Love
28 May 2012 Leave a Comment
…lifts us up where we belong
…makes the world go ’round
…is all ya need
it is not a feeling but a state of being.
“i have forgotten all my learnings, but from knowing you I have become a scholar…”
it has to start from somewhere deep inside yourself. if you don’t have an understanding of what it means to be in love with you, how can you be able to love anyone else? everyone else is a mirror.
no one will ever be good enough without first loving yourself.
strength must come from that infinite place,
you came alone and alone you shall leave
and in between there will be beautiful people and place to love
and that is the beauty of life
it expands you
it flows through you and makes you look at the world with child-like eyes of wonder
“The lovely one whispers under her breath, and you go mad, witless, no reason left…O Lord, what is this chant, what magic art, that weaves its spell on even a stone heart?” ~Rumi
where your thoughts end, love begins
“…en el amor como agua de mar te has destado:
mido apenas los ojos mas extensos del cielo
y me inclino a tu boca para besar la tierra”
“…in love you have loosened yourself like sea water:
I can scarcely measure the sky’s most spacious eyes
and I lean down to your mouth to kiss the earth.”
~Pablo Neruda
where there is love there is no question.
in love, the impossible becomes possible
No one can measure, not even poets, how much a heart can hold.
Previous Post
25 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in love, music Tags: love, music
This is really sweet! 
My kinda love song!
How much passion can one heart hold?
25 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Argentina!, life, love, music, pictures, spiritual Tags: dreams, music, nature
just leave me here love
I just get so filled up with…well, with what? Love? Oh god that sounds so cheesy. Lust for life? Maybe.
I bet you have already heard this song already but it is one of those ones you can’t listen to just once in a row. It amazes me how relevant this song is for so many people I know right now, myself included. This song has everything going for it, good lyrics, good vocals, good background music. Oh and not to mention the music video is captivating. Raw.
Whatever it is, it makes me want to throw all social norms out the fucking window and dance and sing at the top of my lungs. There are not many things I can do in a daily routine that will quell this thirst of self-expression.
I want to be in the woods. I want to commune with the trees and the natural cycles of life, not this concrete jungle that force feeds me lies of an ethnocentric, consumerist culture focused on the individual.
I’m figuring out how to channel this energy into more productive things than dreams. Dreams ain’t gonna pay the bills or save the world* (my #1 priority)
a piece of my heart was left there
I love how he just belts this out, and the guitar is pleasantly reminiscent of Vampire Weekend.
*I have a healthy understanding that no person, no matter how amazing can “save” the world. It is just too long and wide and contains way too many conflicting interests for anyone to feel burdened by this grand task. There is no need to place so much pressure on yourself. Still, I am an optimist and will never give up the hope that maybe I will be able to effect some positive change that will last.
…. w h e r e do we go from here……..?
Internships/ Job-y things
20 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Gandhi
Sooooooo I’m still trying to figure out this whole life after college thing. I’m looking into internships with organizations in DC related to peace or development work. I’m also starting my application for a Fulbright grant to go back to India and study. Fingers crossed.There are a few other options in the works, graduate school for conflict resolution or sustainable development within the next 3-4 years for example. Peacecorps is also a possibility (that I could do+get a masters, its called Masters International).
Ok, enough talk about the future…its scary.
Lets talk about Gandhi. This is one of my favorite quotes from his autobiography. I like this passage where he talks about his vow of celibacy.
“I realized that a vow, far from closing the door to real freedom, opened it. Up to this time I had not met with success because the will had been lacking, because I had had no faith in myself, no faith in the grace of God, and therefore, my mind had been tossed on the boisterous sea of doubt. I realized that in refusing to take a vow man was drawn into temptation, and that to be bound by a vow was like a passage from libertinism to a real monogamous marriage. I believe in effort. ‘I do not want to bind myself with vows’ is the mentality of weakness and betrays a subtle desire for the thing to be avoided. Or where can be the difficulty in making a final decision?
I vow to flee from the serpent which I know will bite me. I do not simply make an effort to flee from him. I know that mere effort may mean certain death. Mere effort means ignorance of the certain fact that the serpent is bound to kill me. The fact, therefore that I could not rest content with an effort only, means that i have not yet clearly realized the necessity of definite action. ‘But supposing my views are changed in the culture, how can I bind myself by a vow?’ Such a doubt often deters us. But that doubt also betrays a lack of clear perception that a particular thing must be renounced.” (207).
19 May 2012 Leave a Comment
I can’t get over how GROOVY these guys are. Would practically die if I ever got the chance to jam with them. I bet it would be seriously uplifting and just fun.
Self-doubt is my worst enemy…aaand Kashmir…er Led Zeppelin?
