Feel Good Guru

It rained, it poured, it blew. Venice Beach hasn’t seen such an ugly day in years. But that didn’t stop the very first ever TweetUplift from happening on Christmas Day. Thanks to a donation of emergency raincoats from Mark @invisiblepeople, a contribution of food from Joyce @vaguelyartistic, food, family and passionate participation by Alexis @AlexisNeely and Jackie @JackiePeters, enthusiasm from Ron @ronproulx and big-hearted energy from Courtney, Ronnie, Amy & 9-year-old Kaia, we were able to bring a little warmth and cheer to a few people taking shelter near the beach. Watch the vid below! (more…)

I once attempted a do-it-yourself African safari in Maasai Mara in south-western Kenya. I hitched a ride with park staff into the park, then got stuck for days in a torrential downpour having to hang out at a five star safari lodge watching a leopard devour a dangling piece of meat as entertainment for the high-paying guests.

I have friends who have paid ten grand each to head into the African wilderness with a guide for first-hand close-ups of elephants, lions, hyenas, impalas and water buffalo. Wildearth.TV will get you there without the airfare and lodging expenses. I discovered this site a couple of weeks ago and it’s groovin’ with the woowoo! (more…)

On Christmas day here in Venice, my partner @ronproulx and I will be hosting a meet-up for L.A. social media users with a heart. If you’re like most of us, around 2pm on Christmas day you’ll be stuffed full of great food, you’ll have plenty of presents opened and piled neatly, and you’ll be wanting to take a well-deserved snooze while the kids play with their new toys. Why not take a walk to the beach instead?

The thought occurred to me that I could forfeit that nap and spend an hour on the boardwalk giving away leftovers to hungry people. (more…)

A couple of years ago, Jeff Woodrow was staring out the window from his desk in a Toronto office, wishing he could do something meaningful with his life. He got up then and there, quit his job and gave birth to Joy Apparel.

He describes his project in the Feel Good Guru Flix below. Or watch it in high quality here.

Please let him know what you think and buy one of his certified organic or bamboo t-shirts. They’re totally groovin’ with the woowoo! (more…)

Move over sparkling apple cider~ Golden Star White Jasmine Sparkling Tea just hit the shelves at Whole foods across California and it’s about to make you look a little old fashioned…

Golden Star Tea is a luxurious new way to drink tea and it’s groovin’ with the woowoo! Made by combining the refinements of wine processing and tea processing and packaged like an elegant champagne, this effervescent non-alcoholic beverage pairs great with sweet and savory foods and makes a fabulous host/ess gift, especially if you know there’s someone at the party not drinking alcohol. At $12 a bottle, it’s comparable to a bottle of table wine and arguably a better experience… (more…)

I’ve just become friends on Twitter with a Donkey named Pepper Sant Blai. She’s totally groovin’ with the woowoo, and has invited me to her magical country retreat in Mallorca, an island in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain. She speaks Spanish, Catalan and English, and shares her home, Sant Blai, with her 4-month-old daughter, Sugar, her human family, a lot of chickens, a pony, a couple of dogs, rabbits, cats and goldfish.

Until recently, the property where Pepper lives was dedicated to farming. Her humans have converted this traditional farm into a warm and relaxing guest house with barns, stables, sheds, storage outhouses and grain depository transformed into accommodation of rustic style that evokes an atmosphere of simpler times. (more…)

This was a version of “Clean Out the Fridge Soup” which I make quite often. In Clean Out the Fridge Soup, anything goes. All the veggies in the veggie drawer qualify.

And you can use a can of chick peas unless you had the foresight the night before to soak some. Usually when I make hummus, I soak and cook a lot of chick peas so that I have some ready and waiting in the fridge for either another batch of hummus or a soup or curry.

Here’s the how-to for this easy and wonderfully warming soup: (more…)

Have you ever been hit over the head by life?

What exactly does it mean when someone says “He/she won’t change/learn until he/she gets hit over the head.”?

