Snack Right!

Lately I've been on a health kick [read: diet + exercising properly], been trying to be really good about what I eat, specially when it comes to "snacking" healthy during the day.

The choices, I have to say that at times, are not very much and although some products do advertise themselves as "healthy", down the road if you analyze their contents you would be surprise about the reality of what they offer, like in the case of the famous "Kashi" brand.

A friend of mine forward me this photo the other day so then I decided to do some research on the case and found out that;

Kashi Brand Cereals (which is a Kellogg's owned company) contains "high levels" of GMOs. Not just a trace of GMOs, in other words, but a high level meaning the key ingredients are genetically engineered from the get-go. In fact, some results reveal that 100% of the soy used in tested boxes of Kashi cereal was genetically engineered soy.

Crazy, right?

Ugh, it makes me sick that companies try to cover up the reality of their products but specially when they target their products in the market of "natural" and specially "healthy".

Anyway, here are my top 5 snacking options right now (in no particular order).

1. Sunwarrior Classic Protein uses an old world process, combining the endosperm and bran from raw sprouted whole grain brown rice, to create the first completely hypoallergenic protein, containing all essential and non-essential amino acids in a perfectly balanced profile. Sunwarrior Classic Protein has the highest amount of (non soy) raw, whole-grain sprouted, vegan protein of any product available. (70 Calories per serving)

2. Ryvita Fruit & Seed Cruch, wholegrain rye crispbread packed with currants, topped with seeds and drizzled with honey. Yum! (110 Calories for 2 slices)

3. McVities Crispy Slices Orange & Sultana flavored filling in a light crispy biscuit. (147 per serving- 3 biscuits).

4. CHOBANI Pomegranate Greek Yogurt, fat free and with juicy whole pomegranate seeds, DE-LI-CI-O-US!!! (140 Calories for a 6oz container).

5. Sabra's Roasted Pine Nuts Hummus, its delicious and the pine nuts add up an extra delight to it. Hummus is one of my favorite food and when you eat as a snack with some veggies (carrots, broccoli or celery) you can't go wrong. (80 Calories for 2 tbsps).

Yumm... this post is making me hungry and today is one my co-workers birthday so my snack choice for the day will be caramel cheesecake (don't even wanna thing on the calorie content on that). But, oh well, it is the weekend and that calls for a celebration, right?

What are your snack choices? Have you ever tried any of my choices, if so, please share your thoughts.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Charity Drive

A local insurance company, Island Heritage decided that this year for their charity event, instead of booking a ballroom and doing the same [boring] and expensive dinner event to raise funds for certain charities, to do a charity drive instead.

The company is the "owner" in charge of beautify one of the local "roundabouts" of the island so this year on April 24th, 25th and 26th for every car that drives by the roundabout they will be donating $1 CI dollar to a different charity.

The "Island Heritage Charity Drive" started yesterday with the first Charity.

"The Blue Iguana Recovery Program", which is a project from the National Trust to preserve the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana by protecting their habitat, breeding programs, research, monitoring and education about this endemic species and only found on this island.

Photo source Islands Heritage

I drove by the circle twice yesterday and did my part...

Photo source Islands Heritage

I believe the target for each day is $10 K which they reached on yesterday's Blue Iguana one, woo-hoo!!!

It's so nice to see the volunteer each morning encouraging people to drive that way and donate...

Today's Charity is "Meals on Wheels", is a local charity that provides meals to senior citizens so they can maintain their Independence at home, I believe they deliver over 150 meals everyday.

Photo source Facebook

And then tomorrow's charity has a special place in my heart, because it's the "Cayman Islands Humane Society", I will be make an even better effort to drive by a few times...

Hopefully they will make their target each day, this is a such a easy and fast way to help that I can't imagine anybody not wanting to help out...

Have a great day!

SPACE CHICKEN to the rescue

Looks like lately the weather is not cooperating with my immune system.

Saturday was a very hot and humid day and that morning when I woke up to go the Rugby Festival I felt my sinus acting up, well I was right, by the end of that day the NW winds had picked up and Sunday I woke up with a nasty cold.

