Wholly Crap Batman- Where did the Time go?

That title seems to sum up my life lately....

Want an update you say?
...Oh boy! Let's not and say we did, shall we?

I'm not quite sure that you have the time or energy for any of the trivialities that occurred over the past few weeks, let alone the past few days. Of all the madness that I went through.... ....alright, alright.

In brief: {heehee}

Three months ago I came back form the UK, as you perhaps have already read, and I expected to get some papers prepared for yet [in a loud speaker voice] Another Adventure- into S. Korea.
This fairly easy process nowadays slowly became one tough nut to crack as time went on.
I can now say, 2 agencies with 3tries later and things are now finally on the ball. I am going to South Korea for one full year in two days- Monday night.

These past few weeks this feeling suddenly came over me..space was nothing more but another town every other day or week, and time was no more of a concept to me as it was for a five year old. Furthermore, people that I saw, conversations that I had and dreams that I envisioned soon became one. At times, and for a brief moment, I found myself not able to keep a thought together and not able to keep hand in glove these days.

So far, from where I began, my thoughts were on a high roll;
"This is a real good adventure that is about to begin for me..Meandering along onto foreign lands will be exhilarating",

to a low grind;
"What on earth is going on...Things around me are happening and I question, am I not meant to go? What does it all mean? Does it have to mean anything at all? Uh Oh... Ouch my chest is hurting and I can't breathe, and it's been an hour- what the..?"
{Unfortunately, true story. However, there goes more...}
Rather than digress, because I'm doing rather well.....


The oddest things were happening; from missing a bus that I was never supposed to take, and having employment not pan out, to having a document miss-read and having clearances delayed, but then rapidly be issued at the very last moment. Then it just gets me thinking, this epitomizes my life works. Not that I have a long history of such great employments, but the fact is I'm always just plopped into everything. Which is great, and I'm absolute more than thrilled to do that because I get bored during training time....any training time. I like just doing it.

Then, suddenly when I found out an actual departure date for the planned journey, we're stuck registering right before the holiday season. huh.
Once again, I return to everyone and tell them the date has changed.

"How about I let you know when I'm down there....I think we've said enough good-byes...I mean seriously, my liver is begging me here."



Needless to say, I can't believe this moment is actually happening and I can hardly contain my excitement! I am about to board an international flight this coming Monday night and arrive in Seoul Wednesday morning at 3:45 am. Heehe Only to wait five hours for an hour flight to Busan.


Alluding to the emotional upsets...you see, this entire application for working in S. Korean certainly became an adventure of its own. Things that were meant to take a few days or weeks took months, and in the end the things that ought to have taken weeks took days even minutes. I felt catapulted onto this merry-go-round that was running fast, but yet that was moving in slow motion.

I've been having these emotional upsets for various reasons, one of which I never knew when it was that I was actually going, or if I was in fact leaving. I kept telling family and friends I was leaving, then not, then a date, then not...and argh!
Yes, and the whole forcing myself to retreat and really see what it was that I am doing in life..it helped me enjoy simple things more than i did before I thought I was enjoying them. Yet, even after being chilled out for a bit I started to see these ... road blocks as a defeat, but all the meanwhile just kept on keepin' on. In other words, I wasn't sure what it was that I should be thinking, and just was numb by the whole thing.

I utterly gave it my all and now ask myself; "Do I have enough energy to do this now?" Then, a little spot inside me felt all warm and tingly, and that's when I knew that when the timing is right I will be bouncing off the walls again in no time!

I truly learned to slow down and chill out, and did tons of reading. Went to visit family& friends had good cheers! {hehee, Oh,Boy} 'Tis great and I did have fun. Now is the time for work, and I am anxious and more excited than anything to finally begin working again.

Although I did sort of re-learn, so to speak, how to relax and sit back on my own again, these short trips to Ottawa and over to the Korean Consulate were certainly taking a toll on my body. My nerves were practically shot from the awful weather that I had to endure during the five hour drives there and back. Communication misconstrued led to numerous pointless journeys through drastic winter weather storms that made me feel I could break at any moment and get chucked off the road.
At the end of the day, you really have to look back and wonder what posses you to move on and choose that path...even though it's probably one of the toughest paths at times...you still break through it...sometimes after countless thoughts about it...and by the end of it all it was what you needed for you..in selfish none selfish sort of way. It's like...you're thinking of yourself..to create a better you, to help others...by becoming a better you. Hum...yeah...

