live lightly

apparently i am not good at keeping a blog

2009-05-19T00:04:00.000-07:00

im still in india
i can't believe it's been almost 5 months since i've been here
i'm (almost) tired of travelling
packing my bag going here and there
everyone needs to take a spiritual journey
the world is changing too much too fast
race race money money money go go no time to reflect why it matters anyway
why do anything
why do people want to be happy
everywhere i go, there i am, there i am still i am
i am
who is the i that is speaking
my body my hands my feet
who is this ME that is speaking
discovering this beautiful present moment despite the material disaster everywhere in india
i find stillness in the busiest streets of india
india has incredible energy despite the surroundings
the home of gods gurus and birthplace of religion
no other place has the history that india has
Holy Land
india's not an easy place to travel by yourself
crusts a thick tough layer on the shannyland amusement park
no smiling no responding to strangers, just stand tall and strong
keep walking keep moving go go hold onto my mobile home sitting my back
stone cold hot sun move forward
lusty mandogs' stares ripping through my sari-covered gangly foreigner body
not another dusty half naked child begging me for rupees
i look towards the ground swiftly keep move past the woman rainbow of saris carrying pots on their heads
i step over potholes garbage sleeping dogs and cow poop
why is there so much suffering in the world
the hot sun blazes the hairs off my skin
pumps all the water from inside to outside dripping
im used to being drenched in salted sweat
my heart slams against my outside crumbly wall
pieces of my heart drip out slowly between the cracks
i pray to (Krishna) the source of love to make His footprints in my dripping heart
may i be an instrument of divine love
a hole in the flute the creator plays
saving me from the biggest illusion
that who you are is your body
no longer do i feel crazy from being in the city environment
im back in the serene jungles of costa rica
gazing at the stars hanging high above
its in everyone
deep inside buried underneath the busy mind chatterbox
my souls river flows between the valleys of the Himalayas inside
singing the sweet tune of God's names
nothing makes me higher than chanting
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
there is an answer to end all suffering everywhere
dear humanity
i am your humble servant
for everyone's betterment
i beg you please
you are the eternal blissful spirit soul that lives in your temporary body temple
please try to understand
stop gratifying your senses
it's driving the world to destruction
no more intoxication no meat eating no illicit sex no gambling
and try to figure out what your relationship is with the higher intelligence that is acting
just because i have a cateract in my eye doesn't mean i should pluck out my eye
just because people misuse religion doesn't mean you should reject trying to understand god entirely
clean our minds
i wish i could tell everyone

I went to Massage school in Thailand! (thailand: jan 11-feb. 23)

2009-03-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

my graduating class! notice John B. Funky in the front, and the only other human that's making a silly face is Anna. I wound up living with Anna for the last two weeks of my stay in Thailand. after massage school, John left to go to the thai islands Vietnam, and I stayed with Anna in chiang mai, who nourished me back to health with a free clean place to stay, feeding me raw food and sunshine. (i got a massive infection in my leg, for my mother's interpretation of my hole in the leg shitshow, go here:
http://letmebeblunt.blogspot.com/2009/02/parentingnot-for-faint-of-heart.html
My teacher is Dot Po, she's in pink.

It was the facilities at Sunshine Thai Massage school that made use choose this school out of the billion Thai Massage schools in Chiang Mai! I'm a sucker for natural lighting.

anyway, so now in india.... not good at blogging about current events...... too much to say about india now. will write more of that later.
i went to thailand with my friend john to study thai massage. we practiced thai massage on each other back in the USA-- he would learn from yoga mary who actually practices thai massage. then he would practice what he learned from mary, and i would practice back on him, pretty much every friday afternoon of my final year of university. now that i'm becoming indianized, it's weird to think that it's okay to massage men without any sexual risk or danger to myself. john's like family to me. my roadbike is currently living in his basement right now. anyway, he has been keeping a blog about his thailand experience. i'm not there anymore but you can see his blog here http://wingnutsinasia.wordpress.com/page/2/

