Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The matters of right and wrong, good and bad

We almost always get caught up in the right and wrong. It is hard to for us to look at something without applying certain kind of judgement, analysis and comparison. This inevitably leads to competition, troubled minds and disappointment.

It's like the moment we open our eyes in the morning, our minds start to ponder about the truth of the world, and planning for success. This is how the world operates, so it's just a force of nature for us to pick up this habit.

Right and wrong boil down to what works for the person himself. If he is doing the right thing, then great, but if he is doing the wrong thing, but incapable of doing the right thing at the time, then what can he do? Shoot himself or someone else? I don't think so. It's better just for him to give himself some time and space to be happy with who he is, and he will grow and learn over time.

When I was doing my Chakra yoga retreat during the last weekend, there were times I felt my mind wondering. Not too far, just in, around and outside of the yoga studio. For example, there were times when I was thinking about the person in front of me, whose Pilates mat not being suitable for practicing yoga, because it's not sticky. Other times I was worrying about the perfection of my posture and checking out other peoples'. When the mind wonders, I lost my balance.

How could I focus  on my own yoga practice? I think this will take me some time and more experience. For now, I will just be who I am, do what I can and hope for the best.




Chakra workshop at Stillheart

I like the fact that you emphasize on personal experience, and warn us not to be restricted by what was written in books, which are totally experiences written by other people.

Activities like Yoga and meditation is a personal journey. No two people's experience is the same. So teaching such a topic is so abstract, and it could be challenging.

Thank you for demystifying the Chakras, and allowing us to discover our own path and our fire within.

Photograph curtsey of Ms. Peiying Mo.
August 28, 2012 4:50 PM

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

I like my blog

Even though nobody reads it. :)

I got tickled whenever I read it, but of course, every time I read my own postings, I found something that I wanted to change.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

I like "Seinfeld"

Very recently, I had a revelation about myself: I started to understand the humor of the TV show "Seinfeld". I actually finished the half-an-hour show and enjoyed it, and even made an effort to look for the rerun of the shows every night.

When I told my friend Gayle about this, she laughed and said: "Now you are officially in two cultures: American and Chinese."

Back in high school, I watched TV shows to learn English and the American culture. We were under the misconception that TV shows and movies were the real representation of what American life was - which explains why new immigrants' views about America is very likely to be skewed.

My favorite show was: "Third Rock from The Sun". It was a show about a group of aliens landed on earth, pretended to be a family, and lived amongst people. They were finding out all kinds of strange things and behaviors that people do. I found it fascinating that someone knew exactly how I felt to live here, and actually made a TV show about it.

The next show I enjoyed was "Friends". Who didn't like "Friends"? I mainly enjoyed watching cute girls and handsome guys, but didn't pay too much attention about the plots. But I never enjoyed "Seinfeld". I couldn't take Seinfeld's New Yorker humor and the loud and obnoxiousness of Elaine and George.

What I learn from the dogs

The benefit of being a dog owner, above all the usual suspects such as: loyalty and companionship, is there are 3 things I can learn from my dogs.

1. Go after what he wants
In order to get his bone or scratch on the belly, he will do anything: he will play tricks, whine, let you pet him, look at you with his droopy puppy eyes while leaning his head on your chest. And believe me, it works every time.

2. Live here, now
Enjoy every moment of life. Enjoy the food they eat, the treats they get, and the moment they are let out of the house.

3. No bad feelings
Dogs don't hold grudges. No matter how late you get home, they are always happy to see you, and give you the welcome dance for 5 minutes. They can be whining and scratching behind the door to get your attention, but when you open the door, they are always happy to see you and ready to play.

These are the things I learn from my dogs, and they are wonderful traits that I need to be reminded once in a while.

Our dogs

My golden retriever Jake is better looking than any other golden, even better looking then the one on the large milk bone box. I am not kidding! My female, Amy? She is the feisty one.

The dogs go in the back seat of the SUV when we go out for a ride. We leave the windows opened so that they can look out the window and "drink the wind". They would shuffle around in the back, exchanging places with each other while panting with excitement. In our car, Jake is truly the head-turner. Sometimes both of them stick their heads out of the same window, and they bring a smile to the passers-by.

It is as if Amy is saying: "come look at this handsome and fluffy male golden, and I'll bite your head off.'"

Entertaining the TV

While Jack went on a business trip, I realized how lonely it is living by myself. I got home, locked the door, turned on the TV and browsed through the channels. Last night there were 2 programs on public TV about Steve Jobs, so I watched both of them while eating dinner. All of my plans about playing with the dogs or reading a good book, and doing some yoga was out the window once I was drawn to the TV.

Sometimes it is hard to say if we are entertaining the TV or being entertained by the TV.

The Cheese that Moved Me

 Yesterday on our way from sunny San Mateo to slightly overcast but pleasant Half Moon Bay, around 92 windy road, I recap what we did in the...