[silence fills the room and the sound of crickets rises above it all- or maybe not.]

I guess that's what 'they' mean when said 'you just have to weather the storm'- Whether physically and/or metaphysically if you want to come out a little stronger in the end.

You really know if its worth in the end...and it's only just the beginning of this journey.and there are many more in between.

Three for The Road

A few days ago I was on my way from a short trip to Niagara Falls, and the drive back was one I just can't possibly forget. From getting a speeding ticket for an amount that I would rather not share at this time, to having an on-coming car driving in the wrong lane I thought I'd seen it all.

Although the ticket was produced not even 1hour after I began the 5hour journey, I tried not to let it predetermine the remainder of the trip.

With that being said the next stop I gave up the drivers seat, and by this time a few hours had passed and I finally calmed my nerves about the horrendous ticket. Drinking in the scenery as passenger in our expedition I checked out others trekking along. Now about two hours away from home I spotted this wicked colored transport.

As usually look up to see the driver for no particular reason, and as we pass the neon bright purple and turquoise truck I noticed a sign taped to his window, and quickly read it- "Show me your Hooters!". I quickly grab my camera and snap a shot, the second one you can actually see his face looking at me...a little disappoint might I add. heehee

I never saw this before, but I am sure it happens quite often without the sign.



Less than an hour had passed and no sooner did we just get over the laughter from the dissatisfied trucker we ran into another bewildered moment. At this point in our drive we're commuting on a double lane highway that is now split from on coming traffic, as it is separated by a strip of land of about 20-30 feet wide or so.

All of a sudden, around the bend I can see a set of lights, but I refuse to admit what I am seeing. There's an on-coming car driving down in the passing lane.. on our side of the highway. How is this possible?! [honk!] We're honking for the person' attention, but being as prudent as possible so we pull off the road away from him. Still driving, but slower.

Whoa! That was so close, and I can't believe he didn't notice that there was another road going in the same direction on the other side of a strip of land. We figured that he must have been driving down for at least 20minutes from the next rest stop and got confused coming out, as it would have been stationed to his right.

In any case, I heard nothing on the news in result to it, and the remainder of our trip was pretty much standard.


Oh right, a few pics of the Falls. Heehee

This is the Canadian Side:





This is the American Side:

If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out!

I was addicted to this song for the past few days, and I thought I'd share it because it's an uplifting song.

I guess it's because I haven't heard it in a long time, and I think I just feel good when I listen to it.




Cat Stevens- If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out'

Once Upon A Time...

This little French girl is being called Amelie Jr., and if you take a moment to listen you'll see she is wondrously creative and a fantastic story teller.

She has an extended amount of words and uses such genuine expression.

Not only is this video ridiculously charming, but it's just as imaginative as the movie about Amelie Poulain.

C'est tout en francais, but there are subtitles.


Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

The Count Down Is Now On:

Time is ticking.

Just a quick note to announce my departure time from Canada. I have exactly 4 weeks left before I leave for South Korea. I received a confirmation this morning notifying me that there is a position in Busan, South Korea saved for me.

Today I have signed the contract for the school, and I sent off the paper work needed to apply for my E-2 visa. They expect me to be there working by the 18th, or 19th of December. From my understanding, I will start to work during their winter break session, and they will have extra classes during this time.

The recruiter for the school noted that I will have a schedule from early afternoon to early evening, and once I have been working for a few months she said they may offer me extra class hours. I'll be working with elementary and middle school children, and my contract is a year long.

I'm really ecstatic about traveling over and meandering on my own. I can't wait to see old friends like Jonesey, Lou,& Danyelle. It will be extraordinary.

October: A Moment In Hindsight

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

Anais Nin

M.I.A.

Alright...

I've been had.

Here I am now.

I'm a little preoccupied in rearranging to plans for South Korea. Last week was one disaster after the next, and this week has not been quite as brutal but negatively discerning nonetheless.

Last week was the result of having to find and apply for another teaching position, for the original school that I applied with no longer can afford a foreign teacher. Happily, my friend Jonesy picked up my documents so that I could apply elsewhere, but to my dismay the second school that I chose decided to go with someone else. Still in limbo...

