Joy & Senses – Blog to Happiness
Posted on | November 3, 2011 | No Comments | 860 views
Joy & Senses – Blog to Happiness….
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Website: http://joy-and-senses.com
Joy & Senses – Blog to Happiness
The joy of cooking - Tue, 21 Feb 2012
Oh, tonight will be a big night, it will be all about my guests and cooking. That is how I start into a lovely day:
Cooking is playful and a very relaxing hobby for me, and with counting in enough time, just wonderful to spend the spare time. It even could become a fun celebration, such as serving some of my dearest friends. Here we go and let's get started:
First of all, it is all about the defining of the recipes and the proper preparation, so that the cooking could flow in a joyful way. I always chose the recipes along the seasons and what the guests like or dislike. Other than that, I mostly try to keep the various dishes simple but still special.
Without actively realizing we are using all five traditional senses we were born with, but we sometimes forget them as they are so self-evident plus we are often too busy in our lifes to think about it. Getting back to the cooking topic, I normally come to a point where I get an amazing, delicious and very exciting feeling when everything is ready on the table to be cooked. Therefore, I start cooking full of joy and happiness.
When I visualize all the products like vegetables, meet or fish, fruits, which I will process, I automatically use my first sense, the "SIGHT". To see the colors and the shape of the food is already an adventure. Or, especially today when I flambéed the beef, to see the fire was amazing.
In the beginning of cooking, mainly with a glass of prosecco, the second sense is being used as I hear the sound of the bubbles of it as well as when I for example cut the vegetables. So, I am talking about the sense of "HEARING".
Thirdly, when I will grab the meet, the fish, the pasta, salad or the chocolate or flour for a cake, you name it, you touch it, get a flavor of it in your hands as I process most of the food by hand and homemade. To feel the food is incredibly important for the further procedure, so, the "TOUCH" is essential.
After that, I am reaching an advanced level of cooking I will flow into the sense of "SMELL". Ahhh, have you ever tasted a fresh Mango from India (these are the best) or herbs from the garden? Or, if you think of a big, sweet strawberry, smelling it in the summer sun feels like heaven. Hmmm!
In the end, when all the different dishes are cooked it comes to the 5th sense, the "TASTE". Naturally, I will taste everything I cooked like the appetizer, main course and dessert.
This evening I have chosen an appetizer with avocados, tomatoes, coriander and a vinaigrette sauce as well as cooked shrimps. The combination of the ingredients was like a poem when I tasted it. The main course was a very special dish, filet beef with a mustard sauce, broccoli and wild rice. Even the various colors to look at the main course was fantastic to look at, the following tasting tremendously delicious. The sweets I kept simple with a chocolate cake and strawberries with double cream and pepper.
To round up the menue a glass of decent red wine was served. I have chosen a fine bottle from the new world called "Norton" from Argentina. It is one of my favourite and my guests liked it all together.
Late at night, my friends left the house and said goodbye with comments like "excellent" and "a dinner not to forget".
I put on a smile and was happy about such a wonderful, fun,
successful, culinary evening ;-)
Cooking is playful and a very relaxing hobby for me, and with counting in enough time, just wonderful to spend the spare time. It even could become a fun celebration, such as serving some of my dearest friends. Here we go and let's get started:
First of all, it is all about the defining of the recipes and the proper preparation, so that the cooking could flow in a joyful way. I always chose the recipes along the seasons and what the guests like or dislike. Other than that, I mostly try to keep the various dishes simple but still special.
Without actively realizing we are using all five traditional senses we were born with, but we sometimes forget them as they are so self-evident plus we are often too busy in our lifes to think about it. Getting back to the cooking topic, I normally come to a point where I get an amazing, delicious and very exciting feeling when everything is ready on the table to be cooked. Therefore, I start cooking full of joy and happiness.
When I visualize all the products like vegetables, meet or fish, fruits, which I will process, I automatically use my first sense, the "SIGHT". To see the colors and the shape of the food is already an adventure. Or, especially today when I flambéed the beef, to see the fire was amazing.
