1000 Places to See Before You Die (2)

The Heart of Bali

Indonesia

Package-deal tourists to Bali seem happy to stay in the Fort Lauderdale–like area of Kuta or to cocoon themselves in Sanur's toney hotels, but it's in the countryside—where Bali is vibrant with the theater of dance, prayer, and mystery—that you'll really be able to absorb the island's magic. Here it is still possible to imagine that the October 2002 bombing— which shook Asia as the earlier September 11 attacks did America—never happened. Serendipity will lead you to the haunting rhythms of a practicing village gamelan orchestra, past a procession of lithe women carrying impossibly high baskets of fruit offerings on their heads to the local temple, to preparations for a celebration that turns out to be a cremation. Bali's people are gracious and beautiful, a mix of Malay, Polynesian, Indian, and Chinese, and believe they are the chosen guardians of the Pulau Dewata, the Island of the Gods, whose hilly terrain is peppered with temples (Ulu Danu, beside Lake Bratan, is the most picturesque) and punctuated by constant temple festivals. Locals will direct you to tonight's tooth-filling ritual or tomorrow's performance of the kecak monkey dance. Visit the mist-shrouded Mount Agung, at the island's heart, considered by the Balinese to be the navel of the world.

Easy and Fun Recipe! Chicken In a Sleeping Bag

Ingredients

2 cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls -- 8 oz each
8 slices cooked ham
8 cheese slices (your choice)
16 frozen breaded chicken breast patties -- wing-shape, slightly thawed

Directions

Heat oven to 375F. Separate dough into 8 (4 x 7 1/2") rectangles; firmly press perforations to seal.
For each sandwich, place 1 rectangle of dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Top with 1 slice of ham. Place cheese at one end of ham slice. Place 2 chicken patties on cheese. Fold 2/3 of dough over chicken, leaving about 1 1/2" of chicken uncovered. Press sides of sandwich with fork to seal edges.
Bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes or until crust is golden brown and chicken is hot.

20 Signs You Found True Love

The chemistry between a man and woman can be either good chemistry or bad chemistry. Many of us, through lots of experience know what it feels like to be in a relationship where the chemistry can be very strong, but it is destructive on an individuals level and as a couple. Relationships founded on this chemistry are often riddled with pain, guilt, fear and any number of thoughts and feelings that are energy depleting and can quickly spiral to obsessions and depression.

What about good chemistry, what does it feel and look like, and how do you know the chemistry between the two of you is good? How do you know you are with the right person?

1. You feel very comfortable with one another, as if you have known each other longer than you actually have.

2. You tend to agree with one another on most issues, and there is a feeling of warm familiarity surrounding your personal belief systems, values, philosophies and life goals.

3. You instinctively consider each other as equals and no one person does more sacrificing to be with the other.

4. You are very much involved in one another's daily affairs and conversations between the two of you are generally mentally stimulating and lively.

5. You joke around with each other a lot, and your relationship is spontaneous and light, adding a happy and friendly boost to your interactions.

6. You nurture each other with specialized attention, mutual appreciation, acceptance, admiration and playfulness; these keep the romance alive.

7. You enjoy spending plenty of quite time together in homely surroundings giving true meaning to the words feeling "at home" with one another.

8. Open communication is alive and thriving, making it possible to be yourselves with one another.

9. There is a shared feeling of growth and support of one another and both of you give each other room to grow as a self-directed independent individual.

10. You are more able than most couples to remain objective about your relationship and to work through problems that most couples find very difficult to deal with.

11. You are warm, gracious, compassionate and flexible with one another, and tend to expect the best from one another.

12. You easily forgive each other when things go wrong and trusting one another keeps you closer.

13. You are quite protective (not possessive or controlling) of one another and of the privacy of your romantic lives. Others see you as a positively bonded and caring couple.

14. There is no fear of losing the other and commitment to each other and dedication to your relationship are important for your sense of security as a couple.

15. There is an earthy sensuality to your relationship and the sexual chemistry between you is so apparent it's almost tangible.

16. Expressing yourselves emotionally and sexually comes naturally and without inhibitions. Feeling secure with one another puts you in the “mood" for intimacy and strengthens your affections for one another.

17. Together you are able to take big risks knowing that you will always have reach other and can always count on each other.

18. There is a whole lot of positive energy generated between the two of you, and together, you are enthusiastic about life itself.

19. The longer you're with each other, the stronger your relationship becomes.

20. The relationship is so life-changing that you know without a doubt in your heart that if it were to end, you will take something from it. You feel that you are somehow a different and better person.