So, another week has come and gone, and I find myself in almost the same predicament as the week before. I'm not overly disappointed, but getting tired of this conundrum I now call my life.

I had a dream several weeks ago, and in this dream I kept tripping on these high heeled shoes I was wearing. Asides from the fact that I don't do high heels, my tripping could have just signified my sheer clumsiness, but something was telling me otherwise. [I never did fall, but I kept 'almost' tripping.]

In reality, this past month I felt that I was caught in this alternate world, and where I felt as though the life I was leading was moving in slow motion. As though I was suppose to just stay sat and think about...not thinking.

This feeling created a moment where I felt pulled under, and yet I didn't feel like I should struggle to come back up. I don't mean in a depressed sense, more or less I felt pulled back, but not to a point where I felt helpless. In hindsight, I felt as though I was to take in a deep and long breath of air. I still think that is the case.

I'm just sat here trying to appreciate this free time, and although I did take the time to be around family members and the few of those I've developed a profound and loving relationship with, I am still feeling a sense of being at a loss...a sense of losing....something.

This is also a bitter sweet feeling, too. It's a moment I've been waiting for for as long as I can remember. hehe I think sometimes it physically spawned from the time my mother took me on an 'oldies, but goodies' tour bus. On our way to New York City just us three ladies. I was one of the 4 youngest people there; yet, I was there by choice and was quite happy being surrounded by babyboomers. hehe That was a year ago and couple months today- give or take.

Definitely good times had by all. There was something about being a tourist in a place where you can just explore a different way of living. This reminds me of a story of when we first arrived in NYC we were dropped off in Times Square. For the first time the tour guide ever did this, he and the driver dropped us without a tour guide. We're all starved and head in all directions with who we came with. My mother, her friend and I proceed to drink in this busy, hectic and crazy atmosphere looking for a place to eat.

hee I can't stop laughing every time I think about it..who does this? Anyway, as we're about to cross Broadway and Seventh Avenue I spotted Him. Only in NYC you can find one such man as demented as Him; The Naked Cowboy.

Sorely, I had this grin, only because I thought; 'Man, I saw this guy on t.v. and of all things I get to see him.' Of course, I proceeded to the middle of the cross between both streets to have my poor mother and her friend become assaulted by Him, as he grabs their behinds for a photograph. [still laughing] Mind you, there were plenty of monumental sites that we went to visit, and it was fun being the tourist, but I had enough after 4 days in a city where I couldn't look up to the sky without seeing sky scrapper after sky scrapper. In fact, I don't think there was much room for the sky...I was getting nauseated, it was rather too claustrophobic for me.

What's more, is that in traveling to places that require you to almost become these people gives you a greater sense of gaining perspective on their own 'survival' if you will. When I was in that city there was something inside of me wanted that wanted more. Something appealed to me from within and wanted to explore greater things. My eyes wanted to see individuality and see its unity on this fine planet we live on. My heart wanted to feel individuality and feel its consequences of actions, good and bad. My ears and my hands wanted to know individuality is what's real, and to see, feel, and hear its stories, songs, smiles, laughter, touches, and its eyes. For it's in these few things is how we can see how individuality is projected in light of our own reality.

Regardless, that's what creates my world, and I need to explore all my sense to the extreem. The world is my play ground and I haven't even begun to meander along the furtherest of landscapes. I'm really ecstatic because I truly feel it's my time.

My Time.

Kind of like the sounds of that.


I'll try and keep an update as to my whereabouts, and basically catch up in the blogsphere!

An Amazing Sun Set

I drove my friend to work the other evening, and I could not resist but take my camera out and snap a few pictures of the sun setting- I'm sure glad I did.

Here are a few that I would like to share.








Afterward, I drove down by the lake to catch a few more pictures from the waterfront.



Of course, by the time I was done taking these pictures the night had fallen upon me. In the past I have attempted taking a picture of the moon on several occasions and I was unsuccessful in doing so.. That was true until now. I was finally semi-successful in shooting a decent picture of the moon's surface.



I still can't get over how close of a shot I got, and now I can't wait to purchase an actual zoom lens. Unfortunately, you can't zoom up on this photo, but if you could- and I'm sure you can still see it from this size- the craters are quite visible.