In the beginning of cooking, mainly with a glass of prosecco, the second sense is being used as I hear the sound of the bubbles of it as well as when I for example cut the vegetables. So, I am talking about the sense of "HEARING".
Thirdly, when I will grab the meet, the fish, the pasta, salad or the chocolate or flour for a cake, you name it, you touch it, get a flavor of it in your hands as I process most of the food by hand and homemade. To feel the food is incredibly important for the further procedure, so, the "TOUCH" is essential.
After that, I am reaching an advanced level of cooking I will flow into the sense of "SMELL". Ahhh, have you ever tasted a fresh Mango from India (these are the best) or herbs from the garden? Or, if you think of a big, sweet strawberry, smelling it in the summer sun feels like heaven. Hmmm!
In the end, when all the different dishes are cooked it comes to the 5th sense, the "TASTE". Naturally, I will taste everything I cooked like the appetizer, main course and dessert.
This evening I have chosen an appetizer with avocados, tomatoes, coriander and a vinaigrette sauce as well as cooked shrimps. The combination of the ingredients was like a poem when I tasted it. The main course was a very special dish, filet beef with a mustard sauce, broccoli and wild rice. Even the various colors to look at the main course was fantastic to look at, the following tasting tremendously delicious. The sweets I kept simple with a chocolate cake and strawberries with double cream and pepper.
To round up the menue a glass of decent red wine was served. I have chosen a fine bottle from the new world called "Norton" from Argentina. It is one of my favourite and my guests liked it all together.
Late at night, my friends left the house and said goodbye with comments like "excellent" and "a dinner not to forget".
I put on a smile and was happy about such a wonderful, fun,
successful, culinary evening ;-)
Milky Way and My Shining Star - Mon, 23 Jan 2012
I am back from my amazing adventurous and lovely trip to Asia as well as Australia, where I got many inspirational thoughts for my blogs. Therefore, I am herewith sharing with you my first one:
One special night in the northern part of Western Australia is still in my mind and fascinates me still. I met the universe of the Southern hemisphere of the equator by standing out in the nature, in the middle of a field, some people joined, it was very quiet, darkness, a few meters away there were sitting peacefully some kangaroos which did not want to be disturbed - understandable and very cute. Somehow, the atmosphere was mystic and exciting in the same time, it even prickled under my skin. What was it?
When I looked up in the sky this incredible feeling got even more intense, as I have never seen something like this before - a miracle. The sky was full of stars and millions of powerful lights were greeting me. Wow, something so beautiful and I was a lucky witness of it, just unbelievably nice. I thought: "What a night we have chosen, the universe switched on all the lights which were available, just for us". And, what was it now? The Milky Way! All these stars created a shining pathway through the darkness of the universe. This lightful stripe, which I imagined totally different, looked in reality so much nicer, bigger, greater, more gorgeous and tremendously beautiful. I felt like it was raining stars or they flowed around. On top of that, somebody showed me the stars of the Southern Cross which you rarely see. These are the five stars which are reflected on the Australian flag. Amazing that we picked this night, everything was shining, like on a catwalk, the brighter the better. This first-time-experience was such an eye-opener how big the universe must be and in real life how important it is to see the big picture. A few questions came up and make me still thinking. Would there be other planets with human beings on it? Could people live there also? What would this mean for us? How far away are these planets?
International astronomers found out just recently, that every star within the Milky Way is surrounded with 1.6 planets in average. So, the universe is even bigger than we all thought, hardly to imagine. There are many more planet systems in the galaxy than everybody even just slightly expected. Are there even more planets than stars out there we have known of so far? The astronomers are searching for more answers on this, which means that there will be much more interesting stories about various galaxies to come. The specialists will tell.
