Prolific Living

tea

Keys to Total Bliss: Fusion of 8 Self-Improvement Habits

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The day that I stop improving upon the self is the day that I stop living.

On a Rock in the Ocean in Hawaii

My problem has never been the lack of motivation in improving myself. I find myself drawn to self-improvement as bees to flowers or water to shore. No, my problem is bigger. It is the ever-present overwhelming feeling of just how in this world and life am I going to sufficiently improve upon myself. It is an obsession with self-improvement in more ways than I can possibly make time and effort to pursue. It is a sense of urgency to embrace life in its fullest and to be in my most ready form to do so – and for that, I need to living and breathing the better version of myself every passing day. [Read more…] about Keys to Total Bliss: Fusion of 8 Self-Improvement Habits

Liquid Meditation: Making the Perfect Cup of Tea

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Discovering Oolong tea for me was an accident. A life changing one. One day 3 years ago, my husband fancied the tea shop’s Oolong titled “Iron Goddess of Mercy” and bought 2 ounces for fun. We both tried it and liked it fine. Then a few months later, I happened to give up espresso in my ultimate quest to go healthy! (Well, I still drink the occasional espresso) But I was not about to give up caffeine (who knows! That may be another quest at the yoga teacher training someday!). But the ideal replacement seemed obvious: Loose-leaf Oolong tea. Then I discovered the taste and equally delightful benefits of raw honey, (thanks to Natalia Rose and her Raw Detox Diet) combined with Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolong, I must say: one taste and you are hooked for life! [Read more…] about Liquid Meditation: Making the Perfect Cup of Tea

Memories of a Thanksgiving in Hong Kong

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HongKong-from-Victoria-Peak

This Thanksgiving was with family and friends. Last Thanksgiving, Hawaii. But I will never forget that in 2007, after a trying year with career and other challenges, we decided in a moment’s notice to pack up and go to Hong Kong for Thanksgiving. Traveling there from East Coast of United States is not exactly a short plane hop, and disappointing not one but two families took heaps of courage. But as my husband said, in a quote that has become a motto when we plan serious travel in our lives, “If not us, who? If not now, when?“ And that is how we approach our life’s travels, because we have but one lifetime to live and one fantastic globe to discover in the process. It is best to ditch the reasons that keep you at home, to pack light and travel far and make memories that in your old age will warm your heart, and bring you a quiet satisfaction knowing that while you could, you traveled. You explored. You went away from home to see the world. [Read more…] about Memories of a Thanksgiving in Hong Kong

8 Reasons to Experience the World’s Best Kept Secret: Tokyo’s Depachikas

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If you desire it, they will have it, in the world’s best kept and most delicious secret: the Depachika, the food havens in the heart of underground malls of Tokyo.

Japanese-watermelon

A depachika is a contraction of depato (department store) and chika (underground mall), a place of endless wonder and marvel producing a feast for the eyes, the mind and the belly. [Read more…] about 8 Reasons to Experience the World’s Best Kept Secret: Tokyo’s Depachikas

Zojirushi Hot Water Heater: A Genius Product for Every Kitchen

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The Japanese are brilliant. The Zojirushi is just another proof.

Growing up in Iran, we had a ranking system for all products that were imported from various countries. The Japanese always and without exception ranked the highest. It did not matter if it were clothing, electronics, house-hold items or a car battery. Their brand was universally invincible. You would not even need to worry about appliance repairs if you had a Japanese brand in your hand! No one dared argue the quality or functionality of a Japanese product.  If a product were Made in Japan, it had it made for life, no pun, no fuss. The Japanese brand name enjoyed infallible fame among the Iranians for as long as I can remember.

Zojirushi-mini-Kyoto

[Read more…] about Zojirushi Hot Water Heater: A Genius Product for Every Kitchen