Bidazzled - Unique Auction Site

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bidazzled. All opinions are 100% mine.

I recently found Bidazzled on twitter, an auction and bidding website which was launched in early November this year, Bidazzled.com is redefining the online auction market by offering savings of up to 90% on branded merchandise all while funding a lung cancer charity (The Ruch Foundation: www.ruchfoundation.com ).

I was pretty impressed with their website and the user interface. The products they had on offer were also pretty impressive. I did not waste time and joined straight away.

There are some major players on that site already.....I think you are going to need A LOT of bids to win any high ticket items, considering how high the lower ticket items went tonight and how many bidders were bidding like crazy...The Kodak Easy Share went for $76.32, the Cuisinart Hand Blender ended at $14.22, the Wii Resort ended at $30.96, the 8 gig SanDisc Cruzer thumbdrive thingy went for $14.40 and the 4 gig Ipod Shuffle went for $27.54..these are really high end prices,but the site was created to fund a charity, so I hope it continues to do well. No shill bidders that I could see...a lot of the people there tonight were also beta testing and many I recognized from other sites. I think they have a huge following through the charity.

At Bidazzled, if you don’t win, you may apply your investment in that auction towards purchasing that item. In addition Bidazzled give bids back in the form of Bonus Bids. Currently Bidazzled are running a promotion where everyone receives 25% of their normal bids back in the form of bonus bids (Max of 50 per auction). To help bidders from spending too much, they show how many paid bids a person has used so they can see when to exit the auction so they can purchase the item for less than winning the auction.

Recipe and step in making ginger punch

oh yeah this is a recipe and step in making ginger punch:

Materials:
• fresh ginger, skinned and sliced 50g
• Pineapple, cut into pieces 200g
• ½ cup lime
• Honey 2sdm

How to Make:
• Enter the ginger into a food extractor and set aside.
• Capur with pineapple and honey, and enter into the juicer.
• Chill in the refrigerator.
• Serve in a cold state. for 1 cup

You may not know it, but if you have Charter digital, you have On Demand. And it’s free to access.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

I made it a goal to watch at least one movie per week, so Fridays are usually my movie nights. I lost count with how many movies I've watched for the past 2 years, but it was a whole lot. I watched the Pink Panther series to the Pirates of the Caribbean to Amelie to Batman. Even now, I'm still catching up with movies from long ago since growing up, I didn't have the luxury of renting movies at Blockbuster. I'm not too picky about movies. I could watch almost anything just as long as it has some well-written plot.

There were several weeks when I watched like 2 movies in a row, which was probably like 5 hours max. I was dizzy and seeing spots after that. Another thing is to watch movies with a significant other, a few friends, or even your family. With company, this heightens your sensory experience. And for those who love comedy, laughter is contagious!

I found these site which will let us watch the show we want right away. No more waiting or worries with schedules!... On Demand is a free service provided when you order digital cable through Charter Cable Company. If provides anytime access to favorite cable shows, kids favorites, music, movies and series that you may have missed. To watch movies from premium channels you must also subscribe to the premium channels. It is also called Video On Demand because you can pause and stop the show like a video. You can press "Pause" on the remote to stop the show, "Rewind" and "Fast Forward" just like you would a video tape or DVD. You can even press "Stop" change the channel, return later, and continue where you left off.

So Go ahead and learn more at charter.net/ondemand and you can also get updates and fun extras on Charter’s Facebook page too.

I do not like the taste of unfiltered tap water

Since I do not like the taste of unfiltered tap water, I started buying bottled water to get me started. I also bought some low calorie water flavoring, that helps to improve your immune system. I made a simple goal of constantly having a water bottle within reach, and whenever I felt like eating, to drink water first. Some times I wasn't actually hungry, but thirsty. Having the water nearby at all times, made it easy, as I started to naturally drink more and more. I did not crave sugary drinks after the first week. I now simply flavor my tap water.

If you can't stand the taste of your tap water, buy bottled, filter it, or add low or zero calorie flavoring. Keeping it on hand at all times, will increase the chances that you will drink.