Yesterday I went to work but stayed only for the morning as I felt pretty bad.

By noon I went back home but stopped at the grocery store to buy some ingredients to make soup. When I walked by the deli I notice they already had Chicken Soup ready to go, so I bough some.

Got home, drank the soup and went straight to bed...

While sleeping I had the weirdest dream;  Some guys when out to do some kite boarding on the sea and on the way out of the ocean they found a piece of Satellite or a.k.a. Space Junk...

My dream looked a bit like this...

Photo by Ellary Wray

But then I wake up and realized... Wait a minute, this really DID happen!!!

Saturday afternoon, while my brother and his friend Sean were kite boarding off the coast of Bodden Town here in Grand Cayman, they found this "little" piece of Space Junk.

Isn't cool and such a crazy find?!?!?!?

Anyway, I don't think anybody knows for sure what it is but I sure somebody will find out cause I find this might go viral, well at least here on the island.

On another note, I am feeling much better today, perhaps the Chicken Soup helped.

Have a great Tuesday!

Wonderful Earth

Today is as good a day as any, to celebrated Earth Day and to acknowledge what a Wonderful World we have.

There is so much beauty out there that with just a few images of the what we have in our planet Earth [like the ones showing on the following video], I can't help but wondering why  people want to abuse our world and destroy it?

Isn't this a beautiful way to remember what we still have there and needs our care and protection?

So, what have you done for your Earth lately? It's never too late to start if you haven't...

Have a wonderful week!

Rugby time

Working at the Cayman Islands Vs Mexico rugby world cup qualifiers.... Place is not very busy but still gotta be here until game starts at 4pm.

Got this new blogger app on my phone and this is officially my first post with it... Hope it will work well.

Happy Saturday!

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.4

Happy Weekend!

Coming to the realization that the weekend in here, makes me very, very happy!

I do have to work tomorrow at a Rugby Match event for the Rugby World Cup Qualifiers, so tomorrow's game will by Cayman Vs. Mexico.

It's going to be a big festival during the day and once again we will be working to promote my boss's Ocean Foundation and try to get more people to become members.

Also this year we are giving priority to a new GHOF project to encourage the government of the Cayman Islands to pass a protection law for Sharks!

Hope everybody has a great weekend :)

Insta-day!

Life is definitely more beautiful when you can capture moments via photos...

Here are some of my latest random instagrams, all taken with my Samsung Galaxy S2 phone.

Indoor Plant

BTK, the Momma of our clan

Goldie ready to flee...

Our Dogs & Cats

Goldie

My hubby's  ride

Sheba & Ditto posing for the camera

Hungry Felines

If you have Instagram on your Iphone or Android and feel like "following" me, please do so... I am in there as "caymansunshine"!

And last but not least, today I wanna thank EVERYBODY that left me a comment yesterday about the "BB&BS" video and my relationship with Yanique, I really appreciate the support and your kind words!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

Mentor & Mentee

As most of you my readers know, I am a volunteer mentor for the Big Brothers & Big Sisters of the Cayman Islands.

A couple of months ago they asked me and my mentee Yanique to take part in a video/commercial and talk about our match and what we get out of the program, this way perhaps encouraging people to join this very important program and help out.

Well the video is now ready and here it is... It's about a bit less than 5 minutes long, but worth watching with lots of information about the organization and what a great cause this is.

I believe "BB&BS" is a worldwide program, so if you are thinking of making a difference in somebody's life, how about a child's life?

Perhaps this could be an option for you or anybody else that would like to volunteer for something... think about!

If you don't wanna watch the whole video but want to see me and Yanique, we start coming up at around min 2:21... check it out!

Have a great Tuesday!

In the land of submarines

About 3 weeks ago I mentioned that I was taking Yanique to the Atlantis Submarine tour but things didn't work out. The following 2 weekends after that I didn't get to see her, one she was spending time with her Dad and after that, it was Easter.

