from my living room onto the garden

For everything there is a season

and a time for every purpose under Heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up

what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain

from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep and a time to cast away;

a time to rend, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

Photo from Bev.

Dawn

Dawn, the glorious bringer of graces,

shines forth and flings wide open for us her shining doors.

Stirring the whole world, she displays

her riches, raising the consciousness of all living creatures.

One she leads on to power, another to glory, another she leads on to pursuit of gains;

yet others she directs to varied callings,

raising to consciousness all living creatures.

Rig Veda 1.113.4.6

The Goddess Usha – Bringer of Dawn

Blessed, bearing the sun, the eye of the Gods,
Leading her white horse, magnificent to see,
Dawn reveals herself arrayed in beams of light,
And with boundless glory she transforms the world.

O fair one, banish the enemy with light!
And prepare for us broad pastures free from fear!
Ward off hatred, bring us your priceless treasure!
O bountiful, shower blessings on the singer!

Illumine us with your glorious splendor,
O divine Dawn! Enrich and lengthen our lives,
O Goddess full of grace! Grant us fulfillment
And cows, horses, and chariots in abundance!

Translated by Jean Le Mee

“O Daughter of Heaven, Dawn of noble birth
Whom the men of glory celebrate in hymns,
Establish in us wealth sublime and mighty!
O Gods protect us always with your blessings!”

Another excerpt from  hymns – Rig-Veda, an ancient Hindu text that dates back to c. 1500-1000BC and consists of 1,028 hymns addressed to various deities.

Usha -Goddess of Dawn

]]> http://cjignas.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/the-gift-of-life/ Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:19:51 +0000 Christopher Ignas http://cjignas.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/the-gift-of-life/

I recently took a walk to find inspiration. I searched for some kind of perfect subject to write on. I try to encourage people to better themselves. That’s what I try to focus on, but this time I stopped and just listened. That might be weird to some, but it’s quite invigorating to just listen listen and observe nature.

I was struck with a notion.

We don’t know our purpose. We make presumptions of what life is, but nobody knows. Many claim, but few come forth with answers and even then we’re all skeptics. It’s a mystery, but a mystery that nobody truly appreciates.

Each and every one of us goes through this robotic ambience day in and day out. This consists of work, social life (or not), and sleep. Rinse and repeat this process. It’s an endless repetition that’s so very sad. I believe we’ve lost touch with ourselves and what it means to be human.

Instead of “watching” others live their lives on T.V. and wishing you could be someone else, just do it! So many people go through life only regretting what they never tried to achieve or opportunities they never took. Learn from these people! Do the exact opposite because apparently they made the wrong decisions if they’re now regretting it. Take a stand and push forward even if it’s hard. A barrier is bound to break. You’ll be acknowledged for your bravery and courage. Failure is not a part of my vocabulary and so I believe it shouldn’t be in yours. Failure to me means an opportunity to learn, that is all. Tap into your inner child, life was all about making mistakes but it taught you and made you wiser. You weren’t afraid then, why we afraid now? The world might have been perceived as smaller but realize that it actually wasn’t. It has always been the same. Only now your opportunities are much greater.

Take it all in. Take in everything that surrounds you, most importantly the little things. Acknowledge the simple breeze that rolls over your skin’s surface and notice the goosebumps it creates. Look up at the stars at night and remind yourself that you’re apart of it all, whether it be a grand scheme or some random occurrence. You’re here for one reason or another and it’s okay if you don’t know why. Meaning is what you make of it, so create yourself.

Our lives are all wonderful and even if you may not see it that way, I bet I can find someone who does. Now go be alive. Go on and truly live.

It’s the morning after Thanksgiving (I would like to point out I am Australian, not American…Not that there’s anything wrong with that) got me thinking about how one takes to living in a  different country. I don’t mean making the change from Australia to New Zealand or America to Canada. I mean a big cultural change.

I live in Florence, Italy if those of you following haven’t caught that yet.

