Clair de Lune - A Beautiful but Tragic Story...

Please, listen to the piece whilst reading the poem. Read it to your leisure. Do not rush. Do not worry about your problems for just this moment. Listen to and imagine the beautiful image Claude Debussy has created, with an edge of sadness and tragedy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-s53MpiO-o&list=PL311DF95062B5B090&feature=mh_lolz

Claire de Lune
by Paul Verlaine (1844 – 1896)

Your soul is a chosen landscape
Where charming masked and costumed figures go
Playing the lute and dancing and almost
Sad beneath their fantastic disguises.

All sing in a minor key
Of all-conquering love and careless fortune
They do not seem to believe in their happiness
And their song mingles with the moonlight.

The still moonlight, sad and beautiful,
Which gives the birds to dream in the trees
And makes the fountain sprays sob in ecstasy,
The tall, slender fountain sprays among the marble statues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-s53MpiO-o&list=PL311DF95062B5B090&feature=mh_lolz

I can't believe it's NOT Minestrone!!

This is just a recipe of my own. You can basically put whatever veggies you want into it, although, I wouldn't put spinach because that would clash with the beef stock. OR just use vegetable or chicken stock instead of beef if you want to add spinach. I just used whatever veggies I had. So feel free to put in celery, eggplant, parsnip, turnip, sweet potato, zuchinni, etc. You don't need to chop everything perfectly - it's all about the taste.

BTW, so sorry for the lame title :P

Equipment:
- Large pot (cast iron, if you have one)
- Wooden spoon,
- Sharp knife
- Pestle and mortar
- Bowls to put ingredients into (about 4)

Ingredients:

Steps 1, 2, and 3

-2 small or medium sized onions, diced
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 3 red chilies, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed (you may adjust to taste)
- Ginger crush (half the amount of garlic)
- 1-2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
- 5-6 rashers of bacon, cut into chunks
- 2 carrots, cut into cubes
- 4 small-medium sized potatoes, quatred or eigthed
- 1 can of purred tomatoes
- 4-5 large mushrooms, cut however you like
- However many green beans, quatred or thirds
- 1 beef stock cube, or small pot
- Salt and cracked pepper to taste (but keep in mind that this is supposed to be a healthy soup, go easy on the salt, go crazy on the pepper!!)

Step 4

Method:
1. After slicing and dicing, place the onions, spring onions, and chilies into the post over medium heat (don't forget the oil!).
2. After crushing the ginger and garlic together in the mortar, put it in the pot.
3. After slicing the bacon, and after the onions are browned, put them in the pot.
4. After browning, add the carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and beans.
5. Add the can of pureed tomatoes and then, using the same can, add a can of water.

Step 5

6. Now, prepare the stock in a separate bowl. Using one cube or one small pot of stock, add two cups of boiling water and stir to mix. Now add to the pot.
7. If needed, add more water.
8. Add salt and pepper.
9. Bring to the boil by placing it on high heat. After bringing to the boil, take it back to medium heat and simmer for about an hour or until your liking.
10. ENJOY with small bread rolls and mozerella cheese on top.

Step 6

Step 7, 8, and 9

Charred Tomato & Chicken Tacos

I tried out this recipe last night. Everybody loved it! It was really tasty. 

See the original recipe here:

WebMD Charred Tomato & Chicken Tacos

Here is my version of the recipe to serve 4:

INGREDIENTS:

1. Tomato MEDLEY MIX 400g (you can find it in Woolworths)

2. Olive oil

3. 1kg boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

4. Salt and freshly ground pepper

5. 2 small brown onions, finely chopped (about 1.5 cups)

6. 2 teaspoons garlic paste

7. 2 jalapeno peppers seeded and chopped

8. Fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

9. Half a bunch of coriander chopped

10. 2 white globe onions

11. 8 reduced-fat torillas

12. Pura SourLite cream 

METHOD:

1. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Place tomatoes in the skillet and turn occasionally with tongs until charred on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Cut in half crosswise.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan and heat over high heat until the oil is very hot. Add  1/2kg of chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned on all sides and no longer pink in the center.Transfer to a plate and set aside. Repeat with the other 1/2kg of chicken.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeños and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Add lime juice and the reserved chicken and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and stir in coriander and white globe onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
4. Heat up tortilla in the microwave (just follow the instruction on the packet)
5. Spoon filling into warm tortillas, roll up and serve with sour cream.

The awesome thing is, is that per serving there are only 310 calories; 7g of fat; 68mg cholesterol; 35g carbs; over 50g of protein; and 6g of fibre.

You also get your Vitamin C, Selenium, Magnesium, Potassium, and Vitamin A.

