text:
Current Giveaways:

None right now.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Book Review: Wither (The Chemical Garden, #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Wither (The Chemical Garden, #1) by Lauren DeStefano
Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Pages: 368
Source: Received from publicist for honest review

Summary: By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

My Review: According to Wither, I would have passed away five years ago. *Shutters* The thought of death freaks me out. Now, imagine living life knowing when your time will be up, scary right? After the destruction of the world, North America is left standing. There, an incurable virus is killing females at twenty and males at twenty-five. With no hope for an antidote, chaos has taken over societies with an overwhelming amount of kidnappings. Thus, forcing females into "sister wives" for an eligible bachelor who yearns for companionship and child bearing goals. This nightmare unfortunately occurs to Rhine, a vibrant sixteen year old full of spunk and bravery. Rhine's voice clearly spoke to me from the first page on. I haven't bonded so strongly with a character since Katniss from The Hunger Games. Her relatability factor and ability to capture people's hearts proved as a qualitative trait, not only for me but her hardships as well.

Rhine's twin brother, which has no idea of her kidnapping, never made an actual appearance. However, her stories and unconditional love for her brother shined throughout the text. It was nice getting to know him even if it was through memories. The rest of the "sister wives" surrounding Rhine's stay at Linden's locked paradise introduced the most interesting set-up yet. The whole concept of "sister wives" actually exists in some households, thanks to Oprah for clarifying that for me. So, seeing Lauren's twist on this polygamist lifestyle was quite impressive. You'd think I'd hate Rhine's shared roommates, but I didn't! The clarity behind their developed traits were spot on. Each one of them brought something new and sympathetic for the reader which helped ease the unusual scenario between three girls and one husband.

The only person I truly hated was Linden's father. He was one creepy and psycho minded man. Ugh just thinking of him gives me the heebie-jeebies. Speaking of the father, his son Linden was not what I expected. He actually surpassed my assumptions by winning me over with sincerity. In addition, the lovely appearance of the servant boy, Gabriel, Rhine finds a friend that's her true savior. I loved everything about this kid. He was the solace that she needed to plan out her escape. By the end, I was floored! I was so ecstatic, I mouthed, "wow" out loud. I cannot wait for the sequel! Even fans of historical fiction will devour this one. The plot takes place in the future while the tone has an old fashioned feel to it. I recommend this book to everyone, yes even to you non-YA readers! It's one novel that didn't disappoint, you heard it from me....the hype is definitely right on the mark this time around.

My Rating:
Author's Info:

Lauren DeStefano (pronounced: de STEFF ano) graduated Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT in 2007. Her debut novel, WITHER, the first in The Chemical Garden Trilogy, is due to hit stores in March 2011 by Simon & Schuster BFYR.

For more info on Lauren, check out her sites:

Check this video of Lauren talking about Wither:

Mrs. DeRaps said...

Glad that I've made a wise pre-order decision! Thanks for the review.

Alexia561 said...

Loved this story! Totally agree with you that Linden's father was evil and hateful, but I didn't really warm up to Linden either. Looking forward to the sequel, as can't wait to see what happens next!

Nicole said...

LOVED loved loved this book. :)

Vicki said...

I really can't wait for this (so much I've pre-ordered the US edition instead of waiting for the UK one) Your review is fab and makes me even more excited to get hold of it!

Jill said...

Wow, your review really makes me want to read this book. I guess I'll have to add it to my TBR list and wish list!

Book Butterfly (Kim) said...

I devoured this book and everything you wrote was so spot on with how I felt. I felt a huge pull toward Rhine's brother which was amazing to me considering we never met him! I think I had a little crush on him too--just the fact that he had always taken care of his sister and protected her. It makes me choked up just thinking about! I really hope we meet him in the next one. I was so surprised I didn't hate, loathe and despise Linden. I was sure before I started the book I would. But it was the creepy father that earned my hatred--eww I hated him too! I picture him all gangly and emaciated! LOL

Fiktshun said...

I only read the first page, but after reading your review I so have to read this book. Thanks!

Jillian said...

I really want to read this one! It just looks so good.

Bailey said...

I am so excited for Wither! Glad to hear that you enjoyed it! =)

the Vintage Bookworm said...

I can't wait to get my hands on this book. It sounds so good! Great review. :)

basma aal said...

I seriously want to read this book now!! Thanks for the review

Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books) said...

I've seen some mixed reviews for Wither, but I honestly think I have to see for myself now. Some people seem to not be able to connect with Rhine, but you said you had connected very deeply with her. I will definitely be reading this one. Hopefully I enjoy it as much as you did. Thanks for the review!

Post a Comment

Thank you for leaving a comment, sending you kisses and hugs!! Oops, I am sorry if I slobbered on you. ;)

Blog Templates by Delicious Design Studio


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Truncated: length

WARC-Type: response

text:
Flint Knob 1, Sky Valley GA 30537, Rabun Co.

Back To List
6 photos - click photo for slideshow
$ 12,000
0 Bedrooms
0 Full Bathrooms
0 ¾ Bathrooms
0 ½ Bathrooms

Land Lot
Status: Active

Subdiv. / Location:
Sky Valley

beautiful wooded building lot in the sky valley golf resort!

Description: Land Lot
Status: Active
Year Built: N / A
Tax Info: 168.51, 2015
Elementary: Rabun County Primary/Elementar
Middle: Rabun County
High: Rabun County

General Information

General: Clubhouse, Golf Course, Neighborhood Association, Playground, Retirement Community, Security, Street Lights, Underground Utilities, Paved Street, Underground Utilities,
Lot Area: 1/3 - 1/2 Acre;
Utilities: Cable Tv, Electricity, High Speed Internet, Propane, Septic, Telephone, Underground Utilities, Water
Listing Provided Courtesy Of: RE/MAX Of Rabun

The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange/Broker Reciprocity Program of Georgia MLS. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than RE/MAX of Rabun are marked with the Internet Data Exchange/Broker Reciprocity logo and detailed information about them includes the name of the listing brokers.
The broker providing this data believes it to be correct, but advises interested parties to confirm them before relying on them in a purchase decision. Information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. © 2017 Georgia MLS. All rights reserved.
Data updated as of: 11/19/17, 6:25 AM

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-164-5-214.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2017-47
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for November 2017
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
Looking for a good place for dinner? Visit our Dining Partners!

 DiningGuideMapAEngine House Cafe

Bring your event to life...

with us! We have over 400,000 square feet of multi-use indoor and outdoor space for groups up to 20,000. Let us help you design your perfect event from formal to informal.

~Banquets & Meetings

~Wedding Receptions

NEW StarTran bus service!!!

Ride the StarTran bus to Walmart next door

Super Fair shuttle available Mon-Sat upon request between bus stop and fair grounds (tell bus driver).

star tran

See Bus Route 49

Lancaster Event Center is a non-profit proud to offer a full range of food & beverage services for a variety of events key to our mission of serving local youth and community. We do this while being responsible to maintain current health & safety, fire and alcohol licenses to ensure safety for our guests.

If you have a request for a certain type of food & beverage, please talk with our Food & Beverage Manager and we’ll be happy to do our best to cater to your group’s needs. For specialized needs or to increase capacity or selection we sometimes approve outside food & beverage vendors after they submit the below food & beverage outside food
vendor application and pay applicable fees. Lancaster Event Center reserves the sole discretion on which applications are approved and any vendors not following our policies may lose their privileges to serve on our property.

Outside food & beverage vendor permits are required for food & beverage vendors in the following circumstances:

•Any food or beverage prepared on site at the Lancaster Event Center

•Food or beverage competing with Lancaster Event Center food services (e.g. consumed on site, competing for same “stomach”)

•Food & beverage vendors handing out 2 ounce or less samples (food & beverage vendor fee is waived for 2 ounce or less

•Any serving or sampling of alcoholic beverages

NOTE: Permits are not required for food & beverage vendors with pre-packaged food nor are they subject to health or fire code rules.

Outside Food & Beverage Info & Application

Thank you for your interest in being a part of the 2020 National High School Finals Rodeo at Lancaster Event Center. Please indicate your type of interest and your contact information.


text:
Padang Besar Railway Station

KTM Berhad Logo
KTM Berhad Logo

Padang Besar Railway Station is a railway station that is located in Padang Besar, Perlis, Malaysia. This station serves KTM Komuter and ETS.

Station Information

Padang Besar
AddressStesen Keretapi Padang Besar, Komplek KTM, Jalan Besar, 02100 Padang Besar, Perlis.
Tel. No.+603-2267 1200
Route(s)KTM Intercity
Platform3 (1 platform tepi, 1 platform pulau)
OKU AccessUnknown

Train Schedule

Click the button below for train schedule information of this station.

KTM ETS / Intercity / Komuter

Latest train schedule information brought to you by our partner, MYJadual.

  • Train timetable: KTMB official website (
  • Phone number and addresses: KTMB official website and YellowPages Malaysia

Questions to ask?

Before you leave your questions in the comment box, LANDASAN would like to suggest you to read our “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” first.

Help us to improve this page!

