Superman Returns

When I was growing up, the only super hero I knew was Superman.

He wasn't even flying in real time. He was flying alright but only in the still pages of the comic books. And those books weren't even mine. They were my brother's. (^_-)-☆

Maybe, because it was in the comic book pages, it was perhaps more believable. Don't you have some of the comic book images permanently etched in your mind? I do, in mine!

There was no special effects in those pages except the ones the comic artists drew. Later on, even when Superman turned up on TV, there was no super special effects like we see now. Oh, yes, this American Superman spoke Japanese! That was a special effect, indeed. (^_-)-☆　

I do remember the beam of X-ray coming forth out of his eyes, though. I did wish I had an X-ray vision. Then, I could see my brothers in the next room, plotting the next move against me in the sibling combat!

I knew Superman would lose his power from time to time, when he was exposed to .... something..... Sorry, I can't remember what it was.

I never knew how he 'renewed' his strength. Frankly, I didn't even question how he did it. I just knew he did.

A few years ago, I found out how he renewed his strength.
Ask (the question) and you shall receive (the answer!)

I learned his secret, when Superman Returns movie came out. I didn't know where he's been or where he came back from but I was glad to find out his renewal secret!

Boy, I'm going on and on about Superman, as if Superman were a real super hero and I sincerely cared for his strength recovery method!

But there is a point here. Be patient with me as I unfold his secret. (*.*)

To renew his strength, Superman would fly straight up to the sky to get close to the sun.
There in the high Altitude (remember the prior post, Attitude Is Altitude ?), he would just 'float' in the atmosphere until he is fully 'recharged!'

While recharging, he is doing Nothing. He is simply floating effortlessly in the endless ocean of possibilities. It looked so relaxing, comfortable and safe that I wished I could join him up there! Later on, I learned that I could join him..... in a slightly different way. (^^)

When life's events, that drain our energy, happen, let's just go up to the sun, 'The Source' of Energy, and just bathe in its healing power.

Of course, we can't fly up to the sky as Superman did, but we can do exactly that in our mind!

Once we are up there in high altitude, there are no cares of this world that drain our energy. Then you realize your body is also very relaxed, and feeling at ease. After such full recharge, you are ready to tackle whatever it was that was bothering you down below.

Because, up in the high altitude, there's only the absolute stillness, out of which all things emerge.

Who knows, you might even develop an X-ray vision if you do this often enough. Then, you will see clearly, what is happening in your life now.  (^_-)-☆

Attitude Is Altitude

I'm not a pilot but I love to fly. There's something about being high up in the sky, looking down on the miniaturized life below.

My mother took me on a short plane trip when I was five years old. I was the only child passenger on that plane. When we landed, the pilot invited me to look inside the cockpit and showed me the instruments. I didn't know what I was looking at, but they were fascinating, nonetheless.  (^_-)-☆

Years later, I learned that there was some analogous use of the flight terminology that mirrored real life.

Attitude determines Altitude

In flight terms, simply put, Attitude is the plane's pitch. Is it climbing or descending? Is it pitched up or down?

Altitude is the elevation above sea level. How high above the horizon the plane is.

If you want to reach high altitude, your plane must be pitched up, climbing, instead of descending.

Do you get the point?

It is impossible to reach new heights in life, if your 'attitude' of life is pointing downward.

Gratitude (see prior post) is one of the 'instruments' that can assist you to reach high altitude in life.  (^_-)-☆


If you want to see a life that's flown far up to the Space, watch this video. Life Without Limit

This should make you ask yourself not what I want in life but what I'm doing with what I have now!

Nick was born with no arms or legs. Remember Gratitude's post? I was using 'no feet' person as an example there, but Nick really doesn't have any!

Did his obvious severe handicap keep him from living a normal life?  No!
Not only he lived a 'normal' life, he overcame countless obstacles, as you can imagine there must have been, to live an extra-ordinary life!

He had gratitude in his heart.  He had dreams. He had confidence. He had unbelievable love in his heart. His Attitude was looking upward!

Now, he is a lecturer, an author and a father! Yes, he fathered a child with his beautiful Mexican-Japanese Australian lady! All this happened because of his Attitude!

I think we have a lot we can learn from this, don't you?


                         Watch your Attitude. Is it going up or is it going down? 

Gratitude

We seem to 'want' many things in life and often forget that we already have what we 'need'.


One might say, "I want new shoes. Why can't I have new shoes?"

Until we see a man with no shoes. Then, he might say, "I am thankful that I have some shoes."

