A Chant for Peace

May auspiciousness be unto all
May Peace be unto all;
May fullness be unto all:
May prosperity be unto all

May all be happy
May all be free from disabilities
May all behold what is auspicious
May none suffer from sorrow
 

Lead me from the unreal to the Real
Lead me from darkness to Light
Lead me from mortality to Immortality
Om Peace ! Peace ! Peace !

 Credits to youtube user GodsEndtimearmy

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The next 10 days will be busy.  I have to finish a number of projects before I leave for NZ.  A dance piece for the 10th UP Pep Squad Concert, data processing and abstract for a collaborative work with colleagues from the Department of Psychology, papers for next month's symposium in UPLB, and organize schedule for the rest of the semester.

Both my room at home and the table in the office are in constant state of chaos.  Everything is just in there somewhere.

Diet wasn't that great after Saturday's dinner.  Yesterday it was only 2 pieces of pandesal with kaya and butter for after-practice brunch, late lunch at Bodhi in SM North, then MSG-free vegetarian instant noodles for late dinner. It's moderate alright but not very nutritious.  Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Got to run! 

Om.

First Mysore Class of 2010 at Yoga Manila Ortigas

8 is a lucky number according to Chinese astrology.  Why?

"The main reason has to do with the pronunciation of the word for the number 8 in China. It is pronounced "ba" and sounds like the word for prosperity which is pronounced "fa". Another reason why the number 8 could be considered lucky is because it is a perfect symmetrical shape. You can cut the number 8 in half vertically or horizontally, and both halves mirror themselves perfectly. Perfect symmetry lends itself to perfect balance. In Chinese Astrology, perfect balance is considered the ideal." - Water Tiger

8 people came. Mostly familiar faces.  It's been a year since I joined Yoga Manila.

First mysore class at YMO.  8 people came.  It should be a good sign.

Om.

Had tofu and broccoli on rice at Wok in Trinoma.  Fortunately, I'm not getting sick of it yet.  I'd like to cook my own version of that dish though and post the photo here.  It's not really that difficult to make as it has only fried tofu cubes, young corn, broccoli and mushrooms stir-fried in only-god-knows-what.  Oyster sauce, I reckon.  Now that's not vegetarian.  But with the amount of additives that has been added to product, I wonder how much real oysters are actually in there.  I can't really decide if I should move house at the moment as I'm not sure as what to expect in the next couple of months.

Practice was good.  Short but otherwise good.

Nap time.

Ciao.

Ashtanga Yoga: The Intermediate Series

"In this much-anticipated follow-up to his first book, Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy, Gregor Maehle offers a detailed and multifaceted guide to Ashtanga Yoga's Intermediate Series. An expert yogi and teacher, Maehle meticulously explores all twenty-seven postures of the Intermediate Series through photos, anatomical line drawings, and practical, informative sidebars. He also discusses the philosophical and spiritual background of Ashtanga Yoga and places the practice within the context of Indian cultural history. With passionate erudition, Maehle will prepare you to reap physical, spiritual, and mental fulfillment from your evolving practice." - Ashtanga.com News, Januay2010

 

I want this for post-Christmas gift, Chinese new year, or early birthday present.  Shet, I'll be 33 in May.  I just learned that one of my best college buddies had a heart attack last 5 days ago.  That's the New Year!  Get a heart attack on a new year's day.  What a great way to start the year!  Didn't I say in the other blog that diseases of the heart is the number one cause of deaths in the country? 

DOH statistics here.

Oh well. 

Got a molar extracted this morning so I was in a mild post-holiday/surgery depression the whole afternoon.  Breakfast was medium green tea frozen yoghurt. Lunch was cheese puto, then dinner was plain congee with century egg and another medium frozen yoghurt with red beans.  Talk about healthy eating this 2010.

People's dark side is winning.  Maybe I should surrender to it as well.




Yeah, right.

Spaghetti with Roasted/Grilled Vegetables (Photo)

Forgot to the cashew in the previous post.  Uncle B used roasted pine nuts when he made this for dinner in Marbel last week.  I couldn't find pine nuts in SM Davao's supermarket so I had to improvise and used dry roasted cashew nuts instead.

I'm at the Davao International Airport at the moment waiting to board my flight to Manila.  All of the flights have been delayed since 10am this morning apparently due to an airforce plane which got stuck on the runway.  Silkair's flight from Singapore is delayed as well due to some technical problems in Sg.  At least that's what they announced.

And to my Irish friends out there...

'When Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure 'tis like a morn in spring,

With the lilt of Irish laughter

You can hear the angels sing...

When Irish eyes are happy

All the world seems bright and gay,

But when Irish eyes are smiling,

Sure they'll steal your heart away.'

It's from the book that I'm reading now.  Swimming Upstream by Anthony Fingleton.  It's an inspirational memoir of a boy who found the determination to succeed.

Spaghetti with Roasted/Grilled Vegetables

3rd practice of the year. Mind was calmer than yesterday.  Again, all the binds seem more challenging.  I need to go back to the practice of eating moderately.  It's something that is, I believe, alien in most parts of the country.  No wonder most of my high school friends are becoming overweight and obese.  Check my other blog on health and physical activity in the Philippines.

Spaghetti with Roasted/Grilled Vegetables

This is part of our new year's eve menu.  I haven't downloaded the photos yet so I'd share it with you next time.  For now, I want to share this quick and yummy recipe.  I've had the idea from that Aussie coffee shop in Shangri La Mall but never really tried it until last week.  Roasting the vegetables is the only time-consuming part of the preparation but it is what makes this recipe delicious.

Big but thin slices of zucchini, eggplant and squash.  Dab some olive oil into the vegetables and roast until cooked and tender.  The easiest way to do this is to put them on an oven toaster.  Put the toaster on high and roast the veggies for 5-10 minutes.  I pan-grilled mine.  Do this until all the veggies are cooked.  Set aside.

Then heat some olive oil in a pan.  Saute minced garlic into the oil until fragrant then add the roasted vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Toss over cooked spaghetti and top with some hard cheese like parmigiano.

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Have to pack my bag now.  Ciao.