There are a tonne of Americans living the Rennaisance city as they seek the knowledge of Art history and fashion and what it will bring them in the future. Laying in bed last night listening to the drunken taunts and screaming coming from the mouths of American early twenty-somethings made me realise there are a lot of people who don’t really want the “cultural embrace”. I have been living here for 2 years, I speak Italian, I live with Italians, I HAD an Italian girlfriend my best friends are Italian. I didn’t know anyone when I arrived and I didn’t speak a word of Italian apart from “grazie” in a terrible accent. I would like to say, that after putting in the effort I have certainly embraced the culture.

My flatmate (American…… And please don’t think this post is anti-American) locks himself in his room 24/7. Eats in his room, generally goes into the kitchen when there’s no-one else around, never makes the effort to interact or give Italian life a chance. It’s a shame …. But he seems more like a lodger than a flatmate. We had a big lunch with 8 people including him and he didn’t say thank you at the end, nor did he contribute to the cooking, buying of the food, the conversation or the cleaning at the end. When the lunch was finished he went straight back into his room, needless to say it didn’t go down well with anyone in the house. It makes me wonder what the point is of coming over and living in an Italian house, he is honestly better off living with other Americans, not that it’s a bad thing- I just think it would suit him better and he’d be happy and a lot less awkward.

It’s funny, the saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” rings home in every sense when living abroad.

I have never lost my Australian pride or patriotism but living in Italy I would like to think I am having an Italian experience.

If I can give anyone a tip…. For what it’s worth from someone who has lived in 5 different countries. Be yourself, never let that change, but embrace everything your adopted country has to offer. Don’t go back home with a sour taste in your mouth thinking that you could have done more or that eating a piece of pizza counts as “a cultural experience”. There’s no such thing as “locals only” and if you make the effort they will treat you like a local. If you don’t- you will certainly feel a lot more outside the circle than what you need to be.

Hope you enjoyed this post and feel free to leave a comment.

Jordi,

PLUS.

www.plushostels.com

Ho appena finito di leggere Rock Trip di Kevin Sampson (titolo originale Powder), storia di una fantomatica band di Liverpool, i Grams, dal successo dirompente quanto effimero. Non è un capolavoro, anzi, ma la storia è coinvolgente, soprattutto nella parte iniziale, quella dell’ascesa, il declino è trattato in modo un po’ frettoloso.
Comunque, è un libro intriso di britpop, pubblicato nel 1999, quando il britpop, almeno per quanto riguarda la sua ondata originale, era già morto. Ho amato gran parte di quel movimento, da buon beatlesiano mi piaceva cogliere le citazioni, gli omaggi. Mi sono appassionato alla sfida Blur/Oasis e, allora con un po’ di dubbi dovuti forse all’età e alle chitarre rumorose degli Oasis, ora più convintamente tenevo per i Blur, più creativi, più Ray Davies, più tutto.
Questa cassettina da weekend è dedicata al britpop, non sono i miei dieci pezzi preferiti, non sono i dieci pezzi migliori, non sono dieci pezzi dei dieci artisti più rappresentativi del movimento. Sono dieci pezzi che mi piacciono e per questo vanno presi. Ma anche no. Buon weekend. Play.

Beautiful ones – Suede

Country house – Blur

Live forever – Oasis

Common people – Pulp

This is the one – Stone Roses

What do I do now? – Sleeper

Bittersweet Symphony – Verve

Come back to what you know – Embrace

Connection – Elastica

The day we caught the train  – Ocean Colour Scene

1. Identify your users’ stories

As I studied users’ thoughts, I found patterns in what my project was really designed to do, above and beyond what the project brief said. I listened to what my mind was drawn to listen to. These were the users’ stories — what was most important in their working lives.

There are no right or wrong answers in listening. Be honest with your users that you’re there to add value to the way they work and their stories – needs, expectations, attitudes and capabilities – will become clear.

2. Embrace your users’ needs

Once I am aware of users’ needs, it is far easier to design according to them. When faced with a decision, I can compare it to their values by documentation as personas, and see it will bring me closer to a solution that is fit for them, rather than what is easiest for the project team to produce.

3. Accept expanding feature sets

A ZenAgile mind does not struggle. It accepts users’ needs as they truly are. A rock is a rock. It will remain that way no matter how much you worry, wish, or pressure it into changing. Worrying about requirements and ever expanding user wants are the same way. I accept requirements for what they are, do not waste time or energy fretting over it, and group them into feature sets for delivery in such a way that, as a whole, they add value to users’ work.