LANDASAN contains hundreds of pages and posts of information for your use. We are committed to ensure that our visitors will only receive correct and up-to-date information. Therefore, if there is any incomplete or wrong information, please let us know via our “Contact Us” page.

Page updated on Jul 30, 2010 @ 5:57 AM.

4 thoughts on “Padang Besar Railway Station”

  1. Me and my friends wanted to go to langkawi. We plan on going to padang besar by train, go to kuala perlis by bus and then to langkawi by ferry.

    So my question is, where is the nearest bus station to the padang besar railway station? All my research has went down to kangar express bus station. Is it far from padang besar railways station?

  2. Hello, can anyone please give me an email address of Padang Besar railway station, or the upstairs restaurant? I left my titanium spork in the restaurant and want to get it back. I’m in Thailand now and want to send them a translated mail with picture, asking if I can pay them to send it. If anyone can help me, please contact me at
    Thank you!!

Leave a Reply


text:
Thailand: Collapsing Regime Turns to Terrorism

Image: Regime militants have been caught on multiple
occasions with M79s, M16s, AK47s, and hand grenades
with lot numbers matching those used in attacks that have
left over 20 dead including women and children and
hundreds of others wounded.
May 15, 2014 (Tony Cartalucci - ATN) - In the early hours of Thursday morning, M79 grenades and small arms fire were directed at anti-regime protesters camped out at Bangkok's Democracy Monument. The attack resulted in 3 deaths and over 20 injured - some of them critically. It was the latest in a string of terrorist attacks carried out by regime militants, openly organized and used by the regime to menace its growing list of political opponents.

Confirming the regime's intent to deploy heavily armed terroristsin a bid to cling to power, TIME magazine on January 16 reported in their article, ""Bangkok Shutdown: Yingluck Supporters Prepare to Fight for Democracy," that (emphasis added):
As Thailand’s anti-government protests enter their fourth day, observers say prospects for violent confrontation are increasing, with reports of government supporters stockpiling weapons in case of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s ouster.
According to the Bangkok Post, radical members of the Red Shirts — diehard champions of Yingluck and her notorious brother Thaksin Shinawatra — are readying a cache of arms in case the 46-year-old premier is forced from office by either military or judicial intervention.
The paper quoted a Red Shirt source as saying “There are strong anti-coup and anti-court sentiments among the red-shirt mavericks who are familiar and experienced with weapon use.”
This premeditated conspiracy would manifest itself over the following days and weeks with a terrorist campaign unfolding evermore overtly and clearly by the hands of the regime's "red shirt" street front. By March, police arrested up to 10 regime supporters for firing 40mm M79 grenades at the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) headquarters, which had been surrounded by regime supporters for days in an attempt to halt investigative proceedings against then Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra - sister and nepotist stand-in for convicted criminal, fugitive, accused mass murderer, billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thailand's "Nation" would report in an article titled, "10 suspects arrested for M-79 grenade attack on NACC," that:
Ten men have been arrested for firing M-79 grenades into the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) office in Nonthaburi, while many war weapons were found hidden in an abandoned area near the agency's office.
Police searched areas around the NACC after two M-79 grenades landed in its compound at around 10.45pm last night.
The grenade damaged the window of a women’s restroom on the 4th floor of the building, while an exterior wall was damaged by another grenade. Many grenade fragments found scattered around the area.
During the search operation, police found three men who behaved suspiciously, walking from a wooded area, an abandoned area in Nonthaburi Soi 46. Police also found a AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition.

After that police detained seven more suspects who joined rally of the Radio Media for Democracy Group, the pro-government group protesting against the NACC, blocking the entrance of the agency’s ofices.
The article would also state:
Another group of police searched the bush near the stage of the Radio Media for Democracy Group and found hand grenades, a gun, bullets and an M-79 grenade launcher.
follow-up article would reveal that the hand grenades were RGD-5s - not only the same type used in other attacks against anti-regime protesters that have thus far left 24 dead, including men, women, and children, and hundreds more maimed, but were of the same lot number as well.

Image: A 40mm M79 grenade launcher (with rounds) found by police near the office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) in northern Bangkok. Several regime supporters were arrested in connection with the weapons which were used in several attacks on the NACC office as well as in other attacks across Bangkok and Thailand. Despite continuous and overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the Western media insists that it is "unclear" who is responsible for the coordinated nationwide terror campaign aimed at the regime's opponents.

Further incrimination of the regime's own militant front came when members of its "red shirts" demanded the release of suspects tied to the weapons cache as reported by Thai PBS' article, "Red shirts demand police to release their colleagues arrested with firearms." The Thai PBS article stated:
Red-shirt followers laid siege to Nonthaburi police station today (Friday) to demand police to release a group of suspects, including red-shirt guards, earlier arrested with a cache of war weapons in Chaeng Wattana area.

The suspects were arrested with several weapons, including one AK47 assault rifle, one M79 grenade launcher, several M79 grenades and hand grenades, one shotgun, a knife and several ammunition.
There is no doubt that the regime has organized, armed, and deployed militants against growing unrest in the streets of Bangkok and indeed, in provinces around the country. A particularly brutal attack had been carried out against a rally in Trat province, several hours from Bangkok near the Cambodian border. One child was killed and scores more wounded when regime gunmen threw grenades and opened fire on more than 2,000 protesters.

Image: Taken April 10, 2010, militants working amongst "red shirt" protesters would assassinate General Romklao and kill both soliders and bystanders in an attack that included AK47s, M16s, hand grenades and 40mm grenade launchers. Thaksin Shinawatra's "red shirts" were caught deploying up to 300 heavily armed mercenaries during April and May of  2010, wielding the same AK47s, M16s, and 40mm grenade launchers being used across Thailand today against Shinawatra's growing list of political enemies.

A pro-regime "red shirt" rally held the same day in Nakhon Ratchasima province would celebrate the attacks with one "red shirt" leader claiming, according to Bangkok Post's article, "Sickening, disgusting celebration of violence," that:
"I have good news to tell my red-shirt brothers and sisters from all provinces. The People’s Democratic Reform Committee members of Suthep (Thaugsuban) at the protest stage in Khao Saming (Trat province) were deservedly given a reception by the locals. Five PDRC people were killed and over 30 injured. The locals welcomed them because they love Suthep a lot...,"

The Western media continuously defers to the excuse, "it was not immediately clear who was responsible," after each and every attack, no matter how many threats are issued before the attacks or how many celebrations occur afterward within the regime's political camp. The fact that only the regime itself possesses the resources to organize and arm militants with war weapons on such a nationwide scale makes it perfectly clear who is responsible. It must also be remembered that violence in 2010 carried out by the regime's leadership followed the exact same pattern and included the very same armaments and tactics of covert terrorism.

As Regime Tries to Kill Its Way to Victory, Western Media Lies Its Way...

While the Western media continues to portray the current political crisis in Thailand as one between "Bangkok's royalist elite" and the "rural poor" the protests now represent both Bangkok's business and middle class, as well as rural poor from across the country, including rice farmers that had once formed the foundation of the current regime's political support. This is owed to a disastrous rice subsidy program implemented by the regime in 2011, that has since gone bankrupt and plunged Thailand's once world renowned agricultural industry into crisis, leaving farmers unpaid, in debt, and increasingly desperate and angry.

Additionally, the Western media consistently defers to the misconception that the current regime is "democratically elected," and that elections earlier this year were "blocked" by protesters before being thrown out by Thailand's courts, accused by the Western media of being "biased" and "politically motivated."

In reality, even in provinces entirely devoid of protesters, February 2014's elections saw record low turnouts with over half of Thailand's eligible voters outright boycotting them, and with many that did vote electing to either deface their ballots or mark "no vote" in protest of both the regime and the democratic process it has hijacked and destroyed national confidence in.

The West's stalwart support of the Shinawatra regime is owed to the past decade of service and partnership Shinawatra has given special interests in the West including:

  • In 2001 Shinawatra privatized Thailand's resources and infrastructure including the nation's oil conglomerate PTT while raising the amount of shares foreigners could hold. This led to big-oil giants such as Chevron and Hess siphoning out billions in revenue from Thailand's natural gas and oil supplies.
It is clear why the West continues defending the regime even as it descends into the craven depths of killing its own people through a campaign of systematic terrorism while threatening wider "civil war" if it is not allowed to remain in power. The BBC, AP, and others in the wake of the most recent terrorist attack, have attempted to spin the violence as the logical result of challenging what they still claim is a "popular government."

In reality, the lies peddled by the West are much like the violence being carried out by the regime itself - intent on manipulating the crisis on a psychological rather than tactical or strategic level. If the growing opposition within Thailand refuses to blink, the violence and lies, however intense they become, will come and go.


text:
Landscape Contractor / Design Build Maintain

MAR 2017

LC/DBM provides landscape contractors with Educational, Imaginative and Practical information about their business, their employees, their machines and their projects.

