Hot Hot Hot

Hot hot hot, that's how I like it and I'm not talking about my "between the sheets" manners but about my food hotness scale which today has reached a level previously unknown to me.

I eat food so hot it can bring tears to most earthlings and I definitely had experiences that caused my insides to burn and my eyes water uncontrollably but today I've met the master pepper, the hottest of them all, the king of hot hot hot, Mr. habanero.

knowing that this little bastard is extremely hot, I only tried a few drops (of habanero tabasco) in my food and, boy, was I right not to put more. except for the fact that the sauce itself was really tasty in a twisted burning kind of way and that no harm was done to me or my insides I couldn't feel anything but the taste and hotness of the pepper taking over my tastebuds. that being said, if you're like me and you love scorching your tastebuds to the point that you need to rehabilitate them than this sauce is absolutely for you and I believe that if it gets any hotter than this you'd probably find yourself committed in the nearest sanitarium or mental hospital, so be careful trying this one and enjoy.

A colorful house

One starry hot night I found myself unable to sleep and wondering through the endless spaces of the internet. I found a few Dario Argento movies, some Grimm brothers tales (the original gory ones) and this colorful house blog which is about photography, art, and lots of fun attitude.

Enjoy

P.S - photo is by Adrienne Looman from a colorful house blog

Photos of Greece the blue

Greece offered me rest, relaxation, good food, nice local company, lots of beer, enchanting beaches and views, history and some clarity but the thing it offered me the most (and that, I've noticed only upon my return) was the color blue. somehow everything seemed to be colored in magnificent blue. so I offer you some "light blue" photos of Lindos, Greece.

Resolutions

It's not a new year, my birthday or the beginning of spring but I still found myself with a notepad and pen making a resolution list.
I've been going through a lot of feelings and changes in the last 6 months - loneliness, wanting to center myself and have more faith in my life, fighting and accepting that I'm a strong woman and that a lot of men are threatened by it and generally just needing to accept myself as I am, knowing that my sometimes "not within the norm" decisions and actions have a price that I willingly and sometimes painfully pay. all that made me realize that I need to make peace with myself and my life and start focusing on many things neglected by these emotion storms + it's always fun to see your resolution lists and realize that you've unnoticeably accomplished so many of them (except for that "lose weight" one that always stays on the list :) )

1. make my own cloths
2. photograph more, much more
3. always believe in myself
4. remind myself that being powerful doesn't mean manly
5. be thankfull for everything I have
6. do yoga
7. read more (watch less T.V)
8. do new things
9. be calmer
10. be kinder to people
11. remember that I'm not my weight
12. give more of my time and money to charity
13. make smarter decisions with money and save more
14. create more
15. think more creatively
16. not fall into a rut
17. step out of my boundaries and break the rules
18. stay different and unique no matter what others say
19. center myself
20. take better care of myself
21. be more active on issues that are close to my heart (animals, woman empowerment...)
22. lose weight

Vacation time

I've been waiting for this moment for the longest time ever and now it's here, all mine to savour and cherish - I'm going on vacation, a much needed vacation to the beautiful island of Rhodes, Greece.
I'll be sunning and tanning and reading, walking, learning, eating, recovering from hangovers and photographing with the company of my lovely best friend Sofi.

I'll see you all soon

Follow the yellow brick road - Things I like now

I feel that lately I've been walking on a different road than the one I used to take. both roads seem to look alike but somehow feel different. now, don't get me wrong, I always walk my own way as a strong opinionated individual that believes in its own strange, sometimes, convoluted way but it seems to lead me in a different direction this time around and I know that this is a good road to a better future with no bad witches just plain old me with the tiny addition of having Dorothy's ruby slippers that can take me anywhere I want.

In that spirit, things I like now:

• The wizard of oz - the 1939 movie
• The wizard of oz (BFI film classics) by Salman Rushdie - a different way to look at Dorothy, kansas and entourage
• VegNews magazine - for having a good mix of subjects on vegetarianism
• Chocolate chips cookies from VWAV
• The cheerfull thought of going on vacation to Rhodes, Greece in less than a week
• Morrissey, Siouxsie sioux & And one for coming to Israel on tour (and because I love their music)
• Sleazoid express by Bill Landis and Michelle Clifford - the most realistic and the closest I'll ever get to the grindhouses of NYC

Missing (memories of NYC)

I left NYC a little more than 3 years ago, full heartedly, having greatly missed my homeland, Israel. I left it so bruised and pained (from different reasons) that I truly believed that I would never look back.

After sobering from my return Israeli honeymoon, these little missing moments started creeping slowly inside my heart - small moments of happiness, habits, places and faces that didn't leave me alone.

