It is often said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Scientists know better. Babies have been shown to prefer symmetrical faces and faces people in general consider beautiful. We are programmed to see beauty the same way.
Yet the definition of beauty to each individual can be subjective. This is what beautiful means to me.
Life is beautiful. Almost miraculous if you consider the astronomical odds we defied to even exist. Every moment of my brief time in the sun, however joyful, however tragic, however delightful, however uneventful, is beautiful.
My world is beautiful. The serenity of the night sky, the twinkling stars. Further out, the planets in our Solar System, each a unique marbled globe made of the stuff of life. The quiet before breaking out of our galaxy like entering a noisy party. The Andromeda galaxy, the Spiral Galaxy, the amazing scale of our whole Universe that makes me gasp every time I play it in my mind's eye.
And the things in life that I see before me when I open my eyes are beautiful. My family, my baby's smile, my beloved cat-children, words used to describe them, fluid prose, the synergy of a well-woven story, red roses, still images of captured moments, my hands, my blood, the fact I am alive.
Earth’s Best Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley Wholesome Breakfast Baby Food Recall
My heart stopped for a minute when I read this. Then I noted that I'd never bought that particular flavour and breathed out. Maybe it is time to prepare Jack's food myself.
Singapore importers and retailers are removing Earth’s Best Organic 2 Apple Peach Barley Wholesome Breakfast Baby Food from the market in response to an alert from the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the baby food may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism.
Botulism is a potentially fatal form of food poisoning and causes illness within 18-36 hours of exposure, with early symptoms of a decreased frequency or absence of stools, poor feeding, lethargy, weak cry and difficulty with swallowing with drooling from the mouth.
Due for release September 21st, 2007, Resident Evil: Extinction looks like it's going to be the next big bad. I'm booking Mom as a sitter for Jack on opening day! :D
1. Use the fan. If you do need to use the air conditioner, reduce usage of air conditioner to bedtime only. Turn on fan to max and increase temperature to 24 or 25 degrees Celsius. Experiment to see which is the most comfortable temperature for you.
2. Keep the air conditioner control with you so you can turn it off right away when you wake (and are still dozing).
3. When not using air conditioner, turn off the air conditioner main (saves 25% from bill).
4. Don't use an air pot (keeps hot water hot all day). Use a small electric kettle instead that boils your water within 1-2 minutes.
5. Turn off lights when not using (unless there is a fall risk - moms carrying babies, elderly, children).
7. Turn off the mains of everything that can be on stand by: TV, cable box, DVD player, hi-fi, computer monitor (saves 25% from bill).
8. Switch your cordless phone to a regular phone. They sound a lot clearer too and costs nothing to run.
This post is sponsored by Shoppremier. Shoppremier sells a great range of home fan and light fixtures and ships free for purchases over $100. Be energy-efficient from the get-go.
The effects of global warming are evident right now: increasing temperature, floods, tsunamis, and that's just in the region. Now that I am a Mom, I'm thinking far ahead for Jack's future, that he and his children will live long, happy, and healthy lives.
It buoys me to know that companies are starting to jump onto the bandwagon. Yesterday 90 companies released a statement to urge the world's government to exercise immediate action "to mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases is essential to preserving the environment and the global economy".
In the Bova future, companies will rule the roost. Right now, they rule the economy. Companies like Volvo, Air France, and General Electric are part of the Global Roundtable on Climate Change. They're keen to participate because they want uniform standards, says Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of Columbia University’s Earth Institute.
If different countries and different states have individual rules, they become harder for businesses to follow. One example Sachs cited was that some power companies have wanted to sequester carbon emitted from burning coal, but local laws stipulate that they have to provide the cheapest electricity possible, so they can’t implement new technologies that would raise prices.
Indeed the cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be far less than the cost of the problems caused by the effects of climate change, agree many of the business reps. “The costs are smaller than people fear,” Sachs said. But once again, fear cripples and unfortunately now it is the politicians that make the rules.