Issue link:

Contents of this Issue

Page 45 of 79

Porous Pave Permeable Downtown Commons By David Aquilina, Strategic Storyteller PHOTOS: POROUS PAVE Above, Left & Right Completed in 2016, the Downtown Commons in Minneapolis, Minn., is a 4.2-acre public park adjacent to U.S. Bank Stadium, the new home of the NFL's Min- nesota Vikings. In July and August of that year, 22,000 square feet of Porous Pave permeable paving material was installed to complete the landscaping. A total of 19,000 square feet of Porous Pave XL was poured to form seven areas of perme- able pavement. In addition, 3,000 square feet of Porous Pave XLS created 129 per- meable tree surrounds. T The Downtown Commons sits next to U.S. Bank Stadium, the new home of the NFL's Min - nesota Vikings. Game day and community events are held on its "Great Lawn," a large oval grass field that serves as an open public space. The larger eastern block also has a stage area for performances. The smaller western block is more intimate and tranquil, and features a rolling landscape and more trees, benches and tables. Peterson Companies, Chisago City, Minn., was the landscape contractor for the Commons, and Blackstone Contractors, LLC, Corcoran, Minn., was hired as a subcontractor to install Porous Pave's XL and XLS products. The XL (50 percent aggregate and 50 percent fine-cut, 1/8-1/4 inch recycled rubber chips in the tan color) was installed at a depth of two inches atop a 2" aggregate base for the paved per - meable areas. The workers applied two inches of XLS directly over the soil of the tree wells. The installation of the permeable pavement and tree surrounds was one of the last steps in the landscaping process. Before constructing each of the seven sections of permeable pavement, the crew measured the base of each tree, drove in metal stakes to define the circumference of the tree wells, and affixed heavy-duty cardboard around the stakes to estab - lish and protect the areas for the tree surrounds. The workers put down a two-inch base of com - pacted aggregate in the sections to be paved and covered the edges of bordering sidewalks with plastic sheeting. The recycled rubber chips and the dry, clean, chipped granite aggregate for the XL come in pre- measured bags. The binder is in five-gallon pails. In a portable mortar mixer, the installers mixed the rubber and aggregate chips with the binder in the proportion specified by the manufacturer. Workers wore gloves and were careful to pro - tect adjacent surfaces from the binder, which is very sticky and begins to set up quickly. They dumped mixed batches of the XL into wheelbarrows, spread the material with con - crete come-along rakes, screed it with oil-coated boards in a back and forth motion to achieve a depth of two inches, guided by two-inch measur - ing screed boards. They finished the corners and rolled the edges with trowels, and then smoothed the surface with well-oiled bull floats. Paving Right Using a pres- sured hand sprayer as well as soaked rags, the workers coated all tools and equipment with vegetable oil and periodically reapplied it to keep the mate- rial from sticking and hardening. 46 LC DBM

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Landscape Contractor / Design Build Maintain - MAR 2017


text:
28 March 2012

Petroleum regulators to get better health care

Earlier this month, Timor-Leste’s National Petroleum Authority (ANP) published this advertisement several times in local newspapers, looking for a local clinic or hospital which can provide health care for their staff and their families. Like everyone else in Timor-Leste, they are not satisfied with the level of health care provided by the public system and are looking for something better.

La’o Hamutuk shares their concern, and we have often urged the Government to spend more on health care than the 3.3% allocated in the 2012 State Budget, much less than most developing countries. But we are uncomfortable when regulators in the oil and gas sector decide to spend money from the people’s natural resources to obtain better care for themselves than is available to other public employees.

When the Council of Ministers created the ANP in 2008, La’o Hamutuk raised questions about its budget and decision-making, which are not subject to democratic administrative and oversight processes applicable to other state institutions. We also raised concerns that ANP receives revenues directly from oil companies in violation of the principle underlying the 2005 Petroleum Fund Law that all petroleum revenues must be deposited in the Petroleum Fund (Article 6.1) and allocated through the State Budget approved by Parliament (Article 7).

Although the ANP budgeting process is not transparent or open to Parliamentary participation, the ANP publishes reports which show that it took in $1.8 million from the State Budget and $4.0 million from taxes and fees paid by oil companies during 2011. (The companies also paid $3,232 million into the Petroleum Fund.) The ANP spent $5.99 million last year, as shown in the pie chart. We do not know how much they plan to spend on health care for their employees this year, or what expenditure category it will be charged against.

In many resource-curse afflicted countries, people with the opportunity to skim money from oil and gas activities become a privileged, corrupt class. We do not think this has happened yet in Timor-Leste, and hope it never will.  Pay close attention!

Click here to read La'o Hamutuk 4 April response to the comments to this posting.

  1. If an organisation gets health care for its employees, that is a good example for other organisations to follow. Is it a fashion for NGO's to pick on such things and mislead public that their money is being skimmed? Does your company have health care for its employees? This is a basic need, no one bought hummers for the employees.You should concentrate on NGO's who pay their country heads half the money that comes as donation and go around beating their chests that they have saved this nation.

  2. I totally agree. Lao Hamutuk should concentrate on providing health cover to their staff before bagging other institution for carring enough for their staff health. Clean up your own house Charlie.

  3. How true. Lao Hamutuk is always looking for the negative in everyone elses work place except their own. Turn the microscope on yourselves for once. I am sure there are plenty of things in Lao Hamutuk that needs to be fix up. ANP is a leading institution in Timor Leste and we East Timorese should be proud tht we have such an institution run by Timorese professionals and who care for their country and have the commitment to to the best job they can. Stop putting down ANP, one might get the impression Lao Hamutuk is actually Lao Hamutuk with Woodside....Just a thought.....

  4. On another note, I doubt if there are defamtion laws in this nation. So, every NGO and so called "Saviours of this impoverished Nation" go around finding problems than finding solutions.
    How many NGO's go to Bali for weekends? Do you think of the poor people in districts and their health at those times? Why are all the bars and pubs full in Dili? Is it because NGOs and UN are having a discussion about social welfare for Timorese? Why are NGO and UN cars parked all over the place in front of restaurants during lunch? Are they transporting Timorese from districts to have lunch?

    DOES THE US EMBASSY HERE ISSUE VISAS & CARRY OUT CONSULAR DUTIES or they call themselves GEOPOLITICAL EMBASSY? I think they have better GeoPolitical duties back home, where the economy is a mess, housing schemes have hit the gutter and their search for WMD in IRAQ has thrown mud on their face...oh,now IRAN has WMD's, then....who else?

    Western funded NGOs have to think...are they doing sociual welfare schemes or carrying out government orders to maintain political instability by raking up issues and creating public disturbance.

    Or are the Western DemocraZies worried that ET may have free and fair elections and this will leave them with no option to send their peacekeepers on highly paid salaries?

    I hope Lao Hamutuk answers these!!

  5. Health care is a basic needs. Everyone know that. However using people money to get a better health care while leaving people with bad quality health care is not fair. Your comment sound like someone who hate critics, and only unprofessional hates critics. I hope you are not one of the foreign advisor to our government.

  6. Focus on the issue. I hate this kind of discussion where people are expressing their sentiments instead of facts. If you think what you are doing is right, why you become so sensitive? Just explain the reason behind what you are doing! and if you think that NGOs have done something wrong, tell them. If they did a crime bring them to the court! Or you don't have enough courage to do that? NGOs using people's name to get money then doing nothing to help people is wrong, but I can't expect NGOs to do government obligation.
    The "FINDING PROBLEMS IS NOT THE DUTY OF SOCIAL ORGANISATION, GO FIND SOLUTIONS" is not logic for me. How can they find solution if they didn't know the problems?
    I'm proud of ANP, proud of many great Timorese who have proved their integrity in doing their job. But some people are sometimes afraid of losing the Dollars and they have become very sensitive.

  7. In many resource-curse afflicted countries, people with the opportunity to skim money from oil and gas activities become a privileged, corrupt class. We do not think this has happened yet in Timor-Leste, and hope it never will. Pay close attention!
    If it is not corrupt, just leave it. Are you trying to plant something here...what is there to pay close attention? Charlie's angels, you pay close attention and don't mislead people.
    Clinton lied under oath...so will you keep reminding Obama's female staff "American President had *** with his female staff...so, pay close attention?" The American President lied to the public, about his affairs, about WMD in Iraq, so,everytime the Amercian Pres talks,pay close attention, he maybe lying!!
    Now, the use of people's money is debatable. Even government salary is people's money. Everything belongs to the public. Public servants are paid inroder to manage things well, public servants have benefits. Why is the Prime Minister going in a car when all Timorese don't even have bicycles? This is debatable, if we see things thru Lao Hamutuk eyes.
    Things have to be seen pro-actively. Health Care and Education are backbone to any country. Govt/ has to step up and improve health care.

    1. Very agreed with this comments, but it is not so good when you pointed to one person, what LaoHamutuk (Though I am not Laohamutuk's staff) thought is that they probably conducted an extensive research and they just published what should be done and not... it is not final decision, as we all know that they are not in the position to make a decision they just let the public know what they think is better?

