sunset at seminyak...

Sunday 30th November 2008

so where is one of the best places in the world to watch the sun drop right into the ocean and create a fireball in the sky as it takes its' last shimmering rays of light away for the day? why seminyak beach of course! it's a little further along the way than kuta and legian, but well worth a visit simply to see one of the most magnificent natural displays of light and colour blaze across the sky. and every sunset is different...no two the same, just like every day is different...it's a fabulous way to bring a close to the daylight hours...to just lie on the beach with your toes in the sand and watch and breathe and remember how tiny we are...earth, our planet, in contrast to the magnificence of the sun...its strength, light, heat and power make us earthlings and our planet seem like mere shadows to its' great existence...and remember that...we are but mere specks of dust compared to the size of the sun...and no matter how much we think we are the centre of our own universe, we are not...so get your toes down to the beach, sink them in the sand and marvel at the wonder of it all...

moringa oleifera...moringa ole-what???

Thursday 20th November 2008

so what do you do when you find that you have one of the world's most useful trees growing right in your back garden? well you make sure that all those people who aren't in the know...get in the know...because it doesn't get much better than the moringa oleifera, my friends. this tree packs a punch of the most healthy kind. read what wikipedia has to say about it...

Moringa oleifera, commonly referred to simply as Moringa, is the most widely cultivated variety of the genus Moringa. It is of the family Moringaceae. It is an exceptionally nutritious vegetable tree with a variety of potential uses. Considered one of the world’s most useful trees, as almost every part of the Moringa tree can be used for food, or has some other beneficial property.

The leaves are highly nutritious, being a significant source of beta-carotene, Vitamin C, protein, iron and potassium. The leaves are cooked and used like spinach. In addition to being used fresh as a substitute for spinach, its leaves are commonly dried and crushed into a powder, and used in soups and sauces. The tree is a good source for calcium and phosphorus. Moringa leaves contain more Vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more Vitamin C than oranges, and more potassium than bananas, and the protein quality of Moringa leaves rivals that of milk and eggs.

so don't you think, after reading that, you just have to have one of these trees in your garden.. you can use it in soups, salads, casseroles and you get all that incredible goodness..i mean imagine, you might never have to leave home again...everything you need, right there, on one tree...now if only we could get it to grow money...hmmm...

sunlight falling on bamboo...

Tuesday 11th November 2008

i do love you, bamboo...i really do...the past few months have been a bit rocky between you and me...there have been ups and downs with you...you gave way when i needed you to be strong, you leaked when i needed you for shelter, you cracked when i needed you to remain tough under pressure...i have often felt like saying that i never want to see you again...EVER. but never is such a strong word and despite everything...there might be room for you again in my life, some day. so i vow to think good things about you...to remember how tall and upright you are, how you can bend so flexibly and change your shape and mostly how the sunlight looks as it dances across your smooth exterior. you did not choose the destiny that befell you...you too were pulled from the earth and transplanted here, forever to be a part of a vision you knew nothing about. and so, bamboo, stand tall, feel connected to the earth, remain true...for in the face of all else, these are the things that you can control and know and find solace in when all else fails...i leave you with that thought...i leave you...

desiderata...

Thursday 6th November 2008

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,

even to the dull and ignorant;

they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;

they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals,

and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.

Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love,

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment.

it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be

And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,

keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

by Max Ehrmann©1927 (renewed)

Bell & Son Publishing,

Reprinted with permission.

as i take a step, i think of the words of this poem...and they remind me of so much...so much to be grateful for, thankful for and humble about...and i take a deep breath and take another step...one step at a time...that's it for now...

the veins that bind...

Wednesday 5th November 2008

it's been way too long since i posted and it's been mainly due to the fact that things are just crazy at the moment and life is manifesting itself to me in strange ways but i am beginning to understand that it is its' own way of telling me that things are not necessarily in balance right now and i need to stop and think and breathe before i make the next step. the saving grace through all this madness has been the amazing small network of people who have supported me through this and to me, they are just like all those veins branching off that main stem...for without them, i think i wouldn't have been able to stand. the worst part of it all is that the person who has probably been there for me the most, is about to depart these shores. and i know that when you live the life of an expat, people come and go in and out of your life all the time and you should expect that, but sometimes, just sometimes, i wish we could hold on to some of those people a little longer. i'm not asking for everyone, ok...just the select few. but alas, that's not meant to be for now...so on sunday i will bid a very bittersweet fare-well to Lisa, Victor and Loy and while wishing them a beautiful journey ahead, will hope that our paths will cross again soon somewhere on this wild, turning planet of ours...for we are bound forever by the green-ness that brought us here, the uphills and the downhills these past months and the blood, sweat and tears and hopes and fears of a little bamboo village we once inhabited. so we shall travel our own paths for now, but always, always remember the veins that bind...