We hear the Auld Lang Syne
sung typically at midnight on New Year’s Eve, and is a tradition that has been handed down for generations, but just what is the Auld Lang Syne and what does the Auld Lang Syne mean?
Auld Lang Syne History
Auld Lang Syne is an old song by Robert Burns (1759–1796), and though there are similar poems which predate Burns’ version, like Robert Ayton (1570–1638), Allan Ramsay (1686-1757) and James Watson (1711) , this probably is the most popular.
I know were all probably guilty about singing it out loud on news year’s; well actually attempt to sing, because the melody is easier to remember than the lyrics; in fact not a lot of people can probably sing it correctly and in full. Auld Lang Syme is a very old Scottish song and means “times gone by.”
If you would like lyrics to the song, with a matching Scottish pronunciation guide, check out Auld Lang Syne on Wikipedia.
So that’s the story behind Auld Lang Zyne, may you all have a prosperous, happy and content 2008 ahead!
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Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
And here’s a hand, my trusty friend
And gie’s a hand o’ thine
We’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne
Sawasdee is a Thai greeting.. it could mean hello, hello good morning!
Allow me to greet you with some good news, if you like Thai food just as much as I do…
Krua Thai BTC turns 2 this September and is offering 2 Anniversary treats..
A Garden Salad Buffet for only P169 nett Mondays to Fridays for lunch and dinner.
A Royal Weekend Buffet for pm;y P299 inclusive of bottomless iced tea on Saturdays and Sundays for lunch and dinner.
Promo good from Sept 1 to Sept 30, 2007.
See you there!
You’re probably scratching your head what New Year’s Cooking Resolutions are? They are still basically New Year’s Resolutions , but with a twist.
People will always make a New Year’s resolution; and many will also break that new year’s resolution before the year gets far underway. There are even those who don’t even last the first day of the new year, before that day ends one or two new year’s resolutions have already been broken.
A majority of people put right at the very top of their list, health related items such as losing weight, or eating healthier, or getting a little bit of exercise each day.
This post is a little bit on the health side, but from a different food perspective. For those who are planning to eat healthier in 2008, there is hope. Just remember to immediately begin the practice rather than putting it off.
So if you have declared 2008 as the the year that you take steps to reduce your weight and improve your overall health… loading up on carbohydrates and champagne is certainly not the way to start out.
Start the year by understanding portion size, the value of fresh vegetables, that meat isn’t supposed to take up most of your plate, and that dessert is a rare treat and not an inevitable ending to every meal.
So here are some new year’s cooking resolutions that you might want to consider. Why? Because in order to eat right and eat healthy, you not only need to rethink the way you eat but also the way you prepare the food you love to eat.
New Year’s Cooking Resolution Tips
1. High fat preparation methods are out.
What is IN, is the use of seasonings that contain no, or very few calories and leave little fat behind. Herbs and seasonings are a healthy cook’s best friends because they help liven up the taste in your health conscious meals.
2. Stop frying.
Frying food adds simple carbohydrates and fat in the process; two things you need to eliminate from your diet. It would not be wise to rid yourself totally of carbohydrates however, but to switch to food that has more complex carbohydrates, which are healthier to consume. Fats should always be in moderation however, and food that is high on fat should be looked upon as a special and occasional treat rather than a daily indulgence like, dinner.
3. Bigger is not better.
By sticking to the proper portion sizes, you can avoid over eating and feeling bloated or stuffed later on. This happens often during the holidays where there are lots of parties, a buffet table with a sumptuous spread. Try not to fill up your plate and pace yourself as you eat and do not rush, if you are still hungry then go for seconds, but only putting less than half of what was on your plate on the previous run. This will help you understand your limits.
Cooking Tip for New Years To Get You Started
Prepare for smaller meals instead of cooking one huge meal for New Year’s Day, then carry that eating ethic through the rest of the year. Far too many of us really enjoy food to the extent that we overindulge, which also prevents the body from working properly.
Some cultures believe that whatever it is you are doing on the first day of the year or New Year’s Day, you will end up doing the rest of the year. So if you want 2006 to be a healthy eating and cooking year, then you best be getting started with this new eating and cooking habit.
Amen! That is probably a chorus in agreement in response to the question, does the hallelujah diet really heal the people who are on the hallelujah diet. But does it really?
To be honest I never really knew what this hallelujah diet was all about, in fact it was not until some weeks ago that I kept coming across it on the news and finally I clicked a link to find out what it was. So if you are wondering just what the hallelujah diet is all about, keep reading and I will tell you what I dug up about this diet.
