Every day on my way to work, I walk past a cute little quaint art and paper store. Each time I pass the window, I notice a canvas bag hanging on display with the following quote:
"Find life experiences and swallow them whole. Travel. Meet many people. Go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. Try everything. Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life."
- Lawrence K. Fish
I've always been drawn to such greeting cards, magnets, mugs etc. These items are simplistic as simplistic can be, the back drops are black or white and the writings are in the opposite color but what draws me to them are the words written on them... such beautiful words.
Most of the words come in the form of quotes and some of them have really touched my heart. This is because not only could I relate to the simplistic beauty of the words written on these things but I could also learn from these words.
I am definitely going through a stage of my life where I am learning so much about myself and the world around me. Even though this stage can be trying at times I am happy. I am happy because I see so much developing in my life. Only a few months ago I had no idea where I wanted to be or what I wanted to do. This is such a departure from where I am right now.
Although I have been reminded lately that my path is not one that is "traditional" whatever that may mean I could not imagine a better path than the one I am on. When I started this blog and this new found spirit of adventure less than 2 years ago the reason behind it all was because I always have known there was something bigger out there for me than the natural American progression through life and this has proved more and more true for me as time moves on.
There are so many experiences I have yet to engage in, so many places I have yet to see... I hunger to participate in this life of mine... to taste every experience to its fullest. And this is exactly what I will search out until this ache of mine has dissipated.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
California Sun by Jem
Well I feel like I'm lost in time
Watching the world go by
Everything looks the same
Tired of playing games
It's been getting me down
I know what I need, what I need
California sun
California sun
California sun is calling, is calling me
Now I don't know what I'll find
Just want to get in the car and drive
It's time to escape the shade
Been living too long this way
It's getting me down
I know what I need, what I need
California sun
California sun
California sun is calling, is calling me
Leave my worries behind
Start a new life
Where no one knows me
It's just what I need
California sun (12 times)
Watching the world go by
Everything looks the same
Tired of playing games
It's been getting me down
I know what I need, what I need
California sun
California sun
California sun is calling, is calling me
Now I don't know what I'll find
Just want to get in the car and drive
It's time to escape the shade
Been living too long this way
It's getting me down
I know what I need, what I need
California sun
California sun
California sun is calling, is calling me
Leave my worries behind
Start a new life
Where no one knows me
It's just what I need
California sun (12 times)
Monday, January 18, 2010
My New Origami Crane Tattoo!
I chose the origami crane tattoo as a symbol that inspires creativity. You can fold a square sheet of paper into any shape you want, giving it form and dimension. Something so simple and seemingly uninteresting may be transformed, with the help of your imagination, into something beautiful and meaningful. Folding a crane takes time, patience, and understanding, qualities that are also required in order to transform one’s life.
Legend says that anyone who folds 1,000 paper cranes will have their wish come true. The origami crane has become a symbol of peace because of this legend, and because of a young Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was exposed to the radiation of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as an infant, and it took its inevitable toll on her health. By the time she was twelve in 1955, she was dying of leukemia. Hearing the legend, she decided to fold one thousand origami cranes so that she could live. However, when she saw that the other children in her ward were dying, she realized that she would not survive and wished instead for world peace and an end to suffering.
My best friend has the same tattoo symbol, different design. :)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Personal Reinvention 2010
My new life in California is well underway. This calls for a personal reinvention…
1. Stop complaining. Think more positively.
2. Get fit. Get back into yoga.
3. Get out of debt. Pay off my credit card and then curb credit card use.
4. Get organized. Keep my room and office neat.
5. Learn a new trade. Something that can parlay into a side job. Something like photography.
6. Plan small vacations. Explore the west coast.
7. Plan a big vacation for Fall/Winter 2010. Peru, anyone?
8. Buy a new feathered friend.
9. Volunteer.
10. Update my look to suit my new lifestyle. Hair, wardrobe, etc.
11. Ride a bike.
12. Learn something new. Maybe take a class in cooking, painting, boxing, Italian.
13. Talk to strangers. Make new friends more often.
14. Spend more time with friends. Less time on Facebook, Twitter, Crackberry.
15. Keep in touch with family and friends. Better yet, convince them to move to the west side. :)
1. Stop complaining. Think more positively.
2. Get fit. Get back into yoga.
3. Get out of debt. Pay off my credit card and then curb credit card use.
4. Get organized. Keep my room and office neat.
5. Learn a new trade. Something that can parlay into a side job. Something like photography.
6. Plan small vacations. Explore the west coast.
7. Plan a big vacation for Fall/Winter 2010. Peru, anyone?
8. Buy a new feathered friend.
9. Volunteer.
10. Update my look to suit my new lifestyle. Hair, wardrobe, etc.
11. Ride a bike.
12. Learn something new. Maybe take a class in cooking, painting, boxing, Italian.
13. Talk to strangers. Make new friends more often.
14. Spend more time with friends. Less time on Facebook, Twitter, Crackberry.
15. Keep in touch with family and friends. Better yet, convince them to move to the west side. :)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010
This year I... (in no particular order)
Turned 26.