we joked about how cool it would be to go to thailand to do that. circumstances arised where it could happen! after singapore then india, then back to singapore, grandma didn't need my help going back to the USA because aunt sheila went with her. i actually tried to change my ticket to stay in singapore longer, because i got approached to do modelling, and the opportunity to make a little quick money came up. i also met some nice Hare Krishna devotees in Singapore, after my brother left singapore. Grandma only needed my help traveling to and fro, and there's not much to do around aunt and uncle's house, so I spent a lot of time going to their temple and learning more about their philosophy, which actually satisfies my intellect and my heart. i don't think many people understand what they're all about. i'll talk more about that later. so anyway, i wound up not being able to change my ticket to thailand i bought already, so i flew to thailand. john and i met at the airport. after two weeks of flitzing around bangkok and chiang mait we finally entered massage school. i'll write about my adventures there later, i'm too lazy now. main point is that i'm pursuing massage to sustain myself. hahaa what a serious entry. really i dont take myself so seriously.
i really liked studying massage; i like practicing on people as well. i'm a giver. i feel more suited for healing arts than anything else really. i have my degree in environmental sciences, but jobs i could do with that are structured. people that know me well know i'm not good at showing up places on time. i want to keep freespiriting on my spiritual journey, here in india, so now i'm trying to support myself by practicing massage here in india. there's an ayurvedic masssage teacher in pune i'm going to visit and see what i can learn there.
everywhere i live and go i leave little shannon trails everywhere, forgetting things so i have no more pants to practice massage anymore. now i wear saris everyday. that's all for now. next entry: INDIA! =)

5 days in india!!??!?! reflections from 1st trip india

2009-03-04T00:44:00.000-08:00

got traffic?

water palace, jaipur

animals and humans coexist! aunt sheila and grandma outside fatehpur

construction worker in jaipur

cows are holy, and their poop is really useful too

simple living with Earth homes

making friends with humans everywhere i go

Amber Fort, Jaipur

my grandma is so cool... the best 88 year old traveller ever! took me with her for her journeys, i am so lucky!

poor elephant at the hotel in jaipur. i cry for elephants

made it to Vrindavan, the birthplace of Lord Krishna!!

india (jan 4-jan 10)

sometimes i look around in different sceneries in my life and go, wow, how did i get here again?
am i really doing this right now?
i sit in the front seat of an SUV
5 days in india
drive drive drive new delhi-jaipur-agra-back to delhi
how did i get here again?
me here you there
how did we all get here?
dusty children cooking fires out of trash on the street
what is the meaning of all this anyway?
painted camels leisurely heaving carts
what am i supposed to be doing exactly?
does anyone really know out there?
piles of rubble
baskets hoisted on women's heads
trash trees trucks bikes in out beep beep people people everywhere eeek
i feel an increasingly blissful detachment from everything
one day you're here the next day you're not
so temporary everything is in the material world
never know when we're going to go
enjoy this country here
enjoy that nice dinner there
have that drink
all temporary enjoyment
sense gratification
there's more to life than satisfying the senses
we have the ability to pursue higher consciousness
even though we can make improvements in how we sleep, eat, mate, and defend, this doesn't make us more advanced
the problems of birth death old age disease still exist
this is how we strive for true advancement
when we to look to transcend the mundane material world
and use this human form to
understand spiritual manners
the realm of the internal world
india is a special place
people been pursuing and developing the science of self-realization for thousands and thousands of years here
not new concepts
not new answers

i can't believe the traffic here
markets food piles colors dust ricksaw
dark eyes follow me everywhere
green grass here desert there
disconnection everywhere in the material world
inside the nicest hotel palace lalaland, where green grass grows inside th egate
wind blown sanded women and children beg outside
guarded by gates and scrunched man faces wearing weapons everywhere
sometimes my friends call me shannyland
there's something i have a difficult time communicating
subjects of the soul
has to be experienced, felt from the inside, not through the mind

