Forget Oprah, here are a few of my favorite things...

•  Tokyo Milk perfume-this is a hip, funky perfume company from Chicago that makes perfumes for about $40. My personal favorite is Dead Sexy (for the musky, woodsy, sexy, vanilla smell and also because of the skull and crossbones on the bottle). I like this scent so much that I go through about a bottle a month. My signature scent (I have the soap, the lip gloss, the body lotion, etc etc). Warning: Do not wear this scent if you do not want to be constantly asked…”What are you wearing" or told "you smell good" http://www.tokyo-milk.com

• Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish-A company located in NYC. I don’t like girly nail polish colors. You will never see me with a French manicure or any of that other nonsense. My favorite nail colors are Stormy (dark gray) and Concrete Jungle (light gray) and I also love Bruised (nail polish in yes, the color of a bruise!!!) and No More War (olive green). Not cheap, but very, very cool. http://www.rescuebeauty.com/

• Blowfish shoes-100% vegan, durable, hip, not overly expensive. Made in Malibu. Especially love their boots (yes, that’s where I get them for everyone who has asked...) and sandals. http://www.blowfishshoes.com/ or http://www.zappos.com

• Me & Ro jewelry-I’ve had a love affair with Me & Ro for over 10 years. Whenever there is a special occasion to mark or celebrate, Me & Ro is where I turn. Can’t say enough about this special jewelry company in NYC. Lots of Buddhas, lots of skulls, lots of Sanskrit. Expensive but well worth it. Love it. http://www.meandrojewelry.com

• BrooklynThread bracelets-I have so many of these bracelets, I have lost count. I am partial to this designer because she is located in Brooklyn and I was born there. Skulls, Buddhas, lotuses, peacock feathers and much, much more. All the things I love. Very well made. http://www.brooklynthread.com/ or http://www.etsy.com/people/BrooklynThread 

•  RockMyWorld, Inc jewelry-located in Southern Florida. She has made many a custom order for me (usually involving a peace sign, Buddha or skull). Can’t say enough about the quality or funkiness of these silver pieces. http://www.etsy.com/shop/rockmyworldinc

• Beaded skull bracelets from Jan’s Beads. Located in CA, I think that Jan likes skull jewelry more than I do and that’s saying a lot. Or at least, just as much. I have many of these beautiful, unique beaded bracelets in many colors. Visit Jan on Etsy at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/jansbeads

• Pureology Anti-Fade Complex Real Curl Defining Creme-I cannot live without this product. It’s a curl-enhancing cream that is lightweight, humidity-resitant, contains zero alcohol and “aromatherapy essences”…the only downside…it smells like men’s cologne but you get used to that after awhile. (Located at salon near you!)

• Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap-Peppermint-I have literally been using this off and on since I was about 18. Love the smell, love the feel, love the price. http://www.drbronner.com

• Lucky Brand Bags-I don’t think I have ever seen a Lucky bag that I didn’t like. Peace sign bags, patchwork bags, Buddha bags, leather bags. Also love the clothes and jewelry. Best buys are on eBay but of course, you can visit http://www.luckybrand.com/ or http://www.macys.com.

Giving With Intention

We all have a reason why we should not give money to the homeless person sitting on the corner. We all decide what he will do with the money (“he will buy drugs”, “he will buy alcohol”, “he will buy cigarettes”). We often think to ourselves, "If I don't look him in the eye or look at him at all, I don't have to think about his suffering."

What he purchases is none of our business. It doesn't matter what he does with the money. Our INTENTION is to give the money to be helpful to his perceived plight. Free of judgment. The INTENTION is what matters. That we want to help a follow human being that we are giving from our full or not so full cup or that no matter how little we have someone else has less.

It never ceases to amaze me that the people, who have the least, give the most. Conversely, people who have the most, often give the least. Many people who profess to be very spiritual and highly evolved, have bad things to say about those down on their luck. What is that expression? “There but for the grace of God, go I”

Life can change on a dime. We prepare, we save, we plan but sometimes, “things” spiral out of our hands. No one knows the exact story of how and why a person ends up on the streets (loss of job, addiction, mental illness, abusive spouse).

