be like the universe.

trapped in this material plane
wanting to liberate my soul back into the complete whole
eyes forever focused upwards towards You
O Great Spirit!
lift us from our nonsense minds
shouting and clouding your essence inside
bring us into everlasting life
for these bodies are only temporary shells for our souls
until we fully realize You
remain we do in these instrumental tools
body mind Iam the Soul
om mani padme hum

it rains in the rainforest

that means im on the computer
living in san josé is crazy
learning spanish

One thing I don´t like about the spanish language is the formal-informal business. For example, when you´re using the FORMAL you, it´s actually the same for él and ella (he and she). That denotes some sort of separation between you and the person you are talking to. So, if I´m trying to be formal, I´ll say ¨do you like this?¨ but actually what I´m literally saying is ¨does he-she like this?¨ but I´m talking face to face with a real person. It´s all kind of weird for me. Can´t we just cut to the chase and be friends already? Why the degree of separation, wouldn´t I actually treat you with more respect if you were my friend and not some stranger?

In reality, there´s no real separation, it´s all in our minds. All humans have so so so much in common, we are all connected whether or not we realize it.

If I was the Spanish language, I would embrace the fact that we´re all connected and there´s no need to have the separation. In the language, the respect would be built in, the way people should treat each other anyway. If I was the Spanish language, I also wouldn´t use the masculine.feminine crap that pisses me off. Things like KITCHEN are feminine (la cocina), and things like GUN are masculine (el fusil). Really hard to get rid of the gender bias in the Spanish language!!

One time, I thought about creating a language. I think it would be really hard to make up my own language. First, I would have to make it up. That would take me a long time. Then, I´d have to teach it to people. That would take even longer! Also, the fact that I am a limited human wouldn´t help, of course I would forget things! Languages are fluid, changing entities. They´re interesting! Like how the Inuit have 16 different words for SNOW? I think of how difficult it must be to translate aboriginal languages, because we just don´t have words because our culture perceives things in a certain way. Language captures a worldview.

Even when you think you´ve mastered something, you haven´t. Even though English may be my ¨first language¨, obviously I am not the master and creator and owner of the language!! When I look in my Spanish dictionary, I learn new English words too! No matter how well you know something, there´s always more to learn. That is what I think is really important about life, never stagnating in yourself, in your life. Just as how when a part of the river is cut off from the flow of the river and becomes its own pool, it turns brown, and starts to deteriote from its original form, which is the emanating, living river. The same thing about There´s a sense of infinity about everything

In my next lifetime, I´d like to be a language. Actually, I think I´d rather focus my efforts on studying the universal language. There is a sense of infinity about the universal language. The language isn´t the truth--the language is only a signpost to the truth. We use it only as a tool. What if you can circumnavigate the signs, they´re limited anyway. That is the language I prefer to communicate in (and study).
the language of eyes
smiles

i look deeply into the eyes of strangers
i know my eyes are green
and theirs are brown
it´s no
i pick up feelings from people from the language from their eyes
keeps me safe from harm
just as how someone can hear a shotgun fire in the distance
so can i hear the inner turmoil of people
it´s in their faces
in their eyes
i think people are too afraid to listen
to whats inside them
the most unexplored territory
the inner universe
exploring your part of it allows you to connect with other people
we are not islands
merely scattered archipelagos
our roots deeply connected underneath the ocean of materiality
one human family

What better language is there to study, besides the one that lives in you, the one that all living beings possess, that which cannot be captured with words. Words are limited. I sutdy the language of Being. Of ISness. People ask me if I´m a student. I always say yes. And they say what. I say, well, I got my degree in Environmental Sciences. But now, I study life. =) Yay LIFE!

Global Military Spending Rises

From Democracy Now! headlines

Study: Global Military Spending Rises Nearly 50% in Last Decade

A new study shows global military spending has increased by nearly 50 percent over the last decade, with the United States accounting for half the total rise. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute says governments spent more than $1.3 trillion on arms and other military costs last year. US spending also accounted for nearly half, at almost $550 billion.

**********
That SUCKS. Why don't we get it yet? War doesn't solve anything. There is so much intelligent time and energy concentrated on fighting, on weapons, on the enemy. We have the technology to blow up our only home, the Earth, 36 times!





Everytime I buy something, I think of how I'm supporting the military. I love my family, friends, and my home, but I absolutely hate paying into this system that is wrecking havoc on the entire globe.

