"Now there's desire meeting absence..."

New favorite finer thing in life = storytelling.

Tonight I went to a storytelling festival. two enthusiastic thumbs up! i mean, wow. t'was amazing. i felt like i was in kindergarten again! they featured several different types of story-tellers, old and young people ranging from loud to quiet voices telling from fantasy to historical stories. There was this older lady, kind of a stick, who spoke pretty quietly and intently; a black lady who got her groove on in the middle of her story, and a younger student from Hungary with the coolest accent!
At first, i wasn't sure how it was going to be, because we were just watching a person talk like we were in class. But, these stories each had a purpose and more importantly a really cool moral. There was one lady who told an old soufi tale called "the lion makers."
It starts with 4 men walking through a forest, 3 scientists and farmer, who came upon a pile of bones. The first scientist says, "my studies taught me how to put these bones together - it's a lion." And soon enough there was the skeleton. The second scientist said, "yes, and my studies taught me how to create muscles and tissues." And soon enough, the lion was complete, from mane to tail. The third scientist said, "yes, but my studies taught me how to bring things to life." Before he could do anything, the farmer chimed in and said, "nooo i don't think that's a good idea." the third scientist said, "what, are you jealous?" the farmer tried to explain, but the scientists mocked him for not being educated. while the farmer climbed a tree, the third scientist got to work, and soon enough, the lion's eyes opened, he lifted his head, and looked at the 3 scientists. As you can imagine, he devoured the 3 scientists, and after he left, the farmer got down and walked home."After this, she told of the story of a farmer from Maine who created the machine gun as we knew it during WWI. Her last sentence was this question, "how many lions are we creating? and where are the trees we are climbing?"
Another lady told started a love story between a Jewish man and Catholic woman. Turns out the man is Irving Berlin, the famous song writer of the 1920's who married a young girl against her father's wishes. To please her unbudging father, she complied with his request to see europe and not speak to Irving while she was gone for six months! She said she wouldn't, but wrote him every day (smart girl!). While she was away, he wrote her the song, "Always," and later gave her the rights to that song, which was good because it was worth thousands and thousands of dollars. One day, he called her up and said, "i can't live like this any longer. i have our wedding license, let's go down to the city hall right now and get married." she picked up her pocket book and went straight to meet him. Later, her father wrote her out of his will for marrying Irving. He went on to write other famous songs such as "God Bless America," "Anything You Can Do" and "White Christmas." He had quite the life-story and i highly suggest checking it out by clicking on his name above. After she died at 81, 6 months later he died at age 101. Remarkable! I will get this link up and running tomorrow so you can actually hear the song. Irving Berlin - "Always."
The last storyteller was a gentlemen who rhymed the story of cinderella like i've never heard it before, and he also told the story of the young salt shaker who fell for the sugar bowl, who in the end, learned from his mistake of falling hard too fast. again, it was exactly in rhyme, but very eloquent language. there was a mouse in the story who would quote very beautiful passages of literature from different authors, one of which i remember was shelley. the storyteller's memory...wow. to recite all that he did in such a manner that evoked such emotion! i loved it. absolutely.
Basically I just think that storytelling is a lost art. And i really wish i had better oratory skills. My mom is a teacher, and by nature she has those skills. If only she had passed on those genes to me! I get so tongue-tied and twisted. It just reminds me of that scripture in Ether 12:

27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Well it was a lovely few hours after a week of sickness. i'm getting over the flu (yucky!) and as such, i've done a lot of music blogging! which is short for finding new music through wonderful blogs online. For some reason, i have been way into the hiphop lately!
My song for today is by Lupe Fiasco - Superstar (pictured). I have been singing this song for 2 days! I hope you like it as much as i do. I look forward to listening to other hits from him! It's kind of a shame his name is Lupe though - it just reminds me of that disease Lupas, which even though i don't know exactly what it is, it just sounds gross and undesirable. Anyone disagree with me?

