Fiona Apple Cancels South American Tour to Be With Her Dying Dog...

A friend actually shared this touching story with me about the recent cancellation of Fiona Apple's South American Tour to be with her dying friend Janet, a Pitbull.

In a letter to fans on her Facebook page, Fiona Apple announced that she's postponing her upcoming South American tour to care for her dying dog Janet, who suffers from Addison's disease.

Below is the message sent by Fiona...

It’s 6pm on Friday,and I’m writing to a few thousand friends I have not met yet.
I am writing to ask them to change our plans and meet a little while later.
Here’s the thing.
I have a dog Janet, and she’s been ill for almost two years now, as a tumor has been idling in her chest, growing ever so slowly. She’s almost 14 years old now.I got her when she was 4 months old. I was 21 then ,an adult officially – and she was my child.

She is a pitbull, and was found in Echo Park, with a rope around her neck, and bites all over her ears and face.
She was the one the dogfighters use to puff up the confidence of the contenders.
She’s almost 14 and I’ve never seen her start a fight ,or bite, or even growl, so I can understand why they chose her for that awful role. She’s a pacifist.
Janet has been the most consistent relationship of my adult life, and that is just a fact.
We’ve lived in numerous houses, and jumped a few make shift families, but it’s always really been the two of us.
She slept in bed with me, her head on the pillow, and she accepted my hysterical, tearful face into her chest, with her paws around me, every time I was heartbroken, or spirit-broken, or just lost, and as years went by, she let me take the role of her child, as I fell asleep, with her chin resting above my head.
She was under the piano when I wrote songs, barked any time I tried to record anything, and she was in the studio with me all the time we recorded the last album.
The last time I came back from tour, she was spry as ever, and she’s used to me being gone for a few weeks every 6 or 7 years.
She has Addison’s Disease, which makes it dangerous for her to travel since she needs regular injections of Cortisol, because she reacts to stress and to excitement without the physiological tools which keep most of us from literally panicking to death.
Despite all of this, she’s effortlessly joyful and playful, and only stopped acting like a puppy about 3 years ago.
She’s my best friend and my mother and my daughter, my benefactor, and she’s the one who taught me what love is.
I can’t come to South America. Not now.
When I got back from the last leg of the US tour, there was a big, big difference.
She doesn’t even want to go for walks anymore.
I know that she’s not sad about aging or dying. Animals have a survival instinct, but a sense of mortality and vanity, they do not. That’s why they are so much more present than people.
But I know that she is coming close to point where she will stop being a dog, and instead, be part of everything. She’ll be in the wind, and in the soil, and the snow, and in me, wherever I go.
I just can’t leave her now, please understand.
If I go away again, I’m afraid she’ll die and I won’t have the honor of singing her to sleep, of escorting her out.
Sometimes it takes me 20 minutes to pick which socks to wear to bed.
But this decision is instant.
These are the choices we make, which define us.
I will not be the woman who puts her career ahead of love and friendship.
I am the woman who stays home and bakes Tilapia for my dearest, oldest friend.
And helps her be comfortable, and comforted, and safe, and important.
Many of us these days, we dread the death of a loved one. It is the ugly truth of Life, that keeps us feeling terrified and alone.
I wish we could also appreciate the time that lies right beside the end of time.
I know that I will feel the most overwhelming knowledge of her, and of her life and of my love for her, in the last moments.
I need to do my damnedest to be there for that.
Because it will be the most beautiful, the most intense, the most enriching experience of life I’ve ever known.
When she dies.
So I am staying home, and I am listening to her snore and wheeze, and reveling in the swampiest, most awful breath that ever emanated from an angel.
And I am asking for your blessing.I’ll be seeing you.

Love, Fiona

Couldn't help but cry, I really can't blame her, I just lost a friend a few weeks back, Bambi. Really hurts. I'm just glad there are still people who cares in this world. ='(

Tagaytay City BULALO!!! It's More Fun In The Philippines!

It is truly more fun in the Philippines! Last night we went to one of the tourist spots here in the Philippines, we call it Tagaytay and here is where you can taste one of the most popular among the Filipino dishes, the Bulalo. It is a soup dish which consists of the bone-in beef shank and vegetables. The dish itself is easy to prepared but the difference lies on how you boil the bone marrow. While some say you need to boil the bone marrow in low fire and let it boil for half a day, some say otherwise. Well, what I can say is, however which way you cook Bulalo, it is still a big hit to everyone.

Below are classic examples of a traditional Bulalo...

If you get the chance to visit the Philippines in the future, might as well look for a place where you can have a taste of this special dish.

Last night's perfect place was at Sunspot Seafoods Restaurant in Tagaytay City, just a few meters away from Taal Vista Lodge.

So, how did we achieve gustatory satisfaction last night? Here are the dishes that we ordered:

Bulalo                           @   350.00/per serving 

Chicharong Bulaklak      @    95.00/order 

Tapsilog                        @    80.00/order

Crispy Pata                    @  450.00/order

Rice (of course)             @    20.00/order

Patang Goto                   @    85.00/order

Last night was a blast and I fell asleep and went to never never land as we headed home... LOL!

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States every fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving is one of their major holidays of the year  together with Christmas and the New Year. Abraham Lincoln's successors as president followed his example of annually declaring the final Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was founded as a religious observance for all the members of the community to give thanks to God for a common purpose.  During Thanksgiving Day, families and friends usually gather for a large meal or dinner and during the holiday weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Since 1924, in New York City, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held annually every Thanksgiving Day from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to Macy's flagship store in Herald Square, and televised nationally by NBC. The parade features parade floats with specific themes, scenes from Broadway plays, large balloons of cartoon characters and TV personalities, and high school marching bands. The float that traditionally ends the Macy's Parade is the Santa Claus float, the arrival of which is an unofficial sign of the beginning of the Christmas season.