Here's to Inspiration

I can't stop typing,
Writing my thoughts onto this blank screen.
As the words and the symbols pour out what I've seen,
I feel my heart open like I've never foreseen.
I owe it to you for pondering aloud
Questions and comments your heart has found.

I type these words,
Writing all day and all night.
A deep breath I take, for there’s just one more thought I need to write.
Even after that my heart still aches, since I’m not sure if the words are just right.
I owe it to you for taking a moment to listen,
For now I can see my thoughts do glisten.

New Face, Same Name

So....copy and paste, eh?

Not that I would go so far as to place blame or anything [she says, with a raised eye-brow] BUT Tammie erased everything on my blog...all except for my posts.
It's all I have to say...

Well, I'm partially to blame,in that I wanted to change the face of my blog. I thought it a good idea,since it's been six months of having my first blog- ever, and I thought maybe I'd actually change the face of it. The things is I just can't be asked to change something that isn't broke. That, and I'm too much of a lazy perfectionist for that sort of shenanigan. Besides, I don't have the first clue as to how I should transfer everything...or if you actually transfer information.

In any event, when I mentioned my plans to Tammie she practically squealed with glee as she offered to help by showing me some new backgrounds she found. "I promise everything will remain the same, so don't panic", she says, knowing how much I hate spending hours on my computer trying to 'fix' something that won't even look like I did much.

As we're on the computer, logged onto my blog site, she continues to assuage my lack of confidence. Not a lack of confidence in her technological abilities, but that of this cut and paste scenario. She says: "It's easy. All you have to do is cut and paste, and it'll save everything you have."

We move along the pages on this template site and we're about to 'try on' a new background. I find a nice one that I think I would enjoy and Tam maneuvers the mouse over and does the deed. She right clicks it to select the paste option...and all that remains are my posts. I could almost here the crickets playing in the background as silence fills the air. No sign of 'links' that I added, nor 'friends who blog'...nothing. (sigh) The words "I'm so sorry" must of been repeated a dozen times thereafter. To be fair I did ask for a change, and now I got it.

*Duly note- when change comes expect EVERYTHING to be different in its wake. Either that, or just don't change- but where's the fun in that?

....needless to say, in the next few days expect sudden changes, for a new face to my blog will surface.
{Tam- don't feel guilty- it's all in good fun. If anything I still love ya! :) }

That Was Fun- let's not do it again.

Yesterday afternoon, Tamaram and I went to run some errands together, one of which was to get my already notarized police clearance notarized again by a lawyer. As I searched to find a free parking area, Tammie kindly reminds me that there's a parking garage where the first two hours are free. Naturally, I headed in the direction and found the parking garage she spoke of. I drove up to the ticket dispenser with this big boxy, tipsy twelve year old van, pushed the big green button that ever so quickly dispensed my parking ticket, and made my way in- safely.

On the second level, after making it in safely again, I noticed there were still no places to park the beast; "Damn, it's busy as hell in here. I'll need to go up a level." I said, peering over the steering wheel, as I try and stretch my head around the corner of the windshield to see if any pedestrians were coming up the 'exit' ramp. I made it alright thus far, so there was no concern or even a thought in my mind that there wouldn't be any clearance space. Until, I got to the ramp of the third level, and that's when I heard a big smash soon followed by a few scraping noises. That was only the bottom of the ramp there still was the top part of the ramp, remember. Silence fills the air as I clinch the steering wheel and prepare for the worse- yup I kept going. To be fair, I am not even sure if there even was a sound on the top part of the ramp. Perhaps it's best that I try not to recollect my steps of stupidity.
I step out onto the already broken side rail of the parked car to take a gander at the damage done. I rub the now bent roof rack and duly note; "Huh, Yeah. So I guess it wasn't clear after all." I stepped down from the side rail and grabbed my things and started walking away. "Ah, never mind- no use worrying about it now. Doesn't seem like much damage was done, so let's get our things done." I said walking away from the van, as I glanced over at it one more time.

On our way out, I actually thought for a moment, considering that the van had already been bashed in, there might be an off chance that I just might make it down better than the last time going up. No, no. That.. was not the case. In fact, it tore more off the second time around than it had coming in. Now, mind you there was a roof rack, you see, and in my defense if it wasn't there none of these shenanigans would have occurred. In my opinion.

