Dancer's Pose

at Red Rock Canyon
I wouldn't mind waking up to do yoga every morning if I could do it in the stillness of a canyon. I have no doubts that the quietness of one's physical setting has a positive influence on quieting one's heart and mind as well. But then I think back on all those sweltering afternoons I spent at Yoga to the People, that hot and sticky den of college students and penny-pinching New Yorkers. If I can find peace in my noisy heart amidst sweaty strangers, then I shouldn't need to seek calmer, more reverent locales to practice my yoga, right? Still, it couldn't hurt to have access to them.
I'm a little weary and skeptical of New Year's resolutions. I'm tired of coming up with a list of half-hearted to-do's just so I can have something to say when I'm asked that most dreaded of questions. For once in my life, I'd like to be realistic with myself, and honest as well. So here is my New Year's "proposal." I choose not to say "resolution" because I think it has the ability to seriously and inevitably psyche a person out. Its implications, that one must resolve a life conflict or dramatically augment a bad behavior, forces one to jump the many sub-steps involved in goal planning in favor of the extremes. Which, as I have learned year after year, almost never works. I'd rather start small and work my way up to a goal I would ultimately like to achieve than to start big and go out early in 2010, crashing and burning and crying.
So without further ado, here is what I propose to myself. I want to find more of nature in this artificial jungle that I live in. Whether it be happening upon an undiscovered garden or venturing into the lush depths of Central Park or even going out of my way to go hiking upstate, I want -- nay, need -- to maintain a sense of the natural in my increasingly man-made life and lifestyle. I love Manhattan to pieces, but God do I miss having a backyard. Every time that I come across a new locale, I'll be sure to jot it down here and let you know. Because the point of a blog is to disseminate knowledge, to transmit otherwise unknown ideas amongst friends and strangers alike. And, perhaps more importantly, because every New Yorker deserves a little bit of grass where they too can work on their dancer's pose.

Hometown

I know what you wore last season

So I was looking at this one particular editorial of Abbey Lee Kershaw in Vogue Italia's December issue and I couldn't quite pinpoint what was puzzling me so much about it. It all looked so oddly familiar. Then I realized that Abbey was standing in front of my apartment building. And on the street where I used to go to Chinese school every Saturday. And then in front of the sketchy restaurant on the block where I get my hair cut. And then I laughed.

Hayao

In my top five movies of all time. Delicate, yet so lush and rich. Going to revisit this very soon.
P.S. After the trailer, take a look at this kid kiiiiilling it on the guitar.