Got a new tattoo on my wrist.
Rocked a faux hawk.
Dyed my hair purple.
Got dumped.
Had my heart broken in the worst way.
Had my palm read and was told I had a love curse.
Lost my job.
Was homeless.
Hit rock bottom.
Moved back in with my parents.
Bonded with my mother like never before.
Lived in DC part time.
Made the most of being funemployed.
Saw my first broadway musical.
Saw one of my favorite bands in concert (Incubus).
Witnessed a Brady to Moss pass completion in FedEx field.
Reunited with my extended family for the first time since I was 3.
Traveled the Philippines for 3 weeks.
Dove 12 meters into the coral reefs of the Pacific Ocean.
Ascended and peeked into the crater of a volcano.
Attended a wedding in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Watched fireworks over the Niagara Falls, Canada.
Experienced Chicago for the first time.
Visited Philly 3 times.
Relaunched my design portfolio.
Landed a dream job in California.
Entered a limbo contest and won first place.
Got my driver's license for the first time.
Converted to a smartphone for the first time.
Modeled for a hair and fashion show.
Partied my ass off.
Had a memorable summer.
Shifted social circles.
Met some great people.
In 2010 I am...
Starting over in Calfornia.
Going to miss everyone.
Turned 26.
Got a new tattoo on my wrist.
Rocked a faux hawk.
Dyed my hair purple.
Got dumped.
Had my heart broken in the worst way.
Had my palm read and was told I had a love curse.
Lost my job.
Was homeless.
Hit rock bottom.
Moved back in with my parents.
Bonded with my mother like never before.
Lived in DC part time.
Made the most of being funemployed.
Saw my first broadway musical.
Saw one of my favorite bands in concert (Incubus).
Witnessed a Brady to Moss pass completion in FedEx field.
Reunited with my extended family for the first time since I was 3.
Traveled the Philippines for 3 weeks.
Dove 12 meters into the coral reefs of the Pacific Ocean.
Ascended and peeked into the crater of a volcano.
Attended a wedding in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Watched fireworks over the Niagara Falls, Canada.
Experienced Chicago for the first time.
Visited Philly 3 times.
Relaunched my design portfolio.
Landed a dream job in California.
Entered a limbo contest and won first place.
Got my driver's license for the first time.
Converted to a smartphone for the first time.
Modeled for a hair and fashion show.
Partied my ass off.
Had a memorable summer.
Shifted social circles.
Met some great people.
In 2010 I am...
Starting over in Calfornia.
Going to miss everyone.
Monday, June 22, 2009
the mystery of houdini's disappearance revealed!
so my sister, kat, and i had a pet hermit crab named houdini. her boyfriend, mark, made him a nice little house in a box where he lived rather lavishly and comfortably, or so we thought.
then one day, he mysteriously disappeared. we weren't surprised, his name was houdini after all. we were sure he'd turn up.
around the same time, kat was hospitalized while she was in school. shes a pretty sickly lil pup, so its not really unusual. but in her backpack, she unknowingly brought home a nice little present.
she told me that that night, when she was getting ready for bed, she heard something rustling around inside of her backpack. she went over and saw that something was trying to unzip itself out. she peered in and saw a rat looking back at her. mortified, she zipped him back him and climbed back into bed but again she heard him unzip himself out. rats are pretty smart, i suppose. i mean, they outsmarted kat.
but he couldn't outsmart the mousetrap. the jif peanut butter did him in.
today, my sister was bidding a final farewell to houdini, accepting that he must have decomposed and scattered himself among the rest of the house dust, and putting away his house. that's when she found little brown pellets at the bottom. it was safe to assume that it was rat poop.
so that solves the mystery of houdini's disappearance. the rat ate houdini.
then one day, he mysteriously disappeared. we weren't surprised, his name was houdini after all. we were sure he'd turn up.
around the same time, kat was hospitalized while she was in school. shes a pretty sickly lil pup, so its not really unusual. but in her backpack, she unknowingly brought home a nice little present.
she told me that that night, when she was getting ready for bed, she heard something rustling around inside of her backpack. she went over and saw that something was trying to unzip itself out. she peered in and saw a rat looking back at her. mortified, she zipped him back him and climbed back into bed but again she heard him unzip himself out. rats are pretty smart, i suppose. i mean, they outsmarted kat.
but he couldn't outsmart the mousetrap. the jif peanut butter did him in.
today, my sister was bidding a final farewell to houdini, accepting that he must have decomposed and scattered himself among the rest of the house dust, and putting away his house. that's when she found little brown pellets at the bottom. it was safe to assume that it was rat poop.
so that solves the mystery of houdini's disappearance. the rat ate houdini.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Adding more paint to the canvas...