Harvard School of Public Health, on the Consumption of Dairy Products (2005)

I just wanted to share this info.

“The recommendation to drink three glasses of low-fat milk or eat three servings of other dairy products per day to prevent osteoporosis is another step in the wrong direction. … Three glasses of low-fat milk add more than 300 calories a day. This is a real issue for the millions of Americans who are trying to control their weight. What’s more, millions of Americans are lactose intolerant, and even small amounts of milk or dairy products give them stomachaches, gas, or other problems. This recommendation ignores the lack of evidence for a link between consumption of dairy products and prevention of osteoporosis. It also ignores the possible increases in risk of ovarian cancer and prostate cancer associated with dairy products.”

http://www.milksucks.com/index2.asp

I wanted to become a vegetarian

Chewing on muscle suddenly grossed me out—this had been alive only days ago, walking around. I had been working on this already for several weeks. I was at a point where i was eating meat only once every few days, while i built up more veggie dishes. Then, i had a tragic experience while driving my favorite short cut to work thru the forest. I thought i hit a ground hog. He did run directly under my car, there was little to nothing i could do. I don't think i actually hit him, i saw him walk away in my mirror. But i kept thinking about it all day, that i might had taken his life. That night i went out to eat and got stuck at this place with literally nothing non-meat on the menu. (Rare, it was a late-night shortlist.) I ordered this chicken cutlet pasta dish and had only 1 bite of the chicken. Chewing on muscle suddenly grossed me out -- this had been alive only days ago, walking around. It was raised to be killed just for me. That was it.

Well, we'll see how this goes. I went to the grocery store and stocked up on a huge variety of veggie staples. There's so much instant stuff now too. I often wind up making a quick dinner for myself, and even that is feasible. Always ate a lot of Indian, Thai & Chinese food and these i can still enjoy. Never was fond of 'fake-meat' soy products, but might try chopping them up and folding into omlets, quiche, soup, etc.

I decided to start cooking for myself to get used to budgeting.

I plan to move and I can already cook, so I decided to start cooking for myself to get used to budgeting.

I started by buying a fridge. I'll be taking the fridge with me when I move out, otherwise it wouldn't have been worthwhile buying one.
I buy food in multipacks that can be frozen. It's cheaper to buy things in bulk, but if you buy fresh for one person, you have to use them up quickly. I've also started keeping my bread in the fridge because I'd only get through half the loaf and it would be mouldy.

Real Property Management

I know a friend of mine, who owns a forty three door apartment. Her son- in- law is managing all of this in her behalf because she goes out of the country to visit her children in the United States from time to time. His job is from accepting and choosing the right tenants, collecting monthly payments, repairing, reattaching and more, regarding real property management. She admires the ability of her son-in-law in maintaining the interior and exterior of the units but in collecting payments she’s very disappointed. Because he always made quarrel with the tenants, especially delinquent payees. In one incident, they were even sued to court by their tenant due to wrong eviction process. To manage and maintain a property is not that easy. You must not only focus on the property but also dealing with the kind of tenant as well. If ever you read this article and if you think that you have the same problem with my friend,I would suggest you to visit Real Property Management.

Obese people are suing the fast food chains they eat at?!?

I'm doing a paper for school and my personal opinion is that i think people need to grow up. It is ridiculous that obese people are suing the fast food chains they eat at, saying it was the companies that made them obese. Fast food corporations did not drive you to restaurant's and force you to buy a super sized value meal with extra mayo and then hold you at gun point and shove it down your throat. Nope, you did that all on your own.

Honestly, I think America has gone sue crazy. I don't think people should be able to sue tobacco companies either. It's time for everyone to realize that the decisions they make are their own, as well as the consequences. We need to take responsibility for ourselves and stop pointing the finger everywhere else. It's the only way we'll ever have any control over our own lives.

Any other opinions, I'm open to all.

thanks guys:)

Handling legitimate complaints in a responsible & professional manner

1. Listen, listen, listen. Let the angry client talk through his problems and get it all out of his system. This step is important because the more time a customer spends airing his grievances, the more time he has to calm down.

