new year, new resolutions.

after seeing my blimp of a picture attending last year’s new years eve party i got a swift kick to renew the age old resolution to lose some weight. i revisited a june issue of my women’s health magazine and the dog-eared page of this blender’s advertisement that i marked of about 10 lbs ago.

the oster blender is so easy, there’s no big blender mug taking up all of the space in the kitchen sink, no leftover shake that gets stinky in the fridge.  it serves one, then doubles as my water mug all day long.  fill – bleng -switch from the blade to drinking cap – and go about your day.  it comes in many vibrant colors.  it’s my new year, new me, favorite thing so far of 2012!

recently at Rockstar Fashion Throwdown in miami, fl.  her swimwear designs are for the most part barely there,

but with a brazilian background that much is expected.  i love the colors, prints and most of all the cuts, there are many

variations of bandeaus and whole piece necklines that you don’t come across everyday. my fav piece is shown here, chandra if you’d like to send me a freebie i think it’ll boost my workouts in the gym!

other retailers of this fashion line include:

Carnival Kicks

J’adore Pretty and Punk – Trinidad & Tobago

Nature Valley Oats 'n Dark Chocolate

this dark chocolate granola goodness is the cause of the blog being revived after being   dormant since 2009…oh dear, can i say it again “life gets in the way!”

ok back to the bar.  its not too sweet, that’s a given – which is why i love dark chocolate in the first place.  i think the original granola bars have a very sugary feel in my mouth, this one doesn’t.

i approve!

i can’t wait to see more of these business ventures, deals, shut-downs, and success stories!

it’s taken me this long to comment on it because i really don’t care. either way they’ve both gotten a load of publicity which will inevitably propel their careers into super-duper stardom.

obviously it was rude and horrible to do this to a young girl winning a career-changing award, but kanye gave her a life experience which as a result she has a stronger character. beyonce, just because she’s a class-act now also has about 1 million more fans and a few million more in sales because of her kind words and gesture to Taylor Swift.

Are there any REAL losers? in the grand scheme of things…nope!

rating = 9

with the beautiful miami skyline as a backdrop i settled into a fabulous dinner at azul. i’ve now dined at this restaurant on two occassions, and have been blown away by the food and the service on both counts.

we started dinner with a sommelier that guided us to choosing the perfect bottle to compliment our meal. my appetizer, the calamari salad – tender pieces of calamari with a crunchy coating and a salad that was dressed just right, not too acidic (which is my pet peeve). the beef short ribs entree was fork tender and so yummy i was not even tempted to taste my dinner partner’s salmon entree. and my absolute favorite part of the meal was the lemon-scented panna cotta. so creamy, so delicate, i almost want to set up a direct deposit from my paycheck to azul to have this delivered to me on a daily basis.

thank you’s go to:

• the attentive staff at azul
• the chef that prepared a memorable dinner
• my dinner date for having a birthday and giving us a reason to celebrate
• miami for providing a most beautiful skyline
• miami spice, for making such an indulgence accessible during these reccessive times

i highly recommend azul!

500 brickell key drive, miami, florida 33131, usa (305) 913 8288

i can’t understand why this is considered socialist, nazi, marxist, etc.

aren’t american education, fire, police, library systems etc. all government run?  so why is it socialist if the health care system falls under the same governance?

the united states is faced with a health care system that costs twice as much as it does anywhere else in the world.  there are tens of millions without health care insurance.  i guess if those who opposed universal health care went without insurance they may understand the need for such a system, and their roars of disapproval might be silenced.

why is there so much opposition to health care reform in a country that so baly needs it?

measures of success:

life expectancy is a basic measure of the quality of health care. in the u.s, a citizen will live 77.8 years on average. infant mortality is also a vital indicator of health care. In the United States, 6.37 infants die out of every 1,000.

let’s look at some case studies:

1.  japan’s semi-socialistic medical system

focus on preventative care: in the japanese health care system, healthcare services, including screening examinations for particular diseases at no direct cost to the patient, prenatal care, and infectious disease control, are provided by national and local governments. Payment for personal medical services is offered through a universal health care insurance system that provides relative equality of access, with fees set by a government committee. People without insurance through employers can participate in a national health insurance program administered by local governments. Since 1983[1], all elderly persons have been covered by government-sponsored insurance. Patients are free to select physicians or facilities of their choice.

