Thanksgiving 2012

Every year, my family and I have a traditional Thanksgiving feast with the usual turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, brussel sprouts, mashed potato, etc.  This year, however, my dad suggested that we keep it simple and have hot pot at his place, and that's exactly what we did.  I love hot pots.  They're perfect for family gatherings ... but I must say, although the traditional T-day feast requires a lot of preparation and hard work, it's highly preferable over a hot pot.  There was one thing that was missing, an OVERLY STUFFED TUMMY! Nonetheless, I still had a great time with the family <3 p="p">

Lots of leftover "balls" for me to take home!  Nom nom nom

Heal-all Herb: Prunella Vulgaris

I'm close to turning 30, with 2.5 more years to be able to claim that I'm still in my "Twenties."  With age comes many things.  Yes, we obtain a lot more experience and knowledge, but comes with age are also fine lines, blemishes and wrinkles!  These are things that we can't avoid, but it is important to try and delay it as much as possible!!  Especially for us women!

Aside from keeping your skin clean and moisturizing more often, it is important to cleanse internally.  Afterall, you are what you eat!  So recently, I've been drinking a lot of herbal tea, specifically Prunella Vulgaris tea, termed "Ha Goo Cho" in Cantonese and Xia Ku Cao (?) in Mandarin.  They are sold in many Chinese bakeries as a cold beverage, for at least $2.00 a cup.  Good for a hot day out or days you feel weathered down or "heaty" as the Chinese would say, BUT it is so much simpler and more importantly, CHEAPER, to make it yourself on your stovetop!

I've tried several brands of Prunella Vulgaris and I must say this is my favorite.  It tastes authentic whereas other brands were less "herby," some even providing an awkward minty flavor.

I normally boil half a pot of water with a big handful of Prunella Vulgaris for about 20 minutes, until the herbal essence fills up my room and the tea comes out looking like this:

I personally love the taste, but it may be an acquired taste for tea and non-tea drinkers alike.  Drink it cold or hot with a bit of sugar, or without any if you enjoy the natural bitterness of tea.

What is even more crucial is to understand the many benefits of drinking this tea.  Prunella vulgaris is commonly known as the heal-all herb with many medicinal purposes, promoting healing of fevers and sore throats.  I don't have an official list of all the things it does, but if its alias is the "heal-all herb," I am sold!  Gulp down people!

Little Acts of Kindness

Little things can do BIG.  Little acts of kindness can go a long way.

I am always striving to be a better person, attempting to help people however I can, whenever I can and improving myself by learning from yesterday's mistakes.  It makes me proud to perform an act of kindness just to put a smile on someone's face because it puts a bigger smile on my own. 

To start off, I got really, really lost today in lower Manhattan.  Once the numbered streets and avenues disappear, I have no clue where I am going.  Even with Google Maps on my iPhone, I was unable to find my way, so I decided to ask for directions.  The first person I stopped didn't know where my destination was, so he continued to walk off.  The second man stopped to help me, even pulling up a map on his phone to locate which direction I should go.  He was probably heading to work, with only 5 minutes to 9am.  I was deeply touched, by a stranger.  Little act of kindness goes a very long way...

On my way back home, there were several passengers using the same mode of transportation that I have decided to use, a van operated by Chinese people.  There was an old lady who was screaming out her stop to the driver, but because she was of Toisanese descent and others were of Fujianese descent, nobody understood her and decided to ignore her.  I had trouble understanding her also, but tried to assist her in Cantonese, and ensured that the driver would bring her back home.  It made me happy to help the cute little old lady, and it amazes me how others can sit there and pretend they don't hear anything.

*Pats myself in the back.

Lucky Me

I'm feeling lucky!  I recently won a giveaway on Twitter from Milani Cosmetics.  It is titled the Silver Rain set and I am amazed by the effects each item creates!  I've never been a huge girly girl.  I shop for clothes frugally and I've been using the same makeup for the past few years, so I honestly have no clue what is out there.  Maybe this giveaway was a wake-up call for me, lol.

Anyway, the giveaway came with 2 nailpolishes that I am in love with.  I rocked this one for the first time over pink nailpolish and thought the outcome was pretty cute.

Glad to add these items to my nailpolish collection!