Let it Flow

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them--that only creates sorrow...Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
--Lao tzu

I'm flying to Barcelona in less than two weeks. The anxiety/happiness/fear/excitement is building rapidly! A friend of mine that I've gotten close with the past few months has decided to come with. Though I'm still traveling alone, I'm happy knowing I'll have a travel partner once I get to BCN.

We made plans see France and Stiges. It was sort of a spontaneous decision and though there was lots of thought behind it, it's still crazy! I couldn't say no...can't resist the flow of life, a mantra I believe powerfully in for the time being.

Countdown..13 days. Adeu America!

My Two cents on Bliss...

This summer, Julia Roberts is going to be in a film based off Elizabeth Gilbert’s essential and spiritually wonderful novel Eat, Pray, Love. The mainstream West (now including Hollywood!) is finally being warmed up to Eastern ideas of spirituality and religion. It’s a revolution I’d say.

To go hand in hand with this so-I-call-it ‘spiritual revolution’ is another revolution, in the world of psychology. The last decade much of research has dedicated it’s energies to the psychology of happiness. How to attain it, keep it, share it, even what our brains look like when we have it. I know, what a wonderful aspect of life to make empirical, but it’s beneficial to the progress of society as a whole in my opinion.

At the heart of this psychology of happiness is the idea of balance, or internal equilibrium. Religions of the east encourage finding this balance, and that is there that you will find your eternal bliss, amongst life’s chaos.

GIlbert puts this perspective into her book perfectly, comparing the western and eastern tradition of how the injustices of the world are viewed and dealt with in the eye of religion,

“The [other] objective of religion, of course, is to try to make sense of our chaotic world and explain the inexplicabilities we see playing out here on earth everyday… The Western tradition says, “It’ll all get sorted out after death, in heaven and hell.” Over in the East, though, the Upanishads shrug away any attempt to make sense of the world’s chaos. Furthermore, the Upanishads suggest that so-called chaos may have an actual divine function, even if you can’t personally recognize it now: “The Gods are fond of the cryptic and dislike the evident.” The best we can do then, in response to our incomprehensible and dangerous world, is to practice holding equilibrium internally— no matter what insanity is transpiring out there.”

I believe finding this equilbirium is the most basic function of spirituality, necessary for all other aspects. I also believe that balance is the power of sucess in life. I dedicate these writings to the continuous lesson on balance and the bliss that can be found there!


Namaste
-Jules Alana

"Everyday now I feel myself pressed harder in to this life."

I'm going abroad for the first time in my life in a few months, completely alone. I hope I don't get mugged, among other things, but words can't explain how excited I am to soak in a different culture and gain perspective.

On a different note, I'd like to complain about the fact that I don't like when art work accompanies words, especially poetry. The words should speak and paint a picture for themselves. Images on post-secret are fun to browse, however.

To give a few words their glory, this is a poem by Carrie Fountain I really enjoy. It's slightly morbid, honest and I love it.

Burn Lake 2
Carrie Fountain

We found a duck, a mallard, dead
on the shore, head split, eyes loose,

yet when someone poked it with a stick
it shuddered suddenly

and stood up, then collapsed again
and died for real, which to me

explained a lot.

For a while I’d had a vague idea
I could kill myself by holding my breath.

Yet when I locked myself in my room
and tried it, I fainted, fell face-first

into the closet, and came to in a panic,
thinking for a moment that

I’d done it, and death

was just my little blue room
at the back of the house,

my brother’s stereo thumping in the bathroom
while he labored over his pornography.

I was shocked then
by my body, its plain intention to continue

with or without me.

Every day now I feel myself
pressed harder into this life.

Sometimes it’s so near and docile
I can feel my hand take hold of it.

Other times it’s that old, alarming
grief, that animal scrambling

to its feet, desperate
to be living. Because it’s

mine, I wait for it to die.
Then I bury it.

Carrie Fountain is a poet and a Creative writing professor at my University. I use her work as an inspiration for the creative outlet I love most- my writing. Now that I'm not in a course that requires me to blog por le grade, I can write freely and post however I want. We'll see how much I take advantage of this... bear with me as I explore the possibilities. -J

Pop-up Shop: JNBY

Yet another reason why the big apple calls my name every winter: Pop-up Shops.

Whether it's Topshop, Rordarte or Asian designed brands brought to the US, I completely love the idea. This season China-based brand JNBY is setting up shop in NYC's Soho district before it permanently finds a home in the city. I suppose you could think of pop-up shops as the airstream trailer of restaurants. Still delicious, but more unique because it's produced on a smaller scale. This season JNBY's pop-up shop is holiday inspired with jackets, hoodies, socks, leggings and dresses in loud prints.

Here's a look at what the shop is offering...(I am green with envy as a type this entry)

How to Be Mindful During the Holidays

Yes, The Holidays are full of merry and cheer but they can also be a really stressful time for everyone with get-togethers, holiday shopping, work and all kinds of other stresses and worries. Thankfully, our good friend and guru Leo Babauta of Zen Habits has turned being mindful during the Holidays into three easy steps:

1. A Simple Practice- Take an action, like eating a fruit, and do it mindfully. Savor it slowly, take in the tastes and smells. Think about the way that eating it makes you feel, and concentrate on that feeling.

2. A Simple Mantra- Each time you feel yourself getting stressed or overwhelmed, remember the fruit. Say to yourself "apple" or "banana" or whatever fruit you ate and remember what it was like to be mindful as you ate that fruit. Now do the same thing with whatever situation you are shopping, spending time with loved ones, or doing a work task. Focus on that one thing and really be in the moment with that thing or person.

3. Remember What's Important - During the stressful Holiday's remember what's most important to you. That might be your loved ones, friends, spouse, kids, significant other, or even work. Whatever that is, be passionate about it and and focus on it throughout the holidays. The rest is just noise. It's not important. Fully experience what's important to you and let the rest fade away.

Via: Zen Habits

What Women in London are Wearing to the Disco: Lingerie

Fact: Women in London are wearing lingerie to the Disco.

Women will always look for new ways to wear less clothing, and no one will stand in their way. After the lingerie trend on the spring 2010 runways, the trend was bound to hit the streets also. I'm not talking corset tops, women are making conscious decisions to shop in the lingerie section for clothes to go out in. According to WWD UK Department store Selfridges has sold 70% more corsets this winter than it did last year already. The four-figure priced corsets have been selling out in less than 24 hours a piece and when Rihanna performed in her toilet-paper-esque slip costume at the American Music Awards, sales of the likewise Selfridges slip skyrocketed.

So, when shall the trend hit us here in the United States? Hopefully later than sooner, but my vote goes to Lady Gaga when guessing who will be the first to sport the new trend out.

Portland's Foodcart Scene: An image of What Austin's to Become?

Austin isn't the only city in America trending the non-fastfood, non- restaurant convenience food service. Portland, Oregon is far ahead of the game, apparently. With over 400 of what they call foodcarts, serving hundreds of different ethnic foods to city-goers curbside, the city is a model of what Austin may looking like in the future, based on the recent air-stream trailer trend.

The benefits are similar, little fees for space, good profit. But are these "foodcarts" as hip as air-stream trailers? Doubtful, Portland.

A journalist for the NYT investigates the city's trend.