look all you want, i know i'm different
seeing an ancient civilization is breathtaking
the palaces the large structures
but
i'm not so impressed with material things
after all, it's humans that built these things
i appreciate the amount of time and energy it took to make these structures
and learning more about this part of the world
but
what made the mountains ocean forest flowers
what made love where is love born what's a soul where does it come from
i thrust my spirit inwards and upwards beyond the planes of my conditioned mind
searching for truth (truth doesnt change)
all these foundations will crumble
just like my body
disappear
like everything in the material world

westerners have a hard time with the poverty here in india
somehow
i'm okay with it
knowing that this crazy world is just a reflection of inner madness
how does one understand the sufferings of the world?
how can one solve all the problems?
what can you do?
what can i do?
who am i, anyway?
thank you Vedic scriptures
Srila Prabhupada
teach me
we actually are not these bodies
we are the spirit soul that dwells
without the presence of the spirit soul, the body is totally useless
we're all servants of the Creator
trust in higher power
the material world is our learning ground
all is directed to make us take refuge in the internal world
and bring us back to the spiritual world
not new questions
not new answers
i am so grateful for the opportunity to have the time, privilege, and resources to explore the meaning of life

{to see my aunt's photo album, go here http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=ukrqfre.bt47oqi&x=0&y=-coqpq&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email-_-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_album )

reflections in singapore dec 22-jan 3

2009-03-04T00:22:00.000-08:00

come here if you want bars, shops and restaurants

merry christmas crew in singapore, thank you grandma for taking me as your travel companion to singapore for christmas!!! =)

singapore

prior to travelling, i hardly had an opinion of singapore, what it's like, or what i would find here. you know how sometimes you have friends that go places and they come back and are like, wow! i went to (_insert place here_)! and it was (_insert adjective here)! i had such a good time, i saw (_name that sight here_).
well, singapore never struck me as a place to visit, and now i know why......

singapore
the southeast asian tropical concrete jungle of bars, shops, and restaurants.
the ultimate consumer culture paradise spot.

phew
i made it (30+ hour flight)
88 year old grandma too {thank you grandma for bringing me to asia for christmas}
after i packed all night long and survived the airport shitshow (too long of a story)
i breathe in warm humid air into my lungs
the color green again
ahhhhhh
it feels so good to finally be friends with nature again
after having to wear too many layers and taking refuge from the bitter cold
i am alive again
i'm more like myself when i'm less restricted by exterior conditions
(aren't we all?)

all the public transit signs are in four language: chinese, malay, english, and tamil (south indian language). accordingly, the country is a mix of these 4 different ethnicities. my favorite parts were the cultural neighborhoods like little malay, chinatown, little india.
i can't believe how clean this city is
no spitting, no littering, no this no that, many rules rules rules
when consciousness expands people need less rules
of course i won't litter
the earth is sacred
there is no "away" in "throw away" anyway
the dark facets of city life hidden from our eyes

dear fresh fresh tasty fruit
i missed you from costa rica
you could grow right here but you don't
you're probably from malaysia or indonesia
except for those gross bright red apples from the US
are city dwellers going to eat concrete and paper money when we can't ship food from everywhere anymore
when fossil fuels run out when the soils are barren and full of too many chemicals and fresh water runs out and can't grow anything anymore
where does food come from
where do we come from
forget about beaches in singapore
a metal cesspool of shipping center

o spiky, stinky, sweet durian, king of the tropical fruits
your pungent nectar creeps through the alleyways
i am so happy to meet you again
dear reader
don't you dare bring our friend durian on any sort of public transportation here
unless you want to be shunned and forced to pay an unreasonable amount of money

something missing about this place
nauseated at all the flash flash go go buy buy vroom vroom shop shop shop
don't these people ever feel crazy too?
my insides quietly scream at me to listen
go meditate! go do some yoga! find quiet somewhere, anywhere!
this place is really hellish
[everywhere cities in some way or another]
do humans remember what life was like before this concrete was here?
too conditioned disillusioned that we have collectively created this madness