I have often wondered if homeless people are spiritual beings sent to earth to “test” us. How kind we will be; how giving we will be; how loving we will be.

Next time, you are driving through Cambridge or any other city, and you see someone who could use your help, roll down your window, smile and give him a few dollars.

Give with INTENTION.

A Sprint Through The Fruitlands

 

I had seen signs for the Fruitlands Museum in gorgeous Harvard, Massachusetts over the years and knew that it was an outdoor museum but I had no idea what it was all about. My daughter, Pyper, happened to be going to a nearby birthday party this past weekend so I decided to check it out.

According to my research, Fruitlands, inspired by Transcendentalism and Amos Bronson Alcott's (Louisa May’s father) ideas of societal reform, was established on 90 acres purchased by Charles Lane in May 1843. This was a type of Utopian community that was optimistically named "Fruitlands" despite having only a small number of apple trees. The community was based on self-sufficiency, using no hired labor and growing all the food they needed themselves. The members pledged themselves to a life of celibacy and a strict diet of fruit and raw vegetables, aiming to live simply and celebrate an intimate connection with the environment. The Fruitlanders influenced Henry David Thoreau. Certainly, these people were ahead of their time, as this was 1843. How cool is that? Unfortunately, the community ultimately failed because of the difficulty in growing crops and it was abandoned in January 1844. 

When I arrived at the Fruitlands Museum, I realized that I didn’t have time to go through all the buildings but decided to take a walk through the woods. I asked the tour guide if there was “any way I could get lost” since I had about 90 minutes to get in and out and pick up my Pyper. She told me that all three trails were clearly marked. Red, orange and yellow.

Although I have become an avid walker the past six months (walking at least 4-6 miles six days a week), I have never been one to hike or one who likes being in the woods. But I also knew that these past 6 months of working out outside instead of in a stuffy gym really opened me in way that I never expected. I really enjoy seeing the blooming flowers, the brightly colored birds, feeling the breeze on my face, seeing cows, horses, chipmunks, and squirrels and smelling the lilacs. Map in hand, despite the warning signs to watch out for ticks (and knowing that I had no DEET which I liberally shower myself in before doing any yard work) and poison ivy, I bravely went into the woods.

I stayed on the orange trail, looking at abandoned sites and the hollowed out cellar of an old house. It was fascinating and so peaceful. At one point, I did look up and see that I was now on the red trail but just thought, oh well, I will get back to the orange trail at some point.

About one hour into the walk, I GOT LOST. Only I could get lost in this place, I am sure. I followed a sign to the orange trail that took me way off the trail into very high, tick-filled grass, poison ivy and rustling in the woods. I looked at my BlackBerry (which was on low battery) and made a call to my children's father and left a out of breath message that I was lost in the Fruitlands and that I would eventually make it out but that I had to pick up Pyper and had to be out of there in 30 minutes to make it back to the other side of Harvard and then my phone died.

All I could think of is that my daughter needs to know that I will be there at 2PM. She (and everyone else) knows that if I am not where I say I will be at the time I will say I will be, I am probably DEAD or in trouble. Very, very punctual person I am. She would be heartbroken and so worried. I felt a rush of adrenaline and literally SPRINTED (and people who know me, know I DO NOT LIKE TO RUN…EVER) my way back up the orange trail, to the red trail and eventually realized I needed to get to the yellow trail (you know, I finally looked at the map).

I am not going to lie…I asked for spiritual guidance to led me out of there. I asked the angels, God, Buddha and every other spiritual being to help me find the way out of there in time to get my child. At one point, I headed left and heard a voice in my head that said “NO, not that way…turn around”…I ran a little further and there it was...the way out!