Right now, it's early in the morning and thus I find myself blogging. It brings me back to a time a little over a year and half ago, when i was studying literature. I loved my teacher, for he had a way to make poetry come to life for me like nobody else did for me. We went over lots of poetry in class, and I remember being so touched by these poems that i saved most of them in a word document on my computer. I will share one with you now, titled "Insomnia."

Insomnia

Stephen Dunn

What should be counted was counted

up to a hundred and back.

And sleep came by, I think,

sensed too much movement and left.

Now there’s desire meeting absence,

the multiplication of zero,

the mind, as always, holding out

for a perfect convergence

like a diver entering water

without a splash. There’s a part

of me terribly stilled and alert,

a silence that won’t shut off.

And there’s this need to put on the light,

to not sleep on sleep’s terms, sleep

which is after all like you, love,

elsewhere and difficult.

Not to say that I'm still awake from love's mysteries, but all the same, i might as well be. I feel like my mind is going 100 mph! It's a lovely poem. i wish i had that talent as well, to string words that evoke imagery not well known to the commoner. Oh well, one day perhaps. One day i will share with you my absolute favorite poem, but not for now, as i think it might be premature.


g'nite*~

"If only they knew..." - God

OMG! so i totally created a new game today while i was walking on campus between classes. i somehow have created this habit of catching snipits of conversations as i'm walking, and so my new game is to come up with the funniest quote of the day. here are the few that i heard today, and perhaps you could tell me which you think is the best. the funny part is that there is no context to any of these quotes, but i'll mention what i can about them.
I'm going to start calling it my LOL moment of the day:

“Um, I guess what happens now is up to you, but I hope we can still be friends. Ok bye.”
-girl on cell phone just leaving a message. ouch.

“I could really care less about all the people who are burning in hell.”
-girl talking with her friend on the sidewalk. again: ouch.

“How are you?” “Good, how are you?” “Good, how are your classes going?” “Good, what’s life like being married?” Good…etc.”
-obvious awkward conversation between unmarried girl and married boy. i wonder if they dated before...?

“No mommy please, mommy don’t…sorry, I’m just stressed right now.”
-no idea who said this. i was looking down at the time and it was one of those unisex voices, but i thought that "mommy" wasn't kosher after age 10? 11? whatever.

“That 16 yr. old! He’s so cute, and so smiley, and so funny, and oh…so good.”
-this was an older girl, i'd guess age 24. can we say robbing the craddle?

For the record, those are more or less direct quotes. i actually had a notebook and pen and was writing while i was walking. hahaha, oh good times.


Doesn't this just make a good point about how most of the time, we have no room to judge others because we don't know what's going on?? I can't even tell you how many times people will take something they are told out of context, or apply what little information they have and blow it out of proportion. I really hate it when that happens, to myself, or to my friends. Ugh! I think the very best movie that portrayed this very concept was Crash. Talk about an excellent movie, and one that demonstrates miscommunication like no other. I honestly believe our lives have more miscommunication than we think, and probably most of it is more or less harmless, but man. I bet God is sitting up there so frustrated sometimes! "If only they knew..." -God.

Thank goodness for Swedish pop princesses such as (pictured) Robyn! Do you not love that daring hair cut? I wish i had the guts sometimes. She's got some fun stuff, I highly recommend checking her out, even though i generally do not recommend pop music. I really think pop/dance music can get a bad rep sometimes. I've decided to friend this group who creates dance mixes every sunday with different types of music. They put mixes up as zip files, so, what up. The other day, they hit their 100th sunday mark, and honestly, i think from all the comments, they have to be one of the most copied blogs ever.

"And they were of one heart and one mind..." - Moses 7:18

Happy Tuesday.
Thank goodness for pointless holidays. This was my quote of the day yesterday:

"It's Presidents' Day—that special time when we honor Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln with a big sale on used cars."

