The Abe Forum

Hi everyone!

I thought it would be fun to have a place to share "Favourite Things We Are Loving Right Now" - as a kind of appreciation, and also a fun opportunity to share cool things and recommendations with one another

It's a place to share anything! It could be:
- TV shows or movies you are loving watching recently
- A food or recipe you are enjoying lately (a well-tested old favourite, or something new you've discovered)
- A cleaning product you're loving! ( )
- A bodycare product you're loving
- A gadget you've discovered and are loving
- A book you're enjoying
- An artist you're loving
- A musician or particular song you've been listening to and enjoying
- A shop or brand you're loving
- A new discovery
- An activity / hobby / sport you're loving
- Anything!

Let's help one another discover cool things - and get our appreciation muscles flexed at the same time!

To get us started:

Today's favourite of the day for me is the online shop "Naturitas"

I've been looking for healthy, organic snacks, and last week I discovered this online shop in Spain that has such a wide range of awesome organic products! They have a much much wider selection than what's available in the UK, including lots of things I've never tasted before! And I love discovering new things to try! I had so much fun looking through all their huuuuuge range of goodies and picking some fun things to try out!

Today my first ever order from them arrived - I'm so excited to try all these yummy-looking things! I've never tried "cassava toast" for example so this is one of the things in my order! Sounds very interesting!


* Small note in case anyone uses the website: My experience with this company was not entirely smooth But once the package arrived I instantly forgave the fact that I had received zero confirmation that my account was created successfully, nor order confirmations, nor replies from customer service about why there were no emails from them. It was an opportunity to relax into it and trust that all will be well; trust that the important thing is that the order will arrive - and it did!

- - -

UPDATE: So..... I'm taking back my favourite! I think I was swept up in the joy that it all worked out and I got my delivery after some doubts about whether it would arrive, but now that I've tasted the contents - I don't want to dwell on unwanted but to put it short: of all the things I've tasted so far from my box, I haven't really liked most of them, and actually the worst tasting one for me was the cassava toast I posted above haha! Sifting and sorting... discovering what you like and what you don't like.. it's all part of life - It's always good to figure out what works for you!

A new music favourite for me:

I love discovering musicians from around the world, so I've been exploring Mandarin Chinese music lately and discovered a Singaporean artist who is new to me who I really enjoy!

His name is JJ Lin, and it seems he's been well-known in Singpore since 2003 - but he's brand new to me


He does a lot of romantic, soft, schmultzy, relaxing kind of songs. I don't understand anything he's singing about but I enjoy the tunes and their vibration when in the mood for this style of music!

Example songs of his I've been enjoying:
林俊傑 JJ Lin - 修煉愛情 Practice Love
林俊傑 JJ Lin - 偉大的渺小 Little Big Us

You are awesome, Cookie!! ...Wow...

When I read your list in post 1, IMMEDIATELY came the novel "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach to my mind.

It is such a masterpiece!!
I devoured it when I was 17 at my mother in law-to-be's place. She then was living in Seattle, and at the end of the holidays she finally gave me the small booklet as a present, as I could not read it fast enough to finish before we had to fly home again, to Germany. The book was not available here, anywhere! A decade later, they brought out a terribly bad translation, but until then I had translated it myself by hand, and read it to all our friends (who wheren't having any of it, so it seemed to me...)

All the true wisdom that I care about, is in this story of the seagull, that wants to understand speed more than life itself. I SO LOVE every page: THANK YOU, Mr Bach!!! You gave me what I had needed so much, in this early days, where spirituality was still deemed as totally weird, and I could not find what I looked for, SO MUCH.

This is such a good idea, SC!

I really love the norwegian artist Aurora! I've been a very big fan since I discovered her in 2019, and I have been seeing her live 4 times now (living just 3.5h car drive away from Oslo helps) and every time has been an amazing experience. To me, she makes unique and creative-sounding songs and I love her latest album "What happened to the heart"

simon wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 7:59 pm This is such a good idea, SC!

simon wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 7:59 pm I really love the norwegian artist Aurora!

oo thank you so much for sharing! I've never heard of her before. Just had a listen on spotify and was surprised all her songs are in English! I really like her sound! You're right! Very original, unique and creative! And a lot of her songs (like 'The Conflict of the Mind') have a soothing feel to them which is lovely 'Runaway' is very cool!

Paradise-on-Earth wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 7:57 pm When I read your list in post 1, IMMEDIATELY came the novel "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach to my mind.

I LOVED reading your appreciation and the story behind your experience with this book, Elke!

I'm amazed you translated the whole book by hand!! I suppose it was the main available option at the time! : ) It's a great way to really milk the joy and content in a book - copying it out! I did that with Eckhart Tolle's book back when I first read it, to try and really understand it and internalize the info - and "translate" it into language I understood better - but I did it on the computer rather than by hand.

spiritualcookie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 9:30 pm oo thank you so much for sharing! I've never heard of her before. Just had a listen on spotify and was surprised all her songs are in English! I really like her sound!

She's really special to me. I also met my SO through her music, and met some new friends through her "fandom". She's one of few artist I felt I just had to see live, and she's so good live!

I remember one of the first song I heard with her was "Animal" and I was blown away becuase I really like it. It's still one of my favorites, but there's so many songs and all of them are unique, it's hard to choose my favorite.

Here's a good live performance of that song:
https://youtu.be/t3tA-Y5D8jU?si=ecvLMuYa0--jf-Ae

I love how much she feels the music and how good performer she is. And, that she is unapologetically herself of course. She also is born the same year as me - I doubt that's a coincidence

Paradise-on-Earth wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 7:57 pm When I read your list in post 1, IMMEDIATELY came the novel "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach to my mind.

Thanks for sharing, PoE! You made me curious to read that book

simon wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 10:02 pm
She's really special to me. I also met my SO through her music, and met some new friends through her "fandom". She's one of few artist I felt I just had to see live, and she's so good live!

I remember one of the first song I heard with her was "Animal" and I was blown away becuase I really like it. It's still one of my favorites, but there's so many songs and all of them are unique, it's hard to choose my favorite.

Here's a good live performance of that song:
https://youtu.be/t3tA-Y5D8jU?si=ecvLMuYa0--jf-Ae

The words you spoke about her made me feel so very good, so I took time this morning to listen. What an amazing voice! Wow...

I love how much she feels the music and how good performer she is. And, that she is unapologetically herself of course.

So agreed! Thank you for "sharing her". I would have never clicked on this by my own, but now I feel richer, and inspired. Thank you!

She also is born the same year as me - I doubt that's a coincidence

That's always a nice wink!

Paradise-on-Earth wrote: ↑Mon Sep 23, 2024 7:57 pm When I read your list in post 1, IMMEDIATELY came the novel "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach to my mind.

Thanks for sharing, PoE! You made me curious to read that book

It is such a special way of writing... not a "normal" novel at all. Sigh... I must look for it and read it again! (editing: I just ordered it at Amazon... )