Year of the Rabbit

ABRAHAM-HICKS DAILY QUOTE:  "Flawed Premises Can Attract True Unwanted Evidence. Flawed premises that you have picked up along your physical trail can fall by the wayside, one by one, and you can return to the understanding that is at the core of that which you are. (But in order to discover or understand a false or flawed premise, you have to stand back far enough and reconnect with who-you-really-are before you can see it.) If you were to hear a false premise again and again, until you yourself began to believe and repeat it, now your own activation of the contradictory Vibration would interfere with your own sense of intelligence, and you would begin to attract evidence of your lack of intelligence, in effect proving the false premise to be true. And so, it becomes increasingly hard for you to call this a 'false' premise when the evidence seems to be telling you that it is true, for over time you come to believe it is true."

I used to have a flawed premise that "you have to work hard." It was the way I was brought up. And you know what, I was right, work was hard. And then I decided that I could work joyfully and still get things done and be successful. Life is much easier now.

And I used to have a flawed premised called "hurry up." It seemed I was always running around here and there and rushing around the house. Then I realized that I had an underlying belief that "there's not enough time." That's a lie. There is enough time. And I get to decide how I use it. A Santa Cruz bakery has a sign above their door and it's a good reminder to me: 

How about you? What flawed premise do you live your life by? 

Bachan asked me to check the "computah" to find out what the Year of the Rabbit means. Maybe you’d like to know, too.

But first, let’s start with a few quotes from my favorite rabbit, Bugs Bunny.

-- Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out alive.

-- Gee, ain't I a stinker?

-- I know this defies the law of gravity, but I never studied law!

-- Jumpin' without a parachute? Kinda dangerous, ain't it?

-- Shhhhhhhh! I'm about to defy you.

-- I'll be scared later. Right now I'm too mad.

-- The way I run this thing you'd think I knew something about it.

Now back to the meaning of the Year of the Wabbit…er…Rabbit.

The year of the Rabbit should be a placid year since people will acknowledge that persuasion is better than force. We can recover from the difficulties of the ferocious year of the Tiger. Good taste and refinement will shine on everything.

A congenial time in which diplomacy, international relations and politics will be given a front seat again. We will act with discretion and make reasonable concessions without too much difficulty.

We will need to be careful not to be indulgent. The influence of the Rabbit tends to spoil those who like too much comfort and thus impairs their effectiveness and sense of duty.

Law and order will be lax; rules and regulations will not be rigidly enforced. No one seems very inclined to bother with these unpleasant realities. They are busy enjoying themselves, entertaining others or simply taking it easy (whew!). The scene is extremely calm and quiet. We will have a tendency to put off disagreeable tasks as long as possible.

Money can be made without too much labor (woo hoo!). Our lifestyle will be languid and leisurely as we allow ourselves the luxuries we have always craved for. A temperate year with an unhurried pace. For once, it may seem possible for us to be carefree and happy without too many annoyances.

Sounds good to me!

May wabbits surround you and your loved ones this year,

Catherine

Bachan Celebrates the New Year

OBACHAN COOKED FOR TWO DAYS MAKING OSECHI-RYORI, JAPANESE NEW YEARS FOOD. This is a tradition dating back 1,000 years. Uh, that's the age of the tradition, not Bachan.

ALEXIS:  Bachan! I'm taking a picture. Open your eyes.

BACHAN:  Wha chu talkoon bout? My eye open awready.

I'm soooo happy Bachan had the energy and interest to host a New Year's feast. 

BACHAN:  I closah closah [closer to the grave]. You nebbah know. Maybe dis my lass one.

ALEXIS:  Bachan! You've been saying that for 20 years.

When Bachan was growing up, women cooked osechi the last several days of the year because it was taboo to cook the first several days of the new year. Each dish and ingredient had a special meaning to celebrate the new year, such as good health, fertility, and long life. Osechi is artfully packed in layers inside laquered bento (lunch) boxes. When friends came to visit, the hostess would offer osechi. The guests would eat, drink and visit before moving on to the next house.

Because cooking so many dishes is time consuming, many Japanese today buy osechi from a store. The costly osechi can cost about $250 or more per bento box.