2. Allow the client to express his opinions. Do not yell or curse at the customer. Do not, however, allow the client to be abusive toward you.

3. Maintain your personal integrity at all times. If the customer is abusive, say calmly "I understand you are frustrated, and I want to help you, but let's remain professional."

4. Be sympathetic. Make sure the customer knows that you understand his frustration and acknowledge the mistake that has been made. Recognize the customer's feelings about the mistake - how it must have felt to be the customer in this situation.

5. Be empathetic. Listen actively. Restate the customer's complaint, "reflecting" his or her feelings back to him or her. That will let him/her know you are listening and that you understand his or her feelings.

6. Ask questions. After he completes his story, ask about the facts and details of the matter at hand. Move into problem solution mode -- know when to ask open-ended questions, when to stick with "yes" or "no" questions.

7. Apologize. Let the customer know you are sorry they have had a tough time (even if it's not really your company's fault - many times, an irate customer just wants to know someone cares that s/he is inconvenienced). A simple, "I'm so sorry this happened" will do. If you find that your company is at fault, definitely apologize again. Be sure to be sincere.

8. Offer to try to fix the problem. Imagine that this was happening to you, and what you'd want done.

9. Ask what will make the client happy. If he is without any ideas, recommend some.

10. Have the client agree to a possible solution to the matter. He will be happier if he feels he had some say in how his complaint will be handled.

11. Always "recap". Restate again every change you've made, and every new charge/adjustment you've made.

12. Write a clear, concise log of the incident so the rest of your staff is prepared in case there is follow-up needed. What would you want to find in the notes if this customer called back?

* After the complaint is handled, follow up and be sure the solution worked.
* Keep a complaint log. If you see the same thing keeps popping up you can recommend a change in policy that will improve things.
* Don't forget to thank the customer for taking the time to speak with you and work on a solution. A complaining customer has done you a favor. He has identified a problem in your business and he has given you the chance to keep his business. If you lose a client, you lose both his business, the business he would have referred to your company, and any people he might scare off by word-of-mouth.
* Problem customers can become expensive if they continually make harsh demands. Keep records of complaints made and determine if you really want to keep a particular client.

* Some customers use complaints as a way of getting discounts or credits. Beware of the client who is constantly grinding you for any little thing he can think of. You'll know if it starts happening. As in the item above, some clients are not worth keeping as they cost you more than you make from them. That's not good business on your part. Handling legitimate complaints in a responsible, professional manner is part of doing good business. So is firing opportunistic, manipulative clients who are trying to scam a higher discount off you.

Generally speaking, the more you indicate that you agree with the customer (even if you don't), the more they will calm down...

Assure them that they are not the only person who feels this way.

One of the most frustrating things (to me - as a "client" or "customer") is when an employee of a company acts like they have nothing to do with the situation and there is some magical "other" department that is supposed to handle people like me.... I will go OFF on an employee who tries to pull that crap with me.

Another thing that makes me angry is when employees of a company try to tell me how things work at their company as though I have no say in the matter... I am the customer and will be treated as more important than the CEO if I want...

Don’t Miss Your Chance To Win $5,000

I had been wanting to get contacts for a while, and then one day, my girlfriend went in to get an eye exam while I did some shopping. I met up with her there, and she said, "Hey, why not get your contacts?" So I did. The doctor was nice, but a little rough putting in the contacts for the first time. Then I had to take the "contacts class" where a girl who didn't even wear contacts tried to show me how to put them in & take them out. It felt like I sat there an hour in frustration trying to put them in correctly, and neither the "teacher" nor my girlfriend were helping, but I finally got them in. It didn't get much better though as I struggled everyday to put them in, which would usually take me half an hour. When I did manage to get them in in under ten minutes, I couldn't have been happier. But I think all the struggling and constant poking of my eyes made my left eye get dry. About a week after I started wearing them, the left eye would constantly hurt, no matter how much I lubricated it.