But, I also found something else out there which additionally amazed me personally and put a peaceful, very happy smile on my face. During the whole trip when I took a glimpse up in the sky there was one star appearing bright and intense. Did it sparkle for me and followed me all the way from home? I started to dream that this could be the case and I liked it. A positive feeling came up by looking at this special star, it was always there. This bright light is playing an extraordinary and caring role in my life for quite a while. The dream was calm, but I felt he was there, far away but thinking of me. I thought of him. This star is magic for my soul and shines right into my heart. Pure happiness - pure emotions - pure love.
THANK YOU, MY SHINING STAR!
One special night in the northern part of Western Australia is still in my mind and fascinates me still. I met the universe of the Southern hemisphere of the equator by standing out in the nature, in the middle of a field, some people joined, it was very quiet, darkness, a few meters away there were sitting peacefully some kangaroos which did not want to be disturbed - understandable and very cute. Somehow, the atmosphere was mystic and exciting in the same time, it even prickled under my skin. What was it?
THANK YOU, MY SHINING STAR!
Jingle Bells and Melting Chocolate - Fri, 16 Dec 2011
During the last couple of days I took the opportunity to walk through downtown of Zurich and all kinds of interesting things caught my eyes:
People were hurrying for x-mas gifts, rushing along the pathways and were angry on the roads. Uhhh, this is nothing for me, I thought, so I concentrated myself in the old town where the x-mas lights this year were incredibly charming and it seamed like the time stood still. I heard jingle bells from far away, and when I looked into the wonderfully decorated x-mas windows of various shops it made me smile. These circumstances brought me into a thoughtful and very joyful mood. Some stores were crowded with many people as they might have bought their last gifts and others seemed like a cute dollhouse for girls as they managed to display their goods in a well organized but in the same time cozy way.
After a while, my nose tickled and I smelled an intensive and very good taste. As I followed that particular sweet smell by walking further and further, it became more and more clear what it was and where it came from. As I passed by one of the oldest coffee houses called "Schober" where they offer very good hot drinks, it must have been the melted hot chocolate. Was it? Yes, they served melted hot chocolate outside and you could smell it from far. This was something very special to me as I did not know that they use to do that, what a good idea! It reminded me automatically to my childhood many years ago, when I came back from sledging with my friends and my mom used to make me a hot chocolate to warm up and afterwards she filled up the bath tub for a warm bath for the little princess....
Nevertheless, it is indeed a miracle, and I am not the only one who thinks during the calm and bright x-mas time back to the childhood. Many people talk about stories what they did and how they felt when they were children. Many friends tell me that nowadays things have changed, this warm and patient atmosphere is gone, you only could experience it again when you have children, I hear that from all sides. Is that true? Probably, when I think of some shining and children's eyes full of expectations, when they await the angels at Christmas Eve I could imagine that this is the real Season's feeling. Why is this going away and we only feel it in a few sequences these days?
Just 15 more days and another year passed by. So quickly, much happened in positive and negative ways but in general it was a good year. I learned a lot, I experienced many things I would not have thought of, I had plenty of happy moments and many good friends around me. My memory is filled with lovely summer adventures which will last forever in my mind. In the fall I used my time mainly with passionate writing, taking care of my family and my love, meeting friends, hiking, sports in general and wonderful conversations. I am blessed, that I had a good but also meaningful year.
Thank you all for following my blog and the feedback, always very appreciated. I am fully amazed that so many people all over the world are reading it - this makes me very happy and inspires me even more!
Now, I am off for this year as I will be traveling to Asia and Australia. But in the meantime, I am wishing you
SEASON'S GREATINGS TO ALL OF YOU AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!