A man with no shoes might say, "Alas! I have no shoes. Oh, how I wished I had some shoes!"

Until he sees a man with no feet!  Then, he might say, "I am grateful I have my feet!" 

We seem to forget to be grateful for what we have, until we see others who have less than we do.

Sure, it's still good to be grateful for what we have when we do compare ourselves with others.

But is there any other way to be grateful without comparing to others?

Here's something to remember. It might help us to be grateful at all times. (^_-)-☆


Gratitude 

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough and more. 

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. 

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

by Melody Beatti


                                Let's live each day with gratitude! 

Nipper, the Listening Dog

If you are my age or even younger, you may have seen a logo on some music recordings of a dog listening to a gramophone (phonograph).

[Phonograph] from the Greek; Phono = sound,  graph= writing. →　Sound Writing


The phonograph is a device used for the mechanical recording and reproduction of sound.  In its later forms it is also called a gramophone.

The phonograph was invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison. Edison's phonograph was the first to be able to reproduce the recorded sound.


So what? You might ask. After all, you don't see many gramophones around lately. It's the 21st century, don't you know?


Even though I have seen the picture of a dog listening to a gramophone, I never knew the story behind it.

The dog's name was Nipper. After his owner died, the owner's brother took care of Nipper. This new owner of Nipper, found some 'records' with his brother's voice on it. Every time he played the record, Nipper will sit in front of the 'speaker' and listen, somewhat puzzled, but nonetheless listen intently to his master's voice.

The new owner was an artist. He painted Nipper listening to his brother's voice. Some years after Nipper died, this picture became a logo for the UK's recording company HMV - His Master's Voice. Later on, RCA Victor purchased HMV's right and Nipper became a RCA's logo.

It took some time before Nipper became a logo of any company, however. One US company laughed at the idea of a dog 'listening' to a record! But, 'listen', Nipper did.

Nipper had something that resonated within him with his master's voice. It was a familiar voice that he grew up with. It comforted him to listen to his master's voice even though his master was long gone.


We have many voices in the world. We don't 'hear' them all. The ones that we hear are the ones that we resonate with. The ones that 'speak' to our heart.

Sometimes, the voice speaks harshly in a self condemning way. We seem to 'hear' the harsh words loud and clear while we seldom hear the still small voice of love, compassion, peace, comfort and the like. When our mind goes on an auto-pilot and the 'mind chatter' starts, it is very difficult to hear the comforting self assuring words.


Both harsh words and encouraging words are present at the same time. Depending on which voice you pay attention to, you will listen to a totally different 'conversation.' All you need is a slight  'shift' in your awareness. Once you shift, you'll be able to 'listen' to the voice of your master any time.　U^ｪ^U


                                Whose voice are you listening to now? 

Humility

Humility

Merriam Webster: the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people : the quality or state of being humble.


I am not a golfer. I don't know the terms. I don't know the game. I can hardly play a miniature golf. (>.<)

One client, who plays golf, did tell me, however, about a wonderful story of this young 27-year old Aussie pro golfer. His name is Jason Day.

He is a 1/2 Australian and a 1/2 Filipino. He started playing golf when he was 6. He lost his father at age 12. Although it wasn't easy to continue on with his golf education, he persisted.

He won the PGA (Professional Golfers' Association of America) championship last Sunday. He has an amazing story to tell you.

What amazed me and my client the most, however, wasn't that Jason played so well at this tour. It was his coach turned his caddie, Colin Swatton, who impressed us.

Swatton was Jason's coach and mentor in Australia. He became Jason's caddie in 2006. He is always on the side line, supporting Jason's every play. Jason says Swatton is like a father figure to him.

You can read more about their relationships here. →　Colin Swatton 

Jason owes a lot to Colin, no doubt. But does Colin steals the spotlight for acknowledgment? Does he take credit for how he coached and mentored him all these years? Does he say, "Look at what I've accomplished in training Jason?!" No. He stands by Jason and carries his clubs, encouraging him all along the way.

That, to me, my friend, is humility. That is the true state of being humble. 

In my estimation, the true greatness only emerges out of true humbleness. 

I hope and wish that their genuine relationship will continue as Jason continues on his climb to fame in the pro golf world and his life.

A Stallion and A Broken Leg

We view our lives in duality most of the time. We think certain things that happen to us are good and certain things are bad. But is that true?


In the 13th Century China, there lived a farmer with his wife and a son in a small village.

He had a farm. And on his farm he had a stallion. (Remember the song, Old McDonald had a farm? ♪　♪　） The stallion was not only the farmer's pride and joy, he was a work horse. The farmer depended on his horse to do all sorts of jobs around the farm.

