"It was the last day of August -- an achingly beautiful, golden day when the air throbbed with cricket song and buzzed with dragonfly wings and smelled like ripening apples.
This was the sort of day you ought to be outside....To me, days like this one were holidays -- the word owes its origin to 'holy days', and I felt it a sacred duty to honour them. Even if it meant having to work till nine every night all the rest of the week, and both days of the weekend, on these brilliant, extraordinary days, we'd try to take an afternoon hike with Tess, or steal a few hours watching the birds at our favourite pond. Our friend David Carroll, a turtle expert, artist and author..., called this practice 'keeping an appointment with the season'. When the salamanders woke for their mass mating on the first warm rainy night in April, when the spotted turtles emerged from hibernation in March, on the moonlit nights when the wood turtles nest in June -- well, he just had to be there, no matter what." --pp.179-180
"Blessings, all. In each case, I hadn't found what I had hoped for or expected. Instead, I'd discovered something far more exciting or profound -- an unexpected insight, a surprise gift. And that's a pretty good working definition of a blessing. So go out into the world where your heart calls you. The blessings will come, I promise you that....I wish for you the insight to recognise the blessings as such, and sometimes this is hard. But you'll know it's a blessing if you are enriched and transformed by the experience. So be ready. There are great souls and teachers everywhere. It is your job to recognise them." --pp. 223-224
"Thank you for your great soul -- for that gaze into our hearts....Thank you for for showing us your heart -- for inviting us into such a happy heart." --p. 234
"Good, good pig. Big, good pig. Fine, fine swine. Good...good...good." --p. 183
"Christopher Hogwood knew how to relish the juicy savour of this fragrant, abundant, sweet, green world. To show us this would have been gift enough. But he showed us another truth as well. That a pig did not become bacon but lived fourteen years, pampered and adored till the day he died peacefully in his sleep -- that's proof that we need not 'be practical' all the time. We need not accept the rules that our society or species, family or fate seem to have written for us. We can choose a new way. We have the power to transform a story of sorrow into a story of healing. We can choose life over death. We can let love lead us home....one thing I know for sure: a great soul can appear among us at any time, in the form of any creature. I'm keeping my eyes open." --p. 241
All quotes are from the book "The Good Good Pig", written by Sy Montgomery. I obviously loved the book to pieces, most probably because I am an animal lover (and a fellow vegetarian!). However, for those who aren't as animal-friendly but are open to it, maybe those who like inspirational books, I highly recommend this book. As seen from the above quotes, as much as "The Good Good Pig" calls to our animal-loving compassionate hearts, it also calls to the inner child in us, never to cease being amazed, always to find something new, to be open to greatness, whether it be in an animal, a fellow human, a holy day, and so on.
To end, I leave with another quote, from p. 183:
"Some say happiness lands lightly on
you, like a butterfly. Sometimes this is so. But sometimes happiness
comes lumbering toward you, like a fat, satisfied pig -- and then
thuds, grunting, by your side."
Indeed.
Showing posts with label animal rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animal rights. Show all posts
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Monday, March 05, 2007
Exposing the Beast
Below is an essay done by J.M. Coetzee as seen on this site. Many thanks to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau of Compassionate Cooks for referring it. Incidentally, she also has an essay of her own here.
-----------------------------
Published on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 by the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Exposing the Beast: Factory Farming Must be Called to the Slaughterhouse
by J.M. Coetzee
To any thinking person, it must be obvious there is something terribly wrong with relations between human beings and the animals they rely on for food. It must also be obvious that in the past 100 or 150 years, whatever is wrong has become wrong on a huge scale, as traditional animal husbandry has been turned into an industry using industrial methods of production.
There are many other ways in which our relationship with animals is wrong (to name two: the fur trade and experimentation on animals in laboratories), but the food industry, which turns living animals into what it euphemistically calls animal products and by-products, dwarfs all others in the number of individual animal lives it affects.
The vast majority of the public has an equivocal attitude to the industrial use of animals: they make use of the products of that industry, but are nevertheless a little sickened, a little queasy, when they think of what happens on factory farms and abattoirs. Therefore they arrange their lives in such a way that they need be reminded of farms and abattoirs as little as possible, and they do their best to ensure their children are kept in the dark too, because children have tender hearts and are easily moved.
The transformation of animals into production units dates back to the late 19th century, and since that time we have already had one warning on the grandest scale that there is something deeply, cosmically wrong with regarding and treating fellow beings as mere units of any kind.
This warning came so loud and clear that one would have thought it impossible to ignore. It came when, in the 20th century, a group of powerful and bloody-minded men in Germany hit on the idea of adapting the methods of the industrial stockyard, as pioneered and perfected in Chicago, to the slaughter - or what they preferred to call the processing - of human beings.
Of course we cried out in horror when we found out what they had been up to. What a terrible crime to treat human beings like cattle - if we had only known beforehand. But our cry should more accurately have been: what a terrible crime to treat human beings like units in an industrial process. And that cry should have had a postscript: what a terrible crime - come to think of it, a crime against nature - to treat any living being like a unit in an industrial process.
It would be a mistake to idealise traditional animal husbandry as the standard by which the animal products industry falls short. Traditional animal husbandry is brutal enough, just on a smaller scale. A better standard by which to judge both practices would be the simple standard of humanity: is this truly the best that humans are capable of?
The efforts of the animal rights movement - the broad movement that situates itself on the spectrum somewhere between the meliorism of the animal welfare bodies and the radicalism of animal liberation - are rightly directed at decent people who both know and don't know that there is something going on that stinks to high heaven.
These are people who will say: "Yes, it's terrible what lives brood sows live; it's terrible what lives veal calves live," but who will add, with a helpless shrug of the shoulders - "what can I do about it?"
The task of the movement is to offer such people imaginative but practical options for what to do next after they have been revolted by a glimpse of the lives factory animals live and the deaths they die. People need to see that there are alternatives to supporting the animal products industry.
These alternatives need not involve any sacrifice in health or nutrition, and there is no reason why these alternatives need be costly. Furthermore, what are commonly called sacrifices are not sacrifices at all. The only sacrifices in the whole picture, in fact, are being made by non-human animals.
