Gaia Community: Yuri's Blog

Back with the flo:)

Sun, 16 Sep 2007 17:07:46 -0000

The zaangha yesterday was small but cozy, a beautiful day too, clear sky, sunny hot with windless stillness. These members showed up! Scotty , Ryan, Dharma girl and Free energy . From vicious circle to Bottlescrew Bills and as in a slight detour became the place for the zaangha gathering in Calgary. There were Wiber fans to environmentalists to followers of Dharma where ideas were shared, expanded and mingled with fries, beer, ice tea and ginger-ale cranberry drink. Everyone had their preference as to selection as according to their own palette. We can be the same and different at the same time which brings me to this article I would like to share. It's very cute and reminds me of the compassion in all of us. Enjoy!

13/09/07 - World news section

The abandoned monkey who has found love with a pigeon
They're an odd couple in every sense but a monkey and a pigeon have become inseparable at an animal sanctuary in China.
The 12-week-old macaque - who was abandoned by his mother - was close to death when it was rescued on Neilingding Island, in Goangdong Province.
After being taken to an animal hospital his health began to improve but he seemed spiritless - until he developed a friendship with a white pigeon.
Scroll down for more...
The blossoming relationship helped to revive the macaque who has developed a new lease of life, say staff at the sanctuary.
Now the unlikely duo are never far from each other's side, but they aren't the only ones to strike up an unusual friendship.
Earlier this year a pig adopted a tiger cub and raised him along with her piglets because his mother couldn't feed him.
And in 2005 a baby dear named Mi-Lu befriended lurcher Geoffrey at the Knowsley Animal Park in Merseyside after she was rejected by her mother.

Find this story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=481601&in_page_id=1811
©2007 Associated New Media

Write the obituary you'd like to receive.

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 02:54:08 -0000

Humm..Asian do not really have obituary. Maybe they do but not in my family, I have not encountered anyone with one in my childhood and now. Perhaps the best obituary is none at all because we can be like nature and the universe. We flow with no mark, no intentions, no force...no memories, no footprint, nothing for people to cry, to fear, to cling, to feel sad. Is it natural for waves of sadness to arise in people in times of death or do we cry because we fear the unknown, the journey? A master once said that "we should cry when there is birth and smile when there is death". I like that. So if I had a obituary, it might just say this:

Smile, smile to life, smile to love ones, friends, strangers, animals, the world, the sufferings, the pain, the sadness, the laughters, the bless, and the impermanence.
Heres looking at you babe ^_*

Smile, you're on the Tube!

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 04:42:11 -0000

Thanks for the new tech tools..zaadz
here, it has arrived
inspirating
sweet!

image embedding
sleek

very nice
excited
race u to it.
yeah

curiosity
oooooooohhhhhhhhh
ooooshhhhhh
let's have fun!

Samaritan's Purse Challenge

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 16:21:34 -0000

"We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year? Somewhere out there in the world, the song will be sung in Christmas encouraging happiness, hope and joy to all. Well, the days are near and the malls are packed, emotions are high and stress is here. What to buy? How much to spend? Buy Buy Buy The time is near.

I come from an Asian family so Christmas is not celebrated much..the most is that our family get together and go out for dinner. There is no boxed gifts, there is no decorations inside. It is nice that way, no fuss, no spending over budget, no stress. Xmas doesn't have to be perfect with the best clothes, the best of food, the best of experience. The world makes Christmas a higher pestral each year where all we focus on is that special day where everyday of every present moment should be Christmas.

Christmas is a blessing. If we are able to celebrate it, it means that you are fortunate to have the finance, the gifts of friends, families, the riches of food and a shelter to share it with. Imagine if we did not have any of those fortunate.

The recipe for riches lies not with how much money we have, how we are dress, not how many cool gagnets, or pretty house or faster car but in our humanitarian efforts to see all people as one: the same being with same wishes for love, joy, peace and harmony.

"LIFE is 10% what happens to you 90% what you do with what happens to You."

ZAADZ IS ABOUT CHANGING THE WORLD!

SHARE OUR WEALTH - Shoebox Style (Nov 13 - 18, 2006)

SAMARITAN'S PURSE (CANADA) SMARITAN'S PURSE (USA)

Samaritan's Purse is an international relief organization that distributes Christmas gifts to the Children all over the world.

The shoebox can be fill with school supplies, hygience items, toys, clothes accessories etc.

Giving is getting: smiles, happy thoughts, sweet dreams, joy, warm wishes, generousity, life, open hearts, open spaces, friendship, peace and harmony.

Rock on Zaadzsters!!

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 23:57:33 -0000

Hey, Calgary is booming and growing in numbers. We just got a new theater in town renovated called the GRAND. Lovely antique feel to it, simple decor, a small size place that holds about 100? Ryan and I went to clap for Malcolm who was performing in it as the musical background. (the drums). He is a zaadz too so cheers to him! We saw the musical play called URINETOWN. It was a blast..the cast was so talented, dancing and singing and many interactions to make the audiences laugh their hearts out. The music was upbeat and fun with kicks. The topic was interestingly catching..about a town in the future..a time when there is water shortage and drought where everyone could not afford to have private toilets in their homes and it became a need to pay to pee hence, the song, "it's a privilege to pee"..very comical to see the first scene where people are in line waiting and holding their liquids in line as they pay to go pee. The drumming was excellent of course :) The band was certainly fabulous, the whole crowd stood up to applauses for them during the ending performances. I hope some of zaadsters got to see it. I should have posted my reviews earlier..heheh..well, there is always the next showing when it comes :P

A heads up, the Calgary film festival is happening now so do go if zaadsters are in Calgary..it is quite big.. September 22, 2006 to October 1. There is still a week left. And of course..do go see and support zaadz's family..zaadzster KP . Check out "Sand for Now " , a documentary about the artists of the sands...in different part of the world from Quebec Canada to Europe places..it touches both the spiritual and physical aspects of artists working with the material. It is great to see such passion glow and shine out through the creator. The beautiful details of each piece.

Tonight, Ryan and I are heading out to catch the flim "Immigrant" which is produced by a Calgarian too which is showing at the film festival. Okay, got to go and catch it.. Ryan is nagging me to hurry..see ya..

Yuri

Stepping OUt

Sun, 16 Jul 2006 04:35:31 -0000

Humm..I haven't been blogging for awhile..not even close to catching up with all other friend's blog on this community. The so called life seem to spin by so fast that I can hardly keep up..the week seems to pass from monday to friday and to monday again and sometimes I wonder if I have truly use my time wisely? Reflection is needed most definately! I guess what I mean is to live day to day with more meaning and spread meaning as best as I can to others in my life or even beyond my circle of connections.

As like being here knowing that it is now at this moment that I am writing this blog and with this blog, communication, connection, sharing, understanding comes together and bridges our sense of oneness, our experience with each other and be the buddha within. It was hard of me to understand what that means..but after many dharma talks, and reflection.. I see how peace, happiness, joy are truly within us but we have to do our part. We have to make effort, take risk, and be not afraid to fall down and experience the sufferings which in a hidden way is our helper to arriving at the pureland of our vision. Even if we half finish the race, we still was in it and that counts no matter where we are at.

am I saying that I have peace and happiness? I believe that as long as we are human, there is no total peace and happiness..things are balance with the negative and positive, the yang and ying, moon and sun. We still are bind to the suffering that exist in the so called life. When I attended those dharma talks..when the people talks of suffering, the master would say, that is good, you are burning bad karma. Acceptance can help. That's a great way to see it but hard to swallow if each of us is so different, our views, our pain tolerance, our experience but we all know sufferings in one form or another. We all get it. So we got to bridge the gap between knowledge, understanding then true wisdom self comes. ..Perhaps comes in the most ordinary everyday common gestures or things through our mind, our eyes, our body, our actions or non actions.