The neighbors said: Oh, that's good that you have a work horse. 


One day, this horse ran away from the farm to the woods. Maybe, he got tired of his hard work around the farm.


The neighbors said: Oh, that's so bad that your horse ran away.


The farmer and his son went into the woods to look for the stallion. But they couldn't find him.

A few days later, the stallion came back to the farm. But he wasn't alone! He brought a wild mare with him! Yeah, he was thinking alright. If he had a companion, she could help him with the 'household' chores! (^_-)-☆

The neighbors said: That's great! Now you have two horses! 


Now, the young son of this farmer set out to train this wild mare. In the process, the mare threw him off her back and the boy fell to the ground. The fall caused him to break his leg.


The neighbors said: Oh, that's too bad that your son broke his leg! 


A few weeks later, Genghis Khan's Mongolian army swept through the village taking all the young village boys. But guess who stayed home?

You guessed it. The farmer's boy with a broken leg! You can just hear the neighbors say,

                                 Oh, that's great! Your son doesn't have to go to war! 

The moral of the story? 

We don't know for sure what is good or bad at the time it is happening. Furthermore, one that seems to be good for one may not be good for another. 

They are happening at the same time but the effects of the event may be vastly different from each other. 

An end of a war is a defeat to one country, while it is a liberation to the other.

What seems to be duality in our lives, in reality, co-exists simultaneously. We just don't see it that way all the time.

So, which reality do we want to live in?

One that only sees one side of the duality at a time or one that sees things as perfect in their entirety?

A Spectacular Night Sky Show

In case, you missed last week's spectacular meteor show, either live, or via NASA's webcast, here are some videos. A mid summer night's treat!   Enjoy!


Meteor Shower


A Time-Lapse show


You can see more still pics on the link  here. →　Still Pics

Contentment

Have you watched the new KFC commercial?

Colonel Sanders is back! Of course, not the original Colonel. (^_-)-☆

I was struck by the lyrics of this commercial.


I need nothing ~ ~ ~ 
I've everything I need ~ ~ 
I walk along the dusty road with a bucket in my hand
I've walked another 100 yards and I'm not at least bit tired   ♪　♪　♬　♬　♪　♪　♬　


This is the ultimate declaration of contentment! 


You can watch this commercial here.  →　KFC Philosophy of Life



Of course, Colonel is singing about his contentment because he has a bucket full of Kentucky Fried Chicken. It's a clever advertisement that almost makes you go out and buy this KFC special now!


Instead of always wanting more of anything and everything in life, can you find  'a bucket' in your life that once you have it, you have no need of anything else?

Sure, you still have to continue to eat, earn a living, keep the relationships, take good care of yourself.

I'm talking about something that's beyond these recurring necessities.

I'm talking about most fundamental 'knowing-ness' that I am OK, no matter what, because I am content with whatever is going on in my life. 　　　　　


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　What's in your bucket? 

A Life of A Star

Today, August 12, 2015, we will be able to see hundreds of shooting stars across the night sky. 90 to 100 shooting stars can be sighted in an hour, starting around 10 p.m. well into the early morning of the 13th, Eastern Time.

They say that the sightings of shooting stars usually happen in July as they did last year. But it wasn't so visible due to the Full Moon casting too much light in the sky.

This year, it happened to be TODAY! Since there's no full moon, we should be able to enjoy the magnificent nature's display.

Don't worry if you are not in the right time zone or place to view this. NASA is going to webcast this spectacular sky show! You can go to the link below to view it in real time under LIVE section.

A Shooting Star


I didn't realize it was such a rare occurrence. But it is true, you have to be at the right place at the right time to be able to view. In fact, I've only 'witnessed' one shooting star in my life.


About 10 years ago, on April 26th, my husband and I came back from somewhere late evening.

After parking the car in the garage, both of us happened to look up to the western sky at the same time, for some reason,

Above the 120+ feet tall fir trees, one bright star speedily crossed the deep blue sky! It was brilliant. But it went so fast that if we both hadn't just looked up at that precise moment, we would have totally missed it. It was a very special moment.

It was special not only we sighted the first ever shooting star together, but it was the exact day my mother died 20 years earlier. She died young at the age of 55, battling with cancer.

The years following her death, I lamented over how her life was cut so short. My physical heart pained with grief for the solid three years.

Although my mother's memory was still vivid in my heart, I wondered often, if anybody else even remembered her.

And that was the night of April 26th.