4. Energise for change

A ZenAgile mind can give you extra energy for change as you are not wasting energy fighting against the inevitable. As above, there is a large rock in your way. You have three options:

• run into the rock repeatedly
• agonize about the rock being in the way, or
• find a way around the rock.

Before ZenAgile, I chose the first two options. With ZenAgile, I now accept the rock for what it is: an obstacle. I accept that you cannot go through it. I do not panic, and waste time and energy worrying about the obstacle. Instead I make my own path around the obstacle, either over the rock, around the rock, or under the rock.

This is Seijaku (静寂) — the energised calm.

5. Enhance knowledge of yourself

As I practice ZenAgile, I spend a fair amount of time in conversation with others and thereby understanding myself and how I come to terms with change: change in the project context, changes in requirements, and changes that need to occur to the solution.

In time, I’ve learned to quiet my mind. I’ve listened to the same fears for projects repeating themselves which inspired me to change what was causing those fears. I’ve realised, for example, that lack of a user-centred approach was a large source of anxiety, and so it was time for a change. Without time to think and meditate on the conversations in a project, we tend to ignore what our mind is telling us, and remain locked into our old patterns of doing things.

6. Gain confidence in the agile way

As you reflect on your inner self, you become conscious of who you really are, your role, and the skills you bring to aspects of the agile project. You learn what makes you happy, what is beneficial to your project, and where you fit into the multidisciplinary team. You bypass the fears and anxieties of your mind, what role you play — Business Analyst, Project Manager, Information Architecture, User Experience Designer, Change Manager — and focus on doing what needs to be done. Boldly and passionately complete the iteration. The opinions of traditional organisations like PMI, IIBA, ABAA, etc, do not matter, because you know you are doing what is right.

7. Appreciate the iterative project lifecycle

I accept the project as it truly is – evolutionary in nature, rather than revolutionary. You will always uncover new aspects of users’ needs. You will always uncover the unknown as you proceed boldly through the project. Some will be surprises like a starry evening, a stroll by the river, or a night of solitude. Each will have their own unique characteristics to be appreciated. Mundane user needs also hold their own charm. Observing the quiet details of the project lends value to the less appealing aspects, and brings peace and joy in commonplace tasks.

8. Increase consideration for others

Each person on the project is interconnected. We are all searching for the solution, requirements, and a meaningful project to work on. It is much harder to be angry at the user who argues with you about scope when you realise they are on the same path, just at a different point in their journey.

9. Simplify your project and your documentation

Conversation not documentation helps you differentiate between needs and wants. To document things completely today is to suggest that it will fix users and their workplace in time until the project has been completed. By focussing, instead, on a minimalist, simple project solution delivered in a short period of time, with just enough documentation to describe the decisions made, you are able to deliver value to people now and then build upon that solution to meet their future needs.

This is Kanso (簡素) — simplicity and elimination of clutter from the project

10. Cultivate a giving spirit by mentoring others in the team

When you are doing your role in the best way you can, your heart fills with joy. You are doing what you were put on this earth to do, and doing it to the best of your ability. Your life is simple, you are living your values, and you have a clear mind. You can then give to others, mentoring and teaching with a loving spirit, to help them along their path.

This is the True Way of ZenAgile

M

Mine Heart Shall Not Be Silent
It’s not the quietness of loneliness, which I feel; it’s the loneliness of your absent fervent love, those moments of laughter, joy, never to embrace ever again, or our love to share in our sacred place, when?
Oh that my lips could taste your warm alluring love! That I could once again look only into your loving eyes and touch you tender face, to feel that loving embrace, which will never be erased.
Silence my voice! But my heart knows not the words of the human race. Mine heart shall not be silent; it shall desire fervent love, laughter and joy. It shall desire, your loving embrace, your lips to taste and those loving eyes a tender face, my heart none, can silents, neither erase. 
©2009

i don’t understand existers.

you know, people who exist. who go thru the motions. have a job, maybe have a family, have some kind of church life (or not) but that’s it. no huge hunger for more – meaning of life – changing the world – world domination (in my case, for Jesus) – adding to someone, or some community’s life or meaning.

it’s like they don’t even care. How do you not even care? is it even possible.

