Twig

This was found on a roadside yesterday. It looks even more lovely in person.

There’s one particular leaf on the right that’s naturally unlike the rest. It looks more heart-shaped in person.

Vinegar wash

My first introduction to the use of vinegar in cleaning fresh fruits and veggies came from 2 books: Beating Cancer with Nutrition by Patrick Quillin and 100% Health by Patrick Holford. Now, please don’t let the cancer word turn you off! Both books are packed with good (+ shocking) health information that can be used everyday.

Following Quillin, this is how I wash non-organic produce:

1. Fill my container with 3 liters of warm water
2. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar (I use Bragg’s)
3. Put everyone in and make sure every part is soaked, for just 5 minutes
4. Rinse very well
5. Scrub those with firm skin with a brush

Sometimes, to do a quick wash on just one apple, I’ll spray vinegar (1 part vinegar to 3 parts water) on the whole fruit, then rinse and scrub.

If you’re wondering which cleaning method works the best, do take a look at this.

Interestingly, here’s another method which perhaps not many of us are aware of.

The Wonderful World of Sazae-san [2]

From Vol 1, page 65:

The Wonderful World of Sazae-san is a translated version of サザエさん by Machiko Hasegawa, published by Kodansha International.

Magnetic knife holder

I prefer to have my knifes just above the kitchen sink but apart from an Ikea Grundtal rail + 2 hooks, there isn’t any space for a magnetic bar. In reality, with just 2 knifes; a paring and a chef’s, which are the ones I use most of the time, a bar may not be necessary after all.

The 53cm (21″) rail hangs sponges, a strainer and peelers and it covers almost the entire wall distance behind the sink.

Since Grundtal is magnetic, I’m more than happy to grab my .95cm (3/8″) rare earth and ceramic magnets to setup a mini panel ready for some serious attraction.

The chef’s knife (length = 25.4cm/10″) needs 2 rare earth for a firmer grip.

You can tell that the magnetic grip isn’t sufficient if the knife tilts to the side and/or if the magnet clings onto the knife as you remove that knife from the rail. But all that is solved with the addition of a ceramic magnet placed on top of the rare earth (and not the other way round).

A word of caution if you are setting this up: keep the knife far away from the rare earth until the setup is completed. Be careful when handling very strong magnets and sharp objects, for their mutual attraction to each other is hard to tear apart and you could be the one getting hurt! Ugh. Sounds like a love triangle.

Sacrifice

My friend shared this clip with me 2 days ago and I would like to share it with you too.

It plays the lovely tune of a meaningful song titled “Sacrifice” (which is one of my favorites) by Bob Fitts with scenes from the movies “Abraham” and “Passion of Christ”.

God gave Abraham and his wife a son when they were very old. One day God asked Abraham to go up to a mountain to sacrifice Issac, his son, as a burnt offering. Abraham was faithful to obey and when he was about to slay his own son, an angel of God stopped him.

God’s plan for a sacrifice was Jesus Christ and that sacrifice is to save us. The sacrifice on the cross didn’t end in death but victory over death because Christ rose from the dead. This was the message back then and still is the message today and will always be.

I pray that this message of God’s love and redemption of man will touch your heart and bear significance in your life.

Good Friday thoughts

“And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him”
Matthew 27:31

Never was there such another procession as that which went along the Via Dolorosa that Good Friday morning. Jesus died that day for us.

There was human pity at the cross; medicated wine was offered the Sufferer by gentle hands. But He refused to take the stupefying draught. He would not lessen in the smallest degree his pain as the world’s Redeemer, and He would not enter the great mystery of death with faculties dulled.

Terrible as were the sufferings of Christ on His cross, we think of Him not with pity, but with adoration. What we see is the Lamb of God bearing the sin of the world.

[Source: “Morning Thoughts for Every Day of Life” (March 29) by J.R. Miller]

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Need a Revealer of Love

Whatever makes us forget ourselves and think of others lifts us upward. This is one reason that God permits suffering. We would never know the best and richest of human love if there were no pain, no distress, no appeal of grief or of need.

The best and holiest of mother-love would never be brought out if the child never suffered. The same is true of God’s love. God would have loved his children unfallen just as much as he loves them fallen, but the world would never have known so much of God’s love had not man fallen. Our sore need called out all that was richest, holiest, and divinest in our Father’s heart.

If no night came we should never know there are stars. Darkness is a revealer.

[Source: “In Green Pastures” (March 29) by J.R. Miller]