patterns of civilization
paving over what Mother Earth made
millions of breathing living beings sharing limited space of our Earthship
all sacrificed in the name of human civilization
flash dazz sparkle and pizzazz eventually becomes trash
humanity too busy to recognize the emptiness under it all
everything material disintegrates
back into the Earth we all must return
my heart breaks
worldwide amnesia
forgotten inner spirit realm
i'm so sick of this material world of temporary
so little people take the time and energy to realize the spirit within

looking for quiet somewhere
overwhelmed by incessant city noise
no escape from it
the sun has gone to sleep for the night
i get off the subway stop by aunt lien and uncle laurence's place
i shuffle down the concrete path
cricket cricket cricket
soothes my sore ears from the city racket
the jungle reveals itself in small patches
the bulldozers missed it somehow
oh how i missed you too, dear rainforest
i can breaaaaaaathe again
my body collapses into the moist ground
totally unafraid if there was a creature (like a snake!) underneath me
whatever, body
i'll shed this one when i don't need it anymore
it's not who i really am anyways
just this piece of Earth home that i am responsible for taking care of
be here now

i close my eyes and remember
the raw jungle night sky
it's not that the stars aren't there right now
they're underneath the light pollution
collectively too clouded in our minds to remember
what's there the whole time
[same with our deepest innermost self]

i lived in you, sweet rich Jungle, for a period of my life
no cars no artificial lights sometimes electricity but not really
where you let these hands pluck the treasures produced from the breathing tree beings
and fed this body with those succulent sun ripened gems
how is it that Mother Earth continues to feed us despite human [her children] abuse
dumping chemicals wasting water monoculture concrete chop chop rainforest
i don't even care about my million bug bites [there, in the jungle]
i'll take a billion more [no malaria please]
in exchange for the missing element
spirit
life
how do i communicate unexplainable experiences
Earth, you are so sacred
providing food and shelter for infinite life forms
the most biodiverse ecosystem on this planet
thank you for giving me air to breathe

new beginnings.... i'm trying to keep a blog

2009-01-20T01:21:00.000-08:00

i can't believe it's only been a month since i've left the united states. it feels like a lifetime. this always happens when i travel.
keeping a blog is a commitment! i think about writing in here, but i never do. i feel like i spend my time exploring outside and trying to maintain my sanity.
it's been since last may since i've had a stable place to live, the Harvest House, a vegetarian cooperative in Chambana. 14 people lived there, we each take turns cooking each other dinners.
now i'm living in Chiang Mai, Thailand. it's quite a neat place, definitely THE massage mecca of Thailand. It attracts all sorts of healers from all over the world, especially now in the cold winter where all these gringo bingos are from. the sun shines nice long and bright here in Thailand! don't be fooled by the sunshine in the day.... at night it gets cold, as Chiang Mai is right next to the mountains!
i'm travelling with my friend john, and we are attempting to keep a blog of our experiences. i will try to write more, but it's not easy for me right now, since i'm
today i got a thai massage for $6, and that was expensive! john and i found this herbal sauna for less than $4 for an hour, including body scrub, detox herbal tea, and shower! it smells incredible! i'm pretty much committed to going to the sauna now every other day.
tomorrow john and i start a private massage course with a blind massage therapist for only $55 (5 days)!. actually, here in thailand, the blind population has an interesting role. lots of massage therapists, musicians, i've even seen blind people carrying a boombox and dancing down the street. also, at the night market (HUGEEEEE bonanza of where you can buy anything and everything with millions of people) there were about 8 blind musicians in the street, all sitting in a line while people swarm to and fro on their way.
i'm thinking of starting an abdominal detox massage next monday. it works with pressure points, kind of like acupuncture. anyway, healing arts very much interest me, so off i go pursuing!
there's a hip yoga community here in chiang mai, lots of foreigners here to study healing arts and overall people here are all about pursuing healthy lifestyles.
i love it here!

2009-01-06T07:31:00.000-08:00

everyday i think about writing
i want to write here
but i just dictate things in my head
hoping i'll actually remember them when the time comes to regurgitate
i was good at that
that's how i succeeded at university
play the game
doesn't require real intelligence to do well in the material world
just fear
i was motivated by fear
living up to my conditioning
family culture ego
like most everyone in my culture
trapped in a way of looking at the world
what is real intelligence?
the ability to discriminate between spirit and matter
thank you srila prabhupada for making the ancient teachings of india accessible to an ignorant human like me

be like the universe.