When someone is suffering...

1. Be a friend, just be there..an act of listening is of great relief.

2. Be understanding because we are all in that boat in time or another.

3. Be patience, the person may tend to repeat words, phrase or speech a number of times, worse even bite, hit, scratch but that is not him/her..it is the reaction from pain.

4. Be not judgemental, we are not that person or being so do not assume.

5. Be not afraid to smile and give them a big hard hug and encouragement.

6. Be not afraid to ask questions. Ask if they are okay.

Okei, I wanted to talk about reflection too but I guess that will be the next topic...notice how our brain works..I honestly did not know my end blog would be..this..doesn't this parellel life the way life works?

Starfishes & Pigeons

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 21:42:30 -0000

I finally got back into it and got myself going to the temple again. Today was a "Liberation ceremony". The Avatamsaka temple brought 3 big cages of pigeons, and they are planning to set them free!!! What a great deed..me so happy. I thought I would be actually be helping with moving the crates and freeing the birds but that didn't happen. The assembly and I chanted a liberation sutra or mantra and afterwards, volunteer male helpers escorted the birds to the van for the trip to freedom.

Does it make a difference to do such actions when others are constantly capturing back the birds to be sell again? Well, The master talkes about this story. I have heard of this story before but perhaps you have not. It is along a beach in a city of a country, a girl would pick starfish off the shores of the ocean. In automatic motion, when she saw one on the ground, her hands would pick it up and toss it out back into the ocean. She did this the whole day until a curious by-passer stopped her and ask:

"What are you doing?"

"I am throwing starfish into the ocean".

"Does that make any difference, they are going to come back to shore, dry and die anyhow."

She saw another starfish nearby, gallop towards it, picked it up with her tiny hands in full momentum and said, "It does to that one."

The master said it was after reading this English story that she understood the meaning behind the actions. Even though it is impossible to save all the starfishes, all the pigeons or the animals or all beings..the most important is making such great thought or wishes so we can plant in ourselves for the future. When we have such deep seeds of wishes then later when the time is ripe, we will be able to fulfill them.

I agree with her, even if you doubt an action, it doesn't hurt to do good. The 1 to 2 seconds of our time doesn't make much difference to us but for the starfishes, it means another chance to live and not be sizzle and dry out by the hot hot sun. If you would not wish to die that way, neither does all those starfishes and pigeons. The difference is that we have feet to walk or run away from the situation and a mouth that allows us to communicate to the understanding of the majority. If starfishes have feet that allow them to travel back to the ocean, what do you think they would do?

One way to cultivate is to analyze our dislike or doubt of something. For examples, worms, ants, mice, snakes, insects etc. Why do we fear it? By questioning, we find out more about ourselves, perhaps we see a different picture and problem. If we consider the importance of them in the equation of life, we will eventually realized that it is because of them that we are here. Everything has a purpose. There is a choice for each individual to investigate or choose not to know the working of the kosmos but even if we do not value their purpose or agree with it, we must value the importance of life because we are life itself.

Cast away

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 11:29:58 -0000

Lost: To wander from or become ignorant of: lose one's way. It is a frightful feeling, the sense of disconnection and confusion to the present surroundings and not be able to control what is happening around you. There is a sense of helplessness and the need to find security, familiarity and comfort very very fast. Fear creeps in and we will do anything to protect ourselves. I remembered the first and last time I was lost. It was in elementary school times in the 80's and I got lost at my friend's place near 87 ave and 163rd st. I can't even recall if I went with someone but the area was new to me and the unknown surroundings blurred my sense of direction and I lost my way. What do kids do? I cried and cried but I also saw a "block parent" sign and went to that house for assistance. I wish I could be some assistance to Flo. She had her teeth cleaned yesterday and the night of the day before and yesterday, she did not eat or drink. Yesterday morning, I manage to get her to drink a bit of water from my hand in the morning before I left for work and before her operation. That was the last time I saw my flurry friend. I do not want to confuse you, she is not dead or anything. She is just lost, her old self needs time to recover, that is what I am hoping because I miss her so much. The fear in her eyes was one I do not want any being to have, at the vet was frantic, wild, and instinctive fear and suffering..when I called to calm her, it was like the wind, her eyes looked beyond in a world I could not enter. I didn't think she saw me at all, those glossy round eyes beamed out at me. There was no connection, just fear. She hissed as though she needed to fend off a bear and her life depended on it. We tried putting her bag inside and seeing if she would enter it herself but she remained in the fearful state..hissing and growling as if there is no tomorrow. The doctor finally came in with protective gloves and a blanket. The sound of her howls was the loudest I ever heard her. He wrapped her up and placed her into our carrying bag and I walked her home. It is sad to see her in a new personality..she is calm now, it took awhile but I am worry about her because she hasn't drink much since she got home and I tried feeding a bit to her but all she did was sniff it..her walk is slow, tipsy and careful..her quietness and reserved nature but unlike her old self of confidence and voice, she seems empty of life. She is alive yet she is not in some sense. The experience must have been painfully stressful for her. They had put her to sleep to get the teeth clean. The fasting was crazy. I do not know if any humans can, would allow or endure a fast of food about 15 hrs before surgery. When I think back, I wonder if it was such a good idea in the first place. If clean teeth is more important than losing a friend or unintentionally causing any beings such suffering and pain. I miss her gentle voice of greeting. I miss her galloping run and playful fun and meetings. I miss her appetite for food when she ask for it. I miss turning the tap on and her leading the way to the bathroom sink for water. I miss her variety of meowing to communicate, one for outside, one for food, one for greeting, one for disappointment and sadness. I miss her cuddles at night and deep breathing. I miss her confidence and self purr healing. May we both be able to be one with the changes and be able to become new friends like old ones.

Life's Pun

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 02:30:09 -0000

Sunday June 3, 2006

pun

A play on words, sometimes on different senses of the same word and sometimes on the similar sense or sound of different words.

i·ro·ny

*An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.

*A literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect. See Synonyms at wit¹.

*Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs:

Wow, it has been a long long time since I blog. My holidays with the distractions in the path of life was fully booked, what can I say. Exciting and adventurous things like getting groceries, preparing for dinners, going to yoga, cleaning the house and work got me ocuppied. Well, I tried work on each tasks without feeling overwhelmed by the task. Notice the word "tried too" meaning there is effort involved to try. It is not really a big deal if I delay on them, but some or most daily task urges completeness for them. The list goes on and on sometimes, I get lazy, the task gets boring exception to the yoga one.

Anyhow, looking around now, the place is not as tidy as I intended to be. Our ideals and expectations sure keep us busy in the world. I finally re -potted my plants yesterday since the time I got them. Let's just say I got them shorter than 4 weeks ago. A lavender and some kind of tropical plant from Safeway. I fill my kitchen with plants because their life forces reinforces my own. I believe so anyways and it relaxing to watch them grow and change and fill my kitchen with nature.

Life is always fill with things to do, but what we classified as importance and priority is really up to us. That would be neat to freeze time, get most of my daily grinds done then with a press of the remote control continue with life again. But in this case, Life has its own voice in a language of its own. Life is fill of surprises like Jack in the box. The not knowing allows the element of surprise, and in a string of alluring twist and ironic events, it challenges our assumptions as it plays follow the leader with us without actually telling us to play.