In this respect, children provide the brightest hope. Children have tender hearts - that is to say children have hearts that have not yet been hardened by years of cruel and unnatural battering. Given half a chance, children see through the lies with which advertisers bombard them (the happy chooks that are transformed painlessly into succulent nuggets, the smiling moo-cow that donates to us the bounty of her milk). It takes but one glance into a slaughterhouse to turn a child into a lifelong vegetarian.
Factory farming is a new phenomenon - very new indeed in the history of animal husbandry. The good news is that after a couple of decades of what the businessmen behind it must have regarded as free and unlimited expansion, the industry has been forced onto the defensive.
The activities of animals-rights organisations have shifted the onus onto the industry to justify its practices, and because they are indefensible and unjustifiable except on the most narrow economic grounds ("Do you want to pay $1.50 more for a dozen eggs?"), the industry is battening down hatches and hoping the storm will blow itself out. Insofar as there was a public relations war, the industry has already lost that war.
A final note. The campaign of human beings for animal rights is curious in one respect: the creatures on whose behalf human beings are acting are unaware of what their benefactors are up to and, if they succeed, are unlikely to thank them. There is even a sense in which animals do not know what is wrong - they do certainly not know what is wrong in the same way that humans do.
Thus, however close the well-meaning benefactor may feel to animals, the animal rights campaign remains a human project from beginning to end.
J.M. Coetzee won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2003. This is an edited version of a speech to be given this evening to open the exhibition Voiceless: I feel therefore I am. It will be at the Sherman Galleries until March 10.
Copyright © 2007. The Sydney Morning Herald.
-----------------------------
Published on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 by the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Exposing the Beast: Factory Farming Must be Called to the Slaughterhouse
by J.M. Coetzee
To any thinking person, it must be obvious there is something terribly wrong with relations between human beings and the animals they rely on for food. It must also be obvious that in the past 100 or 150 years, whatever is wrong has become wrong on a huge scale, as traditional animal husbandry has been turned into an industry using industrial methods of production.
There are many other ways in which our relationship with animals is wrong (to name two: the fur trade and experimentation on animals in laboratories), but the food industry, which turns living animals into what it euphemistically calls animal products and by-products, dwarfs all others in the number of individual animal lives it affects.
The vast majority of the public has an equivocal attitude to the industrial use of animals: they make use of the products of that industry, but are nevertheless a little sickened, a little queasy, when they think of what happens on factory farms and abattoirs. Therefore they arrange their lives in such a way that they need be reminded of farms and abattoirs as little as possible, and they do their best to ensure their children are kept in the dark too, because children have tender hearts and are easily moved.
The transformation of animals into production units dates back to the late 19th century, and since that time we have already had one warning on the grandest scale that there is something deeply, cosmically wrong with regarding and treating fellow beings as mere units of any kind.
This warning came so loud and clear that one would have thought it impossible to ignore. It came when, in the 20th century, a group of powerful and bloody-minded men in Germany hit on the idea of adapting the methods of the industrial stockyard, as pioneered and perfected in Chicago, to the slaughter - or what they preferred to call the processing - of human beings.
Of course we cried out in horror when we found out what they had been up to. What a terrible crime to treat human beings like cattle - if we had only known beforehand. But our cry should more accurately have been: what a terrible crime to treat human beings like units in an industrial process. And that cry should have had a postscript: what a terrible crime - come to think of it, a crime against nature - to treat any living being like a unit in an industrial process.
It would be a mistake to idealise traditional animal husbandry as the standard by which the animal products industry falls short. Traditional animal husbandry is brutal enough, just on a smaller scale. A better standard by which to judge both practices would be the simple standard of humanity: is this truly the best that humans are capable of?
The efforts of the animal rights movement - the broad movement that situates itself on the spectrum somewhere between the meliorism of the animal welfare bodies and the radicalism of animal liberation - are rightly directed at decent people who both know and don't know that there is something going on that stinks to high heaven.
These are people who will say: "Yes, it's terrible what lives brood sows live; it's terrible what lives veal calves live," but who will add, with a helpless shrug of the shoulders - "what can I do about it?"
The task of the movement is to offer such people imaginative but practical options for what to do next after they have been revolted by a glimpse of the lives factory animals live and the deaths they die. People need to see that there are alternatives to supporting the animal products industry.
These alternatives need not involve any sacrifice in health or nutrition, and there is no reason why these alternatives need be costly. Furthermore, what are commonly called sacrifices are not sacrifices at all. The only sacrifices in the whole picture, in fact, are being made by non-human animals.
In this respect, children provide the brightest hope. Children have tender hearts - that is to say children have hearts that have not yet been hardened by years of cruel and unnatural battering. Given half a chance, children see through the lies with which advertisers bombard them (the happy chooks that are transformed painlessly into succulent nuggets, the smiling moo-cow that donates to us the bounty of her milk). It takes but one glance into a slaughterhouse to turn a child into a lifelong vegetarian.
Factory farming is a new phenomenon - very new indeed in the history of animal husbandry. The good news is that after a couple of decades of what the businessmen behind it must have regarded as free and unlimited expansion, the industry has been forced onto the defensive.
The activities of animals-rights organisations have shifted the onus onto the industry to justify its practices, and because they are indefensible and unjustifiable except on the most narrow economic grounds ("Do you want to pay $1.50 more for a dozen eggs?"), the industry is battening down hatches and hoping the storm will blow itself out. Insofar as there was a public relations war, the industry has already lost that war.
A final note. The campaign of human beings for animal rights is curious in one respect: the creatures on whose behalf human beings are acting are unaware of what their benefactors are up to and, if they succeed, are unlikely to thank them. There is even a sense in which animals do not know what is wrong - they do certainly not know what is wrong in the same way that humans do.
Thus, however close the well-meaning benefactor may feel to animals, the animal rights campaign remains a human project from beginning to end.
J.M. Coetzee won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2003. This is an edited version of a speech to be given this evening to open the exhibition Voiceless: I feel therefore I am. It will be at the Sherman Galleries until March 10.
Copyright © 2007. The Sydney Morning Herald.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
And the journey begins.