The Hallelujah diet is a diet that is promoted by Rev. George Malkmus. Like many popular diets today, the hallelujah has had its share of controversy which has something to do with its curative claims. Doctors and professional nutritionists are challenging its curative claims, saying their is no scientific proof that supports the claim; on the other hand Rev. Malkmus maintains that it is indeed scientifically validated and can even prolong a persons life.
But what sort of food is allowed in a hallelujah diet? This diet puts emphasis on raw fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Nothing really new actually, and is advice common to other diets. What really is cause for argument is its supposed ability to cure numerous diseases. As a supplement to this diet, you have to buy Malkmus’ own trademarked dietary supplements, the most common of these supplements are Barley Max, Carrot Max and Vitamin B12.
I’d say this is good marketing, especially with a clear cut target market for the hallelujah diet and his products, who mainly belong to Christian communities such as Baptists, Charismatics, and Pentecostals.
So does the hallelujah diet really work?
I can’t really say for sure, as I have not really tried it myself. The bottom line is, fruits and vegetables have always been recommended as part of a healthy diet, but knowing that fruits and vegetables are not enough, we have to complement this with other nutrient sources and keep intake within certain limits, within what doctors or professional nutritionists would recommend to be a healthy and balanced diet.
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Interested in trying out the Hallelujah Diet? Check out some hallelujah diet meal plans below.
Hallelujah! Simple Weekly Meal Plans
God’s Way to Ultimate Health: A Common Sense Guide for Eliminating Sickness through Nutrition
Teenage Fantasies, for lack of a better title, come to think of it I don’t think it was really the final title for this track. This is a demo that was written and recorded about 6 or 7 years ago and I stumbled on it recently while trying to figure out the password to my old You Tube account.
I thought it might be worth a listen.
Here are the dummy lyrics to the song, by dummy I mean it as temporary, just some lines to fill up the demo and try to get it to make some sense.
I
I’m in a stage of denial.
On this dark hour of my trial, as you lay there and you’re sleeping, the alcohol is kicking in.
II
I’m admiring, and contemplating on the plan that is hatching and though I try, I fail to hide my intentions on this night.
I wanna grasp, instead I clasp my hands together and fall down on my knees, I feel that need but my evil thoughts then cease, my conscience is calling. Holding back my teenage fantasies from coming to life.
III
The party’s over and I’ve long been waiting; salivating and I’m throbbing at the sight of your thighs, excruciating pain your causing!
My belt buckle is suppressing testosterone that’s raging in me, like a monkey and his banana you’re awake and I ask, so you wanna? Make my teenage fantasies come, alive.
Chorus:
Did you say no.
Or you wanna go home now.
IV
You say I’m a loser.
I’m one sick drunk and abuser, but can you blame me for just trying? If I didn’t I’d be lying to my self.
Looking for a chance to get in your pants and fail as usual, this never ending cycle has to end or do I have to spend to make my teenage fantasies come, alive.
I just got back from a two day trip from Badian, spent some time with good friends.. got some sun… have a brownish pink tan that burns a little but thats fine. The other weekend I was in Bantayan, but I didn’t get a burn, neither did I tan, I think it was the SPF 30 sun block combined with tanning oil.
For some reason, no one was able to bring sunblock, so all we had was tanning oil at 10 SPF, and yes crisp we look.
And today,Tuesday being the first day of the week, was expected to be busy, I didn’t expect it to be punctuated with several annoying situations and people.
In an ironic gesture of homage or mockery to the things that really annoyed me today, for just half the day because I went home immediately after lunch, I am making a list of these things some of which are pet peeves.
- Have you even been in a bank, and there you are waiting for your number to be called out so you can do you transaction that probably won’t take more than a minute? And it seems like everyone before you is some sort of company collector or messenger, who either deposits a wad of deposits slips to various accounts, which the teller has to to individually count and deal with. And just when you think they are done, they do another transaction… getting the teller to give them loose and broken change in individual coins for huge sums of money. Shouldn’t banks have a better system like an express lane for personal transactions which are quick and easy, and another lane for collectors, messengers and other people doing transactions for the companies’ they work for?
And so I waited over an hour, just to do a transaction that took a minute!