Recently, I was pondering about purchasing a laptop because my old one is going bonkers. First, it was my battery but there is no need to get a battery if I can just use the plug in right? If I am using it at home, it is manageable but there is more. Next, the fan system complaints and makes spins sounds way before I got a chance to browse and start to do anything with my programs.

When a program was started, it had a momentum of a slithering snail, perhaps slower but I can't think of anything slower than a snail. A leech? Do they move? A static leech perhaps. And just opening and closing a file was time consuming. Computer problems are no fun. Just ask the Dell guy, every time, he asked me what was happening..my answer is still uploading. Dell was really good in their customer service, I must admit. My warranty had expired for 3 years but with a phone call, the person was willing to stay on the phone with me for a hour to help with the problems. I was impressed.

I was lucky that day. I finally got my BIOS upgraded but when a black screen with errors surprised me a few more times, it got me thinking. Not a good sign. Anyways, perhaps something is telling me to do something but before my decision to do something and purchase another one, an another event happened showing me the urgency to do so.

Out of the blue, Ryan decided to closed my laptop this day and in a downward momentum to close the laptop, the hinges broke. Okay, the decision is so easy now. I had to replace my laptop. It was comical too because on the same day, I stepped on his glasses forcing him to buy a new one too. We found it funny because it was just yesterday that he had said he was not to going to glasses until it was broken. And here we are at the place where we are suppose to be, a time in place where our events are telling us to get glasses and a laptop. Neat hey.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 19:18:33 -0000

Ryan went to visit his folks at Lacombe so Ms.Flo and I got some quiet times together. It felt a bit different knowing that when I came home, only kitty was home. I ended up watching Hitchcock movie "The disappearing lady". An older productions of Hitchcock which was not as suspenseful as his works in the 60s, 70s. It had some comedy in it so a fresh kind of element for me.

Saturday, I had the whole day plan to go out and check out sewing machines but ended up cleaning the bathroom and kitchen and then spending the entire day reading! It has been awhile that I read for a whole day. I continue with my book "The Time Traveller's Wife". A mix of present past moments for the characters involved and at first, it threw me off as the characters were this age and that age or the same person at an age with the same person at a different age but in the same moment of the present. The thought of going back in time and meeting my past self.Wouldn't that be interesting but the thought of being naked and having the hassle to look for clothes, food and locate my bearings would be stressful. I wonder what would happen if people see a naked person in the street in your neighborhood? Scream? Locate the the police nearby? Be scare? Smile? Be amused? Be curious?

I don't exactly know how I would react but I would like to be curious and imagine good reasons why that person is naked. I imagine there could be many surprises and responds from the viewer but I bet that naked person is more stressful and fearful than his audiences. Perhaps that is one reason why E.T should have remain hidden?

To travel into someone's life and discover the different side of them is a new discovery. All their experiences, their happy moments, their sad, the neural, their pain. I guess seeing their weakness and strengths binds us closer with them because we see ourselves in them. We are human because we understand and can share our same inside with others, our happy, sad, joy, anger or frustrated moments. Sharing releases freedom inside allowing spaces to breath and spaces to imagine spontaneous possibilities of a better individual, better community, better society, better world. We feel less disconnected when we share.

Sharing sometimes does not come easily done in a package with a pretty bow on top. There could be massive of masking tapes layered and wrapped tightly around the box so we have to be productive and creative in our ways of unwrapping the box. If we are too eager, we might damage the package.

In my experience, I found that "the disappearing trick" does bring people together a little if not more. Spaces apart does something to us. After a period of time, we start to appreciate or value our good times with them. Time heals because time allows us to see a more clearer and wider picture of the truth. (Well, if our conditions bring us to that moment). Time gives us longer moments to look into our circumstances instead of reactions. Over time, we learn, we cope, we arrive to a new way of thinking and a new way of living. It would be great to time travel to our success point or our happy moments but without the other moments, we would have lost half the core of our experiences because the understanding validated by all the experiences become half empty of understanding. Perhaps that is one of our reasons for experiencing life and experiencing death? Could it be our journey to understanding?

Next time we pass by a homeless person, perhaps offer some food or exchange a smile or a conversation. If we could time travel to the many experiences in their lives, we would see things different. Bananas, bus tickets, smiles, conversations, understandings, connections are great things to share.

Oops! I did so much sharing that I missed my bus to meet Ryan at the Bus Station. But it is okay, he is safely home now. Thanks for sharing your time with me. Cheerios.

Sugar Coating Realities

Mon, 17 Apr 2006 02:52:26 -0000

When any problems arises, I find that we like to go play dodge ball, escape from being hit in the face or anywhere of pain or troubles of dealing with it. We eat, drink, smoke, or buy our mind away from the core of our solution. We sugar coat things and cover it up until, we believe that it is the truth and we can not change, the circumstance is our karma and our real way is far away. But does sugar coating a good solution? The problem eventually will catch up and come back to us circling around until we make choices that will end the spinning.

I just read an powerful article about the state our home planet with David Suzuki and Swami Sivananda. Even DS isn't too optimistic about the future of the planet. He says that what we are facing is at a scale that is "well beyond anything that we had been involved with in the past." We are acting too slowly? What can we do?

They talked about evolution and man's ability to "foresight" natural disasters and preventing them. Humans are inventive, intelligent and have the ability to realize that the future can be affected by the present. In the past, when we believe a drought was soon to come, we would prepared and put grains away. The human race has survived and grown to become the dominant animal on the planet because of foresight. The future depends on "Foresight." Why is it now that we have lost our foresight in modern times? With increased of scientist, engineers with the masses of computers and global telecommunication, we are still in a dream? When Hurricane Katrina came, we knew and we waited. We had warnings but still, there were lots of suffering, pain, injuries, and death. If we can prevent, would we? There were other hurricanes to come and it seems to increase each year. Perhaps, we can make good scientific guesses to why climate is chaotic?

DS said that people have to lived "within what anthropologists call the worldview". We have to know that everything is connected to everything and there is full significance and repercussions. That reminds me of grandma's words to finishing all food on my plate. As I child, I could not understand the full meaning but only if the food was good, it was gone in my tummy and if it was not my taste, it was a task of a million chews but no swallows. It is until a Dharma talk in Canada that I realized the full connection between the food on my plate and all the conditions and connections that allow food to be on my plate from the seed to soil, to water to sunshine, to nurture and care to farmer, to merchant to store to home to plate. There were so many factors before the food was able to be on my plate. There are many invisible threads that we often forget about. Have we lost the power to see that the planet and ourselves are a single entity? "We've moved to cities and we think the economy is what gives us our life, that if the economy is strong we can afford garbage collection and sewage disposal and fresh food and water and electricity. We go through life thinking that money is the key to having whatever we want, without regard to what it does to the rest of the world."

A sour feeling of a lemon lingered up to my throat. My eyes felt irritable uncomfortable and there was tightness in my heart. "With literally hundreds of thousands of species going extinct in a lifetime - over 90% big fish.." and already added 32% more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than 150 years ago. There isn't any way we can sugarcoat the reality.. " But people are on a sugar high. Bigger disasters will happen no doubt if we keep this up. Our way of living, thinking and the way we treat our animals, species, environment and ourselves. We are not living in a igloo.

