winter wonderland

this is when i feel i'm in some sort of fairy tale where everything is beautiful and peaceful 8) everywhere you look there's a pretty layer of pure white :) and the sensation of cold in the body is so great! i landed to a -16 degrees toronto and i was instantly happy with the snow :D then breakfast today came with an extra - lots of squirrels, a few of them were black squirrels! and a couple of deer!! amazing! and this is still southern ontario... can't wait for true winter wonderland as we move north!! i love the world in pure simple and calming white **

why don't we all open up your hearts and...

finishing packing

i think only now i can really feel this song

almost on my way

wherever i go

all of indonesia travels with me now, deep inside :) and on more external layers of me too ;)

(: this is where i'll be for the next 2 months :)

the pictures are from last year. i wonder how it all looks now? i can't wait!!


the gorgeous road out to camp always amazes me :) it's such a thrilling drive!

snow always makes happy in that kind of childlike happiness

i love it when it snows there and we wake up to the whole place covered in fresh snow :):):)









i wonder if the storks still have their nests there...

and i just love this light... it's so special in the way it touches us while we walk over the frozen lakes that still have a bit of water moving under us and at first it's kind of frightening and then we get used to it and after a while, with that deep blue light all around us... it becomes kind of magical

definitely one of my favorite spots in the world! i feel truly lucky to be part of it =)

in kuala lumpur

i miss the amazing pasteis de nata all over the world... but then i find them in those far away places and it always brings an unexpected huge smile on my face :D

* s * u * n *

feeling bali all over me

bali goes on growing inside me. its green and always flowing water, the smiles of the balinese, the balance in everything, the disposition of the houses, the family organization, the many gods, the many demons, the ongoing blessings and offerings and the healing all around the island :) i left bali 2 months ago, and the island is getting huge inside me **
terimah kasi bali!! sampai jumpa!

enjoy the bolo de papoila - poppy seed cake :)

1 cup ground poppy seed
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, separated
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. double-action baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
powdered sugar

put poppy seeds in milk, bring to a boil, and set it aside for 1 hour. preheat oven to 350 degrees. cream butter and sugar together. beat in egg yolks. add poppy seed-milk mixture. sift flour, salt, and baking powder; stir into dough. beat whites of eggs until stiff, and fold into dough with vanilla. grease a large loaf pan with butter or margarine. sprinkle flour over sides, fill pan, and bake approximately 1 hour. if it springs back when touched with a finger and if a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, the cake is ready. invert it over a rack to cool. just before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

ukrainians take pride in grinding their own poppy seeds fresh for each occasion - and i like that idea :)

enjoy those sweet soft uncomplicated moments of life! celebrate simplicity with a slice of poppy seed cake *