I want to eat sushi at "east", browse books at Barnes and nobles, drink a caramel macchiato, walk through the streets of the east village, watch the birds at central park, dance at the albion batcave on saturdays, take the 6 train, get a tattoo on st. marks place, smell the stench of canal street and buy tons of art supplies at pearl paint, see concerts at jones beach or just feel the unbelievable power this city has on a human being.

I just find myself pondering and daydreaming about this city, knowing that a visit will have to be after more healing will be done - my heart is still badly bleeding from the whole 6 years experience this city and other events that occured while being there have supplied me with.

The bottom line is that this city have captured my heart so strongly that I find myself crying just from remembering tiny moments, flashes of memories and she will always be remembered in a special place in my heart, I just wish the memories will fade and give me some much needed rest from all my demons. I will always miss New York

Honey, I'm home...

Ladies and gentleman, after a long absence caused by a combination of many things that can happen in life, I'm officially back and in full force, might I say.

The weather here is extremly hot and dry this days, causing me to withdraw into some daydreams about beautiful islands adorned with coconut trees, turquoise beaches, cocktails with little colorful umbrellas (wishing Isaac from the love boat will be here :) and lots of moments of tranquility.

Untill that will happen, I'm still here, in reality land, working on a few new projects that you will start seeing soon, waiting for passover to actually pass so I can bake some chocolate cupcakes and reserving all my energy for the summertime.

See you soon

Sadness and revelations

I was quiet for a while as I needed to gather myself to my normal, happy self after my beloved grandfather passed away, but now I feel a little better and, as you know, life goes on even when our loved ones aren't with us anymore.
I was very saddened when my mother told me he passed away but knew in my heart that it was for the best as my grandfather was ill for a long time, just fading slowly into a state that made all of us deeply melancholic, knowing that this, once energetic, active, scholars man doesn't even recognise his own, 60 plus years of marrige, wife.

The up side of this regretful event was that I've found out, once again, how lucky I am to have such a kind, loving and supportive family that I will not take for granted ever again.

As I see it, life goes on and you have the choice of sinking into the depths of sorrow or keeping all the good memories that you have and move on through life with a smile. I choose to smile.

Vegan transition completed

If you read my post on transitioning into a complete vegan diet you probably know that I've struggled a bit with the how to manage on an everyday basis.

Well, I'm proud to say that, although it's not yet perfection at its best, I'm getting there fairly quickly. I guess it's true what people say, practice makes perfect. and I've been practicing alright - planning balanced menus, trying recipes from about a million vegan and raw cookbooks that I've insanely bought in bulk, reading vegan blogs and baking more than the needed amount of cupcakes, muffins and cookies (well, a girl needs her sugar).

So although the learning process is far from over, I'm at a good place and loving every moment of it, feeling much much better, physically and conscientiously and the best benefit of it all is that I spend much more time cooking, which is one of my long time loves that has been neglected for some time.

The next step for me is to try to have a raw day each week and actually try to act as the photographer that I am and take photos of all the good meals that I make but until this happens you can enjoy a photo (found here) of my lovely, king like, cat, Mishmish.

I'd love to hear how all you vegans out there went through the transition and get some ideas, so let me know.

A valentines song

Happy valentines day to all the lovers and seekers.
For all of you out there I wanted to dedicate some of the words of an uplifting song by "Liverpool Express". this song always makes my heart happy and my mood cheery.

You are my love - Liverpool express

You are my love
you are the one that I adore
You are my love
You are what I have waited for
Oh, you are my love

You are my day
You changed my Winter into spring
You came my way and then my heart began to sing
Oh, you are my love

Wishing you all the love in the world and lots of magical moments

Things I like now

My brain runs faster than the fastest athlete you know, always demanding stimulation to feed its hunger. as you know, feeding a hungry brain can be hard sometimes but I'm always up for the chalenge thus bringing new things of interest to my life. sometimes they're actually good for me but sometimes they're just plain fun.

So here are the good and just fun things I like now:

• Anne Frank: the diary of a young girl - the heartfelt story of Anne frank's 2 years of living in hiding from the nazis. told in her own words
  
• Pepi, Luci, Bom - the first released film of Almodovar, about three friends in Madrid's punk era. amusing and crude
• Blood ties - a vampiric P.I canadian T.V show
• Popculture heroines - a website dedicated to (in their own words) "strong female characters in popular culture"
• green tea cupcakes (from "Vegan cupcakes take over the world")
• honey scented candles
  

Till next time, au revoir

P.S - Photo is taken from the "vegan cupcakes" flicker group, posted by "vegan noodle"