Punch Buggy

I was thinking about a game we used to play when we were kids, called Punch Buggy. If we saw a Volkswagen Beetle, those little, cute compact cars, we would call out, "Punch Buggy", name the colour it was, and "punch" the person next to us. In addition, if you were fast enough, we could say, "no returns" or "no punch backs".

Just the other day, I was driving my daughter and some of her friends to their volleyball practice. To my surprise, I heard one of the girls say, "Punch Buggy Blue" as a VW Beetle drove by. It was so cute to hear that this game is still played. My Uncle used to have a Beetle, and I always thought the Beetle was a cute car. I see small cars on the road now all the time. The Smart Car is cute, too. I also noticed the Mini and the Fiat 500. The VW Beetle has come out with a newer model, and it looks much the same as the old style. Everything old is new again. Here's the new style for 2012. Still cute I say!

Have a fun day, and don't punch too hard!

~ Angela Gentile

Walking the Labyrinth

Map of Labyrinth

The weather was beautiful so I decided to take a walk through King's Park (in Winnipeg).  My husband and I were enjoying the mild weather, the sun light, and the sights and sounds of nature.  There were birds singing, families out with their children, dogs running free in the "Off Leash Park". It was a perfect day for a stroll in the park.

Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth, Winnipeg

To my delight, I came across a "Labyrinth".  I had seen Shirley MacLaine on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and she had shared information about her meditative labyrinth with the audience.  I was very interested in this concept, and I was surprised to all of a sudden see one in front of me.  Shirley had had one made for her so that she could meditate, and she also said that her dog would go with her and "stand guard" and protect her while she walked her labyrinth.

Frog

Prairie Crocus

I took some pictures of the Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth, read the information that was available, and learned that it was created in the memory of Carol Shields, the Canadian author (1935-2003).  This is a place for people to meditate, pray, walk, gather and just be.  My husband and I walked the labyrinth, and we ended up sitting in the middle for a little while, enjoying the sun, listening to the birds, and practicing mindfulness.




We saw the budding Prairie Crocuses and we even saw a frog.  Sure signs that spring has sprung!  It was a nice experience, and I would like to go back again when the flowers are in full bloom. It is a perfect place of peace and tranquility, and I would recommend you try it. 

• "A labyrinth is a complex path. That's it. It's not necessarily something complicated or classical as you might think. . . A maze, though, is different from a labyrinth. . . A maze is more likely to baffle and mislead those who tread its paths. A maze is a puzzle. A maze is designed to deceive those travelers who seek a promised goal. It's possible that a labyrinth can be a maze, but strictly speaking the two words call up different ideas."  Carol Shields, Larry's Party

Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth website: http://www.carolshieldslabyrinth.ca/  (I have added the Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth page to the Carol Shields Wikipedia page).



Have a great day!


~ Angela Gentile

Got Some Energy to Burn? Try Freerunning or Parkour

Take a look at this video, called the Tempest Freerunning Academy - Gym Video.  What an interesting sport.  Gymnasts, dare-devils and high-energetic people doing amazing acrobatics called freerunning and parkour.  Check it out!



If you are having trouble viewing this video, go to this YouTube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fouvwilGWc&feature=autoplay&list=PL3DA25C4214D2151B&index=7&playnext=7

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Be A Postive Thinker

Be a Positive Thinker

Have confidence in yourself

Have a very strong sense of purpose

Never have excuses for not doing something

Always try your hardest for perfection

Never consider the idea of failing

Work extremely hard toward your goals

Know who you are

Understand your weaknesses as well as your strong points

Accept and benefit from criticism

Know when to defend what you are doing

Be creative

Do not be afraid to be a little different in finding innovated solutions

that will enable you to achieve your dreams

--Susan Polis Schutz

Have a nice day!

~ Angela Gentile

Loving You Tonight (Music Video)

What a great song, with a cute video.  Loving You Tonight by Andrew Allen (2011).


Have a wonderful day and an even better night!

~ Angela Gentile

Online Makeover Fun

Before....                                                After (with botox)

There are a number of free, online, makeover programs on the internet. If you want to try out new haircolours, makeup styles, or facial treatments, there is something out there for you to try. Here are some websites that I've had some fun with. You just need a good picture of your face downloaded onto your computer desktop, and away you go for some harmless makeover fun.

Here are some sites for you to try out:

New Beauty Magazine Facial Instant Makeover Tool: http://www.newbeauty.com/makeover-tool.aspx
 (see the above before and after picture).

Clairol Try It On Hairstyle Studio: http://www.clairol.ca/en-ca/try-it-on-studio/tios.jsp?gclid=CM6T_OTAhqgCFcK8Kgodv0QyOw

Taaz.com - Vitual Makeup, Real Beauty (Sign in Required): http://www.taaz.com/

Here I am with some new makeup and some crazy eyelashes. I made this on Taaz.com.

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Do You Have a Reusable Shopping Bag?

I have a reuseable shopping bag that I keep with me at all times.  I purchased it about five years ago.  It's green and it's made by Envirosax.  It's durable, washable and folds up nicely into a very small item that fits nicely into my purse.

I try to use my reusable bag as often as possible.  When the clerk asks me, "Do you want a bag for five cents?", I say, "No thanks, I have my own".  Not only am I saving money, but I am also saving the environment.  Billions of single-use plastic bags are littering and harming our earth.  Some places have actually banned the use of the plastic bag such as areas of Los Angeles, USA.  Other places around the world put higher charges on their plastic bags, resulting in a huge decrease in plastic bag use.  Some retailers are giving people monetary incentives to bring in their own reusable bags.

Do your part, and get some reusable bags.  They are available almost everywhere.  If you are purchasing one or two items, do you even need a bag?