Hopefully this information will put your heart and mind to rest. But if it causes you to feel “uneasy" then you need to really look at who you are with. You can be honest with yourself and face the pain that comes with the realization that you may not be with the right person for you, or you can ignore it now and later regret why knowing what you know you still pursued a relationship that was not good for you. The beauty of all this is that you have the power over what you choose to do!

Book Review: The Pursuit of Happyness

There are many stories of single mothers struggling to raise their kids against incredible odds, and with little help. But rarely do you hear of single fathers going through the same struggle. Chris Gardner is one of those fathers.

Gardner fought to raise his young son while homeless and living on the streets of San Francisco. Gardner, who served a brief stint in the Navy and had no education beyond high school, would eventually get back on his feet to become a millionaire stockbroker and business owner.

Gardner relates his rags-to-riches story -- and his concept of "conscious capitalism" -- in his memoir The Pursuit of Happyness. Gardner's saga is now the subject of a new film starring Will Smith, scheduled to be released later this year.

The misspelled "Happyness" of the book's title comes from when Gardner was looking for daycare for his son so Gardner could pursue his career. He rejected one facility because it misspelled "Happiness" in its name, but gained insight into what happiness meant to him personally when he explained the literal meaning of the word to his curious son.

THE CLIMB ~ Miley Cyrus

I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith...

Inspirational Quote

"I chose to embrace the spirit of my mom—who despite the fact that she had too many of her own dreams denied, deferred and destroyed—still instilled in me that I could have dreams." - Chris Gardner on Oprah, December 2006

You Belong With Me ~ Taylor Swift

You’re on the phone with your girlfriend
She’s upset
She’s going off about something that you said
‘Cuz she doesn’t get your humor like I do…
I’m in the room
It’s a typical Tuesday night
I’m listening to the kind of music she doesn’t like
And she’ll never know your story like I do’

But she wears short skirts
I wear T-shirts
She’s cheer captain
And I’m in the bleachers
Dreaming about the day when you wake up
And find what you’re looking for
Has been here the whole time

If you could see that I’m the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can’t you see,
You belong with me
You belong with me

Walkin’ the streets with you and your worn-out jeans
I can’t help thinking this is how it ought to be
Laughing on a park bench, thinking to myself
Hey, isn’t this easy

And you’ve got a smile
That could light up this whole town
I haven’t seen it in a while
Since she brought you down
You say your fine
I know you better then that
Hey whatcha doing with a girl like that

She wears high heels
I wear sneakers
She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day when you wake up
That what you’re looking for
Has been here the whole time

If you could see that
I’m the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can’t you see
You belong with me

Standing by and waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know
Baby
You belong with me

Oh’
I remember you drivin’ to my house
In the middle of the night
I’m the one who makes you laugh
When you know your about to cry
And I know your favorite songs
And you tell me about your dreams
Think I know where you belong
Think I know it’s with me

Can’t you see that
I’m the one who understands you
Been here all along
So why can’t you see
You belong with me

Standing by and waiting at your back door
All this time
How could you not know
Baby you belong with me
You belong with me

You belong with me
Have you ever thought just maybe
You belong with me

You belong with me.

Tweespeed

The success of Twitter has inspired a lot of developers to create their own Twitter mashup. TweeSpeed is an example of this phenomenon. TweeSpeed is a web service that calculates the number of Twitter messages, also called tweets, sent in the last minute. TweeSpeed is based on the public timeline, it grabs information for the 5 last minutes and calculate an average speed for one minute. The actual number of Twitter messages is higher, Twitter messages from private accounts do not show up in the public timeline.

TweeSpeed offers three views of the number of Twitter messages per unit of time. There is the gauge at the front page. There is also a view of the speed by minute for the last day. And finally there is a view of the speed by hour for the last week.
The events around the death of Michael Jackson had a strong impact on Twitter, as already reported by the traditional media such, e.g. CNN.

Looking at the graphs made available by TweeSpeed, I discovered that it was possible to show more history that just the last day or the last week. The graph below starts at June 13, 2009. The rumors and the formal announcement of the death of Michael Jackson caused a sharp increase in the number of Twitter messages on June 25, 2009. The next peak was on June 29, 2009 - when all kind of rumors concerning the cause of death and the funeral arrangements were spreading around. The funeral and memorial service on July 7, 2009 triggered the third peak.

