be careful what you wish for

in light of the new season that is upon us, i, like the blooming buds on tree-lined streets that surround, am emerging from transition. i now live in athens, georgia. it's official! and i am proud. when i first got swept up in love and realized the impending challenge that was ahead of me - getting very involved in a romance that was headed south, the deep south that is, i was a bit skeptical, i have to admit. although i now know to trust in the universe more than ever, and all it brings, i still never in a million years envisioned myself living in georgia. what the hell? i had total faith in the man behind the plan, but there was still some undefinable irking inside - my whole life is in so cal - and after all the years of travel and adventuring off into the unknown, for some reason, it was unsettling to think that now that i got my cake, i have to move to the other side of the country to eat it, even though both of our families and many friends are in the greater l.a. area., and start a whole new life there. oh woes me!





so i packed up everything (almost) and stuffed it into a 6x7x8 cube and off it went, my car having left days prior on a massive enclosed 18-wheeler. miraculously, all made it, mostly unscathed, and i am all the better because of it. my mind skips back to the frame of a tai chi posture: "change is difficult", and the voice of master zi rings in my ear, explaining the challenge of leaving the old behind and shifting our weight to what is new. and then i remember all of the times when i would wish to run off and get married, move to a farm (of the glamorous sonoma sort), leaving the often hectic or humdrum and sometimes risqué l.a. lifestyle behind to have babies and make pie and jam. so far, i seem to be right on schedule, only i landed in this most quirky concoction of southern hospitality meets college frat/sorority house culture and pub-lined streets, with the roots of the beginnings of alternative music and deep mountain hippie food coops and a damn good restaurant and sustainable agriculture scene to boot.

i now believe more than ever in the power of words and how when you direct your intentions and put energy behind them, the world is your oyster and magic really does exist - we are truly the creators of our reality. just believe.

rebirthing

it's officially Spring. happy Norouz! - Persian New Year. here's to new life! ironically, i have had revelations about this auspicious time of year as i sit at home, buzzing on antibiotics, slowing down the pace of life as i nurse myself back to recovery from being hit by a nasty bug. i've had time to kick back and revel in things i LOVE : reading one of my favorite mags Food & Wine cover to cover and discovering amazing people and things they love doing and doing well (Scribe Winery), meditating on a glorious gift from my friend Jamila which could not be more of a dead-on metaphor for mineral forest - the proper care and nurturing of this little fairy plant requires daily water dips - so true of the attention i need to pay to this little business concept i am trying to get off the ground and sprout up!





and realizing more and more the importance of blessings - of spreading hope and joy and health to all those around us - if even in just the few words "feel better". i could literally feel the vibratory effect of those words as friends, family and even the pharmacist bid me a swift recovery.

so here's to taking time out to smell the flowers,



creating gustatory bliss,



digging color coordination,



and new ventures in enchanted settings.








happy spring.

reinventing the wheel

it escapes me how time has whizzed by since my return from India, not a single blog entry to be found since and here we are on the dawn of 2010, only a few days left to go....



through the highs and lows of wonderment in the Himalayas and the Golden Temple and being down for most of the season as a result, it seems like i have finally found a renewed vigor and am AMPED for this new year to be rung in!



in a nutshell, what i got from my voyage to the other side of the planet, is that less is more, quality always over quantity and there is always something new to be found in the tried and true.

most recently, i just returned from a most sacred Christmas of laying real low in Seattle with my family at my sister's apartment overlooking Lake Washington and Mt. Rainier in glorious sunshine and 40 degree weather - so much to have been thankful for, even though i got slammed with a nasty cold/allergy attack. it was a blessing in disguise as i loved every minute of pajama and tea time, reading Spontaneous Evolution by Bruce Lipton and being with my family and eating none other than my Mom's famous stuffed cabbage rolls, polenta and salata de boeuf, sans boeuf, Romanian-stylie.

so far, we have this tradition every Christmas and no matter where we are in the world, my Mom brings the goods with. i wonder how i will ever take over this culinary extravaganza one day when my Mom won't be around to make the magic happen. and that is why i have come to the conclusion that "making it your own" is just as beautiful as keeping to the strict tradition.

i have already improvised one of the staples in Romanian cuisine - mamaliga cu brinza si smintina - polenta with cottage cheese, feta and sour cream. basic peasant food, really. and add a soft boiled egg and you've got a meal. so homey. in the spirit of comfort food with a twist, i have come up with my own version of this that only takes 10 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to eat!