David Suzuki joined the board of a UN - sponsored group called the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. "A largest study of the ecosystem of the planet involving 1300 scientists from 71 countries in the world was completed and released in March 2005 and it was the third page of the Globe and Mail." And when the Pope was in hospital, it was pushed off the news. The report was in the paper for ONLY A DAY! For me, there is a great sense of sadness because our element of foresight is so far from us :( People are more attracted to gossip, entertainment, and trivial media things than what is happening with our place of living we called Earth. EARTH = Species = Mankind = Future Generations = Animals = Environment = Air we breath, Water we drink = More Natural disasters = Diseases = Suffering = Pain = Deaths = No me talking to you or You sharing meaningful ideas or Family or Children or Friends or Life.

Swami Sivananda mentioned about a hearing in Alaska in the 1980s and this Eighty year old Inupiaq woman stood up and spoke her thoughts. She is a hero. She said, "It's really too bad that the young people today can't learn from their elders, because if they can't learn from their elders the only other teacher is Nature. And Nature is a very, very severe teacher." I just laugh out loud as I read this. I guess I was laughing at the intelligent of mankind for being the dominant animal on the planet yet the stupidest specie on the planet.

DS talked about his role on TV and how it was a medium for him to communicate science to people and how he was the translator for the public. He thought then that the public would be empowered to act on that.

SS "Did that happen?"

DS: "To my amazement that didn't happen at all." To his surprise, television was a great medium for communication but in another way, it provided lots of gaps for distractions. People can take food breaks, washroom breaks, kid breaks, dog breaks etc. And info is absorbed in bits and pieces.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

What do we want your country to be by the year 2030? - A generation from now?

Do we want our country where the air is free of chemicals and we don't have epidemic levels of asthma?

Do we want us to be able to drink the water out of our rivers or lakes?

Perhaps Television gives us too much freedom, when we have too much of anything, there is lack of gratitude, respect, and appreciation. Think about it, there is Only One Earth. You Are One Life, and "The Greatest Power that we have as humans is the Power of Choice." We need to lightening our impact on nature. It begins with US, our way of living, our home, our way of transportation, our vehicles, our food, our products we buy, and our choices.

It was a windswept day, the trees were waving and hairs were flying but with clear skies and sunshine, Ryan and I walked to a neighborhood cafe called "Weeds." It was a community cafe where had his coffee and I enjoyed a great article with David Suzuki and Swami Sivananda in my reading of "Ascent" magazine.

This Could save you.

The David Suzuki Foundation has researched the 10 most effective ways we can help conserve nature and improve our quality of life.

1. Reduce home energy use by 10%.

2. Choose an energy-efficient home & appliances.

3. Don't use pesticides.

4. Eat meat - free meals one day a week

5. Buy locally grown and produced food.

6. Choose a fuel - efficient vehicle.

7. Choose a home close to work or school.

8. Walk, bike, carpool or take transit.

9. Support alternative transportation.

10. Learn more and share with others.

Empowerment is about Self Empowerment, we are the change, we are the force of change. If we want change, do not expect it from others. Like what Gandhi says, "We've got to be the change we want."

INFO:

Nature Challenge

Climate Change

RetScreen International - clean energy decision support centre

8 glasses of water

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 05:10:48 -0000

Water is not my favourite drink but when I am really thirsty, it does quench my thirst. Most of my life, I was not much of a water person, swimming is not my strength and either is drinking water. Perhaps it is tradition? Most of the women in my family don't drink too much water, I can't recall any of my aunties or my grandma drinking more than 2 glasses a day. I tried to drink more but most of the time, the day goes on and I end up not drinking more than 2 cups. We were told that to drink 8 glasses a day is a healthy routine. When did this happened? I don't think it is true for certain people. What about body size? Water in food intake and other drinks? What if I am not thirsty? Well, I found evidence that displays some interesting truths about water. I think it will be helpful to share.

How much should one drink?

Most people do not need 8 glasses a day. In a study done by Heinz Valtin (Kidney specialist & prof) did a study about the 8 glasses a day idea and found no support for it. A register nurse says "It depends on your size and activity level." One thing we can use to see is our urine. She said that if our urine is light lemon colour, it means that we are well hydrated so check it out.

Does other drinks count?

Yes, soda, milk, juice, coffee, tea. A study conducted by the center for human nutrition in 2000 found that subjects that were given water or a combination of liquid and no matter what they drunk, they were well hydrated. Well hydrated yes but as for health..I would conclude HUMMM..
There is water in food too so that definitely counts. "Fruits and vegetables can be up to 95% percent water". Plus nutritionist estimate that 2 to 3 cups of water comes from food in a day.

Can we drink too much?

Possible but unlikely. In a healthy moderately active person, Valtin says that "the body's water balance system is so sensitive and accurate that water intoxication is highly unlikely".

Is tap water safe?

The magazine quoted U.S facts saying it is safe 9/10 public water systems meet the federal heath standards according to EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The director of the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina in Asheville says that "the quality of water varies depending on its source, treatment, and delivery system as well as plumbing it flows through".

For local water reports

Filter or no filter?

Yes, if your water has lead, arsenic or other contamination. Have your water tested for backup and just in case. Here is a water filter site NSF

Is bottle water better?

Most likely not says the author of NRDC study that tested more than 100 brands of bottle water over four years. "Safety standards for bottled water is similar to those the EPA sets for tap water, enforcement is lacking." EEK, in 1/3 of waters tested in 1997-2000, the EPA found contaminants in levels not safe for drinking. Also despite what the bottle says it doesn't guarantee that spring water is actually come from a spring. The NRDC & Consumers Union estimates that at least a quarter of bottled water is simply tap water. If you like drinking bottled water, pick a brand that belong to the international bottled water association which require companies to meet gov't standards.(Arrowhead, Dannon, Evian, Perrier..etc)

Does temperatures matter?

In a study, cold, warm, hot water was given to athletes before and after a strenuous workout and they found out that water had no effect on the subject's endurance or hydration level. As for temperatures from the tap, it is best to let it run for at least 1 minute before drinking from tap water. Hot water from the tap pulls more lead from the pipes than cold water - lead levels are highest in water that's been sitting in pipes. Plus warm water breeds bacterias!

Bad water?

Water can go bad when it is sitting for a long time so be sure to not drink water that has been sitting around. Do frequently change your pets water. We all want to drink fresh water including our critter friends. Make sure to wash out your water bottles! Use hot water and soap to clean. In addition, place the water bottle in a dark, cool place since heat and light can damage the container.

References:

Real Simple

The International Bottled Water Association

Water testing - Underwriters Laboratories

Home test kit PurTest & Watersafe

The Water Quality Association

Opening Hearts

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 02:44:13 -0000

I just read Shelly's blog on her lovely bunny friend "lucky". It was very touching story because of the many scenes of friendship, care, kindness and love gesture displayed. When we have critter companions, there exist a special bond shared between the animal and care giver. A special connection when we become familiar with each other's personalities and spaces. We can not help but love each of our quarks and can not resist the feeling of shared love and understanding as our critter friends become part of our lives whether it is in the past or present. We want the very best for them just as ourselves and hopefully, we can be together as long as our conditions allow us to be in our life journey and to the end.

It is neat to witness the bond..In the past, my companion friend was a red -ear turtle. Grandma came home with him after she made her way home from Calgary at her sister's place. The two turtles are from her older sister's daughter's son. The mom didn't want to take care of it so grandma took them home. They were so cute and I love them. They grew fast and soon, they were the size of a small melon. I vividly remembered about the last one, he was quite nosy but sweet for a turtle. Whenever there was an area of energy at our house, he would crawl there and look. He favourite thing was sun bathing on my thighs with his limbs out stretched out and his neck tall. You can't beat that. The cutest is when he yawl! Yes, turtles do yawl and it is the CUTEST. I do miss him much. Is it suprising to know that turtle form bonds? Well, they do and all animals do... even ants and animals that people call pest so have a heart and try not to harm them. Find other alternative to release him.

