so apparently writing about how i'm feeling is a good thing, helps me process my thoughts and allows me to move forward in a healthy manner... b/c today not only did i do things that are good for me, but i had to make myself do them and now i know that i will benefit from them in the long run. so i did more of a sustainable form of happy-making.
i walked around del mar beach and town, taking hundreds of pictures. seriously. 415. i was rather surprised. but it was so fun! i was laying on the grass while shooting clouds through tree leaves, with the sun peaking through...i was standing in the middle of the street to get a perfect shot of some gorgeous bouganvilla flowers... i was in love with palm trees. i seriously have like a hundred pics of palm trees... i was standing in the water taking pics of the waves, the rocks, the sand under the water and just sparkling from it's recent descent.... it was so amazing. such a great creative outlet. same with writing. i just need to do it more.
so i spent hours taking pics after making myself eat a good breakfast, then almost stayed home instead of going to yoga. but i made myself go down and hang out in a park and read this book on india that i've been meaning to puruse, i meditated, and then i went to yoga. now i'm sitting in a coffee shop (surprise surprise) and i feel great. taking pics always makes me feel great and so does yoga. especially with this one teacher, he always kicks my ass. but today wasn't as hard, i think i'm getting stronger! yeah! i have another class with him tomorrow. i'm excited.
yoga makes me feel so great, i seriously have begun to really see the beauty in myself. it's great. i moved down here and felt so ugly (just about everyone in southern california is great looking) but now i'm feeling very centered and appreciative of my physical self. i'm strong, not sick, not extremely ugly but luckily not extremely gorgeous. i couldn't travel safely if i were just super duper hot. guys would be crawling all over me. not so good in random parts of the world. i'm just me and i am really truly beginning to love myself! it's great. i still get really hard on myself (as i described in the previous post) but by being balanced and knowing when to push myself and when to lay off, i cultivate happiness. i know meditation is key for my sanity. and reiki. i did some self-reiki last night and i think that helped. i felt sad all yesterday but haven't felt sad today! meditation is awesome. i can kinda meditate while doing reiki, but also need at least ten separate minutes to sit and just calm my mind down. there is a quote i found on the '8 limbs' newsletter (it's an ashtanga yoga studio in seattle, check it out if you live up there):
There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.
of course it's from the Buddha. Gotama, the Buddha, to be exact. There are many Buddhas (past, present, and future). But Gotama is the one we all know about. Side note about him, he would freak out if he knew what has happened since his death. He was so not into organized religion and would not have wanted one named after him.
you know i think i'm not spending enough time planning my india trip, but for some reason i don't feel the need to. i think i would be fine just making sure i'm aware of major festivals and sights to be seen, and let the rest happen organically. too much planning leads to stress and feeling like you have to hold to your plan. this way i can just do whatever and have an idea of what to do in places that i end up in.
wow i'm tired. i'm getting way too much sleep. it's hard when you don't work and don't have to be anywhere before the afternoon. and even then, it's yoga class. i'm so lucky.
so i'm going to upload my pics to a website thing like snapfish and post the site here on the blog (there is a list of "my favorite sites" underneath the butterfly pic) so you call can enjoy my random attempt at being a photographer!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
instant gratification, a favorite american pasttime
so today i figured out that i am totally human and ashamedly american. instead of going to the gym and spending time at home and online doing responsible things, i elected to hightail it down to university heights (near downtown san diego) and hang out at a coffee shop drinking iced coffee and eating a delectable cornmeal blueberry muffin. then go to yoga this evening. not only am i human, but i am way more into the immediate satisfaction than the other kind. at least right now. but i figure that if your level of happiness or sadness is any kind of way to determine your life, then you should listen to how you feel. the thought of being alone all day was really depressing, and the thought of hanging out down here made me happier, so went with the latter. even though it is totally unhealthy to sit here and enjoy my non-organic cafe goodies...
