Yesterday, was Destination NV at my school. Every year, kids who are graduating from grade 8/9 (depending on the school) and are thinking of going to NV for their high school career, would go to NV with their teachers and then get shown around the school by volunteer tour guides, and informed on a bunch of different courses and programs that NV has. So this year, like last year, I volunteered as a tour guide, and was able to get my middle school as the group I would tour. Being a tour guide, or even any part of Destination NV, you get a free pizza lunch and drinks, and in the end of it all, you get voluteer hours. They used to give out cookies to both the visiting students and the tour guides, but this year, it was just to the visiting students…*sad* the school’s cookies are like the god of cookies! They taste absolutely AMAZING~

Hehee.. okay back to the point… I was able to see my favourite teacher (EVER!!!) and one of my grade eight teachers who was a pretty cool guy. I also got to see some of my friends siblings, and my friends Justin, and a few people who weren’t near the friends catagory… for one, there was a guy that’s my friend’s brother. He’s two years younger than me, and yet he was able to make-fun of me and my friends. Sad. I was bullied by a kid who’s two years younger than me and like five inches shorter… > _ <

In the end, Destination NV was really fun. I heard a lot of stories about my middles school from my old teachers, and my friend Justin, and I even got some cookie~~^^ the things you get from knowing people~

After the awesomeness of Destination NV, I had to go to the doctors and get my H1N1 flu shot. It was fine when the shot was done, but then, hours later, it felt like bricks had been thrown at my shoulder, and I couldn’t move my hand right… I also think the shot either made me WAY more emotional than usual, or I was just shedding none stop tears for no reason. Odd… Plus, today when I woke up, the pain was even worse, but I think it was from both a huge impact to my shoulder from someone running yesterday, plus the shot in the shoulder area that resulted in such pain. I mean, it’s hard to move my shoulder, but I can at least move my hands now… improvement~

Lastly~~ I successfully got a 91.7% on a math quiz. When I saw it, my jaw dropped. My standards had quickly fallen after all those sixties. *still shocked!*

Currently: Doing my math homework, and typing out my history thesis, at alternate times of course… hmm… how much easier life would be if you had like six arms to do different tasks…

Reading: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Listening to: Jenny by The Click Five

ar design teams, GMC ( General Motors Advanced Design ) came up  with the GMC PAD concept, a “flat on wheels”  ( won the 2006 Design Challenge, hosted by the Los Angeles Auto Show). An urban loft with mobility, a concept for living in the ever-changing cultural landscape. It’s a home ownership concept that enables cultural & geographic freedom for the modern city dweller. It’s a concept that represents a reasoned solution to the problems of urban sprawl, development, and it’s damaging effects on the region’s environment.”

With the PAD, your Adventure is your next stop. It’s where you live, where you work, or merely where you want to be. Whether located in walking distance from your job with the GMC PAD, home is where you want it. And commuting is what other people do. The GMC PAD features a Diesel-Electric hybrid system, which acts as a generator for the onboard power grid as well as propulsion for DriveMode. With the PAD’s resource management technology, onboard fuel & water supplies would last for weeks or even months on end.

During daylight hours, the PAD’s SkyDeck features 6 M-Sq of photovoltaic cells that collect and store the sun’s natural energy. An electromagnetic suspension aids in leveling & stabilization when the PAD is being used in the LifeMode as well as remarkably easy handling while in DriveMode.“This challenge embodies the aspects which make this show unique,” said Chuck Pelly, Design LA conference director. “The ever-changing trends of Southern California allow for fresh thinking, and we saw something truly unique with this year’s winner.” Besides Reed, the jury included design experts Imre Molnar, dean of the College for Creative Studies, and Tom Matano, director of Industrial Design for Academy of Art University.“This is the true all-around vehicle,” said Matano. “This creates a new segment between the RV and the SUV. The future of this Living Activity Vehicle would appeal to many buyers including corporations, future home-owners, traveling business people and constant travelers looking to go beyond the stereotypical RV.”  We have to confirm that this project  is one of the most interesting  we have seen in this category. So even if was designed in 2006 can be the starting point for production of mobile houses, classrooms or offices. We invite industries to pay attention on this idea and wish our best regards and compliments to GMA design team  consisted of Steve Anderson, Senon B. Franco III, Jay Bernard, Phil Tanioka, Sidney Levy, Brian Horton, Alessandro Zezza, Christine Ebner and Frank Saucedo. ( he hope they still on board )

ach year as part of the Design Los Angeles Conference held at the LA Auto Show, creative types from major car companies get to stare into their crystal balls and let their imaginations run wild in designing the car of the future. In 2007 the theme was the car 50 years from today, last year the challenge was to envision how motor-racing will look in 2025 and this time around, the brief is to look at what young people will be driving in the year 2030. Labeled “youthmobile 2030″, the ‘09 Design Challenge asks how the automobile fits in with the growing interaction and self-expression offered by communication technology, and just what will 16-23 year old drivers raised on mobile phones and instant gratification want from their cars 20 years from now? Here’s our summary of the 2009 entries and some pictures  showcasing details of the various radical designs.

