Avocado wonders

One of my favourite recently discovered foods: avocado.

1) It’s tasty, yummm. I love the nutty note. At the moment my top combination is simply fresh bread with some ripe avocado spread on it, sliced tomato and some salt & pepper – but possibilities are endless. It’s a perfect salad ingredient. Take a look also at this chocolate avocado or orange-flavoured milk-shake!

2) The flavour is new – at least for me. Funnily, I first discovered it after coming to Scotland.

3) It’s incredibly healthy. This is what’s written on www.avocado.org: Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a “nutrient booster” by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.

4) It can be used in place of a spread. Dear butter and pseudo-healthy, artificial-tasting butter substitutes, we see each other less often now!

5) It originates from Mexico. Isn’t it a great place to come from?

6) The colours vary – I love the juicy vibrant green of ripe hass avocado.

Kuwait (part 2.)

While in Kuwait, I very much enjoyed the Middle-Eastern food, although admittedly I love good food in general.

In the shops you can get various kinds of bread (khubz/ khubiz), my favourite, however, can be found in tiny local bakeries, sold crunchy and hot, taken straight out of a clay oven.

For dinner the most popular are chicken dishes and veal or lamb kebab. This can be eaten with bread, lentils, beans, salad, sambosa and so on.

Then there is fruit. The dates you get here are nothing like the packets sold in European supermarkets – they are big, juicy and come in tens of varieties. I have also tried knar which is the fruit of cedar tree.

The sweets here are exquisite. The local delicacy I cannot get enough of is knafa (or kunafa) with a soft cheesy centre wrapped in special orange pastry, drenched in sweet syrup and sprinkled with pistachios. It is served warm. I also love baklava. If this is not enough, you can have one of the masterpiece cakes from self-established Mr Baker (sadly, the company’s founder and owner died tragically last week).

Scotland in 1870

Scots from 1870 wish you a happy Easter. (Glen Coe, 7th April 2012)

Haymarket, Edinburgh on 25 March 2012

Dear Government, dear City Council,

this must be a joke. It’s detrimental to the businesses, it’s obstructive to the road and pavement traffic, it is making me feel like I live in a fenced-off prison-slash-circus, a sad circus. You’re spoiling this beautiful city for its inhabitants and any visitors. Can you please do all that is in your power to get this finished quite soon?

Instead of being pleased with this otherwise great, first sunny day of spring in my city, I need to be thinking about how do I get to work tomorrow…

Gift from a place 8,5 thousand km away

This 100 Años Reposado Tequila was a gift to me that flew over 8,5 thousand kilometers from Mexico to Edinburgh. This blue version, made completely of blue agave, is only available in Mexico.

I got it last Sunday from my friends who were invited to come to my place but, since I locked myself out that evening, they most kindly offered me a bed in their flat. Thank you!

Kuwait (part 1.)

What I liked most about Kuwait was the variety of architectural styles. Driving along endless highways, you see magnificent houses. No two are the same. If only they could have lavish gardens attached!

Love new foods

This is a saying I saw printed in a magazine, that I though was wonderful:

Discovering new, tasty foods can be a devine pleasure, I agree! I just didn’t realise there were such huge additional benefits to it.

Another fan of Jon Moon’s ‘WiT’

I have been a fan of Jon Moon’s guidelines on how to create clear and impact-causing documents and of his ‘Words in Tables’ idea for years now. I’m not sure why I haven’t mentioned it before! 

His are basically smart and valuable ideas on document editing – for word editors, presentations, spread sheets and charts. Whether you create documents for office or private use, have a look at some of the available templates (they can be downloaded) and your ‘docs’ will never look the same again: Jon Moon, Clarity and Impact.

The Promise

What’s the difference between the Berlin Wall and the Israeli West Bank barrier?

…

We are all people. Why cannot we treat other people at least the way we wish to be treated?

Would you rather be successful in life or in work?

Does success equal happiness? Perhaps it is that happiness equals success.

The article “10 Questions that create success” on Inc. was not what I expected. Typically, there would have been more words like ‘money’, ‘wealth’, ‘power’, ‘believe’, ‘aggressive’. Instead, the article implies that success depends on what’s in your heart. Despite its self-help guide style and tone, I enjoyed reading it.

Below I have copied the list of questions which the author advises we should ask ourselves at the end of each day. This doesn’t mean each question should necessarily be always answered with a ‘yes’ – that would be very difficult. This is just something to keep us focused.

1. Have I made certain that those I love feel loved?
2. Have I done something today that improved the world?
3. Have I conditioned my body to be more strong flexible and resilient?
4. Have I reviewed and honed my plans for the future?
5. Have I acted in private with the same integrity I exhibit in public?
6. Have I avoided unkind words and deeds?
7. Have I accomplished something worthwhile?
8. Have I helped someone less fortunate?
9. Have I collected some wonderful memories?
10. Have I felt grateful for the incredible gift of being alive?

In this understanding, success in private life and success in professional life are not disparate.