so that brings me to a point of contention that i'm having with myself. it seems that my organic lifestyle was so easy to keep up in seattle, but isn't so easy here. at least not if i want to hang out with other people and not be shut up in my house or whole foods. let's take last night as an example, i was super lonely and bored, and wanted to spend time with my oldest friend in the world, so i did just that. but instead of being good and healthy by detoxing and meditating alone at my house, i got slightly intoxicated, and ate not-so-good-but-still-expensive mexican food and some apple pie. totally unhealthy and non-organic. and spent money. BUT i wasn't lonely...i actually had a good time. my body didn't, but my heart and head did. but then i end up kicking myself for being "bad." maybe i just need to realize that I can't be so pure in an unpure world. and i shouldn't be so hard on myself. i have been really hard on myself lately. i think my mom is harsh but i am really my own worst critic.
side note: i just drank water out of a nalgene that has been sitting in my car for two days...and it tastes like plastic. i can't help but thinking of all the chemicals i'm putting into my body right now. gross. i forgot my kleen kanteen at home....man i'm way to aware of all the environmental toxins around me. ignorance was bliss...
but back to what i was saying, is it better to be lonely and have my body feel good, or not be lonely and do things my body doesn't like? is balance the key?
something else i realized lately: money can buy happiness, in this country, anyway. i spent money this weekend to keep myself happy. i bought yoga classes, gas to shuttle myself to and from the happy part of town and depressing north county, books to read to get me excited about traveling to india (and not get caught up in my current and very temporary boredom), coffee/tea at coffee shops so i can sit in them for hours and not feel lonely, good organic foodstuffs so when i eat at home i know i'm getting nourished, and i spent money to have some company. so money did buy me some happiness. but again, is it just the temporary kind? how do you know? will my current happiness keep me open to longer-lasting satiation, or will it keep me in this endless cycle of up and down and up and down.... i think by being happy now i do open myself to more opportunities to be sustainably happy.
about being intoxicated: it is a communal activity. especially in my peers. people get together for a beer or a smoke. and if you don't drink or smoke, what do you do? i remember meeting this guy in Seattle that didn't do either, he didn't even drink coffee. i found this out b/c he owed me $5 and i was thinking of a way he could pay me back (he was really worried about owing me money. he was a super nice guy, i met him at an Ama gathering. she's the hugging guru from India. he gave his earlier ticket to my friend b/c she had to wake up super early, and he walked me to my bus at 2am so i wouldn't be alone. like i said, just super duper nice. i missed my bus and we ended up taking a cab to my house then i drove him home, which is how he ended up owing me money) if he didn't do anything "bad" i wondered what the heck he did for fun so i actually asked him that. it turned out that he volunteered at lot at this rather unknown free restaurant aimed towards helping the homeless and students, run by Hare Krishnas. so for fun he hung out with Hare Krishnas. wtf. i definitely do not want to hang out with a spiritual cult, but i don't want to drink or smoke just to have friends... i need new friends. ones that aren't just into numbing themselves. only living in SD for a few weeks makes that difficult. oh well, i will sleep in the bed that i made for myself. i am here b/c i made the decision to come down here. no one made me do it. i keep reminding myself of that...
the gas thing is really getting to me. i have tried not to drive too much, but that just keeps me in del mar, i don't like to walk around there too much b/c it gets old really quickly and the people around there don't take kindly to "hippies." they think i'm weird b/c i don't drive a BMW or wear Armani or drink Starbucks. i get sick of being stared at. i realize that i'm going to deal with that in india but it'll be easier to be stared at in another part of the world than being stared at by my american neighbors. so i drive down to where my sister-in-law and brother live, the awesome part of san diego that has the urban/suburban mix that i adore. sunshine, coffee shops, yoga studios, museums, parks, gay bars, pubs, all surrounded by cute houses. i even look better up here. at my parents house i look like crap but then i look at myself here and i'm like, hey good lookin' ;) my favorite times in SD so far (aside from KT's visit) have been riding bikes with my sister-in-law to and from yoga and breakfast. i seriously love it. i can't wait to be able to ride a bike around thailand and laos.