-Pre-made polenta from Trader Joe's - 2 or 3 1/4 inch slices - sauteed in olive oil in a frying pan until ever so lightly crisp on top and bottom
-steamed lentils from Trader Joe's, just add some red wine vinegar, sea salt or himalayan salt, fresh lemon juice and olive oil and mix in a bowl
-place polenta cakes on top of lentils
-scrambled, fried or sunny side up eggs, whatever your mood on top of polenta
-top with the bomb ingredient: Mediterranean cheese style yogurt from Trader Joe's - this is like magic - the cottage cheese and sour cream taste all in one!

what i love about this reinvention is the lentils. and the kick from the lemon and vinegar is the key to what makes it so great - the traditional preparation is so heavenly fattening and to-die-for tasty, but tends to be really heavy and fatty. the acidic layering on the texture of the lentils cuts the heaviness of this dish and scrambling or frying the eggs is so much quicker than trying to perfectly time soft boiled eggs.

i know 2010 holds unbridled creative potential and i definitely intend to take everything to new levels of exploration, in all realms of creative endeavor!!!

sesame seeds & coffee

today is day 38 of my 40 day Kundalini Yoga bootcamp and meditation. I only slept 4 hours. I am proud of myself that I have come this far and was able to get out of bed and go to the Rec Center for class. but the last days are the most challenging and it's where it counts the most. I have done a 40 day meditation before and there is always something that surfaces to challenge your commitment. I succeffully completed 40 days last year in September-October and even managed to stay committed during a trip up to San Francisco and Sonoma to get my Balinese wood.

this time it's different. I am waking up monday-friday at 6 am to go somewhere and practice. and I continue on the weekend on my own. the challenge of getting out of bed no matter what time it is has always been my weakness. I love sleep. dreaming is my world. but since I have stayed focused on my mission to complete these 40 days strong, I have found that my days are turning into a dreamland playground and life is magical all around.

I treated myself to comfort food Silverlake Coffee Co.- style after class this morning: a perfectly toasted sesame seed Brooklyn Bagel with egg and cheese and a mocha. i'm finally getting used the the idea that it's ok to indulge in life's little pleasures, even after a cleansing yoga class. it's overcast outside and the moisture in the air is cooling. but in my world today, the energy and light that I have been cultivating is carrying me through, along with a little caffeine buzz and yummy goodness to boot. "may the long time sun shine upon you, all the love surround you and the pure light within you, guide your way on."

summertime

I have neglected my creative flow the past few months and as summer expands, I am finding that I have been on hold for some time now, but for what? There has been so much to be inspired by: Chinatown, night-blooming jasmine overhanging my entryway, my 40 day Kundalini Yoga Bootcamp practice and meditation at the Rec Center in Echo Park (hooray!), ice cream at Pazzo Gelato, the Hollywood Bowl with friends, moving my family into the new Ratsiu Residence in Huntington Beach, potential love around the corner, my blooming business as the Rental Girl, and heading out to Portland (for the first time!), Seattle and San Diego for a long overdue vacation. I met my new yoga teacher's wife Jamila the other day and fell in love with her website, blog and business concept eleven eleven. I was so happy I got to tell her how much she inspired me and how dedicated she is, it's no easy feat to keep up a blog with so many exciting and beautiful bits of random things. So I am committing to keeping up with my creative side and no matter what, remind myself (and anyone else who cares to read along!) of what makes life so beautiful, big or small. It doesn't have to be a long blog entry - even if just a word about what makes my heart sing. Just to stay connected to the Source. And with that, I will note my latest new find today at one of my favorite coffee stops: Cafe de Leche in Highland Park, the "chai-chata". Chai and horchata mixed - could there be anything more delightful? And it was iced. Yum. Definitely worth trying, as I was on my way to get a Mexican Mocha which is to die for as well. One last thing, I finally stopped by the Fifth Floor Gallery in Chinatown and talked to Robert (the owner, who works in the tool crib at Otis and who I know from the wood working class I took there a couple years ago) about mineral forest. Crossing my fingers for whatever there is in store for me there!

my mineral forest

Something is growing inside me. A seed has taken root, pushing its way out and cracking the shell of fixed ideas, old patterns of being, fears of what next? In my mineral forest, I am one. Dreams expand, visions arise and illuminate my path out of darkness. This is how it always was meant to be. Every decision leads to the source. All adventures, successes, deceits, misfortune and loves gained and lost have guided me to this wrinkle in time. Painting, designing, visualizing, writing, sounding, space creating, fantasizing . Here in my solitude, everything is imaginable. And so I begin....

I moved to Angelino Heights on a whim - the off chance that everything might just work out. I didn't make enough money, had no assurance love was a sure thing, the state of the economy might never support launching this new design idea I had, but I did it anyway, and for that I am a better and more blissful human. The setting is perfect: a loft studio tucked away on an historic lane of Victorian Era houses with views of the downtown skyline. It doesn't get any better than this - at least for now, in my world. I am a city girl at heart and have no shame when I say "I Love L.A."

Beyond designing, here in my mineral forest writing is the means of expression for this creative outlet. I recently discovered that I love writing in the virtual world, exposed , yet still behind a protective shield otherwise known as the computer screen. In my journal writing, totally uninhibited, I scribble my thoughts, knowing I am protected from criticism. No editing involved. But there is only so far mere satisfaction of unleashing pent up emotions can take you. Upon returning from a trip to China last year, the letter that I wrote with my personal experience was used in a newsletter to promote the trip and my deepest and most sacred thoughts were shared with the public and somehow, I liked it. I wasn't afraid. All of the sudden, I felt if only for a fleeting moment, what it must feel like to have people you don't know read your words and be inspired. So I'm gonna take a stab at it and see how it goes.