If you have love, you don’t need to have anything else, and if you don’t have it, it doesn’t matter much what else you have.
Sir James M. Barrie


In this article, I want to dwell on “love”. You know, it’s the thing that we think we know, but in reality we don’t.
You probably have an idea of what love is though. You would describe it by saying things like; love is such a feeling which makes your heart beat faster. It makes you notice your blood pulsing in your veins. Gives you a burst of energy every time the person you love looks at you. And this can go on and on.
Additionally you might mention about some common signs usually occur when you are in love.

• First, you cannot help but think of the person more often everyday.
• You wish to always be in his/her company. You alter all your plans to spend time with that person.
• You feel overwhelmed because of the feeling called love. You may even lose your appetite.
• You become more cheerful. You forgive people easily and nothing will upset you.
• You become kinder person and more polite towards others, in brief the whole world.

It is all these emotions that make the word love so indescribable. But somehow we tend to forget the value of the word love. Most of the times we misuse it. We confuse it with some other notions. [Read more...]

If there is something I can never get tired of it’s theme parks. The thrills of rides, mystical atmospheres and enormous amounts of imagination that go into many of these places is enough to keep people coming no matter how dangerous, costly or how far they are located. Here in the U.S. alone we have the privilege of housing some of the best amusement parks in the world. I myself have had the privilege of visiting a lot of the ones I am about to mention.

Disney:What better place to set the mood for our fun-seeking mission than the happiest place on earth. Welcoming families and big kids alike for decades, the Disney parks are beyond magical.

In Anaheim, CA you will find Disneyland & Disney’s California Adventure. Walt Disney started his dream with Mickey Mouse and his films, and took the next step when he opened Disney Land in 1955. History is alive throughout the place and the rides from the Pirates of the Caribbean to Space Mountain are legendary. There is also California Adventure, which is a more recent addition and has a load to offer on it own.

Then there is Disney World, comprised of 6 different parks: Magic Kingdom (for the lovers of fantasy, this is the home of Cinderella’s Castle); Epcot (for a trip around the world without leaving Florida), Hollywood Studios (the Tower of Terror is a must), Animal Kingdom (for “wilderness” enthusiasts), and the water parks- Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon (if you are not afraid to get a little wet!). [Read more...]

My mother never missed a chance to celebrate life. Her name was Sirin, that meant “cutie”. She used to play many instruments and invite everyone who would like to celebrate whatever came along in life with her. We always saw her happy with this big smile on her face. She used to tell me that her children were her biggest accomplishments in her life. I never understood how she always managed to stand strong and found the right words to say to make things alright. She was a single mother, who raised two kids in the best way she knew, and this carried on until the day she was gone. The day when me and my brother felt, for the very first time in our lives, completely lonely.

When I left my home in Turkey to chase a dream to come to America for a brighter future, my mother was my biggest supporter. She was there when I had a heartache, she was there when I was sick. For all the good times and bad that made my most unforgettable memories, I felt her existence by my side. I did not quite understand until I became a mother myself two years ago, how a woman can show that much strength by herself. Now, I am on the other side of the mothers’ day card. It feels like a never ending learning process how to mother a child.

It is confusing at times and contradictory. Patience is the most important virtue when mothering a child. Some days, while I am at work, and my little boy is sick with the babysitter at home, I can not help my mind from traveling home and worrying about him. When he is sick and away, I feel grief about the times I yelled at him for playing on my computer keyboard with his toy cars when I was trying to work. His first day in daycare I found myself worrying about the possibility that he might not be able to talk to strangers and ask for water and that he might suffer from thirst. To be a mother, as a friend put it once, is a sickening thing, indeed.

I have been living in United States for the last 13 years. A couple years ago, my mom got sick. She was taken to the hospital. My brother was by her side as I lived in the USA and I could not be there every time I was needed. She was sent back home with no diagnosis. Then she got worse. Hospital again. Home again. Hospital one more time. She was apparently suffering from something they could not name – or we were not given the right information regarding her illness. When she was home over the weekends, seeing my little son on the webcam was her biggest joy. [Read more...]

With summer coming up right around the corner, many of you are probably making plans or thinking of fun things to do. Because summer is such a short season, it is so easy to forget how to enjoy those lovely few months. One second summer is here and just a simple blink later, it is autumn again and the leafs are no longer green or on the tree. So, let’s make this summer a memorable one shall we? Below are just a few of the infinite amount of things you can do in the summer.

Parasailing 

If you are not scared of heights or water, then I can almost guarantee you that you will absolutely LOVE parasailing. It was definitely one of the best experiences of my life. Just being up in the air, relaxing and floating in air is a feeling hard to explain unless you experience it. Besides that, to be dipped in the middle of the ocean is like a cherry on top. I suggest that you add parasailing to the top of your list for this summer.

Horseback Riding

Although I don’t believe that horseback riding is a summer activity, I think it is definitely something you should try out this summer. [Read more...]

In Mandarin Chinese, the word ‘feng’ means wind and the word “shui” means water. As in Chinese superstition both of these words combined is believed to create positive and good energy. That being said, having a good feng shui at your house, is believed to bring happiness and success to your life.

In order to attract strong Feng Shui energy into your house, first you need to be sure your house is surrendered by good Chi. For the very first step, you can begin with checking out the surroundings of your house. See if you can change or improve anything. You might have to do some landscaping or place some feng shui cures outside your house to have a smooth, strong and clear energy flow to your front door.

It doesn’t matter whether you live in a house by a nice landscape or in an apartment by a crowded street where sunlight is a challenge to catch. Wherever it is that you call it home; it must be a welcoming place for you, starting from the outside look of it.

First, give a glance at outside of your house. Is there a big tree, or any other feature blocking the flow to your front door? [Read more...]

