So it is the Year of the bunnie!

♡Happy Chinese New Year♡

Hello lovelies,

This is the year of the Bunnie! And what does that bring for 2011? A lot of luck and wish granting. According to Chinese tradition, the Bunnie brings a year in which you're able to catch your breath. The Bunnie is also a symbol of the moon which means reflection is further emphasized. Coincidentally the new moon yesterday - on the eve of Chinese New Year. weird timing hey? ) The moon rules your subconscious & emotions. This is where all your hopes, dreams and fears live. This is a good opportunity and time to dig a little deeper and find out what you really want from life.

♡ I keep catching 11:11 on the clock lately. In Angelic studies it is said that your Angels are trying to get your attention and a reminder that something magical is happening. Whenever you see the sequence 111 or 1111 show up, it means that a "doorway" has opened up in which your intentions and goals will manifest extremely quickly. Direct your attention and intentions properly whenever you see 111 or 1111, it's like making a wish when a cake with candles is presented to you.

♡ If you add up the last 2 digits of your birth year with the age you are turning THIS year you will always get 111. Try it. It's fascinating but a lil creepy.

♡ This is a year of big changes so be sure to know what you want to accomplish and that all your thoughts are in alignment with where you want to go in life. One way to tune into your intuition is learning how to meditate. It can help you gain more insight. Follow this link to the The Chopra Centre. There you'll find some guided meditations =)

Celebrating Chinese New Year

My parents aren't very traditional so I don't know a lot of the customs that go along with celebrating it until my step mom brought it into our family last year. It's very interesting to say the least.

♥ On the days before the new year we thoroughly clean our homes to wash away the dirt and bad luck. Sweep away the residue of last year and start the new year fresh
♥ On new years eve a big dinner is prepared. Each dish represents something. I don't remember it all without asking or looking it up on google
♥ Members of the family that are married give away money in red envelops for good luck
♥ Red is worn to scare away evil spirits and also a symbol of good luck
♥ Ppl typically wear new clothes on new years. I guess it symbolizes a new beginning. Its a good excuse to go shopping =P

Hope you found that interesting. Happy New years everyone!

Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving! I know in the states it isn't until November but in Canada its today. To be happy and to appreciate life I feel that its very important to remind yourself of the things that you are thankful for . Its easy to fall into thoughts of wanting more and not having enough but this kind of mindset is limiting. When I discover & recognize how many things i am thankful for it makes my life feel so abundant.

Gratitude. Psychologically, this is great training. It keeps you focused on what you have, and not what you lack. It is a great way to boost your optimism if you are optimistic; and shift you out of pessimism if you are not.

By being grateful, you are training your subconscious to guide you into getting more of what you want. An estimated 90 per cent of our mental activity (and hence power) is subconscious; this is the reason hypnotism is so powerful. It goes straight into the subconscious. (Why do you think hypno-therapists can charge so much?)

Read more...UrbanMonk

{ Santa Monica Pier, Cali }

My Gratitude List

1. Being surrounded by really great and support ppl. When you consciously decide what to let into your life and realize you have the control to get rid of things that are negative you make a lot more room for the things that you want. Even tho this is very true I also find myself very very blessed to be born into this world already having those type of ppl in my life. My childhood friends were there since we were babies bcos our parents are friends & I am lucky to have more than a handful of these ppl.

2. My family that is always so patient with me when Im being less than patient.

3. My childhood. Of course everone has a few memories that are tramatizing but overall I loved my childhood and being able to share that with my sister. I am also thankful for the fact that my mom had video taped so much of it for us to remember.

4. My opportunities to travel. This year Ive been quite a few places. In April we had a week in Mexico to check out some resorts for my sister's wedding, then I went b I back to Van at least 4 times, my big trips to Cali and NY and then I have another trip to Mexico next month for my gf's wedding. hmmm I wonder how many more I can fit in before the year ends. Back to NY for my bday perhaps?? hehe i would love that.