Animals have their tiny gesture of communication and greeting, the look in the eyes, the expressions on the face, the non verbal ways that we may overlook and for my kitty, a the soft "meow" for a hello while passing by each other in the house. Flo is part of the family and so if I do see her, of course, I will say hello. The funny part is that she understands the same. Last time Ryan forgot to say hello while crossing paths, Flo made sure he understood that it was bad manners when she turned her head and express her impression of his ways through the gesture on her face. He got the message. He just chuckled while telling it to me. I guess we all have a clear understanding of good manners hey :) We are best of buddies and we usually hang out together.

Ms. Flo is quite vocal now and we had her for about half a year already!..Time sure passed by fast. When we first met, she was a gem, her character was very strong..independent, a proactive and determined type of cat who showed us she wanted out from the cat shelter. She was alert and smart. On our meeting together chosen by the coordinator, she quickly galloped to us..she made eye contact..communicated to us through meowing and darted right to me and Lick Me right there and then. I was surprised..it was my first lick experience by a critter friend. All I did was sit, stare, smile and announced that I got licked. She then would dashed to Ryan and would let him petted her. There was nothing to see anymore. I mean there is no need to see anymore cats, she was the one for us.

Her arrival at our place was quite memorable, she was quite active on arrival. We allowed her to wander and sniff and before long, she already mapped out the litter box after it was introduced to her . The first week she was with us, she caught the sniffles with a virus:( Her nose was plugged and there was great amount of mucous. Poor Flo, she had such difficulty breathing..I was worried just hearing her breath. I phoned the cat shelter coordinator for help a couple of times asking for advice. He recommended a humidifier and eucalyptus oil for better breathing. It really was helpful and Ryan carried her in the bathroom for a hot steam sauna. The shower was turned on hot and we just let her breath in the air. I also had a pot of boiling water with a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil in and held the pot beneath her so the steam would rise in her direction.

During her time of weakness, she was more affectionate then usual, I must admit, it was very sweet...she would cuddle with me on the crouch and rest her head on my lap and I would stoke her from head to her body. It was a safe and homey kind of feeling for us both. We are at peace with other each and our spaces. If we can provide such a feeling to another being, why not do it.

Create or produce such a state with others in this planet!! Share spaces!! Arrive in a place of harmony, peace and love for all!! It increases our capacity for compassion and opens our hearts...being mindful of our connection with each other, connection to this planet, connection to this existence, and connection to the same spaces are valuable. It is not about attachment but the opposite. It is living life and opening our hearts and cherishing differences and sameness..to see animals as same and as unique as ourselves..needing love, food, a home and comfort..

Blossom our love..our universal love to one another, to animal friends..to strangers..to all species, beings and nature, spaces and everything that is in our presence. See the moment, know the opportunity, take the actions to share spaces, share understanding and share loving-kindness. When we embrace that, we will have no regrets but a smile in the end. If we can give, we are truly the lucky ones.

Magnetic Healing

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 05:01:17 -0000

The package says magnetic Bandages and on the side, it reads "help your body help itself..." and on the back instructions, it is apply to painful, stiff or sore areas. I found it at Community natural foods. I had a light sore at my right shoulder since the beginning of my sitting job. It vibrates sometimes at work and haven't disappear anytime soon which I thought it would. I have been going to hot yoga twice a week and working out the knots in my bodies. The pain was still there.

I wonder if it would work, I heard of magnetic fields bracelets and magnetic clocks. Chefmystic Zaadzster said that Ken Wilber had a couple of magnetic clocks in his home! "The only electronic clock in the world that does not drain your energy while you sleep or work. Engineered with SRTTM, the ClearWave powerfully neutralizes the effects of EMF in your home or work environment." So there are people who believe in its effects :) How does it work?

In the Q-Link site, it basically talks about a bio field - a force (a biographical sketch/outline) all around us that have an effect on our well-being. Shall we call it "energy field?"
Our energy field can produce both positive or negative vibrating frequencies. Negative would be flickering screens from computers or televisions, cell phones, traffic jams, artificial lights, irritable and rude people, tight deadlines, as well as ourselves and others play a role in our well being. It is important to take a breath of rest, relax and laugh.

The site says that:

“The Q-Link is a technology that amplifies and clarifies the body's energies. By reducing the noise in any energy field, this technology strengthens and purifies the body's own energies.

Interesting discovery.

Yesterday night was my first night of wearing the bandage then I wore it to work until 4:30pm.

Return of the Caveman

Sat, 11 Mar 2006 03:55:39 -0000

What do we think of when I say "caveman times". An ancient times of hunting and gathering? Living among animals and trees in the forest? Transportation by foot and no power source but the sun and fire made by sticks? It is possible we can go back in time.

Beyond the car culture

I was reading the article "Beyond the car culture" in the Downbound Traveler by Peter Armstrong and they talked about a politician and a teacher in Ontario that wants walkable communities linked by transit. He says that "Cars are more trouble than they're worth. Also, when we're hitting peak oil, we need to reorganize the urban areas of the world into walkable communities like they were in the 18th-century and before that."

What a keen idea! I think it's a really great idea because it is sustainable and environmentally friendly thing to do. After all, who really reaps the benefits from all this? It is US, the people living on this planet. We clean our homes don't we? It makes sense to do the same with our planet. We really need to start thinking about other alternatives besides driving or using vehicle fuel by gasoline. Pollution is gross and no one needs to smell the early and afternoon peak hour traffic fumes or at anytime or worse case yet Cancer.

What are we going to do when the oil is gone?

After all peak oil season is over. "The issue is not one of "running out" so much as it is not having enough to keep our economy running." The increased of worldly population plus increased in demand will sent oil prices shooting sky high. As a result, the nation's most oil dependent economies "will crumble, and resource wars will explode." Fearful times are coming and this generation will live to see and be involved it.

Something to think about.

Vice President Dick Cheney (CEO of Halliburton) stated in year 1999:

*By some estimates, there will be an average of two-percent
annual growth in global oil demand over the years ahead,
along with, conservatively, a three-percent natural decline
in production from existing reserves.That means by 2010 we
will need on the order of an additional 50 million barrels a
day.

*Some geologists expect 2005 to be the last year of the cheap-oil bonanza, while many estimates coming out of the oil industry indicate "a seemingly unbridgeable supply-demand gap opening up after 2007," which will lead to major fuel shortages and increasingly severe blackouts beginning around 2008-2012. As we slide down the down slope slope of the global oil production curve, we may find ourselves slipping into what some scientists are calling the "post-industrial stone age."

"Big deal. If gas prices get high, I’ll just drive less. Why should I give a damn?"
I thought of that too and how in a way, it is better for the environment but it isn't so simple. There are already many strings attached to our ways of consumption and lifestyles.

Did you know that..? (geologist Dale Allen Pfeiffer says in his book "Eating Fossil Fuels,") - more evidences of high energy usage and hence high environmental contamination.