Now, that reminds me of another instance since we are talking about transactions, this didn’t happen today but I might as well tell you about it… ever stand in a line waiting for your turn on the ATM machine, then the person right before you has a bunch of ATM cards bunched up like a deck of cards .. holy crap they’re actually withdrawing money for every person in the company! I mean, how annoying is that… if you aren’t the least irked by that, I’d say your nuts!
Today’s Pet Peeves
- So your cruising along the highway and someone coming from the opposite direction wants to make a left thereby crossing your path, but before he waits for his chance to make that left, before the lane we are on is clear, he nudges his snout into our lane thereby partially occluding our lane, and there’s that bugger expecting you to stop while on cruise mode, imagine that.. STOP for him to make his left. Why can’t the bugger just signal, stop, then wait until the traffic coming the opposite way is clear so he can make his bloody left.
- Now here is something classic, your cruising on a four lane street, with two lanes headed either way. You are on the inner lane, then this jeep wants to suddenly cut into your lane while your on cruise speed, and it seems to be alright because that guy called a conductor who’s hanging on to the rear rail is frantically and pompously waving and signaling that they are going to cut into your lane.. my God, and they do that like when your almost right beside them.
- I was cruising on the SRP, its a huge highway with huge signs in the middle saying “Left Lanes are Passing Lanes”, and cruise lanes are middle lanes and the right shoulder lane is for slow vehicles… doesn’t it just annoy you when the car right in front of you is on the left inner lane cruising at a speed much less than the speed limit, makes you think Stevie Wonder was driving… the guy has to be blind not to see and understand those signs… but then again in the Philippines any numb-skull can get a license and any tool can actually drive a car.
- This happened several times this morning, so picture this… were cruising at regular speed on a highway, then suddenly from your left, a guy on a motorbike suddenly cuts into your lane, swerving to the right cutting across your path, to then pass the next vehicle right in front of me on the right side. To the number of people who have been flung from their bikes because of such recklessness I say “I am not surprised!” I might think about it, if an idiot on a bike miscalculates your speed while cutting into your lane from your left hand side and the rear of his bike gets caught on your fender or something, and well, that nut cracks his skull on the pavement… it becomes our fault.. the driver who was just cruising and driving safely then becomes the perpetrator in what is called “reckless imprudence” leading to physical injury or hell who knows “homicide” if that qualifies… that’s just not right!
- So I am trailing this nice looking car, wow… nice ride… you’d think the people in it have a good sense of keeping their trash like, keeping it on the floor until they find a trash can or something, why in the hell do they throw it out the window!
Anyways, I better stop now before I get even more roused and upset… there are still a lot of pet peeves I would like to write about, but maybe you should tell me some of yours… comment box below works.
What is the power of belief?
“If you think you CAN … or if you think you CAN’T … you’re right!” – Henry Ford
Is this the type of belief that one maintains when they have utter faith in their own capabilities? The same kind of belief that Terry Fox the one-legged young man from British Columbia kept in his mind when he started to run across Canada to raise money for the Cancer Society. Could this be the very same kind of belief that Rick Hanson, the wheel chair bound Canadian, held on to as he wheeled around the world to raise money for spinal cord research? Is this the power of belief at work? The persistent affirmation of their ability to do what they set out to do.
The power of belief is a spiritual power that we can use in achieving nearly impossible feats. The power of belief is the most awesome force anywhere. The power of belief is within each of us, and is unleashed by a spark created by our self confidence. When our confidence in our ability to do something is strong and unwavering, our subconscious mind is prodded to awaken our belief. This is scientifically proven, and many times over.
“If you believe you can, you will and if you believe you can’t, you are right.” – Mary Kay Ash
The power of belief is strong and as your belief increases, and you will discover things that were once just a dream or a thought, they will become fact.
“Thoughts become things.”
– Mike Dooley
In order to build your self confidence so that it will act on your belief, you have to make sure your self talk is always positive. You become your own coach and mentor, constantly encouraging yourself to do better. You have to set goals and work towards reaching them. Reaching goals and talking positively to yourself will quickly build your self confidence, and as your self confidence grows, so will your belief in your ability to do what you set out to do. The power of belief is what will make you successful in everything you do. Once your belief becomes deeply established, then little miracles will start to happen for you.
Here is an experiment conducted in a school in the U.S. , an example of just how powerful, the power of belief is.