Audi

Audi is presenting two design concepts based on the premise that the fully autonomous vehicles of the future, while providing safety and convenience, will also be a tad boring for the “driver”. To combat this coming motoring malaise, designers have produced a pair of radical, hubless designs aimed at bringing back the “excitement of your first time behind the wheel. Both designs aspire to an intuitive control interface that “takes even the smallest body movements and gestures of the driver into consideration to provide an unsurpassed command of the drive”… we’re just hoping that this doesn’t translate to a head on collision when you scratch your nose. While both use the same open-wheel platform, the Audi eSpira does more to retain familiar Audi lines with its low-slung design, while the Audi eOra – billed as the sportier of the two – has a smaller footprint and more upright cabin configuration where the driver sits in a position more akin to riding a bicycle.

GM Hero

The GM design concept offering would certainly make learning to drive a breeze for youngsters in the year 2030. The OnStar Car Hero is both a vehicle and a game, pitting the skill of the gamer/driver against the vehicle’s autonomous control system. The idea is to plug in your destination via a smartphone based nav system and “play along” via the gaming like interface until your skill level reaches a level at which the car lets you take control, overriding the autonomous system. If you get too smart, the car can up the ante by morphing into a three, two and even single wheel vehicle to challenge your mastery. The Hero system would also feature the ability to bring friends along for a virtual ride and a “Fantasy Drive”.

 Honda Helix

Honda’s offering is perhaps both the most thought provoking (and hardest to get your head around) of the designs. It’s another morphing concept based on the notion that “genetic integration and advanced adaptive polymers will shatter the current paradigm of what is now considered ‘personally’ unique.” This results in a concept that, through bio-receptors inside the vehicle, links the shape, color and even materials used to the users DNA, making the vehicle an extension of the user that grows with you and reflects your personality and traits as well as the environment. The Helix has three basic configurations – “A” for tighter urban roads, “B” for areas where high speed travel is required, and the skinny, split level “Z” shape is for highly congested cities where a tiny footprint is essential. Thought provoking? Yes. Achievable by 2030? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Mazda Souga

Also focusing on responding to individual desires, the Mazda concept revolves around the creation of a “virtual reality website that acts as a design playground for young people, allowing them to experiment, build, and share their automotive dreams in a virtual world at no cost”. The system would use 3D design and manufacturing software to allow buyers to create the car of their choice and then purchase it at a low cost with an ongoing monthly contract covering electricity usage costs.The Mazda vision also sees communication and info systems being integrated into clothing by 2030, meaning that there’s no need to bother with these as part of the vehicle itself. This one gets our vote for the slickest sketches.

Nissan V2G

Reminding us a little of a Star Wars Pod-racer for the road, Nissan’s V2G design would take advantage of an electrified highway system to deliver a low-cost transport solution – again based on the mobile phone plan model. The V2G could also be taken “off-grid” and customized with plug-and-play upgrade kits.

Toyota LINK

The Toyota LINK is designed as a low-cost, social networking transport solution for the students of tomorrow. Customizable LINK vehicles would be picked up at central hubs and when occupied, tie the driver into a central information system that could be used by drivers to “share the commute, trade music, or compare class schedules”. The LINK looks like a large, road-going rollerblade which could be customized using “LINK SKINZ” – personalized designs that can be downloaded and implemented immediately. The designers also foresee technology that replaces conventional wheels with electro conductive “SPHERES” that can convert friction into energy to recharge the batteries.We remember you that the last year winner was the team Mazda with Mazda Kaan project (see images below).

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie will be sidelined for up to five months after being told he needs an operation on his injured ankle ligaments…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: holland soccer. For a different topic see here. The blog is also related to: soccer football.

whats’s yours? what do you aspire to do? where do you see yourself in five years? ten?

leave a comment with your thoughts!

he Blast Knuckles is a self defense device which disrupts the message the brain sends to the voluntary muscles. Simply touching an attacker with it for three to five seconds will deliver a high voltage shock causing loss of balance and muscle control, confusion, and disorientation bringing him to his knees and making him incapable of further aggressive activity. Depending on the individual, full recovery usually takes about five to ten minutes and there is no permanent harm. Just test firing this unit into the air is often enough to stop an attacker. As the bright electric current pulsates between the test prongs and creates an intimidating electrical sound an attacker with any sense at all will be stopped in his tracks. If the sight and sound doesn’t stop them a jolt from this unit certainly will! This blast knuckles has 2 levels of safety built in, first the swith has to be turned on and second the trigger depressed. This blast knuckles has a 2 position safety switch: off, stun. In the world of self-defense gadgets the Blast Knuckles is one of the planet’s most powerful stun guns, now coming with a different approach to repel assailants and bringing a whole new meaning to “getting a grip.”

