The Sudden Breeze

When you step back to look at things from a distance... You see the truth. These beings that I have been blessed to call friends and family are truly magnificent forces of nature. Talented, intelligent, beautiful, emotional, wise, fearless, adventurous, and all in their own way. Love everything about them. Sending my love and prayers to everyone.

Sometimes you don't need to spend a lot of money to have a great time when you go out. Today was one of those days. I went to the European film festival again and this time watched 2 movies which were both free of course :) The Secret of Kells ,  is an enchanting film that was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature this year. It tells a story of an abbey in Ireland and an adventurous boy named Brendan during the medieval times. The traditional illustrated execution, was magical and visually inspiring to me. It felt that every frame would look stunning, mounted on a wall to be adored by illustrator enthusiasts. It is said that the Celtic-Irish handpainted treatment of the illustrations were inspired by the Book of Kells itself. I definitely recommend this movie and hope that I can purchase the dvd just to see all the details again.  secretofkells The second is a 2004 film, called Nyfes or The Brides directed by Pantelis Voulgaris. What first drew me to

Svetat e golyam i spasenie debne otvsyakade The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner The European Film Festival in Jakarta has begun and I started today with the Bulgarian film, The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner directed by Stephan Komandarev. Adapted from a book by Ilija Trojanow, the film is about a young man who loses his memory after a car accident and his grandfather who tries to cure him. His grandfather takes him on a wonderful journey riding a tandem bike and gradually he starts remembering who he is, his family, his childhood of escaping from Bulgaria and their struggles in seeking asylum. I thought the story was light hearted, simple and humorous with an emotional historic aspect that tied it all together. Although I didn't understand a word without reading the subtitles, the acting felt effortless with their mix of emotions, expressions and vocal tones. It always amazes me when the characters feel so real you start having an imag

I remember only glimpses of the dream, it was raining hard and water was starting to build up on the grounds. I was standing in a front lawn of a one story house with no fences, similar to my old house in virginia but the driveway was on the right side instead of the left. Then suddenly it was flooding up to my chest, and I was standing inside a yellow school bus that had no roof. I was inside the school bus with another woman and water was starting to seep through. It got higher and higher until it was up to my waist, and we were working so hard to get the water out when the bus started moving uncontrollably because of the flooding...and that's all I remember. from www.dreammoods.com School Bus To see or ride a school bus in your dream, suggests that you are about to venture on an important life journey needed for your own personal growth. Flood To dream that you are in a flood, represents your need to release some desires. If the flood is raging, then it represents emotio

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept responsibility for changing them.” -Denis Waitley

I was dancing with the bright full moon Swaying through the days like a pioneer Neglecting your enduring presence Losing site of your existence You float there in the shadows Gathering your deep cuts Black holes with infinite mass of sorrow Til it's time to say hello During my highest of highs You drag me to below Dark clouds above and all around Raining teardrops in thunderous storms You drown me with exhaustion This head heavy with emptiness Lungs gasping for air Remembering when we first met on the cold grey tiles in 1992 ~Alia Adistya

I am in this large courtyard with cemented brick pavement, among tall historic buildings, which seems to be a university. It reminds me of a cross between Belfast City Hall and the Uffizi in Florence. We are all wearing toga's so I believe it's after a graduation ceremony. I wore a white toga with a blue collar, my sister is there wearing the same thing and my brother is wearing a blue toga. My sister walks with my mother into one of the shops in the buildings, my brother disappears into the crowd and I stay in the large courtyard with a crowd of people who are chatting amongst themselves. Suddenly there are many helicopters above us and we all become alert and look up. One by one, the helicopters starts to blow up and the broken parts falls to the ground. The crowd is in a frenzy and begin screaming and running around for their lives. I run into one of the buildings in front of me. When I am inside I look up to discover there is no roof and one of the helicopter falls dire

I am standing on a field of grass with my friends E and O. The sun is shining bright and behind us there are a few food stalls and a rocky field for parking. This place reminds me of the parking area for padang padang beach in bali. I think this is where we are... Bali. I walk towards the parking area, hop on a red scooter and drive it down the road. The path that I drive through actually goes into the woods with extremely tall trees that covers the sky except for a few little glimpses of sunlight that flickers through the gaps of the leaves. I am driving the scooter very slowly since this is my first time driving it and I don't have the right balance. Suddenly the scooter transforms into a red bicycle which I start to pedal and my confidence begin to rise. I think to myself, I should feel the way I ride the bicycle when I am riding the scooter. So then I turn back and the bicycle morphs back into a scooter and I am able to ride faster, with much more confidence. Then begins a lo

"Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible." –V. Frank

There are a myriad different ways to search, but the object of the search is always the same. Don’t you see that the roads to Mecca are all different? One comes from Byzantium, another from Syria, still others wind through land or across the sea. The roads are different; the goal is one. When people reach the goal, all quarrels or disputes that flared along the road are resolved. Those who yelled at each other along the road, "You are wrong!" or "You are a blasphemer!" forget all possible differences when they reach the goal. There all hearts sing in unison. - Jalal-ud-Din Rumi

As I remember 9 years ago today, I can still see and feel the sights and emotions as it was just yesterday. I pray for all the innocent lives lost and that peace, tolerance and compassion will continue to fill our minds and hearts. As I remember 9 years ago today, I was just in between stops from my station that morning when our subway was stopped...we were stuck for about half an hour down there not knowing what was going on until they announced at the intercom that there had been a small plane crash at the twin towers. In my mind I imagined a small 2 passenger plane that must have gotten lost. The subway moved again and they instructed everyone to get out of the subway at my stop... and when I finally walked the steps out of the station to the streets of nyc... the whole experience and the next few weeks felt like a lucid dream...so vividly and overwhelmingly real but unbelievably horrific at the same time. Colossal events and life-changing experiences moves people to re-evalua

To those who celebrate... may you enjoy a blessed festival this Eid ul-Fitr 1431H

Last night I dreamed in 2 parts, both doing a physical exercise... is my body trying to give me a hint? The first dream was of me and a good friend of mine scuba diving in this vast deep blue ocean that was endless. The odd thing was we were having a conversation, so we were actually breathing underwater and communicating as one would naturally. Our conversation though was about religion and the techniques of ascending during a dive (odd combo). I also remember there was a lot of water bubbles surrounding us and we were swimming like dolphins....nice :) The second dream was of me jogging in New York. Everytime I dream of jogging, I'm always in New York. (The funny thing is, I've never regularly exercised the 12 years I lived there LOL) In this dream I was deciding whether to go down and take the subway to manhattan or jog across The Queensboro Bridge. I decided to jog across holding my blackberry on one hand and my G10 on the other. Is this another hint? :p From dreammood

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our thoughts that we forget to trully see the beauty that surrounds us. Things I saw while I was sitting after prayer, with no thoughts in mind. A moment of bliss.

Here's a rundown of my weekend without the running of course :) On saturday I woke up at 8. I really wanted to stay in bed a little longer but Bali's sunshine is so bright I would need black shades and tape to block out the light. It's a great change from my dungeon in jakarta though. The sun definitely gives the boost of energy that I need. I decided to read some articles on my blackberry, and I ended up reading this article about invisible computing. Quite an interesting read. After too much information for a weekend, I opened all the curtains and shutters around the house. The skies were a bit cloudy but it was still very bright. The cool morning breeze was quite refreshing. I was going to turn on some music while I folded some clothes, but decided just to have silence, observing and listening to the sounds outside. There is an elementary school a few roads down so there were shouts and laughter of children playing, birds chirping, and occasional sounds of motorbike

Last night I was able to finish "The Witch of Portobello" by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho. I've read a few of his books and his stories continually presents a magical wisdom that constantly gives me "aha" moments. This particular story gave me plentiful of mind-opening thoughts Some words from the book: "Let go of the idea that the path will lead you to your goal. The truth is that with each step we take, we arrive. Repeat that to yourself every morning: I’ve arrived." "You are what you believe yourself to be. Don't be like those people who believe in "positive thinking" and tell themselves that they're loved and strong and capable. You don't need to do that because you know it already. And when you doubt it — which happens, I think, quite often at this stage of evolution — do as I suggested. Instead of trying to prove that you're better than you think, just laugh. Laugh at your worries and insecurities. View you