We're so lucky because Bachan is a great cook and cooks everything herself. She roasts, fries and simmers most things with varying combinations of shoyu (soy sauce), sake, mirin (sweet J. cooking wine), shoyu, and sugar. This year she made 17 dishes, not counting rice or dessert. Here are a few pix of our feast.

1  Datemaki (sweet rolled omelette) symbolizes a wish for many auspicious (attended by favorable circumstances) days.

2  The red and white slices of kamaboko (fish cake) represent the Japanese rising sun (flag).

3  Daidai (bitter orange) is a wish for children in the New Year, which Alexis refused to touch.

4  Kurumaebi Tsuyayu (whiskered whole shrimp in the shell) is eaten by elders hoping for a long life.

5  Roasted Tai (snapper) symbolizes a good omen.

6  Everyone must eat kuro-mame (black beans), a wish to work energetically all year. Alexis didn't want to eat them, but I insisted (heh, heh, heh).

7  Kimpiru Gobo (burdock root) represents stability and increased good fortune.

8  Namasu (pickled daikon radish and carrot slivers) express the celebratory colors, red and white.

9  Kazunoko (herring egg sack) symbolizes a wish to be gifted with many children in the New Year. Alexis refused to touch these, too. Hmm. I'm seeing a pattern here.

10 Konbu (a kind of seaweed) represents joy.





And it's not a party unless Bachan shows off a new T-shirt (a Christmas present from Alexis):

Yep. It actually says "screaming ham" [sigh].

May celebrations surround you,


Catherine

How & Why to Get a Gmail Account (Announcing a Contest)

I KNOW A LOT OF YOU HAVE AN EMAIL ACCOUNT WITH YAHOO OR AOL. MOST OF US GREW UP with Yahoo, but it's time for a change. It's kinda like leaving high school so you can go to college.

Here's why you need a Gmail account from Google:

--  More Storage Space! I know Yahoo says you have unlimited storage, but when I keep too many emails, I can't copy and paste anything into a Yahoo email. Really frustrating until I figured out what was going on! You won't have that problem with Gmail. If you own a small business or take a lot of photos, you really need Gmail.

--  Less Spam! Most of those annoying ads for viagra will end up in your spam filter or you won't get them at all (yeah!).

--  Mobile Access! If you've got a Smart Phone, you'll LOVE being able to check your mail while away from your computer. It's all at your fingertips. I clean up my email in the morning and afternoon while I'm on break at the office. When I get home, I can focus on blogging instead of email. It's a real time saver and amps up your productivity.

--  Access to All Things Google! Let's face it. Google rocks. If you have a Gmail account, you can access Google Analytics, Google Webmaster tools, and other great Google products.

--  Fewer Ads! The Google ads are barely noticeable compared to other free email services.

--  It Gets Better and Better! Google continually makes improvements to help you better manage the info in your life.

--  You Can Comment on a Blog! I've gotten emails and calls from friends saying they couldn't leave a comment on my blog. I know it's confusing trying to figure out if you should select LiveJournal, WordPress, Typepad, AIM or OpenID. If you don't understand the question, much less the answer, then those options probably don't relate to you. Get a Gmail account and you can comment on any blog, not just mine.

--  Enter a contest to win a copy of Getting Into the Vortex Guided Meditations CD and User Guide by Esther and Jerry Hicks! You know I start my day by meditating to this CD. Now you can, too! I'll give you a week to get that Gmail account and then I'm announcing a contest and you need a Gmail account to participate. You could try to buy the book yourself, but the last time I checked, Barnes & Noble was sold out and Amazon has them back-ordered, as well as limiting you to three copies. Well, I've got a little stash. I've been giving them away to friends. I'd like to give you one, BUT YOU NEED A GMAIL ACCOUNT SO YOU CAN COMMENT ON A QUESTION I'LL POST NEXT WEEK.

OK. Ready to get that Gmail account? It'll only take about three minutes. Here's how.