So I went back to the doctor for my follow-up & told her (a different doctor) about my situation. She checked me out & said I had dry spots on my cornea that were being irritated by the contacts sitting on top. She put me on a strict "no contacts for five days" regimen & gave me some ultra-juicy eye drops.

But for those of you who are not as fortunate as me, why not join "You Gotta See This" contest by Abbott Medical Optics Inc. (AMO), a global leader in laser vision correction, wants to know how better vision could improve — or has improved — people’s lives. AMO recently launched the “You Gotta See This” Video Contest, inviting entrants to make a video showing the impact of improved vision, for a chance to win cash and prizes. People have already submitted:
• original music videos
• videos on boxing and swimming
• videos that just show how their daily lives would improve

The iLASIK Video Contest is still open for more entries, so visit the site and submit one. Here are the details.

The Prizes
$5,000 Grand Prize

First Prize (one in each video category):
HDTV package — a $2,500 value

Second Prize (one in each video category):
The Flip UltraHD camcorder — a $199.99 value

The Details
1. Submit A Video
Users make and submit a video in one of the following categories:
• “My contacts are getting in the way of my good time”
• “My favorite sport or activity would be so much cooler with better vision”
• “You should see life after the iLASIK Procedure”

2. Tell Friends To Vote
Once users submit a video, their friends can vote on it. And votes are one of the key factors in determining which videos win a prize.

3. Have A Chance To Win
• One Grand Prize winner will win $5,000 — selected from all submitted videos
• Three First Prize winners will win an HDTV package(a $2,500 value) — one per video category
• Three Second Prize winners will win the Flip UltraHD camcorder (a $199.99 value) — one per video category.

Users can submit videos, view and vote on all entries at www.GottaSeeThisNow.com.

Oatmeal acts as base for the acidity of the bug bites and itch form rashes and skin diseases such as eczema

Oatmeal acts as base for the acidity of the bug bites and itch from rashes, it has therapeutic effect and it is really good for the skin. It's soothing and it is good for those who have sensitive skin too. It also has a cleaning agent that is mild and can make our skin soft and smooth. It makes the skin free from itch and redness. I have used Oatmeal bar soap, the brand is Sw+ss, I don't know if it was from Switzerland..(Lol) Anyway, I have used it for my face and body because I had sunburn before (we had a vacation 2 years ago and we went to Boracay,beach resort)...it's really effective in soothing my skin. I also found out that it heals some skin rashes and eczema. Oatmeal was used in curing skin problems back on the ancient times. The Egyptians use it as a soap, which means that oatmeal is a great cleansing agent and medicine as well.

Online Car Search

Finding your next car, whether new or used cars, whether to finance, pay cash or lease - Just a click away. Buying a used car is not that much easier as it is said. The condition of the engine , performance, mileage and the overall performance of the car has to be taken into account. Used cars, new cars , cars for leasing, van leasing and many more features are also available at BuyYourCar.co.uk...

BuyYourCar.co.uk has something unique to offer, via this uniqueness they stolen a march on their competition. The uniqueness in BuyYourCar.co.uk is that it allows consumers to search and enquire on New Cars, Used Cars, Car Leasing, Contract Hire and Van Leasing and even compare offers across all of these purchase routes. BuyYourCar.co.uk even supplies independent Car Reviews and links to competitive loans and insurance.

Sponsored by: buyyourcar.co.uk

I enjoy water a lot more

After reading an article about how people confuse hunger for thirst, I immediately thought to myself "No wonder." So I started to try to drink more water, but it really didn't work because I thought that an eight ounce cup was one of those "Plastic Red Cup" cups and I was drinking about 16 ounces of water at a time. So I ended up drinking too much water daily, which really upset my stomach and strained my bladder. About 3 weeks after trying that in a final attempt to drink more water, I used a calculator and it figured that I should be drinking about 2 liters (about 8 cups of water) of water everyday. So instead of figuring how much water each cup in my household contains, I just went out and bought one of those cute eco-friendly aluminum bottles to drink from. Then in the morning I would fill the bottle up take a drink and then have breakfast. I would occasionally drink from the bottle the entire day (and of course fill it up once more) and without even much of a thought I had just drank 2 liters of water!