People were hurrying for x-mas gifts, rushing along the pathways and were angry on the roads. Uhhh, this is nothing for me, I thought, so I concentrated myself in the old town where the x-mas lights this year were incredibly charming and it seamed like the time stood still. I heard jingle bells from far away, and when I looked into the wonderfully decorated x-mas windows of various shops it made me smile. These circumstances brought me into a thoughtful and very joyful mood. Some stores were crowded with many people as they might have bought their last gifts and others seemed like a cute dollhouse for girls as they managed to display their goods in a well organized but in the same time cozy way.After a while, my nose tickled and I smelled an intensive and very good taste. As I followed that particular sweet smell by walking further and further, it became more and more clear what it was and where it came from. As I passed by one of the oldest coffee houses called "Schober" where they offer very good hot drinks, it must have been the melted hot chocolate. Was it? Yes, they served melted hot chocolate outside and you could smell it from far. This was something very special to me as I did not know that they use to do that, what a good idea! It reminded me automatically to my childhood many years ago, when I came back from sledging with my friends and my mom used to make me a hot chocolate to warm up and afterwards she filled up the bath tub for a warm bath for the little princess....
Nevertheless, it is indeed a miracle, and I am not the only one who thinks during the calm and bright x-mas time back to the childhood. Many people talk about stories what they did and how they felt when they were children. Many friends tell me that nowadays things have changed, this warm and patient atmosphere is gone, you only could experience it again when you have children, I hear that from all sides. Is that true? Probably, when I think of some shining and children's eyes full of expectations, when they await the angels at Christmas Eve I could imagine that this is the real Season's feeling. Why is this going away and we only feel it in a few sequences these days?
Thank you all for following my blog and the feedback, always very appreciated. I am fully amazed that so many people all over the world are reading it - this makes me very happy and inspires me even more!
Now, I am off for this year as I will be traveling to Asia and Australia. But in the meantime, I am wishing you
SEASON'S GREATINGS TO ALL OF YOU AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Lucy and the Spirits of the Night - Sun, 04 Dec 2011
Warm lights all around, jingle bells from near and far, singing children everywhere and cold, cold temperatures tell us that winter is here. I like that kind of season, especially the advent as things tend to become a little slower and thoughtful. People get together for Gluehwein and happy talks which is nice to watch. I also baked the first Christmas vanilla cookies, yummy, which means also that Santa Claus is coming to town, and with us in Switzerland it will be next week December 6. Children are excited but also respectful when Santa will visit their homes, he will talk about the good and bad things the boys and the girls did during the past year. But in the end they will get a sack full of chocolate, mandarines and nuts!
But let me introduce you to Lucy. Now is her time, she is around since a couple of days and inspires me as well. She is colorful, peaceful, playful, quiet and full of joy. She presents herself like thousands of snowflakes. We have her only since two years now in Zurich, but people love her as everybody awaited her so much. You could stand at Bahnhofstrasse and look up at her for minutes, if it is windy she even dances in the air, it is a fantastic miracle and wonderful to watch. Lucy is the name of the shining light decoration all along the famous shopping mile. Two years ago it was different as the previous cold lights they had installed nobody liked, so Zurich is very happy with Lucy now and the tourists like her also. Additionally, she matches with the lights of the Christmas trees which is lovely.
But let me introduce you to Lucy. Now is her time, she is around since a couple of days and inspires me as well. She is colorful, peaceful, playful, quiet and full of joy. She presents herself like thousands of snowflakes. We have her only since two years now in Zurich, but people love her as everybody awaited her so much. You could stand at Bahnhofstrasse and look up at her for minutes, if it is windy she even dances in the air, it is a fantastic miracle and wonderful to watch. Lucy is the name of the shining light decoration all along the famous shopping mile. Two years ago it was different as the previous cold lights they had installed nobody liked, so Zurich is very happy with Lucy now and the tourists like her also. Additionally, she matches with the lights of the Christmas trees which is lovely.If I draw that light even further along the lake and the villages you could see Lucy as well. Lights are everywhere! It brings me into a warm and thoughtful mood. I think about the past year as well as what will come up in 2012: what excitement I will face, what kind of people I will meet, where will I go, what will I do, what kind of happy moments will I have?