The first thing you should know about this contraption is that it packs a whole lotta volts, which are not to toy with. 950,000V is enough to have some faint-hearted felon kicking the bucket and thin current will definitely change the mind of any attacker as soon as the volts start going through their bodies. One very important detail on the Blast Knuckles is that it has the shape of the good old badass brass knuckles you get to see in old movies. Now, this special shape comes with a lot of advantages that raise the Blast Knuckles above other similar self-defense gadgets. First, the fact that you actually have it in your hand and can grip it tightly so no assailant could take it away from you with a simple blow on your arm is worth mentioning. There is no need for aiming you just punch like you normally would, using your fist. Consequently, your electricity-loaded clenched hand will discharge a very serious amount of volts in your attacker, leaving you 5 to 10 minutes to get away from the danger. The Blast Knuckles is made of no-slip, high-traction rubber with a full-grip design letting you get a good hold of the device. Furthermore, it also comes with dual lithium rechargeable batteries and a tactical holster. This stun gun additionally sports individual trigger and safety switches to prevent accidental discharges. Caution is required when handling the Blast Knuckles, and self-zapping is completely unadvised. While you can get your gadget for around $50, we should stress that you must be of legal age to own such a device and also make sure its use is authorized in your state, country, or area. Should you not believe us, just keep in mind that not all 50 states consider it legal, and, of course, one can only use the Blast Knuckles in self-defense situations, in order to avoid penal consequences.

he BodyGard 5-in-1 emergency tool is great for people who like to be prepared for worst-case scenarios. The BodyGard includes a distress flasher, a sonic alarm, seat belt cutter and door glass breaker, and an LED flashlight.What makes this emergency tool special is its size. While other emergency tools are so big they need special cases, or can only fit in your car trunk, the BodyGard 5-in-1 Emergency Tool is small enough to be attached to your keychain. You can take it with you wherever you go, and feel confident you have a tool to get you through just about anything. The BodyGard 5-in-1 Emergency Tool is definitely something you don’t want to leave home without. Frankly, there’s no point in having a tool like the BodyGard if you can’t use it quickly and easily in the case of an emergency. The BodyGard is designed to quickly detach from your keychain.

Just give it a good yank and it easily slides off. A Sonic Alarm attracts attention and annoys any would-be attacker. Pressing the red button on your BodyGard activates the sonic alarm. Trust us, it’s pretty darned annoying. At first, we couldn’t figure out how to turn it off (that’s what you get for not reading the instructions) and it almost drove us crazy. We ended up wrapping it in a coat (which made it just bearable) until we read the instructions. Hint: Hold the button down for 3 seconds to turn it off. The point of the sonic alarm is to attract attention to yourself in the case of an emergency or to scare off a would-be attacker. The manufacturer included a flashing red light in the BodyGard. This was a very good idea.You can use the distress flasher to flag down help if you’re stranded on the side of the road. While we think the flameless flare does a better job for this one particular task, having the red distress flasher in this tool is incredibly handy. It’s great to have an emergency tool like the BodyGard that includes a seatbelt cutter and window breaker. And we should all carry such a tool. But, we’re human and it’s hard to keep a tool on our keychain that we (hopefully) may never use. It’s a lot easier to keep that tool on the keychain if it can offer an everyday benefit. The LED flashlight feature provides exactly that great benefit. The BodyGard comes in an attractive gift box

Important safety information:

•It takes about 12lb of force to depress the plunger and activate the spring-loaded steel point. So, under normal usage, the steel point will never release. However, just like any other tool, it could hurt you if you used improperly (such as shoving the plunger into your leg).

•The stainless steel blade will not cut you if used properly (leave your keychain attached to it unless in an emergency). Don’t try to stick your tongue into it or something silly like that.

•The BodyGard release mechanism glows in the dark.