2008-11-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

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

2008-08-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-17T10:19:00.001-07:00

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

2008-04-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-03T11:45:00.001-07:00

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

2008-03-28T09:13:00.001-07:00

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......

Kale and White Bean Soup

2007-12-01T07:09:00.000-08:00

Winter Soups Recipes!
Ah, winter. Don't get me wrong, I'll be cursing it by February, but right now I am enjoying its finer pleasures like curling up under layers of blankets and night and hot bowls of soup for dinner. Try serving it with crusty bread or even use up some stale bread with an old Italian trick - put a slice of stale bread in the bottom of each bowl, then laddel the soup over it. It's add a lovely heartiness to the soup.
<3 shannon

Kale and White Bean Soup
1 lb dried navy beans (any white bean will do)
2 onions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced (up to 6 if you like it really garlicky)
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 qt water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
8 carrots, cut into half moon slices
1 lb kale (preferably lacinato), stems and center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped

*optional: 1 lb vegan (Tofurkey) or meat sausage, sliced into rounds

Cover the beans with water by 2 inches in a pot and bring them to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, 1 hour. Drain the beans in a colander and rinse.
Then, cook the onions in the oil in an large pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beans, broth, 1 quart water, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and rosemary and simmer, uncovered, until beans are just tender, about 50 minutes.

While soup is simmering, brown sausage (if using) in batches in a heavy skillet over moderate heat. If you are using meat sausage, then transfer to paper towels to drain.

Stir the carrots into the soup and simmer for 5 minutes or so. Stir in kale, sausage and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Season soup with salt 'n'pepper.

* This soup is particularly good if made 1 or 2 days ahead., make it when you have some free time and save it for a busy day when you don't have time to make dinner. Cool completely, uncovered, then refridgerate, covered. Thin with water if necessary.

my mother hates cilantro

2007-11-30T12:44:00.000-08:00

.... but i love it!
i'm going to start posting recipes i use so i can keep a log of it! im making this tonight for dinner!

Cilantro Chili Pizza, ala Cafe Pesto

Preheat the oven to 500F, preferable with a pizza stone on the middle shelf. Allow the oven to heat 30 minutes or more.

Meanwhile, prep your favorite pizza dough. If using refrigerated pizza dough, allow it to come to room temperature before shaping. Preparation of the pesto and chili sauces can be accomplished in the time it takes for the pizza dough to rest:

Cilantro Pesto

This recipe makes more pesto than needed for pizza. Use the leftovers as a marinade for grilling, or go crazy making this pizza for all of your friends.

In a food processor or blender combine:

1/2 cup peeled garlic cloves
1 cup of cilantro leaves, stems and roots
1 Tbs of ground pepper
1 tsp of salt
with enough canola or olive oil to help grind the ingredients into a paste
Store in the refrigerator or freezer with a slight film of oil on the pesto surface to help maintain the bright green color.

Sweet Hot Garlic Sauce

This is my number one favorite ingredient, to always be found in my refrigerator. It is excellent paired with fried crispy foods, grilled meats, drizzled on curries, and on top of this pizza. Fortunately this tasty sauce is becoming increasingly common in grocery stores, often called Nahm Jeem Gratiem, or Tuong Ot Ngot.

In a sauce pan combine

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
2 Tbs minced garlic
1 tsp salt
Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low, simmering to reduce and thicken to a syrupy sauce approximately 20 minutes or more. When thickened, stir in 1 Tbs of chili garlic sauce and allow to cool to room temperture. Store in the refrigerator.

Shape your pizza dough in the size you want, stretching it out thin with your fingers and hands. Place it on a piece of waxed paper, trimmed to match the foot print of the pizza dough shape and transfer the dough to a pizza peel for easy sliding onto the pizza stone.

