The Dalai Lama's Rules for Living

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1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
   1. Respect for self
   2. Respect for others
   3. Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Wendell Berry- The Sycamore

You know when you come across a new piece of art that you feel was personally written about you? Or even just speaks to you- whispers in your ear until the message seeps down into your soul?

That's how I feel about this beaut. Enjoy.

The Sycamore

In the place that is my own place, whose earth
I am shaped in and must bear, there is an old tree growing,
a great sycamore that is a wondrous healer of itself.
Fences have been tied to it, nails driven into it,
Hacks and whittles cut in it, the lightning has burned it.
There is no year it has flourished in
that has not harmed it. There is a hollow in it
that is its death, though its living brims whitely
at the lip of the darkness and flows outward.
Over all its scars has come the seamless white
of the bark. It bears the gnarls of its history
healed over. It has risen to a strange perfection
in the warp and bending of its long growth.
It has gathered all accidents into its purpose.
It has become the intention and radiance of its dark face.
It is a fact, sublime, mystical and unassailable.
In all the country there is no other like it.
I recognize in it a principle, an indwelling
the same as itself, and greater, that I would be ruled by.
I see that it stands in its place, and feeds upon it,
and is fed upon, and is native, and maker.

Street smart art

Tuxedo Man, Soho, June 2011

Street art or dirt?

I walked across this earlier today. It took me a few minutes to try to decode whether it was someones deliberate attempt at art or whether it was just some mess I translated into a portrait.

Today I started reading about the NYC crime rates of the 1980s & 1990s in Gladwell's book The Tipping Point. The interesting part being that (researchers & sociologists etc) first targeted the graffiti problem in their efforts to clean up their streets. And it worked.

Obviously I wasn't around here then. And am scared to imagine what life must have been like. But to think of this city without it's mysterious, camouflaged flowers wouldn't be the same.

This is one of my favorite things about NYC. It doesn't make up for the lack of greenery but sure is interesting scenery.

Metamorphosis ?

What is it about getting a hair cut? When it goes right it feels like peeling an orange and inhaling the intense, citrus scent as it infiltrates the rest of your senses. Then as you start peeling off the remaining white sticky strands, you start anticipating the sweet juiciness of possibilities that await.

In my younger days, every time my mood changed so did my hair. But ever since I cut off my dreads last Spring it has been on sabbatical.

Today that changed. I went out and got bangs. While my feelings about them are still up in the air, for the first time changing my hair didn't have the life-changing effect I was hoping for.

Maybe I was hoping too hard it'd steer me towards some kind of answers.

Livejournal Shot, June 2011

Do you have a classic cut you prefer to stick to? Or are you more of an adventurous style maven?

Uno Momento

Holy guacamole. I didn't realize it had been such a minute since my last post. I can't lie- I haven't even thought about writing in here :(

This whole work thing? It's hard to get adjusted to. Especially when you are developing a program, calendar, and the rules. You'd think it'd be easier that way.

Plus. This is my fourth week and I'm still constantly exhausted despite eating a healthy diet. It seems my health has actually deteriorated.

And I think I know why: how do you deal with an intolerable coworker? I am pretty positive this person is the sole reason for my added stress, exhaustion, mood swings, and anything else negative going on with me? (In all sincerity this person is that bad- no scapegoating here).

Any tips or suggestions for how to deal with this person? If it's any help, it's a no-it-all-never-shuts-their-mouth type... I've started to TRY to work on myself more because we all know you can't change someone else, but it's taking up the last bit of energy I have left :(

Working girl

Schedules: I'm good at making work-related ones, but I can't figure out how to make a personal one.

When I read about people "scheduling themselves in" I scoffed. PFT! I don't need to schedule myself in! I do what I want when I want!


Apparently, that train of thought wasn't entirely accurate. At least not at this moment of my life. For example: I tell myself I'll wake up early to go for a jog, but that doesn't happen. And after work is a definite no-go. I say I'm going to dedicate time to write at least a decent paragraph daily. Not to mention I need to lean basic French by September somehow

Maybe I'm being prematurely hard on myself? (Sure...) Should I wait a full month before I worry about my personal goals?

Do you have any tips on how to prioritize your personal life? How to reach your own goals, even if it involves small steps at a time?

Remember:

Here's to striving to be a better person!

Cat-Nappin'

Catatonic Recuperation, Sunnyside May 21,201

This is how I spent the entirety of my Saturday. Safe to say, I think this sums up the past few days.



Do you work a M-F, 9-5? How do you spend your weekends? Are you more of a "I-need-to-recuperate-and-relax" like myself or do you prefer to spend off days being actively out & about?

Lovin' is what I got

Birthday Latte, @DoraCoffee, LES, NYC, May 16, 2011

(In an effort to avoid whining about the fact I'll have spent the second day in a row on my hands and knees scrubbing our new office space in the basement of a project that hasn't been used in two years nor cleaned, I'm auto-setting this post before I have a reason to complain about more things and sharing the happier moments from the past few days.)