I had five ticks on my pants, was very sweaty and looked like a hot mess. When I got to the car, I looked at the time on my clock. 1:50PM. I had exactly 10 minutes to get my daughter and I arrived back at Harvard Lanes at 1:59 PM.

Now, the moral of this story for me is that I should probably not hike alone, nor with leopard sneakers (and those, my favs, are basically toast), nor without water. But the real lessons learned are...

1)      I love hiking! Who knew???

2)      A mother’s instinct to protect her child, to honor her commitment to her child and to get to her child is a crazy strong thing that completely kicks in when necessary and never LETS YOU DOWN.

3)      Ask for spiritual guidance when necessary and you will receive it. Ask and you shall receive. Asking for help doesn't make you weak; it makes you strong.

Am I going to go back? Yes, as soon as I can (and as soon as the little patch of poison ivy on my ankle goes away). This time with hiking boots. Leopard ones, of course.

Remembering Dublin (Localization, WB Yeats, Colm Meaney, The Dead and U2)

Although it is affected by the financial downturn of 2008 as is everyone else, Dublin is often called the Silicon Valley of Europe due to the high concentration of pharmaceutical and information technology companies located there. Many IT companies also have their European headquarters in Dublin. Ireland as a country is a tax haven for big corporations. According to Jeff Brink (Chief Operating Officer of Merrill Brink International, a localization vendor), “No one talks about Ireland as the cheapest place to get things done, but it has become the command and control as well as the technological center for much of the world’s localization.” He also goes on to say that “All eyes seemed to have turned to India and China, but Ireland is as strong as ever,” But he also admits, “Its role has changed.” It is still a localization center but a lot of localization is done out of India and China, these days. Work in Dublin seems to be more focused on development and implementation of technologies and standards, as localization moves to other locales.

 

Only a 6 hour plane ride from Boston and having worked in the localization industry for 16 years, I had to travel to Dublin and I just fell in love. I stayed in a wonderful old hotel across the street from St. Stephen's Green. Every time I walked past this mini Central Park, I could hear the Dead’s "St. Stephen" singing in my ears (I am actually listening to it while I write this, for inspiration). The people are friendly, nice, attractive and relaxed.

Contrary to popular belief, you rarely see a redhead (at least that was my experience). Most people have dark hair and light skin (“Black Irish”, as it is called). There were two things I needed to do while in Dublin. One was to visit the Clarence Hotel (owned by U2 but no, they never showed up) and the other, to visit Dublin Writers Museum (being a big fan of WB Yeats and no he never showed up either, being dead for many years!!!). I also visited a suburb of Dublin called DUN LAOGHAIRE (pronounced “Dun Leary”). Absolutely beautiful. And yes, I went to a pub or two. My favorite being the Queens Pub in nearby Dalkey.

People tend to forget that Ireland is a BILINGUAL country. They speak English and they speak Irish, as we call it in the localization industry (also known GAELIC). Many signs are in Irish and hard to read. And Dublin is a walking city. I was able to get everywhere on foot. This is also the first place anyone ever asked me if I wanted “STILL” or “SPARKLING” water. Still waters run deep? And it is cold in summer! I had to wear a jacket in July.

My favorite memory is going into the famed Waterstone’s book store (I love bookstores) and looking for the perfect book. Being such a moviephile, I looked up and over my shoulder was Colm Meaney (the Irish character actor who was in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Commitments, The Snapper) and I was expecting a big scene and I looked around and NO ONE was reacting. I looked at him again, he smiled at me, brought his book to the counter, paid for it. And that was it. No autograph seekers, no fiasco. No one seemed to care. That seems to sum up my experience with the Irish people...live and let live.

 

I hope to return with my children in the near future. They are 50% Polish (as their father is 100% Polish) but they are also about 25% Irish (the other 25% being a combination of Italian, Danish and German). There is so much I want them to see. The beauty of Trinity College, the Ha Penny bridge, the River Liffey, etc etc etc.