19 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in i get random sometimes, India, life, spiritual, travel
My mind is the only thing standing in my way. It pulls me into a black hole of doubt that holds me down and tells me I’m not worth it. I can’t possibly do it. No way. What was I thinking? I do a lot of things, but yet, I still feel there is a voice of fear that is keeping me from reaching my full potential and striving towards my dreams.
I’m starting to get fed up with this fear shit.
I’m at the point now where I’m challenging it. It is still there, but I go for what I want anyway.
Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars
There is this class through the conflict and dispute resolution masters program that recently opened up some of their classes to undergrads. So, more than half the class is grad students, which is more my level at this point anyway, but it’s still overwhelming. The class is basically a mixture of political science, history, econ, foreign policy and some all mixed in together to look in-depth at 7 major national conflicts around the world. Examples: China and Taiwan, Israel/ Palestine, Kashmir (India and Pakistan), etc. It has been absolutely kicking my butt, and the teacher is super intimidating, which has made me slightly nervous when I need to talk to him one on one but also motivated me to study more so I don’t sound like an idiot when I talk to him. I’ve become really interested in the current conflict of Kashmir involving Pakistan and India which is potentially the most dangerous conflict because it is the only one in the world where both sides possess nuclear weapons. Yikes.
The conflict with Kashmir, like many border conflicts still going on today dates back to those British dunces who, with their outdated, poorly drawn maps, divided up land into different nations at their leisure. “…it had been created rather off-handedly by the British after the first defeat of the Sikhs in 1846, as a reward to a former official who had sided with the British.” It was connected to India through the Punjab, but was at the time, 77% Muslim so everyone assumed that it would eventually become part of Pakistan. After India declared independence in 1947, Kashmir had the choice of becoming part of Pakistan or India.
After hesitation (and thoughts of just making an independent Kashmir) a mutiny of Muslim regimen broke out in Kashmir and Maharaja Hari Singh implored India to help. India agreed on the condition that Kashmir accede to India. This is what is now Jammu and Kashmir in northern India. Conflict continues because the population is majority Muslim and many want to join Pakistan. Many want to be part of an independent Kashmir. It was always assumed that the Kashmiris would be given the opportunity at some point to vote on what they wanted, but that is yet to occur. I find this conflict especially interesting as I am half Punjabi and Sikh and my family was in the Punjab during the time of the Indo-Pakistan war of 1947-1948, also known as the Partition. Not to mention that Kashmir used be part of the Sikh empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
And I just had to add this song “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin. I’ve never been a huge fan, but I appreciate his passionate performance and they may just be growing on me.
Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream
I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been
To sit with elders of the gentle race, this world has seldom seen
They talk of days for which they sit and wait and all will be revealedTalk and song from tongues of lilting grace, whose sounds caress my ear
But not a word I heard could I relate, the story was quite clear
Oh, oh.Oh, I been flying… mama, there ain’t no denyin’
I’ve been flying, ain’t no denyin’, no denyin’All I see turns to brown, as the sun burns the ground
And my eyes fill with sand, as I scan this wasted land
Trying to find, trying to find where I’ve been.Oh, pilot of the storm who leaves no trace, like thoughts inside a dream
Heed the path that led me to that place, yellow desert stream
My Shangri-La beneath the summer moon, I will return again
Sure as the dust that floats high in June, when movin’ through Kashmir.Oh, father of the four winds, fill my sails, across the sea of years
With no provision but an open face, along the straits of fear
Ohh.When I’m on, when I’m on my way, yeah
When I see, when I see the way, you stay-yeahOoh, yeah-yeah, ooh, yeah-yeah, when I’m down…
Ooh, yeah-yeah, ooh, yeah-yeah, well I’m down, so down
Ooh, my baby, oooh, my baby, let me take you thereLet me take you there. Let me take you there
Some pikas
01 Dec 2011 1 Comment
in Argentina!
So, gosh everytime I sit down in front of the computer to actually write it is like, how deep down the rabbit hole do I want to go to explain what my life is like here. There is so much, and sometimes I think about it so much that sitting down and writing it out seems like a chore.
Velatropa, a community of young people, many of them students living in some abandoned land next to one of the universities in Buenos Aires
Naturaleza!!!
look at the cutie!
24 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Argentina!, challenges, keeping up, life, meditation, pictures, spiritual, travel
my meditation spot on the roof
Lately I’ve been sad. I’m not really sure, and I think that is how it goes, sometimes you can’t really figure it out. I’m trying to work with myself to be more balanced in my life. Recently I had a few freak outs because of stress which found me kinda crying hysterically and feeling like my life was ending. I seriously thought about buying a bus ticket to Mendoza and disappearing into the Andes…
Just, seeing all my faults lately ya know, getting kinda down on myself, er…a lot down on myself. This is always how it is though, it gets worse before it gets better. Destruction before reconstruction eh?