•Dimensions: 1.75″ wide x 3″ long

•Door Glass Breaker

•Sonic Alarm

•Distress Flasher

•LED Flashlight

•Seat Belt Cutter

•Water resistant

•Limited lifetime warranty

bon Heath is one of the most promising artists of the moment and his take on typography is pure visual poetry. Words never looked more astonishing, they form their own structures in a short of a rebellion, they dance and move and yet they stand still. In Heath’s universe, words go out of their suffocating homes, they become alive and they tell us their amazing stories. Having Brooklyn as the quarters of his inspiration, Heath is contaminating his students with his enthusiasm and passion. With his work he is trying to visualize the invisible, to put a form to the surrounding sounds of the every day life and to inject fantasy into reality. Inspired traveller and rhythm lover, Heath is revealing us all the details hidden behind his outstanding work in an exclusive interview for Yatzer. His sculptures gives the impression of being crystalized words turned into frozen flowers.  We connect this with your quote about perceiving words as a living, corporal being. ” I want our type to jump, scream, whisper and dance, versus lay flat, dead and dormant, to be used and discarded with no concern for its intricate beauty of form, function, and meaning. We use type daily yet rarely appreciate the form of a letter. By liberating type from the confines of the page we not only free the words to express the content in a new dimension of scale, volume, and movement, but also force the reader to become a viewer. This process reveals the form of our letters while creating a new relationship to our language in our ability to feel versus only read the content” say Heath.”I love the visual of crystalized words as frozen flowers. This is clear on a visual level, yet also the form of the flower has evolved to fulfill a specific function. All the subservient smaller bio chemical reactions that make up its structure on a molecular level, all co-operating to create a living organism. The form of my type structures are also made to fulfill a specific goal to express the content of words, while made up of smaller ingredients of letters that collectively form our language. The prints do have a frozen quality, since the original works are mobiles that move and can be seen from multiple perspectives in a space. It also is ironic that when these structures are documented they are flattened into 2-dimensional planes, the very antithesis of my initial goal.  

 
The structures are a physical representation of our language as object. This “visual noise” permeates all aspects of modern culture, especially urban living. From the signs, billboards, stores, and t-shirts that yell with type for attention as you walk down any high street. All the audio and verbal noise, from music we plug our ears with to the din of countless conversations, screams and whispers. With new media of texting, online, and transmitted technology there is even invisible noise silent to the eye surrounding us all. It is this cozy womb of information, data, or chorus of cacophony that my mobiles hope to represent as well as reveal. Making the invisible visible. The lyrical qualities of hip hop highlight this connection of the liberated language. When a MC rides a beat the words become a fusion of song, noise, rhythm, melody and meaning all at once. This synthesis between words and sounds was the first investigation i had undertook to help me understand this conceptual process. This wrestling with language is also reflected in the visual poetry of more formal graffiti that transforms each letter into interlocking shapes that are unique in its form and identity of the author. As in all good poetry, the skilled MC uses rhythm more then rhyme to express the message, my mobiles attempts to create a visual sense of rhythm and flow that is alive, not contained, or able to be seen/ read/ understood from one angle.

The stereo.type project, expressing the interaction between the traditional language of typography and the physical language of the body, consists of three parts. The first part was a process of research and development. Creating countless drawings, computer renderings, and three dimensional models to find the desired structural frame work for this new physical typographic language. The visual inspiration for these structures has varied from fishing nets to animal vertebrae, puppets to kites, feathers to scales, domes to parachutes, classical lace to high end couture fashion, traveling from Brooklyn to Andalusia, Berlin to Marrakech, to Carnival in London and Trinidad.  The final product of this phase is a process journal that documents all the steps leading to the establishment of the final four grid structures. The current second phase is exercising the established grids, to learn how many different kinds of content can be expressed in these structures. This phase is also about creating mobiles and site specific installation for exhibit to share with the public, and learn from their reactions. This also extends to more couture mobiles that are created for a specific person based off their relationship to the content of the mobile. A seasonal collection of mobiles, prints, lights, and jewelry are being developed for release in the summer of 09. Each season will focus on a different theme and execution method. The third stage is incorporating the body into a performance piece of type dancing a duet with its author. The goal is to create a ballet of people dancing with their liberated language, as if the body was shedding its accumulated stories physically, as well as amplifying the content of our inner soul for the world to see in its dynamic dance. This event will combine aspects of carnival, circus, choreography, kinetic body sculpture, music, and the Greek chorus.  

 
I have developed four 3-d grid systems that, like traditional type design, provide an underlying foundation for type to be anchored to. These grids are malleable and do not limit the form as much as create a support skeleton. These 4 grids are based off the basic shapes of the cone, stripe, line, and circle. To establish these systems there has been countless drawings and models created to establish structural integrity and functionality. The quantity of letters, typeface, and scale all determine the final form. Unlike traditional type design there is the third dimension, an additional perspective outside of the page which allows the movement of the structures and your eyes positions to them. The tools and components I use come from a wide range of crafts, including: fishing tackle, jelwery elements, kite pieces, laser cut acrylic and tyvek. My working process has a specific set of steps that collectively create these expressive typographic mobiles as if solving an equation, rather then from some cosmic inspiration.

 
I teach at a City University in the Bronx (New York, USA), which gives me access to students that are fully engaged in life and do not take their education for granted. This role allows me to inspire young people to see type and design as a career choice and/ or a way to express themselves visually. By highlighting the analytical nature of design and importance of paying attention to details, I am also able to give the students a new way of seeing their surroundings. With design software and computers being mainstream, new media literacy is expected of all students. Yet knowing how to operate a computer does not make you a designer. I feel all professionals have a responsibility to share their knowledge, while also staying open to learn more.  The students keep me informed on the latest ideas of youth culture that my growing age makes harder to recognize. I am also writing course curriculum which enables me to map out my method of teaching and how it stays relevant to students lives or current trends.