Quote of The Day

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Today's Recipe- Bumblebee Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 package (14 ounces) banana quick bread and muffin mix
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting
5 drops yellow food coloring
12 large yellow gumdrops
1/2 cup chocolate frosting
12 semisweet chocolate chips
24 miniature semisweet chocolate chips
12 large white gumdrops
Black shoestring licorice, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the muffin mix, milk, oil and eggs.
Fill 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.
Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, combine vanilla frosting and food coloring.
Frost cupcakes.
Cut yellow gumdrops in half widthwise.
Use the rounded tops for heads.
Flatten remaining portions into ovals for bodies.
Place one head and one body on each cupcake.
Place chocolate frosting in a resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner of the bag.
Pipe stripes on gumdrop bodies to resemble a bumblebee.
For the stinger, place one chocolate chip at the end of body with pointed end facing out.
Position two mini chocolate chips in front of head for eyes.
Cut white gumdrops in half lengthwise; position next to bodies for wings.
Insert two licorice pieces for antennae.

1000 Places to See Before You Die (1)

Petrodvorets

Russia

To get a taste of the mind-boggling opulence of imperial St. Petersburg, take the boat service from the riverside Winter Palace (The Hermitage) and motor on the Neva River to the Gulf of Finland to Petrodvorets, Peter the Great's Grand Palace. Just as St. Petersburg was built as a powerful combination of both East and West - too Russian to be European, too European to be Russian - Petrodvorets was Peter's "window on Europe.” He built it in the early 1700s to rival the architecture and glittering court life of Versailles, and to show European royalty that he could keep up with the best of them. Peter personally drew up the plans for the extravagant summer palace and 300 acres of gardens, where 66 fountains, 39 gilded statues, and 12 miles of manmade canals were constructed by the finest French and Italian architects and engineers. St. Petersburg experienced near annihilation during the 900-day German siege in World War II, but the czar's pet project, completed after his death by Catherine the Great, was painstakingly rebuilt according to Peter's original plans.

Why I Choose "Miss Cherie" as My Blog's Title...

Yesterday some of my friends asked me why I named my new blog as "Miss Cherie". Hmm..it's kinda complicated and difficult to explain my reason or the meaning behind it. When I was searching for my blog background, I found a cute polka dot cherry background that is now becoming my blog background. After that, I really didn't have any idea about my blog's title. Suddenly, "Miss Cherie" came to my mind. I was inspired by the Miss Dior Cherie parfum and a pop and dance music artist from France named Cherie. Cherie performed another of her debut singles, "Betcha Neva", in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman. Her strikingly sad but immensely powerful ballad about losing the love of her life over an issue of age and maturity, "Older Than My Years", proves her talent as a songstress and has prompted comparison to that of Celine Dion because of her ability to soar through even the highest notes. Cherie was an opening act for Clay Aiken on his summer 2004 tour.
That's my reason why I finally took "Miss Cherie" as my blog's title...hahaha...

Life Goes On!!!

How to Lose Weight Fast and Healthy

1. Determine your daily calorie intake . Losing weight is simply a matter of expending more calories than you take in, through exercise and your daily activities. To win the battle, it helps to know how many calories you are consuming in a day.
   • Write down all the things you eat on a typical day. Carry a small notebook with you and write down every snack, every drink, and the contents of every meal. There are also great websites that you can use to keep track of calories, get recipes, and help achieve your goal. Don't forget to include the pats of butter or the spoonful of sugar in your coffee. It's best to do this for at least a couple weekdays and a weekend; it's even better if you can go a full week. There are also calorie tracking websites that can help you to do this, for example the US government website, My Pyramid Tracker or the largest free health & weight loss website SparkPeople.com.
   • Do an itemized calorie count. When possible, write down the number of calories in each thing you eat as you eat it. Keep in mind that the recommended serving size is often considerably smaller than the serving you actually eat. Look up the calorie count on the internet for foods that don't have calories listed on the container or for fast food meals. You don't have to be 100% accurate, but you do want a good estimate of the number of calories you're taking in. There is an idea that multiplying your own weight by ten will produce a rough estimate of the number of calories you need to eat per day to maintain your weight. This is NOT true, you may wind up grossly under (or perhaps over) estimating the number of calories you should be eating. Use a scientific or health website to determine the number of calories you should eat a day or consult your doctor. Everyone has different metabolisms and there is no blanket rule that covers everyone's recommended calorie intake. Reducing 500 calories per day from the calories you eat to maintain your weight can help you lose a pound of fat per week.^[2]
2. Go over the list and decide which foods to cut out or reduce. Cutting calories is usually a lot easier than you might think. For example, that daily tall latte in the morning may pack 500 calories. Since a pound of flab (lost or gained) is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, replacing that rich beverage with black coffee can help you lose a pound a week. Other easy cuts include salad dressing (salad dressing is the number one source of fat in the average American woman's diet) soda pop, candy, and butter. Look at the nutritional information for the foods you eat, pay special attention to your intake of saturated fats and empty calories (high-sugar foods). You don't need to cut these things out entirely, but if you reduce your intake of high-fat, high-calorie foods you'll lose weight faster.
3. Seek out alternatives to the unhealthy foods you've identified. You can simply reduce the amount of soda you drink or mayonnaise you put on your sandwiches, or you can substitute healthier choices. Drink water instead of soda, for example, or use mustard instead of mayo. Low-fat and low-calorie options are also available for most foods, and many of these are natural, (although some are made with strange chemicals), and tasty. Start trying to eat healthy in most meals:
   