Finally we got to go last Saturday, we had a fabulous time and I was quite pleased with the whole experience.

This was not my first time on a Submarine, but my first on the one here in Grand Cayman.

About 15 years ago in Eilat, Israel while on vacation with my parents, we took a Submarine tour of the Red Sea, I don't remember much about that trip but I do remember having a great time because I wasn't a diver back then.

Now, after more than 10 years of being a diver, I wasn't quite sure what to expect of this tour and now I can say with confidence that perhaps it's next best thing [to see the reef] after scuba diving.

Here are some photos of that day.

Boarding pass in hand.... not sure if she wants to smile for the camera!

Here comes the Sub, ready to get it...

Yanique going down... I'm next!

Inside the Submarine

The reef

The infamous Lion fish (2 in the photo)

Tiger Grouper "at the dentist"- getting his teeth cleaned!

Lovely Hawksbill Turtle waved us good bye at the end of the tour

As you can see from some of the pictures, we saw lots of different species and although it was hard taking pictures over 2 layers of plexi glass, I think those came out alright!

It's a tour I would definitely take again and I in fact I'm already thinking about taking my Mom and my Aunt when they come visit this year.

Hope everybody had a great weekend and that this coming week is even better one!

Happy Monday <*))))><

almost a year old!

When you live on an island as small as this one, sometimes it's very hard to find gifts for specific occasions.

And when those gifts need to be sent by mail, then the possibilities are even less because you just can't mail everything- well you pretty much can depending on your budget for both the gift and the shipping!

My Godson Julian is turning 1 at the end of May, so in order to get ahead of the mail time, I need to find him a present and mail it asap.

Been looking for a few days now but it looks like I finally found something that I think is special, useful and that would last him for a few years...

I bought him this... a Bunnykins Set of bowl and matching spoon.

Isn't it cute? I figure that at age 1 you don't really mind exactly what people get you for your birthday, but having something like this set, could last him for a long time and be his own special serving plate for years to come.

Now I just need to find a nice, cute card to go with it [although it's not like he'll read it] and then is off to the post office to send it, hoping he will get it on time!

stop that door...

Meet the newest addition to our clan, this is Cyrano.

He is a brave little mouse that as of this weekend guards the front door of our room.

Isn't he cute?

But why the name Cyrano, you might ask?

Well, he is named after the famous "Cyrano de Bergerac", mainly because when I was crocheting the nose [quite late in the night] working with black yarn is hard when it's not full light, so the end result was a larger than expected nose, LOL!

This was a fun, easy weekend project and now that I told my Mom about him, she wants two for her house...

I think I will make them but mail them to her "empty", so once she gets them, she can stuff each one with rocks or even beans to make it heavy enough to hold the door.

By the way, this is a free crochet pattern via Lion Brand website, but the only requirement to access the pattern is by signing up and be a member of the site... To see the pattern and get all the details click here.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

spring WINNER giveaway

After 4 wonderful days off, I am once again convinced that someone, somehow and somewhere messed up the set up of the week.

I think the week should be; instead of 5 working days and 2 weekend days, at least 4 business days and 3 weekend days. Doesn't that sounds better?

But, don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, but simply stating the fact that my body and mind feel much better after this short hiatus of 4 days!

Now today, it's off to better things (besides work), which is reveling the winner of my latest and biggest attended blog giveaway, yet.

But, before I get to the actual winner, I would like to thank everybody that sign up and those who shared the information with others, thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

And one last thing before I announce the winner, is that over the weekend I decided to add a little extra to the bag, so the winner will get the handmade crochet hand bag plus a matching ladybug key ring!

And now... [insert drum roll here].

Chosen by RANDOM.ORG "True Random Number Generator", the winner is:

#9

Desiree is one my new followers (thanks to the giveaway), so I hope she and everybody else sticks around for the next one...

Thanks again to all those that participated!

Have a great Tuesday : )

UW Wednesday

Diving yesterday was phenomenal and overall the entire day was great, spending time with long time friends is very special.