 
Calder has been one of the most influential artists in my life, at a very young age i saw his circus and was mesmerized. That same day i began drawing and have not stopped. Only recently did i notice the parallel of my typographic ballet and the performance element of his circus. I am also inspired by his ability to play with simple forms and materials to create a new visual vocabulary that blurs the lines between art, design, function and expression (from his mobiles, and stables to his jewelry and wire portraits). He was also one of the first American artists to be an international globe trotter, hanging out in Europe and the states crossing the Atlantic regularly by boat. (Warhol for making the common into art, Basquiat for burning so fast and so bright, and Stuart Davis for American abstraction in the modern flat world of color.) I was introduced to the rich culture of Carnival from the Caribbean island of Trinidad, by another admired living artist and mentor, Peter Minshal. Minshal is the founder of Callaloo Company, which has been producing the avant-garde carnival bands of kinetic body sculpture for the last 30 years. He shared his knowledge of the intricate craft of constructing physical sculpture that amplifies the human gesture into a grand scale with an individual or collective of people. Next thing you know i am watching 20 foot skeletons he has made grinding with the Rockets on stage at Radio City Music Hall (in NYC).

 
Purge is quite similar conceptually yet utilizing images rather than purely type. It is an answer to the question: How can we reveal the abundance of visual information we mentally accumulate? The aim is to purge all the influence we receive from media stimulation and liberate our mind to a less polluted place. It’s about reclaiming our mental environment, killing the television, cellphone suicide, unplugging our addiction for constant entertainment. I felt engorged by all the information my eyes have eaten and needed to purge, a visual vomit. This process began with classifying logos, languages, images of mass culture from my travels, all as recipe ingredients for collage. Then I draw the found media, like a painter would draw a still life, or a musician might sample a beat. All these “sample drawings” become the raw materials for a lengthy process of digital deconstruction and analog reconstruction, resulting in paintings, mobiles, and drawings. These visual mash ups allows the viewer to navigate ones own narrative in the channel surfing barrage of exploding familiar faces, logos, and contrasting color and form. I am currently completing a series of large scale paintings that are cutting and masking paint into sharp graphic compositions. Although Purge and stereotype are made of and result in very different outcomes, there is many similarities in conceptual goals and values. Technology gives me the ability to be more efficient and more precise in my craft, yet not necessarily more freedom to create. Cutting by hand is very time intensive compared to the speed and accuracy of lasers. Laser also gives me the ability to cut multiples at once out of materials I am unable to be cut by hand. It also creates an easier manageability of scale. However, cutting is only one step, the hand assembly is still quiet labour intensive and is not made simpler or more dynamic by technology. In fact much of this work makes a statement that supports the traditional craft of analog construction versus containing all living things into pixels, trying to duplicate reality instead of truly living in it. Since much of my professional graphic design work is dictated by technology, it is refreshing to use my fingers to actually build instead of a virtual illustration.  

We invite lighting inustries for example to contact this guy immediately! Of course the best to do is to visit his website and discover more about him and his work at:

www.listeningwithmyeyes.com

he Zaha Hadid for LACOSTE footwear collaboration began with a digitized interpretation of surfaces with repeated patterns. ‘The design expression behind the collaboration with LACOSTE footwear allows the evolution of dynamic fluid grids,’ explains Hadid. ‘When wrapped around the shape of a foot, these expand and contract to negotiate and adapt to the body ergonomically. In doing so a landscape emerges, undulating and radiating as it merges seamlessly with the body.’ The digital landscape is translated into a tactile landscape by a series of metal plates depicting the desired wave pattern. These plates were subsequently utilised to apply a combination of heat embossing and debossing techniques to the calf leather, thus rendering the topography in relief. This resulting topography gradually emerges on the uppers as it curves around the top and exterior fascia of each shoe, and fades across the straps. A 2D plan drawing of the 3D pattern is replicated on the sole of the shoe. The continuity and fluidity in the design are enhanced by the minimum depth of the sole and the seamless strap closure system. The limited edition closure system features a bi-stable snapping metal band encased in the leather strap at the upper-most end. This responsive band gently wraps and secures itself at ankle height in the men’s limited edition and at knee height in the women’s limited edition. The unique Zaha Hadid for Lacoste logo appears on the side of the heel and on the in-sock. The sleek and sophisticated black box which packages the product also bears an embossed version of the same logo. The women’s boots are available in black and purple, whilst the men’s come in black and navy. This limited-edition collection of just 850 pairs will be available exclusively at such high-end boutiques as Colette in Paris, Dover Street Market in London and 10 Corso Como in Milan. The exclusive collaboration will be highlighted in store by a suite of bespoke material designed to compliment and enhance the themes and colours of the project.

C,H,A,I and R

 

Eric Ku is a 26 years old Graphic Designer who recently graduated from School of Visual Arts in New York. Ku was born in Taiwan and immigrated to USA in 2001. His projects are one by one so conceptual and so inspired, but  “The Chair project” which is part of his senior thesis project called Mission Redefinition. It is a series of exercises that explore the concept of redefinition through the application of graphic design.

