jeudi 21 février 2008

MIND YOUR BOOBS

You may have heard a fair bit about Breast Cancer but really haven't taken much notice as everyone always seems to be saying that breast cancer only affects women 40 years and older. Young women are being diagnosed in their teens, twenties and thirties. Even if the percentage is very low compared to that of older women aged 40 years and older, the point is it does happen. Would you also believe that 1% of all diagnosed breast cancers are in men?

If Breast Cancer is detected early, chances of survival are very high. Treatment now is so much improved and getting better results. It helps if you can understand what to look out for and also how to check your own breasts and take ownership of the health of your breasts. It's not really such a big deal and it's easy to do and gives you peace of mind as you grow older.

IMPORTANT FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW

On average, the final stage of puberty is around 15 years of age and at this time, you are physically an adult.

In your late teens and early twenties you have more lumps, bumps and pain in your breasts that seem to come about just because your body is growing.

Lumps can form in your breasts due to hormonal changes during your period cycle and they usually go away at the end of that time of the month.

In your late teens and early twenties you sometimes can have round rubbery types of tumors called Fibroadenomas and these are not cancerous.

Fat Necrosis is a firm lump that can be formed by damaged fatty tissue and develops from a bruise from a hit or bump to the chest.

Most importantly, you need to understand that every change and every lump found in your breasts does not mean you have Breast Cancer, especially as your breasts are growing and changing, they'll have lumps and bumps anyway.

MIND YOUR BOOBS PART 2

The Five Steps of a Breast Self-Exam (BSE)

Step 1: Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips.

Here's what you should look for:
breasts that are their usual size, shape, and color
breasts that are evenly shaped without visible distortion or swelling
If you see any of the following changes, bring them to your doctor's attention:


dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin
a nipple that has changed position or an inverted nipple (pushed inward instead of sticking out)
redness, soreness, rash, or swelling

Step 2: Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes.


Step 3: While you're at the mirror, gently squeeze each nipple between your finger and thumb and check for nipple discharge (this could be a milky or yellow fluid or blood).

Step 4: Next, feel your breasts while lying down, using your right hand to feel your left breast and then your left hand to feel your right breast. Use a firm, smooth touch with the first few fingers of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and together.

Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side—from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage.


Follow a pattern to be sure that you cover the whole breast. You can begin at the nipple, moving in larger and larger circles until you reach the outer edge of the breast. You can also move your fingers up and down vertically, in rows, as if you were mowing a lawn. Be sure to feel all the breast tissue: just beneath your skin with a soft touch and down deeper with a firmer touch. Begin examining each area with a very soft touch, and then increase pressure so that you can feel the deeper tissue, down to your ribcage.


Step 5: Finally, feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest way to feel their breasts is when their skin is wet and slippery, so they like to do this step in the shower. Cover your entire breast, using the same hand movements described in Step 4.

dimanche 17 février 2008

5 Make-up Mistakes to Avoid

You've seen them, make-up looks gone bad. Horribly bad.

1. WAAAYYYY too much blush - Blush is supposed to look natural, flushed, pretty. Think J.Low. She's got it down. Apply your blush before ANY other color on your face. If you look like you could throw on lip gloss and mascara and run out the door, you're good!

The best blush color? No, it's not fuscia. It's a pinky/peach. Look for something with soft shimmer, a pinky/peach that looks young, fresh on anyone of any age.

2. The dreaded blue eyeshadow a la 1960's. Okay, I think whenever someone is in that dreaded "color" shadow mode, it's because someone at some time said "gee! that looks great honey!" When it painfully didn't. We're suckers for a compliment.

3. Navy blue, dark blue, any blue. - Anything with blue, dark blue or grayish blue around your eyes really brings out the dark blue undereye circle under it. Copy a color on your face that you don't like in your makeup, and it'll look worse. Way worse. Case in point: a red dress with sunburn. See? Doesn't work. Go warmer, chestnutty, bronzy in shadows and liner instead. Trust me.