A class of students was broken into two smaller groups. The poorer performing students were put in one class and the average and above average students, put in another class. While the average and above average class continued as usual, the under performing students were told that they were taken out of the class and put into a special class because they were the brightest students and were to be given special assignments, to prove they were truly intelligent. They were also advised not to discuss their school work with the students from the other group. They were then given the same work as the other, average above average students. Throughout the year the teacher praises the students and told them how bright they were, and by the end of the school year, the once “under achievers” were performing better than all the students in the other class.
This experiment has been conducted several times in different schools around the country, and always with the same results. When people are frequently told they are smart and can do exceptional work, they start performing at that level because the frequent repetition of praise makes them believe in their ability to perform at a higher level.
The very same thing will happen when you praise yourself over and over again. When you do something successfully, praise yourself. Always tell yourself how smart and capable you are. When your subconscious mind hears it often enough, it will take it for a fact. Your subconscious mind actually doesn’t know the difference, and cannot tell whether something is true or not. It simple “believes” what it is repeatedly told. By the same token, should you constantly belittle yourself or talk negatively to yourself, your subconscious mind will also believe that.
The power of belief can be a very effective tool in increasing productivity in the workplace. If you lead an an organization, you can use this power to convince your staff that the work they are doing is very important and is beneficial to others; you will find that their productivity increases from this motivation.
Our values are based on our beliefs. We make choices, set goals and act according to what we believe. Thus, before we can change anything in our life, we have to believe that the change we are trying to achieve is possible. Regardless of what it is we want to accomplish or become, we have a better likelihood of success if we believe we can do it and work diligently to achieve it.
“Whatever a man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill
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Christmas Cooking can be a lot of fun, but does need some amount of preparation. Here are some Christmas Cooking tips to that you may find useful.
Christmas is a time of gathering, it brings friends and family together, relatives often travel far to be with their loves ones who may not have the pleasure of being with throughout the year. While family ties may be a bit difficult to maintain in the world in which we live today, the traditions of Christmas for many families is what keeps us grounded and in touch with one another no matter how far apart we are. The problem is that if one person is doing the cooking for all, that person tends to spend endless hours in the kitchen and misses out on the joys of the company of others year after year. One way to avoid this is by rotating locations for the festivities from one year to the next. Another way, a much simpler way, is to delegate items of contribution from all guests in attendance each year so that the cooking and meal preparation duties are shared among the masses.
Of course this isn’t a perfect plan but it is a good plan. Another great plan is to prepare pieces and parts of your Christmas dinner ahead of time. With careful planning there are items that may be prepared as much as a few weeks ahead of the big day and stored either in air tight containers at room temperature or frozen for heating or baking on the big day or within a reasonable time frame of Christmas for best results. Any of the prep work that can be taken care of before the big day is one less thing to be taken care of when the time comes and that becomes a load off your mind.
Make lists. Lists are wonderful things. If you learn to live by your lists you will wonder how on earth you ever got anything done without them. When you are planning your Christmas dinner right down everything you plan to have, who is bringing what, what you are making, and what ingredients will be needed to complete each and every single dish. Go through your pantry and see which items you have in abundance and which items you will need to prepare the meals. Head to the store at least a week ahead of the big day and purchase all but the fresh ingredients you will need in order to prepare your Christmas feast.
Another thing you will need to do is make sure you have a list of all the non food items you will need to stock ahead of time. Make sure all the bathrooms are stocked, that you have plenty of garbage bags, waste baskets, paper plates, cups, napkins, cutlery, and other items that will be needed in order to make things go smoothly when your guests begin to arrive. These are little things that matter and may get overlooked if you fail to plan ahead.
You should also make a list of decorations, invitations, and gifts or games you may need to purchase for the day too. You want your day to go as smoothly as possible and you want everyone to fill wanted, appreciated, and anticipated. It may be a great idea to pick up a couple of generic gifts for a male or female in case someone unexpected shows up (you really never know) and have extra wrapping paper and supplies on hand in case someone has an emergency re-wrap (as in a kid opened a gift intended for someone else). Most importantly plan to be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy as much of the festivities as possible.
Just a few days ago, people in the Philippines commemorated the anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
I will not elaborate further on martial law, or about Marcos and how he came to his end. There are a wealth of resources about this.
As we find ourselves 21 years down the road after we have regained our so called freedoms we realize that nothing has really changed for the better and we find that the same old people are still in power, a lot of government officials still usurp power to enrich themselves, and the Filipino is still where he was .. maybe even worse.
Have we all put to waste the sacrifice of the victims of persecution, the victims of salvaging… those who quietly disappeared… have those who have been brave enough to speak out all died in vain?