Mostly in the evenings I have such thoughts which shows the beauty of our lifes. We have all the options to chose whereas people in other countries are not that privileged - indeed it is a nice and comfortable feeling. We are blessed! Have you ever thought about this?
I see these choices very clearly and activates a lot of creativity with me. Basically, such intense spirit is mainly happening in the middle of the night. Oh, this is pure pleasure, as so many great ideas occur in that very moment, and I will have to write them down immediately. I am talking about travel or business ideas, how to make my closest friends and family happy with a surprises, or then something comes up about my future, hobbies etc. All kinds of stuff, which is enriching my life and others, very cool. Afterwards, I am happy, calm and able to go back to sleep again. You probably think this is funny or strange, but I let these thoughts flow and it is a great, great feeling ;-)
I see these choices very clearly and activates a lot of creativity with me. Basically, such intense spirit is mainly happening in the middle of the night. Oh, this is pure pleasure, as so many great ideas occur in that very moment, and I will have to write them down immediately. I am talking about travel or business ideas, how to make my closest friends and family happy with a surprises, or then something comes up about my future, hobbies etc. All kinds of stuff, which is enriching my life and others, very cool. Afterwards, I am happy, calm and able to go back to sleep again. You probably think this is funny or strange, but I let these thoughts flow and it is a great, great feeling ;-)
And, Lucy shines bright.... enjoy the advent!
IN THE RIGHT LIGHT, AT THE RIGHT TIME, EVERYTHING IS EXTRAORDINARY.
Aaron Rose
"STAHN UF" - GET UP - STAND UP - Tue, 08 Nov 2011
Hey, just got in and while I was driving home by car I was listening to this song which I did not hear for a long time. It inspired me so much that I came up with this blog. The letters are flowing out of my fingers like honey or liquid butter (I love cooking...) while I am listening to it. I am so excited and rocking, as so many ideas are jumping into my mind when I hear the rhythm and the lyrics. It is a happy but in the same time very meaningful song, composed and sung by a couple of successful Swiss artists Bligg, Baschi, Ritschi, Seven and Stress. The idea behind it was, that the Swiss Government wanted to close a successful running Radio Station in 2009, just because of licenses. And, these guys helped to make it happen, the Radio Station is more than alive today - how fantastic and great is that!
I recommend to listen to the song while you are reading my blog, it is cool and the mix of Swiss German/English is funky. Let's meet something new and you will know right away what I mean...
Let's go, get up and do what you want to do - you are the only one who could help yourself!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgfeqzfQrfs
WE ARE LIVING IN A WORLD OF CHANGE, AND IT IS ALRIGHT!
Every day you hear in the world news about:
the Greek crisis, unemployment rates, deleveraging (see this http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2011/11/08/735311/here-comes-the-cross-border-bank-deleveraging/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=Paul+Krugman ), earthquakes, volatility on Stock Markets, floddings, bankruptcies of big banks, resignations of Prime Ministers, currency problems, poverty, underwater US-mortgages etc.
On the other hand, I get inspired by news like:
the 7th billion baby was just born, you could fly to the moon soon, Switzerland had a terrific Indian Summer, after many years salmons are returning to Swiss rivers, middle class in 3rd world countries is increasing, Namibian bonds are attractive these days etc.
What is going on? How could we handle all these news which are probably coming up by the fact that we are living in a globalized world? Is this necessary? Why is it all now happening?
As I look into it closer, I get the feeling that "the upside-down effect" is useful. We faced many years of prosperity and economical upswing where we did not have to think about such things. Now, when times are getting more difficult and downturns, downgrades are on the agenda, the adjustment of a human being is never easy. A human being anyway does not like changes in general, but somehow it needs to happen, as people start to think, become innovative and creative. Back to basics, as I said in my "Changes & Chances" blog already, it is indeed a great chance we have, it even could be fun. In Europe for example, there are record figures in startup companies which is an incredible good, economical sign. People get up and do what they want!