Holy..... Ohmygod, I'm going to Hawai'i. HAWAI'I!!!!!!!!! I was emailed Tuesday, February 27, 2007, that I've been accepted for teacher training. Holy, holy, holy.....!!!!!! Is this real? *pinches self, blinks really hard* But please God, I hope this is real!!!! 'Coz if it is, I'm totally committed; I've been hoping and praying for this, well, it's coming soon, and I hope I'll succeed in it. And this is only the start; hopefully there will be more to follow. Ayurveda, Jivamukti, Iyengar, who knows? Once there, I have to attend class here to prepare myself. Hopefully it won't be so expensive. Mapquest, I truly, truly love you. Thank you, H, for introducing the wonders of Mapquest.
To adjust to the timezone, I have to arrive in Hawai'i a bit earlier, hence the need to book a place. This will be my first time to book with an agent online, so I'm a bit cautious (she said skeptical). Thinking about getting travel insurance, but $$$, so maybe not. Hopefully, it'll be ok.
Training was moved from Los Angeles, though, where it would've been cheaper, and I could've seen as well as other veganfreaks from that part of town, stayed with my aunt in San Diego while adjusting to the timezone, possibly have my childhood nanny fly in from Vancouver, but no. Ah well, I'm hoping the facilities in Hawai'i will be cleaner, the place more pedestrian-friendly and the experience totally fulfilling. Let go, let go. This early on in the game, I already worry about my overabundant hair growth, what to bring and what to leave behind, and how to memorize the dialogue (when it arrives, which it hasn't: Saint Anthony, let it come to me safe and sound!), and I know I should let go. I can try. Those are also all for the future: I should focus on what I can do now, which is to have enough strength and stamina, be relatively free from injury, and have well-aligned asanas. Also, to read the journal. Then maybe make my own, hmm?
On a slightly different tangent, in relation to ahimsa, go watch A Peaceable Kingdom, if you need that last push to go vegan, or are even considering going vegan.
Go, go, go.
To adjust to the timezone, I have to arrive in Hawai'i a bit earlier, hence the need to book a place. This will be my first time to book with an agent online, so I'm a bit cautious (she said skeptical). Thinking about getting travel insurance, but $$$, so maybe not. Hopefully, it'll be ok.
Training was moved from Los Angeles, though, where it would've been cheaper, and I could've seen
On a slightly different tangent, in relation to ahimsa, go watch A Peaceable Kingdom, if you need that last push to go vegan, or are even considering going vegan.
Go, go, go.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Another Day
Staying home can do wonders: I fixed more of my stuff, arranged my shirts by color, wrote people I promised to write to, and am finally finishing "Yoga School Dropout," finally to move on to "Autobiography of a Yogi."
*******************************
I wonder if they're vegan? In any case, it gives me yet another excuse to visit NYC. But while in California, why not visit one of her own wonders? But man, if I could return to India, I'd like to enter an Ayurvedic treatment. Ah well.
Then care of Eric Prescott, this article states: "Leading aquariums and swim-with-dolphin dealers are subsidising the Japan dolphin slaughter by paying £25,000 or more for a few 'show' dolphins from the catch," said Ric O'Barry, a former US Navy diver who trained the dolphin star of the 1960s television series before turning against dolphin captivity in 1970....
A report released last year by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society reveals that dozens of dolphins captured in Japan's annual "drive fisheries" - and then spared - have ended up in aquariums around the world.
Figures. So stop supporting marine parks, or animal cage facilities already! Why not watch Cirque du Soleil, instead, or go to a botanical garden and smell the flowers; let love well up.
Namaste.
*******************************
I wonder if they're vegan? In any case, it gives me yet another excuse to visit NYC. But while in California, why not visit one of her own wonders? But man, if I could return to India, I'd like to enter an Ayurvedic treatment. Ah well.
Then care of Eric Prescott, this article states: "Leading aquariums and swim-with-dolphin dealers are subsidising the Japan dolphin slaughter by paying £25,000 or more for a few 'show' dolphins from the catch," said Ric O'Barry, a former US Navy diver who trained the dolphin star of the 1960s television series before turning against dolphin captivity in 1970....
A report released last year by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society reveals that dozens of dolphins captured in Japan's annual "drive fisheries" - and then spared - have ended up in aquariums around the world.
Figures. So stop supporting marine parks, or animal cage facilities already! Why not watch Cirque du Soleil, instead, or go to a botanical garden and smell the flowers; let love well up.
Namaste.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
News Bites
Have you ever wondered why Coke comes with a smile? It’s because it gets you high. They took the cocaine out almost a hundred years ago. You know why? It was redundant.
* In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
* 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
* 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dialate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
* 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
* >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
* >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
* >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.
This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.) But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.
*FYI: The Coke itself is not the enemy, here. It’s the dynamic combo of massive sugar doses combined with caffeine and phosphoric acid. Things which are found in almost all soda.
Taken from this site.
********************
And yet another from An Animal-Friendly Life:
Bullfighting's Future in Doubt:
One of the weakest defenses of any form of animal exploitation is that it is a tradition. This includes hunting, animal racing, cockfighting, rodeo, eating meat, you name it.
News out of Spain reminds us that "tradition" is insufficient reason to continue barbaric behavior:
Bullfighting was facing an uncertain future in Spain yesterday with the announcement that the last bullring in Barcelona is to close after failing to draw enough spectators...
*based on this article
*more info on bullfighting here
* In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
* 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
* 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dialate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
* 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
* >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
* >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
* >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.
This will all be followed by a caffeine crash in the next few hours. (As little as two if you’re a smoker.) But, hey, have another Coke, it’ll make you feel better.
*FYI: The Coke itself is not the enemy, here. It’s the dynamic combo of massive sugar doses combined with caffeine and phosphoric acid. Things which are found in almost all soda.
Taken from this site.
********************
And yet another from An Animal-Friendly Life:
Bullfighting's Future in Doubt:
One of the weakest defenses of any form of animal exploitation is that it is a tradition. This includes hunting, animal racing, cockfighting, rodeo, eating meat, you name it.