I love taking my ideas, values, and beliefs and turning them into something visually creative and making them permanent. Therefore, I delight in a regular visit to the tattoo parlor. Here are my latest tattoo ideas that i've been working on. I'm torn on which to get (or perhaps get them all) so I'd really appreciate your thoughts.
Origami Crane and Heart
This one is for my wrists. An origami crane on one and an origami heart on the other. The crane is a universal symbol of peace. And of course, the heart symbolizes love. Together, in paper form, they represent the idea that you can create peace and love. And I will place them above my palms/hands as part of the creation theme. Additionally, legend says that 1000 folded origami cranes makes a wish come true. It's also a reminder of my youth. My dad folds origami and I cherished them as a child. I love that we can create something beautiful and interesting with just a sheet of paper. I'm going to fold the paper heart and crane myself and draw them out when I'm finished... or bring them to the tattoo artist to draw.
Scattering Dandelion
I'd like to place this on left part of my back with a quarter of its seeds blowing across and around my existing quote tattoo ("not all who wander are lost"). It means that wishes come true! I used to wish on dandelions them as a kid. I thought maybe having some of the seeds that are blowing away transform into birds but I'm not sure about this yet... but this would symbolize that wishes come true or more literally, dreams taking flight. Also, a quarter of the seeds blown off the dandelion represents my quarter life... as I just recently turned 25. This tattoo will serve as a reminder to appreciate the beauty in all things, to take time and smell the flowers, as we did when we were young.
Both the origami and dandelion tattoo ideas are similar meanings in that they both represent a strong part of youth and this is relevant to me at this point in my life considering that I am truly transitioning into adulthood. Both are interactive and fun and are reminders of there is joy in youth that ought to be cherished and not lost as we get older.
Peacock Feather and Pearls
This one is almost purely decorative. I was in the tattoo parlor browsing through someones portfolio when I stumbled on this gorgeous back piece where a string of pearls and peacock feathers encircled a larger piece which I can't recollect. I was fixated on the vibrant colors of the feathers and how perfect they look paired with pearls. I decided then that I would use a single peacock feather along with a string of pearls as a tattoo design behind my ear. However, after much research, I discovered that the symbolism and meaning associated with the peacock feather and the pearl are actually meaningful and appropriate. The peacock feather is considered a sign of beauty and knowledge; beauty because it is beautiful, knowledge because it is in the form of an eye. A pearl is actually the result of a ragged, rough grain of sand, transformed over time slowly growing into an object of great value and beauty. It is dredged from the mud, from a clumsy shell. It undergoes a transformation, as humans do... as I have.
Origami Crane and Heart
This one is for my wrists. An origami crane on one and an origami heart on the other. The crane is a universal symbol of peace. And of course, the heart symbolizes love. Together, in paper form, they represent the idea that you can create peace and love. And I will place them above my palms/hands as part of the creation theme. Additionally, legend says that 1000 folded origami cranes makes a wish come true. It's also a reminder of my youth. My dad folds origami and I cherished them as a child. I love that we can create something beautiful and interesting with just a sheet of paper. I'm going to fold the paper heart and crane myself and draw them out when I'm finished... or bring them to the tattoo artist to draw.
Scattering Dandelion
I'd like to place this on left part of my back with a quarter of its seeds blowing across and around my existing quote tattoo ("not all who wander are lost"). It means that wishes come true! I used to wish on dandelions them as a kid. I thought maybe having some of the seeds that are blowing away transform into birds but I'm not sure about this yet... but this would symbolize that wishes come true or more literally, dreams taking flight. Also, a quarter of the seeds blown off the dandelion represents my quarter life... as I just recently turned 25. This tattoo will serve as a reminder to appreciate the beauty in all things, to take time and smell the flowers, as we did when we were young.
Both the origami and dandelion tattoo ideas are similar meanings in that they both represent a strong part of youth and this is relevant to me at this point in my life considering that I am truly transitioning into adulthood. Both are interactive and fun and are reminders of there is joy in youth that ought to be cherished and not lost as we get older.