i recently tried to buy a cheap used beach cruiser but didn't find one cheap enough. but i would still have to drive to get out of north county. so it's either, use up gas or be unhappy. for a week i had a good balance of spending every other day here, but now i'm finding that on the days i'm not here i am so much more sad. so is it okay for me to put my desires ahead of taking responsibility for the earth? at least i'm not driving an hour, just 20-30min. but i'm still driving. and i'm still making myself happy now...but will it make me happy in the long run? it's hard for me to live in the now and not worry about the future. i know i shouldn't worry about anything but i am way too compassionate not to worry about the earth.
one good way of looking at this situtation, is that the earth is going to be fine. in the long run. we are the ones that have to worry. we will be kicked off at some point. and the earth will be fine. so i'm not really hurting the earth, i'm hurting the human race. and i'm soooooooo careful to not throw out anything that could be re-used or recycled, and i am an avid composter (so much that i even save things when i'm out so that i can compost them at home), and i buy mostly in bulk and don't buy lots of plastic, i try to buy stuff i glass containers and save them to store my bulk items... so i can use this little bit of gas to keep myself happy. i'm no good to anyone when i'm sad.
it's like in yoga class when the teacher asked us why we do yoga, and i agreed with her that i do yoga b/c it makes me a better person and that benefits the whole world, not just me. when i'm happy and centered, i'm a better Liz. so i might be using up gas but i hope the cost:benefit ratio is really low. much more benefit than cost.
i really need to stop kicking myself about making poor decisions. hindsight is 20/20. bottom line: increase meditation and lifestyle balance, decrease self-deprecation and money worries. no more "should-ing all over myself."
we'll see how i will keep all this up whilst traveling...
so that brings me to a point of contention that i'm having with myself. it seems that my organic lifestyle was so easy to keep up in seattle, but isn't so easy here. at least not if i want to hang out with other people and not be shut up in my house or whole foods. let's take last night as an example, i was super lonely and bored, and wanted to spend time with my oldest friend in the world, so i did just that. but instead of being good and healthy by detoxing and meditating alone at my house, i got slightly intoxicated, and ate not-so-good-but-still-expensive mexican food and some apple pie. totally unhealthy and non-organic. and spent money. BUT i wasn't lonely...i actually had a good time. my body didn't, but my heart and head did. but then i end up kicking myself for being "bad." maybe i just need to realize that I can't be so pure in an unpure world. and i shouldn't be so hard on myself. i have been really hard on myself lately. i think my mom is harsh but i am really my own worst critic.
side note: i just drank water out of a nalgene that has been sitting in my car for two days...and it tastes like plastic. i can't help but thinking of all the chemicals i'm putting into my body right now. gross. i forgot my kleen kanteen at home....man i'm way to aware of all the environmental toxins around me. ignorance was bliss...
but back to what i was saying, is it better to be lonely and have my body feel good, or not be lonely and do things my body doesn't like? is balance the key?
something else i realized lately: money can buy happiness, in this country, anyway. i spent money this weekend to keep myself happy. i bought yoga classes, gas to shuttle myself to and from the happy part of town and depressing north county, books to read to get me excited about traveling to india (and not get caught up in my current and very temporary boredom), coffee/tea at coffee shops so i can sit in them for hours and not feel lonely, good organic foodstuffs so when i eat at home i know i'm getting nourished, and i spent money to have some company. so money did buy me some happiness. but again, is it just the temporary kind? how do you know? will my current happiness keep me open to longer-lasting satiation, or will it keep me in this endless cycle of up and down and up and down.... i think by being happy now i do open myself to more opportunities to be sustainably happy.
about being intoxicated: it is a communal activity. especially in my peers. people get together for a beer or a smoke. and if you don't drink or smoke, what do you do? i remember meeting this guy in Seattle that didn't do either, he didn't even drink coffee. i found this out b/c he owed me $5 and i was thinking of a way he could pay me back (he was really worried about owing me money. he was a super nice guy, i met him at an Ama gathering. she's the hugging guru from India. he gave his earlier ticket to my friend b/c she had to wake up super early, and he walked me to my bus at 2am so i wouldn't be alone. like i said, just super duper nice. i missed my bus and we ended up taking a cab to my house then i drove him home, which is how he ended up owing me money) if he didn't do anything "bad" i wondered what the heck he did for fun so i actually asked him that. it turned out that he volunteered at lot at this rather unknown free restaurant aimed towards helping the homeless and students, run by Hare Krishnas. so for fun he hung out with Hare Krishnas. wtf. i definitely do not want to hang out with a spiritual cult, but i don't want to drink or smoke just to have friends... i need new friends. ones that aren't just into numbing themselves. only living in SD for a few weeks makes that difficult. oh well, i will sleep in the bed that i made for myself. i am here b/c i made the decision to come down here. no one made me do it. i keep reminding myself of that...
