Bergamont Station

Once a week, I try to take a half day that's especially for me. I am free to do whatever I want. And normally what I want to do is see a play, go to a museum, have tea, go hiking, or any other activity that we seem to never have time for.

This adventure took me to Bergamont Station in Santa Monica. This is where you will find the Santa Monica Musuem of Art, but you will also find many other art galleries. This cultural center started out as a vacant airport hanger. There were plans on turning it into a light rail station, but instead agreed on to make in artist's studios, which officially opened in September 17, 1994. There are so many galleries that you will need to take a few day trips to look through them all thoroughly. Believe me, you will want to take your time.

I arrived to the Station around 3pm on a Tuesday, which was perfect as I didn't have to fight the 600,000 people that arrive every year. My first stop was the Santa Monica Musuem of Art, which is free, but they ask for a $5 donation. Since, I only had a couple of hours, I wanted to use the rest of my time in the galleries that especially interested me.

One of those galleries was the Hiromi paper, Inc. This place was full of crafted paper made from organic materials such as flowers, grass, etc. It was beautiful. You could purchase the paper for whatever suited you, like gift wrapping, orgami, even book covers. I spent the majority of my time in there examining all the different types of paper created. And I felt ashamed of my ignorance of paper. I'm used to the ones we find at office supplies store, which is not exciting, but making paper can truly be an art.

Next, I found myself in the Lois Lambert Gallery. This was the gallery of functional art. It was awesome! I felt like a kid in a candy store. I kept looking around to see who else was there so I could point out the next cool thing I found. I was very excitable, but who cares? This place will do that to you. They had a chair made from glass bottles, hanging pictures that turned into a chair and desk, and many other things. When you walked in there, there was a hodpodge of items everywhere. You will have to search through things slowly to see all the neat designs. Quickly browsing will not open all the unique items available to intrigue your senses.

After those few places, I was full of inspiration and admiration. So, I decided to leave the other galleries for another day. Not to mention, I was pretty hungry. If you ever find yourself in the Santa Monica area, take a little time to visit Bergamont Station. The art we can create is truly amazing.

"Enjoy Life" Calendar

It's been a while since I last wrote a blog and I've missed it. Sadly, I won't be able to write very regularly, but I will try to have one up at least once a month.

I was reading an article today about building self-esteem. Everyone from time to time thinks poorly about his/herself. It's normal and part of life. One of the points in this article was how important it was that we do things that make us happy everyday. Then it suggested making a "Enjoy Life" Calendar. For every day in your calendar write something small that you would enjoy doing, like window shopping, or taking a 15 minute walk or sitting outside watching the planes fly by, calling a friend/mother/sister, wear a hairdo you always wanted to try, etc. Make a commitment to yourself that you will do whatever you scheduled for yourself each day.

Whether you are suffering from self-esteem issues or not, we all at times tend to forget ourselves in our day-to-day lives. This world is full of amazing things that everyone can enjoy and there is no shortage of ideas. Even if your scheduled plan is to go outside and smell a rose, DO IT! It's the little things in life that truly make us happy. Do something that you enjoy today - you won't regret it.

To see article, click here

Wine Tasting - so old - try Olive Oil Tasting!

"What? Olive Oil Tasting?"
"That's Right!"

I, personally, have never heard of Olive Oil Tasting before. But, I do love trying new things, so when I heard of it, I was ready to see what it was all about. Yet, I could not see what the big deal was. Olive Oil is olive oil. I use it everyday.I only saute my food with olive oil. And I love french bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And flavor of olive oil and some acid on my salad is delicious. What could olive oil tasting do for me?

I went to Ventura with my sister and some friends and we went to this place called We, Olive. Basically everything in the store was available for tasting. They had samples everywhere! And it was more than just olive oil that you could taste. There were jams and spreads and marinades and vinegars - it was amazing!