  8. The comments being published by Lao Hamutuk is really a good sign. I think we need more online forums to discuss public issues.Though I don't agree with a lot of Lao Hamutuk's opinions, a few whistle blowers are required, but sadly si\uch whistles aren't heard as they are outplayed musical horns of Dili's taxis. Here, I refer to attractive Govt propoganda as musical horns...the project in the South Coast,without knowing if the pipeline will come to Timor. Mind you, its a small portion of Sunrise Field that falls into JPDA, not even timor sovereign territory. Now I know all will jump, Australia is stealing our Oil and Gas, that I am an Aus agent, Lao Hamutuk is Woodside....all this is empty noise. See the larger picture.Timorese need jobs, health care,small industries, fishing, farming, schools. The Sunrise issue has put a blanket on all this and govt. has diverted attention of public from basic problems by talking tough on Sunrise and acting like heroes. Time to think. Timor is for people, beyond Mr.Xanana or the Nobel Laureate Mr.Horta and his autobiograpgy crew who travel in his small car!! Don't run behind leaders and parties like herd of sheep, think and vote. Vote for education, health care, water and sanitation...don't listen to Sunrise promises, it dies every sunset and wakes up every morning,but it doesn't change your lives.

  9. I truly agree that we need more open discussion between people from various sectors. Differences should be respected, critics should come with solution. Thanks for Lao Hamutuk for publishing all the comments, even some comments are really out of context and not worthy reading. Keep up your good work Lao Hamutuk!

  10. I guess people had had given very impressive comments but we have to think that probably it is not so good idea, ANP having a private health cover to its staff for time being as Timorese is part of the country that is having a free access to health care so it is unfair and such a waste of resource (Notionally money) to something you can basically get it free. As we all know that ANP is non-profit organisation, it is a public institution that look after and regulate all petroleum activities in Timor Leste and at JPDA. To sum up, we should think that what might Laohamutuk wishes, is that it is not feasible that ANP having a health care to its staff. Something, this policy is a copy and paste from other country, sometimes copy and paste it won't work as in country country most of the time.

  11. ANP must be revised when the new government coming
    congratulate to LH which become leader for advocater on behalf of ET people

  12. Thanks to all who wrote comments, although we wish everyone had the courage to sign their names. In the spirit of free speech, we have published all comments received.

    La'o Hamutuk has written a response to the comments above, which we have posted as a separate entry in this blog: http://laohamutuk.blogspot.com/2012/04/lh-reply-to-comments-on-anphealth-care.html, and we welcome continued discussion.

    -- The La'o Hamutuk collective

  13. Caros amigos
    sem querer intrometer-me em assuntos que dizem respeito ao povo de Timor-Leste, gostaria de lembrar que é prática comum, em muitos países de regime democrático, o uso de seguros de saúde para os trabalhadores de empresas privadas.
    No Estado existem, também, vários sub-sistemas de saúde, para os quais os funcionários descontam.
    Quando o sistema nacional de saúde pública não pode dar resposta de qualidade, em tempo útil, é recorrente este tipo de soluções.
    Nos países com muitos anos de gestão da "coisa pública" os contribuintes descontam, substancialmente, para assegurarem a qualidade da resposta na Saúde.
    A meu ver o essencial é a transparência das acções. Vamos, pois, manter um bom nível de discussão e alargar o âmbito das nossas opiniões ao mais decisivo dos momentos: as eleições.
    Um abraço
    Maria Delcourt

  14. I Think the guy who talk about NGOs go to Bali is from ANP. What he said was to far away from the contact. He was trying to turn people idea from talking about the ANP health care to another topic. But, sorry, many people in East Timor hate the kind of health care ANP wants. ANP people don't have moral. DO you guys know that our people are still poor?Your guys must be changed when the new government arrives. I know who you are?You guys don't have nationalist. Please wait the time to leave

    1. does the poor people is a problem from ANP? I do not think so... this is a TL Government agenda to resolve the poor issues.. you clam yourself nationalist, and look to the poor people, may I ask you? what you have done to poor timorese people????? do you give any material support???? thus please shut up you mounth talking about poor people and start taking part on supporting poors people. I think your are not different with those people in ANP since you are also interesting to work with ANP.. why you are not apply for a job?? why you wait for political decision????? you all are hypocratic and using poor people for your own interest. Please le positive rather than using political accuse. Thanks Joao Soares Lives in Ailklaran Bairo - Pite Dili.

  15. People should know prioritize their health above anything. If this organizations can give healthcare insurance to their employee, then that's good enough. Lucky enough to have employer who's concern is their health especially they are in the oil industry which is dangerous.


text:
Deb Shields

Las Vegas-Henderson

Windermere Prestige Properties

1401 N. Green Valley Pkwy Suite 200

Henderson, NV 89074

Map This

Office: (702) 432-4600

Mobile: (702) 432-4600

Fax: (702) 726-5510

Website: www.windermerenevada.com

License Number: 177852

Share this: Mail-share

Director of Operations

At Windermere, we believe in the importance of serving the community we share. Enriching the neighborhoods in which we live and work is an integral part of our culture and philosophy. We are committed to Integrity, Responsiveness, Flexibility and Creativity.

Deb is our Director of Operations overseeing the Departments, Programs and Events for the Windermere Agents.  Deb joined Windermere Prestige Properties in 2008 as the Marketing Director and Relocation Director, coming from The Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors.  Deb has successfully grown the Relocation Department from the ground up and now attracts business from companies all over the world for our agents.  The Marketing Department now boasts Marketing services for Agents as well as Property Programs. Deb was instrumental in starting our Education Department to allow for all Core CE classes and POST classes to be offered complimentary to all Windermere Agents.

Windermere’s commitment to serving our communities goes beyond providing the best in real estate services.  We care about the communities that we serve.  Every time a sales associate sells a home, a donation is made to the Windermere Foundation.  Since 1989, the foundation has contributed millions of dollars to non profit organizations dedicated to helping homeless children and families.  We also commit one day a year and together do a community project that best serves its community needs.

Deb has received her Global Relocation Professional (GRP) and Global Mobility Specialist (GMS) designations, which provides comfort knowing that your clients will receive quality service in Relocating all over the world. Deb is a Nevada licensed agent and is a Ninja Graduate.


text:
Friday, March 23, 2012

A good friday...

Today was a great day family wise. We started the morning off with a nice long hike. It was a GORGEOUS day in Maryland today. And there is nothing better than seeing a boy with his dog.

Im a bit out of my eating element and it shows my issues with food. I have been making more food than normal and bigger breakfast because Im cooking for an extra person and want to feed him well. Do I stick within my eating plans and eat just my smaller healthier meals with still making them all extra food... of course not. And by eating a little bit more here and there for meals makes me track back to my old eating ways. I eat something every single time I pass the kitchen. I will probually gain 3 lbs this week. I need to get back on track. As I write this Im officially making my kitchen off limits.

Workout wise its been a good week so far. Today I was supposed to get in a 4 mile run to finish this weeks workouts. That is the only workout planned that hasnt happenned yet - but I have one more day and it will happen. Granted it will happen at 430 in the morning before work but still :) I wish the gym openned at 5am on weekends too - I get such a better work day workout at the gym.

Now I need to make my workout plan for this coming week. This weeks half marathon training (week 2) needs to include a 3, 4, 3, and 5 mile runs. This is what Im thinking right now.
Sun  3 mile run, weight training
Mon  ealry morning spin
Tues early morning run - 4 miles
Wed  weight training/core
Thur 3 mile run
Fri  spin, weight training
Sat  5 mile run

May need to tweak that but its what Im thinking.

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Search the Latest UFO Sightings

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

New 2015 UFO Sighting

UFO Sighting in Desert Center, California on 2017-09-23 23:30:00 - ]orange plasma cone, shcokwave/dissaperance, reapperance, secind shockwave

This event took place at 11pm, at chuckwalla raceway in southern ca. i went outside to enjoy the stars. there is almost no cities around so the stars are intesnsely bri[ght. was enjoying the view when i noticed something out of the corner of my eye, a very bright orange light was traveling slowly and horizontally across to the sky towards the west. the orange light was brighter than any star or planet. coming off the light was an interesting trail of gas like material, it was coming off in a triangular or fan shape (possibly conical) there were 2 primarily bright trails coming off the top and bottom of the object that faded in both axis': between the two trails, and in the area behind the object that it left behind. it was traveling very slowly, and the trail behind it grew in size, the two brighter legs getting wider (or taller) and the entire trail extending farther behind the object, and lasting longer. the trail looked like a very fine gas, and was glowing a very similar color of orange to the object its self. it looked like plasma. i watched the object in amazement for about 20 seconds, until suddenly the light emitting the trail dissapeared, and from the place that the object vanished a shockwave propogated through the trail behind it, causing the trail to dissapear quickly, as the trail was pushed by the shockwave, it looked like a piece of cloth being blown by the wind. everything dissappeared, and then 2 seconds later the orange light re appeared infront of where it vanished, and starting from the light a trail of bright gas began to be emmmited from the light, it moved slowly across th3 sky for another 2 oe 3 seconds and then disappeared again with a second shockwave, the object did not travel very far across the sky, maybe 30 degrees horizontally across the horizon over 20 to 30 seconds.

Latest UFO Sighting

Credit: MUFON

Popular This Week

There was an error in this gadget


text:
Thursday, July 27, 2006

Yay...Mountains again!