the gas thing is really getting to me. i have tried not to drive too much, but that just keeps me in del mar, i don't like to walk around there too much b/c it gets old really quickly and the people around there don't take kindly to "hippies." they think i'm weird b/c i don't drive a BMW or wear Armani or drink Starbucks. i get sick of being stared at. i realize that i'm going to deal with that in india but it'll be easier to be stared at in another part of the world than being stared at by my american neighbors. so i drive down to where my sister-in-law and brother live, the awesome part of san diego that has the urban/suburban mix that i adore. sunshine, coffee shops, yoga studios, museums, parks, gay bars, pubs, all surrounded by cute houses. i even look better up here. at my parents house i look like crap but then i look at myself here and i'm like, hey good lookin' ;) my favorite times in SD so far (aside from KT's visit) have been riding bikes with my sister-in-law to and from yoga and breakfast. i seriously love it. i can't wait to be able to ride a bike around thailand and laos.
i recently tried to buy a cheap used beach cruiser but didn't find one cheap enough. but i would still have to drive to get out of north county. so it's either, use up gas or be unhappy. for a week i had a good balance of spending every other day here, but now i'm finding that on the days i'm not here i am so much more sad. so is it okay for me to put my desires ahead of taking responsibility for the earth? at least i'm not driving an hour, just 20-30min. but i'm still driving. and i'm still making myself happy now...but will it make me happy in the long run? it's hard for me to live in the now and not worry about the future. i know i shouldn't worry about anything but i am way too compassionate not to worry about the earth.
one good way of looking at this situtation, is that the earth is going to be fine. in the long run. we are the ones that have to worry. we will be kicked off at some point. and the earth will be fine. so i'm not really hurting the earth, i'm hurting the human race. and i'm soooooooo careful to not throw out anything that could be re-used or recycled, and i am an avid composter (so much that i even save things when i'm out so that i can compost them at home), and i buy mostly in bulk and don't buy lots of plastic, i try to buy stuff i glass containers and save them to store my bulk items... so i can use this little bit of gas to keep myself happy. i'm no good to anyone when i'm sad.
it's like in yoga class when the teacher asked us why we do yoga, and i agreed with her that i do yoga b/c it makes me a better person and that benefits the whole world, not just me. when i'm happy and centered, i'm a better Liz. so i might be using up gas but i hope the cost:benefit ratio is really low. much more benefit than cost.
i really need to stop kicking myself about making poor decisions. hindsight is 20/20. bottom line: increase meditation and lifestyle balance, decrease self-deprecation and money worries. no more "should-ing all over myself."
we'll see how i will keep all this up whilst traveling...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
good price for hippies
i had a dear friend come stay with me for a few days and it was a most fantastic time :) the first half i was running around doing san diego stuff, attending family functions, but then it ended with a trip to tijuana, mexico... most unexpected. a good introduction to 3rd world countries. well, it wasn't so representative of anywhere except TJ b/c mexico is shady as hell. the government and the police force will F you over w/o a doubt. but it was a good practice in ignoring the throngs of shopkeeps trying to sell you their wares. and if you did want to buy something, you had to barter. my friend scored a ring for $5 when other people might have paid twice as much, just b/c she kept walking away and didn't really want it and he thought she was just a tough bargainer. he said that she must be a lawyer. it was very pretty ring, a "mexican ring." as we walked past some people one guy shouted at us, "good price for hippies!" he was original, but too bad for him, we laughed and kept walking.