Live. Thrive. Dominate. Excel. Dream. Hunger. Dare. Vibe.

but exist? i really don’t get it.

and there are a LOT of them.

and once more it comes back to my faith and my belief and lifestyle cos Jesus said “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.” – how can that not be attractive?

i understand christians have gotten it wrong (a lot) and churches have messed up (a lot) and there have been some shocking role models or anti-models and a LOT of bad has happened in the name of religion. but the heart and essence of it – the life i have chosen to follow – is life to the full – abundant life – love God, love people – reach out to those in need.

Please don’t exist. PLEASE! Flee from existing. Run from mediocre. From settling. From the rut. From survival.

Choose life. And live it to the full.

Full, or fool?

Ah, life. That thing that happens when you’re busy making plans. A lot has changed since March, I’m sure, but I’m not going to worry about filling in the gaps.

The last few months have provided the usual hotchpotch of business, love, charity and disintegrating relationships (in reverse order of financial gain, and – hopefully – ascending order of personal growth). The Pirate and I are done, in the friendliest way possible, and even have our own break-up song:

There was a brief relationship with a new man, which was an incredible re-awakening of my romantic senses, and a subsequent break-up caused by his arguing style. So damn repetetive. I like my arguments to have the decency to appear to be moving in a forward-like direction.

I realise now… blessed hindsight… that the two years I spent with the Pirate had little to do with love, and more to do with a lack of disgust, as Eoin Colfer succinctly puts it in the next episode of the thrilling Hitchiker’s series. I do feel a little wiser than I did this time two years ago, but I also feel cynical and disillusioned, which will hopefully pass.

Cynicism aside, I’m enjoying the freedom of being alone again… and knowing that I don’t need anybody else. I had one of those rare moments of insight on a bus last week, when I suddenly wanted to sing and embrace the person sitting across from me. I managed to hold back from hugging strangers, but I did smile the whole way home.

So life is moving on, and I’m trying to keep up with it.

How have you been?!

Honey, It’s been a long time coming
And I can’t stop now
Such a long time running
And I can’t stop now
Do you hear my heart beating
Can you hear that sound
Cause I can’t help thinking
And I don’t look down

And then I looked up at the sun and I could see
Oh the way that gravity turns for you and me
And then I looked up at the sky and saw the sun
And the way that gravity pulls on everyone, on everyone

Baby, It’s been a long time waiting
Such a long, long time
And I can’t stop smiling
No I can’t stop now
And do you hear my heart beating
And can you hear that sound
Cause I can’t help crying
And I won’t look down

And then I looked up at the sun and I could see
Oh the way that gravity turns on you and me
And then I looked up at the sun and saw the sky
And the way that gravity pulls on you and I, on you and I

Can you hear my heart beating
Can you hear that sound
Cause I can’t help crying
And I wont look down

He checks his clock again. He looks at the screens. Arriving flight – LAX to SYD. He looks down again at the empty passageway. His feet shuffle nervously and he is constantly turning around and pacing here and there – looking around to see if the shop nearby has changed at all in the last twenty seconds since he looked at it.

Family members gather around the passageway. Their nervous smiles tell the whole story. Mother’s with babies, groups of friends… everybody is waiting for someone special. None moreso than he. For the last two months he has been imagining this day. He has played it out in his head so many times that the memory has been etched in his mind. For him it is almost reality. The only thing missing is the touch of his beloved.

Suddenly a woman emerges from the passageway. It is not the one that he’s been waiting for. He sighs and tries to retain control even though his heart is beating a thousand times a minute. More strangers emerge – he doesn’t care if they are reunited with their loved ones right now, he just wants them to get out of the way. They come and go, dispersing and thinning the crowd with each new arrival.

He looks at the monitor to see the passengers coming down the passageway but cannot see her. He has been listening to music and suddenly a song comes on that sends him over the edge… “you turn my legs to spaghetti…” He can’t take it and his eyes well up a little. He tells himself not to think about it. He tells himself to try and look as good as possible. He is the blushing bride on her wedding day overcome by emotion.