News out of Spain reminds us that "tradition" is insufficient reason to continue barbaric behavior:
Bullfighting was facing an uncertain future in Spain yesterday with the announcement that the last bullring in Barcelona is to close after failing to draw enough spectators...
*based on this article
*more info on bullfighting here
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Babycakes
The following is a story found in Neil Gaiman's anthology, "Smoke and Mirrors." I was reminded of it when I was listening to VF Podcast #53, and the part on a baby dressed as a turkey...and before I go on and on, just read the piece already ;)
Babycakes by Neil Gaiman
A few years back all the animals went away.
We woke up one morning, and they just weren't there anymore.
They didn't leave us a note, or say good-bye. We never figured out quite where they'd gone.
We missed them.
Some of us thought that the world had ended, but it hadn't. There just weren't any more animals. No cats or rabbits, no dogs or whales, no fish in the seas, no bird in the skies.
We were all alone.
We didn't know what to do.
We wandered around lost, for a time, and then someone pointed out that just because we didn't have animals anymore, that was no reason to change our lives. No reason to change our diets or to cease testing products that might cause us harm.
After all, there were still babies.
Babies can't talk. They can hardly move. A baby is not a rational, thinking creature.
We made babies.
And we used them.
Some of them we ate. Baby flesh is tender and succulent.
We flayed their skin and decorated ourselves in it. Baby leather is soft and comfortable.
Some of them we tested.
We taped open their eyes, dripped detergents and shampoos in, a drop at a time.
We scarred them and scalded them. We burnt them. We clamped them and planted electrodes into their brains. We grafted, and we froze, and we irradiated.
The babies breathed our smoke, and the babies' veins flowed with our medicines and drugs, until they stopped breathing or until their blood ceased to flow.
It was hard, of course, but it was necessary.
No one could deny that.
With the animals gone, what else could we do?
Some people complained, of course. But then, they always do.
And everything went back to normal.
Only...
Yesterday, all the babies were gone.
We don't know where they went. We didn't even see them go.
We don't know what we're going to do without them.
But we'll think of something. Humans are smart. It's what makes us superior to the animals and the babies.
We'll figure something out.
Babycakes by Neil Gaiman
A few years back all the animals went away.
We woke up one morning, and they just weren't there anymore.
They didn't leave us a note, or say good-bye. We never figured out quite where they'd gone.
We missed them.
Some of us thought that the world had ended, but it hadn't. There just weren't any more animals. No cats or rabbits, no dogs or whales, no fish in the seas, no bird in the skies.
We were all alone.
We didn't know what to do.
We wandered around lost, for a time, and then someone pointed out that just because we didn't have animals anymore, that was no reason to change our lives. No reason to change our diets or to cease testing products that might cause us harm.
After all, there were still babies.
Babies can't talk. They can hardly move. A baby is not a rational, thinking creature.
We made babies.
And we used them.
Some of them we ate. Baby flesh is tender and succulent.
We flayed their skin and decorated ourselves in it. Baby leather is soft and comfortable.
Some of them we tested.
We taped open their eyes, dripped detergents and shampoos in, a drop at a time.
We scarred them and scalded them. We burnt them. We clamped them and planted electrodes into their brains. We grafted, and we froze, and we irradiated.
The babies breathed our smoke, and the babies' veins flowed with our medicines and drugs, until they stopped breathing or until their blood ceased to flow.
It was hard, of course, but it was necessary.
No one could deny that.
With the animals gone, what else could we do?
Some people complained, of course. But then, they always do.
And everything went back to normal.
Only...
Yesterday, all the babies were gone.
We don't know where they went. We didn't even see them go.
We don't know what we're going to do without them.
But we'll think of something. Humans are smart. It's what makes us superior to the animals and the babies.
We'll figure something out.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Prude-speak#1
Mantra: no expletives, no expletives, no expletives.
But I'm so tempted to junk that mantra. Nonononono. But really, today (fine, the latter half of the day) was just extremely trying.
I'm thankful to Q, though, for providing us with Sleater-Kinney songs to download! :) However, that was before the day turned sour.
It all started when traffic was at a standstill for a stupid, drawn-out San Miguel Oktoberfest parade, complete with dancers, drummers, San Miguel Corp. reps waving from semi-vans, basketball players and Efren Bata-Reyes included, and GET THIS: a costumed pig and chicken, looking happy, waving too. Filipinos know very well that San Miguel has as one of its major components, besides beer, meat products, or in my view, massacre by-products. And the waving pig and chicken create AN ILLUSION of HAPPY ANIMALS, when they're NOT! People are thus fooled into believing that meat comes in plastic/styrofoam packages. They are absolved of all violence, when in fact, they directly support and propagate it! Would the cow happily moo when she is sent to slaughter, or when she is kept pregnant so people can have cow's milk, meant for THEIR babies, which incidentally, if female, grow up to be raped like their mothers, or if male, end up as choice meat. Nonetheless, it all boils down to THEIR ALL BEING KILLED, ANYWAY. So smile away.
That was bad enough. Despite that time-consuming, inconsiderate traffic jam, my friends, C and M, and I made it to the movie (Step Up), even with time to spare to go to the loo and see some trailers! For those who said it was nice, I didn't find anything special with it, other than regretting I stopped ballet when I was 8, plus thinking, what if I had pursued my musical roots and applied to maybe UP College of Music, majoring in voice? But I didn't.