   
   • Choose lean meats. Chicken and fish are both very low in fat (and certain fish like salmon, sardines, and fresh tuna are an excellent source of antioxidants, which are also beneficial to your health), so aim to replace some or all of the beef or pork in your diet with these foods.
   • Replace high-calorie side dishes with healthier alternatives. Many people get a ton of calories from side dishes such as macaroni and cheese, French fries, or potato salad. You can eat healthier and lose weight by replacing these with fresh vegetables and salads. Pre-made salads are practically effortless, and when accompanied by a reduced-calorie dressing or no dressing at all, they're weight-loss gold.
   • Start your days off right. A fattening breakfast of bacon and eggs or a pastry can be replaced with yogurt, oatmeal, high-fiber, low-sugar cereals; or fresh fruit for fruit smoothies. However, for those on a low carb diet bacon and eggs are a great combo for breakfast, since neither have carbs. But don't fall into the trap of skipping breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast increases your rest metabolic rate earlier in the day, and reduces snacking before lunch.
4. Plan your meals. Look for healthy, delicious meals online or in your cookbooks, and create a menu for the week. Make sure that your meal plan reduces your total calorie intake: you're not going to lose weight if you consume the same amount of calories by eating different foods. Make a list of what you'll need for these meals, and -- except for a few snacks, of course -- don't stray from your list when you get to the market. Planning your meals helps ensure you get a balanced diet and reduces the temptation to stop off for fast food or order a pizza. Remember, it's easier to stick to your shopping list if you shop when you aren't hungry.
5. Watch your portion sizes. Opening a bag of rice cakes and eating all of them in one sitting isn't going to help you lose weight. When eating chips, nuts, or dried fruit put a portion in a small bowl and then put the bag away. That way you won't mindlessly eat a larger portion than you had intended. Even if you only make minimal changes to your diet choices, reducing portion size will inevitably reduce caloric intake. A great way to watch portion sizes while snacking is to buy one serving 100 calorie packages - and they come in many favorite snack food items!^[3]
6. Graze on healthy snacks. Just because you're getting healthy doesn't mean you can't snack. In fact, eating small meals and snacks throughout the day, or grazing, has been shown to aid weight loss, (compared to eating three large meals a day), by keeping metabolism steadier. Pick snacks that are low in calories and fat and high in fiber (dried apricots, nuts, rice cakes, fruits, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and so on). Vegetables are generally very low in calories, very high in fiber, and full of flavor and nutrition. Avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes, and try to eat vegetables plain, without fatty dressings or dips. Fruit also makes a good snack. Fruit contains more soluble fiber than vegetables, which slows your body's absorption of carbohydrates, thus releasing energy more slowly, (preventing sugar highs), and keeping you feeling full longer. Fruit juices are not a replacement for the real thing. You need that fiber, and juices often have more calories than the equivalent serving of fruit -- as many calories as soda! Be careful with dried fruits, because without the water, you tend to eat more, and fruits, when dried, are calorie-rich per ounce. With any dry or dried food, be sure to drink plenty of water.
7. Get more fiber. There are many myths about fiber, but there is science to back up its helpful role in the diet. Fiber keeps the right amount of water in your intestines, making your digestive system work more efficiently and helping to keep you regular. Thus, just eating enough fiber may help you feel slimmer in just a day or so. There is also evidence that fiber in the diet can help prevent stroke and heart disease, ease the effects of diabetes, and may even directly help in weight loss.
8. Drink plenty of water. Adequate water is essential for health, and a great many people simply don't get enough. What's more, if you're chronically dehydrated, your body will retain water in unflattering places, so if you make sure to get plenty of fluids you can start visibly trimming down in as little as a day. Remember, the more you exercise, the more water you'll need. See the related wikiHow for more details on how much water you should be getting.
9. Exercise. Remember, you can lose weight either by decreasing your calorie intake or increasing the number of calories you burn. Any health strategy should include both, but if you want to lose weight fast, exercise is essential.