It's all booked. Our flights. Our car rental. Our hotel. Our itinerary. It wasn't too fun planning...the prices of EVERYTHING kept fluctuating from minute to minute, and I am not exaggerating...I called more than 12 hotels before finding one that 1. wasn't over $300.00 a night 2. completely sold out...booked solid (how can there be THAT many people staying in hotels in downtown Vancouver, even if it's a long weekend???). Everything is coming out to be more than we intially wanted to spend...BUT...i figure this is probably going to be our LAST holiday as a I think we can splurge a little bit. Our hotel is in the West End of Vancouver, blocks from the beach, funky gay district, and many cafes and fun! I can't wait to see everyone! Our week is jam-packed...two days in Vancouver to see friends, one day in Whistler/Pemberton enjoying beautiful BC just the two of us , two days in Mission to see Rob's family, and a few days in Penticton to see my sister/family!!! We've honestly missed BC (and the people we love there) tons since we've moved!

Monday, July 24, 2006

Who's Your Mama?

The picture isn't clear enough, but this is a T-shirt that Romy picked out when she went shopping for maternity clothes for says "Who's Your Mama?"

This dress is another purchase from my generous sister...yes I know, I'm spoiled...comes with being the baby of the family!!!

Came upstairs from watching TV to find my little stinker puppy passed out on our bed...

We went to our prenatal class tonight...wrapped up the "birth and labour" part. It was WAY better than last week. Last week we watched a video on a real birth...very close-up shots of a baby being born. Rob and I left saying (I swear to God) that we were NEVER to MENTION what we saw EVER AGAIN!!! I'm sorry...but it wasn't the beautiful, miraculous event everyone talks about. It was nasty. It was scary. There is lots of crazy-insane stretching, blood and goop...and when the placenta comes out...I honestly had to look away. I know it's different when you're the one going through just can't wait to meet your own baby...but Rob and I both don't want to see anything happening "down there". I am adament that I don't want any mirrors to watch my own "show". Kaili you're crazy for loving to watch labour videos. If it wasn't more risky, I think I would prefer to have a C-section. Go in...get knocked out...leave with a baby and non-stretched junk. However tonight I learned how to breathe to maximize relaxation and minimize pain, Rob learned how to massage me to help with aches and pains, and I learned how to "visualize" being on a beach instead of in the hospital giving birth. I had to bite my cheeks at a few parts to keep from just seemed too flakey. But I promised myself (and Rob) that I will try to do this maybe the flakey-voodoo -hippie-namaste thing of imagining being in Cuba, while breathing in deeply through my nose, and out through my mouth, while Rob massages me, will be all I need. Any bets?

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Happy Birthday Crazy Sister!

I'm really lucky to have the sisters that I do. We are all so different, but we have always gotten along amazingly. I would never have imagined that we would wind up in three separate cities, and have to rely on the telephone and emails to keep in touch...and although I sometimes really miss not being able to just hang out and share a coffee in person, or go shopping all together...despite the distances, we have still maintained our super close sisterly relationships. Yes I can blog about how nice Audrey is, how generous, kind and giving...blah blah's all true...but everybody already knows that stuff anyway. SOOOOO...did you know my super conservative sister also has the biggest potty-mouth when she's mad...really mad?!? She has also given the finger more than both me and Susan put together. Ha ha ha...she has a mean streak that most of you will never get to see. She also dances crazy when she's in a particularly good mood. Crazy-dancing. She hates bugs more than anybody I know...where just mentioning the Thanksgiving dinner we made together once, where we accidently boiled a catepillar/worm in the water with our broccoli and cauliflower to the point where it was fat and bloated STILL makes her freak out! Ha ha ha, I am revealing all her secrets...but these are the things that make me laugh, and I LOVE my sister like crazy! I wish you lived closer so I could share some birthday cake with you! I hope you get lots of sloppy kisses from your girls! Happy Birthday sister...I'll see you in a few weeks!

Monday, July 10, 2006

Sunny Summer Sunday...

We packed a small cooler of cherries and watermelon and headed out for a drive to Carleton Place for the afternoon. This small town is close to Rob's old cottage where he spent many a summer with his family.

Bosco HATES the water...HATES it. It's even more funny since he looks so much like a lab, which water should draw him like a magnet. Akiko's chocolate lab, Koa even has her own plastic-kiddie-pool in her backyard, and will just lie down in it! Bosco will hold in his pee for HOURS (the record has been 17 hours) when it's raining, and will jump or walk around puddles...heaven forbid his paws get wet. But with some cookies and encourgement he made it in the lake...up to his shoulders!

We went for a walk in the trails...short walk...because I started getting eaten alive by bugs...

A nice relaxing sunny summer sunday with my boys...

Monday, July 03, 2006

Canada Day Weekend!

I had these pictures in order...but Blogger sometimes has a mind of it's own on which ones should appear first...

Me at 20 weeks...I got LOTS of belly rubs this weekend...which both Raspberry and Me love. Cute story...Edouard hugged my belly and then asked me "It's not ready yet?". So Sweet! I told him baby still had to grow more before it's ready...and he said "But your belly is already big!"

Rob BBQ'ing yummy steak and veggies in our back yard. It was delicious! His wearing safety goggles because the lava rocks were exploding...

Me, Mom, and Sue taking a picture to make Audrey jealous enough to want to move closer to Montreal!!

Edouard is giving the peace sign to me and the Raspberry.

My little Bugger at 18 1/2 weeks appearing to suck his/her thumb.

As always, our Montreal visits are short and sweet. Nat and Caro, sorry I missed you this time...I have to get better at "planning" things. I can't wait to hold baby Olivia.


text:
How to Take Care of Christian Louboutin Leather Shoes

Published: 11th March 2010
Views: N/A

A few months ago, I bought my first two pairs of proper leather Christian Louboutin Sale pumps online, one is high heels, the other one is mini-heels. They really cost me much money, and I love them very much. They are nice and comfortable. Since then, I have been struggling to find reading material about how to care for leather shoes. I read much before I wear Christian Louboutin leather shoes. I think I am a lucky gay. Many women are clueless about taking care of their shoes.

Women had to pay more attention to take care of shoes than men, because men have traditionally been taught to get sturdier, more durable shoes that require regular maintenance. We can image that a gentle man read a newspaper, and get his shoes shined on the way to work. It is nearly impossible to image a woman to do this.

We should wear different shoes per day, take three or more pair of shoes, and take turns. It is a good thing that never wears the same pair two days in a row. We can run a "full cycle" of seasonally appropriate shoes before going back to wear a pair.

Cedar shoe-tree is good for keeping the leather nicely stretched and prevented unsightly creases. You can buy them from local stores, and they have a kind of special aroma.

It is very cold in the winter. Many people like to put their feet on the wall of oven, and it is intelligent to put Christian Louboutin high heels on the wall of oven.

The Christian Louboutin shoes cost us so much, and we had to take care of them. Christian Louboutin leather shoes can take care of our feet either.

Report this article Ask About This Article

More to Explore


text:
Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Kansas City Trip - Day 2

What's staying in a hotel if you don't go swimming?!
We took a quick drive to Liberty, Missouri. Robert thought it was erie reading "Clay County Court House". All he could think is how, once upon a time, that was a sham.
There was a Farmers Market in Liberty and we decided to get some Amish bread (it wasn't that fresh) and some local honey.
Here was a city drinking fountain that was to be shared by all, so there was no more segregation.
Here is Sarah smelling flowers. It looks like she is hurt, but she isn't.
Look ma…. Masons!
"Liberty" interesting oxymoron….. I guess "Independence" is too….
Oh look, another fountain…. Go play kids!
Ok, this pic was staged, but I promise, just two seconds earlier, they were doing this on their own! (It could happen!!!!!!)
Sarah said the water felt really nice!
Libery Jail has a really good groundskeeper.

The jail deserves its own blog, but we were very rushed and we could only get a few picures. They really rushed us.

Can you tell what the story is here? Somebody looks a little bored.

Robert found out that they kept a journal of all the missionaries who have served in Liberty. He went looking but they lost the one for the year he was there. They did have one from the year after and he enjoyed seeing some old friends.
Not too close to Liberty (about 35 miles north) is the town (grass patch) of Far West.
Look at the size of those leaves!
There were four cornerstones of the unbuilt temple. Each was dedicated to something different like Priesthood (High and Lesser), Missionary Work, and the First Presidency.
Memorial at Far West.
Sarah posing on the fence.
The Temple Lot.
Having a fun moment with the kids. They think it's funny to do this hand shake and then try to pull your finger off!
Nicole and Riley having a good time!
Lunch - a very welcomed break. It was only disturbed by a little bit more wind than we wanted and a pesky wasp that paid for bugging us with its life.
About another 45 minutes away was Adam-Ondi-Ahman.
Robert wants to walk… lets the van go by. Of course everyone in the van sees a deer about 45 seconds later! The video camera had proof we saw the deer, but it accidently got recorded over…sigh.
Dad and Sarah and Nicole enjoy the walk
Sacred cows?
Uh, the road is longer than he thought. That will teach Robert to just decide to walk!
And longer still….sigh.
The valley of the ancients. No, no one else calls it that, but it sounds good.
Oh, there is mom!
Sarah's getting tired. Mom is trying to help her.
Here is the valley.

