The art of Doing

In the chaos of the modern world, there is beauty in simply doing.

We're distracted constantly by whatever emails, conversations, news, events, demands that are going on around us. Our minds are a constant deluge of thoughts dwelling in the past, worries of the future - distractions pulling us in every direction.

But all of that melts away when we focus on doing.

It doesn't matter what the doing is: sitting, walking, writing, reading, eating, washing, talking, snuggling... By focusing on the doing, we drop our worries and anxieties, jealousies, and anger, grieving and distraction. There is something profound in all that simplicity. Something that is heart-rendingly breath-takingly beautiful!

You're in the middle of your day to today, and you're caught up in a sandstorm of thoughts, feelings, to-do's, meetings, readings, communications.

Pause. Breathe. Let it all fade.

Now just focus on one thing. Right now. Just choose one thing, and clear away all the other distractions. One more time, clear it all away. Turn off the internet. Stop reading this article (wait, read a couple more sentences then close the browser).

If you're washing a dish, do it slowly, feel every sensation. If you're eating a piece of fruit, taste it, feel the texture, and be mindful of your hunger or lack of. If you're writing something, pour you heart into it, become that writing - inhabit the words.

Just DO.

The rest of the world becomes meaningless. It's just you, and your doing.

And you realize: this is all that matters. In this, there is everything.

When walking, walk. When eating, eat. - Zen proverb.

M.

Normal Life.

Normal life. What happens between the exceptional moments of our existence. The fantastic trip, the job promotion, and the stolen moments with the love of your life. Amid those moments sits the normal life.

Let's face it - even celebrities have down time. As we are not celebrities, we have much more of the 'normal'. But what exactly do we do with it?

Do you now let the days between the peaks slip by in a blur? Or do we live life to its fullest, even if it's merely enjoying the first cup of coffee or tea to start the day?

If you just sit around waiting for the next great moment of your life, you might miss out on actually living. I think those extraordinary experiences that define our lives are much more remarkable when they aren't the only thing holding our life together.

Think of a vast fence. One that stretches farther than the eye can see. Holding the fence together are the posts that keep the entire structure sturdy and strong. Without the posts- the fence would fall. Without the fence, posts would have no purpose. And although it's the posts that stand out, neither works without each other.

M.

A little piece of me

Hello, hello.

It's about to rain in this city. I can feel it. (Well, that and there are grey skies outside - whatever!).

Anyway, Sunday afternoon, and I'm sitting here with a hot bowl of 'Ginataang halo halo'. A Filipino dessert soup made with coconut milk, jackfruit, plantains, and purple yams - yum yum gimme sum! Hahaha. Now seeing as it is Sunday, I don't think I'll be doing much today except moping around which is what I usually do. Nothing happens in my city on Sunday. Trust me.

Moving on, here's a little piece of me for the month of July:


Favorite dessert.... Chocolate cake
Favorite time of the day... 5:00pm
Favorite article of clothing... My faux leather jacket
Favorite Book... The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
If I was a beverage... I would be iced green tea
If I could have any super power... It would be flying
Special abilities/ Hidden talents... The power of charm, the perfect latte, movie dialogue, song lyrics, and Wii Tennis

M.

Signs that show you are just down right Paranoid

Hi again,

Let's get straight to the post. I laughed out loud when I found this

(from sassytwosocks.com)

You know you've been watching waaay too much crime tv when:

- You write down or photograph the badge number of every cab driver you take just in case your body is found dead, so the police can trace it back to the killer.

- When the food delivery guy comes to your place while you're home alone. So you turn up the tv and talk to someone who isn't there to make him think there is someone else in the house (therefore preventing him from attacking you).

- Keep a machete under your mattress to ward off intruders (convinced that you can actually use it effectively)

- Dream in the first person that you were in an episode of CSI and you're being chased by some idiot in a clown mask with a chainsaw

- Cross the street needlessly just to avoid a man that looks like DEXTER the serial murdering blood spatter analyst

- Hold you keys in your hand with the pointy end out thinking that you would stand a chance against an attacker with just a tiny piece of scrap metal.

- You're convinced that the guy at the dry cleaner is in the mafia and is laundering money using bags that carry your clothes in and out of the shop. Evidence: the $20 bill you found in your pant pocket

- Keep your hair cut short, despite the fact your guy prefers the Pam Anderson 'just sexed up' look so that no one can you from behind

- You make your man sleep closer to the bedroom door so that if an intruder breaks in and tries to kill you both he'll get killed first so you have the advantage of escaping.

There. Have a good laugh.

M.

So, what am I really doing?