4. "You're looking a little tired. Are you feeling ok?" - We've all been there. If people ask if you're tired when you aren't it's could be your makeup. Incorrect make-up color choices can actually make your skin look tired. How? By unintentionally wearing colors that have gray in them. A grayish pink blush, a grayish mauvey lipstick, a grayish eyeshadow -- even your foundation might be gray.

All that gray can make you look tired by bringing out the gray in your skin.

5. The old school overdrawn lips. Overdrawing the lips does NOT make your lips look bigger. It can make you look like a clown. So how do you fake the illusion? It's in the color and the shine. Yes - shine! Start out with a lighter color, think about a nude pink. Look for a shade that mimics your lip color, or is 2 shades deeper than your actual lip color. Apply to your lip line and not a millimeter more. Then add shine. Shine bounces light and gives the illusion of a fuller pout. Try Bobbi Brown's lip gloss. She has a different type of shimmer going on in her lipglosses that makes your lips look 3-dimensional. It truly works.


by: Elke Von Freudenberg


There's a lot of great make-up out there to play with. Stay away from these common pitfalls and you're well on your way to looking fabulous.

vendredi 15 février 2008

Adieu Henri Salvador




Passed away last tuesday, Twelveth of Febuary 2008.

I still can't believe he left for good, and I regret that I never saw any of his concert. I like this guy, not only for his song but also, how he seems to enjoy every minute of his life, and when he laugh! God how he made me envy. He is one of a kind and guess I will miss him!

mercredi 13 février 2008

Better Together by: Jack Johnson



What makes me complete... what I call a "HOME"

mercredi 6 février 2008

Poulet coco réunionais


Easy and tasty recipe for a busy day.


INGREDIENTS: (for 4 person)

1 whole chicken cut into pieces
400 ml coconut milk
2 spoonfull concentrated tomato sauce
1 large onion
1 large red bellpepper
3 spoonfull olive oil
2 cups of water
salt & pepper

PREPARATION:

1) In a heavy bottom casserole or cocote, pour in the olive oil, then cook the chicken into golden brown. Put salt & pepper, then mix the concentrated tomato sauce & stir

2) Pour in the water & cook for 30 mins.

3) Dice onion and bellpepper, mix it with the chicken, stir. Pour in the cooconut milk, then cook for 45 mins. C'est prêt!

note: Eat with rice.

lundi 4 février 2008

Our bags

I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT, HAVE YOU?

Have you seen women left there bags on the floor specially in the public toilets in the restaurant, then return to there seat and put there bags on the table! It happens all the time...

Its not always "the food in the restaurant" that gives us stomach problems...

Sometimes, what we do not know, makes us sick!!!

My mother always get upset when we or some guests throw there bags on the kitchen table or on the dining table. She always said: "This are the places where we prepare and eat our food, that bags are very dirty bacause most of you dont pay attention to where you put your bags". And she is right!

Amy Karen, Microbiologist of Nelson laboratories confirmed, that bags are not only infested with germs, but also bacterias that can cause eye infection. On top of that, they found out that it can be nourturing the bacteria called "salmonella" The salmonella is a type of microbes intervening in various types of food intoxications, but which can also be the reason of typhoid fever and paratyphoid.

Leather bags or in vinyl have tendency to be cleaner than bags in cloth. People with children seem to have dirtier bags than those without children, technically. The bag of a single woman who goes to nightclubs frequently introduced pollution of all the worst? a certain type of excrement (faeces), or vomit can be found.

The moral lesson of this subject: - Our handbags will not kill us, but it can be the reason to make us very ill if we continue putting it in the places where we eat-.

The experts said: "Our handbags are as dirty as our shoes"

samedi 2 février 2008

Travailler pour se construire

"Travailler pour se construire". This phrase had hit my head so badly...

The main reason why we choose to work, is to able to earn, to be able to buy bread at the end of the day and to help our family we left back home. And believe me I'm not againts to this kind of reasoning, its just I believe on something more than that!