 

To contact Eric, you can mail him to: ergt1004@me.com or visit his website : www.ericku.org

 

 

 

 

 

edefinition of an existing object is not always an easy task. Above all it requires imagination, creativity and a good knowledge of the techniques to be applied. Especially when we are talking about simple things like a stool; in other words a chair without a backrest. Every now and then new innovating stool designs come up in an attempt to make the difference. Daniel Heer’s vision is to create a modern piece of furniture by matching two different materials in a simple way, a combination of wood and textile.

KEIL is a cubic form stool that can be used in different ways changing its position or height. Trying not to hurt the material, Daniel doesn’t use any pins allowing this way the wood to interfere with the textile, a combination that turns the whole project into beautiful seating furniture. High quality materials are used, native wood (oak, walnut, pear) for the frame and fabric straps, premium grade leather or transparent nylon webbing for the seating part. Both elements are mixed in such a way that allows the structure to show off as an essential part of the concept. The simplicity of Heer’s project also ensures the minimum use of resources. Based in Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin, Daniel Heer is an expert of the handcraft tradition, a legacy of his family’s over the past three generations. His vision is to use and transform the classical norms into a modern functional aesthetics. Keil as an object itself represents a reinterpretation of the classical techniques into a new form. This is more about a deconstruction of old traditional norms; by reconstructing them afresh, the designer is driven to a totally new concept free of conservative formulas. The benefit of such a procedure is that even the simplest, classical objects can be redefined in terms of design without modifying the original concept values. Photo © Achim Hatzius. To get in touch with daniel just visit:

 www.danielheer.net

Download AI URL: http://www.imgcapture.com/?p=957

Material description:

Seaside coconut trees, sexy girl, posture, wooden door to the village gives the illusion of a mysterious 5 represents the countless number of times the concept.

Here are Ways #s 4 and 5 from the last post which promised you 5 Ways to Be More Great-full (Boost Your Gratitude Attitude)…

#4: FAMILY (or couple’s) GRATITUDE BOOK
We just spent a very pleasant hour doing this great art & writing interactive project. So simple and yet so meaningful and fun! Quality family time!

We do not watch television, nor do our children. We are dedicated to parenting consciously and strive to support a vibration of love in our household. Yet, given that my husband and I are both entrepreneurs, with seven businesses between the two of us, and given that our children are still quite young, we know how important and sometimes challenging it can be to come up ideas (not to mention time, energy and materials) for positive family experiences.

I myself am about the least craftsy person you will ever meet and can draw a stick figure on a good day! So believe me when I tell you: Yes, you CAN do this project, and probably with what’s already available in your home. It really ranks high on simple, high on fun, high on memorable, and low on expense. (I can NEVER do those Origami things, puuleeeeeazzze, can we talk?)

Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time to do this Family Gratitude Book…but of course so is any day that ends in “y.” Monday, Tuesday…. Enjoy!

Materials:

All you need is:

Some blank paper (we used printer or copy paper, white)

Construction paper

Ribbon or brass brads to secure the book

Markers, pencils, hole punch and/or scissors

Optional: Stickers, stamps, other art supplies, scrapbook, photos

Definitely: A little bit of time and lots of love!

We started by making a brainstormed list of everything we are grateful for. You can do this any way you like; follow your own creative impulses & inspiration. We have four family members, so I decided to color code what we wrote on this collective page or you could just all write and draw without attributing who said/drew what, or make a chart, have sections of the page, etc. The things my 6-year-old called out first were written in yellow, my 10-year-old chose blue, I picked purple and my husband green. We made a color key on the page and wrote and drew various things we are thankful for: Our dog came first, followed by a lovely torrent such as family and friends, food, a good home, music, the Earth, music, health, God, life and so on.

Then I gave each family member a separate page on which to do whatever they like, the only requirement being that whatever is on the page relates to or represents what they are thankful for. We stuck in some more blank pages, so we can add more later as we are inspired.

The kids each got to pick a color for the front and back covers. The older did the words, the younger did the drawings. We punched holes, added brads, all signed the masterpiece and voila! A Family Gratitude Book.

Not only a wonderful way to spend part of our Thanksgiving Day, but a precious keepsake, and, I trust, a new family tradition as well. We will be sharing this book with family all weekend long and inviting them to add to it as well. And of course, it can be done any day! Every day bears its own gifts if we just open the package.

Today we focused mainly on what we are thankful for in our current lives (now), but we could also include wonderful memories (past) and gratitude for all the blessings on the way! (future)

Alternative for Couples: You can also do this as a Couple’s Gratitude Book or Journal, a beautiful way to show appreciation and deepen connection. So few marriages last or are happy, as we all know, and I am blessed to have a deliriously, deLIGHTfully ecstatic marriage, 12 years strong and better every day. One of the reasons is of course, the selection of the right mate; but in order to do so, we had to do the necessary self-healing and inner preparation to bring whole, healthy individuals to the relationship. Much of this work is presented in my book: The Radical Self-Love Workbook. But it is also essential to nurture even the best of relationships, and my husband and I do so daily in many creative ways such as this.