Afterwards, M felt the need to check out the shops, and when she asked me my opinion on a top, I bluntly told her not to get it if the only reason she wanted to buy it was to buy something. She didn't. C reminded me M's having a date with her beau on Saturday, so she was in a dither to buy something new. My point is, if you don't need something, or don't really WANT it, why buy it? Plus the boyfriend she's with? They seem to be going nowhere: the guy seems to have no drive to achieve anything. Seriously. So where's the future in that??? Then they both flirt with other people! In her case, she enjoys the attention heaped on her, so to me, what's the point in having a relationship?!?!?! But they're OK with their illusion, so fine. Now what clinched getting my goat was when she asked C and me if she should ask her Mom if she can go with him out of town, despite having a dinner with him and his family(!) that night. C and I were uneasy, and C was very careful to reserve her opinions, but given my fatigue and progressively worsening mood, I told her I didn't think it would be wise to go out with him TWICE in one day, one being out of town, to boot. C reminded her it is customary for her to visit her grandparents on that day, but she said she can move it. For my part, I reminded her of propriety: spending a WHOLE DAY (extending to the evening!) won't look too good on her good girl image. Really. She protested she'd have to do it one of these days, be "independent." And I wanted to shout at her that boy, is her concept of freedom screwed or WHAT? Peter Parker's Uncle Ben nailed it on the head when he said, "with great freedom comes great responsibility." She seems not to see this, forgetting that everything she has comes from and is paid for by her family's money and hard work: her laundry and ironing, her food, her gym membership and other activities, her tuition, her car and the gasoline it needs--in short, EVERYTHING. And at the rate they're going, I don't think her boyfriend's even remotely thinking of providing for such things. And she talks about freedom? Well, think of that, girlie, plus you're already 21.
Call me paranoid, anal, a shrew for thinking about these already, but I do. I see all amorous relationships as a building up, not building down. Hence, I don't believe in flings. I view risks very suspiciously, and quite fearfully. So yes, I've been in a dry spell for a long time now, but I prefer not to compromise. Ironically, though, that is the risk I will have to take.
But I'm so tempted to junk that mantra. Nonononono. But really, today (fine, the latter half of the day) was just extremely trying.
I'm thankful to Q, though, for providing us with Sleater-Kinney songs to download! :) However, that was before the day turned sour.
It all started when traffic was at a standstill for a stupid, drawn-out San Miguel Oktoberfest parade, complete with dancers, drummers, San Miguel Corp. reps waving from semi-vans, basketball players and Efren Bata-Reyes included, and GET THIS: a costumed pig and chicken, looking happy, waving too. Filipinos know very well that San Miguel has as one of its major components, besides beer, meat products, or in my view, massacre by-products. And the waving pig and chicken create AN ILLUSION of HAPPY ANIMALS, when they're NOT! People are thus fooled into believing that meat comes in plastic/styrofoam packages. They are absolved of all violence, when in fact, they directly support and propagate it! Would the cow happily moo when she is sent to slaughter, or when she is kept pregnant so people can have cow's milk, meant for THEIR babies, which incidentally, if female, grow up to be raped like their mothers, or if male, end up as choice meat. Nonetheless, it all boils down to THEIR ALL BEING KILLED, ANYWAY. So smile away.
That was bad enough. Despite that time-consuming, inconsiderate traffic jam, my friends, C and M, and I made it to the movie (Step Up), even with time to spare to go to the loo and see some trailers! For those who said it was nice, I didn't find anything special with it, other than regretting I stopped ballet when I was 8, plus thinking, what if I had pursued my musical roots and applied to maybe UP College of Music, majoring in voice? But I didn't.
Afterwards, M felt the need to check out the shops, and when she asked me my opinion on a top, I bluntly told her not to get it if the only reason she wanted to buy it was to buy something. She didn't. C reminded me M's having a date with her beau on Saturday, so she was in a dither to buy something new. My point is, if you don't need something, or don't really WANT it, why buy it? Plus the boyfriend she's with? They seem to be going nowhere: the guy seems to have no drive to achieve anything. Seriously. So where's the future in that??? Then they both flirt with other people! In her case, she enjoys the attention heaped on her, so to me, what's the point in having a relationship?!?!?! But they're OK with their illusion, so fine. Now what clinched getting my goat was when she asked C and me if she should ask her Mom if she can go with him out of town, despite having a dinner with him and his family(!) that night. C and I were uneasy, and C was very careful to reserve her opinions, but given my fatigue and progressively worsening mood, I told her I didn't think it would be wise to go out with him TWICE in one day, one being out of town, to boot. C reminded her it is customary for her to visit her grandparents on that day, but she said she can move it. For my part, I reminded her of propriety: spending a WHOLE DAY (extending to the evening!) won't look too good on her good girl image. Really. She protested she'd have to do it one of these days, be "independent." And I wanted to shout at her that boy, is her concept of freedom screwed or WHAT? Peter Parker's Uncle Ben nailed it on the head when he said, "with great freedom comes great responsibility." She seems not to see this, forgetting that everything she has comes from and is paid for by her family's money and hard work: her laundry and ironing, her food, her gym membership and other activities, her tuition, her car and the gasoline it needs--in short, EVERYTHING. And at the rate they're going, I don't think her boyfriend's even remotely thinking of providing for such things. And she talks about freedom? Well, think of that, girlie, plus you're already 21.
Call me paranoid, anal, a shrew for thinking about these already, but I do. I see all amorous relationships as a building up, not building down. Hence, I don't believe in flings. I view risks very suspiciously, and quite fearfully. So yes, I've been in a dry spell for a long time now, but I prefer not to compromise. Ironically, though, that is the risk I will have to take.
Monday, September 04, 2006
More stuff
So. The Crocodile Hunter's dead. I'm personally not a huge fan of his, especially because he has a zoo, and I don't support zoos, animal circuses, rodeos and bullfights, as much as I am against pet mills and factory farms. I'm sorry, but NO. However, he gave awareness to people, and he cared for animals in his own way. So rest in peace, Steve.
**************************
Mom and Dad are back...and I'm glad. And I got lotsa new stuff. Clothes!!!! A bag!!!! Teeeeeaaaaa!!!! None of it's leather or silk or fur. No honey, though one product has yogurt--and it's a gift. Eek. Oh well. It still was sweet of her, though. Luuuuffff. And I do realize I'm lucky. Then I got Mom this new Frog bearista magnet from Starbucks. She likes it; I'm glad. We texted while they were away--Mom and me: WHOA! My technophobe Mom. I'm so proud. But nothing beats seeing them, hearing them, kissing them. I'm glad they're home.
***************************
So much to do, so little time is a mantra most people already have on autopilot. I am not an exception. Indeed, I wish there were more hours in a day to accommodate all the things I set out to do. Then again, with more hours would also be more time to procrastinate, or get sidetracked, or nap, and whatnot. Ah, to heck with it. There will never be “enough” time; however, one can choose to do something about it or not. Now I should get off my lazy butt and do the former. No more excuses; no more “breaks.”
