MONK'S WHEELS-CLAIRVEAUX MONASTERY

It has been sometime since i posted and entry in this blog.The writing bug has not created enough stir for me to write an entry.The unavoidable business of living and the ramifications of its consequences take its toll on me thus my writing suffers.It has not been an easy ride lately with multiple unwanted incidents that lead me to question the daily rigors i have to go through as a human being.Yes ,these are part of being human and being alive but wouldn't it be wonderful if it was a little bit easier.Has somebody out there wrote a manual on how to cope with life? Sure, I am not alone in my ordeals and i am not going to indulge my emotions with " pity me , why me?" didactics.There is always help there somewhere although sometimes finding help is as easy as finding a needle a haystack.On the lighter side though, I am always amazed how circumstances in my life seem to be programmed to come up with solutions.Lately, i have been more conscious of the little miracles which normally i would have taken for granted.As I progress to notice these miracles intently, the more i believe there is a supreme being there looking out for all of us. I call this TRUST IN THE UNKNOWN FORCE.I have such a strong belief in this Force that I follow it even blindly.Sometimes the road is long and the climb is winding and uphill but i have such a strong conviction, I will get there.Unfortunately, this conviction is not an easy one to cultivate.I did not absorb this in just a nick of time. But i am glad i did. Amen!

WEEKEND IN THE LOST COAST OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

This was a wonderful weekend spent in the north coast of California.With a new convertible , we hopped in the car heading north for a weekend in california's LOST COAST.First stop was Redding , 160 miles north of Yuba City where we live.Redding as i discovered is an upscale and rustic town without the snobbish feel that is usually associated with other upscale towns in California .City slickers that we are ( or at least that's how i feel) we were impressed with the humlility that this town exudes.MOVE OVER- MONTEREY AND CARMEL OR EVEN SAN FRANCISCO, REDDING ROCKS! HA HA HA! We made a pit stop at a bowling alley and was surprised to find it full and crowded mostly elderly people and the senior citizen league cranking up the bowling lanes.We continued on to criss cross the Shasta and Siskiyou Mountains.I have to tell you this place is almost close to heaven. The landscape is magnificent beyond belief and no amount of words or even pictures can do justice to the this place. 2 hours crisscrossing the mountains and rivers and the lush greenery, some of it affected by the monstrous California wildfires, we arrived in Crescent City and close to the Oregon border.We finally reached the part of the lost coast of california .Well, the pictures will have to suffice for the undescribably magnificent northern california coastline.

THOUGHTS ,MUSINGS AND CONTEMPLATION

It is a beautiful weekend here in Yuba City.It was agreably hot and pleasant with a light breeze of air.Armed with my laptop and a book on Taoism by Wayne Dyer, I headed to Starbucks for my daily caffeine free fix.MP3 plugged in and Sting crooning about the Russians, I am ready to roll and write.These rare moments of having my chai tea latte venti within the confines of Starbucks ambiance are priceless.This is an indispensable ritual for me to regroup and collect my thoughts.WELCOME TO STARBUCKS COUNTRY! !
This week i have been reading a book on TAOISM by WAYNE DYER titled CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS CHANGE YOUR LIFE - LIVING THE WISDOM OF THE TAO.I have to admit I am a proponent of spiritual thinking and living . I would not know how to live my life without the guidelines I learn from these kinds of reading material. As i think and ponder my next life, yes there is a life beyond, difficult to believe but irrevocably true, i could not help but ponder what is it like living on the other side of the fence.This has been a question that has been clouding my mind and have been compelled to find the answer but never lucky enough to find a clear cut answer to the question. It would be wonderful if someone thoroughly dissected the question and found the answer. Call it coincidence but as i think about my future spiritual life, the newsflash in AOL about the death of hundreds of Indians in a religious pilgrimage flashed in my laptop screen. We do have a limited time here on earth , so my question is , what about the life after? What is it like there? What am I here for? I often wondered about the purpose of the frivolity of my physical life here on earth.As I age and come to terms with my temporary stay here , the meaning of death becomes clearer .The fragility of my physical life seem to come at a speed faster than I anticipate. Such speed is so volatile that i can see my life passing by in a whiff. Somehow this pushes me to accomplish much more worthwhile deeds that i have never or have thought of to accomplish in my much younger days. Gone are the days when the focal point of my priorities revolve around much more mundane things. Getting ahead financially, acquiring material things that eventually fade away ... pushing extremely hard to chase the dollar and then what? These i cannot take it all with me anyway . I realize these goals are transient but yet the pull and influence they exert in my human conciousness is beyond my peony comprehension and rationality.I feel defeated trying to absorb and understand the purpose of it all. There are times when I wish there is a genie in a bottle that can explain to me the reason of this all. Why ,why, why? Meditation and prayer had been my constant companion in my journey to life.Without these , I honestly don't know how to live and conduct my life.But yet, even with these arsenal of roadmap to life, there are still questions left unanswered.

BIG SUR COAST LINE

FRAGILE

If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one

Drying in the colour of the evening sun

Tomorrow’s rain will wash the stains away

But something in our minds will always stay

Perhaps this final act was meant

To clinch a lifetime’s argument

That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could

For all those born beneath an angry star

Lest we forget how fragile we are.

By: Sting

RED SUNSET

Today, i spent a good time making entries and constructing my entries. John Denver music blasting in my Rhapsody( my online music machine) he he he! I need music to get me in the mood of writing.It is essential for me to get the ideas to write down. TAKE ME HOME COUNTRY ROADS, ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH , LEAVING ON A JET PLANE . Sounds familiar? Classic John Denver songs.There is something in music that changes your thinking and emotions. I honestly believe that sound exerts a tremendous amount of influence on how you feel and how you think. Carl Jung , if he were alive today can probably attest to this.Carl Jung , are you listening? Hahaha!!!!

Anyway, the energy of sound especially the sound of music is a force to contend with and not be taken lightly. It is something surreal that i find difficult to explain.I feel i am flying up above the clouds given the appropriate music i am listening to at any given moment.It is not difficult for me to be transported to a different time and space when i listen to a certain music that easily woes my soul.

I went out for my daily 3.5 mile walk today and i swear, i have seen the most beautiful red sunset .Luckily, i brought my camera with me and i was able to take a shot .Of course , my cheap Canon camera does not do justice to the picture but anyhow, i wanted to share it with you.

EUROPE 2006

A few more pictures from Europe.Amsterdam,

Paris ,Brussels and Germany.

EUROPE 2005

Some pictures from Europe trip in 2005. Cinque Terre Italy is unique with all the 5 little villages.Lugano lake in Switzerland.