My life would be dramatically different if i did not have those days to sit at home and think about catching up on my work. praise allah.
I actually just wanted to point out how amazingly weird and innovative japanese culture is comparatively speaking. As i was browsing the web thinking about everything i have to do today, and what i should have done yesterday, i found these pictures.

Balloon fashion. That's right. If these ladies were to walk too close to the wall, there's a good chance the static electricity would be so strong they would stick to it.


Oh yeah. And if any of those balloons popped..."awkward!"

Upon further web browsing:



You might not know this, but Disney is kind of a big deal in Japan. And so are tricked out rides. What better way to support 2 loves at once.

There will be more fun Japanese culture on later posts.

On a more serious note, i wanted to mention that even though there are so many differences between our cultures, there is common ground found through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I remember going to a japanese ward and not being able to understand anything; but when we started singing the hymns (i took that picture while listening to the talks), i immediately felt comforted knowing that all of us in that room were there for the same purpose, and that was to worship our God, the Father. I believe one of the songs we sang together (us in English, them in Japanese) was "I am a Child of God." (right click to listen!) And even though we have extremely different views on fashion and car decor, we are all children of God, and He loves each of us equally and perfectly.

"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."

Elder Russell M. Nelson said this concerning different cultures in the world:

"On every continent and across isles of the sea, the faithful are being gathered into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Differences in cultural background, language, gender, and facial features fade into insignificance as members lose themselves in service to their beloved Savior. Paul’s declaration is being fulfilled: “As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.' 14

Only the comprehension of the true Fatherhood of God can bring full appreciation of the true brotherhood of man. That understanding inspires desire to build bridges of cooperation instead of walls of segregation.

Our Creator decreed “that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.” 15

Intolerance seeds contention; tolerance supersedes contention. Tolerance is the key that opens the door to mutual understanding and love."

I love that the Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches love and equality for everyone. It just might be the most universal element that signals to every person that it is truth. I loved Japan and every other country I've been to, and have appreciated so much the diversity that is on this earth! I love learning of different cultures, and I can't wait until I can visit more. For now, I shall continue dreaming. :)

"I need your grace" (picture below)

isn't it beautiful?

so how does one start a blog? i picked a theme, and below are my current "finer things in life."

some cool art to start with. particularly textile related. i almost went to art school for textiles. this is the kind of stuff i'm into. perhaps i'll put some of my own textile work up one of these days. :)

(click on the pictures to view them bigger. i think it gives them more justice, especially the one above.)







i want music to be a regular thing i post. someone very close to me once said that there is a spirit found in music that can't be traced anywhere else. this song i'm going to post is by Ray LaMontagne (picture below), who i am becoming more of a fan of every day. i especially like this song, which is called "within you." it inspires me. it makes me reflect on the fact that even though i fall short of virtues i'm trying to cultivate, i have the capability within me to be better. (right click and press "play media." it should open in your computer's media player.)



Ray LaMontagne - Within you



next on the list: authentic foreign foods!



(so i really hate worrying about caps lock. sorry guys.) friday night, i was delighted with my first taste of korean food. yum. some friends and i went to the best place in town called Sam Hawk, which was rumored to have only 1 chef. i somewhat rudely asked the waitress if it was true, and oddly enough it is. for those of you interested: plan on a 1 hour wait, and 2 hours for eating. the portions they serve are tiny, but it's more or less all you can eat. meg, who is korean by birth, american raised, also had her first taste of her native dish as well. that was enjoyable to witness. we tried teaching her how to use chopsticks for 15 minutes, but alas, t'was not to be. here is a picture of how you're suppose to hold it. :) give it a try!


so honestly my weekends and my daily routines are not the primary focus of my blog. as i was saying, i was very inspired by the two gentlemen who accompanied us to Sam Hawk, who said they started blogging because it was a good way to get The Word out. (Andy and Quinn - check out their blogs too!) so today at sacrament, a kid named adam spoke on virtue. he is a natural speaker and for once, it was really enjoyable AND entertaining to listen to him, as he would use large animated gestures, postures and expressions that just left me feeling like i had just watched a movie. he actually teaches italian and i feel like if i had any capabilities of learning a second language, i'd be all over that class for two reasons. italian is well, dead sexy, and adam teaches it. so what made his talk so great? not only did he quote prophets and scripture, he also quoted a french play write, Moliere, Benjamin Franklin and other well-knowns. i really feel like talks would benefit from adding outside church sources such as these. i'm going to make sure i do that next time. tell me what you think about this:

"I prefer an accommodating vice to an obstinate virtue."
--Jean-Baptiste Moliere (picture, right).