Peacock Feather and Pearls
This one is almost purely decorative. I was in the tattoo parlor browsing through someones portfolio when I stumbled on this gorgeous back piece where a string of pearls and peacock feathers encircled a larger piece which I can't recollect. I was fixated on the vibrant colors of the feathers and how perfect they look paired with pearls. I decided then that I would use a single peacock feather along with a string of pearls as a tattoo design behind my ear. However, after much research, I discovered that the symbolism and meaning associated with the peacock feather and the pearl are actually meaningful and appropriate. The peacock feather is considered a sign of beauty and knowledge; beauty because it is beautiful, knowledge because it is in the form of an eye. A pearl is actually the result of a ragged, rough grain of sand, transformed over time slowly growing into an object of great value and beauty. It is dredged from the mud, from a clumsy shell. It undergoes a transformation, as humans do... as I have.
Monday, April 28, 2008
I Love You, Trent Reznor
I've revisited With Teeth by NIN and was struck by "Right Where It Belongs" as it relates to the quarter life crisis precisely (as does "Everyday Is Exactly The Same"):
See the animal in his cage that you built,
Are you sure what side you're on?
Better not look him too closely in the eye,
Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?
See the safety of the life you have built
Everything where it belongs
Feel the hollowness inside of your heart
And it's all, right where it belongs
What if all the worlds inside of your head,
Just creations of your own?
Your devils and your Gods, all the living and the dead
And you're really all alone?
You could live in this illusion
You can choose to believe
You keep looking but you can't find the woods
While you're hiding in the trees
What if everything around you,
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you think you know,
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection,
Is that all you want to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks,
Would you find yourself, find yourself afraid to see?
I am seeking knowledge, not only for myself but for the sake of the world. I confess that I don't know everything and that I am flawed. There is much for me to learn. I want to expand and challenge myself, in hopes of finding truth. I am finding escape, I am freeing myself from the cliches of what society expects of us. I am trusting my inner self, and my dreams to guide me the rest of the way. I am seeing the world from a new perspective and I want this to share with the world.
Peace be the journey.
See the animal in his cage that you built,
Are you sure what side you're on?
Better not look him too closely in the eye,
Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?
See the safety of the life you have built
Everything where it belongs
Feel the hollowness inside of your heart
And it's all, right where it belongs
What if all the worlds inside of your head,
Just creations of your own?
Your devils and your Gods, all the living and the dead
And you're really all alone?
You could live in this illusion
You can choose to believe
You keep looking but you can't find the woods
While you're hiding in the trees
What if everything around you,
Isn't quite as it seems?
What if all the world you think you know,
Is an elaborate dream?
And if you look at your reflection,
Is that all you want to be?
What if you could look right through the cracks,
Would you find yourself, find yourself afraid to see?
I am seeking knowledge, not only for myself but for the sake of the world. I confess that I don't know everything and that I am flawed. There is much for me to learn. I want to expand and challenge myself, in hopes of finding truth. I am finding escape, I am freeing myself from the cliches of what society expects of us. I am trusting my inner self, and my dreams to guide me the rest of the way. I am seeing the world from a new perspective and I want this to share with the world.
Peace be the journey.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Home Again.
"Here I am, safely returned over those peaks from a journey far more beautiful and strange than anything I had hope for or imagined. How is it that this safe return brings such regret?"
- Peter Matthiessen, The Snow Leopard
Leaving Costa Rica and returning to home has been very difficult. It feels strange to be back. Returning from the sunny paradise of Costa Rica, to the cloudy, cold, fast-paced dreariness of DC. I'm not ready to be back home and talking about my trip makes me long for the sunny adventures on the beach, in the forests, in my personal 'garden of eden' even more.
I wish I could ease back into my old world at my own pace, extend my time to reflect on my trip and all that i've learned, rethink my commitments and priorities but old habits and routines have already kicked in too soon. I feel reverse homesickness... missing being on the road, missing the people i've met along the way.
Taking this trip alone, facing new challenges and new experiences, meeting new people, and navigating safely back home, I am liberated and empowered. I return with greater confidence, new perspectives and knowledge. My spirit is revitalized. But the new challenge is bringing to my everyday life the energy and spirit of adventure I felt while I was away. I must continue to seek the unknown, to take chances, to stretch my mind and my body, and I must reject the ruts and the trap of the comfort zone.
I've been looking up travel packages and airfare since I got back. I've already begun planning my next adventure...
I will blog all about my travels soon once I get some free time. I kept a journal and took many photos during my trip and I look forward to sharing them with you soon...
Peace & love
Friday, March 28, 2008
Nipple Rings Cause Airport Security Issue
A Texas woman who said she was forced to remove a nipple ring with pliers in order to board an airplane called Thursday for an apology by federal security agents and a civil rights investigation.
Now how in the hell does a nipple ring pose a threat to flight security? A nipple ring is NOT going to explode the airplane. Unless, of course, her nipples rings were cleverly disguised grenade pins.
Coincidentally, I fly to Costa Rica tommorrow morning.
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