Bookworm club July 2016: Yoga Food, 50 Recipes for Fresh and Healthy Dishes by Anna Gidgard & Cecilia Davidson

Yoga Food, 50 Recipes for Fresh and Healthy Dishes 
By: Anna Gidgard & Cecilia Davidson

''A staple on my book shelf, I would say'' - Jia Hui

YOGA FOOD

Yoga food is light, crunchy and flavorful. Crunchy nuts and fresh vegetables provide crispness and something to chew; whole grains provide fiber and fill you up for a long time. Soy sauce, chili peppers, and fresh herbs add flavor. Sweet fruits and berries are used in deserts and baked goods to create pleasure and satisfaction. 

Ayurvedic principles are the basis for yoga food. But the dishes that you enjoy and that make you feel good are individual and depend of body type. When you practice yoga and are physically active, often you will find yourself craving the food that your body needs. Just as in the Ayurvedic teachings, there should be a balance in yoga food between raw and cooked food. It has to be easy to digest, fresh, freshly made, contain enzymes and be full of fiber, whole grains and good bacteria. 

Choose from seasonal local produce as much as possible. Remember to eat in a calm environment and not too late. You will notice that it gets a little easier to avoid snacking and fast food if you eat foods that fill you up and make you feel satisfied. 

To be completely yogic, you need to eat something sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent every day, but avoid alcohol and sugar as much as possible, and completely get rid of caffeine and tobacco. 

Avoid eating too heavy a meal at night. This will not only help you sleep better, but also gives you a sense of lightness when doing yoga in the morning. Try to eat some raw food with all meals. Leafy greens and sprouts contain chlorophyll, enzymes, and minerals - things that strengthen the body.

Yoga itself promotes a regular stomach, but this kind of food helps even more. Good-quality food that makes you feel good is often very simple. A lot of times you can just take a vegetable, shred it, drizzle olive oil on it, sprinkle it with lemon, salt and pepper, and you will have a delicious meal!

It's wonderful to first do yoga and then eat a meal that is pure, organic and packed with nutrition. It's like a double dose of wellness. 

TheEnd

All pictures credit to to original book source, used for inspiration purposes. Please pick the book up at any NLB or book stall. 

Bookworm Club July 2016 : GOOD IDEAS, How to be your child's (and our own) Best Teacher by Micheal Rosen

GOOD IDEAS, How to be your child's (and our own) Best Teacher

By: Micheal Rosen

TA-DAH Moments for me, some Brain Juice 

The idea behind this book is to remind you, your children, me and my children several things. We live in a worth surrounded by all the stuff that education is supposed to be about: machines, bodies, languages, cities, mountains, energy, movements, food, liquids.. None of this stuff is boring...The way to it (in other words), is how we do stuff alongside children. 

One of the most important things to do with children is to encourage them to browse. As we browse, we create a mind-map of where to go get the stuff. 

This means - whether as a parent or as a teacher - my job surely is more like 'enabling'? If it's analogous to anything, perhaps it's being more like a midwife. After all, it's not the midwife who gives birth. The midwife enables the mother to have the baby. 

Why This Book

Micheal Rosen's wide-eyed look, or some may termed it doe eyed haha, certainly called out to me. For those who do not know his guy, he is the famous author of the book 'Going on a bear hunt'. If you still don't get which book this is, just grab any kid and ask him/her :) 

What Stands Out

Micheal Rosen's anecdotal about his parenting experiences with his children, seriously, he shared stories and thoughts and funny incidents. It was so personal that it seems like I know them as a family. It was as if I am watching a movie as I read the book. 

I also enjoyed his questions posed on each theme/topic. This is something I need to work on as an educator.                               Let me list down a few examples. 

The Sky

Why do some clouds rain and some don't? 

What is a rainbow?

Why are some clouds darker than others? 

What makes a sky red anyway? 

---> and then it links to birds

How come they can glide up as well as down?

WHy does spreading their wings slow them down as they land? 

Content Page 

I can't possibly share everything here or remember every point myself as the years go by, but I am making it easier for me to recall and recap by listing down all its content. Notice how the content is so generalized, they consists of things and sights we see everyday with children and that's what made it real and applicable. It is at the end of the post and it is rather lengthy, so you have been warned. 

Last notes to Self and You

I have stopped buying books few years back and invested time to walking my bum to Bukit Merah Library but this is indeed a book to get because the content is so useful and heavy in that bible sense. The last part even give references such as Supplies to have at home and Micheal recommended a handful of 'Have to Read Books' for children. Enough said, just take my money! 

The Real Content Page 

Just skim through if you wish, before borrowing/buying the book, maybe :) 

INTRODUCTION

The Power of 'I don't know'

WAYS AND MEANS 

Talk

Writing and Reading

Teaching and Learning

Clubs and Activities 

How to Help with Homework when you don't know much about it 

WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM

THE HOME

DIY and Builders

Beasties 

The Kitchen

The Bathroom

The sitting room

The Loo

Children's Rooms 

OUTDOORS 

Garden or Window-sill

The Park

The Sky

The Beach

The Sea

The Woods

Camping

THE STREET

The Ground

Eye level

Up Above

Yet Higher

TRAVELLING AND HOLIDAYS

Travelling

Quizzes, Word and Number Games

Railway stations and Trains

How much longer?

Holidays

Aboard

DAYS OUT, OUTING AND VISITS

Museums

Galleries 

Castles and Country Houses

Prehistoric Sites

Romans

Sports Stadium

Theater

Concerts

Visitors

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Writing Ideas

Supplies to have at Home

Some Books and Advice about Books

Puzzles and Things to do 

TheEnd

Auld Lang Syne Henderson Secondary School Auld Lang Syne

Alma Mater 

/ˌalmə ˈmɑːtə,ˈmeɪt-/

noun

1. the university, school, or college that one formerly attended, aka

    where all the magic begins 

Zhen Han and I had this discussion on when our best days were and I shared that I loved my secondary school days the most till date. It is the most significant phase of my life, perhaps that is because I built my identity then and there. 

I met my besties in primary school and all of us made each other choose the same school and tadah, we went to secondary school together. I chose my CCA based on handsome guys and after he graduated, the world turned grey shades darker. I became someone's puppy girlfriend for 3 hours, 3 days and longest was 3 months. It was fun, now to think of it , most of the time, I was the one chasing after them haha! Best foot always forward, you see. And the best part of it, I found my husband! 

I learned that I love English Literature and Art and Social Studies and I need to love Math more. A top scorer for English Literature, you should have seen my charcoal face when I had a C one time. Unlike my street smart friend, I couldn't infer the protagonist is a gay and misinterpret the massage, all thanks to my teacher who carefully selected the passage. I gotten a taste of life when I had a C6 for my Chinese Prelim and jumped-scored a A1 for my 'O' level. My childhood friend enlightened me to work smart, to tackle exam with wit and hard work. Easy peasy, she said. Can you tell I love studying? I hope you do. I hope my future kidos love to too! 

14 years down the road, it is time to say goodbye. It may not seems to some, but a school building to a teenager is her forever-turf. Because that is when she is building up herself, up against the pissed off adult world. Within the school structure, my teachers and friends are the windows, the pillars and cracks. In fact, you guys are the ones who made this fab! Thank you! 

T  H  E     E  N  D