Here are some of the best shots of yesterday's underwater world.

funny fish (kinda' look like they are mad)

Tarpon Time

Lonely Squirrel Fish

"Chain Moray Eel"- First one I've ever seen!!!

Not 1 but 2 juvenile High Hats... Awesome find!!!!

a closer look at one of the juvenile High Hats- very hard to photograph cause they move a lot!

Today I am working but tomorrow is again a Holiday. Hoping everybody is enjoy their Easter Break (whether they celebrate or not)... God Bless!

Have a great day :)

middle of short week

Today I am off work as we have some friends visiting the islands so we are going to take them into town for a little bit of shopping and then off to do a dive.

photo from last week diving

Then I am back to work tomorrow but not for long as Friday is also a holiday. So on that day instead of working, our company is giving us a Spa Day as part of our 2 yearly "Employee Appreciation" activities, yey!

We are going to the Hibiscus Spa located at the Westin Casuarina Resort. I have chosen the Aqua Renewal Package that contains; a Mud Wrap, a Vichy Shower, 1 Hour Massage and a Facial... aaaaah, total bliss!

Life is good!

On a different note, I am very happy a lot of people has signed up for my giveaway, can't wait to reveal the winner!

Happy Wednesday! 

Crochet Ad

First of all I want to thank everybody that signed up for my Spring Handmade giveaway and for those that qualify for more than one entry, please make sure to leave me a comment for each one so you have more and better chances to win the bag.

So, now go back here and leave me another comment!

Also it's very nice to receive so many complements about my "talent" and crochet skills.. So, today I want to share some very amazing crochet skills applied to advertising.

I am talking about the SUDAFED tv ad that was made by Yan at pica-pau blog, if you have not seen it before, you will see how very amazing it is... check it out.

Also if you want to see some photos of the actual process to make this ad, please visit her blog here.

Unfortunately she writes only in Spanish as she is from Argentina, but you can still get a very good idea of  the actual amount of work put into such a project by just looking at the photos, I find it amazing!

What do you think?

Have a wonderful day :)


In her blog post, she explains how she had to make 5 sets of the whole head with lots of people helping her but she design every single pattern for every organ by herself.... perhaps one day I would be this good!

Spring Handmade Giveaway

Spring is blooming and flowers are out, the weather is beautiful in many places around the world and that's why this is a great time to celebrate life with a lovely giveaway...

So what's in it for you?

Well, the prize is a crochet handbag 100% handmade by "yours truly"!

Wanna get your hands on this baby? 

To entry on my giveaway here are the rules:

Mandatory entries (you can leave one comment for each entry and have more chances to win). Must do at least 2 of these:

• Be a [Such Life in the Tropics] follower.
• Leave a comment telling me what is your favorite Spring Flower.
• Blog about my giveaway on your blog.

Additional Entries:

• Grab my button and put it on your blog.
• Follow me on Pinterest.

Giveaway is open to anybody that meets the required entries, regardless of "geographical location" a.k.a. located anywhere in the world and open until Monday April 9th at 12am EST.

Winner will be announced on Tuesday April 10th!

Good luck and Happy Spring!

weekend ready

Welcome Friday, it's so nice to see you again!

Yesterday an old friend from high school arrived on the island and will be here for a few days, I am hoping I will get to spend some time with her.

Anyway, with the weekend so close I decided to share some pictures of my last weekend.

the sandtruck

Yanique socializing with 2 tourist girls

Royal Palms Beach

lonely lounge chairs... wanna come over?

Isn't Seven Mile Beach awesome?

The ocean color is always amazing and don't think I'll ever get tired of it!

In other news, today I took kitty #7 to get neutered.

Long Tail a.k.a. "LT" is being coming sporadically to feed with our other kitties, but he sometimes gets on a fight with BTK who is the leader cat of our pack... We figure we can help him by getting him fixed and perhaps that would help with the "territorial problems".

Have yourself a wonderful weekend... Stay tuned for Monday as I am starting my very next giveaway!!!