*approximately 10 calories of fossil fuels are required to produce every 1 calorie of food eaten in the US.

every step of modern food production is fossil fuel and petrochemical powered:

1. Pesticides are made from oil;

2. Commercial fertilizers are made from ammonia, which is
    made from natural gas, which will peak about 10 years
    after oil peaks;

3. With the exception of a few experimental prototypes, all
    farming implements such as tractors and trailers are
    constructed and powered using oil;

4. Food storage systems such as refrigerators are
    manufactured in oil-powered plants, distributed across
    oil-powered transportation networks and usually run on
    electricity, which most often comes from natural gas or
    coal;

5.   In the US, the average piece of food is transported
     almost 1,500 miles before it gets to your plate. In
     Canada, the average piece of food is transported 5,000
     miles from where it is produced to where it is consumed.

So what's that got to do with me? It is not only going to effect You but all of US. Some dark times are heading our way. I understand that this is a dark subject but to change the world, we have to understand reality, work with it, learn from it and surf it. As a citizen of this planet, making positive change zaadzsters, we have a responsibility to assist others and ourselves in our journey of changing the world.

"What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself."
Abraham Maslow

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." Alan Watts

"We are the ocean, each of us are the drops of water that makes the ocean possible. We can not change the whole ocean all at once but we can start somewhere and we can do something." Yuri

What can we do?

1. Use less energy! Walk, Bike and Ride Transit.

The lower to the ground you are, the more energy you save. For eg. walking is better than biking, biking is better than driving, driving is better than plane and so on. If you have to drive, go for fuel efficient car like the hybrid.

2. Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce.

3. Eat local foods...try going to the farmers market for things instead of grocery chains.

4. Buy Organic..eat Less Meat. It takes a great amount of energy to sustain and sanitize factory farming. Consider Vegetarian / Vegan / Raw foods.

5. Consume LESS in general.

6. Use your Voting Power.

7. Educate, Learn and Grow.

"The auto culture is over when the fossil fuel orgy is over so we might as well start redesigning our urban and rural environments now for the post-petroleum era. We must explain to people that this is not a choice; we can't choose to keep cars."

"In 100 years, there will be no cars, period. Whether they're run on bio diesel, ethanol, or chicken excrement, there will be no cars so we better get used to that eventuality and start planning for it now."

Got some more ideas? Leave a comment please :)

References:

Downbound.com

Peak Oil : Life after the oil crash

ter the Oil Cr

Chasing Cancer - Part II

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 05:44:21 -0000

What causes cancer?

Cancer occurs when cells are triggered to grow abnormally. Triggers include genetics, radiation, and carcinogens.

I finished watching the marketplace venture on Chasing Cancer. Our main question is "Why is cancer so common? The statistics say now that the rate for cancer is 1/2 people get cancer!!! One out of two people. That is too Scary for me. Wendy Mesley begins our journey of discovery by first taking a blood test of herself to see what kind of chemicals and carcinogens are in her system. The result was 44/60, she got 44 out of 60 carcinogens that can harm us. My first reaction was too high is it not? Well, it is considered normal. NORMAL! We have been mirage.

When she first got cancer, she asks many questions about it. WHy Me? She ate healthy, exercise, and live a clean lifestyle. The Canadian Cancer Society says that "healthy lifestyle choices could prevent 50 per cent of cancers. They say a "small percentage" of cancers are linked to environmental toxins, or carcinogens." That just does not make sense to me when the result of the blood test was 44/60. The data is telling us something. Read it. Start to ask. Be curious. The Canadian Cancer Society tells us we can prevent cancer by not smoking, eating veggies, exercise, staying out of the sun, getting screen regularly, visit the doctor and dentist regularly and avoid cancer - causing substances. Is that the whole truth? Is that really enough? Why are cancer still rising? "The more money you spend on cancer, the more cancer you get," Is it the fish, the food or the fishbowl?

Something to think about. The Canadian Cancer Society spends about 10% percent of its budget on prevention. Why? What about the Cancer drug companys? Are they finding a cure or finding treasure of gold? The Cancer industry."In 2006, cancer drugs will be the fastest growing class of pharmaceuticals in the world, exceeding $37 billion in sales." Perhaps cancer is profitable. More drugs, screening, treatment, more disease and greater profit? "The more drugs are bought, the higher the profit. The more disease there is, the greater the profit." Prevention should be address but why isn't it? "There are no companies that are devoted to cancer prevention as there are to cancer treatment," says Dr. James Holland. "There's no incentive economically for them." Isn't the Canadian Cancer Society about saving lives? And drug companies? Not. "We save lives by prevention not by trying to treat it says Dr. Sam Epstein (a cancer expert).

Facts:

*1 in 2.3 men and 1 in 2.6 women will have cancer in their lifetime.

*A low-fat diet used to be touted as a cancer-fighter. Recent studies cast that into doubt.

*The research found that women who switched to a low-fat diet later in life did not see a reduced risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer or heart disease.

*Changing diet after age 50 may not work as well as eating healthy foods earlier in life

*But researchers say older women shouldn't give up trying to eat healthy. They say the focus should be on reducing saturated fats and trans fats found in processed foods, meat and some dairy products.

*Meanwhile, prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, thyroid and testicular cancers are all increasing. All have links to environmental contaminants.

*According to the Canadian Cancer Society, over six million people die of cancer worldwide each year. The problem will be 50 per cent greater by 2020.

How much do we know?

The Pill:
In 2005, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer re-classified certain oral contraceptives as carcinogenic to humans with slightly increased risks for cervical, liver and breast cancer. While the overall benefits of oral contraceptives may be beneficial, it concluded, more study is needed.

Beef:
Meanwhile, the European Union has banned the import of Canadian beef injected with growth hormones. At least one of the hormones is carcinogenic.

Canada and product ingredients:
as of January 1, 2005, under the European Union 7th Amendment Cosmetic Directive, cosmetics companies selling products in the EU were ordered to refrain from using certain suspected cancer-connected ingredients, used in some fragrances, hair sprays and nail polishes. In Canada, those chemicals are still found at the cosmetics counter.

Why is Canada so behind the European? "You get cancer by being exposed to this whole range of chemicals, often at critical periods of your development, and over a long period of time." No matter how little you are expose to the dose, it is still a dose and you accumulate doses over time!!!

Good News on product labelling!
In November 2006, new labelling regulations will require manufacturers to list ingredients on personal care products Canada.

What can we do!! Conscious consumption.

1. Pay close attention to what you're exposing yourself to when you bring products into your home.

*killing products - insectides, weed killers with ingredients such as Amitrole, Captan, Chlorothalonil, Dicofol, Naphthalene, Paradichlorobenzene, Phenoxy herbicides, Tetrachlorvinphos, Trifluralin.(If the word is sciencitific, you can't pronounce it, don't buy it.)

*Cleaning products - with ingredients such as Silica (found in some abrasive cleaners, brass cleaners), Trisodium nitrilotriacetate (NTA) -(Found in laundry detergents.)

2. Be mindful of food and drinks.

*The International Agency for Research on Cancer (World Health Organization) classifies alcoholic beverages as carcinogenic to humans.

*As for food, from 1994 – 1998, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency tested samples of a variety of meat, produce and dairy products for the presence of pesticides. The results were released to the public in 2002 and showed significant amounts of contamination from dozens of pesticides including carcinogens such as captan, chlorothalonil and benomyl.

3. Buy organic! If you are in Canada, try (spud.ca) they deliver a box of fresh organic veggies and fruits to your door :) They are awesome. I used them.

In its CancerSmart Consumer Guide, Mae Burrow's Labour Environmental Alliance Society lists the 15 most likely contaminated and the 15 least likely contaminated fruits and vegetables, based on data from the CFIA's 1994-1998 tests:

Most contaminated food list: (That means that you should buy organic for those kinds of food.)