When we fast, not only do we abstain from eating and drinking reminding us of those less fortunate, we also practice self-control in our speech, thoughts and actions, filling ourselves with prayers, patience, charity and positive energies. It's a month meditation to rejuvenate the mind and body, beginning the year with a reawakened spirit. Our first day of fasting in Bali was quite nice. The day actually passed by quickly probably because we were having fun making "biji salak" one of my favorite Ramadan treats. The color turned out a bit green, because we used a japanese sweet potato, but it was still yummy :) there's a great recipe to follow from the blog last-bite . Today I also finally got the chance to watch the movie "Precious". A heart-wrenching, tear-jerking movie so prepare a box of tissues if you haven't seen it already. There's this quote from the character that really took a hold of me: "Some folks has a lot of things around th

It's been exactly one month since I've moved to Bali. How has it been? At times I still have those occasional episodes of negativity and brooding, but I must admit it has been so much easier to become quickly aware and breathe in to the present moment. I've become more kinder to myself. Basically I feel at ease and renewed :) Not sure if it's the move or if I'm just at that stage. The atmosphere definitely plays a big role. Tomorrow fasting begins for the month of Ramadan, and for our last lunch today I decided to prepare a meal of falafels, hummus and some fresh salad. I tried a recipe that I found at  about.com turned out pretty tasty! Even my sister ended up eating the falafels with 2 servings of salad, and she's the type of person who doesn't eat greens. Why the sudden change of heart? Maybe because I grated a lot of cheese on top!! :D falafel hummus My first self-cooked meal in Bali :) A Ramadan poem from Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi O moo

Feeling a bit under the weather today but I just enrolled in DailyOM's course 'A Year of Rumi' and I wanted to share a beautiful poem that immediately lifted my spirit up: If you are seeking, seek us with joy For we live in the kingdom of joy. Do not give your heart to anything else But to the love of those who are clear joy, Do not stray into the neighborhood of despair. For there are hopes: they are real, they exist – Do not go in the direction of darkness – I tell you: suns exist. - Jalal-ud-Din Rumi (Translated by Andrew Harvey from A Year of Rumi) "Suns exist" :)

We find out the heart only by dismantling what the heart knows. By redefining the morning, we find a morning that comes just after darkness. We can break through marriage into marriage. By insisting on love we spoil it, get beyond affection and wade mouth-deep into love. We must unlearn the constellations to see the stars. But going back toward childhood will not help. The village is not better than Pittsburgh. Only Pittsburgh is more than Pittsburgh. Rome is better than Rome in the same way the sound of raccoon tongues licking the inside walls of the garbage tub is more than the stir of them in the muck of the garbage. Love is not enough. We die and are put into the earth forever. We should insist while there is still time. We must eat through the wildness of her sweet body already in our bed to reach the body within that body. –Jack Gilbert Loving this poem I found via superforest

Thank u for always being there for me Watching cheesy chick flicks with yummy eyecandy Never giving up when I was negative and really down You always had the right words to remove my frown Always believing in new possibilities Never bowing down to conformities I admire your passion in the things you do I love all the things that is you ~Alia Adistya

Loving Florence + The Machine Makes me want to make a masquerade ball in a forest with these :D I can imagine it already Martha Stewart Bird Mask tutorial  www.marthastewart.com

Reminder: extra strength panadol taken at night = ridiculous insomnia

Notice the empty glass Longing to be poured a calm comfort Weaves of threads awaits folded and still Familiar footprints gentle touches of open palms Tears and wishes, whispers and fears Embrace and cradle me once again Coating heaven to these heavy breaths Till the fire inside smiles And a steady peace follows ~Alia Adistya

I had another vivid physical dream last night. I am sitting there and looking down at the calf of my right leg. There are several 5 cm bumps all over growing bigger and bigger until it breaks open, turning into 8 open wounds looking like deep hallowed pockets of skin. Inside these skin pockets I am able to see my flesh and each of them has a large tumor resting inside... the tumor though is shaped like a smooth beige pebble, and one by one I shove my fingers into these wounds and take the pebble out, and with each wound I compress it and heal it till the skin is flat again. The process is painful and I feel the piercing irritation each time I place my hand on the wound to press the skin back in its place. But in the end, I am able to take all the pebbles out and heal my leg. From dreammoods.com Legs  To see your legs in your dream, indicate that you have regained confidence to stand up and take control again. It also implies progress and your ability to navigate through life. If you

photo source: vi.sualize.us I watched a television show awhile ago about near death experiences, and one of the incident was of a man who was struck by a snow avalanche and was able to survive after 48 hours of being stranded. In the hospital, his wife held him when he finally gained consciousness... and his first words were "You smell like heaven"