More tips on love and relationships are at

www.LoveandSpirit.org

and at my love blog: loveandspiritblog.wordpress.com.

Whether you do the Gratitude Book as a homemade book like we did today, like a scrapbook or journal, and whether you do it as a family activity or a couple’s relationship-enhancer, it will help you see your life through the eyes of love and gratitude, and bring you even closer with those you love. Enjoy! And I welcome you to send me a comment or email to share your experience.

#5: Honor the 4 Directions and 4 Sacred Elements:

Earth, Air, Fire, Water

You do not have to be Native American to appreciate one of their traditions, which is to honor the Medicine Wheel, facing each of the four directions, thanking each one for their gifts. This is also a tradition in all indigenous cultures including pre-Christian Europe (a.k.a. Wicca, Druidry, paganism, et al.), Africa, Australia, Hawaii and South America.

In fact, if you scratch the surface beneath contemporary religions on any part of the Earth, you will find an ancient shamanic tradition that honors all the directions and all of nature as sacred.

All things follow this cycle of birth, growth, fruition and quietude, whether we are looking at seasons, a lifespan, a day, or a garden. The beauty of Medicine Wheel ceremony and the paradigm itself is that it can be applied to our lives in so many ways.

So how do you honor the directions and elements, to give thanks for what they give to us so generously? Here are a few ideas:

* Altar: Create an altar to each direction or a Medicine Wheel altar encompassing all the directions/elements. This can be in your home or outside. My husband specializes in creating Medicine Wheels as a sacred practice on the land, and has helped others to do this as well.

* Cherokee Dance of Life – You would need to learn this in person from someone who has learned it, oral tradition. This is an incredible moving meditation to all 4 directions, peoples, and elements which also honors Mother Earth and Father Sky, balances their energies as sacred partners in our hearts, and helps us give away the gifts of Spirit that are our special medicine to share with the world through our right work and service. Occasionally my husband and I share this Dance with our community. If you live near Sacramento, and would like to experience this dance, let us know so we can invite you. Or perhaps Spirit will guide you to another teacher of this beautiful tradition.

* Drum, chant, play flute to each direction

* Give offerings such as cornmeal, tobacco or sage smoke to each direction

* Speak aloud from your heart to each direction and give thanks

* Sweat lodge

* Vision quest

If you do either sweat lodge or vision quest, please do so with the guidance of a Native elder to be sure you do it properly and safely.

* Journal or journey (shamanic meditation) to discover what power animals comprise your personal Medicine Wheel of your own energy field. I love to lead these meditations when I am called to do so. Honoring your own inner Medicine Wheel supports a strong aura and keeps you connected to your spirit guides, if this resonates for you.

Associations with Each Direction

Depending on which culture or even which tribe you consult, there are somewhat different associations with the directions, colors, elements and meanings, the medicine or power that direction helps us receive and embody. The one I am most familiar with follows but this is not dogma, merely a summary of what I have found to be the more universal associations. Follow your own heart and work with any spiritual practice in the way that resonates for your own heart and inner truth.

While I have a small amount of native blood, I was adopted and was not raised in that tradition. I discovered shamanism after my initiation and spiritual awakening 15 years ago. I do not claim to be a tribal elder or teacher of any one tradition. I am an interfaith minister, meditation teacher, hypnotherapist, energy healer and intuitive life coach. I have been on the path of Spirit, studying, practicing and sharing healing and wisdom teachings from many cultures for several decades, so I offer here a simplified summary as a starting point for your discovery journey. You would do well to study more in depth with a local teacher steeped in the particular tradition that calls to your spirit, and of course feel free to research further on the Web, in books, classes, and listen to your own inner guidance. I always say the best way to pray, do ceremony or ritual is the way that feels best to you, with harm to none, of course. But we do need to honor the specific traditions so they are not all diluted through multiculturalism.

From the East we have the yellow people (Asia) and the gift of Air, Brother Wind, clarity of vision, inspiration, the new day, new beginnings, establishment of purpose and intention, and springtime.

From South, we receive the wisdom of the black people (Africa), Fire. The tools, strength, perseverance and energy to follow through and manifest, midday/ noon, summer, also humor and passion, innocence and trust.

The West gives us the culture of the Red people (such as Native Americans), the setting sun, Water, emotions, the fall season, self-evaluation toward completion, looks-within time, peace, rest and healing.

And the North represents the White (European) people and all their cultural gift. The sacred mountain, winter, midnight, time to slow down, go within and be still to receive guidance for what comes next. Completion, what you keep from the past cycle and all that you have accomplished and learned. It is also associated with the Spirit and wisdom.