I think a good perfume is like a good pair of shoes!

I’ve bought Juicy Couture 'last year' and Guerlain L’Instant 'last week'. I like them both, Guerlain more-so, but I do not consider either to be my "signature scent." I like flowerbomb too, but I’m already tired of it – it’s too trendy. Prada Iris is tempting – I have to try it again.

I would like to look into more inaccessible lines, like Ormonde Jayne and Parfums de Nicolai and L’Artisan Parfumeur.

Since I’m just starting out in the world of fragrance, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed, unsure of exactly what I want. online perfume and www.scent.net have been very helpful.

Sponsored by: www.scent.net

My dream

It’s been a dream of mine, for quite sometime, to open my own gourmet restaurant. I know it sounds kinda weird, but it’s just the atmosphere of a busy kitchen that makes me feel good! I wanna be a great chef whose cooking will be known throughout the world. It’s the satisfaction of creating a work of art that someone is going to appreciate and knowing that I’ve made it with my own two hands that gets me going!

I tried sushi two weeks ago.

Two weeks ago, we went out to dinner with some friends who are getting married today. We went to this fantastic sushi bar/japanese restaurant, and sat a hibatchi table where all our food was prepared fresh and in front of us. What an experience!! IT was amazing, the food was divine, and everyone had a great time!

So…they order some sushi, which I have always said that I wanted to try, just for the experience. They offered me some, which I at first declined, but then figured..it’s now or never baby!! So I did it..I had a tuna roll.

So interesting. I put a bit o f wasabi on the end, and a lit dip in the soy sauce, and then popped it in my mouth. The explosion of flavor when I bit down was AMAZING!!! Of course, once I bit again, the texture kinda got to me, but I persevered (hey, I was in the middle of a restaurant, I couldn't just spit it out, ya know?? LOL) and with each bite it got better, and finally towards the end of it it was quite enjoyable.

I seriously doubt that I will ever do it again. But I am very proud of myself for trying it, and I can say that I have done it.

I’m glad that I reached this goal, and also that obtaining it was a result fo other things I have been working on about myself, like not being so scared, and being in charge of myself.

I can’t imagine my life without coffee in it

I’ve reduced my coffee intake drastically over the past month. I went from 4 cups to 2 cups a day. I can’t imagine my life without coffee in it, it does have some health benefits. I just wanted to stop drinking a whole pot a day. I would like to get down to maybe even one cup and that will be enough to satisfy my habit.

The sleep agent

I was getting sleepy every morning most 10 a.m. Couldn't figure it as I wasn't doing anything to get sleep about. But it'd hit me every day most 10 a.m. Then one day I was watching the Food Network Unwrapped series where they talk most foods, how they are made, the history and a bunch of other great and interesting stuff.

This episode was talking to Ben and Jerry's creators and they mentioned that ice cream is a good \"sleep agent\" because it has milk in it which is always something everyone knows - warm milk helps you sleep. When asked why ice cream - that really cold stuff - makes you sleepy.

The guy says drive it is made with milk and milk has metal in it and metal makes you dozy so you get sleepy. Doesn't' matter if it is hot or cold. Calcium makes you sleepy. I thought that was very interesting, but didn't think some more most it, until a some days later when I realized that I was taking my calcium supplement every morning and by 10 a.m I was sleepy! It was the metal that was making me sleepy! I tested it and stopped taking it and the sleepy spells stopped! I tested it further and take a metal tablet every period and with in most 1/2 an hour of laying down... I doze off! Granted it is just a dozy - you either go to sleep or if you get up the \"spell\" is broken, but I swear it helps me get to sleep every night! Calcium supplementation is recommend by doctors, so why not make it work overtime for you! Works like a charm for me every night!