i'm kinda wishing we did take that pic with those poor donkeys painted like zebras. but i wouldn't have sat on it for anything. so sad and really gross. at least they had water and food. we were offered all sorts of medications, free massages, jewelry for a dollar, it was crazy. there was even this strange arch that totally looked like the st. louis arch. i need to get a pic of that one... i have to admit i hate TJ so i was a bit freaked out at first. but then i actually started to enjoy myself. we weren't there for that long and then headed back up to my house and walked to the beach. slid down some cliffs and sunbathed. ran around the water for a bit, then headed back up here for some yummy food. salmon burger salads with pita chip croutons and trader joe's peanut sauce dressing. mmmmmmmm tasty.
i was definitely sad to see her go, she is such an awesome human being and she really reminded me of my fam back in seattle. such amazing, open, aware, beautiful people. so real. so down to earth. i miss them all and i was a bit hormonal but also nostalgic/sad most of the day. i'm so glad i had a chance to share this last bit of summer with such a wonderful soul. it's easy to get caught up in the current state of your life, but remembering and appreciating where you came from (or recently left) is important. i learned so much while living in seattle and met the most amazing people. i made friends for life. i love you all dearly and miss you so much it hurts. that is kinda why i started this blog. so people know i care about them even if i don't call or email a ton.
happy birthday to you all (recent past and near future). i wish you all the best!!
i'm kinda wishing we did take that pic with those poor donkeys painted like zebras. but i wouldn't have sat on it for anything. so sad and really gross. at least they had water and food. we were offered all sorts of medications, free massages, jewelry for a dollar, it was crazy. there was even this strange arch that totally looked like the st. louis arch. i need to get a pic of that one... i have to admit i hate TJ so i was a bit freaked out at first. but then i actually started to enjoy myself. we weren't there for that long and then headed back up to my house and walked to the beach. slid down some cliffs and sunbathed. ran around the water for a bit, then headed back up here for some yummy food. salmon burger salads with pita chip croutons and trader joe's peanut sauce dressing. mmmmmmmm tasty.
i was definitely sad to see her go, she is such an awesome human being and she really reminded me of my fam back in seattle. such amazing, open, aware, beautiful people. so real. so down to earth. i miss them all and i was a bit hormonal but also nostalgic/sad most of the day. i'm so glad i had a chance to share this last bit of summer with such a wonderful soul. it's easy to get caught up in the current state of your life, but remembering and appreciating where you came from (or recently left) is important. i learned so much while living in seattle and met the most amazing people. i made friends for life. i love you all dearly and miss you so much it hurts. that is kinda why i started this blog. so people know i care about them even if i don't call or email a ton.
happy birthday to you all (recent past and near future). i wish you all the best!!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Life is Good
so this is how i plan to ring in 2008: http://www.sivananda.org/neyyardam/yacp.html
How awesome is that? after spending 9 weeks backpacking around thailand, laos, and cambodia, i head to the southern coast of india for this program, then it's off the nearby beaches and into the heart of the country!
man oh man i'm freaking excited. after spending two weeks down here in SD, i'm finally getting the hang of it all. it took a little getting used to, but i love it here now. i spend my days planning my trip, walking on the beach, doing yoga (i started taking astanga classes with my sister-in-law and feel freakin GREAT), working out, eating super healthy (it's so sunny and warm that all i want is a very clean diet of veggies, legumes, nuts, and some whole grains), hanging out with old and new friends, kickin it at cool coffee shops near downtown, playing with my cats, sleeping in...**sigh** rough life, huh ;) oh yeah and i water the plants. heh, so much sun here i'm turning brown and blonde!
Astanga yoga is so great. I adore yoga. And meditation. Makes me feel like a million bucks and so happy and balanced. Yoga is so awesome. It really, really, is. I don't know if I want to teach someday but I will never not practice. Nothing has ever made me feel so strong, centered, and clear-headed. And above all, healthy!
My trip planning is also coming along quite nicely. I decided to skip Viet Nam this time b/c 9 weeks just isn't enough to do four countries w/o rushing and going insane. So 3 weeks each in Northern Thailand, Northern Laos, and Western Cambodia. Then over to India. Then Nepal. Then...I dunno. But I found a great site: http://www.travelfish.org/ which is freaking amazing for trip planning. Sooooo helpful.
