confession

i hope none of my friends read this because they're going to gasp at the revelation...

i don't like donuts.

there, i said it. i like seeing the display of colorful, freshly cooked donuts, but to eat them is like eating a spoonful of lard. as soon as i'm done eating one, i feel like i need a colon cleansing and a 10-mile run. unless, of course, we're talking about the Tiger Tail from the Donut Man. i don't know what it is about this donut, but it might be the only donut i don't feel gross from after eating.

auditory teleportation

when I read this, I thought it was funny. if you know about Sun Ra and/or his music, I think you'd find it funny, too.

"...Perhaps most affecting is Ra’s solo keyboard track, “Advice to Medics,” titled after his history of playing for what his biographer John Szwed describes as a therapy-through-music group that “included catatonics and severe schizophrenics.” (The biographer reports that one patient, breaking a years-long silence, approached Ra to ask: “Do you call that music?”)"

but, this song, this sounds really good on vinyl, like with the volume on high!

warmth

 this. so great. so, so great.

"Beauty and seduction is nature's tools for survival, because we protect what we fall in love with. It opens our hearts, and makes us realize we are a part of nature and we're not separate from it. When we see ourselves in nature, it also connects us to every one of us, because it's clear that it's all connected in one.

When people see my images, a lot of times they'll say, "Oh my God." Have you ever wondered what that meant? The "oh" means it caught your attention, makes you present, makes you mindful. The "my" means it connects with something deep inside your soul. It creates a gateway for your inner voice to rise up and be heard. And "God"? God is that personal journey we all want to be on, to be inspired, to feel like we're connected to a universe that celebrates life.

Did you know that 80 percent of the information we receive comes through our eyes? And if you compare light energy to musical scales, it would only be one octave that the naked eye could see, which is right in the middle? And aren't we grateful for our brains that can, you know, take this electrical impulse that comes from light energy to create images in order for us to explore our world? And aren't we grateful that we have hearts that can feel these vibrations in order for us to allow ourselves to feel the pleasure and the beauty of nature?

Nature's beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude..."

 (here is the TedTalks version: gratitude.)

see + feel

Robert Irwin's art is so mesmerizing to me. this is a disc fixed to the wall illuminated with lights, two on the ceiling, two on the floor. the disc becomes a part of its own shadows, skewing your perception. ah, it's so calm and simple, but thoughtful, too. i think i'll sit here for a while and meditate.

this will be on view until tomorrow, january 5, at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. go! go! go!

photo (1).JPG

speaking of art, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco will be having an exhibition on yoga. it is the only museum on the west coast exhibiting this and will be up from February 21 - May 25, 2014. let's urdhva dhanurasana our butts up there!

"Millions of people around the world practice yoga to find spiritual insight and improved health. While many are aware of yoga’s origins in India, few may know about its philosophical underpinnings or its fascinating history over thousands of years.Yoga: The Art of Transformation goes beyond postures and delves into how yoga has evolved into a global phenomenon through an exploration of its visual history. Borrowed from 25 museums and private collections in Europe, the U.S. and India, the artworks featured in the exhibition date from the 2nd to the 20th centuries. Images ranging from benevolent deities and gurus to Tantric goddesses and sinister yogis reveal how yoga practices—and perceptions of them—have transformed over time and across communities. Exhibition highlights include stunning masterpieces of Indian sculpture and painting; pages from the first illustrated book of yoga postures (asanas); and a Thomas Edison film, Hindoo Fakir (1902), widely regarded as the first movie ever produced about India."

it's a wrap!

au revoir, 2013! it was fun and crazy being with you, on you, below you, above you... you gave me many unforgettable memories and experiences that slapped me upside the head, and i'm ready for even more!

every new year, i am offered the universe and this year, i will make love to it like i've never been hurt before. my dear universe, handle my love with care. it is just as infinite and intense and deep as you.

cheers!