Where there’s music there is love, where there’s children there is joy, where there’s food there is laughter

This weekend was one of the best ones I’ve had recently. After nights after nights of cough-interrupted restless sleep, I was finally able to have a full night of deep sleep on Friday, waking up to gorgeous California fall sunshine. Since I was about to run out of clean undies, I had designated the Saturday doing my laundry, and I was excited to find the day warm, crisp, and sunny for my line-drying. Alas, the water pipes in the main building (where the laundry machine is located) were being worked on, so seeing the machine covered with plastic tarp, I just assumed I couldn’t use it and decided to try out the Laundromat on Piedmont. So I stuffed my laundry bag and backpack, filled my pocket with quarters, and off I went to my neighborhood. Then I began to see peculiar things… a little monkey… a skeleton… a bumble bee… a wonder woman and a superman. A fall foliage fairy and a puppy dog. Unidentifiable monster, pirates, and Dracula… Then burly men in motorcycles swept in and started putting red cones to close off Piedmont… It was the Piedmont Halloween celebration! I had NO idea that such thing happened here, and I could not stop smiling. In between switching my laundry and running some errands, I just watched hoards of kids and parents all dressed up and jolly enjoying the neighborhood love and the immense sense of community. There were some really creative costumes too – ones that are hand-made, like oompa loompa mom and the baby. That was great. The parade part was lead by a little boy playing the bag-pipe, and he was absolutely adorable in his little red tartan quilt, white knee-high socks, and shiny brown loafers. And there were Mexican musicians playing on the street corner, with a woman dancing the folklorico with little ones, tapping her shoes on a wooden platform. Everyone was smiling and happy, and bobbing their heads to the music, and it was just so beautiful. All of it. The children, the music, the diversity, the open doors of the stores, the solidarity, the creativity, the sunshine. I was overcome with the warm feeling of being a part of a good community, and thankful that I am able to live in such an amazing place. For the simple fact that I was able to witness an abundance of love and joy just around the corner from my home, I am grateful.

Speaking of the sense of community, I attended the pumpkin carving potluck at Amanda’s on Sunday night. It was fabulous. First of all, food that convened was absolutely phenomenal. Second of all, the people who convened were even more phenomenal. Evening was filled with fun stories and laughter, and I enjoyed every moment, every conversation, every smile, every bite, immensely.

So the food. Man, I LOVE FOOD. I love GOOD food. I love socially conscious, health conscious, homemade food. There was Amanda’s hearty pumpkin curry soup, impromptu salad with beets and corn topped with Amanda’s Dijon mustard dressing. There was Lil’s black rice salad and coleslaw. And my experimental baked polenta with autumnally seasoned apple and butternut squash, which I was secretly worried about but contrary to my worry turned out wonderful. I think everyone enjoyed all of the food - once again, there was the abundance of happiness – it was lovely. And you know, I love sharing food with people. It builds community as it did last night. I made new friends, shared stories, and laughed together. This is the “healthy food” I believe in. Food for the body, heart, and the soul. Then the pumpkin carving. We cleared the kitchen counter and with knives we went, jolly from delicious food, drinks and good company – funny faces and monster faces, abstract shapes… imagination and creativity took over the kitchen. More laughing and hugging and singing. Then we lined all of our creatures on the ledge of the porch, lit each one of them, and went down to the street and admired how amazing they(and by default, we) all were in the cool starry evening of Berkeley. We turned the attention of anyone who walked/biked by to our lit pumpkins, and laughed even more. The evening was closed with Lara’s warm rum raisin pumpkin bread. Hmmmm hmmmm hmmmm. Scrumptuous. I had such an amazing time, and I’m still shaking from the happiness. I haven’t felt like this in weeks. May be months. May be years… I love my friends. I am grateful for them. As we parted, we decided this needed to happen more often. I think we’re going to try to start Sunday night potluck. I hope it happens. I will make sure it happens.

my fault!?

Isn't this hilarious!? You can go to http://www.cnnbcvideo.com/index.html?nid=czfKIYMsyP9BADV.gYFchzMwNzExNjg-&referred_by=9375820-SnueXvx to make one of your own!

discovering wabi-sabi

I figured out today (in my attempt to take little breaks between my monotonous project at work) that my obsession with imperfection is intimately tied to the concept of impermanence. I always found earthy, asymmetric, obviously hand-made style of art and craft strikingly beautiful, as well as untouched allure of people in an ordinary light with all of their quirky, endearing glitches.
It has been sometime since I realized that I was on the path to find (or create) peace in my mind, in my heart, in my soul, and in my life with a hope that it will somehow transcend to the rest of the world. I’ve gained a better understanding of the concept of impermanence in the process (elicited by Pratt’s “anicca” tattoo with which I was fascinated), and here I am again trying to come to terms with my decision to let myself live moment to moment; to be fine and grounded with the unknowns in my life, with a complete absence of expectations, with being open to all possibilities, and thus being able to indulge in the joy of what’s in my hand at this very moment.