Sarah had simply had enough!
We decided to take a nature walk that kept going and going and going. We decided to go back when the grass got taller and you'll see other reasons why in the next few pictures.

We think this is posion ivy and we stayed away.
Riley found out that he had a ton of ticks on him. Yuck. We tried to get them all….we failed. This is Riley's inspection. We did further checking of the kids on Sunday morning and found at least five more ticks already embedded.
Back down south to Kansas City. This is a huge monument to the soldiers of World War I.
Jared had to go try out his heelies down by the fountain at the memorial.

Sigh… two hours later and here is another tick. Grrrrrrr!
Nice overlook of the KC area.

Playing by the fountain at the WWI memorial.

Dad became overly fascinated with water ripples in the fountain.
It's getting late. Time to hit the road.

We fit a lot of activity into two days. The kids did great. They're old enough to do this stuff and not get completely worn out before the parents are ready to go. We learned a lot and just had a nice weekend as a family.

Thompson Tattler said...

LOOKS like you had a great time. Glad you are back safely. Ticks, in the garden of eden? Who woulda thunk it? I hope they stayed there.

Sarah said...

awesome trip you guys! that sounds like a fun place to go! nicole, did you get contacts? thats a busy 2 days! im glad you guys had fun!


text:
The Dish with DDR: Beauty Book Roundup

The Dish with DDR: Beauty Book Roundup

One of my favorite past times is curling up with a good book. It relaxes my mind, gets me off of technology and always manages to teach me something new. I especially enjoy reading self-improvement and beauty books. I think it’s safe to say that most of us are trying to look and feel good about ourselves on the daily, so why not read up on it? These books give you friendly, easy ways to start feeling great in your skin and on the road to living a long, healthy, confident life. Check out my personal favorite beauty and wellness books that I refer to often.

  1. The Green Beauty Rules: The Essential Guide to Toxic-Free Beauty, Green Glamour, and Glowing SKin by Paige Padgett

If you have a desire to rid your beauty routine of toxic chemicals, this is the book for you. Celebrity makeup artist, Paige Padgett, has sought out quality products and scrutinized ingredient lists and claims so she could take the guesswork out for her readers. She reveals her favorite, affordable products and gives you all of her knowledge and practical application. You can read this book cover to cover or you can choose by topic or interest. This guide makes it easy to navigate the transition to cleaner cosmetics. Oh, and she doesn’t make you throw out ALL of your current products, so have no fear!

2. The Body Book by Cameron Diaz

I’m a big believer in what you put in your body reflects on the outside. I also believe that achieving your “dream body” starts with your mindset and knowledge in health. This is one of my go to books for that knowledge I crave. Cameron shares her personal experience and consultations with health experts to give you the power to be stronger, more confident, and create your best body that will carry you through a long life. Educating yourself about your body and how to treat it the best way is one of the most important things you can do. Cameron says, ” nutrition and fitness and awareness and discipline are not just words: they are tools.” This guide delves into topics like: you are what you eat, water is life, the magic of movement, and how to love your hunger. This is a must read for educating yourself on living in your best possible body and your best life.

3. Sephora, The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin, and Hair from the Beauty Authority by Melissa Schweiger

This is an oldie but goodie for me. I refer to this book often when I want quick advice from top experts in the industry like Dr. Brandt, Laura Geller, Bobbi Brown, Dany Sanz and so many more. This useful guide gives lots of tips and tricks from how to fake long legs, how to look like you’ve slept for eight hours, to how to hide dark circles and what products to use. Also, learn how to take a great photo every single time with tips from Smashbox Co-founder and Fashion Photographer Davis Factor. I’ll give you a hint, it starts with a great makeup routine. This book is a great reference for fast, easy beauty tips and tricks.

4. Crowning Glory: An Experiment in Self-Discovery Through Disguise by Stacy Harshman

Did you ever just want to be someone else for a day? Or wonder what life would be like if you looked a certain way? Well, Stacy sure does take you for a ride in her wild new book Crowning Glory. She writes so openly and is so witty that you can really feel what her life must’ve been like dealing with depression then using her illness as motivation to transform into a variety of characters just to see what people thought of her and how they reacted differently to each person. Of course, she did this on the sly and even hired a private investigator to follow her around unknowingly. She takes you from the redhead “Kali Amsterdam,” to the brunette, “Paula Isla.” This is an intriguing journey and def one to forget about your own crazy thoughts for a minute or two. A life-affirming memoir and one crazy experiment.

5. Homemade Bath Bombs, Salts and Scrubs: 300 Natural Recipes for Luxurious Soaks by Kate Bello

I had to add this book because I have become a huge devotee to epsom salt baths after my hip sprain the only thing that got me walking without a limp again was this bath! I swear by it. Author, Kate Bello, has the same idea. Her journey to natural beauty has been a long road, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She wrote this book to divulge just how important a good soak in a bath of natural ingredients can do wonders to your overall health. After struggling with her own immunity and severe illness, she became serious about health and beauty and eventually started developing her own natural beauty products with ingredients from Mother Earth. In this book you will find personal recipes from Kate that cater to whatever your body needs. Have seasonal allergies? Try a bath soak that uses jasmine essential oil! Whatever ailment you have there is a bath for it. I can personally say, at 34, I now swear by a good bath!

Hope you’ve enjoyed my picks! And if you happen to pick up one of these books, I’d love to compare notes!

NOTE: This post is not sponsored. All thoughts are unbiased and my own. Photos by Denise Del Russo and property of DIVAlicious.

Leave a Comment


text:
Friday, December 5, 2014

holiday recap

The holidays have been extra special for me this year for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, it's a series of "firsts" without my Aunt Roe - it's the first time in my 30 years that she hasn't existed on this planet with me during this time of year. Her being gone is sometimes difficult to fathom but I am told it takes time. Logically I know this, but it doesn't stop hurting.

It's also special because, at this time a year ago, I was starting to unravel and head towards a complete meltdown. This year, I am working to build things back up. A lot has happened over the past couple of months. I continue therapy and medicine and both help. The bad days happen, but they don't dominant me as much. I handled a major family death, a move to a new house in a new neighborhood,...and so on. Friendships were gained, lost, reestablished, strengthened, etc. Lots of soul searching. Lots of alone time. And slowly, I am coming out of my shell, I think.

I was also dreading the holidays this year. It's been kind of a reclusive year, so socializing and being jovial were scary prospects. Thanksgiving, I am happy to say, exceeded all expectations. I was able to celebrate with both my family and my in-laws and hope to see extended family on both sides in the future, as well as friends.

I am a work in progress. We all are. It's important to remember that, especially during this time of year. It is also good to keep in mind that anxiety suffers have to take special measures to get through holiday events that come easily to those who are less prone to anxiety and depression. Practice kindness and show those around you grace. And have a wonderful holiday everyone!


text:
Posted by : Deepak Vasudevan Sunday, January 14, 2007

Online Test Drive of Microsoft Office 2007

The most promising office productivity suite (Microsoft Office 2007) is now available for users on a 60 day free trial edition. While casually browsing Microsoft Office website, I found the following link from Microsoft Downloadable Trial webpage.
The trial page also features Compatibility tools download which offers conversion and opening of Office 2000 documents in Office 2007.

Popular Post

Blogger templates

Blog Archive

Blog Archive

Powered by Blogger.

- Copyright © Lavanya Deepak -Metrominimalist- Powered by Blogger - Designed by Johanes Djogan -


text:
Browsing Category

Around {H} Town + Travel, Coffee Talk, Eats, Fashion, Featured, LAvenue, Lifestyle, Travel

Houston Hot Spots City Guide

February 1, 2017

Living in Houston has me waaaay excited for this year’s Super Bowl. I have to admit, most years I tune into the big game strictly for the nachos and commercials. But this year, we’re hosting in mine and Molly‘s (the face behind the Friday Five) hometown, so we actually know the teams playing. Even more, we’re pumped for the festivities leading up to this Sunday’s main event. In case you’re in town for the Super Bowl, here is a quick comprehensive BEST of Houston guide. Enjoy!

photo source

image source

Tiny Boxwoods :: Escape the Upper Kirby hustle and bustle here. Cookies are their claim to fame, but our favorite part is overlooking the pristine lawn from the patio with a latté.

image via

image source

Hopdoddy :: Be first in line for these gourmet burgers in River Oaks District. Pick your poison between cold craft beers or decadent milkshakes while watching the TVs for game day coverage.

image via Hurried Hostess

image via Hurried Hostess

The Dunlavy :: A family friendly brunch spot with the best views in town of our Buffalo Bayou. Bike it before or walk it afterwards: it starts on the border of historic River Oaks and extends all the way into downtown.

Brassiere 19 :: Veuve Clicquot is priced at market, and Beyonce is rumored to have a boozy brunch here Sunday morning. Say no more. We’ll see you there!

photo via bb butchers

photo via bb butchers

B&B Butchers :: Of all of the dinner spots in town, my money is on this spot being the best celeb sighting scene. This upscale steak house is perched just outside of downtown and the dinner menu is to die for. If you’re lucky enough to snag a ressie, go big or go home and get the Chef Tommy’s Bacon. You’ll thank me for one of the most delicious dishes I’ve tasted. Ever. Post dinner, head to Social 51 next door, an upscale pop-up bar created just for SuperBowl.