I am reminded how one day in 1983… when I was barely out of childhood yet too young to be mature enough to understand issues of the world, that one Sunday afternoon when I sat on the living room watching news blare away, reporting about some sort of assassination of some person who just got back from abroad. He must have been quite a prominent I figured, given the kind of publicity this was getting. I had never heard that man’s name ever, up until that Sunday afternoon.
For the very young who were never around during this time, and were never around during the original EDSA revolution.. they don’t have this personal appreciation of what happened, and sometimes don’t quite understand what it means, just reading about it from history books.
This is a remarkable interview… it gives me goosebumps. Here is the last TV interview of that man who was shot Aug. 21, at the back of the head while in “supposed heavy guard by escorting policemen”, he was shot before his feet even touched Philippine soil, the country he made sure to come back to, despite threats, warnings and pleas by people asking him not to return because his life was in danger.
Remembering Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, remembering what started the end for a dictator, remembering what a waste for all that to happen, and we are no further no better no more developed than we were back then.
“What Is Happiness” is actually an old post I wrote, originally titled What It Takes To Be Happy, originally published on my now deleted Friendster blogged, and which I dug up from another blog that I posted this in. But no one knows about that blog so I am republishing here.
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Happiness is a choice, and an attitude you can choose. It is not determined by possessions or dependent on conditions, and by no means is it triggered by material or situational prerequisites.
“Learn to let go of the past. What’s done is done; what’s happened cannot be undone. You can choose to live in the past and be haunted by it or live each day remembering lessons learned from it.
Let that faint picture of what or who you were before, fade away; as it wont make any difference today. You are today actually better than yesterday and the days before because you are today’s sum of what you have learned from all your yesterdays combined.
Whatever opportunity comes around, a chance to do or experience something new, don’t hesitate or think twice… grab it! It may be gone before you know it and you’ll forever wonder what might have come out of it. So long as it isn’t something that leaves you missing an appendage, or losing your life or your sanity.
Have a good laugh, boisterous and loud. Don’t be too concerned of what other people think. Don’t live your life gauged against other persons’ measures.
Run, trip and fall flat on your face, but pick yourself up and run again.
Love. Be loved. Lose love and yet not despair for you will surely find love again, if you allow it.
Don’t dwell on things which you have no control over. Lets face it, we are not in control of our life or existence, we only like to think we are. So when things don’t turn out how you would have wanted them, let it be, let it go and look forward to the other surprise that life may have for you.
Try to be kind or less mean, even if it does take an extra effort. You are unaware that the other may be facing a steeper hill than you.
Be kind to your body, the better you treat it the longer it will serve you. Don’t be overly fanatical about it or go overboard in doing so, like trying to prevent yourself from ageing because ageing is just part of life and whether you like or not, it will run its course! You will grow old. You can fight it and be miserable, or accept it with a knowing that to age in acceptance is wise and those that do are bestowed the wisdom of experience.
Be thankful for friends, for friends will disappear like the fading years that pass you by. Life doesn’t get any easier, yet the best part about it is you will always have people like your friends who will see you through.
If you can’t help but be upset or be angry, go ahead and be so for anger is as normal an emotion like all the others. However, don’t be angry forever for it will consume you like wildfire in the brush until nothing is left.
Be kind to animals and all other creatures who don’t mean any harm. Be thankful that you belong to the human race; a living being equipped with the intelligence and facilities to discern, and the ability to possess an awareness of your own existence; and not of a lower specie who’s actions are dictated by natural instinct.
Be happy for another’s success, quite often someone else’s fortune, gain or advancement in life makes us resentful and we wonder “why him and not me”, and are bitter in the belief that we are not as lucky as others are.
Appreciate the otherwise mundane or taken for granted. Stare and be amazed at clear blue skies in daylight and how they couldn’t be near perfect had they been black or red. Be awed by the countless flickering stars on dark nights and wonder about the infiniteness of the galaxy and how in its vastness, it would be remiss to believe that we had the universe all to ourselves.
Live! And appreciate the life that you have been given. It may not be perfect but it’s a non negotiable lease that is non renewable upon termination.
Above all, you have to admit that you can be happy, no matter how bad things get, how deep you have fallen or how low you may go.
You may lose everything that you have, possessions, wealth, stature, health, respect, admiration or freedom. But unless you lose your mind, you will never really lose the ability to choose, and the capacity to decide to be happy… however ridiculous it may seem especially in worldly direness.
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