Was finally able to meet up with R. last Saturday evening, and it was plain surreal seeing her again, and this time not professionally but socially. Walls weren’t erected as high, and we could talk about all kinds of topics, for which I am glad :) One thing she mentioned in particular was that I’m growing up so quickly—down a straight and narrow path. And she sighed. Then I sighed. Maybe. Haha: I don’t really like thinking about it. Well, thing is, being one of the “elders” of the “next generation,” on both sides of the family, I feel I am obligated to take on responsibility. I know it’s a choice I can choose to do or not to do, but I care too much not to, anymore, because I’ve seen that, too often, no one else will step in. Maybe, too, my parents ingrained in me very deeply that sense of responsibility, even the Golden Rule. Oh well. But now, I worry about the time slipping by me. As much as some would say I still have my whole life before me, I agree with my friend Nicole in saying that, increasingly, one must already have a life plan to ascribe to. And indeed, I have my own dreams to consider. However, they seem to be from a different planet as that of where my family resides in! I have also been asked by relatives when I will “settle down” to assume responsibility over my parents’ company. Ackackack. This despite my telling them I have no interest in taking over. But now, with all the pressure, I wonder if I should—sacrifice my dreams and “continue their legacy.” At this point, I think my dreams can wait, but then I fear failure. I am not the economist my Dad is, nor the visual artist and color genius my Mom is. I don’t think I’m even cut out for the job! On the other side of the sphere, there are my dreams. What if they aren’t lucrative? I sure as hell don’t want to return like a prodigal daughter. No frickin’ way. So yes, I’m scared to take the leap on either side. Heck, I’m not even sure about my graduate studies-status now. And what about “settling down?” Sometimes, that seems to be the escapist way out, just so I won’t have individual finances to think about. But who says that if I get hitched, I won’t have money problems? I would like the whole shebang one day, though, but I don’t even know if I’ll get it. Ohmygod; of course: the more I hem and haw, the less I get things done, and the less I want to go on.
So yes, I’m growing up so fast. But I don’t want to think about it so much, at least for now. I’ll cross that when I get there.
**************************
Mom and Dad are back...and I'm glad. And I got lotsa new stuff. Clothes!!!! A bag!!!! Teeeeeaaaaa!!!! None of it's leather or silk or fur. No honey, though one product has yogurt--and it's a gift. Eek. Oh well. It still was sweet of her, though. Luuuuffff. And I do realize I'm lucky. Then I got Mom this new Frog bearista magnet from Starbucks. She likes it; I'm glad. We texted while they were away--Mom and me: WHOA! My technophobe Mom. I'm so proud. But nothing beats seeing them, hearing them, kissing them. I'm glad they're home.
***************************
So much to do, so little time is a mantra most people already have on autopilot. I am not an exception. Indeed, I wish there were more hours in a day to accommodate all the things I set out to do. Then again, with more hours would also be more time to procrastinate, or get sidetracked, or nap, and whatnot. Ah, to heck with it. There will never be “enough” time; however, one can choose to do something about it or not. Now I should get off my lazy butt and do the former. No more excuses; no more “breaks.”
Was finally able to meet up with R. last Saturday evening, and it was plain surreal seeing her again, and this time not professionally but socially. Walls weren’t erected as high, and we could talk about all kinds of topics, for which I am glad :) One thing she mentioned in particular was that I’m growing up so quickly—down a straight and narrow path. And she sighed. Then I sighed. Maybe. Haha: I don’t really like thinking about it. Well, thing is, being one of the “elders” of the “next generation,” on both sides of the family, I feel I am obligated to take on responsibility. I know it’s a choice I can choose to do or not to do, but I care too much not to, anymore, because I’ve seen that, too often, no one else will step in. Maybe, too, my parents ingrained in me very deeply that sense of responsibility, even the Golden Rule. Oh well. But now, I worry about the time slipping by me. As much as some would say I still have my whole life before me, I agree with my friend Nicole in saying that, increasingly, one must already have a life plan to ascribe to. And indeed, I have my own dreams to consider. However, they seem to be from a different planet as that of where my family resides in! I have also been asked by relatives when I will “settle down” to assume responsibility over my parents’ company. Ackackack. This despite my telling them I have no interest in taking over. But now, with all the pressure, I wonder if I should—sacrifice my dreams and “continue their legacy.” At this point, I think my dreams can wait, but then I fear failure. I am not the economist my Dad is, nor the visual artist and color genius my Mom is. I don’t think I’m even cut out for the job! On the other side of the sphere, there are my dreams. What if they aren’t lucrative? I sure as hell don’t want to return like a prodigal daughter. No frickin’ way. So yes, I’m scared to take the leap on either side. Heck, I’m not even sure about my graduate studies-status now. And what about “settling down?” Sometimes, that seems to be the escapist way out, just so I won’t have individual finances to think about. But who says that if I get hitched, I won’t have money problems? I would like the whole shebang one day, though, but I don’t even know if I’ll get it. Ohmygod; of course: the more I hem and haw, the less I get things done, and the less I want to go on.
So yes, I’m growing up so fast. But I don’t want to think about it so much, at least for now. I’ll cross that when I get there.
Monday, June 19, 2006
humdrum matters
How come the people you love most can also be the people you abhor most? Perhaps because they are so deeply ingrained into our feelings, our unconsciousness, because we've placed our TRUST in them. And trust is always a tricky, fragile thing.
-----
Watched the movie "Take the Lead" and "Munich" (finally!) several weeks ago.
On the topic of Munich
Personally, if comparing Munich to the Da Vinci Code, Munich deserves a higher censoring. Seriously. So the Da Vinci Code is all about the Magdalene theory, putting into doubt Christ's divinity. But wasn't he human and divine? Would the proposal of the Magdalene theory thus bring his humanity and divinity into sharper contrast and yet into deeper communion with humanity--we, who are so Other from Him?
Munich, on the other hand, deals with the Jewish take on Black September (no surprise, it being directed by Spielberg, an enth-generation Jew, himself). It is a bloody, vengeful and righteous film, but still beautiful. Rightly so--and for which it was vigorously protested to for a while by Jewish extremists, I believe. But this movie had a lot of violence, and extremist beliefs.