I used to work in a luxury hôtel, got an interesting salary, for an immigrant like me its quite worth it! but one day I decided to quit the job, suddenly got scared for many reasons, and one of those: "what if I'll be stuck to this kind of job forever?!"

Now, Im staying at home and I've been thinking...that working is not only about earning money, neither about buying bread at the end of the day, but for me working is about being independent...D'être un individu, avoir le priviledge d'aprendre quelques choses tout les jours. And lastly, if one day things doesn't turn out the way we want it to be, I know I can stand on my own two feet without being scared of facing the world.

My husband is having a soaring career and I'm very proud of him, but I don't want to be his responsibility for the rest of our lives. This time I will look for a job that suites me, I will aime higher, and I strongly believe that its possible. As what they said "Qui ne tente rien n'a rien".

jeudi 31 janvier 2008

Spicy beef caldereta à ma façon


INGREDIENTS:
700 gr beef for stewing, cut into medium size cubes
300 gr chicken liver, you can find in the supermarket already cooked
4 medium size potatoes, cut into wedges
2 medium size carots, peel & slice
1/2 cup of frozen green peas, defrost & set aside
1 large red bellpepper, cut into two, diced the other half & cut ino cubes the remaining for garnish
2 large white onions,diced small
3 heads of garlic,squashed & chopped
2 large riped tomatoes, diced small
2 lauriel leaves
1 pc of dried pepper, choped (be careful with the chili its quite strong)
1 bouquet de garni
1 knorr chicken cubes, or beef bouillon
3 spoons of olive oil
2 spoon of tornesol oil
3/4 cup cold water
salt & pepper to taste
PROCEDURE
1)Reheat your heavy bottom casserol w/ the olive oil (I use old style cocote very heavy perfect for stewing).
2)Sauté the onions till transparent, add garlic mix for 2 min & add the beef, sauté quickly.
3)Put the tomatoes & diced bellpepper, mix for about 5 min,then pour the cold water, put the knorr cubes and add the bouquet garni and lauriel leaves. Reduced the heat medium slow. Let it stew slowly for about 2 hours.
4) while waiting, mash the chicken liver (if you bought already cooked, if not boil water into a small casserol put little salt and pepper)with a fork if you have a blender you can use it but I prefer the fork so it will not be too mushy.
5) Reheat a nonstick frying pan w/ the tornesol oil. When its smoky hot fry the hedges of potatoes. When its done, put it on a paper towels so the exces oil will be absorbed.
6) When the beef is tender remove the bouquet garni and lauriel, adjust the taste with the salt & pepper, add the chicken liver, leave it for 5 min. Then add The remaining bellpepper, the peas and potatoes let it simmer for about 10 to 15 mins. Serve it with rice. Bon à petit!

When stewing beef if you want it to be tasteful & tender never boil them, & use cold water. Let it cooked slowly. Any suggestions, share it!

mercredi 30 janvier 2008

Have a nice boobs!

WHY WEAR A BRA?
Did you know that the weight of our breasts are not supported by muscles? Things called 'Cooper's Suspensory Ligaments' travel inward from our breast skin to 'pectoral tissue' which supports the weight of our breasts, but they are not strong enough to hold the shape of our breasts over time.

Not wearing a bra may affect the shape of our boobs and may becomes saggy, and droopy ones.

An important detail, choose the right size of your bras if you dont want to have marks on your skin and an ill-fitting bras can result backpains, bad posture, rashes, headaches and neck strains. Theres a lot of choices of bras and its up to you which one to choose thats suites your mood or your work just make it sure its comfortable.

"Cultiver notre jardin"

"Il faut cultiver notre jardin" my favorite quotation from Voltaire.

I believe that knowledge is the greatest tool to improve our way of living. Im not suggesting to become a rocket scientist but, simply being aware of our environment, to oneself and what we could share to others.

This is my introduction, its quite seriouse isn't it. No, I just want to have a "Blog" with good purpose, theres too much going on, on this planet that sharing one's opinions and ideas can be very helful for each and everyone of us.