TJ Expert (66)
Home Makeover Spotlight II
Home Makeover Spotlight II
Interior: Sharp Shades and Beautiful Blinds
As this California home has large windows with views of the pool in the front and a hilltop scenery at the side and back, the owners faced the challenge of selecting window coverings that would restrict direct sunlight during peak hours without blocking the magnificent views.
Yoga Crosses Cultures
ON any given day I interact with people from around the world. I attend meetings with colleagues from France, the Philippines and Bangladesh. I write emails to Japan and make Skype calls to friends in Chile. My neighbors are Greek and my boss is from Egypt. In this diverse but connected world I face the challenges of intercultural communications every day.
A powerful technique in cross-cultural interactions is empathy. Cultivating an empathetic feeling as we interact with friends, colleagues and strangers whose thinking and values differ from our own, helps to widen our perspective on the world. But trying to understand other people’s thoughts and feelings can also have a destabilizing effect on us. Through cross-cultural communication, it’s possible to become vulnerable and get lost in a medley of conflicting values, customs and rules. Empathy needs a force to balance it out.
Chef Morimoto’s Sticky Ribs Featured
Chef Morimoto’s Sticky Ribs
Chef Morimoto’s sticky ribs are crispy, tender, salty, and sweet, making them perfect for impressing guests at any get-together. We serve them at many of my restaurants, and I’m excited to share the recipe with you. The ribs are braised first, then dunked in cornstarch and flash-fried to make them crispy. I then douse the ribs in my tasty hoisin sweet-and-sour sauce, giving them a unique Pan-Asian twist. Whether you’re an experienced chef or a new cook, this recipe is easy to follow at home with just a few simple steps and cooking instructions. I hope you enjoy making them as much as you’ll love eating them.
Home Makeover Spotlight
Home Makeover Spotlight
Exterior: Subtle Sophistication with Asian Elegance
Mangaris Red Hardwood Decking
The Mangaris Red hardwood decking transformed a once bland exterior to a rich, mahogany-colored one, with a matching, Japanese-style gate. Mangaris decking wood was also used to build up the front exterior wall by 18 inches, giving the front yard, pool, and entrance both a higher level of beauty and of privacy.
Warrior for Confidence
Yoga & Wellness Advocate
JUDIT TOROK
A regular visitor to Tokyo, New York City- based yoga instructor and interculturalist Judit Torok shares her techniques for alleviating big city stress.
Warrior for Confidence
Body language and non-verbal communication have a profound effect on not just how others perceive us, but on how we feel about ourselves.
I N a TED talk (a platform for discussing technology, entertainment and design), titled “Body Language Shapes Who You Are,” Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Business School associate professor and social psychologist, describes her research on the effects of physical poses for regulating our emotions. She claims that a person’s level of confidence, self-esteem and determination, all of which are closely linked with higher levels of testosterone (competition hormone) and lower levels of cortisol (stress hormone), depends on what body shape or posture a person habitually holds. The way we shape our bodies communicates non-verbally to others and, more importantly to ourselves, how we feel. Cuddy explains that holding a pose for as little as two minutes can radically change our self-perception and lead to significant life outcomes. So to feel more empowered, we should shape our body into a pose that promotes confidence. While it might be “pretend” at first, the more often we shape our bodies into powerful poses the more likely we will become confident people over time.
These ideas seem very powerful, but how do they relate to yoga?
Nobu Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing Featured
Nobu Sashimi Salad with Matsuhisa Dressing
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 7 ounces fresh tuna fillet
- 2 ounces assorted mixed greens
Ingredients (serves 4):
Red or Green Light
Red or Green Light
Clear signals are easy to follow. Just as with traffic lights, we know when to stop and when to go. We obey the rules. Otherwise, there is the risk of undesirable consequences. Imagine if it was as easy as this when it came to flirting and courtship. What if we had clear guidelines for what’s okay and when it’s wanted? That would clear up many bumps and complications. What a relief for all parties.
Time-Outs
Time-Outs
Parents have long used “time-outs” as a technique to stop unacceptable behavior; however, time-outs are not just an effective punishment. They also give children an opportunity to calm down and gain self-control.
タイムアウト(今いる場所から強制的に退去させ、別の場所で一定 時間過ごさせること)」は、子供の容認できない行動をやめさせる ために以前から用いられている手法です。単なる“お仕置き”で はなく、気持ちを落ち着かせ自制心を養うチャンスを子供に与えるという 効果があります。
Léonce of Dame-Marie, Haiti
Léonce of Dame-Marie,Haiti: A True Free Man
Something from the ocean, something from the hills
By Marcel Duret
Co-author: Kettly Mars
It was four o’clock in the morning, pitch black, cool, and we were about one hour early. When our driver turned off the car’s engine, life seemed suspended to the songs of crickets and the spicy smell of mountain vegetation. It was an eerie moment for a city man like me who is intoxicated with artificial noise day and night. Léonce had promised as a farewell gift to end my three-day stay, that he would take me to “Planò” Hills, a few kilometers south of Dame-Marie, to see where the earth and sky become one. We waited in the darkness, using our cell phones when we needed light, talking and sharing the cassava, avocados and bananas that the generous old man had brought.
Relax with the Rangers
Relax with the Rangers
Yoga & Wellness Advocate Judit Torok
When recovering from a cold or flu, some might experience a lingering headache even if they’re no longer feverish and bed-ridden. If so, a person might consider doing some simple stretches to help relax their tense muscles and align their physical and mental states while focusing on breathing. Restorative yoga can provide a truly relaxed and restful healing through a gentle practice of simple poses.
More...