My favorite kind of chicken noodle soup

I enjoy chicken soup just about any time of day. But, my favorite time for chicken noodle is for lunch. Maybe it's because when I was sick, or just really cold as a kid, my mom would make it for me for lunch. So, I just seemed to get stuck into that habit.

My favorite kind of chicken noodle soup is Campbell's original chicken noodle. I have tried a number of other kinds through the years, but none seem to compare to the original. I can't believe it is now 68 cents per can. Iremember when you used to be able to get 5 or 6 cans for a dollar.

I also like a ton of crackers in my soup. So many crackers, that there is no broth left. It's probably really bad for me, all of those carbs and the sodium, but I really like. Plus, my favorite crackers to eat with the soup are the Town House Zesta crackers!

I never want to eat it again.

On the occasion that my parents would be going somewhere to get ice cream (growing up) and they asked me what kind I preferred, I would say get me something weird. At our local Braum's they had an awful lot of ice cream and combinations. So over the years they brought some crazy flavors of ice cream home.

But there was one I hated.

It isn't too unusual really.

It was Peppermint Ice cream.

I never want to eat it again.

So the worst flavor of ice cream you've ever had the misfortune of eating is/was...?

It's very difficult to eat healthy these days.

It's very difficult to eat healthy these days. I've almost given up finding healthy foods in the big shops. I'm growing my own veggies now and try to do source everything else from undisturbed nature. You have all these refined foods, like refined carbohydrates and refined sugars that only fills your stomach and make you believe that you have eaten something, when in fact you are only fooling yourself. Refined carbohydrates are devoid of almost all nutrients, because of all the 'polishing' to make it appeal better to the consumer. The consumer is much to blame for this in being finicky about the appearance or the consistent taste, that all the methods used to satisfy the consumer renders the food almost useless and sometimes simply dangerous.

In your daily diet of consuming food.. Do you think you stick to a good diet and think you eat healthy?

Or are you having trouble eating the daily nutrients of food? Are you planning to eat healthy soon because you fear for your health?

Tell us on your eating habit and how healthy you think you are eating these days!

Is there anything more delicious than the taste of the fruit of your own labors?

Today is the 29th of September. I have beautiful squash plants growing, and some decent lettuce seeing as how it’s hot here. I have a few good herbs, BUT I have creatures who are eating all of the tomatoes. I decided yesterday that if they want them, they can have them. I planted more flowers and nurtured what is still "mine". This garden is better than the last one, which is the goal, but sharing all of the food was not part of the plan. Still the joy comes from planting and working in the dirt, so I guess we’re all winning.

My homemade eggnog pie

I have loved eggnog pie since I was a kid, but I’d only ever had it from the cartons in the dairy aisle. I’d never had fresh, homemade eggnog pie before. Until Sunday night. My wife and I put up our little fake tree, put on the Christmas carols, and I made eggnog pie (courtesy of a recipe from Alton Brown’s Good Eats). It was AMAZING.

I think I probably over-beat the egg whites, but other than that, it’s GLORIOUS. (I also changed the bourbon to spiced rum; I’m a rum man. And it was great.) It’s got a lot of ingredients to remember, but I think if I make it another couple of times I should have it down. And if not, well, Christmas is only once a year: I think I can be forgiven for having to look it up!

I picked this goal for my 101 in 1001 list

I picked this goal for my 101 in 1001 list, but then I realized that "learn to mix drinks" isn’t really very measurable. I have since decided that this goal will mean the following:

Be able to mix 30 different drinks from memory, 10 of which my wife likes.

Because if I’m going to mix drinks, I’m going to need to learn some important ones that I’ll actually use once or twice a year.

My wife likes these drinks

I’m going through quite a few tastings and trials during the summer vacation, because this is a time with: (a) a lot of time off and (b) a lot of opportunities to pour drinks for me and my friends.