But perhaps both the Da Vinci Code and Munich had extremist beliefs to a certain point. However, I mainly believe it is more on a more openness to ideas than anything else. But as with all things, such "radical ideas" can be taken to the extreme. Hence the PG-13s and R-18s. But really: an R-18 for Da Vinci Code? That's like saying you don't trust kids nowadays to think for themselves. It's bad enough that our education system is declining (which I believe has to be a prime platform of any political candidate, and MUST be acted on); now we can't even give our kids a chance? Pfft.
And on the topic of Take the Lead
It was a great film, purely for the "movie experience." Not for cinematography, oh no, or plot, but just its message of equality through dance (Pierre Dulaine:"Do you like to dance?" Caitlin: "Yeah..." Pierre Dulaine: "Then you're meant to dance"). I especially liked what Pierre Dulaine (played by Antonio Banderas) said to the parents when his detention/ballroom dance class was to be abolished: that when a boy learns how to dance, he knows how to treat his female partner better, giving respect to her on the dance floor, and in the rest of life--affecting the way he treats all women. And that if a woman knows how she should be treated on a dance floor, she knows how she should be treated in the rest of life. Something like that. And it helps that the moves were hot ;)
------
On to environmental issues, which I am quite concerned with, the CEAE will be holding a documentary fest, called Moonrise Filmfest. They are calling for Philippine documentaries; however, on the international scale, I was suggesting Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix from the animal rights perspective. Then I also mentioned Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. I personally have Earthlings, but now I want An Inconvenient Truth, as well.
On to the issue relating to An Inconvenient Truth, my manager and I were talking, and this is how it was: (R=my manager; T=me)
R: It’s strange how for a fanatic misanthrope I can love animals to the extent that I do
T: I see how it is ironical to loving animals, but my Mom told me years ago that when she was growing up, she’d rather have dogs than children. So I understand that (however that runs contrary to the human-animal connection in studies) But what’s being a fanatical misanthrope got to do with the environment?
R: That I don’t care for the environment…if anything the worse the environment the better, cos more animals die :) thus fewer are subjected to cruelty at the hands of people. So no, don’t really care for organics, the environment and such (had an interesting conversation with an environmentalist in NZ about this).
T: Point made. It makes sense: the environment dies, the animals die, less animals live to suffer at the hands of man. But in a way, I believe in sustainability, recycling and all that. I really believe AR is an integral part of environmentalism, that it is a cog in the big wheel. Because silly naïve little me believes that if we care for the environment more, so will we care for animals more, too. And as much as people are still not that aware of environmental concerns, so is it with AR issues. Thus I believe they come hand in hand. But again, I believe in sustainability. As much as I support euthanasia to ease suffering, I do not want to kill a being if I don’t have to. Hence I believe in the earth’s conservation—for the animals and for people. I believe in a more compassionate world, and not the “compassionate” label capitalism has banked on (those m*therf*ckers that we tend to be at the mercy of). I’m just hoping I’ll experience part of it in my lifetime.
R: Ah well I’m more simplistic minded than that. I just want to alleviate animal suffering – ta da! Animals don’t care about being extinct.
T: True; point taken. :p But human conservationists and scientists do. Heh. In a way, AR is to a point about conservation. But then again, there can be the anarchist, misanthropic side, too :) About that conversation with a NZ person, was it like this too? ;)
R: AR is never about conservation. You’ll see most/ all ar activists hate conservationists.
Nah NZ boy was talking about honey and bees and organic farming and GE. Very smart boy but not into animals as much as he was the environment (he’s vegan though). Pity. In fact I wasn’t even part of the conversation but I had to interrupt because his idiocy was getting to me.
--never about conservation? Might I be in the wrong organization, then?
-------
Another thing of concern from another friend was GMA's take-no-prisoners stance on the NPA. Lately, GMA has truly been taking a stand against the NPA "rebels," for lack of a better term. And though my trainer-friend pointed out that this "insurgency problem" (again, for lack of a better term)has been ongoing since the Magsaysay era, post-WWII, and seems to have no end in sight, you never can be too certain, right? So I was thinking of just emigrating from here to the US. Why? Because I can, having been born there (by US law granting me citizenship). But that would mean leaving behind everything I've built my life around. As much as Buddhism believes in letting go, as well as Christianity...wow, man. That's just tough. But truy, it is something to think about. :-s GRE's, US PIN number (for the FAFSA), housing, moving, packing and all that DEFINITELY included.
--------
Was looking at Lucha Libre (due to office-related concerns), and while it's big in the US (maybe partially due to the huge Latin population), I heard it's only gaining ground here. I looked at some info here. Apparently, Jack Black and Jared Hess (yey: he's vegan!) made a movie adapting from Lucha Libre called Nacho Libre. Looks like something I'd like to watch, if even for fun.
---------
And a nummy, nutritional recipe to try because it's avocado season:
Quinoa Avocado Stuffing from Naughty Curry:
1 Tb pumpkin seeds or almond slivers
2 tsp oil
3/4 cup quinoa
1 ½ cups water or broth
3/4 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp maple syrup
½ cup coconut milk
1 avocado, cubed
spritz of lemon juice
Masala 1
1/8 tsp asafetida
½ tsp black mustard seeds
1/8 tsp black onion seeds
Masala 2
½ tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ginger powder
Dry roast the pumpkin seeds or almonds. Set aside.
Get out your medium skillet and heat the oil until it's sizzle-hot. Add Masala 1.
When the seeds are done popping, add quinoa and Masala 2. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer.
Uncover and turn off the heat. Add the coconut milk, pumpkin seeds or almonds, honey and avocado. Spritz on the lemon juice. Done.
And more Indian vegan goodness here!
-----
Watched the movie "Take the Lead" and "Munich" (finally!) several weeks ago.
On the topic of Munich
Personally, if comparing Munich to the Da Vinci Code, Munich deserves a higher censoring. Seriously. So the Da Vinci Code is all about the Magdalene theory, putting into doubt Christ's divinity. But wasn't he human and divine? Would the proposal of the Magdalene theory thus bring his humanity and divinity into sharper contrast and yet into deeper communion with humanity--we, who are so Other from Him?
