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| ...to date, I've played the lottery for approximately 4 months. As I stood in line to obtain this week's tickets, I've come to a minuscule of an epiphany. That is, trying to win the lottery is like trying to get to Nirvana by living an utterly careless and undisciplined life. I recall the exact reason why I started...I was tired. Tired of working far too hard to earn a pretty penny yet knowing that at the end of that paycheck, is a huge hole from which money WILL undoubtedly pour out. And furthermore, tired of a listless existence of daily dependency, of living hand-to-mouth. But the answer's not in the lottery. It's in hard work and sacrifice. From today onward, I renew my personal vow to push full steam ahead! I'm going to make it, and it will be of my own accord...my own will, flesh, and blood.
BELLY DANCE IN CARIBBEAN PARADISE!
I'm working on several ventures, one of which is going live today. If you're reading this, I'm very excited to reveal Festival Isis de Baile Oriental.
If you're looking for a quick reprieve from whatever that stress you in this crazy world, wind down with me in the Dominican Republic on March 15-21 at the magnificent Casa de Campo resort for 6 days of entertainment with the world's best dancers. Belly dancers that is! This event pays homage to the illustrious Raq Sharqi heritage and I hope you'd come forward to participate. This glorious event is hosted by former model, Sylvia Richards, and aside from the events, you'll be able to participate in a series of wonderful workshops dedicated to the Raqs Sharqi arts. If you've been looking for your rhythm and can't dance, DON'T MISS THIS EVENT! Tickets are limited, and I'd be grateful for your support! =)
Register here: wwww.festivalisis.com
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| ...as my parents were telling me about the good karma acquired by my countless past lives that has led me to my present life, I realized that quite a few people have an inaccurate perception of what karma really is. For those who refers to karma, they refer to a more negative undertone than positive, and linear such that the past lives influences the present situation and nothing can change that.
So I Google and Yahoo! (but didn't Bing) and discovered a brief, but no less poignant, exposition on Karma by Thanissaro Bhikkhu that really speaks to the essence of what karma is. Below is an extract that'll clear things up:
Who you are — what you come from — is not anywhere near as important as the mind's motives for what it is doing right now. Even though the past may account for many of the inequalities we see in life, our measure as human beings is not the hand we've been dealt, for that hand can change at any moment. We take our own measure by how well we play the hand we've got. If you're suffering, you try not to continue the unskillful mental habits that would keep that particular karmic feedback going. If you see that other people are suffering, and you're in a position to help, you focus not on their karmic past but your karmic opportunity in the present: Someday you may find yourself in the same predicament that they're in now, so here's your opportunity to act in the way you'd like them to act toward you when that day comes.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/karma.html
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There you go. It's not what you've been dealt with but the power that you presently have that matters most. Right thoughts and right actions will reveal the holy path.
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| ...today marks my second year as a full-pledged graphic artist. My journey has been very long, and although I've much more ground to cover, I feel I've finally achieved the balance that has eluded me for quite some time now. For the purpose of helping those young professionals who feel either lost or stuck in their current stead, I would like to impart some of my learnings as I trace the footsteps gained over these tumultuous years of willful change.
To say the least, my current path can be attributed mainly to serendipity and natural evolution. There's a lot of details here, but I'll be ultra brief with these four points.
#1: Know thyself
From the action movie, the Matrix, I learned in the scene with the Oracle and Neo, the true essence of "osce te ipsum" or know thyself. This is not only fundamental to career, but a principle tenet in understanding life's meanings. The best way to walk this path, is to be inquisitive and open to all things. Always strive to fully understand a topic, regardless of its complexity. Even a general understanding will serve well. I've spent countless hours understanding my self and my daily activities included hours of trolling linked Wikipedia pages to get clarity on everything I come across. For the self, there are many studies ranging from Meyers-Briggs to Chinese zodiac, that will help build this understanding.
#2: Specialize
Specialization provides for a mental comfort zone to return to on those rough and uncharted paths. When it comes to career, being a Jack of All trades will help, but make sure to have a staple crop in the back pocket. Just find that comfortable and easiest to understand topic, and become amazing at it for through the lenses of a particular expertise, it is possible to discern all the rest. I learned from a quote by Vincent Van Gogh that:
"If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time, insight into and understanding of many things."
I quickly realized that only the novice view specialization as a bias. A master, knows where his skill sit amongst the myriads of things, and its relationships with those things. Only when a person acquires this empathy can the road to true mastery begin.
My innate specialty is emotions. Through those lenses, I've learned to express emotions through writing and art. I've learned to connect with the emotions of others through meditation and philosophy...so on and so forth.