• japan has the longest lived citizens 82.12 years old vs. u.s 77.8 years
• japan is ranked amongst the lowest for infant mortality rates in the world 3.2 out of a 1,000 vs. u.s @ 6.37 per 1,000

2.  canada

health care in canada is delivered through a publicly-funded health care system, which is mostly free at the point of use and has most services provided by private entities.

• canadians live 2.5 years longer than the average american (80.4 years)
• canadian infant mortality rate is 5.4 out of a 1,000 vs. u.s @ 6.37 per 1,000
• canadians spend about 10 per cent of GDP on health whereas americans spend 16 per cent to achieve inferior results on life expectancy and infant mortality

3.  united kingdom

national health service: there is no discrimination when a patient resident in one country of the united kingdom requires treatment in another. The consequent financial matters and paperwork of such inter-working are dealt with between the organisations involved and there is generally no personal involvement by the patient comparable to that which might occur when a resident of one european union member country receives treatment in another.

• uk infant mortality rate is 4.8 out of 1000 vs. u.s @ 6.37 per 1,000
• life expectancy 79.01 years old vs. u.s 77.8 years

* sources: wikipedia; cia world factbook

rating = 9

I am so moved by this film I am unable to articulate the emotions and feelings that it conjured.  Based on Jean-Dominique Bauby’s phenomenal memoir, the cinematography, direction, narration and acting allows the viewer to live through the pain, anguish and disbelief that Jean-Do (as he was affectionately called) experiences as he comes to term with a life-altering disability brought on by a massive stroke.  The once-dynamic Editor-in-Chief of French Elle magazine was diagnosed with Locked-in syndrome, unwilling to let this horrible affliction silence him, he ‘wrote’ his memoir by blinking his left eye.  No easy feat when you realize it took about 200,000 blinks to complete the book. 

Unfortunately Jean-Do passed away of pneumonia 10 days after the release of his memoir.  However, both his book and his movie is a testament to this extraordinary man.  His book was fast to make it onto the bestsellers list, and the movie which was released 10 years later has received critical acclaim and won numerous awards.

This movie is definitely on my APPROVED list!

An Excerpt from the book “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – A Memoir of Life in Death” by Jean-Dominique Bauby

Through the frayed curtain at my window, a wan glow announces the break of day. My heels hurt, my head weighs a ton, and something like a giant invisible cocoon holds my whole body prisoner. My room emerges slowly from the gloom. I linger over every item: photos of loved ones, my children’s drawings, posters, the little tin cyclist sent by a friend the day before the Paris-Roubaix bike race, and the IV pole hanging over the bed where I have been confined these past six months, like a hermit crab dug into his rock.

rating = 8.5

i am a foodie, therefore i think my opinion on this topic is gospel.   i was introduced to peruvian food when i moved to miami some years ago and was hooked.  for those in the know, legendary french chef and culinary writer auguste escoffier called peruvian cuisine one of the best in the world, after french and chinese.

there’s a little neighborhood restaurant in sunny isles, fl that’s been doing it right for some time.  claudia cafe & restaurant is as authentic as it comes.  from the traditional background music with it’s african influences to the suggestions offered by the restaurateur herself this is my idea of a great dining experience.

i’ve been there a few times and i would suggest every dish that i’ve tried; the ceviche  - the seafood is fresh, it’s tangy and wonderfully delish; papa la huancaina – potatoes with a creamy spicy sauce; lomo al jugo – beef sauteed with garlic, tomatoes and other yummy stuff.  i’m also in love with aji, a spicy green condiment that I could eat on anything.

this is a beautiful restaurant appointed with rich dark wood furniture, a full wine bar, the food is amazing and it’s very reasonably priced.  there’s live music on saturdays and happy hour every day from 6pm.

17632 collins avenue, sunny isles beach (305) 974-0021

rating = 7

i spend about 5 hours per day updating several social networking sites, browsing groups, replying to threads…no, i’m not a freak i actually get paid to do this.  friendfeed makes life easy for any business, artist, etc that has an online presence and is utilizing web2.0 know-how to increase their following/ brand recognition.

you can sign up for friendfeed easily if you already have an account with facebook, google or twitter.  once you get situated you can set it up so that every friendfeed post is automatically shared with any of your other networks, twitter, facebook, delicious, diig, your blog, linkedin…the list goes on and on, they cover 58 services.

it’s definitely a time saver for the internet marketer. 

i’ve given a rating of 7 because i’ve just got started and i find it difficult to have people subscribe to me…no one likes to be friendless   however, this may be because i’m currently working under a business name.  stay tuned, i may re-post with a higher rating as i get the hang of it and get groovy with the new culture of friendfeed.