Global Good Luck Traditions for the New Year

After last NYE I became interested in good luck traditions after my Latin sister in law and her family introduced me to eating 12 grapes at midnight to bring good luck for the 12 months to come. I can definitely say that a couple of my grapes were far more sweet than the others but all in all a satisfactory year. Here are a few other traditions I came across from a random site: 

• Austria: Green peppermint ice-cream in the shape of a four-leaf clover for dessert.
• Brazil: Lentil soup on the first day of the new year because lentils are believed to signify wealth.
• Denmark: You would be happy to find a pile of broken dishes outside your house because people save their old dishes to break outside their friends' doors. 
• China: Every front door is painted red. 
• Germany: People leave a bit of every food on their plate until after midnight to ensure a well-stocked larder. 
• Vietnam: Preparations are made in advance by cleaning the house, polishing silverware and pay off all debts. Smart people. 
• Wales: Opening the back door and shutting it at the first stroke of midnight to release the old year and it's bad luck, then opening the front door on the twelfth stroke to welcome the new year and it's good luck. 
• Sicily: Eating lasagna, but avoiding all other noodles because they will bring bad luck. 
• Spain: Eating 12 grapes, one with every stroke of the clock for every month of the new year. 
• Peru: Eating a 13th grape to ensure good luck, I don't know about this one... 13?
• Rome: Festivities for three days then exchanging gifts such as honey to ensure sweetness and peace, money for prosperity and lamps for a year filled with light. 
• Thailand: Throwing water on one another to bring good rains during the coming year.
• USA: A masked ball and a kiss at the stroke of midnight with the mask symbolizing evil spirits from the old year and a kiss for the purification into the new year. 
• Norway: Indulging in rice pudding where one serving has an almond within. Guaranteed wealth goes to the person who has that lucky almond.

I wish you all good luck for the coming year, and I hope you are able to celebrate this night in the fashion that brings you most happiness!

time to give our nature some love

November & December '09 Playlist

I've been listening to the most random songs lately and haven't had any time to find different fun tracks, but luckily a couple of my music muses helped me out biggers with this playlist! x

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

When I Go - Slow Club

Nothing Compares to You - Dan Kelly

Always Like This - Bombay Bicycle Club

Monster Love - Goldfrapp

Bunny Club - Polly Scattergood

How Deep is Your Love - The Bird & the Bee

Thinking Drinking Sinking Feeling - Slow Club

Forever Young - Youth Group

Blister in the Sun - Nouvelle Vague

Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Pursuit of Happiness - Kid Cudi ft. MGMT, Ratatat

Watch the Sun Come Up - Example

Society - Eddie Vedder

Down - Jason Walker

Yellow - Jem

Before it Breaks - Brandi Carlile

That Year - Brandi Carlile

Satellite Heart - Anya Marina

Doesn't Mean Anything - Alicia Keys

Gloomy Sunday - Billie Holiday

I Am Strong - Polly Scattergood

Something to Believe In - Aqualung

Wuthering Heights - Josh Pyke

Alive - Kid Cudi ft. Ratatat

Tik Tok - Ke$ha

Feelings Gone - Basement Jaxx

Supernova - Mr Hudson ft. Kanye West
Runaway - Tom Novy ft Abigail Baliey
I Don't Believe You - Pink
Don't Stop Believin' - Glee (the video for this is so good)

jones the grocer

For those days you just need an escape from Abu Dhabi (to those of you who need that every day I'm sorry... AND you're in luck), find your way to Jones the Grocer. It's located in a pretty random place but it's like a hidden gem. With a contemporary atmosphere, Jones the Grocer is where you can go to eat, have tea or coffee, and peruse the organic products and fresh breads and pastries from the bakery. For you cheese lovers there's also a cheese room, bring a jacket because it's freezing and you'll want to spend some time in there.

They describe their menu as "international with an Australian influence." Not so sure what that means but I had the Pumpkin & Feta Salad and the Wagyu Burger and tried some of the Pumpkin soup. I would recommend the soup as an entree because of how large the serving is, but the salad was very refreshing and the burger was divine. The beef is so tender and combined with the cheese just melts in your mouth and satisfies your taste buds with such rich flavor. It's a pretty penny but it's so worth it.

Apparently it's extremely busy at lunchtime during the week, but trust me once you experience it you'll find that right time to get your jones the grocer fix!

Raw Chocolate Pudding

I must say I impressed myself after cooking a simple but delicious Christmas feast. The menu (I know, I'm just assuming you care): baby spinach salad with an orange-cinnamon vinaigrette, an applesauce-rubbed turkey, sweet potato & marshmallow casserole, and dried fruit and quinoa stuffing with fresh cranberry sauce and gravy on the side. Wanting something different for dessert, I made a recipe I was recently introduced to - chocolate pudding that doesn't require any cooking! Let me just state that if you don't care for cooking, this post will not excite you. The secret ingredient that gives it the great consistency is none other than the perfect avocado! I can't stress enough how important it is for the avocados to be fresh, otherwise you'll have a foul aftertaste. I adapted the recipe slightly by adding flavored maple syrup extract, if you can find it I highly recommend it. 

Ingredients:

Music: anything Glee

Mood: looking for a quick and satisfying dessert

¼ cup pitted medjool dates, soaked

¼ cup agave nectar or honey

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp maple syrup natural flavored extract (optional)

¾ cup mashed avocados (1 ½ avocados)

¼ cup & 2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa or carob powder

½ cup water

¼ cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted with skin removed (for those who can handle the nuts)

In a food processor, process dates and agave nectar until smooth. Add the avocado and cocoa powder, mix until creamy. Add water while mixing slowly until you reach your preferred consistency, you might have to add more than ½ a cup. Add the vanilla and maple syrup extracts. Pour mixture into serving cups and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts for an extra crunch. Store in the refrigerator. Servings: 6

Need Some Friends? Try Bahrain :)

Apparently Bahrain made it to #1 on the world's Friendliest Countries list. The data was found by "The Expat Explorer Survey" done by HSBC Bank International.... if that even matters. I don't really find that too hard to believe, the only thing I think of when Bahrain comes to mind is the friendly social life everyone is part of. Then again, considering it's about one sixteenth of a freckle on a zoomed in map, it's size and lack of EXTRA exciting things to do at all times (I know, I know it's getting better) makes a social life necessary for survival.

The rest of the list is:

#2 Canada
#3 Australia
#4 Thailand
#5 Malaysia
#6 South Africa
#7 Hong Kong
#8 Singapore
#9 Spain
#10 USA

Apparently "the UAE received some of the poorest scores on the integration scale" alongside the UK...  that's just perfect...

dearest friends & family

Christmas Re-Grooved Playlist

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Charlie Bit My Fingaaa (Come on, who hasn't seen this?)

One of my favorites...

Speak with Conviction!

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.