Both of us witnessing such beauty, albeit extremely short, of that one lone shooting star comforted me. It was as if God was saying, "I do remember your mother. She was very special. Her short life was indeed very purposeful."

If one is in God's mind, you need not worry about anything else.

Ever since that time, my memories of Mother carried little grief. Sure, I still miss her. But the pain is not there any more.

☆　★　☆　★　☆　★　☆　★　☆　★　☆　★　☆　★　☆　★　☆　★　☆　★　☆　★　

The Pain In The Neck

One day, when I was working at a local health club, a client walked in. She looked totally frazzled.

No problem. Un-frazzling the clients is what I do. (^_-)-☆

However, this client was almost beside herself that day. It took a bit more effort to ease her into relaxation.

As I was working on her, I noticed a nickle size lump on her neck. I asked her what happened. She didn't know. But she started to tell me why she was so uptight.

She told me without any uncertain terms how her soon-to-be an Ex-husband was giving her troubles.

That morning, just before she came to the club, her separated husband called and yelled at her, as he always did, over the phone for a long while. Her husband doesn't want a divorce so he was prolonging the process for as long as he could. At that point, it had been over 3 years since she first filed for a divorce! (@.@)  No wonder she was so stressed out!


"So, you are saying your husband is a real 'pain in the neck'?" I asked. 

Her answer was resounding  "Yes!"


As I continued to work on her, I noticed something fantastic happened.

Her nickle size lump was GONE!  I kid you not, G-O-N-E, gone!!


There is only one explanation for this that I can think of. When she herself realized the cause of tension on her neck and its relation to the stress in her life, her body was able to release that 'congestion!' It was as if her body wanted her to recognize this deleterious connection.

Our mind and body are so closely related. They are always interacting with each other. What affects the body affects the mind. What affects the body, affects the mind.

We want to be so aware of what our mind-body is experiencing all the time.
Watch your thoughts, emotions and see how they are affecting your body.

The secret of releasing your physical tension may lie in what is going on in your mind.
(^_-)-☆

Warts Removal

After posting the Honey-Coconut Oil remedy for burns (A Sweet Deal ), I was asked if that would work for warts.

Here's an answer.

Apple Cider Vinegar is good for many things and it also seems to help in removal of warts.


Procedure for the Removal of Warts Using Apple Cider Vinegar

For this simple procedure, the removal of warts using apple cider vinegar requires just 3 things:...

• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Cotton balls (end of Q-tip will do)
• Band-aid

Each night before going to bed soak a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar.
Apply it to the wart and then hold it in place with a band-aid. 
Leave it on all night, or if you like, 24 hours a day but change the soaked cotton and band-aid each evening for a week.

The wart will swell and may throb as it reacts with the vinegar and then start to turn black within the first two days and after a week or two will be completely gone.

It is important to continue the treatment for a few days to a week after the wart has fallen off to help ensure it does not come back.


Happy removal! (^_-)-☆

A Sweet Deal

About a month or so ago, an acquaintance of ours told us about a sugar cure for burns.

Sugar is getting such a bad press that I couldn't believe sugar could do anything but harm to our body.

Apparently, it's not harmful when used topically for burns and wounds.

When we obtained this information, one of my friends was suffering from sever burn. She steam burned her hand badly while cooking. The burn looked terrible enough but the pain was the worst.

She put different kinds of oils, including coconut oil. The oils helped with the burn itself but the pain persisted. So, when she heard about the 'sugar treatment,' she tried this 'sugar cure' right away. She said that her pain vanished immediately.


A few weeks ago, I started to use a homeopathic tincture on my skin. The small area developed an 'allergic' reaction to the tincture and became hot, red and inflamed. The area wasn't just red, it was dry and painful. It felt as if that area was 'burned' badly. Then, I remembered the 'sugar cure.' Worth the try, I thought.

Since I didn't have any sugar in the house, I used honey instead. I put coconut oil on top. What do you know, like my friend, the pain stopped immediately! By the second day, the redness went away as well.

What is it about sugar that's good for the burn, I wondered? So, I did some research.

Wouldn't you know this cure was used by the battlefield surgeons of ancient Egypt 4000 years ago!
What they used was honey and grease (oil)! Hey, I was unknowingly applying this ancient formula on myself!

Here's the reason why sugar and oil work on burns so well.

Burn treatment is surprisingly easy. When Sugardyne (sugar-power) is applied, all pain stops immediately. Therefore, no narcotic analgesics are required. No meticulous debridement of the burn surface is required. Sugardyne will insure that the burn literally self-debrides. The burn is covered with Sugardyne, once again using ¼ to ½ inch of Sugardyne and covering it all with a gauze dressing. Daily dressing changes are performed. Usually, no skin grafts are required. Skin islands will appear and then skin will follow to complete the healing process, generally leaving the patient with minimal scarring.