Looking at my non-existent savings account, my credit card bills, and the shopping spree I've journeyed into these past 2 weeks, I ask myself how did I get here again? I'm back to where I started over a decade ago in New York with my wide-eyed, heart racing excitement caused by my first plastic card looking at "objects" in a different sort of way... finding the amazing variety of cute shops promising you individual style for the millions of people, the red banners with the letters S-A-L-E and once in a lifetime sample sales held a few times each year. Moving to Jakarta, I presumed the temptations would be less challenging but I admit I was wrong. When it comes to online shopping, bazaars, clothing, shoes, souvenirs, gadgets, well actually any kind of shopping, I buy more than i need, and spend more than my budget. The sad thing is I only use half of the things I buy, and the rest takes its long nap underneath the chaos of my unorganized closet. How easy it is to get

2 wonderful friends of mine just had a recent loss and I dedicate this song to them... He was a great friend of my father, I remember his constant uplifting mood, his cheerful expressions, may he rest in peace and that my friends find solace through each other and the memories they shared. *hugs* I Hurt Too by Katie Herzig When you’re weary And haunted And your life is not what you wanted When you’re trying so hard to find it When the lies speak the loudest When your friends are starting to leave When you’re broken by people like me I hurt too, I hurt too When an ocean sits right between us There is no sign that we’ll ever cross You should know now that I feel the loss I hurt too, I hurt too Even though you are drowning in valley’s of echoes I believe there is peace in those hills up ahead You will climb ‘til you find places you’ll never let go And I will also be here praying just like I said

Dove of Peace by Pablo Picasso a scorpion as well :) source:  www.tarot.com Scorpio is the only sign that has three animal totems. First, there is the well-known Scorpion with its active tail. Second, as the Scorpio learns to master its passion and hold its instincts at bay, it changes into the Eagle. The Eagle has more perspective, for it flies high above the surface of circumstances, swooping down with its power only to kill prey for food. In its third form, the Scorpion becomes the always-peaceful dove. The real meaning of Scorpio is thus shown. Scorpio is about metamorphosis. Scorpios transform the painful poisons of possessive passion into a higher consciousness based on universal love. Your motto might be "What is hidden is more interesting than what is obvious." You are the detectives of the zodiac. But you can also be secretive yourself, for you learn early on that when you express everything, others may be scared by the power of your feelings. You have the magic

Maybe I know, somewhere deep in my soul  that love never lasts And we've got to find other ways to make it alone  or keep a straight face And I've always lived like this,  keeping a comfortable distance And up until now I had sworn to myself  that I'm content with loneliness Because none of it was ever worth the risk But darling, You are the only exception And I'm on my way to believing ~ Paramore

There are so many people and situations around the world which cries for help that it overwhelms you to the fact that you just feel inadequate and paralyzed. So how do you choose whom to help when its impossible of helping everyone at the same time? I think about this and maybe the answer is to start with the people or situations closest to you and work from there. Clean your closet, organize your room, then your home and community, make better relationships with your family, friends, and neighbors, the people that are right there in front of you.. and with that strong foundation it can expand in more meaningful depth... being love itself and having compassion to everyone and first and foremost.. to yourself

Friendship bracelet for my bestie i.i.s "My best friends are the people with whom I feel safe to talk about mad, sad and hurt feelings. Most other relationships stay at the feeling levels where everything is 'fine,' although we all know that's not true. But my best friends never shy away from those times when we feel the neediest—when our feelings have been hurt, when we are so angry we could spit fire, when we are grieving and depressed, when we feel unacceptable. Over and over, those are the times that have made us feel more bonded." — The Rev. Ed Bacon

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable. Kahlil Gibran

This year i have joined "Thing-a-day". Thing-a-day is a yearly creative sprint where participants commit to creating one new thing a day and post it on a collective blog. You can post anything in any media but remember this is an exercice in creativity, it's about the process of making stuff, not making finished impossible stuff. Your main challenge is to stick to it for all 28 days of February! Pick a theme for the month or for the week, spend around 20 minutes a day on your piece and send it out!   thing-a-day.com I decided to choose the theme flowers :) and I've made another blog  suddenbreeze.posterous.com to post all my creations. Since we love the idea so much, a couple of friends and I made our own little collective blog called  arisan.posterous.com where we divide the days of the week and share our creations with each other :) I am hoping we continue it throughout the years! Happy Crafting! :)