And in my search for deeper understanding of this basic Buddhist paradigm, I came across this article on Wikipedia that resonated greatly with a sense I get when I discover work of art or music or a lover that REALLY shakes me:

“Wabi-sabi” represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The phrase comes from the two words wabi and sabi. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" (according to Leonard Koren in his book Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers). It is a concept derived from the Buddhist assertion of the Three marks of existence, specifically impermanence. Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity, simplicity, modesty, intimacy, and suggest a natural process.

The article goes on to describe the sensation that one may experience when encountering such art work:

"if an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi"……"It (wabi-sabi) nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect."

And finally, what each part of the word means, and how it relates to the human emotion or philosophy in the context of Buddhism:

Wabi now connotes rustic simplicity, freshness or quietness, and can be applied to both natural and human-made objects, or understated elegance. It can also refer to quirks and anomalies arising from the process of construction, which add uniqueness and elegance to the object. Sabi is beauty or serenity that comes with age, when the life of the object and its impermanence are evidenced in its patina and wear, or in any visible repairs.

Wabi and sabi both suggest sentiments of desolation and solitude. In the Mahayana Buddhist view of the universe, these may be viewed as positive characteristics, representing liberation from a material world and transcendence to a simpler life. Mahayana philosophy itself, however, warns that genuine understanding cannot be achieved through words or language, so accepting wabi-sabi on nonverbal terms may be the most appropriate approach.

It is wonderful to know that I am born into a culture that has a term to describe this beautifully, delightfully “melancholic” sentimentality, and that it has its karmic connection with the concept of impermanence. I actually just ordered the book that’s mentioned in the article. I’m so into it. Ha.

all the wine and slow show

all the wine

i'm put together beautifully
big wet bottle in my fist, big wet rose in my teeth
i'm perfect piece of ass
like every californian
so tall I take over the street, with highbeams shining on my back
a wingspan unbelievable
i'm a festival, i'm a parade

and all the wine is all for me

i carry the dollhouse, safe on my shoulders
through the black city, night lights are on in the corners
and everyone's sleeping upstairs
all safe and sound, i won't the let psychos around

i'm in a state, i'm in a state
nothing can touch us my love

-----------------------------------------------------------------

slow show

standing at the punch table swallowing punch
can’t pay attention to the sound of anyone
a little more stupid, a little more scared
every minute more unprepared

i made a mistake in my life today
everything i love gets lost in drawers
i want to start over, i want to be winning
way out of sync from the beginning

i wanna hurry home to you
put on a slow, dumb show for you
and crack you up
so you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
god i’m very, very frightening
i’ll overdo it

looking for somewhere to stand and stay
i leaned on the wall and the wall leaned away
can i get a minute of not being nervous
and not thinking of my dick
my leg is sparkles, my leg is pins
i better get my shit together, better gather my shit in
you could drive a car through my head in five minutes
from one side of it to the other

i wanna hurry home to you
put on a slow, dumb show for you
and crack you up
so you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
god i’m very, very frightening
i’ll overdo it

you know i dreamed about you
for twenty-nine years before i saw you
you know i dreamed about you
i missed you for
for twenty-nine years

- THE NATIONAL

ignited

september has always been a heavy burden, especially on my heart. this year too, the month has left another scar on my heart. nonetheless, october began with lovely encounters with my musician friends - coyote grace & edie carey - who performed at dolores park cafe two fridays back-to-back. i made friends with a guy named todd who works at the cafe. he likes my frye boots and he thinks i'm cute.

i also finally have a job with a small non-profit organization called Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ i mentioned in the previous post...!), a subsidiary of California Medical Association. i am a Cultural & Linguistic Competency Program Coordinator, meaning i put together resources and execute outreach projects to make sure that health care facilities and providers are aware and practicing culturally and liguistically sensitive/appropriate care for their patients. in some cases it's purely for the purpose of compliance with hospital accreditation standards, and in other cases it's for crediting physicians for continuing medical education (CME). but our focus now is to encourage health care system at large to recognize and practice culturally sensitive care for all people; immigrants, sexual & gender minorities, elderly, women, incarcerated folks...
it is a meaningful work with multitude of learning opportunities. I am ignited and ready.

i've also been blessed to have gotten to know diva, a berkeley based artist. she has her own line of stationaries and other items called Linea Carta, which is being sold all over the world. i love her antique-inspired, subtle, simple designs, and her beautiful calligraphy work. she does a lot of commissioned work for wedding invitations, personalized stationaries, etc. as well. if you're interested on learning more about her work, follow the link above (Linea Carta) and if you like to purchase something, follow the link further onto her Etsy site.