Check out www.envirosax.com for some ideas of what these bags look like. Some are very fashionable.  Most stores carry some form of reusable shopping bag now.   I prefer the bags without the store's name on it. 

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Angels (By Victoria's Secret and Akon)

Here is a great clip from Victoria's Secret Fashion show, 2010. At 2:30 mins music artist Akon sings "Angel" and the models are wearing angel wings. Enjoy!



If the above doesn't work for you, go to this YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OToVTWrlltA

Have a nice day!

~ Angela Gentile

First Robin

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.  

It sings because it has a song.  

 ~Chinese Proverb 

I have been hearing the robin's song for a few days now, and finally, this week, I saw my first robin. My husband called me over to the window, and there it was, sitting on the fence, singing out it's song.  

As the weather gets nicer, I always look for signs that spring is officially here.  The days start to get longer, the snow starts to melt, and the Canada geese return.  These are the signs that spring is coming.  The real, official sign for me, though, is spotting that first robin of spring.  Ever since I was a kid, the robin has always been special to me.  My birthday is in the spring, and it's my favourite time of year.  The promise that winter is over, and milder, warmer weather is on the way.

Have you seen a robin yet?

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Learning Italian

Learn a new language and get a new soul.  ~Czech Proverb

 

Scanno

 

Buon giorno! (Good day).  My children and I have decided to learn Italian.  We are going on a trip to Europe and we will be seeing people in their Dad's hometown, Scanno Italy.  We will also be spending some time in Rome.  I was looking for some courses, and the one I wanted to sign up for locally was already full.  I looked at another course through our Italian Cultural Centre, and it was too costly.  I then searched for online courses.  There were two online language programs that looked equally good.  Rosetta Stone, and Rocket Languages.  We chose to go with "Rocket Italian".  There was a free 7-day trial, and we first signed up for that.  We were hooked.  For an affordable price, both my kids and I can learn Italian, together.  We take about 20 minutes every day or two and learn a lesson.  We sit in front of the computer, and we all do the lesson together.  Thankfully, we have an Italian-speaking person in the home (my husband) so that if we have additional questions, we can just ask him.

It's a great thing for the family to do together.  In the convenience of our own home, on our own time and at our own pace.  We have printed off some of the lessons too, so that we can refer to them as we go along.
Who knew learning a new language could be so easy?

There are so many languages offered by both of these companies, that I am sure you could find what you need, too.

Go to these links to learn more:  Rocket Languages: http://www.rocketlanguages.com/  or Rosetta Stone: http://www.rosettastone.com/

Ciao a tutti!

~ Angela Gentile

I Do :) (Music Video)

Here is a really nice song by Colbie Caillat, called "I Do" (2011).  It's a love song, and it's cute how there are many creative appearances by the "Happy Face" :) .  Enjoy.



If you are having trouble viewing this, go to this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0oyglKjbFQ

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Junk Mail Art - Take the Risk, Enjoy the Journey

"If you don't do it, you'll never know".  

-- Junk Mail Artist, Sandhi Schimmel Gold.

Follow your passion like this woman did.  What a great way to express your creativity, and recycle.  Watch this short, inspirational video, length 4:10.




If you're having trouble viewing this, go to this link:  http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/leisure-activities/info-02-2011/junk-mail-art.html

Have a nice day!

~ Angela Gentile

It's Magic!

From my personal hand-written journal, dated August 15, 2003.

     Yesterday, the kids and I went to "Peak of the Market".  They were having a fundraiser for cancer research.  There were lots of free things including a magic show, by "Anders".  Lorenzo, Simone and I arrived at about 12:10, at the place where he was setting up.  The show was to begin at 12:30.  Lorenzo, Simone and I found a spot, front row and centre.  Simone (5 yrs) kept looking at my watch, waiting for the big hand to get down to the "bottom".  Then she asked me if she could wear my watch, and I let her.  I told her to be very careful with it. 

     Anders finally started his show.  Lorenzo (8 yrs) went up and helped with a rope trick (he'd done it before).  Then Anders asked me to come up, and he took my hand and helped me up to the front.  He told me that he was giving me some keys and they were very important - for the end of the show.  He had a silver box, that the keys opened.  He told me to take the keys in my left hand, and he crossed them over, reassuring me they were in my left hand.  He then told me to sit down, and to hang on to the keys.  Better yet, he told me to put them into my pocket.

     The show went on for awhile, and I wanted to know what time it was.  I looked at my wrist, and my watch was gone!  I asked Simone if she still had my watch, and she said, "No", that she gave it back to me.  I was looking in my purse, pulling everything out.  I looked in my pockets, looked on the ground where I was sitting, where Simone was sitting, then I started panicking.  I thought that maybe I dropped it, and someone nearby stole it.

     Then Anders tells me it's time for me to come up, with the keys.  He opens up the first box, and there's another box.  He opens up the next box, and there's another.  The boxes are getting progressively smaller.  We open up about five boxes, and the last one is now in front of me.  He opens it up, and says, "Can you see what's inside?"  I say, "No".  Then he tilts the box, and says, "Now can you see what's inside?" and he pulls  out my watch!  I am truly amazed and freaked out and I exclaim, "My watch!  I was looking all over for that!"  I still don't know how he did it.  I told him after, "That was so freaky".  He thanked me.

     I was so relieved and freaked out at the same time.  The kids really got a charge out of it, too.

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile

Higher (Music Video)

Who says 29 is "over the hill" for women?  See Kylie Minoque (42 yrs) with Taio Cruz (27 yrs) in this music video called Higher (2010) from YouTube.com.  You decide if  42 is over the hill or not.  I don't think so!  You're only as old as you feel.  Age is a state of mind.



If clicking on the above arrow doesn't work, go to this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRBS5WZMdik

Have a great day!

~ Angela Gentile