24th Birthday & Graduation Weekend, NYC, May 15, 2011

24th Birthday & Graduation Weekend, NYC, May 15,2011

Birthday Sapphires & Love, Sunnyside, May 16, 2011

Birthday Ohana, Sunnyside, May 16, 2011

Keep on smiling!

You're a good man, Charlie Brown

Is it too early to start complaining about my new job?

Complain isn't the right word per say. More like a misunderstanding due to miscommunication a top my already gloomy demeanor is resulting in a lot of whining and questioning on my part.

I don't grumble this much out loud or in "real life". In fact, that's the problem. It stays bottled up until I explode and viscously lash out at unsuspecting victims. And then I feel bad and apologize despite really meaning what I say. And start bottling things up again etcetcetc.

So despite this bloggy-whineyness, I believe it is best to get it out one way or another .

After all, all this growing up stuff means I can't keep throwing temper-tantrums, right?



How do you release your thoughts & emotions without hurting others and/or appearing overly negative?Please share your thoughts!

Celebrate (?)

Do you celebrate things? Occasions? Yourself?

I tend to not.

Today is my 24th birthday. Tomorrow is my graduate school graduation ceremony.

What have I been doing? Working & weeping.

I am not a birthday person. At all. They depress me though not because of the aging factor. And the fact that every single one of these 24 years, it has literally rained on my date (and whenever I choose to throw a party) doesn't help the cause.

I should be upbeat. I'm young, educated, and slightly successful.

But all day I have fought off a torrential downpour of tears. On the train, with clients, surrounded by coworkers. They just creep up on me again and again. And not just any tears. The tears you need to hold back because they hold so much ridiculous emotion with each tiny droplet. The ones that'l give you a migraine at the end of the bout from their intensity.

And here I am, rounding out the last few hours of my date, still glum as hell. Sometimes I tell myself I'll try to be better about it next year. Not let myself get so depressed. But it happens, year after year.

Here's to the day after my birthday.

Alas, I am still alive. (Or am I?)

Here I am, a week later. Full of sleepiness. Full of excuses. Full of definitely not myself.

But I do have a good reason for my absence. Two Saturdays ago I received a call at 11 am.

I was offered a job. And I took it. Without thinking (much).

They wanted me to start ASAP, which meant this Monday. But due to my last remaining graduate school final, I started Tuesday after signing the papers officially on Monday- after said final.

I didn't want to announce anything to anyone before I signed the HR papers. And then I started working and have been so exhausted I completely conk out within minutes of getting home.

So here I am.
After my last graduate school finals.
Before my official graduation.
After my first official week as a Mental Health Counselor.
A few days before my 24th birthday.
First time on the computer since last Saturday (no lie).
Completely pooped- physically, mentally, spiritually.

And here I go. To sleep. Before 9 PM on a Friday night. And I have no problem admitting that.

2 years 2 many

As I've mentioned, recent weeks have been hectic. But from them came Jon's 24th birthday and our two-year anniversary. (Did you know 2 years stands for cotton or china? Or something like that)

So. For the sake of my lovely boo, I am here to commemorate these past couple of years. And cheers to many more. Instead of flowery words I just wanted to share some smiley pics. We are a pair for words with few flicks to parade our silliness.

Here's to loving to live and living to love.

Recognition where it's due

Little by little I'm going to catch up. And so, I shall start by recognizing these lovely ladies that shared some lovely awards with me over the past month. I know I received a couple of others but can't for the life of me remember who/what/when/where I was given them.

Julie Flanders over at What Else Is Possible? was kind enough to share this with me.

And this beaut was sent over by Dafeenah many moons ago! And here I am, finally sharing it as well :)

The rules state to share 7 things and pass it on to 10-15 others. I've noticed a lot of these are flying around blogosphere so I'm not going to be specific and designate the award to the blogger. So, for the sake of cheating feel free to pick whichever you prefer :)

So! Here we go.......

1. I am one of those cat-people that consider my cat my "child".
2. I am more of a salty than sweet person. Though the past two years with my boyfriend have me leaning towards sweet.
3. I'm about to graduate with two Masters degrees for Mental Health Counseling to become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (thank cheeze!)
4. I originally wanted to be a photojournalist and an interior designer before I choose the "safe" path. I went to a high school spefically for photography at one point.
5. My personality is essentially, a set of contradictions.
6.  Big fan of breakfast foods. Big. (at any time of the day)
7. I am genuinely in awe of how other bloggers can sustain regular working lives and have time to blog! (Share your tips please!!!!!!)

And therefore I choose to pass these on to some fellow lovelies I've had the opportunity to meet along the way:

-Judy @ Raising Reizo
-Yvonne @ Welcome to my world of poetry
-Dafeenah @ Dafeenah [for the stylish blogger :) ]
-Beverly @ Writing in flow
-Su @ Cheekyness
-Sarah Allen @ No Write or Wrong
- Christine @ The Imagination Station
- Sharlene @ Mainstream solar cooking
- Doreen @ Doreen McGettigan
- Siv Maria
- Suzanne @ Blue Sand Studio
-Gina @ A Muse in my pocket

"Things will never be the same" -Tupac

Original Source- unknown

(this is what I feel like). So. many.things. going on.