Have you ever fallen asleep at the wheel, even for a tenth of a second, only to awaken to the blare of a horn from an oncoming vehicle? Have you ever been riding a bicycle peacefully down an urban bike lane when, out of the blue, a car driver’s door opened in your path? Do you ever stop to wonder if there’s a hidden meaning or a message behind these moments where we come so close to having our lives forever altered? Do these experiences offer up some kind of a cosmic lesson?  (more…)

It’s been a long time since I’ve made hand-rolled gnocchi, perhaps I served it as a lunch special once or twice at my restaurant, but it can be a delicate operation, requiring time, patience and an almost angelic touch. The weather or your mood can alter your gnocchi. It’s not for those who are easily frustrated, and as I found out, it doesn’t travel well…

I took a batch in a floured bag on Friday night to a dinner party. By the time I got there, it had all stuck together and I had to re-roll it. But it was definitely worth it! (more…)

I was given tickets from the good people at Warner Music for last night’s incredible performance of Straight No Chaser, a 10-dude acappella group I’d never heard of from Indiana made famous by YouTube 10 years after their university careers. Yeah! They’d put the group to bed long ago, but a recent reunion had one of the members tossing up a vid on YouTube for old time’s sake and before they knew it, 8 million people had viewed their wacky-wonderful version of The 12 Days of Christmas. Atlantic Records came calling and now they’ve got a Christmas album under their belts, a tour on the go and a future none of them dreamed of. If you get a chance, catch them in your town. These guys are seriously groovin’ with the woowoo! Check the video that started it all: (more…)

Dear Susur Lee,

Thank you for the fabulous dinner at Madeline’s in Toronto the other night. I came as part of a party of 4 not knowing what to expect, hoping for the best after reading some not-so-glowing reviews (my friends picked the restaurant), but thinking that I’d go home hungry due to lack of vegetables on the menu, tiny tasting portions and not enough money in my wallet.

I haven’t been much of a “fine dining diner” due to the above and the fact that I really do prefer my own cooking to most celebrated chefs’. (more…)

This is one of my all-time favorite winter soups. It’s rich and creamy and sweet and dense with sweet potatoes and coconut milk with a balance of brightness from ginger and lime. The color is soothing and it’s absolutely delish. I swear it’s the ultimate cure for the common cold…and the blues…and lovesickness…and just about any virus, bacteria or bug life wants to throw at you.

It’s so easy you’ll wonder why you ever bought soup in a tetrapac. Never again! You’ll shout upon feeling the first spoonful of this velvety vegan soup on your lips. (more…)

Congratulations! You made it to the end of the 21-day Feel Good Fast! How do you feel? Strong, healthy, clear-headed and bright? I sure hope so! Please keep me posted on your experience.

As is usually the case for me, when I get to here, I don’t want it to end. The thought of a restaurant meal or a glass of wine right now doesn’t do anything for me. Even coffee has lost its allure. I’ve gotten into such a nice groove in the kitchen, been really loving my chai soy lattes and smoothies, ginger tea and 2nd day soups. I’ve also enjoyed visiting my local health food store and farmers’ market every few days. (more…)

Sir Richard Branson is Sir Seriously Groovin’ with the WooWoo. His private game reserve in South Africa, Ulusaba, just earned the leading luxury travel network, Virtuoso’s Best of the Best Award for Most Socially Responsible Hotel recognizing its “Pride ‘n Purpose” program which contributes enormously to neighboring local villages and communities.

If you’ve been saving up your whole lifetime to go on that African Safari in search of the elusive “Big 5″ – that’s lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhinos – this is THE place to do it. (more…)

Sustainability, green politics and music have mashed up in the mosh pit of Toronto’s hip and conscious culture scene. A local Afro beat collective called “Mr. Something Something” have put together Canada’s first pedal-powered sound system called “Sound Cycle” to encourage participation and joyful revolution.

Here’s how it works: human energy produces a current; current gets stored in batteries and converted; electricity powers sound system; amplified poly-rhythmic music causes spontaneous outbursts of dancing and other symptoms of happiness; enthusiasm is transferred back to the cyclists; energy grows and before long everyone in the room is groovin’ with the woowoo. Can my gym please hire these guys for spin classes? (more…)