His thoughts have taken his gaze to the floor so he doesn’t notice her emerging at first from the passageway. For a brief moment he is angry at himself for looking away even for a second… but by now nothing else matters.

The enormous smiles on both of their faces show the world that this truly is love. Within seconds, they embrace – as only lovers can. The passionate kisses are followed by her grabbing his ears and studying his face. He gazes longingly at her as if to say, “I can’t believe you are actually here”. They stand together for what seems like an eternity. Months of anticipation and the result has not let them down.

It is minutes before he can form the words to exchange pleasantries. He tells her how happy he is to see her at least a hundred times in the first minute after regaining the use of his voice…

He looks deep into her eyes and says the words she longs to hear…

“I… love… you…”

Callie Shell: “It was primary morning in New Hampshire. Barack and Michelle Obama had been campaigning separately all week. In the first few months of 2008 their private time seemed to consist of a few crossover moments in back hallways before rallies. This moment was rare and you could tell they just loved being able to sit together. Jan. 8, 2008.”

When walking in a sea of strangers a friend may wave and smile,
recognition easily thwarted by momentum,
and though she smiles and waves,
though paused to strike a pose,
all i see is a stranger making a mistake–
in a sea of strangers mind is convinced it must also be a stranger.

Stranger still is this desire for love override,
a tendency to forgo contact,
and relinquishing the tender touch my heart turns easy prey–
it has no where to hide.

Out in the open is the cure,
a walk about in my small town,
where every citizen a reflection of my soul,
and i may expect that friendly smile,
that loving wave embrace–
beloved see me clearly,
and i shall see you.

The embrace is what makes Tango what it is.  You either have it or you don’t.  Take a look at the couples on the  floor of the milonga.  Although you may see many women with their eyes closed while connected chest to chest with a man, you will often see an awkwardness in the embrace, or rather, the way the couple is holding one another.  Many women appear to have difficulty embracing the men they dance with (outside of Argentina).  Although women want their men to embrace them properly, we say it is absolutely critical to a man’s dance for the woman to embrace properly.  In other words, a woman wants it, but a man needs it.

Picture the typical North American hug.  The one where people create as much space between themselves and the person they are hugging in order to avoid making any real contact.  The arms don’t truly wrap around one another, the heads don’t touch, the eyes are looking around, and the person is obviously not focused on that hug.  This is a commonly seen embrace in North America and shouldn’t come as a surprise considering we don’t live within a culture of touching.

A year ago, K had the embrace on a technical level which means on a physical level it looked right, but it didn’t feel completely right and it definitely did not “dance” right.  By this we mean the following:  The embrace also includes constantly “looking for” your partner.  It’s not enough that you are “giving yourself” completely (a rather passive action), but you must actively look for your partner (your chest is always attempting to connect with your partners chest).  Which is also another important point.  The elusive “connection” people are constantly talking about is almost entirely a physical term.  It is easy to connect with you partner if you are both embracing one another and emotionally interested in that embrace.

As for Jorge, his embrace was O.K., but it was not the Elusive Embrace. An important aspect of discovering the “elusive embrace” was learning to lead with his body and not (only) his (flexed) arms, relaxing all of his body, understanding what it meant to dance as a man, and learning what it meant to look after a woman while dancing.  Tango teaches you what it means to be a woman and a man.  The inability to accept, and dance with, one’s womanliness and manliness in Tango can often translate into the inability to embrace.

In order to embrace your partner, here are some important points:  As a woman, you must devour your partner.  You must attempt to get within his skin.  This might sound sexual, but it is not.  As a man, you must take care of your partner.  Give her your chest and then hold her and protect her.  And then together you look for one another throughout your dance.

*We are obviously speaking of being in a close embrace since Argentine Tango is primarily danced in this form of embrace.

We need to stick together and support one another as women. One of my favorite online women’s support group is called, Bikinis and Bifocals.  (Bikinis is for the attitude, and Bifocals is for the reality).  This wonderful group of women share information, support one another, have a lot of fun, and embrace who they are at this time in their lives.  I highly encourage you to check out their site and become a member like I am (it’s free!), and learn more about their mission.  Bikinis and Bifocals… it’s an attitude and a lifestyle!  Spread the word! 

www.bikinisandbifocals.com.