Apples
Bell peppers (additions from Dr. Greger MD's list.)
Celery
Cherries
Grapes
Grapefruit
Lettuce (leaf)
Lettuce (head)
Nectarines
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Potatoes
Snow peas
Spinach
Strawberries

4. Be food choosy. Perhaps it is best to vegetarian / vegan?

Acrylamide - (Produced when certain foods (particularly high-starch foods such as french fries or potato chips) are cooked at temperatures over 120 degrees Celsius.

Nitrosamines - Chemical compounds formed by the reaction of amines and amino acids with nitrite (used as a preservative in cured meats).

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - PCBs bio-accumulate in the fat of humans and animals, including fish.

After all this information, I am very interested in getting a blood test and seeing what kind of chemicals are in my body. What about you?

For further details, check CBC Marketplace

Chasing the Cancer Answer

Sat, 04 Mar 2006 16:46:05 -0000

Hi folks, I was talking with Shelly about cat food and then she mentioned about GMO cat food...then the topic of cancer came up. There will be a great documentary on why cancer is so common and about a reporter who recently experienced cancer and is doing her own investigating on the causes of cancer. I am hoping many people can catch it and view it. I hoping it be watched on Internet so I can copy and share the message along with families, friends and others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chasing the Cancer Answer: After fighting the disease herself, Marketplace's Wendy Mesley is asking questions about our rising cancer rates.

She's getting some disturbing answers.

Chasing the Cancer Answer travels the world to provide revealing interviews with an outspoken American doctor, frustrated cancer victims in southern Ontario, pharmaceutical sales representatives in Paris, France, and activists working to increase awareness of prevention measures.

Chasing the Cancer Answer invites viewers along on the journey to find answers to one of the country's fastest growing medical crises.

For that story, watch Marketplace Sunday March 5, 7:00 pm on CBC Television.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I saw a little preview of it and they mentioned that the many carcinogens in the environment can contribute to the encouragement of cancer. The many products we use everyday. It is so scary..go to a common grocery chain and look in the cleaning product area or beauty products. Read the ingredient list..So full of stuffs / chemicals that we can't even pronounce. Of course those products are considered safe and having the safety seal of approval but that just tells us it is safe for a small amount of dose but we are physically accumulating a great amount over the years when we step outside and into the smog, the bustling of city life. The traffic smell is So gross at peak hours!! And we do this very time we go to work. That is why Conscious consumption is so significance. Anything Environmental friendly and biodegradable is a must if we want to live a healthy lifestyle.

much metta,
Yuri

The Wisdom & Beauties of Cats

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 05:05:42 -0000

Awe, the furry padded fluffy white paws, those sparkly round eyes, pointed ears and whiskers. My adorable loveable animal companion friend. Someone who greets and talks to me and we share same comfort of the couch, blankets and lives together. I guess she is an important part of my life as I am to hers. She allowed me the opportunity to see, know and learn more about animals behaviours as seen through her. My first cat friend. Ms. Flo. I have encountered cats before but not anything like this.

I have heard that cats are independent creatures of the night. They are mysterious and anti-social creature of one. It's true, but not the whole truth. Flo doesn't get along with cats or dogs well but then who know what her story was. She was found in an abandon field. Was she lost? Or abandon by her owner? Someone dropped her off because of behaviour problems? Or she was too much inconvenience, responsibility? We do not know exactly about her history but that is history. We all have stories, some dull, some exciting, some fearful, some sad but all, beautiful chapters and stories of our lives. Her past brought her to this present. And this present was past along to me. I discovered that cats can also can be very affectionate, loyal, playfully smart and loving as like all living animals.

The many flops on the floor displaying the belly side of her shows her trust in her environment. A loving need to clean my arms and hands displays such a warm cup of love. A very sweet gesture of motherly quality. who knows, perhaps she is my mother in past lives or vica versa. We never know what happens in the working of karma. I guess we are both learning to take care of each other. I wanted to share some cat experiences because I believe that they, liked us are full of wisdom and just because they don't speak the same language as us does not mean they are not intelligent and spunky special in their own ways.

Flo was a smarty pants today. I got her some new vegan cat kibble food (Ami cat) and to my surprise, she crunched it down with no hesitation. Me very surprised. So she liked it and more than her old kibble (Evolution). She is such a fussy and funny cat. I placed two bowls of different kind of kibbles to see what she would do. Her head swung back and forth processing which to eat? Just too comic for a cat to do that! Then later, I mixed the two dry kibbles together hoping she would eat both but guess what she did. She picked and ate ONLY the new cat food. A smarty pants or what?

Cats love fresh air and love to cool themselves off. This is also Ms. Flo's highlight of the day. Our usual routine before she heads outside is that I put her "L" walking jacket on her. Sometimes, I take her for a walk or other times, she just sits outside our screen door for a length of time depending on the temperatures. The "L" jacket on prevents choking her neck when she is on a leash, a safety device for me and her just in case she darts into dangerous paths. She is fussy at times. Anyways, if she doesn't like it, she ignores my actions by walking in a circle away from me and then this morning, Ms. Smarty pants did that plus intentionally lay down so I could not click her jacket together from under her. I let her do her thing and sometimes, she lets me do my thing of putting the jacket on her. Anyways, If she wants to go bad enough, she will definately tell me by meowing in front of me..hehe

My last example was a week ago when I discovered that the carpet underneath her litter box was folded over. I noticed it but pay no attention to it thinking, it must have folded over by accident. Well, one time when I was cleaning her litter, I noticed it again. When I unfolded it, guess what I saw? Yep, it was poop. Ryan and I looked at each other and we both announced that we both "did not do it." Folded the carpet over that is. So who did? The cat? Mrs. Smarty pants did that! I guess, that shows me that I did not do a quick enough job on cleaning her box because she poop outside her box. I must have to admit, that is pretty clever of her to do that. I wouldn't want to go in a toilet that was not flushed either. Who said that animals are not intelligent. They are smarter than you think.. \(=^.^=)~

The Master Cleanser

Fri, 17 Feb 2006 00:47:55 -0000

I finally started the Master cleanser detox diet, I heard so much good things about it and seeing how others benefit from it, I, too wanted to experience it and also challenge myself.Two of my ex co-workers tried it and one reported that her skin was softer, her sense of smell got better, and her taste buds were enhanced. She did it for 7 days. My other co-worker did not make it very far, she didn't even lasted a day. She told us that it was due to stomach pains and headaches.

I am not doing the full cleansing with laxative tea at night and salt water flush in the morning because of constant washroom needs during the process. With a full time job, that itself will be a challenge.It is just 2tbsp of lemon juice, 2 tbsp of maple syrup and a tenth of a tsp of cayenne pepper with a much water to dilute it as you like (about a cup). I think the water content makes a big difference with stomach pains..perhaps, there is too little water in the mix and the greater amount of acid in the lemon juice effects the stomach.

My Day 1

-I only needed 5 cups of lemonade a day. ( maple syrup 1 tbsp = 40 calories
so total = 400 calories) !!

-Blowing my nose often (runny nose)
-No headaches
-No stomach pains
-At noon, I had symptoms of nausea
-gucky mouth
-my body felt warmness and lightness
-energetic

My Day 2

- 3 cups of lemonade during the day and 1 cup green tea and 1 cup of lemonade at night. (total 400 calories)

-Light headedness / dizzy in the morning
-No headaches
-No stomach pains
-Around 11:30 am, watery eyes
-gucky mouth but less than day 1
-my body felt warmness and lightness
-energetic

My Day 3

-a bit of runny nose and watery eyes at noon
-but otherwise it was a great day
-energetic no pains or hunger.