• HOW DOES THE COMBINATION WORK?
Unlike antibiotics, Sugardyne consists of two simple but very effective ingredients: sugar and cooking oil. While antibiotics chemically interfere with bacterial chemistry and function, sugar and oil depend upon physics for their antibacterial power. Sugar is hygroscopic and functions to dehydrate all bacteria. Bacteria require water to survive and multiply. The lack of water results in bacterial death. When bacteria die, they cannot reproduce. No infection can occur if all bacteria die.
Oil also functions in a physical way.　Oil coats the outer bacterial membrane or cell wall, interfering with the normal capacity of the cell to transport foodstuffs and water into and eliminate the cell’s capacity to transport waste materials out of the cell. The oil therefore prevents water and foodstuffs from entering the cell; it also prevents egress of cellular waste products. As a result, the bacterial cell withers and dies. No infection occurs secondary to a dead crop of bacteria.

You can read more info. on the link. →　Sugardyne

Interesting, don't you think?  No more narcotic analgesics for pain.No more skin grafts. Why, the skin literally heals itself under this sugar-oil environment. It's truly a sweet deal.

Caution: External use only.
Only because refined sugar works great topically doesn't mean it works well internally. Quite contrarily, sugar could be quite harmful. Remember, it kills the bacteria? It kills the friendly bacteria in the gut as well. Many diseases, cancers, especially, 'live on' sugar!  I'd stick with organic raw honey for internal use.

The Pursuit of Happy-ness

In 2006, Will Smith with his own son portrayed a homeless man with his son in a movie titled, The Pursuit of Happyness.  Happiness is intentionally misspelled. Those who watch the movie will know why.

This movie is based upon a real story of a man who lost everything and as if 'out of the ashes' he makes an amazing comeback to the society. Not only a comeback but he makes millions of dollars in the process. I'm not critiquing the movie here. I have a point to make.

According to the Declaration of Independence (1776), it is our human right 'to pursuit' happiness.

WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—

So, what is this Happiness?  What are we to pursuit in our life?

A parent is happy when her child is healthy, does well at school and eventually becomes a good law abiding citizen, contributing to the society.

A couple is happy when their life together is trouble free with no argument.

A business man is happy when his business is successful.

A sick person is happy when his illness is cured.

An artist is happy when his painting is displayed and sold in a prominent gallery.

An athlete is happy when she takes home a gold medal.

So on and so forth. You get my point.

Happiness has different meaning to different people at different times. It is strictly 'conditional.'
When such and such conditions are met, you are happy.

The flip side of that statement is that when those conditions are not met, you are not happy, at least, not as happy as you could be.

Happiness, at least, in this short exploration, seems to be 'dependent' on the outside conditions. It seems to be short lived as the conditions change.

Is there any way to make this to last? Not as long as we 'pursuit' something outside of ourselves.

If we can not find happiness, peace, and joy within ourselves, no amount of money, good health and relationships will bring us lasting happiness.

Let's go 'treasure hunt' within. You might be pleasantly surprised by your find.

Einstein's Intention

A big news! (At least, to me it is...)

Today is the 70th memorial of Atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Japan, as I stated on Bonsai Master.

I heard on OPB (Oregon Public Broadcast) radio a little bit more about this August 6th's bombing. 

I thought many people believed that the US dropped the atomic bomb in Japan on purpose. It turned out to be 'on purpose' only by default. 

Initially, the US intended on dropping the atomic bomb in Germany to stop Hitler and to stop the War! A sudden change in political climate (I am thinking of Pearl Harbor attack), probably changed this priority. 

This explains to me why Einstein was involved in developing the atomic bomb. I often wondered why such a brilliant scientist got involved in development of the weapon of such devastating, mass destruction. What did he have against the Japanese? 

If my memory serves me correctly, Einstein was a German born, German raised Jew. He escaped Germany when things started to get horrific for the Jews. Once in the States, given the chance to research a way to split an atom, he must have thought that could be the way to stop Hitler and save his people! 

I realize that this is strictly a 100% speculation on my part. But somehow, it helps to explain Einstein's involvement. 

Had the bomb were dropped in Germany instead of Japan, we would have been reciting quite a different historical events. My lack of political savvy severely limits me to imagine the 'alternate political reality.'