10. Perform high-level aerobic activities. Moderate aerobic workouts incorporating jogging, brisk walking, cycling, aerobic machines, or classes not only burn calories -- they also keep your heart healthy. Swimming is also great, especially if you are quite overweight or have joint problems, because you can get the same benefits of running -- typically burning even more calories -- with much less stress on your joints. Try to get at least 30-40 minutes of aerobic exercise at least three or four days per week.
11. Pump some iron. Resistance training, (weight training), can help both sexes stay lean by building muscle and raising metabolism. The fact is, hours and hours of aerobic exercise won't help most people lose weight fast because your metabolism drops back to normal fairly quickly after stopping the exercise. If you gain muscle, however, your body's resting metabolism, (the amount of calories you burn when you're just sitting still), increases, because muscle requires a lot of calories to maintain. Studies have shown consistent weight training to raise the body's metabolism by 15%. This means an average woman might burn 200-300 more calories at rest every day! Resistance training is the gift that keeps on giving! Although, keep in mind that muscle mass weighs more than fat (don't be surprised if you gain weight but look slimmer).
12. Rest properly. This means not only taking at least 24-48 hours between strength training the same muscles, (and taking 1-2 days off from exercising each week); it also means getting enough sleep at night, since sleep deficiency impairs your ability to lose fat.
13. Be realistic. Don't expect a miracle. Healthy weight loss can be achieved fairly quickly, but you'll need to be patient. In addition, be sure to set realistic goals. Make sure that the weight you're trying to reach is a healthy weight for you, and keeping in mind that gaining pounds of muscle will help you lose fat, be trimmer, and look better even though you don't actually lose any weight. Your goal should be a healthy body, not a number of pounds! Everyone looks good at a different weight. A short person may look really good at about 112 pounds, but a person of a taller height would just look unhealthy. Keep yourself at a weight that makes you look good, not at a number that sounds good.
14. Make adjustments. A successful weight loss strategy based on reducing calorie intake and increasing activity can be adjusted to maintain your desired weight once you reach it. Unlike typical diets, this method is sustainable -- it is a lifestyle change, not a binge-and-purge exercise. Slowly adjust your diet and exercise to include more weight training and calories, as much as is comfortable for you. If you do gain any weight back, you want that weight to be lean, toned muscle, not fat. In addition, weight training, no matter what your age, prevents muscle atrophy and can help stave off osteoporosis.
    • Instead of thinking of it as losing a certain amount of pounds, think of it as being a certain weight. So if you are 145 pounds, and you would like to lose 10 pounds, think of it as being 135 pounds. This helps you think about it as a long-term goal and not just losing the weight to gain it back again.
15. Be confident. You need to believe in yourself! If you want to diet, and you know that it will make you feel better, then you need confidence. Otherwise, the temptation to cheat on your diet will make it harder, and you will not feel better when you do lose weight. Avoid temptations like chocolate, ice cream, and cookies. They may taste good, but there are other foods that taste delicious, too, without being unhealthy. You need to always encourage yourself to achieve the goals that you have set. Learn to evaluate your efforts fairly and objectively. If you fail to achieve your target for the week, find out why is it so. Is it because you have missed a jogging session? Or you have been eating junk food for one of the days? After evaluating, look ahead to next week and try your best to stick to your plan.^[4]
16. Be consistent and disciplined, and have self motivation. To lose weight effectively, you need to stick to your weight loss plan religiously so as to see results. When you have the thought of giving up, visualize how good you will look when you manage to slim down successfully. ^[4]

source: http://www.wikihow.com/Lose-Weight-Fast

4th of July Celebration in Beautiful Sausalito

Last Saturday I went to Sausalito to see the 4th of July fireworks. It was amazinggg even though I spent about two hours to go back to Pleasant Hill because of traffic jam (=.=) Firstly I planned to see the fireworks at Pier 39, but when I got there, it was so crowded and I could not find any parking spot. That's why I changed my plan and I quickly went to Sausalito before it's too late. Sausalito is a very beautiful small city near San Fransisco. I wanna go there again next time!!!

When You Wish Upon a Star - Disney lyrics

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

If your heart is in your dreams
No request is to extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
As sweet fullfillment of their secret drowns
Like a boat out of the blue
Fate steps in and see's you through

when you wished upon a star
Your dreams come true...