Anup Shah, World Military Spending, GlobalIssues.org, Last updated: Saturday, March 01, 2008

Poached Pear Salad with Cranberry Vinigarette & Pecan Brittle

Poached Pear Salad with Cranberry Vinigarette & Pecan Brittle
Equipment:
Blender, small pot

Ingredients
For the Pears:
1 cup Sugar
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup water
6 pears, peeled, halved and cored

For the Cranberry Vinaigrette:
1 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Fresh thyme
3 Tbs Red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 Tb. Pure maple syrup

For the Pecan Brittle:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup shelled, raw pecans; rough chopped
1 tsp Lemon juice
Salt

For the Plate:
6 handfuls of mixed Lettuces


Prepare the pears:
1. In a small pot, mix the sugar, water and wine together and bring to a simmer
2. Add the pears and cover with a towel or weight with a smaller plate. (They?ll float to the top if not held down)
3. Simmer for about 10-12 minutes or until the pears are cooked but not mushy.
4. Remove pears and cool.
5. Reduce liquid till slightly syrupy and let cool to room temp.

Prepare the vinagrette:
1. In a small pot add a little oil, shallots and garlic and cook just a minute or so. You don?t want ray onions or raw garlic to Overpower the Cranberry
2. Add the Cranberries, juice and red wine Vinegar and simmer till the cranberries plump up
3. Let cool to room temp and add the cranberry Mix to the blender
4. Add the mustard, thyme, maple syrup and oil with the blender running and season with salt and pepper.

Prepare the Pecan Brittle:
1. In small pot add sugar and lemon juice and heat till very hot. The sugar will start to liquefy after a while. Be careful not to burn it, but it should have a brown (like maple syrup) color to it. When it gets there remove from heat immediately.
2. Add pecans (carefully) and pour onto a cookie sheet while still very hot.
3. Sprinkle with course salt and let cool
4. Break off shards of the brittle for garnish

Prepare the Plate:
1. On the center of the plate lay 1/2 a poached pear. Blow the Pear a Kiss. The pear is now your friend.
2. In a little bowl toss the lettuces with a little of the cranberry vinaigrette and place a nice little mound on the 1/2 pear.
3. Place the other half of the pear on the lettuce to form a "V" with the skinny ends of the pear.
4. Pierce the pears delicate flesh with the pecan brittle so that the pear provides a base for the brittle.
5. Spoon the syrup from the poaching liquid around the plate and add a little cranberry Vinaigrette on there too.
6. Serve

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Rolls:
3/4 cup soy milk
2 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbs vegan margarine
1/3 cup brown sugar

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 Tbs soy milk

Directions:

To make Cinnamon Rolls: Preheat oven to 425F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat milk in saucepan over medium heat, sprinkle with yeast. Set aside.
Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and salt in bowl. Rub butter into flour mixture with fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk until soft dough forms. Transfer to well-floured surface and dust with flour. Press into 12x6-inch rectangle.
Combine brown sugar and remaining cinnamon in small bowl. Sprinkle over dough, and press in lightly with palms of hands. Gently roll dough lengthwise into log. Cut log into 16 3/4-inch-thick slices. Place slices on prepared baking sheet, reshaping into rounds if necessary. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until rolls begin to brown.
To make Glaze: Whisk together confectioners' sugar and soy milk. Glaze will be very thick. Bush glaze on cinnamon rolls right out of the oven.

Avocado soup

Creamy Avocado Soup
2 avocados
2 C soymilk or more (to desired consistency)
sea salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

ADD INS (according to taste and what you have available)
lemon and/or lime juice and their zest
dried cayenne pepper and/or chopped jalapeno pepper
chopped scallions and/or shallots
chopped cilantro, flat leaf parsley, basil, and/or chives
chopped red bell pepper
chopped zucchinni
shredded or finely chopped baby spinach

Mash avocados in a bowl with a fork until smooth. Slowly add soymilk and mix until desired consistency is reached. If you like it creamier, add less soymilk. If you like it thinner, add more soymilk. Add salt, pepper, and any add ins that suit your tastes.

Homemade Salad Dressing

Make your own salad dressing!
I like experimenting with ingredients and amounts to get the exact taste and consistency of salad dressing I prefer.
Basic recipe guidelines:

something fatty and potentially creamy...avocado, almond butter, tahini, cashews...

mix/blend with some good oil....virgin olive, flax, grape seed...

then add liquid and blend some more....soy milk, apple juice, carrot juice, water, rice milk....

something salty like soya sauce, braggs aminos, miso, celtic sea salt..

add herbs.....any of the above - fresh basil, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic and/or ginger powder

also consider blending in red star nutritional yeast, kelp or dulse flakes, soaked dates, mustard, horseradish, pepper sauce......