"Pedagogues, pedants and preachers now noisily exhort us to new heights of virtue when, in fact, the problem with modern society is that it has too much virtue, not too little..."

"There is no problem with vices; it is just that we never cultivate them properly, having gone haywire with virtues. The Aristotelian Mean Principle works better. We need a healthy mix of both virtues and vices to control the other running loose. Let us examine all of these vices in detail and see if can develop a lifestyle full of useful vices..."

--Robert J Hutchinson

Is this not sick?


Let me contrast.

"My fear is that we choose to speak about a vice which seems more interesting over a virtue that would appear more boring."
--Adam

isn't that so true? is that not what hollywood is based on? sex and violence sells, right? i was pondering on this quote trying to prove it wrong, and i was immediately grateful for tv shows like Extreme Home Makeover, where they take a very needy family and give them a brand new house, tailored their special needs. i tear up every episode, not kidding.

Here is what others have said about the issue.

"There is a lie—a vicious lie—circulating...and taking its toll among the young. It is that a ‘balanced man’ is one who deliberately guards against becoming too righteous. This lie would have you believe that it is possible to live happily and successfully with one foot in Babylon and one foot in Zion."
--Elder Carlos Asay

nI believe what Elder Oaks has to say.

"We serve God and our fellowmen in order to become the kind of children who can return to live with our Heavenly Parents." --Dallin H. Oaks

I believe vices are called vices for a reason, and we are suppose to replace them with virtues that we learn by serving one another. There are obviously people out there that don't believe that, and although i uphold their right to believe such, it still makes me sad.

anyway, i love that people like adam exist. people who can quote french play writes and our forefathers of this country. people who have lost skills of talking in front of large groups, and eloquently and simply putting together sentences, drenched in intelligence. yum.


actually, another one of my finer things right now is Carl Jung (picture below.) i'm learning about Carl Jung (isn't that a goofy pic of him? he's swiss!) in my personality class, who believes in oppositional thinking. meaning, in order to be good you have to know what it means to be bad. someone who is extremely well-mannered knows how to be extremely rude.
what do you think about that?
if you apply that concept, you have to assume 3 things.
1) humans are rational beings.
2) humans have agency.
3) humans are not determined by their past.
therefore, if someone has equivalent knowledge of good and evil, they can choose to be good or evil at any moment. someone who is very evil can choose to be very righteous if they desired. my professor gave the example of when he would teach a class at the local prison. he loved teaching this concept to the men there because it would give them hope that they can change their lives around, and that they weren't determined to be gangsters all their lives. similarly, men who are virtuous all their lives who suddenly "fall from grace" aren't doomed forever either.
this leads us to more ideas.
1) that our actions define who we truly are.
Ex. righteous people know more about temptation than do those who succumb to it, because they are constantly rejecting temptation for something greater.
does this make sense?
2) if our actions matter, to the point that they define us, than holy cow, that opens up a whole new can of worms that i don't feel like going into depth. I do want to relate this back to God. If i'm not mistaken, most of protestant Christianity believes that we are saved through God's grace no matter how we act on earth. we just have to proclaim Christ as our Savior and we're good to go. But if God cares about how we act, as perhaps Jung indirectly suggests, how does the idea "no matter what, we are saved in the end through God's grace" hold water? it just doesn't.

"...for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." -2 Nephi 25:23.

there's some food for thought.
- g'nite