Munich, on the other hand, deals with the Jewish take on Black September (no surprise, it being directed by Spielberg, an enth-generation Jew, himself). It is a bloody, vengeful and righteous film, but still beautiful. Rightly so--and for which it was vigorously protested to for a while by Jewish extremists, I believe. But this movie had a lot of violence, and extremist beliefs.
But perhaps both the Da Vinci Code and Munich had extremist beliefs to a certain point. However, I mainly believe it is more on a more openness to ideas than anything else. But as with all things, such "radical ideas" can be taken to the extreme. Hence the PG-13s and R-18s. But really: an R-18 for Da Vinci Code? That's like saying you don't trust kids nowadays to think for themselves. It's bad enough that our education system is declining (which I believe has to be a prime platform of any political candidate, and MUST be acted on); now we can't even give our kids a chance? Pfft.
And on the topic of Take the Lead
It was a great film, purely for the "movie experience." Not for cinematography, oh no, or plot, but just its message of equality through dance (Pierre Dulaine:"Do you like to dance?" Caitlin: "Yeah..." Pierre Dulaine: "Then you're meant to dance"). I especially liked what Pierre Dulaine (played by Antonio Banderas) said to the parents when his detention/ballroom dance class was to be abolished: that when a boy learns how to dance, he knows how to treat his female partner better, giving respect to her on the dance floor, and in the rest of life--affecting the way he treats all women. And that if a woman knows how she should be treated on a dance floor, she knows how she should be treated in the rest of life. Something like that. And it helps that the moves were hot ;)
------
On to environmental issues, which I am quite concerned with, the CEAE will be holding a documentary fest, called Moonrise Filmfest. They are calling for Philippine documentaries; however, on the international scale, I was suggesting Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix from the animal rights perspective. Then I also mentioned Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. I personally have Earthlings, but now I want An Inconvenient Truth, as well.
On to the issue relating to An Inconvenient Truth, my manager and I were talking, and this is how it was: (R=my manager; T=me)
R: It’s strange how for a fanatic misanthrope I can love animals to the extent that I do
T: I see how it is ironical to loving animals, but my Mom told me years ago that when she was growing up, she’d rather have dogs than children. So I understand that (however that runs contrary to the human-animal connection in studies) But what’s being a fanatical misanthrope got to do with the environment?
R: That I don’t care for the environment…if anything the worse the environment the better, cos more animals die :) thus fewer are subjected to cruelty at the hands of people. So no, don’t really care for organics, the environment and such (had an interesting conversation with an environmentalist in NZ about this).
T: Point made. It makes sense: the environment dies, the animals die, less animals live to suffer at the hands of man. But in a way, I believe in sustainability, recycling and all that. I really believe AR is an integral part of environmentalism, that it is a cog in the big wheel. Because silly naïve little me believes that if we care for the environment more, so will we care for animals more, too. And as much as people are still not that aware of environmental concerns, so is it with AR issues. Thus I believe they come hand in hand. But again, I believe in sustainability. As much as I support euthanasia to ease suffering, I do not want to kill a being if I don’t have to. Hence I believe in the earth’s conservation—for the animals and for people. I believe in a more compassionate world, and not the “compassionate” label capitalism has banked on (those m*therf*ckers that we tend to be at the mercy of). I’m just hoping I’ll experience part of it in my lifetime.
R: Ah well I’m more simplistic minded than that. I just want to alleviate animal suffering – ta da! Animals don’t care about being extinct.
T: True; point taken. :p But human conservationists and scientists do. Heh. In a way, AR is to a point about conservation. But then again, there can be the anarchist, misanthropic side, too :) About that conversation with a NZ person, was it like this too? ;)
R: AR is never about conservation. You’ll see most/ all ar activists hate conservationists.
Nah NZ boy was talking about honey and bees and organic farming and GE. Very smart boy but not into animals as much as he was the environment (he’s vegan though). Pity. In fact I wasn’t even part of the conversation but I had to interrupt because his idiocy was getting to me.
--never about conservation? Might I be in the wrong organization, then?
-------
Another thing of concern from another friend was GMA's take-no-prisoners stance on the NPA. Lately, GMA has truly been taking a stand against the NPA "rebels," for lack of a better term. And though my trainer-friend pointed out that this "insurgency problem" (again, for lack of a better term)has been ongoing since the Magsaysay era, post-WWII, and seems to have no end in sight, you never can be too certain, right? So I was thinking of just emigrating from here to the US. Why? Because I can, having been born there (by US law granting me citizenship). But that would mean leaving behind everything I've built my life around. As much as Buddhism believes in letting go, as well as Christianity...wow, man. That's just tough. But truy, it is something to think about. :-s GRE's, US PIN number (for the FAFSA), housing, moving, packing and all that DEFINITELY included.
--------
Was looking at Lucha Libre (due to office-related concerns), and while it's big in the US (maybe partially due to the huge Latin population), I heard it's only gaining ground here. I looked at some info here. Apparently, Jack Black and Jared Hess (yey: he's vegan!) made a movie adapting from Lucha Libre called Nacho Libre. Looks like something I'd like to watch, if even for fun.
---------
And a nummy, nutritional recipe to try because it's avocado season:
Quinoa Avocado Stuffing from Naughty Curry:
1 Tb pumpkin seeds or almond slivers
2 tsp oil
3/4 cup quinoa
1 ½ cups water or broth
3/4 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp maple syrup
½ cup coconut milk
1 avocado, cubed
spritz of lemon juice
Masala 1
1/8 tsp asafetida
½ tsp black mustard seeds
1/8 tsp black onion seeds
Masala 2
½ tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ginger powder
Dry roast the pumpkin seeds or almonds. Set aside.
Get out your medium skillet and heat the oil until it's sizzle-hot. Add Masala 1.
When the seeds are done popping, add quinoa and Masala 2. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer.
Uncover and turn off the heat. Add the coconut milk, pumpkin seeds or almonds, honey and avocado. Spritz on the lemon juice. Done.
And more Indian vegan goodness here!
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