Suffice it to say that the Japanese occupation of Asian and South Asian countries would have continued. The US might even have become her territory. I wouldn't be living here now.......

I'm not condoning atomic bombing. It just makes me realize once again, our intention is not always carried out as we desired. And that could be a better alternative at times.  How does anybody know if what we intend for ourselves is really the best thing for us.

This is a short video of a 90 year old survivor recalling the event. 　→         After 70 Years



                                                           Hiroshima Peace Memorial

The news continued on to say that the US soldiers kept the Japanese flags that each Japanese soldier carried with them. To commemorate this 70th year, 70 such remaining flags were returned to Japan.
We can not bring back the lives of those who perished in this event, but we can certainly make an effort to repair the relationship by extending our empathy.....

Bonsai Master 盆栽

70 years ago on August 6th, the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima, Japan.

Over 180,000 people died and many more suffered for years to come from the effect of radiation.

Many houses, buildings, and infrastructures were destroyed. The bomb wiped out 90 percent of the city.

Mr. Yamaki, a bonsai master, and his family, survived the blast that went through his house. So did his prized bonsai trees.

Mr. Yamaki's 390-year-old white pine bonsai tree was gifted to the US for bicentennial celebration in 1976. The story behind this special bonsai tree was made known for the first time in 2001, when two of Mr. Yamaki's grandsons made a visit to the Arboretum in the States.

You can read more about the history of this special white pine bonsai in the link below.

Bonsai Master

From the article: (*** are thoughts to ponder.)

Bonsai are created from parts of other trees found in nature. They are planted in large containers and pruned frequently to maintain their silhouette*. Sometimes, multiple trees are grafted together to enhance the appearance of the tree.** Though bonsai masters maintain a degree of artistic freedom, their true inspiration comes from nature.

*Pruning is necessary in life to make our life beautiful.
**Why can't the nations from different 'trees' come together and become grafted into one beautiful human bonsai?

Because they are always growing***, bonsai trees require daily attention and care. It's this constant attention that bonsai like Mr. Yamaki's live beyond the natural life expectancy of the original trees. It's an art form but more importantly, it's a lifestyle for the bonsai master. 

***If we are not always growing, what are we becoming? 


Art that is worthwhile creating is worth dedicating one's life for it. It's the art of living in a very fundamental sense. I see beauty in somebody living such a dedicated life.

Let us find the art form that is most meaningful to each one of us. Once we find it, let us nurture it daily to give beyond the natural life expectancy of that art. Such dedication will give us a purpose and help withstand all the adversities (pruning) that may come our way.


                                                     See how big these bonsai trees are!

A Stylish Homeless

I am not advocating getting rid of everything we own and live on the street, or in this case, live on a rooftop.

This 56 year old model, photographer and actor, did just that, with a little twist.

When you think of a homeless person, you conjure up the images of people in drabs, pushing a shopping cart full of bags, bottles, boxes, etc. Their sleeping place is never the same. Sometimes under the bridge or overpass. Sometimes, a covey hole between the buildings, or park benches.

You'd think these people got to the present situation due to a sudden job loss, broken family and relationships. The truth is, we really don't know how they got there.


There is a documentary that's getting a lot of attention. It's about an 'elite' homeless. You can read more about him on the link below.

Homme Less


Mark Reay lived on the rooftop of a building in New York for 6 years. Yes, in New York! It could get really cold in winter and really hot in summer. And, no, there was no A/C in his 'apartment.' Are you kidding?  There was no roof or walls, except for a make-shift tarp. However, "the view from his apartment was amazing," Mark states.

He'd get a gig here and there and sustained his lifestyle utilizing public restrooms and a gym at YMCA. This way, he wasn't tied to a mortgage or rent. He could travel to wherever, whenever he had enough money and urge to travel. With what he brought in from his occasional work assignments, he was able to eat relatively well, workout, and get to and from work. What else do you need, right?

One might dream of living such a 'care-free' life but few would actually do it. Mark did it. One hundred percent according to the dictates of his own life purpose.

Since the premier of the documentary in 2014, he was unable to live on that rooftop. His hide-out was uncovered. He's living with his elderly mother in New Jersey part of the time.

I hope and wish the best for him so that he can still live out the life of his own dream.

I am anxious to see what his future 'view' will be like, from wherever he might be looking....

Once In A Blue Moon

When we have two full moons in one month, the second full moon is called, the Blue Moon. （The moon doesn't turn blue, unless there's something in the air that gives the hue.）

We don't have Blue Moon every month or even every year. In fact, the last Blue Moon was in August, 2012. The next one won't be until the year 2018.