You say SICHI, I say SHICHI, let’s call the whole thing off…

Every Friday night, while at karate with my children, the countdown to 10 in Japanese begins…For years, I cringed when the instructor got to the number 7 because the instructor always says “SICHI” (pronounced SEE-CHEE)  instead of “SHICHI” (pronounced SHEE-CHEE). It used to drive me crazy (and I even corrected the teacher) until I realized that the type of karate they are learning originated in Okinawa, so it might make sense that the pronounciation of the number 7 would be a little different. It got me thinking what else is different between Okinawa and mainland Japan.

Okinawa has its own language group, known as Ryukyuan, which it shares (along with much of its culture) with the Amami Islands in Kagoshima prefecture. These languages are related to Japanese (together, they form the "Japonic family"), but are generally incomprehensible to Japanese speakers. The largest of these languages, the Okinawan language (ucināguci), is spoken on the main island of Okinawa and the surrounding islands, and is not used much these days. Most young people cannot speak it. To complicate things further, each of Okinawa's major islands has its own distinct dialect, some of which are different enough to be considered their own languages by some. According to the Internet, the Okinawan dialect of Japanese is only 70% the same as “Tokyo” Japanese.

Since Okinawa is an island, the cultural differences between Okinawa and Mainland Japanese can be compared to the cultural differences between Hawaii and Mainland USA. The island was not formally a part of Japan until the late 19th century.

Since Okinawa has its own culture, and the geography, language and climate are different, one can assume that the cuisine would be different as well. The people of Okinawa traditionally practiced shamanism and were not influenced by Buddhism, therefore pork and goat meet were staples of their diet. However, people living on Mainland Japan did not eat much meat until the mid-19th century. Purple yams and bitter melons are also eaten in Okinawa but not in Mainland Japan.

Although I learned a lot about Okinawa due to the mispronounciation of the number 7 in Japanese, I was told that the number 7 should be pronounced "SHICHI" in Okinawan and Japanese. Either the karate instructor is incorrect or this pronounciation of the number 7 is from an older version of Okinawa-ben. Mystery remains to be solved...

"Deer" Nara (memories of 東大寺)

The good thing about walking 5 miles a day is that you have a lot of time to think and usually come up with blog entries or memories of places I have visited or want to visit. Today’s walk brought me back to Nara.



One of my favorite places in the world is Nara, Japan. Nara is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan and is located to the east of Osaka (another lovely city).  Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784, lending its name to the Nara period. Nara is home to several Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and the former Imperial Palace but my favorite place by far is the Todai-ji Temple (東大寺) which houses the Nara Daibutsu (Great Buddha of Nara). I actually discovered Nara quite by accident.



I was on my third visit to Japan and it was arranged for me to spend the day with someone I would be working with on the latest project. He decided that he wanted to show me Nara. I had already been to Japan twice and my love of the language, the people and Buddhism had been growing for a while.


The first thing that hits you about Nara is that there are deer (“shika” in Japanese) everywhere, roaming free, especially in Nara park. They are very gentle and not afraid of people. According to the legendary history of Kasuga Shrine, the mythological god Takemikazuchi arrived in Nara on a white deer to guard the newly built capital of Heijō-kyō. Since then the deer have been regarded as heavenly animals, protecting the city and the country. Vendors sell “shika sembei” (deer biscuits) so that you can feed the deer. I distinctly remember my tour guide telling to (in half English, half Japanese) be careful of the “SHIKA SHIT”

Todaiji is a temple of the Kegon sect of Buddhism, which reveres the Buddha Vairocana (“Birushana” in Japanese) as the cosmic, central Buddha. The principal image of the temple is a bronze statue of Vairocana, colossal in scale. According to legend, nearly 2.6 million people helped construct the Buddha — but as that would amount to nearly half of the people in Japan at the time, the figure is probably exaggerated. Nevertheless, by the time the Buddha was completed in 751, it had consumed most of Japan’s bronze production for several years and left the country almost bankrupt.
When you first walk into the Daibutsuden, the sight of the Daibutsu is overwhelming. It’s very massive and just huge. I felt so small next to it. I stood in awe, just looking at it for at least 20 minutes. The entire room contains an air of peacefulness. There is no judgment, no pressure, just peace. Aside from the birth of my two children, it is one of my fondest memories.