I’ve tried a few horrible, horrible drinks (the Horse’s Neck? UGH), but a few that were good enough to stick in my memory and remain on the list:

Black Russian (2 oz vodka, 1 oz Kahlua, in an old-fashioned glass over ice)
White Russian (1.5 oz vodka, 1 oz Kahlua, 2 oz cream, in an old-fashioned glass over ice)

These two are drinks my wife likes, with a few alterations (a little more creme de cacao in the Brandy Alexander, a little more cream/milk in both), so that’s filling up nicely as well!

[3rd Week] I’ve gone three weeks now without any soft drinks.

I’ve gone three weeks now without any soft drinks. I don’t feel as crappy as I did when I first came off them, but I don’t feel the benefits I thought I would either. Maybe I need some more time for my metabolism to regulate.

I’m marking this as done though, because three weeks is a good marker, and I feel confident that I can avoid them mostly for the rest of my life. My only issue is the use of a mixer. For this purpose, I may permit myself a splash of sugar free cola, but I haven’t really decided yet.

I’m going to keep adding new goals aimed at helping increase my energy and quality of sleep.

[2nd Week] Today my throat has felt about 80% bearable

Wow, if you thought last week was bad, this is like Week One: The Motion Picture. I’ve developed tonsillitis about two weeks after having flu and was told today that it’s probably due to giving up soft drinks because removing an addiction weakens the immune system.

Today my throat has felt about 80% bearable, meaning I haven’t wanted to curl up and scream for most of the day, but I’ve also got this pounding headache on top of it which is refusing to go away.

Come on pain gods, do your worst.

[1st week] Almost a full week with no carbonated, sugary beverage.

Almost a full week with no carbonated, sugary beverage. I feel like total crap and I’m only just starting to get breaks in my near constant headache. Although this is compounded by a bout of the flu I’m recovering from.

Mostly, I’m getting through it by telling myself that the reason I feel so bad is because of the soft drinks, so drinking them is just going to bring the problems back.

Also, I’m paying close attention to all my physical symptoms. Working out when I’m really thirsty and finding what will alleviate that. Soothing my headaches with the right painkillers, moderately taken.

I’ve been drinking some kind of Cola almost every day without fail for about ten years, with a break at one point of about three weeks. And it seems quite horrifying when I think of it like that. I just don’t want to be a slave to anything. I want my actions to be my own choice, my own responsibility.

Finally got my delivery of Japanese ingredients from the asian supermarket

Finally got my delivery of Japanese ingredients from the asian supermarket in the city. Some of the packaging seems so strange…what looks like a hard plastic bottle feels like a water balloon to the touch and there are cute pictures of random smiling characters everywhere. Panko breadcrumbs, shichimi spice, mirin, dashi, pickled ginger and every type of noodle known to man. How exciting, I can’t wait to try a recipe!

I am able to serve my family good meals

I have so far learned how to cook 6 different pastas and Japanese…tomorrow will be Filipino dishes followed by Thai. So far so good. I have been able to replicate the dishes at home. I have also been collecting recipes and tips from friends who are good cooks. I am now beginning to believe that I can actually become a real good cook…although if my recipe book disappears, I think I will also lose the ability to cook for now anyways…am happy…am excited that I am able to serve my family good meals. Hoping to improve…improve…improve…

I’m interested in trying new recipes

Now that my family has gotten used to me cooking since I’ve come home for summer vacation, they never cook! I’ve been getting great feedback from my parents and my loveones. She gave me the best compliment the other day… that my pasta salad is better than her moms! Wow! :D

I’m starting to run out of new recipes that I’m interested in trying… I want to keep trying new recipes until school starts up! So far I’ve been told that I’m a good cook! Yay!

I’m interested in trying new recipes

Now that my family has gotten used to me cooking since I’ve come home for summer vacation, they never cook! I’ve been getting great feedback from my parents and my girlfriend. She gave me the best compliment the other day… that my pasta salad is better than her moms! Wow! :D

I’m starting to run out of new recipes that I’m interested in trying… I want to keep trying new recipes until school starts up! So far I’ve been told that I’m a good cook! Yay!

Remembering

I remember... 2 years ago that was August 21. A peanut butter and banana sandwich. The bread was toasted in order to melt the peanut butter slightly, and the banana was cut length-wise instead of the little wheels I remember from my childhood.