Every time things seem to settle, a giant wooden spoon jumps into my pot to stir everything up causing overflowing bubbles to spill out.

But I'm running out of space to spill out onto.

And I haven't wanted to write these half-lazy posts. I have so many things to share, so much on my mind. Somanysomuchsomany.

Tomorrow I will be back with a vengeance.

"History" in the making ?

Last night I fell asleep before the news hit. Jon tried to wake me up when he got home to fill me in, but exhaustion caught the best of me and I mumbled a groggy "go awaaaaaay".

I guess on some level I heard what he said because at 4 am I shot up out of bed terrified. Osama is "dead" ? What does that mean? What is going to happen?! 

You see, I'm more of a realist-borderline-occasional-conspiracy theorist especially since living in NYC. By 4:02 AM I started scouring MSN and NYTimes to read the details. Osama "buried at sea"? Found in a millionaire compound? Blahblahblah? By the time Jon roused at 7:30 I had plenty of pent up fear and questions to wake him up with.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. It is not my place to bash ideologies. But like many mourners have mentioned, an eye for an eye leaves the world blind. One "death" does not equate to thousands lost. Nor does it take into account that this occurrence will most likely spur massive retaliation. (We the people should not be so gullible nor blindly celebratory- after all isn't that what got us in this mess in the first place?!?!)

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

What are your thoughts and feelings regarding the recent news? I'd love to hear your conversations, but please be respectful of others' beliefs!

Xeroxing X

Xerox |ˈzi(ə)rˌäks|noun trademarka xerographic copying process.• a copy made using such a process.• a machine for copying by xerography.
Can I breathe yet? I am completely dumb-struck and in awe that the end of April is here, not to mention my boyfriend's birthday tomorrow! These past couple of weeks have made me almost resent writing and blogging for that matter thanks to the ridiculous amount of added-on papers, cover letters, and thank you letter's I've had to make up. Not to mention all the running around the city in between class breaks. Note to self: do not sign up for writing challenges when trying to simultaneously graduate from graduate school and find a job within my career!
It's too soon to tell what is going on in my life. Or is it? 
I don't know, but I can sure as diddly say that I wish I could xerox myself to get through this next week and a half!
Can I get an a-men?

Well-being Wants W

Being a holistically, humanistic oriented counselor always has me thinking about my own well-being. Not to mention that ever since I moved to the Big Apple my being it self has been all over the place, despite incorporating and focusing all these positive adjustments.

But I'm starting to wonder if I'm going about it all wrong.

Maybe, after all, it is not in my body's best interest to become wholly aligned. Maybe, I should stop focusing on achieving internal harmony and proudly help myself to that medium serving of french fries. Maybe, I should listen to what I want instead of believing what scientists and often-sued doctors have "proven" I should want.

Maybe, I should just let my body, mind, and spirit have whatever it wants- whatever that may be.

How do you live your life? Do you believe in moderation and/or alignment or do you "do what you want when you want!"?

V's Variability

variable |ˈve(ə)rēəbəl|adjective1 not consistent or having a fixed pattern; liable to change 
Before taking the billions of research oriented classes I've taken, I never really understood the term variable.
Now I do. Oh how I do. And it has come to be one of my favorite words.
I like the fact it can be easily applied to several situations- taken out of scientific context and variably used. (hah!) I like that its soft sounding and includes the word "able" making it sound positive. 
And, most importantly, I like the fact that it describes a loyal aspect of my own nature: having a fixed pattern of inconsistency. (More or less). I like to pretend that I'm consistent. Heck sometimes I even thoroughly believe myself. But then something happens and I'm back at it all over the place. Changing plans, making big moves. Delusional with dreamy expectations.
And I (sometimes) love it. After all, what is life without a bit of variability?

Do you have any particularly favorite words? Or do you have a habit of taking words out of their original context and applying them generously?

Unicorn-ly U

Thanks to Lisa Frank, I grew up an avid believer in unicorns. She also had me under the impression that cats and dogs could, in fact, get married and have puppies and kittens together.

Random?

No. My point is, despite never actually seeing a unicorn I believed in them. And that their shiny iridescent horns held some magical powers.

I'm taking it back to the age old saying/ thought process/ state of mind that seeing isn't always believing.

Is it?

I don't think so. I've been blessed with getting practically every thing I've ever wanted- eventually. Now I'm not saying I've been given handouts. But one way or another my life has worked itself out to give me the things that I need and want at one point or another. Maybe not immediately, but eventually things work out.

I need a job. I need to decide where to live. What do to with my future.

And I need to remember to believe... that things will work themselves out... like they always do.

Sometimes we just have to believe in unicorns.


Are you a believer? Or do you at least believe in unicorns?