What does it look like to you? A picture I took of a cloud formation at Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. (Ha Long literally translates as Descending Dragon) I've been trying to sleep by 10 these past few nights with little luck. Last night I just closed my eyes and waited...and then after an hour I opened my eyes again facing straight at my sister's pillow just centimeters away. The pillow's print was a childlike painting of a bird, but in the angle I was facing it, I realized it look like a tadpole with a party hat :D this suddenly made me think about situations and the way we feel and look at them. We can look at things and see it in so many ways if we are willing to shift the angle. And the angles are limitless :)

Enjoying this exotic adventure Life feels odd, nothing fits and everything's foreign Where gratitude comes from every direction And paths keeps opening to reveal new hopes many more wonderful experiences and emotions to absorb until I am completely filled up when I return to You and that I have used this vessel in Your purpose I long for Your embrace and the peace that surrounds So at this time I pray that You will always be present with glimpses of Your whispers wherever I am ~ Alia Adistya

Most of my time living in Jakarta, I am consumed with the thoughts in my head, with work that needs to be done, the plans I want to make, figuring out what I need to have and want to become. The only time I can let go, breathe freely, enjoy my surroundings, and be presently aware is during my travels. But I've come to realize I don't need to travel miles to find peace and beauty, it all depends on how I am feeling inside (although finding peace and beauty is definitely much easier when I am surrounded by nature). Eventhough I still have a long way to go in finding calmness during daily irritations, and life's hiccups (and seeing it as something positive)... wherever I am, I am slowly learning the concept of becoming still, clearing my thoughts, just breathing and being... and then suddenly everything becomes beautiful and God is in everything I see and everywhere I am. Dialogue from the movie "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Tea Cake: Whatcha doin', Janie? Janie

Freja Beha Erichsen © http://caroline.feber.se

To wrap-up 2009, I decided to go on a solo journey to Komodo National Park. It was an unbelievable journey! This was the last sunset I saw at Labuan Bajo, Flores from a little local restaurant called "The Corner" This is the view from my bungalow at the Golo Hilltop Hotel, which is owned by 2 dutch women who visited here and fell in love with the place and decided to live here, I can see why :) At komodo national park there was an overwhelmingly large schools of fish, just mesmerizing! The Komodos at Rinca Island were huge, they gave us long large wooden sticks just in case, but I didn't dare to even try to get too close. I only got to dive 4 times at Komodo (Manta point, Batu Bolong, Crystal rock, full moon) but they were incredible, we saw 5 meter wide manta rays, eagle rays, white tip sharks, napoleon fish, bluefin tuna, giant trevally, scorpion fishes, and so much more! I hope I get the chance to come back and explore all the other sites!

For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated in learning various methods of spiritual transformations...methods that can open me up in new ways of belief and understanding about life, God, the universe, and above all about myself. For the past month I've been following Debbie Ford , an author and spiritual coach, reading her book "Why Good People Do Bad Things" and watching the movie "The Shadow Effect" (Journey from your darkest thought to your greatest dream). Now she has another book "The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse" which program she is offering for free at oprah.com "The 21-Day Consciousness Cleanse is a practical program that promises to alter the quality and direction of your life and support you in not only obtaining your goals for the new year, but, more importantly, creating a new loving and nurturing relationship with yourself and with the power that sources you. This program will enable you to take back your power fro

What is success? To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; that is to have succeeded. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. Drink more water 8 glasses a day at least! 2. Eat consciously Be aware of my body and the energy I put in it. 3. Exercise I'm thinking to start with morning jogs or walks :) 4. Build up Tea for Two Complete the website and product photography! 5. Make at least 1 person smile a day Starting w/ my family :D 6. Travel more See as many places even if its just short budget weekend trips. Have more family trips. 7. Budget conscious Save money for deposit, Monthly savings 8. Blog at least once a week Practice writing and telling stories to be more communicative to others 9. Spiritual cleanse Meditate, Pray & be grateful everyday 10. Practice "Why Not?" One of my best friend says everytime she is presented with an opportunity, she says "why not"...so in other words, have more yes's in life! Last and most important...Live everyday consciously, being aware of every moment and details!