Uchi :: More than dinner, this sushi spot originally of Austin is a dining experience. Dubbed one of the top eight sushi spots in the country, you’d be sad to miss it.

photo via Yelp

Armando’s :: Mexican restaurants are on every corner, but this one stands apart from the rest. The amazing ahi tuna tartare tacos were served at A Couture Cause, and they were a hit.

image via Wallpaper

image via Wallpaper

State of Grace :: Pull up a seat in the pearly oyster bar for cocktails and coastal fare or dive into the dining room where beautiful leather booths lie beneath the impressive deer mounts for true Texas decor.

photo via Zagat

photo via Zagat

Underbelly :: At minimum, visit the wine bar at this Montrose establishment or find brews at Hay Merchant next door. Stay for supper served by star chef Chris Shepherd. The goat dumplings are his original creation and out of this world.

image source

Common Bond :: The two of us first met here, discussing our mutual love for blogging and having breakfast here. Come in for a cup coffee, and don’t leave without a box of pastries.

image via Coffee Compass

Catalina :: This spot is East on Washington on your way downtown, so grab a coffee on your way to Discovery Green.

image source

image source

Blacksmith :: A quaint hipster coffee shop, get the best biscuit this side of the Mississippi here. The Benton’s bacon, egg and cheese croissant is the

image source

image via cnn

Bayou & Bottle :: Killer cocktails, killer atmosphere in the newly renovated Four Seasons hotel, this chic bourbon concept is not to be missed.

image source

Anvil :: The menu at this Montrose staple is Texas-sized, but every drink is as delicious as it is sophisticated. If you’re me, you order Pliny’s and a pretzel to share.

The Pastry War :: Texas is known for mean margaritas, but tequila drinks of all kinds can be found at this downtown bar.

image via eater

Julep :: Their namesake is their signature drink, but they’ve got plenty more where that came from. A stone’s throw from downtown on Washington, my favorite to sip on is the Whispering Mathilda since gin is my spirit of choice.

Tootsies :: A Houston establishment, the chicest Houstonians shop at Tootsies. Carrying a beautifully curated collection of both contemporary and designer styles, this boutique is a must-shop.

photo by Molly Bridget McConn

photo by Molly Bridget McConn at Alice + Olivia

River Oaks District :: Houston’s newest luxury shopping destination, favorite stores include Alice + Olivia, Intermix, Joie, Roberta Roller Rabbit, and Bonpoint and locally owned BAANOU carries everything you’ll need for a night out in H-town.

photo via Biscuit Home

photo via Biscuit Home

Biscuit :: I’m biased, but this shop is a hop, skip and a jump from several of our other hot spots and is home to a Houston designer’s original bedding line and great gifts for your Houston hostess for the weekend.

photo via cloudinary

photo via cloudinary

Whim :: Houston’s newest contemporary boutique located a block away from Tiny Boxwoods. Brunch and shopping sounds like the perfect Houston Saturday game plan.

Full Blown :: This boutique blow dry bar has a full cocktail bar and couture fashion show coverage on a big screen. They sell R & Co. products, and you’ll be in walking distance from Brasserie 19 when you’re done.

Dry Bar River Oaks

Dripped Nail Salon located in the heart of Montrose, just a few miles from Downtown

Paloma Nails Houston’s newest nail salon in the heart of Uptown

We hope you enjoyed the tour of our hometown, H-town!

Around {H} Town + Travel, Fashion, Featured, Kids, LAvenue, Motherhood

Fall resolutions.

September 22, 2014

So long summer…

Summer was awesome, but I’m not that sad to say farewell.  It’s equally awesome to welcome the new wave of energy that is fall. Well summer part 2 if you live in Texas. Lately, I feel like every other conversation I’ve had with friends revolves around post summer/back-to-school resolutions. You know, less crazy travel schedules, getting back into a routine, waking up earlier, working out more, etc. etc. I have all of these resolutions and then some. I honestly think we should all pick up our new year’s resolutions again in September with the beginning of a new season. I mean, I have a much better chance of sticking to mine when it’s not boring January and all I want to do is wear sweat pants and sit in front of the fire with hot cocoa. I can’t think of a better time to get into a new groove. Or launch a new blog?! Hehe.

I’m pretty pumped to launch L. Avenue. It’s going to be an exciting fall for the blog. I’m planning some fun fall fashion posts, an interview with a fabulous ready-to-wear designer, a travel review from one of my favorite places in the world and much more. So tell me, what are your new season resolutions?

Here are a few of mine…

  • start and finish this book before the movie comes out–Yep, I’m officially the last chick on Earth who hasn’t read it
  • blog 3 days a week
  • wake up in a better mood aka wake up before the kids with a cup of jo in hand to start the day caffeinated
  • start a workout regimen—I’m thinking Define class, the more social the better my chance of actually going more than once a year
  • attempt to cook meals that my kids and husband will enjoy aka less time in the kitchen preparing two meals per evening

That’s it. Easy peasy, right? We’ll see where I end up in a month.

image via my absolute fave Insta photog

Fashion, Featured, LAvenue, Motherhood

L. Avenue is live!

September 14, 2014

Hellooooo! It’s so great to be back and blogging from my new website. I missed out on a lot of bad summer TV most nights and daytime vacation naps to birth this little fashion blog. And it’s a good thing I’ve had some talented friends in my corner to help along the way. Especially my gals over at Duo Paradigms whose patience with me over everything from fonts (you have no idea how many hours we spent on this) to back end web design has been top notch. I owe y’all an endless supply of flowers and Starbucks gift cards for putting up with my over-caffeinated, slightly bossy, somewhat ADD personality.  I updated my “about” page and thought this would be a great starting point for a little background on my blogging history (yawn, haha) and the creation of  L. Avenue.

On how I got into blogging…

When my best friend told me to start a blog, I remember thinking, “This sounds exciting, but what on Earth am I going to blog about? Will I be able to continue to come up with new post ideas every week and when will I find time (with a 3 month old baby) to post frequently?” I’ve somehow found 269 things to talk about with y’all over the past few years. My list of blog topics I want to blog about is LONG, and at this point, time is my only barrier. Do you think we could convince my two babies under age three to nap in harmony for a FULL two hours daily so I can post regularly?

The type A in me has always been pretty deliberate and extremely goal oriented. But starting the blog was one of the first hobby’s I’ve taken up where I didn’t have a clear goal, “run 3 miles, 4 times a week, take a class to learn to do x, by y time.” I guess that’s the nice thing about the blog hobby. You can try it out with little or no sunk cost other than a little bit (or a LOT) of free time. Thus the birth of my first lifestyle blog, High Heels and Handlebars.

On what I blog about…

One of my first and fondest blog memories happened about a week into blogging. I remember standing in my kitchen whipping up Frozen orange julius drinks for my Mom and hubby to try. It was such a fun creative outlet; from recipe, to drink creation, to photography and then bringing it all to life in a blog post. As time passed my post idea list was overflowing, but unless I decided to forgo sleep altogether there was only time for 1-2 posts a week. And the fashion posts seemed to organically take precedence over everything else. They started with computer versions of magazine collages covering everything from style trends, to what to wear to a football tailgate, to the best baby bags. I taught myself Picasa and then Photoshop and what felt like minutes turned into hours of blog work. After a good 6 months of feeling like my only readers were my Mom and hubby, friends and acquaintances started commenting on my posts and with that came suggestions to do as the other style bloggers do and photograph myself in the outfits I’m blogging about. I mean, who does this?! Asking total strangers and bugging friends to snap pics of me for the blog was and still is super awkward for me. My close friends even coined the phrase “it’s for the blog,” every time we take photos when we’re together! Ha. But just like you, I too follow style bloggers for outfit inspiration. So I totally get that it’s a lot more compelling than a magazine collage. Hence, the metamorphis into a style blog. You’ll still see tidbits of travel, interiors and motherhood mixed in. Because hey, I’m chatty and there’s a lot worth talking about.

On launching a new website, L. Avenue…

The wheels started turning last spring during a quick girls weekend with my friend Lauren (also the person who encouraged me to start a blog in the first place). I was approaching my second full year of blogging regularly and itching to bring some new energy to my website. After too many glasses of bubbly I pitched the idea to start a blog together that we would co-author. Thus the idea for L. Avenue was born. Fast forward a few months and Lauren got an amazing work promotion which meant no free time for blogging. We were already in the design phase for L. Aveunue and I was really loving where things were going, so I decided to keep on keeping on and never looked back. L. Avenue is finally live and hopefully the amazing Lauren will contribute from time to time because she’s a riot and a beauty product junkie.

On what I hope my readers can gain from following along…

For one, outfit inspiration. I find so much of my inspiration from other bloggers, fashion icons, Instagram, and Pinterest. I spend hours pouring over magazines and the internet to keep up with the latest trends, sales, etc. to share with readers. And I’m sure I’ll throw in beauty news, recipes and a little bit of life’s antics and musings.