Hope you guys like my version. The link is at the top of this post, if you want to look at WebMD's other healthy recipes :)

NEW BLOG - for my Rhinoceros project!

So I have created ANOTHER blog for my project because I am going in a new (and hopefully) better direction. A NEW VISION! So here is the link:
Rhinoceros

Everyone Needs Support

Everyone needs support no matter what the issue.

It is in my nature to judge people - a trait I got from my father. But I've learnt, over the years, that people have problems just like I do. We all have our own personal struggles, and a lot of the time, we fail to see that. It is good to be aware that there are others out there in trouble. But remember, that doesn't mean your troubles are not worthy of being voiced or supported. Your personal battles are just as real as everyone else's battles.

The thing is, we are all in the same war. We all have wounds. And we all are fighting for the same thing - peace within ourselves and with each other.

So you don't need to be 'qualified' to give support, because as far as I know, you don't need to have a qualification to love.

With much love and blessings,
Ness

Please visit:

SupportGroups.com

If you need support, don't be afraid to get it. This is a free and anonymous community that anyone can go to. You can tells us what you are struggling with and what kind of battle you are facing. By sharing, you also have the opportunity to support someone else - a gracious and honorable thing to give to someone. 

CULT WEBSITE!!

Hey guys,

I was on Youtube listening to a bunch of Toby Mac's songs. His words, to me, seem good - harmless. I like his music so I typed in Toby Mac in google and this came up:

Toby Mac exposed! He sings Devil's music in Jesus' name!

I went to the site, had a read of what it had to say and it made sense. Yes, it's true, in the Bible it says not to conform to this world and so forth. But then I thought, 'But who wrote this article?' So I scrolled to bottom and found the link to the home page and found Jesus Is Saviour.com

I used to assume that anything that said 'I love Jesus' in it must be full of good and truth. But now I'm not so sure. To be honest, I think I've found a cult... or at least a group of religion extremists.

I found nothing but negative remarks made on that site. Oh, hang on, if you scroll all the way down to bottom it says, "God loves people" But the site has shown me nothing but hate. Let me briefly describe the site for you. (BTW it is targeted at an American audience)
It:
- It has war propaganda, trying to build the fear in men so that they join the army. It has a picture of an american soldier pointing a gun at a father and his son crying with terror. Underneath it says, "Is your family next?" It also builds on the fear of the 9/11 disaster.

- It has multiple articles on the evil of abortion (I personally believe abortion is wrong, but this site tells people you're going to hell for it!)

- "Satanism is the Vatican"/ "The Pope is the vicar of Hell" (who are we to judge? - we are certainly not God)

- Advertising for "The Antichrist Slideshow/ starring: The Popes of Rome/ and the Great Whore of Revelation chapter 17" (Just because there are catholic priests who rape and molest children, that doesn't mean the whole church does! - BTW I am not catholic)

- "Protest Gay Day" (God gave us free will. And even though being a homosexual is sin, God sent his only son JESUS to die for all of our sins. Which means, our debt has been payed and praise the Lord! - not condemn those whose time has already been done). They also have a link for "Homosexuals target children"

- "153,000 souls die everyday. Most go to hell." (wow... what happened to just acknowledging that a beautiful creation of God has passed, regardless of his beliefs??)

- "JUST SHUT UP AND GET ON THE ARK!" (I don't think I need to explain this one for you...)

- "ALL modern Bible conversions are corrupt!", "If you don't have a King James Bible then you don't have a Bible!", and the above (not to mention the various other statements made on the site, they are forcing their opinion onto you and if you don't agree then you are going to hell.)


I really can't continue with the list, ONE because I would never finish, and TWO because quite frankly I just find it disturbing that cults can now reach people and brainwash people through the internet. I am also deeply sad that there are so many people in the world who just want to judge and not love.

Anyway, have a look if you want, and make up your own mind. Cult or the truth?

I vote: CULT

Found an amazing site for people who NEED SUPORT!!

Hi,

I found a support network for people with all sorts of issues. There's support for:
- Addiction (of all sorts)
- Abuse (of all sorts)
- Disorders ( of all sorts)
- Diseases (of all sorts)
- Teen issues
- Rape
- Stress
- Back aches
 and much more!!

The site gives you the opportunity to tell your story without being judged, criticized, or invalidated - because there is at least one other person on the site who has gone through a similar situation to yours. You can talk to others fro help, advice, or just for someone to listen to you. It is annonymous. No cops. No social workers. Nothing but support from people who love you without even knowing you - because  love is a choice people make to not judge, be patient, and kind to others.

I hope that someone out there in the big wide world will come across this support site, weather it's through this post or by random. No matter how well we have grown up, there will always be something, and there will always be support.

Support Groups ONLINE!!


With much love and blessing,
Ness