STEP	ACTION
1	Access www.gmail.com.
2	Click Create an Account. RESULT:  The “Create an Account” screen shows.
3	In the “first name” box, enter your first name.
4	In the “last name” box, enter your last name.
5	In the “desired login name" box, enter your desired login name and click Check Availability. NOTE:  The “desired login name” is also called a “user name”. For example, I entered “beautifullybetter” as my login name is and my gmail login name, user name and address looks like this:  beautifullybetter@gmail.com.  If you have a common name, you may get a “xxxxx is not available, but the following user names are” message. In that case, try a different login name.  Pick a name that is easy to remember and spell. And avoid numbers since they’re hard to remember.
6	In the “choose a password” box, enter your password. NOTE:  Pick a password that’s easy to spell and remember. Be sure it has letters and at least one number.
7	In the “re-enter password” box, re-enter your password.
8	Click the down arrow next to “choose a [security] question”.
9	Click on a security question that fits for you.
10	In the “answer” box, enter the answer to your security question.
11	In the “secondary email” box, enter a different email address (such as Yahoo). Why? Because if you get locked out of your gMail account and can’t access it, they will send your new password to your secondary email.
12	Click the down arrow next to “location” and select a location.
13	Click in the white box under “word verification” and enter the letters you see.  Why? This is their  way of making sure you’re a human and not an automated program.
14	Read the “Terms of Service” and select “I accept. Create my account.” RESULT:  The “Congratulations” message shows, along with an introduction to how to use Gmail.

May resources surround you,


Catherine

Bachan's T-Shirt

ABRAHAM-HICKS DAILY QUOTE (sign up at Abraham-Hicks.com > subscribe to daily quotes):  My Life Is about My Relationships. You will never find yourself in a point in time when the subject of relationships is not an active part of your now experience, for everything you perceive or notice or know is because of your relationship with something else. Without a comparative experience, you would be unable to perceive or focus any kind of understanding within yourself. Therefore, it is accurate to say that without relationships you could not exist at all.  --- Abraham

REALIZATION. I've noticed that since I don't have the structure of work (I'm on vacation), I am not as disciplined about visualizing working at the company I intend to work at. A little structure works for me. I think today I'll try to visualize my new job every hour on the hour, just for a few minutes.

ALEXIS COMPLAINED THAT WHENEVER A FRIEND COMES OVER WEARING A BRIGHT T-shirt, Bachan asks if she can have it.

I never noticed that before.

But I did notice the T-shirt Bachan wore today.

May smiles surround you,


Catherine

Prettiest Rain Boots Ever!

KATHLEEN BOUGHT ME SLOGGER RAIN BOOTS (slogger.com) AS A BDAY PRESENT the last time we were in Napa. Oh, I love these things! They're practical, pretty and RED. Look!

I love them 'cause they're colorful and comfy (you can wear them around town since they have an insole and a cotton lining). And with the wide top, you can easily tuck your pants into them.

With all the rain, my yard is sooo muddy. Bachan sunk down a couple inches when she walked on the lawn.

She insists on dragging the big trash cans to the curb every Wednesday. I've tried to do it instead, but wind up tussling over the can and I'm afraid she'll fall. Even our neighbor has tried to help. She told him, no, she wants to do it until she can't...and then it's his job. And yes, we tried doing it when she's not around, but that just makes her mad. And you don't want to get Bachan mad.

I notice that when things are inconvenient, people don't do them or we put them off (like walking through deep mud to take out the trash).

Now that I have my trusty boots, I just pull them on, stamp through mud and jump through puddles. FUN! And, oh yeah, take out the trash.

What solution did you find to an inconvenient task?

May beauty surround you,


Catherine

How Well Balanced Is Your Life?

Kathleen reminded me of an exercise I do at the beginning of each year with my friends.

I don't write resolutions (too easy to break them and then you feel bad), but I do like reflecting on the past year and deliberately creating the new year.

I don't know who originally developed this Life Balance Circle, but whoever you are, THANK YOU!

It's a great way to reflect on the past year and to deliberately create the new year.

It's easy. Think about each major category of your life (such as health). Make a dot on the circle in that category to show how satisfied you are (such as, 80% satisfied). After you've rated each category, connect the dots.

The more rounded the shape, the more satisfied you are with your life.

The more spikes and dips, the more areas you might improve or enhance.

Here's mine:

There are no judgments here. It's all up to you and your perception.

And it's your life. You decide how satisfied you are with your life.

Let me know how you do. Any insights?