Spread several tablespoons of the cilantro pesto on the surface of the dough. Sprinkle with a slight pinch of salt. Continue to top the pizza with chopped sundried tomatoes,red onion slices and chopped red bell pepper.

Slide the pizza onto your hot pizza stone and cook until the bottom is crusty brown, approximately 5-8 minutes.

Immediately top the pizza with crumbled goat cheese upon removing it from the oven. And lastly, the most important step, drizzle the pizza with Sweet Hot Garlic Sauce.

The Sun

2007-11-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

I was writing an email to my friend, and it just sounds like maybe you all would like to read about, a funny blog post, about my day. Well, I woke up around 7:30, hit the snooze button until 8:00. I went to the kitchen to make tea or something, and I ran into my roommate Robby-bob, and he asked me if we could do some yoga. I said sure! So I got the yoga mats (I have two) and brought them to the common room at the vegetarian cooperative where I live. We did a few "om's" and the sun salutation mantra I learned in yoga class a month ago at the Living Yoga Center in Champaign.

It always feels so nice to do yoga in the morning, I always feel great in general. I feel that yoga helps make me a more compassionate human being, providing me with energy I didn't know I had, and just overall able to live my life fully and accept the challenges I face everyday. but I feel like I don't have enough time to do it, and get enough sleep and get good grades and be a healthy well-balanced human being! anyway, I was facing towards the sun, observing how the sun's rays shine in the morning through the red maple trees, on a cool autumn dawn. I felt a strong appreciation for the sun, feeling a oneness with nature, and how the sun's rays fuel life on Earth. IT makes sense too--the sun's rays are captured by plants, which convert it t a usable form by other life forms, which obtain their energy from that. Even if you eat meat, the animals where your meat comes from ate plants (unless it was a tertiary consumer), which comes ultimately from the sun. All of our substance comes from the sun originally. No wonder why so many indigenous cultures worshipped the sun. If there was no sun, life wouldn't exist on Earth! IF the Earth was a little bit closer or a little far away, life wouldn't be able to exist the way that it does! It's pretty amazing how big and great and totally beyond us the sun is.

I have come to all the aforementioned conclusions before; this was not the first time I experienced this. I just thought I would let whoever happens to be reading this know a little more of where I'm coming from.

I experienced one of the most intense experiences of my whole life when I was at Camp Michigania by myself for two weeks, in the middle of winter. No city lights, no car, no internet in the place I was staying, no humans, no nothing. Just me, the cold, and the woods. The sun set SOOOOO EARLY, up north Michigan, right? i didn't have a clock, and I tried to get my body to swing with the natural rhythms of the sun. I would wake up before the sun would rise, just praying that the sun would rise that morning, because every night was so dark. I don't think people get the opportunities I have been presented in my life. It really made me realize a lot about life, and put things in perspective. I can share more if people are interested.
Peace and love!

Fall Semester!

2007-08-27T12:42:00.001-07:00

I'm back in school now. Just getting ready for my Spanish class! I love all the classes I'm taking this semester--

-American Indian Studies (FASCINATING! Today we had a discussion on the Chief, and my professor had us divide into groups and identify how many Native American people we could think of. Wednesday the class had to identify as many tribes as they could.)

-World Music (today we learned about sitar and tabla in Indian music, of which I love listening to! We watched a video about Kathak, a traditional Indian dance of storytelling.)

-Elementary Spanish (taught all in Spanish.... have I taken 1 class yet? No! Do I accept challenges? YES!)

-Japanese Tea Ceremony and Zen (U of I has a Japan House, of which they perform tea ceremonies at on Saturday mornings. I will be able to perform a tea ceremony at the end of the semester!)

-Community and Natural Resources (my graduate school course, of which I am the youngest, by far. Whoops. Looks like I'm going to have to work my tushie off!)