5. My love for reading. I dont know what I would do if I didnt like to read or found it hard to.

....there is soo much more. definitely so much more. But im gonna leave it here for now.

What are some of the things you are grateful for you in life?

SHINE!

"Who are we not to shine?" This theme seems to be popping up in my life lately...tugging at my sleeve for full attention. I was watching Ellen today and thought to myself how successful her show has become. She's such a wonderful person and you can tell she loves to bring joy & laughter into ppl's lives. That thought lead to the thought of talk shows in general. There are not many successful ones out there. The only 2 that stand out for me is Oprah's show and Ellen's. Why is that? I know there's probly many reasons to contribute to their success but I also think a main reason is bcos they both give something meaningful to the life of others in 2 totally different ways. maybe that's the secret. They stay true to who they are and grow and cultivate it. When I think Oprah the words that come to me are spiritual, strong, inspirational. When I think Ellen I think laughter, fun, dancing, joy and that seems to be their basic foundation to grow upon. All the other talk shows like Tyra Banks, Rachel Ray...etc seem to be so average in comparison. They seem to follow the typical kind of talk show.

So what can we do to be less average and more of who we really are? Let go of fear and instead of focusing so much on our weaknesses we should learn how to develop our strengths. In order to make a difference in other ppl's lives we need to find our unique expression in this world and to be ourselves as fully and as intensely as possible. Trust me, Im not there yet but like i always say, life is a journey not a destination. The first step is awareness

Links of the Week

Your only point of power is in the present moment

There is so much wisdom in this. The only time you can make decisions and be happy is right now. You cant do it in the past bcos it doesnt exist and you cant make decisions in the future bcos it hasnt come yet. You can only take control of your life in the present moment. Accept where you are and realize you have the power to create the future you want. Here are some empowering links to start off the week. Enjoy.

♥ There are 2 really great articles Ive just read recently from The Personal Excellence Blog. Goal Achievement and Discover your Purpose. It is very informative due to the fact that each article is detailed and broken down into steps. It's a very good read and worth the time.

♥ “Success is achieved by developing our strengths, not by eliminating our weaknesses” – Marilyn vos Savant. Do what you're good at

♥ I love this article. I read it a while ago and it has stuck with me ever since. Languishing in the Genius Trap You can always get better at what you do. And also 8 ways to Build your Creative Skill Set

♥ Soulful Relationships

♥ This song never fails to uplift my spirits. It always makes my heart smile. Do you have a song that does this for you?

♥ Saying no

♥ Something I wrote a long time ago on my old blog:

i*ve often struggled with my own sense of identity. who am i in this big world & where do i fit in? My appearence has changed & will continue to. Each day I experience moods, emotions & inner states that sometimes are so contrasting that I seem to be different ppl with each different circumstance that i come across. All these external changes can effect me inwardly just as inner change can alter you externally. But is there something that always remains the same? how do we know who we are?

well...i believe in a soul.I guess its not really who u are as an individual but how we experience God in us. We are all connected bcos we all share that essence inside. We CAN define ourselves as individuals but that doesnt explain who we really are esp since so much can change within & outside of us. Ultimately, who i am is who you are, who you are is who i am.

We are really not as seperate as we make ourselves to be bcos when you really touch on that essence inside it activates something we cant define. We start connecting with each other instead of setting ourselves apart...we see the innocence in others that we also recognize in ourselves. Sometimes we are brought to tears when someone has done something out of the kindness of their heart for us bcos their soul literally touched ours.

We always look up when we pray to God...thinking that he is somewhere up there or outside of us but what we dont realize is that God is IN us & when he speaks he speaks inside ur heart or in the actions & words of another person. If only we stop and take time to listen we would see lil signs that there is more than meets the eye. And if we paid more attention to ourselves inwardly, we can begin to open our eyes and that makes a world of a difference.

