream directly with plastic wrap and chill completely.

Assembly

1. To assemble, whip cream to stiff peaks and fold into chilled pastry cream. Spoon or pipe a little filling into each cooled tart shells and top with a mix of berries. Arrange a few slices of toasted almonds on each tart and dust with icing sugar. (Tarts can be assembled up to 4 hours in advance of serving.)

Golden Globes: Celebrity Fashion

I love to check out awards night since it gives me the opportunity to keep myself abreast with winners and who didn't make it. However, as a woman my imagination is tickled every time I think about what and who designed their gowns to the red carpet. So, take a quick look on these beautiful women as they make it to the best of worst dresses.

Angelina Jolie: Angie surprises us all on the red carpet in a skin-covering gown. We're used to seeing long slits or a revealing neckline but she turns it around in a modest but still gorgeous dress. The emerald green looks flawless against her skin and the sparkles look like shining stars. It's a great silhouette that really flatters her figure. We need more of this Angelina! (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Anne Hathaway: Anne is a goddess in a bronze-gold number. The exaggerated shoulders, the long sleeves and the circular details make this dress so unique and utterly gorgeous. She really stands out against everyone else. (Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)

Megan Fox: The actress goes back to glam in a beautiful one-shouldered dress with a slit. This dress is a bit of a departure for Fox who usually wears more revealing attire but she knows how to tone it down a bit for an important award show. She looks elegant especially with her hair to the side. We love the cross-bands around the bodice which give it some edge that Fox is known for. Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

 Scarlett Johansson: Scarlett does Old Hollywood glamour so, so well. She looks beautiful in this ethereal gown. We love the long sleeves, the tulle skirt and the detailed flowers. It's such an effortless look. (Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com)

Sandra Bullock: Sandy has a new haircut! She looks almost unrecognizable with her short bangs. But we are in love with her dress! We don't expect to see something like this on the red carpet. It has a subtle glamour with the patterned sequins and dramatic one sleeve. It's just perfect. (Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)

For more of these celebrities style please click on the link below.

http://ca.shine.yahoo.com/fashion/fashion-police-golden-globes-gallery-68-1.html#id-0

So What I Wanna Stay an Aquarian

I really could care less to all this zodiac signs but for the sake of sharing and discussion here you go...

A Minnesota astronomer confirms what many have suspected: Your horoscope is quite possibly wrong.
Earth's shifts on its axis over the past 3,000 years have changed the 12 zodiac signs. For example, think your sign is Aquarius? You may be a Pisces. (There's also a 13th sign, Ophiuchus, that's based on a constellation the ancient Babylonians threw out for symmetry thousands of years ago.)
So who's to blame for this scam on zodiac devotees?

The ancient Babylonians based the zodiac on which constellation the sun appeared to be in when a person was born. Since then, the moon's has exerted a gravitation pull on Earth, causing a "wobble" on its axis that has shifted the stars' alignment by about a month, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.
"Because of this change in the tilt, the Earth is over here and the sun is in a different constellation than it was 3,000 years ago when this study of the stars began," astronomer Parke Kunkle told the Twin Cities' KARE-TV.
The shift isn't new, Kunkle says -- the zodiac world just hasn't taken the wobble into account.
Here's your new sign below:
Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11
Pisces: March 11-April 18
Aries: April 18-May 13
Taurus: May 13-June 21
Gemini: June 21-July 20
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23
Scorpio: Nov. 23-Nov. 29
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17
Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20


Courtesy of Yahoo News

It's Nice to Know!

This is creepy but it's good to know and keeping ourselves guarded from getting sick after doing a bank transaction on that green machine. Keep safe.

The next time you stop by an ATM to pick up money, realize that cash may not be the only thing you pick up. A new study out of the U.K. finds ATMs and public toilets carry the same bacteria that can cause sickness and diarrhea.
"We were surprised by our results because the ATM machines were shown to be heavily contaminated with bacteria," said Dr. Richard Hastings, microbiologist for BioCote, in an article by The Telegraph. "The bacteria we detected on ATMs were similar to those from the toilet."
Experts took swabs from the numeric keypads on ATMs in downtown cores around England and then took swabs from nearby public toilet seats. After leaving both swabs overnight, the sets were found to contain bacterias pseudomonads and bacillus.
BioCote, which makes an antibacterial product coating, conducted the tests after a survey revealed Brits think public toilets are the biggest health risk. Public toilets ranked as the dirtiest places in the country, but cash machines only ranked 10th.
(Photo provided by The Canadian Press)

Top 10 Value Destinations for 2011

Every new year is a another new resolution that one can make and want to follow. I personally, love the idea of traveling and seeing the other parts of the world, rich with culture and awesome people. It opened my eyes and I felt good after learning so many things about the world I live in and it gives me an idea on what to be grateful for and thankful for as well.

Check the top 10 value destinations for this year and see it for yourself.

http://travel.sympatico.ca/PhotoGalleries/articles/2011_value_destinations_50plus.htm

This is where we stayed while we were in Las Vegas, The Venetian Hotel

Apple Burritos

One of my passion is baking. It is very tasking but it's worth the sweat after you taste the great flavors of your effort. Here, I grabbed this recipe from my favorite food website. Check it out and call it your own.

Ease of Preparation: Easy A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. For that reason feel free to stir your own ideas into this dish. When you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Add more of an ingredient you like or less of something you don't like. Try substituting one ingredient for another. Remember words have no flavour, you have to add your own!

Yield: 6

Ingredients

The Burrito

• 3 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into large chunks
• 2 tablespoons + 2 tbsp apple juice
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 6 flour tortillas
• Dulce de Leche, for garnish

The Dulce de Leche

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk, label removed

The Burrito

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Put apples in a pot with all but 2 tbsp of the apple juice, brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the apples are beginning to break down and thicken, about 15 minutes.
4. Stir cornstarch into the remaining 2 tbsp of apple juice and then stir mixture into the apples.
5. Stir in walnuts.
6. Lay a flour tortilla onto a flat work surface and spoon a large spoonful of the apple mixture along the edge closest to you.
7. Fold in the sides and then roll up the burrito.
8. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
9. Place on a baking sheet seam side down and bake until crispy and golden, about 15 minutes.
10. Spoon some Dulce de Leche over burritos and serve.

The Dulce de Leche

1. Place can of milk into a medium saucepan and fill with water, covering the top of the can with at least 2 inches of water.
2. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Simmer can for 3 hours, adding water if necessary to keep the can submerged.

3. Do not let the pan boil dry or the can could explode, as long as it is submerged in hot simmering water it is safe!
4. Remove can and let cool completely.
5. The milk will be transformed into a very thick, dark caramel. Spoon over burritos.

Chicken Quesadillas

I've tweaked it a little bit in order to call it my own. It turns out to be pretty good!

Who knew a nuzzle could breed so much nastiness.