Monthly Archives: March 2015

Mar052015

Cinnamon Whole-Wheat Apple Bread

Since we’ve finally settled into our “new” place, I’ve been scouring the web and the bloggers I follow for new recipes to try. It’s just something about being in the kitchen, creating, and enjoying it. I’m happy to have been doing more recipes lately. I was inspired by Cookies and Cups to do a cinnamon whole-wheat apple bread–a little healthier version of the typical snickerdoodle apple bread. It was extraordinarily easy to make, and let me tell you, the batter was delicious. Not that I ate too much… I always love trying and creating different treats that don’t make me feel bad afterwards. I can add this one to the list.

Mar042015

American Heart Month… is NEVER Over!

February was American Heart Month and March has begun, but that doesn’t mean that American Heart Month is over. I purposefully delayed this post to show you that while associating a month with this important issue is important, it’s equally important to be mindful all the time. You should be thinking of your heart every day of the month, every month of the year. Most people don’t know what the heart actually does, but it is the most important organ in your body. Your brain and lungs are also key components to the facilitation of your body systems operating, but without the heart we lack the ability to provide oxygen to the brain and the lungs.

Having been through multiple emergency response courses from ARC to AHA to React Right and more, we learn that as soon as you see an individual in need, it’s best to be safer than sorry. Call 911 and have someone get an AED immediately. The ratios of chest compressions to rescue breaths has changed over the years to favor more compressions since it is imperative to get the heart working as soon as possible. CPR stands for cardio pulmonary resuscitation, in other words, creating an artificial flow of blood that carries oxygen through the body, so that brain function stays intact and body systems do not suffer long-term damage, or the worst short-term result of total body system failure, or death.

Mar032015

Traveling is Exhausting

Especially if the point of travel is a sad reason. Recently, I had a death in the family in New Zealand (my mum is from New Zealand). So not only was I in very low spirits, but New Zealand is a long way to fly. It is especially long when you’re buying a ticket for the night of and you’re looking for the cheapest one. The cheapest one usually has the worst travel times and worst stops. This is true, but it was not something I was concerned with when trying to get to New Zealand as fast as possible. With a frantic packing, I got to LAX February 17th, and arrived in Fiji the 18th. Time zones start to switch hardcore now, so I’m pretty sure it was actually the 19th in Fiji, but still the 18th in the States. The airplane was cramped, but I slept some 5 hours. I then spent $40 to spend about 7 hours in the lovely Fiji VIP lounge until my flight to Auckland, New Zealand. At one point, I was the only traveler in the Fiji airport.

at LAX

Mar022015

#14 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Yet, again, there has been a big gap between this series! We apologize, as sometimes it takes a bit to get everyone’s entries in. If you are new to this countdown, it’s just a top 25 list of our most favorite video games! These are the ones you’ve missed so far: #25, #24,#23, #22, #21, #20 #19, #18, #17, #16, and #15. Let’s dive into #14!

Kai – X-COM – I’ve played three versions of X-COM: The original, X-COM UFO Defense, the third version X-COM Apocalypse, and the latest offering from Firaxis XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Within. The original was revolutionary in scope, with everything from morale to technology research, and still holds up very well today.

X-Com is half real-time strategic base management and half turn-based top-down tactical squad management. The basic story is that aliens are real and are terrorizing human cities. You’re put in charge of defending earth from this alien threat.

During the base management phase, you train/recruit soldiers, build weapons/vehicles, dispatch people on missions, and research alien artifacts to get new technology. When a mission happens, it switches to the tactical mode, where you explore alien wrecks, kill/capture alien soldiers, and rescue civilians.

The games are difficult but addictive, enticing you to complete just one more mission with your squad of veteran troops. You care deeply about your veteran soldiers as you’ve played with them for multiple hours and it’s very painful to lose one (or a whole shipful). The theme is well-integrated and the gameplay is very tight, where every action you take is meaningful and possibly dangerous. If you’re looking to blow an afternoon tracking down aliens and defending earth, I highly recommend picking up something from the X-COM series.