Falling in love with life

“There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness.” - Marguerite Gardiner Blessington

Lately I've been viewing my life with fresh eyes and it feels like a new world has been born. I have come to a deeper understanding of myself and a deeper way of living life. This process has been like uncovering hidden treasures inside me. Every situation I come across seems so beautiful. Even the other day when everything seemed to go wrong I stopped to try and see the beauty in it. What I saw was 5 of my close friends standing in front of me. At the right place at the right time! They offered their concern, support and encouragement. I felt defeated, I was delirious, overwhelmed & super stressed out but realizing how blessed I was to have these ppl in my life just brought a sense of lightness and warmth in my heart. I know that life was trying to tell me something important in that instance. Its not about what happens to you but what kind of thoughts you hold. Things can always be transmuted and transformed to something beautiful just by learning to control your thoughts.

Creating, expressing, inspiring and exploring are apart of me just like breathing. For a while I felt out of touch with this part of me but I have discovered it again.. it had always been there, thanks to a special someone who helped encourage me....who had seen and appreciated that part of me I thought was missing. I also give my gratitude to all the recent synchronicities & events that have happened to help me come to this point and time. This is what it feels like to live from the inside out...not from the outside in. I am falling in love with life....and in the process attracting the right ppl and things into it to help me on this journey. In return I want to be able to give back.

An Artist

credit { fashion-ation }

" I am an artist. I must learn that as an artist my credibility lies with me, God and my work. If I have a poem to write, I need to write that poem - whether it will sell or not. I need to create what wants to be created. I cannot plan a career to unfold in a sensible direction dictated by cash flow and marketing strategies. Those things are fine; but too much attention to them can stifle the artist within.

As an artist I do not need to be rich but I do need to be richly supported. If I don't create I get crabby. When we are not creating, artists are not always very normal or very nice - to ourselves or to others. Creativity is oxygen to our souls. Cutting off our creativity makes us savage and we react like we are being choked.

When well meaning parents and friends push marriage or nine-to-five or anything on us that doesn't evolve in a way that allows for our art to continue, we will react as if we are fighting for our lives - we are. To kill your dreams because they are "irresponsible" is to be irresponsible to yourself. Credibility lies with you and God - not with the vote of your friends and acquaintances.

Creativity is a spiritual practice. It is not something that can be perfected, finished and set aside. It is an ongoing process. Sometimes I will write badly, draw badly, paint badly, preform badly. I have the right to do that to get to the other side. Creativity is its own reward.

To be an artist is to recognize the particular. To appreciate the peculiar. To ask the question 'why'? To be an artist is to acknowledge the astonishing. It is to allow the wrong piece in a room if we like it. It is to hand on to a weird coat that makes us happy. It is to not keep trying to be something that we aren't.

If you are happier writing that not writing, painting than not painting, singing than not singing, acting than not acting, designing than not designing, for God's sake let yourself do it. "

-The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Above is an excerpt from one of the books I am reading right now. If you are an artist or want to bring out and develop your creativity this book will prove be a very valuable treasure. I received the extended version as a gift on my birthday and I havent even gotten thru half of it yet. It's not exactly a book you want to finish reading quickly. It's a book you grow with and live out daily. I savor every bit of it. After each chapter there are exersises you can do and questions to get your creativity going. Check it out or go flip through it at your local bookstore. She also has a website.

Design Exercise
I need to practice sketching more and exercise my creativity so here's where your help comes in. Give me topics or things I can use as inspiration (Ex: Flowers, the color yellow, birds of paradise, ballerinas, something from architecture, a country, a certain culture a fairytale, fairies....the list goes on). Then I will pick a few and come up with a few designs based on that, sketch it, and then post it up. =)

Transformation - The Butterfly

credit: Samantha Hahn

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

"These pieces explore themes of transformation and recovery through the metamorphosis of crushed beer cans from the streets of New York into flocks of realistically crafted butterflies." - Paul Villinski