Anymore, I find myself dozing off and waking up to the same album without fail. It’s not because it’s boring, understimulating, deafening, or ugly in any way at all.  Saying it’s dynamic would be an understatement. Their resonating rhythm, swirling sea of guitars, and haunting duet vocals make it sound dream-like but oh so provoking.  Sleepy Sun’s album, “Embrace”, is one of those albums to toss on and just veg to, if you know what I mean. Definitely the soundtrack to a lot of my nights these days.

Check it out!

Sleepy Sun- Embrace

There’s a new exhibit titled “Embrace!” at the Denver Art Museum.  They invited artists to install installations and paint paintings throughout the building–directly onto the walls of the museum itself.  Check out the link to the Daniel Libeskind building–I think it’s stunning.  One of the interesting features is that there are no 90 degree angles in the building–the walls all jut out at odd angles to one another, and the pieces in this exhibit all take inspiration from and use that to their advantage.  Come April, these works will be painted over, only to remain in pictures.

The DAM is incredibly kid-friendly and we’ve had memberships since the new building opened.  On weekends during winter and every day during the summer you can check out kid-sized backpacks and art tubes with activities in them.  Some galleries have “I Spy” cards to play with the paintings, and there are interactive games on every floor.  In one work entitled “Bubbloo,”  a  light projector casts bubbles on the floor and kids (and adults, if you can get around the kids) run around to stomp on and pop the bubbles.  The central area of this piece is flanked by large beanbag chairs, and on most days you can lounge on these and watch a chaotic slew of children frantically try to pop all the bubbles first.  Occasionally this leads to a closed-head injury, but hey, it’s all for the sake of art.

I took the boy to see the new exhibit, and it’s really, really cool.  A disclaimer: taking pictures of a fast-moving kid (the boy) in a low-light setting (the museum) and without a flash yields a lot of blurred pictures.  Think of it as a purposeful design element.

In what used to be the gift shop is a piece titled “¿Being Home?” The artist asked immigrants to Denver to say one word that described their experience, and then did this:

Being Home? by Rupprecht Mathies

See all the big words hanging from pegs on racks? Those are huge pillow words that you’re encouraged to play with, and the boy had a ball with them.

Next was a very cool installation “Chamber,” where there’s a big room with projected words and images that flit about you in a dark space, meant to be reminiscent of being inside a fireplace, only with technology instead of organic flames.

Chamber by Charles Sandison

The boy found this to be a bit overwhelming and didn’t want to spend a bunch of time in there.

The DAM  has little stations where you can do art activities.  These change on a regular basis so there’s always something new, and they’re related to a piece nearby.  This time we found an area where there were cut up pieces of cardboard, a hole puncher, brads and twist ties encouraging you to repurpose this found material into art.

You can see a bit of the piece it relates to behind the boy in the pic above, and here’s a larger shot.

Rain Has No Father? by El Anatsui

The artist flattened liquor bottle tops and connected them with small copper rings to create this large undulating form, which the boy said reminded him of the mountains.

After all of this we were both a bit hungry and so went into the atrium that connects the old and new buildings, in which one can buy coffee and snack, which I did.  They have wooden blocks there for kids to play with that mimic the Denver Central Library, which is right outside the window.

Denver Central Library

The boy used this as inspiration for his own library re-creation:

And then a map of his Denver:

Denver Map-click to see captions larger

I have NO idea what “the clock place” is, but that’s what he insisted on.

After this we walked over to the Library, checked out some books and headed home.  We didn’t get to all the pieces in the show, so will have to go back at some point, but I highly recommend going to check it out if you get a chance, and take the kids! It’s been fun to take the boy (and now the girl) to the Museum and watch how their reaction to the art changes as they grow, from just sleeping in the carrier the entire time (philistine!) to playing with the light bubbles to now actually being able to have opinions on which pieces he likes and doesn’t.  And let me tell you–my kids are quite opinionated.

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