Pakistan’s floods don’t look like it is due to farming on flood plains because the scale of the disaster is just so overwhelming. Now over 20 million people are displaced. That’s just so hard to imagine. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said he has visited many disasters around the world but has never seen …
As I turned the page of the Wall Street Journal, there were three articles on current natural disasters: Pakistan’s floods, China’s mudslides and Russia’s fire. So many natural disasters at one given time…I wondered if there was a feng shui message. The question when something so devastating as these is usually: “Why did this happen? …
Pakistan’s Floods, China’s Landslides, Moscow’s Fires: What’s the Feng Shui? Read More »
Last week, good friends of ours invited my husband and me to a talk featuring actor, Ed Begley, Jr. and architect, Matthew Coates at the Seattle Town Hall. It was titled “Leading the Way toward a sustainable future.” Mr. Begley is a successful actor and an environmentalist. You can visit his website here. He easily …
Cheese can add a little zing to your daily menu; a little feta in a salad, some cheddar to an omelet, Gruyere to a quiche, Parmesan on pasta and the list goes on. That’s why it’s always nice to have a variety of cheeses in the refrigerator. A good quality cheese can get quite …
Compact fluorescent light bulbs or CFL’s, are now being promoted as an easy way to conserve energy. Compared to the regular incandescent light bulb using CFL’s can save up to $30.00 over it’s lifetime. It sure sounds good. So, in the beginning I went out and bought many CFL’s in different shapes and wattage. It …
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs – To Use or Not To Use Read More »
A few days ago I visited a tile showroom in Bellevue called Ambiente, which specializes in European tile. Their tile designer Stephanie Lappano guided me to what’s new in the tile market. It’s always a fun outing to see and learn about new trends, as materials change constantly. As I tend to gravitate toward a …
Ki in Japanese and Qi (pronounced chee) in Chinese is what my master calls: “living energy” of “life energy”. So, I was wondering if the Chinese and Japanese definition of ki/qi is really the same? I was reading a fellow blogger Ben’s article, “Two Kinds of Chee” on his blog called AsianLiving.me Please stop by …
Omiyage is the Japanese custom of gift giving. It is usually a souvenir from your travels or from your home town. For the office worker who goes on an out of town trip, usually a box of the local delicacy is the most common omiyage. I used to travel throughout Japan, and at the town’s …
Last week I was in Chicago for my son’s college orientation and I must say that during the summer, it is just a fabulous city! Cold weather is really not my thing and since I have never experienced Chicago in the winter, I can only write about what I know: summer time. As a student …
I love noodles! Hot, cold, with soup, fried, with a sauce, it doesn’t matter, noodles are just so wonderful and versatile! Noodles are an Asian staple, but if you go to any Asian grocery shop there is such a variety that it can be extremely confusing. Since the weather is getting warmer….well actually since I …
Shoyu, or soy sauce made from fermented soybeans, is a liquid flavor base of many Asian recipes, and I would say the main ingredient in Japanese food. I also believe shoyu is addictive. It is known that when traveling outside Japan, many older generation Japanese bring their favorite brand of shoyu with them. However as …
What is Miso? The most common miso is fermented soybeans, but today you can find many other varieties including fermented rice and barley. Due to the abundance of Japanese restaurants, miso can now be found not only in Asian markets but is no readily available in Western supermarkets. When shopping for miso remember that …
Oprah Winfrey is having an open audition to have your OWN show. I have taken the opportunity, with the help of Dr. Hsu, Sean and Robin Hones and decided to send in a 3 minute video of my idea of my own show called, “Discovering Your Roots“. Please go to this link and watch the …
Many people think that Asians have a different metabolism or have different genes that keep them slim. However, if you just visit any Asian country, there is one thing that you may or may not notice that affects their body weight: what they drink. In Japan, what is most noticeable are the number of drinks …
Now that the earlier posts discussed what the Four Features of Feng Shui are, we can now learn how to apply them to our home. The diagram to my left is a basic plan of a bedroom. It has an entry door, one window, two solid walls and one closet. If you look closely at …
How to Apply the Four Features of Feng Shui to you Home Read More »
Kitchens have become the focal point of homes today. In some cases it has become the showroom, because the family room and kitchen are combined into one space, creating the great room. So now we see kitchens that are a cross between kitchen and living room. The cabinetry has taken a more furniture aesthetic and …