Then we were directed to the bar. But, we were not served liquor at the bar. We were served olive oil. There were dozens of oils on the bar, where would we start? The host handed us little cups with some olive oil. We were instructed to sniff it first and then taste it. It was so weird. Who eats olive oil by itself? So, I did as I was told... How could I have been so nieve when it came to olive oil!!! We were served a wonderful buttery tasting olive oil, then we had one with a grassy finish, then we tried one that was infused with orange. Oh my! It was like I died and went to olive oil heaven. Then we really started getting out of control. We tried the oil infused with garlic, and the oil with chile and the olive oil with lemon. Amazing!

But, that was not the best of it. The owner, our bar attendent, then took out the balsamic. As a preface, I like balsamic. It's a nice sweet vinegar that balances out oil - nothing special. So, when he poured the balsamic into the oil, I didn't think much about it. He explained to us that he personally calls the balsamic "love" and you can put a little "love" on anything. So, I went ahead and tried a little "love." Can we say "WOW!!!" I have never tasted a balsamic like this. I could drink it by itself; it was so good. It was a party in my mouth that I never wanted it end. Later on that day, I had peaches soaked in that balsamic and served with vanilla ice cream. I cannot describe how absolutely wonderful that was. It was unbelievably good.

The best part of the tasting experience is that it is free! That's right. Go in and taste, but you will find it very hard not to buy something. Thankfully, the prices were very reasonable, especially when you consider how wonderful the oil and vinegars are. They promote reusing bottles, so when I go again, I will only be paying for the oil, not the bottle. If you are in the Ventura area, try out We, Olive. You won't regret the experience. It really is the little things in life that make life wonderful.

Click here --->We, Olive

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

Chocolate chip cookies are my weakness. I fantasize about chocolate chip cookies with walnuts or pecans so much that it probably should be a sin for me. My husband uses cookies to motivate me to do things. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night having bad cravings for them. They are a drug to me. I wonder if they have rehab for chocolate chip cookie lovers.

Just recently, I tried a new recipe that uses whole wheat flour. WOW!!! Where has these fiber packed cookies been all my life. They were so good that I had to write about it. Granted, I love whole grain foods. I only eat whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice. When I eat the processed stuff, it doesn't have the flavor depth that I get from the whole stuff. So, when I made whole wheat cookies, it had a nice nutty flavor that fits well with the cookies. Then I gave some to my husband. He declared that it was the best chocolate chip cookie that he's ever had. He then shared some with a coworker that has been dreaming about them since. There is something about whole wheat - it's just so good.

If you use all whole wheat, the cookies will spread considerable and be expremely flat because it doesn't contain a lot of gluten, which is fine to me. But, if you want a normal looking cookie, use half all-purpose flour or pastry flour (I just found a whole wheat all purpose flour, so we will see how that turns out). I will confess, however, that I did not use Bob Mill whole wheat flour, as Al Dente's blog tells us to use. Maybe it makes a difference. Be adventurous. Try it! You may be surprised.

Click here for cookie recipe at Al Dente

Day at the Descanso Gardens

I have NEVER heard of the Descanso Gardens, but I am glad that I have now discovered it. It was so beautiful. And it appears that April was the perfect month to see the gardens in it's full glory.

The Descanso was founded by E. Manchester Boddy, who was the owner of the LA Times. It was eventually sold to the County of Los Angeles in 1953. In this garden you will find an oak forest, where Camelias are intertwined. There is a Rosarium where more than 3,000 roses can be found from all over the world. A Japanese garden with a koi pond that was truly awe-inspiring. And the lilac garden, with more than 500 lilacs, left me speechless - they smelled wonderful. And they had the cutest train ride that went through the Descanso and a bird observation area, where you will find a variety of birds, and you may also be greeted by turtles and fish in the lake. This is only a handful of the things you'll find in your exploration.

As I've stated in the past, I love nature. And I am pleased to now have a group who is as excited by nature as I am. As we wandered through the gardens, all you could think of was paradise. It was so beautiful and peaceful that it seemed to change the attitudes of everyone that was there. People greeted us as we walked by; others would get excited by what they found and include us in their discovery. If we didn't immediately become excited too, they would explain to us, in detail, why it was so wonderful. It was a rare, but nice, scene to experience.