One example Sachs cited was that some power companies have wanted to sequester carbon emitted from burning coal, but local laws stipulate that they have to provide the cheapest electricity possible, so they can’t implement new technologies that would raise prices.
What can we do? Companies can endorse the statement here and citizens of the world can sign here.
This is a sticky for my friends who regularly ask me for the best free security tools. They're tried and tested by not just me over the past few years on a zillion PCs and laptops, but they're also peer-tested and highly recommended. So whether or not you're using a PC or a laptop, download the following tools for maximum security. Yes, you'll need them all.
A fairly new site, Medical Health Information Resource provides comprehensive and easy to read information on health and its database is growing.
I found the information concise and accurate on the topics I am knowledgeable on. The categories are logical, and the design simple and aesthetically pleasant. making the load time minimal, which suits the usability and function of a site providing information.
The site, like most sites on health, reminds the reader that such information should not replace a medical doctor's advice. However, for a great short and well-written overview on a particular topic, for example, Klinefelters Syndrome Treatments, it is worth stopping by for a visit.
Jack woke up early and spritely today, sitting on my face and pelting his Dad with his hand, almost to say, wake up, wake up, it's the last day of the CNY holiday.
We dressed, picked up our friend Van and drove to Pris and Jacky (superchef)'s house for lunch. What a delightful spread awaited us! The girls grabbed Jack from my arms and hubby and I enjoyed a most scrumptous meal topped only by Jacky's tiramisu.
Jack took a nap at around 1.40pm and woke at 2.15pm when I snuck out of the room to ask his Dad to take over. He was cheery after his short sleep and proceeded to crawl after Sparky (yes, he is the dog in the Starhub ad!).
Earlier he'd been introduced to the gentle dog and I reminded him to pet him gently, which he did. Sparky took a nap under the table and Jack followed him under to touch his tail and pat his bottom.
Mama (4 months pregnant) Pris's friend brought her 2 pretty daughters along and Jack received a special visit from the 5 year old. :) The girls joked that he was starting really young!
A run to my brother's place after where we feasted on Eclairs and goodies from Bengawan Solo. Jack, his 4 year-old cousin, and Ryan, the 2 year-old son of my brother's buddy, played happily in the playroom while us Moms chatted.
Finally Jack had his second nap from 7-8pm while we watched Lemony Snicket. It was rather interesting. I'll have to Google the story to find out why the heck Olaf was after the 3 kids.
This evening Jack and I played Peekaboo in various forms, much to his delight, and he also spent some quality time with his plush friends. I attached his wrist buddy (whom he has taken to ripping off his wrist) Chicky to the crib post. He was very amused and tried liberating her.
It must have been a more tiring day today (although he napped better today than yesterday lending credence to the fact that babies nap better during the day sleep better at night) as he fussed a little for some nursing and fell right to bed.
As a Mom and wife, I take care of the insurance, which involves researching the best deals (like recently I had to compare car insurance deals), find out which insurer pays out faster, and making contact with the agent or company directly.
If you've been reading my blog for a while, you would probably realise I have been writing a number of sponsored posts. My BFF Shen has been writing for PayPerPost for some time now and has had nothing but good things to say about it.
Hence I signed up and hey, it's been great. There are lots of opportunities listed daily and a good range of topics for me to choose from. As far as this blog is concerned, I only write on stuff I believe in. This is a family and cat-friendly site.
A bit about PayPerPost (or PPP as we PPPers call it). PayPerPost is a service for those who want to earn some money blogging, since we do it anyway, and it's super because you don't need a high traffic site to start earning.
Most recently they've added a new program called Review My Post for bloggers who don't want to write sponsored posts or want an additional stream of income.
Bloggers simply include a bit of code at the end of their blog and if someone clicks on it, signs up, and reviews the post, both the blogger and reviewer both get paid. It's a splendid way to increase blog traffic and earn some cash at the same time. Stop by and have a look.
"To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness." -- Bertrand Russell
"Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages."
-- Thomas Edison (Harper's Magazine, 1890)
A woman's romance with motherhood, green living, finance, and this heady thing called life.
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