Off to class I go! =) =) =)

Taoist Quote

2007-08-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

He who dreams of drinking wine may weep when morning comes; he who dreams of weeping may in the morning go off to hunt. While he is dreaming he does not know it is a dream, and in his dream he may even try to interpret a dream. Only after he wakes does he know it was a dream. And someday there will be a great awakening when we know this is all a great dream. Yet the stupid believe they are awake, busily and brightly assuming they understand things, calling this man ruler, that one herdsman - how dense! Confucius and you are both dreaming! And when I say that you are dreaming, I am dreaming, too. Words like these will be labeled the Supreme Swindle. Yet, after ten thousand generations, a great sage may appear who will know their meaning, and it will still be as though he appeared with astonishing speed. -- Zhuangzi

I love staff week.

2007-06-09T14:10:00.001-07:00

You Are a Dreaming Soul

Your vivid emotions and imagination takes you away from this world
So much so that you tend to live in your head most of the time
You have great dreams and ambitions that could be the envy of all...
But for you, following through with your dreams is a bit difficult

You are charming, endearing, and people tend to love you.
Forgiving and tolerant, you see the world through rose colored glasses.
Underneath it all, you have a ton of passion that you hide from others.
Always hopeful, you tend to expect positive outcomes in your life.

Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul, Prophet Soul, and Traveler Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Chiquita Banana

2007-06-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

If there's one food I like, it's bananas. I LOVE bananas. I would be happy eating bananas, avocados, and hummus & pita all day long. Well, not ALL day, but you get it. While I'm at Michigania, I rely on the dining hall to provide my food needs. Today, I went to lunch hungry and once I got there, I completely lost my appetite. So, I just grabbed a banana and ate it with peanut butter, a safe choice for me, because I will always want to eat that. I can't eat any fried or much processed food, it makes me feel so awful. And it is awful for us anyway.

I was reading the news today and this is what I found:

Families of Colombian Paramilitary Victims Sue U.S. Banana Giant Chiquita
Relatives of victims of a right-wing paramilitary group in Colombia have filed suit against the US banana giant Chiquita Brands. Earlier this year Chiquita admitted it had paid off the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia which is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Chiquita said it had fallen victim to an extortion racket that threatened its employees. Colombian prosecutors have also accused Chiquita of providing arms that were then used to push leftist rebels out of an area in northern Colombia where Chiquita had its banana plantations. The suit was filed on behalf of one-hundred forty-four people killed by Colombian paramilitary groups. Lead attorney Terry Collinsgworth says the suit could mark the biggest terrorism case in history. He said: “Putting Chiquita on trial for hundreds, or even thousands of murders could put them out of business.”

Crazy! I had no idea! But Chiquita Banana! I ate a banana today. I don't want to think about my food consumption causing misery and suffering to families in Colombia.

If it's yellow, let it mellow

2007-06-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

So one thing I do is when I pee, I don't flush. My pee is usually clear from all the water I drink. I am fully hydrated as an individual. Seriously. It makes no sense to waste all of that CLEAN water, just to flush down my urine which is mostly water anyway. At the house I lived at my junior year of college, all of my roommates (who a lot were not like me) learned to let it mellow too. If my toilet starts to smell weird or get too full, then I'll flush it. But it usually gets brown before that. That's how the saying goes. If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down.

But yeah. It takes toilets 2-4 gallons of FRESH CLEAN WATER to flush. How ridiculous is that? I just read that at least 55,000 people die every day as a result of malnutrition -- these are areas that do not have the clean water resources that we do. Water may be a renewable resource, but it's being depleted WAAAAY quicker than it's being regenerated (just like soil).

Toilets that we use now are really outdated. We have waaay better technology. I don't know why people don't install these bugggers --

Composting toilets! They make sense-- they use practically no water, and they convert human waste, or "humanure" into a fertilizer usable for plants. Check out this site for some more facts about composting toilets.

http://compostingtoilet.org/faq/index.php

1st post

2007-06-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

Hello!

It looks as though I was convinced by my mother (who I talk to on an almost daily basis anyway) to start a blog. Here it is. We'll see how regularly I update. She said "I guess you've got lots of things to say!" Well... YEAH! Who am I related to, here? The most talkative person I know.... MY MOTHER! =) Love ya mom!