We traveled half of the park and then stopped for lunch. There is a cafe at the entrance, which was really cute and on special days, you may even be able to eat at the teahouse. But, we brought a lunch and some blankets and headed to the picnic area. This area is outside the garden, but you would not have guessed it. After eating, we all wanted to just lay under the trees and relax. But, we were so excited to see what else the garden offered that we carried on. A lot of love was put into this garden attraction; there was no doubt about that. It was truly a perfect day.

Why not take a trip to the Descanso Gardens in La Canada, this Spring? You will feel like you're on vacation without having to travel.

Experiencing Hindi

I majored in English, while I was in college, and found out how amazing language is. With language comes culture and a pattern of thinking. The science of language is so complicated. When one decides to learn a new language, he/she is agreeing to change the way he/she thinks. If one wants to trulying be fluent in a language, he/she is agreeing to be part of a new culture.

I have recently been priviledged to be associated with many of the Hindi population. Two of my sisters are learning Hindi and every Wednesday, I accompany them as they talk to others in the Indian culture. Though I am in my home city, I feel as if I have traveled to a new world.

Indians, in general, are very hospitable people. They will invite you in, feed you, and even send you off with gifts, at times. My sister, a friend, and I ended up at one older lady's house, who after talking for about an hour, made us Indian Chai Tea. It was wonderful. She boiled ginger in water, added the loose tea leaves, then added milk. After straining the tea, she then added a pinch of garam masala. She served us this lovely tea with some butter cookies. It was a party in my mouth.

This was not the only nice experience I've had. Whenever we greeted a Indian person, "Namaste. ap kaise hain?"*, his/her face lighted up. As much of an interest we had in them, they had in us. We really felt welcomed into the world of Hindi. I have still much more to learn, but I do know that I love Bollwood movies; Indian dishes are my favorite; jasmine incense smells divine; hennas tattoos mark my summers; and the saris and salwar kameez are some of the most beautiful clothing that I have ever seen. You have have never had the opportunity to experience a little bit of Indian culture, visit Little India on Pioneer Blvd. in Artesia. It's an amazing experience and may even move you to learn Hindi yourself.



*Namaste is an Indian formal greeting. It shows respect and is normally done with hands pressed together and a bowed head. "ap kaise hain?" means "how are you?"

Value of Friends

I love my friends and am extremely loyal to them. It was a crazy past that I've had with them. I used to call a friend's boyfriend and tell them off, if I heard they hurt one of my friends. I have gotten into fights with people that said or did something stupid to my friends. And I would give the shirt of my back for any of them that was in trouble. If someone becomes a friend of mine, he/she is a friend for life. They are like family to me.

It is hard, however, to get close to me. I don't trust people. And it's devastating when a "friend" does something hurtful to me. Because of this, I even keep my close friends at a distance. And may even seem fickle at times. But, I am slowly changing it. I am opening up more. And I realize that some people are just hurtful people, but I always have a choice whether to keep them or not. On the flip side, there are also some amazing people out there and if I don't reach out to them, how will I find them?

For the past couple of months, I have really tried to let down my guard and let myself show in all my wonderful and faulty glory: I talk a lot; I interrupt often; many of my conversations revolved around my husband; and I talk about inappropriate subjects at times (I'm still trying to figure out what makes a conversation inappropritate). My tongue is my worst enemy, but I am very sincere and I am very loving.

It's amazing how many people will open up to you when you open up to them. The past couple of months have resulted in many new aquaintances that I have enjoyed the company of. Unfortunately, not everyone will want to be my close friend or even have the time, but even nice aquantainces are fun to have. Each person has so much to offer and learn from. It's worthwhile to bump elbows with a new person, even if I'll only spend a few minutes in total with that person, during my life. These people leave little gems that enrich my day, if not my life.

I am fortunate to have amazing close friends. They are there when I need to run away from the world for a little bit, if I need a good laugh, if I need deep stimulating conversations, or even if I need someone to tell me that I am looking like a mess and need to do something with myself. These people are like hugs that I can carry with me all day - and I'm a sucker for hugs. Friends add so much to the quality of ones life. And obtaining friends has a simple formula: Be a friend to have a friend.