Also, I think it adds character to this already 12year old van. I mean, it's not like I added any more rust than it had before driving up the ramp. In fact, I didn't even take any paint off, just a few scrapes on the old rack...and part of the plastic came off, too. It's nothing that can't be fixed.

I do feel awful too. I mean my parents did lend me the vehicle, but let me just say this, I was a little shook by this dilemma. I told the guy who took my ticket that his levels weren't all the same- he just stared at me with a blank look. Then moments later, he mumbles something and just burst out with laughter. I too burst out with laughter, but I think it was because I was still distraught.

I any case, after having done all our errands Tammie and I decide to go for a walk at a nearby boat launch. I'm so glad we did. We had a great laugh. Tam stepped out of the van and walked up to the edge next to the boat launch, and she pondered over the depth of the drop off. With nothing being said, I came over with a giant rock and just let it fall directly in front of her...more or less for shits and giggles, really. Then she proceed, for some unknown reason, to do the same and threw rocks into the lake. We grabbed a couple more rocks and threw them in, as we stood in silence we watched the circle patterns disappear onto the lake.

At this point it started to drizzle a little outside, and I began to look for good stones to skip with. I found several and began skipping rocks onto the lake. Clearly it was the thing to do. Tam found several good stones and she skipped a few really well. We got so into skipping rocks we mutually had begun to make a game out of it. I am not the greatest at skipping rocks, but I ended up getting 3 skips, twice in a row and another at some point down the line. Tam caught up to my 3skips a couple of times, but nothing in a row.
Instead, she just lobs this rock, and half way through her through it seemed as though she gave up on the fact that it might actually skip. It turns out this rock skipped 4times- the last one was a beauty strictly for the fact that it barely hit the four, but it did. It was awesome. I know it sounds a tad bit trivial perhaps, but it was a great time and it helped me get my mind off the van...well, at least for a while.

We must have spent a good 30minutes out in the rain and before you knew it the rain started to fall a little harder. We decided that perhaps it was time we head back to hers and get dried off. We get into the van, but once I tried to start it it didn't want to start. The engine didn't even want to turn over. I just stayed sat in the van and sighed. "Since this old beast leaks gas, I wonder if everything else is okay." As I put my mechanical head on, I popped the hood to take a gander at all the fluids inside. "Yup. Just what I thought. Nothing. Humm what can it be?"

Now mind you, by the time we're out, correction- I am out checking the fluids in the van it's just pouring rain. "Fuckin' Hell! Now we have to walk in this rain." After fifteen to twenty minutes a sense of defiance grew the more we thought about having to walk out in the pouring rain, nonetheless.

I pivot my body over to face the steering wheel, and, for some reason or another I get this inkling to try and start it one last time. Perhaps it was purely in hopes that maybe this whole time sat here the van magically would have fixed itself, and then magically start up. So, I put the key in and turn the ignition, and- voila! "It worked." Tam exclaims in full glee, "It knew we were leaving it, the old thing couldn't take being alone in the middle of nowhere." she adds.

Right, I thought. That was the strangest thing..ah never mind.

P.S. ...like I said, dad, I think the transmission is going on the ol' van. Oh! And, the rack is bent. Other than that, everything else is in working order- that I know of.

Leave the Leaves to Us!

Good times had by all.
On this beautiful and bright sunny Saturday I helped raked the leaves at the Ross'.

After a few hours of hard work, I decide it was time for a well deserved break...and jumping in the leaves was the first thing that sprung to my mind.

All the leaves are lifted into the air, and the smile on Ky's face was as big and bright as the sun!

He thought it was the funniest thing in the world!

So did I.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I would like to say a great happy thanksgiving to all as we celebrate an appreciation for all things in our life.

This year I went up to visit my folks in the small town I used to reside in many moons ago. It was quite lovely this time around, as I got to help work on the house and do something productive. Although I never done it before, but I got to cock the window sill on the outside on the front window of the house. It was actually relaxing- oddly enough. I got to tear off the old and bring in the new, the result in the cycle of seasons, physically and emotionally.

Fall is a great time to give thanks for the summer and spring seasons that have past no matter how great or awful it may have gone. It's a time to hibernate our actions and to sit still for a moment to re-examine if you will, or to plan a devise for the following time/season.