I basically just am praying. a lot. Like oh dear god please just let me find the strength within to get through these challenges I am facing right now! And I’m also like, ok chop chop you are supposed to take care of me, make it happen! Show me what direction to go in cause I am totally confused…
Oh my dear lord what I would give to be at the Golden Temple right now. It is literally my “happy place”. That and sometimes also the forest. There is really nothing like meditating there during the early early hours of the morning when the city is still quiet.
Every time I travel somewhere and get settled enough to start to love it, it becomes a part of me. Argentina from now on will always have a special place in my heart (awwww). But, I feel so nostalgic already for places when I’m not there, India, US, now Argentina is added to the list. Great. haha. There will be more to add to the list of places to miss within the next few years. I have no doubt in my mind that I am going to be doing much more traveling in the near future.
El Padrino!!!! jajaja
was pretty dumbfounded when I saw this. one of the coolest murals I've seen here. I just stood and stared...
old ladies talking in the park 
new cafe discovery!
one thing I love about cafes here is they all have "liquados" which are smoothies yum and good sandwiches. this one had fresh spinach, tomato, basil, cheese and olive oil and vinegar
puppy!!!!!!!!!!
park at twilight
another cool mural
haha ok this picture is kinda funny....well it's not really but it's funny in the way that right after I took this picture, three people who were in front of the kiosk asked me to take a picture of them...
They invited me to drink mate with them! it is so funny how mate is treated almost like a drug here. If you have ever been in a circle of people smoking pot, well it’s kind of a similar thing. The mate is passed around in a circle, each person taking a turn to drink the full cup before it is filled up again with water for the next person. A popular subject that always seems to come up is whether I have a boyfriend or not. Everyone dates here and PDA is suuuper common. You always see couples on park benches making out, sitting on each other and… yeah P-D-A and many times T-M-I…
I answer no, and that I’m not looking either and they say “porque no?!” They always ask, oh what do you think of the Argentinian boys? Why don’t you have an Argentinian boyfriend? I just say, yeah not interested… but the guys are definitely muy dulce I say, and then they smile.
On another note, there is this adorable little book I bought from a boutique shop in Eugene with a gift card from a friend. “How to be Happy” by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. It has just a bunch of little inspirational tips on different subjects. It also has some meditation techniques in the back.
“We might have big ideas about how we can contribute to world peace, but if we can’t help bring peace in our own family, our own workplace – even our own mind – how can we ever start?”
I appreciate this because it is so easy for me to feel like, gahhh I’m only ONE person, and I have such big aspirations, but how can I ever do what i want to do?! I’m not capable, I can’t…blah blah blah. Well, I can at least start within myself, making myself a positive example and being in a place where I can uplift everyone who comes in contact with me. That is something I CAN do and that does make a difference.
Here are a few others I like,
“Mind is like dough, which means you can mold it into any shape. you can roll it into suffering, or roll it into ultimate happiness. Mind is like a disciple, which means you must strive always to be the guru, always teaching. Mind is like a child, which means you should become like parents, the father and the mother carefully and lovingly watching the child and guiding her. If you too act like the child, believe everything the child says, if you become the child, you create obstacles and life becomes suffering.
Mind is like a boat, and you are the captain; mind is a car and you are the driver. Lean the waters, watch the road, steer the vehicle, follow the map – letting the mind run haphazardly where it will, rudderless, captainless, driverless, is the path to great harm”
“Approach you mind the way a spy approaches his target. Spy on your mind. Get to know everything about it: what it is thinking, planing, acting out, whether it is working for good or causing harm – and carefully work to interfere when the mind is being negative.”
Vain Women and Tango Milonga
23 Nov 2011 2 Comments
in Argentina!, travel
hip lady no?
The women here are very funny. It is no surprise that Buenos Aires has so many plastic surgeons. You see so many older women with body parts, lips, noses, eyebrows, boobs that just don’t seem to fit with the rest of their body, their sagging skin. These women are chasing their youth. It just makes me wonder, why they are afraid of getting old when it is something so normal. Why are they trying to be something they are not? I think also though, it can be scary to watch your body age overtime when your spirit inside still feels youthful. Maybe, it doesn’t seem fair?
Went to a milonga last night. One of my friends, Liz is doing her independent study project on tango and machismo in the culture, so she has to do field research…aka party. No no I’m just joking, a tango milonga is quite different than your typical idea of partying. We just sat at a table watching all the couples flowing in and out of the dancefloor with the flow of the music.
some pictures finally
22 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Argentina!
my morning working on my project
one of the buildings for University of Buenos Aires, where I met my advisor this morning
University of Economic Science! They have a cool study space... my advisor was joking about how since they are the school of economics their building is nicer than the social science building of UBA.... hmm...
where i studied for a bit today
my new favorite cafe