We will have to realize that in the end of the day, we all have to do what we love. We will no longer like to play a role we feel not comfortable and going forward with. Life is too short anyway, so, stand up and do something which makes you happy and automatically you are good at it. Your environment will feel that exploit, the power and wonderful motivation of you.
I know, all this sounds a bit crazy and blue eyed, but I experienced it myself many times. For example, when I talk to people or friends about topics I really like and I am passionate about, my eyes start to shine, I smile and this language every culture understands. When I talk about something I am hesitating about or do not like particularly, I call it "normal", there is no reaction in my eyes. This is very fascinating, and it tells me that the body talks in a way.
Of course, realistically you need a lot of courage for things like that and sometimes the personal situation does not allow such a big step. In my case I just could say, that it is an added value and such a great feeling. Additionally, I also meet so many interesting and different people who think the same way than I do. New opportunities and ideas are greeting me which I appreciate a lot.
This power is amazing, I call it a "Power Shot" ;-).
So, why not accepting the change, be positive inspired whatever, however you do it and do not think too much.
One last thing:
GET UP AND BE HAPPY, ROCK THE DAY AND GO FOR IT!
I recommend to listen to the song while you are reading my blog, it is cool and the mix of Swiss German/English is funky. Let's meet something new and you will know right away what I mean...Let's go, get up and do what you want to do - you are the only one who could help yourself!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgfeqzfQrfs
WE ARE LIVING IN A WORLD OF CHANGE, AND IT IS ALRIGHT!
Every day you hear in the world news about:
the Greek crisis, unemployment rates, deleveraging (see this http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2011/11/08/735311/here-comes-the-cross-border-bank-deleveraging/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=Paul+Krugman ), earthquakes, volatility on Stock Markets, floddings, bankruptcies of big banks, resignations of Prime Ministers, currency problems, poverty, underwater US-mortgages etc.
On the other hand, I get inspired by news like:
the 7th billion baby was just born, you could fly to the moon soon, Switzerland had a terrific Indian Summer, after many years salmons are returning to Swiss rivers, middle class in 3rd world countries is increasing, Namibian bonds are attractive these days etc.
What is going on? How could we handle all these news which are probably coming up by the fact that we are living in a globalized world? Is this necessary? Why is it all now happening?
As I look into it closer, I get the feeling that "the upside-down effect" is useful. We faced many years of prosperity and economical upswing where we did not have to think about such things. Now, when times are getting more difficult and downturns, downgrades are on the agenda, the adjustment of a human being is never easy. A human being anyway does not like changes in general, but somehow it needs to happen, as people start to think, become innovative and creative. Back to basics, as I said in my "Changes & Chances" blog already, it is indeed a great chance we have, it even could be fun. In Europe for example, there are record figures in startup companies which is an incredible good, economical sign. People get up and do what they want!
We will have to realize that in the end of the day, we all have to do what we love. We will no longer like to play a role we feel not comfortable and going forward with. Life is too short anyway, so, stand up and do something which makes you happy and automatically you are good at it. Your environment will feel that exploit, the power and wonderful motivation of you.
I know, all this sounds a bit crazy and blue eyed, but I experienced it myself many times. For example, when I talk to people or friends about topics I really like and I am passionate about, my eyes start to shine, I smile and this language every culture understands. When I talk about something I am hesitating about or do not like particularly, I call it "normal", there is no reaction in my eyes. This is very fascinating, and it tells me that the body talks in a way.
Of course, realistically you need a lot of courage for things like that and sometimes the personal situation does not allow such a big step. In my case I just could say, that it is an added value and such a great feeling. Additionally, I also meet so many interesting and different people who think the same way than I do. New opportunities and ideas are greeting me which I appreciate a lot.
This power is amazing, I call it a "Power Shot" ;-).
So, why not accepting the change, be positive inspired whatever, however you do it and do not think too much.
One last thing:
GET UP AND BE HAPPY, ROCK THE DAY AND GO FOR IT!
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