May revelations surround you,


Catherine
==> Sorry. i've tried and tried and tried. We can't attach files in Blogger (for security reasons) and the instructions on Squibd don't match the Blogger screens so I can't attach the file. If you'd like me to send it to you, email me at BeautifullyBetter@gmail.com with a subject of "Send Me Life Balance Circle, Pretty Please".  

The Japanese Skincare Revolution by Chizu Saeki (book)

I FOUND THIS BOOK AT KINOKUNIYA (THE JAPANESE BOOKSTORE ACROSS THE parking lot from Mitsuwa Marketplace) and asked Alexis to get it for me for Christmas.

LOVE IT!

Japanese women are reknown for their beautiful skin. I don't know of any other book in English that reveals the secrets of the Japanese beauty routine.

Chizu Saeki has been in the beauty business for 45 years and didn't write her first book until she was 60. Look at her. She looks amazing!

She worked at Dior for years and is Japan's most revered beauty advisor. And since she worked in San Francisco, she appreciates and is aware of American brands (nice, there are even photos of products she recommends in brands we're familiar with).

I've learned sooo much from this book. I'll share a little with you now and then.

I did a few things last night and this morning for the first time.

Bachan was staring at me today.

ME:  What's going on? 

BACHAN:  You face. It look so wunnifuh. I never see before. What the hell you doing?

ME:  Uh, I did a few things I learned from this book.

BACHAN:  I think something wrong with my eye. But, no, it you skin.


Get the Most of Your Skincare Products. Instead of applying lotion directly to your skin, squirt a few drops onto a wet cotton square (such as, Miss Webril 100% Cotton Skin Care Pads available in the U.S., separated into individual layers) and put the cotton on your face to make a lotion mask (she tells you how).

If you avoid facial scrubs because they're too abrasive, make them milder and twice as effective by combining it with equal parts of facial soap and warm water.

Use your palms and fingers to warm the skincare product in your hands to help it penetrate your skin better and double or even triple its effectiveness (she tells you how). Wrap your hands around your face, the cosmetic and your heat will act like a steam iron, making your skin remarkably smooth. Use your fingers to apply pressure, to push particles through pores to deliver them deep into your skin and to improve circulation, or to massage your face and smooth out creases (she tells you how).

Put your heart into every drop of your skincare products (she shows you which ones and they're available from the drugstore or department store) you choose.


Take In Beauty With All Your Senses. Experience new and beautiful things (flowers, colors, museums), they may affect your cells and you will feel more beautiful.


Make the Mirror Your Ally. Really take a good look in the mirror to see what it needs.


Book Time for Yourself, Not Beauty Salons. You can have beautiful skin without spending a lot of time or money. And you don't need to go to a salon. Start by taking five minutes each day to care for your skin.


Gear Down in Times of Trouble. Sometimes, you need to cut back. Excessive care can damage your skin. Go on a skin fast by not wearing any cosmetics one day a week. Spend less money on products and more time caring for your skin.


Learn From a Linen Handkerchief. You can erase brown spots with vitamin C serum, smooth lines by hydrating and stretching them, and brighten your skin by washing it with scrub. "If you want your skin to stay beautiful forever, care for it just as you would your cherished possessions."


Don't Overfeed Your Skin. Look at your skin and touch it before putting anything on it. Take a good look at your skin in the mirror and carefully pick out and use only the products you really need.


Food and Water Will Transform the Skin in Three Months. Your body is made up of the food and drink you take in. The cells of your body are renewed every three months so it is your daily meals that create your future body. Eat vitamin- and mineral-rich fruits and vegetables, some proteins, and lots of fiber. Drink plenty of pure water. Eat balanced meals. Give thanks to the plants and animals you are about to consume for the sake of your physical well-being. Gratitude is very important for achieving beauty. Thank your skin every day during your skincare routine and your skin will respond with increased beauty.


In The Japanese Skincare Revolution, you'll learn tips and techniques to perfect your skin with your own hands--no special equipment, all easily done at home, and just as effective as the treatements at a salon. All you'll need are a few supplies, such as cotton squares, plastic wrap, ice, and basic cosmetics.

I'm lovin' this book!


What are some of your beauty secrets?

May beauty surround you,


Catherine