What I would love from you, my amazing readers…

I would love to hear your feedback. I swear the days I receive a comment that isn’t spam (ha) are the best days! I love running into friends and acquaintances who offer feedback, both positive and constructive. It’s nice to know I’m not just talking to myself all day long. It’s nice to know you are out there reading along every once in a while. 😉

On my goals for the blog…

Above anything, my blog still feels like a hobby. But I’ve been lucky enough to become affiliated with contacts who’ve given me the opportunity to convert my hobby into a very small part time job. How am I paid? When you purchase something online through links on my blog I get a very small commission, think pennies on the dollar. Hey, every penny adds up! And not to worry, it doesn’t cost you a dime. I can also be paid through advertising affiliates but am really picky about who I will work with and will only work with brands that I would wear on the reg. 🙂

The truth is choosing to forgo a full-time career to stay at home with my babies wasn’t a hard choice for me. I feel very fortunate to be able to do so, but it’s not without sacrificing a part of my being that truly loved having a career. I’m not going to get into the whole work/career debate on you, we’ve seen enough Facebook posts on that. My point is, getting to a place with my blog where it could serve as a part-time job, has been very exciting for me. And it’s also affirmed that my readers really do find style inspiration from the work I’m putting out there, which is beyond gratifying for me. Thanks y’all!

Above all this blog is a wonderful outlet for me, something completely different than any job I’ve ever had that requires a more creative, artistic side of the brain that I really enjoy exercising. If I get to a place where I’m not excited to sneak out of bed an hour before the hubs and babies to work on a new post, then I’ll rethink this whole thing. For now, I’m very excited to launch my new website. My goal is to post 3 days a week, so please check in with me or just sign up to receive my new posts in your inbox or through Bloglovin.

P.S. If you scroll down through my main blog page, you’ll find a few archived style posts from High Heels and Handlebars that I wanted to share with you.

Around {H} Town + Travel, Fashion, LAvenue

Rocky Mountain high….

September 1, 2014

I don’t think we’re in Houston anymore. There is topography and a wrap over my shoulders in July. Yaay for Colorado! I would love to find a part-time summer only job in this great state. They actually cancelled our return flight back to Houston. No really, thank YOU United! Maybe this is a sign. 😉 Anyway, lets talk crop tops for a minute. I’ve toyed around with crop tops a lot lately. They are pretty hard to avoid since they’re uber trendy right now. I’m pretty gun-shy on baring any skin but just a little peak with a high waisted skirt seems to work. What do you think? Are you rocking crop tops this summer? I’m obsessed with this striped crop. I’d also wear it under a pair of white or denim overalls. Is there anything more summer than navy and white with a pop of bright pink?! I’ve had this high low skirt in my closet since before Easter and have worn it with everything from a blazer and button down to this summer crop. It definitely has dress up/dress down flexibility. Thank goodness slides are the new wedge this summer. These slides are on repeat in my summer get up. And as much as I’d love a pretty stack of bracelets with this outfit, I’m a one trick pony in the bracelet department these days. I’m into the edible bracelet trend AKA jewlrey Miss. C will enjoy using as a teething ring.

outfit details: skirt also on sale here / top / slides / earrings, found here, online here / scarf (old), also love this one / clutch, last seen here, similar *on sale for $29!

Photo credit: Cheeseburgers on China

Around {H} Town + Travel, Fashion, LAvenue

Santa Barbara chic

September 1, 2014

I love everything about Santa Barbara. It really is my happy place. We spent a little over a week there last month and it was absolute bliss. The kids did really well traveling and we met up with friends and family which makes vacationing that much more fun. This place is kid heaven. The beach, the zoo, free fruit and balloon animals at the Farmer’s Market just to name a few of the activities on repeat while we are there. And adult heaven too. Think wine country, hikes with views of the mountains and golf with the Pacific ocean as your water hazard. I also love how relaxed the street style is in Santa Barbara. Women here do comfortable chic better than anywhere else I’ve ever been. I dig high heels as much as the next shoe enthusiast, but urge you to leave yours at home when you vacation here….

Outfit details: found at Diani boutique, also here online, / shorts, old but similar here and here / sandals, sold out online, similar here, also love these / bracelet / skinny cuff / letter necklace also found at Kuhl-Linscomb / earrings, found at Diani boutique in Santa Barbara, similar here / backpack / sunglasses

P.S. I can’t believe I failed to mention the amazing shopping in the “adult heaven” description earlier. Diani boutique, Dressed and K. Frank to name a few of my faves….

Fashion, Give Back, LAvenue

Pink in Paree

September 1, 2014

I’m excited to team up with Susan G. Komen for their upcoming Impact Awards luncheon, Laugh and Live for the Cure. The Fashion Police chief herself, Joan Rivers, will be speaking at this year’s event on June 17th in Houston. In addition to spreading the word about this amazing cause, I’ll be sharing all things pink on the blog this week. Today’s look features my go to blazer which happens to be nothing less than PINK perfection, I lived in this Smythe gem this spring and am sure it will be a go to in my closet for years to come.

The perfect Paris sightseeing date(s)…my pink boyfriend blazer and my best girlfriend, of course. This was a great layering piece for cooler Paris mornings.

outfit details: pink blazer, also love this pink blazer steal / button down shirt similar here and here / skirt / scarf (old), similar here and here / slippers / backpack , also love this one / necklace / sunglasses / nails

P.S. click here to purchase your ticket to the Laugh and Live for the Cure luncheon.

Fashion, LAvenue

bedtime stories.

September 1, 2014

How long should you wait before wearing the same outfit twice? My rule has always been two weeks, but these days if I find something easy, wearable, trendy (always a perk) and comfortable, I’m breaking the rules big time. Like these floral track pants. I’ve worn them to a girls dinner, to run errands, brunch and to meet my new baby niece (the perfect occasion for a floral print!) Wardrobe repeat is an understatement. I’ve been mixing up the tops, shoes and accessories and my favorite combo includes (gasp) birkenstocks and a super soft button down from Tarjay. I feel a cross between lazy and exposed (accidentally leaving the house in your pj’s and slippers) wearing this outfit. I’m so cozy I should probably be restricted to sitting on the couch watching the Bachelorette in this get up. Not to mention the birks give my feet a nice break from mules and pumps. For those of you who didn’t partake in the birk trend in the 90’s, these puppies literally mold to your feet and feel like slippers.

Outfit details: top / pants *on sale / birkenstocks / necklaces / clutch, similar here and here /

And another look, with matching florals and leather sandals.

DSC_0055 DSC_0039

Outfit details: top *on sale / pants / sandals (old), similar here / earrings, here / necklace / nails

Fashion, LAvenue

Will you rock…..a crop top?

September 1, 2014

Will you rock a crop top? I’m dying to know. At first glance, I was completely out on this trend. Bare midriff’s should be reserved for the beach and even that seems questionable for this 30 something after popping out a few babies. Maybe it’s just me, but crop tops are ubiquitous right now; in every single magazine, on every single A-lister, on every single style icon, just not in my closet. And the thing is, this season they look nothing like the 80’s/90’s versions we saw rock stars donning on MTV. They look so much more grown up, classic and chic this time around. I’ve bought two crop tops over the past few months and found both to be super easy to wear. I wasn’t comfortable enough to bare any skin, but love how this top looks layered with a crisp white button down. What do you think?

Outfit details { sachin + babi crop top, saks stores {not sold online yet}, similar here but I also love this chambray version and this embellished version by sachin + babitheory button down / citizens of humanity flare jeans / tibi mules / miu miu clutch, similar here / aviators, similar by ray ban / mani  }

bcbg pleated maxi skirt /

Fashion, LAvenue

blogger crush on BCBG spring 2014

September 1, 2014

A few weeks ago I was invited to my favorite Houston boutique, TOOTSIES, to play dress-up in BCBG’s amazing spring line. I’ve been having a moment with jumpsuits and this gem is my favorite piece from the collection. I actually bought it in coral, which I’m seeing all over the place for spring.

Outfit details: BCBG jumpsuit, TOOTSIES / YSL Tribute Sandal, TOOTSIES / Ranjana Khan necklace, TOOTSIES / bangle bracelets, borrowed / Chanel handbag

Houston Style Bloggers whom I got to hang out with at the #BLOGGERCRUSHxTOOTSIES party: Adored by AlexGirl Around TownHigh Heels and HandlebarsBeautyNowSunday Beach,  Sannam & Style,

A huge thank you to our awesome sponsors…

Hair: Azur West| Makeup: Veronica Hurtado | Location: TOOTSIES | Clothing: BCBG via TOOTSIES | Macarons: Petite Sweets | Party Favors: Twistband | Confetti: The Confetti Bar | Garland & Balloon: homemadexojules |


text:
Marietta GA Lawn Care Fescue Grass

How To Care For Marietta Georgia’s Tall Fescue Fescue is a favorite grass for its low maintenance and resource requirements. The cool season grass requires less of everything, from mowing to fertilizer to water. For this lesser reliance on the earth’s resources, it is considered an environmentally friendly variety of grass as well. The Marietta […]