The places I'm most excited about are: Chiang Mai and Pai in Thailand, Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng in Laos, and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) and Sihanoukville in Cambodia. I was hoping to volunteer on an organic farm in Vang Vieng but I'm not sure if I will have time...
Still have to plan India, but I think that will be a less planned venture, and more of a wandering exploration.
How awesome is that? after spending 9 weeks backpacking around thailand, laos, and cambodia, i head to the southern coast of india for this program, then it's off the nearby beaches and into the heart of the country!
man oh man i'm freaking excited. after spending two weeks down here in SD, i'm finally getting the hang of it all. it took a little getting used to, but i love it here now. i spend my days planning my trip, walking on the beach, doing yoga (i started taking astanga classes with my sister-in-law and feel freakin GREAT), working out, eating super healthy (it's so sunny and warm that all i want is a very clean diet of veggies, legumes, nuts, and some whole grains), hanging out with old and new friends, kickin it at cool coffee shops near downtown, playing with my cats, sleeping in...**sigh** rough life, huh ;) oh yeah and i water the plants. heh, so much sun here i'm turning brown and blonde!
Astanga yoga is so great. I adore yoga. And meditation. Makes me feel like a million bucks and so happy and balanced. Yoga is so awesome. It really, really, is. I don't know if I want to teach someday but I will never not practice. Nothing has ever made me feel so strong, centered, and clear-headed. And above all, healthy!
My trip planning is also coming along quite nicely. I decided to skip Viet Nam this time b/c 9 weeks just isn't enough to do four countries w/o rushing and going insane. So 3 weeks each in Northern Thailand, Northern Laos, and Western Cambodia. Then over to India. Then Nepal. Then...I dunno. But I found a great site: http://www.travelfish.org/ which is freaking amazing for trip planning. Sooooo helpful.
The places I'm most excited about are: Chiang Mai and Pai in Thailand, Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng in Laos, and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) and Sihanoukville in Cambodia. I was hoping to volunteer on an organic farm in Vang Vieng but I'm not sure if I will have time...
Still have to plan India, but I think that will be a less planned venture, and more of a wandering exploration.
Monday, September 10, 2007
best chai ever!
so in my preparations for my trip to india, i've been attempting to make a decent cup of chai for the past week or so. After many so'so attempts, I made a cup that I was proud of! even the chai nazis of "taste of india" in seattle would be proud. it sucks b/c i only made this small amount so i can't refill it fast enough. always make a small amount until you get it right, no sense in wasting good ingredients! here is the recipe and note my changes/additions at the very bottom.
I got this from a website: http://www.odie.org/chai/recipes.html#recmenu1
note that it only makes about 2 (small) cups. Scale it up for more:
Masala Chai
1-1/2 cups water
1 inch stick of cinnamon
8 cardomom pods
8 whole cloves
2/3 cup milk
6 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
3 teaspoons any unperfumed loose black tea
Put 1-1/2 cups water in saucepan.
Add the cinnamon, cardomom, and cloves and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer again.
Throw in the tea leaves, cover, and turn off the heat. After 2 minutes, strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately.
From Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking, Barron's, New York, p. 196 (1983).
I added about 1 tsp of chopped fresh ginger, and 8 black peppercorns. I also mashed the cardamom pods. I used 1/3 cup of rice milk and 1/3 cup of organic half'n'half, and instead of sugar I used about two tsp of agave nectar. It was freaking amazing. Oh, and I used two teabags and just broke them open and poured them in.
Happy chai making! It is really important to use whole spices, the ground stuff just is not the same. Now to learn how to make proper Palaak Paneer...
I got this from a website: http://www.odie.org/chai/recipes.html#recmenu1
note that it only makes about 2 (small) cups. Scale it up for more:
Masala Chai
1-1/2 cups water
1 inch stick of cinnamon
8 cardomom pods
8 whole cloves
2/3 cup milk
6 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
3 teaspoons any unperfumed loose black tea
Put 1-1/2 cups water in saucepan.
Add the cinnamon, cardomom, and cloves and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer again.
Throw in the tea leaves, cover, and turn off the heat. After 2 minutes, strain the tea into two cups and serve immediately.
From Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking, Barron's, New York, p. 196 (1983).
I added about 1 tsp of chopped fresh ginger, and 8 black peppercorns. I also mashed the cardamom pods. I used 1/3 cup of rice milk and 1/3 cup of organic half'n'half, and instead of sugar I used about two tsp of agave nectar. It was freaking amazing. Oh, and I used two teabags and just broke them open and poured them in.
Happy chai making! It is really important to use whole spices, the ground stuff just is not the same. Now to learn how to make proper Palaak Paneer...
Friday, September 7, 2007
Do we still have First Amendment rights?
watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EAfPgX7gs0
This is amazing. I can't believe they actually arrested those people. The best part is the cop on the horse (power trip, much?). Talk about a deadly weapon, that horse could have easily kicked or shat on someone... all for posting some flyers. I seriously hope my friend is going to that september 15 march, b/c she lives in DC.
I am so glad that I am about to leave the country, but I am a bit unknowing of how people will treat me b/c I am American. We have invaded Iraq for how long now? And there is no progress. Only progress we've made is in terms of casualties. Wtf.
Watch this video, too: http://pol.moveon.org/troopshome/?id=11198-7871595-VpiaXb&t=2
This is amazing. I can't believe they actually arrested those people. The best part is the cop on the horse (power trip, much?). Talk about a deadly weapon, that horse could have easily kicked or shat on someone... all for posting some flyers. I seriously hope my friend is going to that september 15 march, b/c she lives in DC.
I am so glad that I am about to leave the country, but I am a bit unknowing of how people will treat me b/c I am American. We have invaded Iraq for how long now? And there is no progress. Only progress we've made is in terms of casualties. Wtf.
Watch this video, too: http://pol.moveon.org/troopshome/?id=11198-7871595-VpiaXb&t=2
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Yogananda is awesome
हे! ई कैन टाईप इन हिंदी!
Hey! I can type in Hindi! This is so cool. I'm not even in India yet...although I did go to a temple for a kirtan/meditation program. Close to my house, too. I'm going to the meditation gardens at some point. The overlook the gorgeous beach. I have felt like a fish out of water for the past week, so I'm glad that I can find some common ground with this strange and unfamiliar area.
I have been posting on thorn tree and it looks like I already have some fellow backpackers to meet up with in Thailand as soon as I get there! And some are just coming from India so hopefully they will give me some good fresh advice. Man oh man I can't freakin wait!!!!
Hey! I can type in Hindi! This is so cool. I'm not even in India yet...although I did go to a temple for a kirtan/meditation program. Close to my house, too. I'm going to the meditation gardens at some point. The overlook the gorgeous beach. I have felt like a fish out of water for the past week, so I'm glad that I can find some common ground with this strange and unfamiliar area.
I have been posting on thorn tree and it looks like I already have some fellow backpackers to meet up with in Thailand as soon as I get there! And some are just coming from India so hopefully they will give me some good fresh advice. Man oh man I can't freakin wait!!!!
the trip of my dreams
I am in a holding pattern right now, in between my road trip down the west coast of the u.s. and taking off for asia. Very difficult to remain patient. I do have a ton of planning and research to do, so 6 weeks doesn't seem like that long. But I miss the Pacific NW already, it's been pretty hard to adjust to Southern California. It is so drastically different than everything I've known for the past 8 years.
I must keep my eye on the future and just get done what I have to get done. I'm on to somewhere full of possibilities and endless adventures.
I must keep my eye on the future and just get done what I have to get done. I'm on to somewhere full of possibilities and endless adventures.
Getting ready to leave the Pacific NW
written on thursday, 26 july, 2007
So this is my first post, i'm still here in Seattle, and I can't freakin wait until the end of August when I drive down the West Coast, back to San Diego where I will be living for a month and a half....then I take off for the beginning of the rest of my life! SE Asia, here I come!!
So this is my first post, i'm still here in Seattle, and I can't freakin wait until the end of August when I drive down the West Coast, back to San Diego where I will be living for a month and a half....then I take off for the beginning of the rest of my life! SE Asia, here I come!!
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