My Day 4

-1 cup of lemonade and 1 cup of green tea in the morning and took a zinc lozenge
-Extremely thirsty and hot in the morning, drank 3 cups of lemonade during the day. (Total 400 calories)
-11:30 am felt very dizzy, weak
-last night, lack of sleep from 10 - 1am then 4 - 6am.

Ahhh..I had to stop on day 4...the dizziness was a sign I had to eat something so I went to Safeway to get some banana and veggie turkey slice. I felt much much better after eating the banana. Perhaps low in potassium? The lack of sleep? Or taking the zinc lozenge had an effect on my body? Anyhow, I know myself and know how much I can handle. Even though I didn't make a week, the experience was interesting one. It was an eye opener.

I had the chance to experience the most minimum of food source in three days and a half. It is amazing how much calories our body needs for the most minimum requirement of living yet how much calories the average person can accumulate in a day with 3 meals. If for meat -eaters, I can't imagine the amount of extra calories that is assumed and the effects it has on the body. This experience proves to me that we Do Not Really Need as Much Food as we think we do. Perhaps, we are consuming too much food. Our eyes are more hungry than our stomach. Our mind creates such wants and rationalize our needs for going for the fast food. the desserts, more sugar and instant convenience in food, so we snack and eat more often as needed. Each time we eat, our stomach expands a little more and then we eat a little more on, a circular cycle of tug a war between desires and necessity.

Perhaps a good portion of the problem of obesity, disease and aging are mind made meaning the mind creates a type of picture which then effects all parts of our body especially our stomach. It then is train to growl even if we are not really hungry. Over eating is a common thing for most of us. You probably know that fact. But this cleansing diet allowed me to see and feel that We Age More When We Eat Too Much! During this short time of my cleansing experience, I experienced the actual cleansing of my body..the type of cleansing that allow the body to truly rest for awhile and allow more time for other things than food, testing the remarkable body of life and its capabilities to cope with any kind of environment. There was a sense of zest in the mind and body. Both light, alert and energetic. Eating is like exercise for the body. If we are composed of cells and cells need energy to fuel then if there is more food intake, there is a need to use more energy and more energy means making the body work harder and speeding the aging process. No wonder Monks and Nuns look so vibrant and glowing. They only eat one solid meal a day and usual before 12 noon and the rest of the night is in liquid form if they have any.

Doesn't that not make a lot sense? Notice that people who cut meat / or eat less meat and eat more fruits / vegetables look younger and have more energy? When we think about it, we probably age more eating meat!! Let's face it. It takes longer to digest meat and it stays in our system longer than vegetables because more energy is needed to break it apart because it is denser. The longer it takes for food to bypass through our system, the more opportunity for the food to decay and produce toxins in our gut. Gross and double yuck yuck. Eating meat is a big time Constipation and hemorrhoids problem. I caught an Opera show about Poop awhile back and the bile specialist surgeon, a professor and vice -chairman of surgery Columbia University, Mehmet C. Oz, MD, said that Food Should Not be in our Gut More Than a Week! He said that poop is healthy when it is flowing and shapely like the letter "s". And what type of food flows along our gut fastest? Fruits and vegetables. Why? More fiber, more water base. Are Meat? No. Do not take my word. Go do your own experiment.

If the benefits for fruits and veggies are so great, why not cut or reduce meat portion. The question to ask ourselves are do we want to enhance our quality of life? Do we want healthier, younger and a longer life? Most of us will definitely say YES. For people who response the opposite, that can be due to other reasons of mind work and individual preference. Isn't it better to live for quality than quantity? I was watching the Vegan Fitness Video and I love what Tonya Kay said when someone commented that eating a vegetarian / vegan diet was expensive. Her response was "It is really is not expensive" because you know what, "This is not a discount body." She hit the bull eye. The connection between body to mind to wellness are a significance one. The good thing about life in a developed country like Canada and United State is the that we have the freedom / choices for making positive changes in our lives and health destiny. So take that opportunity, its free.

Food for thought : Food is the source of life, the nourishes and heals us but like the balance of all things, if the respect of food is lost and it is not use properly than it can be toxic as well.

The Spaces Within

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 03:41:03 -0000

Our Vessel:

The spaces of energy is within all of us. We are unique and different in some ways but on the other hand, have the qualities of sameness. We have a vessel that are capable of binding us to icebergs or freeing us to the open ocean. Our vessel are material composition. The millions and billions of ions which are made up of atoms and molecules are our vessel. Both positively and negatively electrically charged, there is choice for how we deal with our energy field. When we are irritable and angry, we can feel that certain types of charges have greater capacities to engulf us. Its flaming heat gathers, builds, bumps, and clings together into a gigantic ball of fire.

Like wood in a fire, we can choose to feed it on reactions or de-flat it. Of course, the firey charges of negative ions can be explosive and accelerating. The power of combustion both inviting and delightful. It gives us a kind of confidence, a kind of power, and control. Fire is beautiful yet it can be fearful at the same time. because it can burn. The sights, sounds and excitement are beautifully blinding as wavy flames and smoke mingle into our eyes. The flame of passion becomes as strong as ocean currents. Our tunnel vision becomes "me", my reactions, my emotions, my ways, my thoughts, my rightness, my feelings of hurt, pain, and suffering. Our body tells us something..the warmness of breathe and our heartbeat flashing, the unsettle feeling..the blinking of a message at a microscopic scale. With locked doors, communication disconnected, tongues dancing, words of fire and ice, fast, fierce, edgy, and like a puffer fish, we blow ourselves up to scare away predators by size. Are we now set to battle? Battle what? Who is our enemy? Is our enemies outside from us? Why is there a need for us to conquer anyone or anything opposing yourself? Who are you? Is "You" this body? this face? this legs? this arms? this lungs? this heart? this skin? these identities? If everything is composed of atoms and particles, where lies all those parts? Where is this "I" or "me"? Aren't we then, in a sense a part of a whole? A drop of water in the ocean? A grain of sand in the beach? The same element in different forms?

Once in a Montessori workshop, an instructor did an experiment with us. She took a black marker and placed it on a page of paper and held it in front of us. "What do you see?" She asked. What would you say?..What is your answer? A black dot? a point? An atom, a flyspeck, a mark, a bug, a period, a speck, a spot? Most of us including me said "dot". Perhaps your response is similar or more creative? For me, I am curious to know why most members of our class focused on the dot. Because it is there? Because it stands out? We all laughed when she pointed to us that "it is a piece of white paper". The dot was just there to distract us. Now that was a refreshing cup of insight!! Why did we not see it? Perhaps our way of looking remains the same because of our way we were trained? Our familiarity and comfort becomes our way and our only way of seeing, living and understanding?

Life is more interesting when our view plays like the Gestalt effect. Do you see the young girl or the old lady? The magic is when we can see both. Our hearts throb with excitement, joy and awe. Happiness is not about "me", it is about "us". An universal truth like yin and yang, sun and moon, day and night etc. It is not about eye sight but heart sight. It is about opening spaces within and around ourselves, opening our wisdom eye to see that we are made of the same spaces and looking beyond the surface dots that distract us. It is seeing into the white pages of nothingness and seeing emptiness as opportunity for something beyond words. Music, smiles, laughter, kindness, compassion, joy, universal love, harmony and peace.