“He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.” — Chinese proverb

China is the world’s most populous country, with a fast growing population of 1.3 billion (officially). The country has 21 cities with a population over 5 million people (compared to 2 in the United States), while more than 150 cities have over 1 million people. This human density alone is enough to shock even the most experienced traveler, and there are many more surprises in store during your stay. My best advice to you is to leave your preconceptions at home, as modern China has developed rapidly over the past 20 years. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind to minimize your potential culture shock:

1. BYOTP

Yes, that stands for bring your own toilet paper.

The Chinese-style squat toilet is the greatest surprise to most foreigners, and even in large cities it is often unavoidable. Your hotel is likely to have Western-style toilet seats, and so will any Starbucks, but even American fast food chains usually have ground-level fixtures where you will have to balance carefully while doing your business. Before you leave your hotel, make sure you’ve got portable toilet paper with you or tissues. Lots of public (and some private) restrooms don’t provide it. [Read more...]

Many Americans depend on their coffee in the mornings more than their alarm clock to wake them up and get them running. Coffee has been like fuel that people have to have, or they will not function properly. Coming from a culture where tea is more common I was really surprised to see how almost everyone is running to coffee shops, coffee carts or deli’s in the morning to have a cup of their morning booster while running around in the New York streets. I also started to believe that this is a contagious thing and now coffee has become my favorite drink too. Coffee signifies something different for each person: gathering, joy, rest, delicious, taste, morning, energy, booster and the list could go on. However there is one description that will perhaps fit everyone: caffeine!

Coffee can be consumed in many different formats – now thanks to Starbucks with their many different kinds and flavored delicious choices, but there could be health drawbacks, depending on what type of coffee you prefer to drink. and what is becoming increasingly clear is that coffee brewed in different ways could have varying health effects. Now it is thought that the most risky type is unfiltered ground coffee. In a recent study, scientists found that unfiltered ground coffee contains fatty chemicals also known to raise levels of dangerous fats in the blood. Other types of coffee may be lower in cardiovascular risk factors but higher in caffeine, which, taken in excess, has its own problems. So which method makes the healthiest coffee brew?

Here are the healthiest options for your to choose from, and possibly rename your new favorite:

FILTER COFFEE
Caffeine per cup: 100-150mg
A fine paper filter will highly absorb the fatty components. Also studies show that consuming high amount of filter coffee does not have any negative effects such as blood cholesterol, however this coffee contains the highest caffeine levels. If you are sensitive to caffeine perhaps this is not your cup of coffee, but don’t worry, the list is long and there many to choose from. [Read more...]

What happens to us when our duties in this life are finished? What will happen to us when we leave our bodies for good? People from all over the world share their near death experiences for us to get an idea of what to expect. Some of these near death experiences are from Atheists (People who don’t believe in God or don’t believe in the spiritual world).

A woman named Anita Moorjani was diagnosed with Grade 4B Lymphoma. When the oncologist spoke to Anita’s husband, he said it was too late to do anything and that her organs were started to slowly shut down. The doctor said she had only 36 hours to live. They started with Chemotherapy and oxygen to try and extend her life. She started drifting in and out of consciousness while on the hospital bed. She stated that she could feel her spirit leave her body. While this was happening, she remembers hearing her husband and doctor speaking in outside of the room about 40 feet away. She later verified the conversation with her husband and he was in total shock and doesn’t believe how she could be able to hear a conversation 40 feet away.

Out of nowhere, Anita’s spirit crossed over into another dimension. “I was engulfed in a total feeling of love; I was engulfed in a total feeling of love. I also experienced extreme clarity of why I had the cancer, why I had come into this life in the first place, what role everyone in my family played in my life in the grand scheme of things, and how life works in general.” She said. She recalled being surrounded by loving spiritual beings around her. “I was made to understand that it was not my time, but I always had the choice. And if I chose death, I would not be experiencing a lot of the gifts that the rest of my life still held in store.” She said. This made her wonder “If I chose to live, would I still have to live with a sick body?” One of the spiritual beings said she would make a full recovery in a matter of days if she chose to live. “I was shown how illnesses start on an energetic level before they become physical. If I chose to go into life, the cancer would be gone from my energy, and my physical body would catch up very quickly. I then understood that when people have medical treatments for illnesses, it rids the illness only from their body but not from their energy, so the illness often returns.” She stated. [Read more...]

Born-and-raised in New York City, I have indulged in each of the boroughs that NY has to offer. In my previous post, “Weekend Winter Getaways from New York,” I shared with you my favorite hotspots in our surrounding states. However, NY in itself offers its own attractions that splurge out its personality, making an endless range of things to do right here, which creates the perfect opportunity for me to share with you. And as a bit of an-overly-proud Queens chick, here are some Queens spots I have been enjoying lately:

Omnia Café: Not so much of an eat-in spot, more of a casual “let’s stop by and get some drinks/coffee/dessert.” This Greek café has a wide variety of delicious, mouth-watering desserts-with equally delicious drinks! Tip101: Request to sit on the back—it’s got great vibe! By the way, did I forget to mention that Omnia Café made the wedding cake for the movie, “My big Fat Greek wedding”? Yup, give it a try and go! [Read more...]

One of the most famous aspects about New York is the city’s incredible shows. Tourists pour into the city in hopes to witness these exciting and colorful events, and New Yorkers are always looking to be apart of this cultural experience. Theaters and musicals are one of the factors that make this city one of the best in the world.

FUERZA BRUTA:

This post-modern show called Fuerza Bruta is an interactive theater experience where the audience takes a part in the play. The visual effects of the show make it very interesting to be a part of. There is dancing, running and swimming right above where the audience is standing. With its high energy and spontaneity, this is a Off-Broadway show you don’t want to miss.

SLEEP NO MORE: [Read more...]