I ended up packing up some things I would need for when I move across the world, and stumbled upon this journal book I bought a while back. Although I have used it on a few occasions I forgot that I even had it. I sat with my mom and showed her how this 'sojourn journal' dice system worked. The dice that are included are filled with words and when you role them they give you a set of words to cue you on what to write about. Essentially, it gives you focus and helps with writers block.

There is one brown-coloured dice represents the main idea of your entry, and seven ivory-coloured dice represents the subcategories so to speak. You're suppose to choose 3 of them and run with it basically; however, because I only had the dice and couldn't remember exactly how the 'rules' went, my mom and I ended up choosing 4 words- I just do it however I deem comfortable. Heck I should do one with all seven...or maybe challenge a certain someone. Humm...

Of course you can use any form of writing you desire, and I had my mom and I write whatever we felt after each having rolled the dice.


My mom's main category was 'family' and her subcategories were people, gift, chance and goal. She wrote:

Having a family is a real gift,
Family gives people a chance to set out different set of life goals,
While others pursue other avenues.

My main category was 'play' and my subcategories were passion, people, sense and time. I wrote:

When people find the time to play
And really enjoy the moment-
They will lose their sense of time,
and gain pure moments of passion.

Also, using the same words I attempted to write a continuous haiku- the latter is an inspiration from another...

Grinding your teeth while
Clenching your jaw tightly and
Breathing in slowly.

Your 'play-clock' ticks loud!
People in a jesting mood
Just like you and me,
They are out there, you will see.
Each of our growing
Passions for the world blossoms
Every time we meet.

Feed your sense to Play!

EarthBound

The Oath

"In the face of adversity, uncertainty and conflicting sensory information, I hereby pledge to remain ever mindful of the magical, infinite loving reality I live in. A reality that conspires tirelessly in my favor. I further recognize, that living with space and time, as a Creation amongst my Creations, is the ultimate Adventure, because thoughts become things, dreams come true, and all things remain forever possible. As a Being of Light, I hereby resolve to live, love and be happy, at all costs, no matter what, with reverence and kindness for All. So be it!"

tut.com

A Camping Trip to Soothe The Soul

My greatest friend Tammie decided that once I was home what I truly needed was a good camping trip to acknowledge my roots and simply relax. In the trees I find my home, in the grass I find my bed, and as I glance onto the lake I see freedom of a different kind.

Tammie and I both purchased a new camera this year; however, they are of a different make and model. Regardless, we had fun exploring each of them, and so here are some of the many pictures taken over the couple days spent at her partner's parents' cottage.

Tammie, thanks for helping me find serenity when I forget to take the time for me- it was fun to laugh, sing and dance like nobody was watching! Oh yeah, and how could I forget- our game of hide and seek!

Thank you again Tammie for such a wonderful thought!

The Day After My Arrival Into Canada

The day after my arrival into Canada and I suddenly realized the little moments that I missed while I was away, but have never forgotten.
In no particular order here are just a few things I missed while I was away. Take for granted there are many people that are not photographed that were deeply missed as well; namely my brother Patrick& his son Holden; also my surrogate family, Mama Ross, Meesh, Nanny, Steph, Kylan, and Brett.
Love you all and glad to be back...for a little while.

"The Life in Song(s) meme"

In light of the link of the above post the following is an illustration of my Life in Song(s) meme as I see fit at the moment.



Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself how much I let the fear
Take the wheel and steer
It's driven me before
And it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal
But lately I'm beginning to find that I
Should be the one behind the wheel

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
With open arms and open eyes yeah

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there
I'll be there
[Incubus]

Oh, this old world
keeps spinning round
It's a wonder tall trees
ain't layin' down
There comes a time.
[Neil Young]

All the suffering that you've witnessed
And the hand prints on the wall
They remind you how it's endless
How endlessly you fall
And the answer that you're seeking
For the question that you found
Drives you further to confusion
As you lose your sense of ground
So don't forget to breathe
Don't forget to breathe
Your whole life is here
No eleventh hour reprieve
So don't forget to breathe

Keep your head above water
But don't forget to breathe
[Alexi Murdoch]

It's a mad mission
Under difficult conditions
not everybody makes it
To the loving cup
It's a mad mission
But I got the ambition
Mad, mad mission
sign me up
[Patty Griffin]


Look like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes

Sittin' here resting my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone
It's two thousand miles I roamed
Just to make this dock my home