Featured food for the Season

Traditionally, turkey plays a central role in the celebration of Thanksgiving.  Baked or roasted turkey is usually the featured item on any Thanksgiving feast table.  Stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, various fall vegetables (mainly various kinds of squashes), and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner.

Here is one of the simple recipe for Turkey

What You Need

Ingredients

1 turkey, any size

2 cups broth or water

Melted unsalted butter (optional, for basting)

Equipment

Roasting pan (or alternative)

Roasting rack (or something to lift the turkey off the pan)

Turkey baster or spoon

Instructions

1. Prepare the Turkey for Roasting

2. Heat the Oven to 450°F 

Optional Extras - Rub your turkey with butter or oil for a richer flavor and browner skin, rub minced herbs or ground spices into (or beneath) the skin for more flavor, place a few halved lemons or garlic cloves inside the cavity of the turkey.

3. Roast the Turkey - Pour two cups of broth or water into the roasting pan. Place the turkey in the oven and turn down the heat to 350°F.

4. Cooking Time - The rule of thumb for cooking a turkey is 13 minutes per pound. A 16-pound turkey should have taken about 3 1/2 hours to cook. 

5. Baste the Turkey - Every 45 minutes, remove the turkey from the oven, close the oven door (don't let that heat out!), and baste the turkey all over.

Optional Extra - In the last 45 minutes or so of cooking, baste the turkey with melted butter or oil. This helps crisp up the skin and turn it a beautiful deep golden brown.

5. Check the Temperature - To make sure that turkey is fully cooked through and through, we like to check its temperature in three places: the breast, the outer thigh, and the inside thigh (see photos above). In every case, the meat should be at least 165°F. 

6. Rest the Turkey - Grab one side of the roasting rack with an oven mitt and tilt the turkey so liquids inside the cavity run out into the pan. (These juices are used to make the gravy.)

Then, lift the whole turkey (still on the rack) and transfer it to a cutting board. Tent the turkey with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. This gives time for the meat to firm up and the juices to be re-absorbed into the muscle tissue, making the turkey easier to slice and taste juicier.

7. Carve the Turkey

And voila! That's it... Happy Thanksgiving Day to all! =D

Your Husband's Ex Girlfriend Still Contacts Him

As the title says Your Husband's Ex Girlfriend Still Contacts Him, in this case, what should you do?

It is very frustrating for someone to deal with a strong emotion such as Jealousy, but what causes someone to be jealous? We must always remember Newton's Third Law that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, in this case, a negative reaction. Our responses are sometimes based on the inputs of other people. Some women just cant get themselves over when a relationship ends. This is so sad because most often than not, they live in a sea of misery. And what's next is that they try to keep the line of communication open even when the other party is already committed to another person, in most cases, married. End product? Marriage in distress.

If you are in a situation such as this, what will mostly take up your time is guessing what the ex girlfriend's motives are and for how long your husband will be able to ignore such moves. Whether she's calling him, texting or just simply visiting or saying "Hi", there will always be that threat of something unknown and most people are scared of the things that are not revealed to us.

My question is, why do they do such things? Reality check, you can never have someone who belongs to someone else. So accept it and move on. So in short, they cannot accept the fact that they lose.

So now, what to do. Simple. Ignore it and keep loving your husband and who knows the ex person might find another person to bug. We have to remember that relationships are internal and there should be no external force that will cause the two of you to break. There will always be someone who is willing to get what you have, so before it happens, protect it by shielding that person with love and security. Some people are not happy with what they have and with who they are with, that is not your problem, let them be and soon, if ever they will  find out that things are not bound to be theirs, they will eventually give up. So while you are in this situation, keep yourself calm and composed. Never ever stoop down to the person's level. Understand that the person might also be in a situation wherein acceptance is a planet away. Some people are just not made to understand that there are things that are not meant to be and you just have to accept it.

Dalai Lama's most Famous Quotes

Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. Dalai Lamas are the head monks of the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Shortened from Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, born Lhamo Dondrub is the 14th Dalai Lama  and as well as the longest lived incumbent. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, and is also well known for his lifelong advocacy for Tibetans inside and outside Tibet. He was only formally recognized as the 14th Dalai Lama on 17 November 1950, at the age of 15.

A charismatic speaker, he has since traveled the world, advocating for the welfare of Tibetans, teaching Tibetan Buddhism and talking about the importance of compassion as the source of a happy life. Around the world, institutions face pressure from China not to accept him.

In line with this, I have listed a collection of quotes from Dalai Lama about the more important things in life other than personal gain... Let these be an inspiration to all as it has been with me...

1. My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

2. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

3. We can live without religion and meditation, but we cannot survive without human affection.

4. We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.

5. Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

6. To conquer oneself is a greater victory than to conquer thousands in a battle.

7. A spoon cannot taste of the food it carries. Likewise, a foolish man cannot understand the wise man´s wisdom even if he associates with a sage.

8. In our struggle for freedom, truth is the only weapon we possess.

9. Love is the absence of judgment.

10. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

11. Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.
12. Silence is sometimes the best answer

13. Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.

14. Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.

15. If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.

16. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it

17. People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.

18. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

19. Look at children. Of course they may quarrel, but generally speaking they do not harbor ill feelings as much or as long as adults do. Most adults have the advantage of education over children, but what is the use of an education if they show a big smile while hiding negative feelings deep inside? Children don't usually act in such a manner. If they feel angry with someone, they express it, and then it is finished. They can still play with that person the following day.

20. The more you are motivated by Love, The more Fearless & Free your action will be.

He is an inspiration to all... Let us help him spread the good news of peace and love to all mankind...