#3: Don't stop
Never stop searching for the right place if you feel you're not quite there yet. At times, take the uncomfortable path and don't fear the future. My biggest call to success thus far, has been to step outside of my comfort zone and command a tireless ritual to stand up to the rigor of hard work and quell those feelings. I feel having this discipline has served me well through these past few years and that it's still the prevailing energy that propels me today.
#4: Aim
Do not expect to hit something if you don't aim at it. Some people aim high, some people aim low, but nonetheless, it's critical to point to that North Star. My lofty aim is to become a philanthropist. Where and in what manner will I end up there, I haven't a clue. However, my principle guiding light has been and will always be to help others in need. My eternal optimism, I hope, will steer me in the right direction.
That's all folks...
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| ...just came back from a week long trek on the Big Apple. I truly love NYC...every single bit of it. There was almost a tinge of culture shock when I arrived. Having been away for a whole year, I had almost forgotten how densely populated and extremely diverse NYC is.
The best thing about being in NYC, is being amongst friends. And even better, being with family. Everyday was a day to eat well, and every night was a night to party. Rinse, repeat. Let live the living!
I went on an amazing trip to Mt. Creek in Mt. Vernon, NJ. Waterparks are the best things on Earth...and O M G, I wish everyone can feel, as I felt, the wild exhilarating rush to dive off a 24" cliff.
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| ...it feels great. The Joy Luck Club may provide a little more body than my simple summary here, but man, time after time, I simply revel in having lived out my youth in Vietnam. It was from those glorious days in the gentle shades of banana trees, that I draw my deep appreciation for culture and zest for life. It's my anchor, my mind's air, and nothing else could be more uplifting. I wish and hope that each and every person is able to actualize this kind of tangible bliss at some point in their life. I love the fact that I am able to find a place in my heart (and belly) for pig feet, tripe, and chicken feet, liver, blood cubes, and pork bellies. MMMM MMMM. I'm salivating right now (yes, I am aware that some of you may be puking in your seat at the moment).
In similar tones, the American part of me is beyond patriotic. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY...every bit of it, from sea to shinning sea. I feel blessed to have seen the biggest fortune of life—to live freely. Oh and it gets better. To drive my 325i at 120mph with all the windows down, to rein in opportunities through will alone, to know that if I should want something badly enough (like an F360), I can succeed at it. And of course, to experience and participate as part of the great melting pot. YEAAA, AMERICA!
Anyways, I saw Gran Torino recently and have quite a bit (of a lot) to say about the movie, but to sum, it was simply awesome. I felt like I live right in between the two subject's homes. If you've seen it, let me know what you think!
*I received a great comment about the movie from Sadie and thought that I should elaborate on why I felt the movie was great.
I thought the acting was amazing. It does a humorous job portraying the cultural differences between the Western and Eastern world as well as the tension between the old and new world ie the quiet and submissive main male character vs his gangster cousin who feels the need to break the typical Asian stereotype by rebelling (it hits home because a lot of teenagers feel the need to challenge tradition). But how, again, does an old guy who practically is the only white person living in a neighborhood that consists almost entirely of Asians (except for the lady across the street who drops her groceries, save all their asses in the end. Is this really a movie of cranky old man's redemption or is this another typical Hollywood film where the white people dominates and saves the world in the end?
Hmm, on the other hand, I actually felt like the Asians didn't act very well. Perhaps they meant for it to be that way, just to further illuminate that contrast between whites and Asians...that Asians not as proficient
[at acting]. Clint Eastwood is very, very political and this could have been directed that way. The same goes to your last point about whites saving the world. I guess there are 4 main purviews we can analyse this movie at: 1. the proud, classically military, fully patriotic American 2. the meek, rapidly adapting Asians 3. the 10,000ft view away from the central elements which basically says: the whites (Christian no less) saved the day as always and 4. It was a great movie without taking sides. I didn't consider the gangsters because they were more of a ploy to build plot. I don't know...it depends on which part you look at it from. I don't think Asians are as weak as they portrayed, so I choose to look at the movie for what it is. A patriotic tribute to the American ways. I know exactly what it feels like, to sit on a porch and watch the evening sun retreat over the fully waxed rooftop of a classic American car like the Gran Torino. I felt that it highlighted being American more than anything else. That state of 'being" was captured perfectly...and that's what made the movie great for me. Although apparent throughout the movie, I didn't give too much thoughts for the tension on all sides since it would entail that I may have to pick a side. And there's far too much of that going around nowadays. =)
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