Now, I'm just gonna sit at the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Oooo-wee, sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time
[Otis Redding]

How many times have you wished you were strong?
Have they ever seen your heart?
Have they ever seen your pain?
Oh, Life is waiting for you
So messed up, but we're alive
Oh, Life is waiting for you
So messed up, but we'll survive
[Our Lady of Peace]

Pain, without love
Pain, I can't get enough
Pain, I like it rough
'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
[Three Days Grace]

Well dust off your thinking caps
Solar powered plastic plants
Pretty pictures of things we ate
We are only what we hate
But in the long run we have found
Silent films are full of sound
Inaudibly free

Slow down everyone
You're moving too fast
Frames can't catch you when
You're moving like that
[Jack Johnson]

Life is much too short to sit and wonder
Who's gonna make the next move and will slowly pull you under when you've always got something
to prove?
[Ben Harper]

Time and time and time we see these
Acts against humanity, well,
Each for each and each will be then
Shed blood for what they each believe, well
On and on and on we go well,
Some will you see and, some won't be
True for you and truth will lead you
To a sense of, well now, peace

Let me be now
Hmm hmm, let me because
I want to be free now,
Oh oh, free to see, yeah well
Want to walk away, oh oh
Let me feel my feet
Let me be, free
[Xavier Rudd]

**********************************
the Life In Song(s) meme...*

---(-)-> Illustrate your life, in song(s)
---(-)-> Portions of 10 songs
---(-)-> Use no song in its entirety
---(-)-> Use no artist more than once
---(-)-> Tag 5 people

September: A moment in hindsight

I chose this quote for the month of September

Intuition and concepts constitute ... the elements of all our knowledge, so that neither concepts without an intuition in some way corresponding to them, nor intuition without concepts, can yield knowledge.

Immanuel Kant

There's No Place Like Home...there's no place like home.

In a time where I need reinforcement from life I find myself at the beginning of a yellow brick road. Among me are the Cowardly Lion, the Heartless Tin Man, and the Mindless Scare Crow. I truly do feel like Dorthy when the tornado hit Kansas city, and she's taken off into a world she is not all that familiar with. This time the characters she ventures off with are all within me.
There's a piece of each character within everyone of us- it's a matter of taming or motivating each one to create a balance.

I am ever so grateful for having the opportunity to explore a fragment of my world, but I believe my time has come to move forward. I must admit I did get a little attached to the beauty and wonder that England has to offer; the people, the atmosphere and the work experience. I have come to the conclusion that it isn't my bag. It's difficult because I had originally planned on coming for two months, and head back home. Once I arrived I realized that the opportunity for a full time contract would be longer than expected, so I made the decision that I could just stay for the year, or maybe two.
My contract ended sooner than anticipated and I was left with no money, no place to stay, and no real job security in order to place me back on my feet. I stayed for one month to try and organize something as far was work, but there just didn't seem to be anything there for me to survive on. It seemed that everything was at a lost, and I couldn't see home anymore. As the ol' saying goes- "home is where the heart is." As far as I was concerned I no longer had the home I thought I had.
I think I went off track and forgot what is was that I was looking for...to teach and just be creative in whatever it is I am doing. I've thought about going to South Korea for some time now, and I sent out a message to a school and received a reply.
So, now my Lincoln Adventures are complete and I am venturing off back home to say hello to friends and family. This way I can get my appropriate papers in order to begin South Korean Adventures in Busan!
Although I have a great opportunity elsewhere it's hard for me to switch off one plan(even though it didn't pan out) and venture off to another one.
I'm 'earth' and I move slowly, and I have to remember to be patient with myself.

EarhBound

Destiny

Somewhere there waiteth in this world of ours

For one lone soul another lonely soul
Each choosing each through all the weary hours
And meeting strangely at one sudden goal.
The blend they, like green leaves with golden flowers,
Into one beautiful and perfect whole;
And life's long night is ended, and the way
Lies open onward to eternal day.

~Edwin Arnold

Will Work for Peace

Stop Shopping! Start Thinking!

War is expensive, Peace is priceless.

If war is the answer, we're asking the wrong question.

If war is the answer, we asked the wrong question.

Won't War Breed Hatred?