Hello, hello

Strange how returning to and writing this blog is a lot seeing an old friend after a long absence. At some point, one turns and says, "so what have you been up to all this time?" Of course, although these are words that can come out of anyone's mouth - they're not exactly what you mean... On the contrary what you really mean to say (and would like to say) is "Why haven't you called me?!"

I'm usually at a loss at this point because the true fact is, I haven't called you, and it's not because of any concrete reason. I can lie and say I was redecorating my bedroom, traveling the world, writing a book blah blah blah. Reality is it's just so mundane. I haven't actually been doing anything special - now THAT I refuse to lie about. I'm surprisingly very happy in my own company; not that I don't enjoy socializing. I'm usually an open-minded person for any kind of social event. I tend to love it once I'm doing it.

Here's a random coinciding fact: a report from BBC says that we're all much lonelier these days compared to our parents' generation. Facebook, Twitter, Texting...etc means that we're actually doing less of what matters to us. The act of meeting face to face, breaking bread with another, sharing our lives is such a rarity these days. Whatever happened to meeting up for coffee?

I'd sure as hell be lying if I said I didn't have facebook. Because well... I do. I think I'm quite lucky though because I'm not attached by any stretch of the means to that type of craze.

M.

How to be a positive person in under 300 words

I'm a pretty positive person - I consider it one of the keys to creating success, good habits, and achieving goals. I mean people don't run marathons, quit addictions, eliminate debt, or quit day jobs in favor of starting a business without a positive mindset.

Positive thinking as trite* as it seams - changes lives.

I'm not going to try to sell you on it, but if you're interested, here's a condensed guide to changing your life...

(from zenhabits)

Realize it's possible, instead of telling yourself why you can't

Become aware of your self-talk

Squash the negative thoughts like a bug

Replace them with positive thoughts

Love what you have already

Be grateful for life, your gifts, and other people

Every Day

Focus on what you have, not on what you haven't

Don't compare yourself to others

But be inspired by them

Accept criticism with grace

But ignore the naysayers

See bad things as a blessing in disguise

See failure as a stepping stone to success

Surround yourself by those who are positive

Complain less, smile more
Imaging that you're already positive

Then become that person in the next act.

Focus on this habit first, and you'll have a much easier time with any other

*TRITE [trahyt] - adjective

Lacking effectiveness or freshness because of overuse and excessive repetition. Yes, trite is a word.

M.

When Mom's Attack

"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever" - unknown

Like any human being on earth, I can attest that one of the most important people in our lives - is our mom. We're with our mothers from the very start of existence, the womb to adulthood. They stay with us forever. Not sure if I can speak for many, but I've found that mothers really are the most talented people we know (or in my case, *I know*). Mom's do it all, care for us, feed us, embarrass us, encourage us, and inspire us, but above all - LOVE US. A mother's love for her child is one that can't be matched with anyone else. You can love your car, your pet fish, or even your other half - but can we really say that we love them like our mom??

Anyway, I just thought all that schpeel would be a nice start to all this. The title on the other hand, "When Mom's Attack," does sound like a contradiction. Before coming into a brand new post I had this major flashback to the end of summer of last year. I've brought it up a few times on this blog that I decided to take a hiatus from school and work. Following my high school graduation, I had doubts about my future, and didn't have a clue of what direction I was going in. I became completely overwhelmed with all the options, and felt as if I were in a tight box that was closing in on me. With all the emotional gas that gave me, I fell into a depression. I was lost.

For a whole month, I'd wake up and just stay in bed - then fall asleep again. When I finally did get out of bed, I'd go downstairs to the kitchen hearing criticisms from my mother about what I was doing to myself, and how I was giving up a life that I had worked so hard for.

"Look at you, you're miserable,"

"This is not the life I'd imagine you having after high school,"

"How is not doing anything helping?"

- They were all rough words. I felt as though this was her method of trying to push me into something I didn't know anything about. It was no longer about what I wanted; it was what she wanted for me.

"I want what is best for you. I want you to be happy".

"But how can I be happy if you don't let me make my own decisions?!" I'd yell.

The more I was pushed - the more I resisted.

I couldn't swallow any of her words. It took me months to learn that life is in my own hands. I always told myself, you'll know when you're ready. Nine long months later - I'm ready. Those icky debates between my mother and I have sizzled since and are now long gone. If anything, now that I have full knowledge and passion of goals, she's become even more supportive.

In taking the time off that I desperately needed, the learning experience has been phenomenal. Mon Amour was always there for me to jot it all down and share it. I've realized that great things happen if you let the good in with the bad. That's probably God's way of helping us find truth and wisdom in life. After all, He does work in mysterious ways.

M.