Hence, "Once in a blue moon..."

We had the Blue Moon last Friday, July 31, 2015. And I had some 'once in a blue moon' experiences that day.　（^^）

It's been an unusually hot summer in Portland. Although we had a short reprieve a week prior, the temperature kept climbing last week. By Wednesday, it hit a triple digit and continued for 3 days.

Many of the city folks 'resorted' to the coast to escape the heat. We joined them later that day. Sure enough, it was 30+ F degrees cooler!


At the beach, I saw a mermaid lounging on the sand! She was even wearing a pair of sunglasses! I get it. The mermaids are only supposed to come out at night. But aren't they just a creation of Disney and other folk lore? (^_-)-☆

You are right. She was just a life size sand sculpture, with her creator sitting beside her.

I asked the sculptor how long it took him to create her. 8 hours. Holy Molly! It took him all day to create her!

Sculptor: "I'm not a Homeless. I live by my Art. If you like it, please leave (any amount) in the bucket. Yes, you're welcome to take pictures."

There wasn't much money in the bucket. So, I put a few bucks, hoping that the others will do the same. Watching this sculptor reminded me of my earlier post, What I Learned From My Wild Cat.

Why, this artist is living by his art. He is not laboring to get anything beyond what he needs. (I wondered if he even had all what he needed, though.) He doesn't care what others think about how he makes his living..... 

On the side-walk, there was a street musician playing his guitar, singing his heart out.. ♪　♬　♪　♫
I've seen the street musicians before. But this time, one on-looker suddenly broke out dancing. Even when she left the musician, she was still dancing.... (^^)

She didn't care if anybody else was dancing with her. She just enjoyed the music which caused her to dance without any prompting. She was enjoying the moment.... ♪　♫　♪　♫　♪　♫　♪

Driving back to town late that night, the Blue Moon appeared on the back drop of a clear deep blue sky...  (Sorry, the pic is not so clear.)

What a Wonder-Full day it was! Filled with wonderment, contentment, and joy of living the moment. That, my friend, really is the Art of Living!  ❤　❤　❤

Water Cure ④

As stated in the first Water Cure post, healthy adult body consists of 70~75% water.

Our body needs so much water to function. Dr. Batman's research shows that our body recycles 40, 000 gallons of water every 24 hours to maintain normal physiological functions. Yes, 40,000 gallons! It does this every day of our life! Within this pattern of water metabolism and its recycling process, and depending on environmental conditions, the body becomes short of about six to ten glasses of water each day. If you don't replenish this daily shortage, and continue to neglect to do so for a long, long while, you can only imagine how difficult it will be to keep your body functioning at the optimum level. A prolonged period of dehydration will lead to illness.

The brain is 80~85% water. But it's mainly 'salt' water. The spinal fluid is also 'salty' water. Although our brain only weighs about 5% of body weight, it uses over 20% of energy our body creates from food and drinks. Our brain prefers a clean hydroelectric energy created from Water and Salt.

You may have heard of incidences where a runner finished a Marathon and dropped dead at the finish line. He may have been drinking plenty of sport drinks and water during his run. He may have guzzled down more at the finish line.

Your brain screams! It is as if the brain is saying, "I've been working so hard for you getting rid of your cellular debris while you were running. And you just give me plain water?! I can't do it. There's no way I can get rid of your metabolic waste just with water!!!"

Your blood is 90~95% water. It takes the nutrients, including oxygen to the cells and take away some of the metabolic waste from the cells. If it doesn't have enough water content, this significant task can not be easily performed.

Have you seen really sick people who doesn't drink water? They give their nurses, who have to draw blood, a very difficult time. They don't give blood easily. Even when they finally do, their blood is so 'dehydrated' that it becomes so thick and almost black in color. I've seen this way too many times....

During the process of food digestion, we use lots of water.
We need to hydrate to protect the stomach mucosa, from the eminent attack of stomach acid.
Before the food stuff travels down to small intestine, it has to be totally neutralized. Small intestine can only handle alkaline conditions.

Have you had a tummy ache shortly after you ate? Well, your food stuff wasn't properly neutralized prior to entering your small intestine where the nutrients from the food you just ate are extracted.

When the body lacks enough water for digestion and other activities, guess where it 'steals' water from. Sure, Brain and Blood have plenty of water, but they are sort of important organs, wouldn't you say? So, the body targets less important parts of the body  - your muscles. The healthy muscles are 70 ~ 75% water!

Well, I have a lot more I can say about this but hopefully you get my point.
Here's "How to" of water and salt.