You can bomb the world to pieces but you can't bomb it to Peace

Consume -- Consume -- Bomb -- Bomb -- Consume -- Consume

Knowledge is Power - Don't follow Propaganda !

Don't Drag the Flag in Oil

Impermanance In Everything

I was on the bus earlier today coming back from what I reckon to be a hard days work. As I sat there trying to forget how much of a rotten day I'd been having, this sweet little voice caught my attention with its words.

I casually turned to look back so to get a glimpse and see where those words were coming from. As I turned and attempted to get a good look, I saw that this angelic voice was that of a little girl's of about 5 or 6 years old. Still too short to see above the seat in front of them, I can see she was talking to what seemed like a younger sibling. So I turned back around and tuned in.
Through the hum of the crowed bus I heard this little girls voice resonate absolute truth, and she said ever so calmly; "...you see...everything dies."

I noticed whilst passing everyday things she continued on pointing them out, foretelling their life and death cycle. We are driving by pedestrians in a nearby park and she says; "People die...You see the trees over there? They die. The Grass dies, too...Birds die." I look up to see a seagull flying above, and as I look back down we're passing by a car dealership and she says; "Even cars die you know."

Her soft spoken words hit my ear drums and I felt it shatter my thoughts into a million pieces. I just felt compelled to write about how these pieces still resonate so profoundly in me.

Here I'm sat thinking I'm having a bad day and I'm not sure exactly why but I felt assuaged by the thought of how this child saw profundity in everyday simplicities, and she didn't even know it. I understand that she may not relate the exact emotional tie that one would have when a significant other passes, but to her it was nothing but a mundane idea that everything is impermanent.

I reckon everyone can take something different from this story. I believe it's up to each of us to take with us the beauty in what once was, and I realize that today doesn't seem to be that bad after all. Most importantly, everything is Impermanent.

Eddie Izzard- Dress to Kill

OM- Being A Strong Container: Grounding Ourselves

We often hear people telling us to ground ourselves, but we may not be sure what that means and how we might do it. Grounding ourselves is a way of bringing ourselves literally back to earth. Some of us are more prone than others to essentially leaving our bodies and not being firmly rooted in our bodies. There’s nothing terribly wrong with this, but while we are living on the earth plane it is best to stay grounded in the body.

One of the easiest ways to ground ourselves is to bring our attention to our breath as it enters and leaves our bodies. After about 10 breaths, we will probably find that we feel much more connected to our physical selves. We might then bring our awareness to the sensations in our bodies, moving from our head down to our feet, exploring and inquiring. Just a few minutes of this can bring us home to bodies and to the earth, and this is what it means to ground ourselves.

We can go further by imagining that we have roots growing out of the bottoms of our feet, connecting us to the earth. The roots flow with us so we can we always move, but at the same time they keep us grounded. We receive powerful energy from the earth just as we do from the forms of energy we associate with the sky, and our body is a tool that brings these two energies together in a sacred union. When we are grounded, we essentially become a strong container in which our spirits can safely and productively dwell. This is why grounding ourselves every day, especially at the beginning of the day, is such a beneficial practice. Fortunately, it’s as simple as bringing our conscious awareness to our bodies and the earth on which we walk.

From: DailyOM
(today@dailyom.com)

Yoga is a productive form of containing all that is good in our system. I have not found the time to do it in the last three-four months of traveling, and have become one with the United Kingdom; drinking till wee hours of the morning and waking up early to keep on truckin'. I have met many friends, and strangers who have become acquaintances by nature of social drinking, and smoking cigarettes. I do not regret mentally, or spiritually these tales of companionship; however, my body is wrapping at the door and crying through the locks telling me it's time to balance myself once again. I've been eating crap foods that I know my body cannot handle, and I need to counterpoise these actions at once before things get out of hand. Although people may not have an illness they are diagnosed with it's a general idea that your body is in constant communication with you- telling you what it is you need. We may not always understand it the first time, and most times before it's too late. Yet, our bodies are a phenomenal power house- more than we can ever imagine.

When we make an effort to be conscious of our roots and where they feed from, like a tree firmly grounded, we can attain great heights and remain supple in the eye of a storm. So, take a little time for yourself and enjoy who you are and what you can offer yourself before you show the world.

After all, at the end of the day it's a mater of taking the time to sit and take deep breathes in and out. Stop for a moment, and smell the flowers.