To all Elvis fans: although the King favored a more heart clogging variety of this southern classic, no bacon should be used on a pb-’n’-b. Show some restraint, for God’s sake!

Doing this thing

Encountering the combination of being hungry and also procrastinating while writing a Marketing paper, I found myself heading to the fridge.

Normally, I’m a big fan of the beef, ham, and turkey with monterey jack lettuce on toasted wheat with ranch (low-fat b/c I can’t tell the difference,) but sadly I was out of ham, lettuce, and the montery jack. Fortunately, it gave me the opportunity to open the Colby jack I just picked up, and ghawd-damn is that stuff delicious.

Maybe I might just replace sharp Cheddar with this on my next burger. “maybe.”

do you buy your veggies and fruit in bulk?

Its expensive to use so much food for a little cup of juice. i had to take a break because it was getting too expensive and wasteful. i should find recipes to use the pulp for.

My mom took me to an orchard around our town that sells GIANT bags of “checked” apples and pears, which is pretty much fruit that is not good enough to be sold for full price. it was about 2$ for a huge bag of apples and pears. they have dents in them or some bad spots. but for the most part, they're great and super cheap. they make for a good base. then you can add one or two of the more expensive things from the grocery store.

I bought lots of fresh fruit at the market tonight

I bought lots of fresh fruit at the market tonight and spent a good portion of the evening washing, chopping, cutting. My ‘fridge looks quite organized... with tubs of strawberries, oranges, grapes and, the best.. yummy fresh pineapple. I’ve always loved fresh pineapple but never bought it. It wasn’t nearly as messy as I thought it would be...

the worst part was my little one sitting across the bar saying . . . ‘One more piece Mom, just one more piece, PLEASE!’

We have snacks ready as we need them this w/end and if necessary, I’ll go to the market again on Monday. We’re all kinda fruity you know.

eat more fruits and veggies

I’ve definitely been eating a lot more fruits and veggies since the summer began. I feel like I have accomplished this goal but I don’t want to take it off in case I forget.

Seriously though, having a bunch of apples in the fridge really helps because they taste awesome and you can take it to go. I always have one on my way to work

Freshly-juiced juices always look so appetizing

I actually don’t like juice. I never have. But freshly-juiced juices always look so appetizing, and I know it will be extremely healthy for me. I now have a juicer and am convinced I WILL come to love juice! It’s great because it’s easy to digest and I’ll be able to squeeze more produce into my diet, but that’s the thing – it takes so much! I need to start working harder at hunting sale items.

My goal is to juice daily by September so I’ll have something to sip in the morning during my commute. I need to get some more “recipes” too (I’m really bad at the proportions)!

A pasta machine

A few years ago I convinced my wife we needed to buy a pasta machine for $30 bucks. At least once a month I try to make pasta, and I love it. Pasta is a simple food, just Eggs flour and water, and can be made so many different ways. I know that buying pasta is cheap, but making it is even less expensive. Also, pasta can be frozen or even dried.

I wanted to learn how to make homemade pasta

I wanted to learn how to make homemade pasta, so I found a simple recipe and went at it! It’s surprisingly simple. The hardest and most time consuming part was rolling out the dough because I don’t have a pasta machine, but I’m sure it would be much less time consuming if I invested in one. Making your own pasta is cheaper and in my opinion better for you. Next time I’m going to experiment with different whole grain flours to see how they work.

So slow and steady. Sllloooowwww….

I’ve technically been following my food plan for the last little bit, but it doesn’t feel good. I think it’s because I’ve left the door so wide open when it comes to what I can eat. Before I started on the plan, I ate better than that, but now since I’ve given myself such a wide slate, I’m regressing. So I’m going to adjust to.

My meals have to be relatively ‘healthy’ and contain at least 1 of the food groups. No ice cream for breakfast.

But I’ve been doing good on the drinking water thing. It’s not very difficult at all to get 4 glasses in a day. Usually I wind up drinking a bit more.

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