How and When

If you can't do 2 cups at the beginning, start out with 1 cup. Then, adjust the amount of salt accordingly. People with kidney conditions should start out easy on salt. 

·        Drink water/salt upon arising. 

·        2 cups of water 30 minutes before each meal with 1/8 teaspoon of Sea Salt.

·        Drink water 2 ½ hours after each meal with Sea Salt.

·        Water/salt anytime you are thirsty – even during meals.

·        Water/salt before exercising.

·        Water/salt hourly if you are in pain or have a headache, until it’s gone.

·        If you are constipated or don’t eat sufficient fruits and vegetables.

·        Do not increase the water intake without increasing the salt intake.

·        2 qts of water to ½ teaspoon of sea salt. (Up to ½ of weight in ounces.)

Start your Water/Salt cure today and enjoy a healthy life! 

To your health!

Link to the late Dr. Batman's current website:           www.watercure2.org       

                                     

                                                         

Water Cure ③

There are many reasons why we need to add mineral rich sea salt to our diet and our drinking water.
These are some of the reasons.

We use Redmond's Real Salt. It's 'mined' from Jurassic age sea bed. All 50+ trace minerals are intact. Nothing is taken out. Nothing is added, including heat or aluminum as in some table salt in the extracting process. FYI, aluminum is believed to have some effect in people developing Alzheimer.

SALT (Sea salt: Real Salt)

·         A strong natural antihistamine.

·         A strong anti-stress element.

·         Vital for extracting acidity from the cells, particularly the brain cells.

·         Vital for the kidneys to clear excess acidity into the urine.

·         Essential in emotional disorders. Lithium = salt substitute

·         Essential in preserving serotonin and melatonin in the brain.

·         Vital for the prevention and treatment of cancer.

·         Vital for maintaining muscle tone and strength. Watch out for sports drinks.

·         Stabilizes irregular heartbeats.

·         Vital for sleep regulation.

·         A vitally needed element for diabetics. Helps balance the sugar levels in the blood.

·         Vital for generating hydroelectric energy in the cells.

·         Vital to the communication and information processing of the nerve cells during the life time.

·         Vital for clearing the lungs of mucus and phlegm – for asthma, emphysema, and cystic fibrosis.

·         Salt on tongue can help stop persistent dry coughs.

·         Prevention of gout and gouty arthritis.

·         Prevents muscle cramps.

·         Excess saliva production indicates a salt shortage.

·         Osteoporosis may be the result of a salt and water shortage.

·         Vital to making the structure of bones firm.

·         Helps maintain self-confidence and a positive self-image, a serotonin and melatonin – controlled personality output.

·         May reduce a double chin.

·         Prevents varicose veins and spider veins.

·         Sea salt contains about eighty mineral elements the body needs.

We traveled to Egypt with a group 8 years ago. Even before we got to Egypt, some people started to have bad cramps in their body that they had to skip some sites and rest. 

One was taking lots of sport drinks, way high in potassium. Her inter-cellular and extracellular mineral contents were so off set by this high potassium. I told her to stop drinking that sport drink and just drink water with some salt. Her cramping stopped immediately. 

Inside the cells are high in potassium. The outside should be high in sodium. If the balance of potassium and sodium is not kept, your cells could lose the contents to the 'outside,' often times causing cramping. 

My mother was on no salt diet at the end of her life. Her legs cramped up with severe pain and couldn't stretch back down. Not only she was on a no salt diet, she was given potassium pills. 

Salt is also essential in keeping the pH balance in the body. Most of what we eat and drink is on the acidic side. Our body wants to be slightly on the alkaline side. Our blood is about 7.4,  7 being neutral.

You want to avoid dehydrating, acid forming foods and drinks as much as possible. 

Coffee is 4 pH. Soda is 2. This includes carbonated water and juices. 

Do you want to guess what sodium's pH is?  It's 14 on the scale of 1 to 14, 1 being 'the acid' and 14 being 'the alkaline.' Salt can help in neutralizing some of these acidity. 

Otto Warburg, winner of two Nobel Prizes, proved that the lack of oxygen and alkalinity provides a perfect environment for or all illnesses, including cancer. 

You want to avoid alcohol and caffeine as much as possible. They are acid forming and dehydrating, and may cause other many ill 'side effects' on the body. In order to neutralize their acidity alone, you might have to drink a gallon of water to a cup of coffee! 

To ease this situation alone, you can't afford not to drink water with some salt. 

"How to" will be shared on the next post. 

Does your salt look like this?    →　

To be continued.....