Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are in the holiday season and thoughts of family and friends come into focus. Here is my Holiday Zen Wish List. This is centered on lots of comfort, warmth, and a bit of extravagance. I put this list together so it creates a whole evening experience from enjoying …
A cul-de-sac is a dead end street, often with a circular turnaround. As a feng shui consultant, I’m often asked whether a cul-de-sac is good or bad feng shui, as there seems to be much confusion on this topic. Cul-de-sacs come in a range of sizes and shapes. Most often the main concern is the …
The Japaneses Shichigosan festival celebrates children who are 7,5, and 3. The word, Shichigosan is literally a combination of three numbers in Japanese; shichi is seven, go is five and san is three. This makes it pretty easy to remember what this festival is about! The Shichigosan festival, thought to be over 400 years old, is …
Shichigosan: The Japanese Festival for 7, 5, and 3 Year Olds Read More »
I go back to Honolulu as often as I can to visit my folks. And every time I go, it seems that they are into the next food craze. I love it! Ono Taegu, is a spicy dried cuttlefish dish. It’s a side dish or snack. As it is very rich and spicy in flavor, …
Ono Taegu: Hawaiian Style Korean Spicy Cuttlefish Read More »
Ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement, has a 600 year history. It began when the practice of offering small flower arrangements to Buddhist shrines were taken out of the religious context. It originally developed as an art to enjoy nature, bringing flowers into the Japanese home. Today, in this age of information technology, ikebana …
Sogetsu Ikebana and the Fundamental Energy of Plants Read More »
Design in urban areas has really improved over the years. Today, there are visible signs of the extra steps they have taken to beautify the city. One of the things I really appreciate is how they have begun to camouflage unsightly utility and mechanical boxes in public spaces. Usually, on the sides of streets and roads, we often see …
Water surrounds our life. It occupies 71% of the earth. On average, it composes 65% of our bodies. Without water, no life can exist. In the Chinese classic, The Tao De Ching, water is a metaphor for the Tao. Water is good at benefiting all things but does not complete with them. There is no …
Mark Brandon is your go-to guy when it comes to home renovation and inspection. He shares his expertise to people through a variety of blogs like Safe and Sound Property Inspections. In this article he shares some tips to improve your home’s security. Home safety and security must be everybody’s priority. With these useful tips, …
Green tea is regarded by many nutrition experts as one of the items on any top 10 list of super foods in terms of antioxidant quantity, health benefits or weight loss. In particular is the green tea powder called Matcha – which is made from stone ground natural green tea leaves grown in Japan. But …
9 Reasons to Drink Matcha Green Tea to Kick Start Your Healthy Lifestyle Read More »
It’s been a year since moving and as promised, I am finally reporting on our downsizing experience. I just don’t know where the time goes! In my experience, I always find that there is a honeymoon period to moving. Change can be exciting. For those that are the curious type, it allows for opportunity to try new …
It’s become more and more evident that we need to increase our green veggie intake to our diet for better health. I love Winnie’s quick recipe for gai-lan, Chinese broccoli, also known as kai-lan, depending on where you shop. Gai-lan has large dark green leaves, a thick stem, and often has tiny yellow flowers. Once cooked, the stems …
Much of feng shui is based on nature and common sense. As the title says, it’s bad feng shui to build on a floodplain. This is really basic common sense, but you’d be surprised as how many people actually build on a flood plain. A good example of this is the city of New Orleans …
Our little neighborhood cooking club of three, Winnie from China, Susanne from Germany and me, got together over the weekend. Now that two of us have moved away from the neighborhood, it’s now an ex-neighborhood club, and not as convenient as walking across the cul de sac. But it’s worth the drive from anywhere! Cooking …
This is a guest post on Asian Design Influence. Casinos have always been known for their extravagance. From the majestic Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco to the centuries-old Hippodrome Casino in London, many casinos are feats of architectural marvel. And inside these casinos, we see beautiful room and magnificent décor fit for a king. …
I will be teaching the Mini Feng Shui Lecture Series offered by the Blue Mountain Institute. Are you interested in feng shui? Would you like to learn about this ancient knowledge? Come and learn feng shui tips for your home to improve the chi flow! All lecture hours are from 7pm to 9pm Location: Bellevue, …
Several clients have lamented that they have no windows in their office. One shared, “I don’t know if it’s sunny or raining. After a while, I have to get out of my office so I can see outside. I don’t know why, but I just want to know what the weather is like.” Imagine sitting …