Cinco de Mayo and Patron-Corona Margaritas…

Why do I celebrate Cinco de Mayo? It’s simple; any excuse to drink Patron

and eat Mexican food, count me in. But I started thinking yesterday-what is really being celebrated? I didn’t know. And I like to know what I don't already know...

According to my research, Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at The Battle Of Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a significant Mexican population.

This is my first Cinco de Mayo since I gave up drinking alcohol and eating beef and chicken, so it should be interesting. I also wanted to pass on a recipe for Patron-Corona Margaritas (that’s right, I am passing on a recipe, which I never do because I don’t cook!). One caveat, do not drink these and decide to dive into a pool. I did that at my college reunion 5 years ago and very glad to say that aside from scratching up my face and a headache that lasted for 3 days, I am fine (and very lucky).

Patron-Corona Margaritas

Ingredients:

·  1 (12 ounce) can frozen limeade concentrate (semi-thawed)

·  12 fluid ounces Patron Silver tequila

·  6 fluid ounces 7-up or diet 7-up

·  6 fluid ounces cold water (or use 12 fl.oz. Seven-Up or water)

·  12 fluid ounces Corona beer

·  ice (lots of ice!)

·  1 lime (cut into wedges)

Directions:

1. Pour the limeade, tequila, Seven-Up, water and beer into a large glass pitcher; stir with a long-handled spoon until completely blended and the frozen limeade has completely melted.
2. Add in lots of ice.
3. Adjust with extra water if the mixture is too sweet.
4. Top each glass with a lime wedge on the end.

Tapping my nights away (my love affair with Tong Ren)

About two months ago, after taking a class, I became obsessed with/about Tong Ren Healing (pronounced “Ton Ren”).  Tong means “Bronze” and Ren means “Man” in Chinese. This is not a bad obsession to have because it helps a lot of people (including me).

Developed by Tom Tam, Tong Ren is a form of energy therapy for restoration of health and vitality and is based on a belief that disease is related to blockages in the body's natural flow of chi (or “ki” in Japanese), neural bioelectricity, blood, or hormones. Tong Ren seeks to remove these blockages, restoring the body's natural ability to heal itself, even when illnesses are chronic, debilitating, or otherwise untreatable. It is a therapy for internally healing a patient's energy system by using the collective unconscious, as defined by Dr. Carl Jung. 

I, personally,  think of Tong Ren as a cross between Reiki and acupuncture. It combines the Western way of thinking and knowledge about anatomy with the Eastern way of thinking (that chi is the life energy force) to create a powerful type of energy healing. Just like long distance Reiki healing, you don't have to have physical contact, so it is also a great form of long distance healing. You do, however, have to ask the person you want to heal if it is OK to do so. You must have their (or their parents) consent.

It was reported that MIT and Harvard have done studies on the results of Tom's healing system and it has proven very successful even for "hopeless" cases.  Lately, the classes have drawn people with diseases such as MS, ALS, Parkinson's, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lyme Disease.

Using the Tong Ren doll (representative of the patient), the practitioner lightly taps with a small hammer on the blockage points which relate to the client’s condition. Each condition has a different set of points. It is thought that when the energy can move, the body will be healed.

Recently, I was told by an intuitive that I have "great healing abilities" (after studying Reiki and other healing techniques) and this person made me realize that I do NOTHING with it. So I decided if I do have some healing mojo, I need to use it. So, I have been doing this for myself and for others in need of healing every night while watching TV, a movie, listening to music or just relaxing. It feels good to be spending my time trying to help others. I can’t miss a night. As I mentioned, I am obsessed! And it feels good.