Note: You can also honor the other 3 directions: Earth (below), Sky (above) and Center (within).

I hope you enjoyed these five creative ways to give thanks and I wish you abundant blessings on your journey!

Finally, in the spirit of Sufi mystic poet Rumi, I invite you to kiss the ground. Blow kisses to the sky. Bow to everything. Everything is sacred.

With Love,

Sage

More resources for your path, including free special reports on abundance, love, transformational classes, soul and energy healing sessions, intuitive readings, matchmaking and more are at:

www.LoveandSpirit.org

Taylor@LoveandSpirit.org

“Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”

- Rumi

5 Years…. love of my life.

Nothing has changed in 5 years.

Told you nothing changed.

Old

You still sparkle for me!

Rare photo op

Guest Apperance by LBC

Her ideal Friday night

Old

One of my all time favorites

Old

Another favorite

Love

Reppin'

Beauty!

Old Old Old

Colorado

En route to NYC

5

So, everyone’s, like, coming over for, like, the holiday. Lots of friends and stuff. So, I am reading this, like, book that my teacher told me to, like, read for my feelings or whatever. It’s called, like, We All Give or something. It’s for, like, five-year-olds. I, like, seriously don’t know if she wants to make a fool out of me or something. I think she’s gonna, like, make me do a book report or whatever. Ya so I know it wasn’t, like, that long and stuff but it’s, like, Thanksgiving and stuff and a lot of other people aren’t, like, doing their jobs and your lucky that I’m, like, doing just a bit of mine. Oh Emfrea Kingjee!

Five is to launch its new chance-based game show Heads Or Tails with a run over eleven consecutive nights. Eleven! That’s insane. I mean, sure, pre-judgement and that, but… that’s insane. Here’s what the Five press office has to say for itself:

In a major programming event Justin’s new game show, Heads or Tails, will be screened across 11 consecutive nights in December with contestants competing to win £1m on the toss of a coin. The series will also include a celebrity special with Denise Van Outen and Coronation Street’s John Thomson competing to win £1m for their chosen charities.

Richard Woolfe, Five’s Channel Controller, said: “Christmas on Five is all about over indulgence – draw the curtains, put an extra log on the fire, crack open the big tin of Quality Street and gorge yourself on our shamelessly entertaining festive fayre.

“I’m hugely excited that we’ll be showing Justin Lee Collins’ first Five show this Christmas too, Heads or Tails is a completely absorbing and unashamedly feel-good game show which will have all the family playing along at home.”

With a launch like that, I predict this will be Five’s biggest game show since In The Grid. Well, OK, since The What In The World? Quiz.

Incidentally, Five has absolutely nothing else of interest on over christmas at all. I did think they had something called Christmas With the Krankies, but on re-reading, it actually turned out to be a film called Christmas With The Kranks, so that’s no fun.

The speciality beer company, Innis & Gunn, has announced a record number of sales this year…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: shopping ideas. The blog is also related to: gem shopping.

he Keruve 2010 Family Locator consists of a GPS clock with safety clasp bearing the person with Alzheimer’s and Portable Receiver for the family.The caregiver simply by pressing a button on the receiver, and you see onscreen the exact position of the person wearing the watch keruve, the exact position of the person carrying the receiver keruve, and an arrow indicates where you should walk to go for the person wearing the watch has been keruve disoriented. This system of open field location is very beneficial when you want to locate in an area without reference to streets and beaches, parks, mountains.

If you need to go to meet, the caregiver can carry the receiver keruve to see your position quickly, as it is completely portable and no intermediaries to make the location more agile and quick. Keruve Clock has a safety lock that can only show a useful family has four positioning systems: SBAS-GPS (<2.5m), indoor location propietariode System (10-40m), VisionCellid (200-500m accuracy ), T-GSM (approximate area 200-1.500m). (in case one fails, switches to another to never becoming inoperative).

The watch is water resistant  (no buttons and is fully sealed). Like Keruve receiver has a very easy handling with buttons on the touch screen name. It has an ergonomic design and easy to read 4.2 “. For more information just visit the Keruve’s website:

 www.keruve.com

our people have been arrested in Peru on suspicion of killing some 60 people to sell their fat and other human tissue to Italian co-conspirators for cosmetic use in Europe, authorities say.The suspects were arrested in central Peru this month and a search is underway for seven others, lead prosecutor Jorge Sans Quiro said.The fat was purchased “to be commercialised in European (cosmetology) laboratories,” he said.The prosecutor’s indictment said the gang allegedly targeted farmers and indigenous people on remote Andean roads, tricking them by offering jobs before killing them.Police began arrests after discovering early this month a container with human fat that was being shipped to Lima from the Andean city of Huanuco, some 400 kilometres northeast of Lima.Signs of “an international network trafficking human fat” first surfaced about two months ago, according to General Felix Burga, head of the police criminal division.Peruvian press cited him as saying the fat can be sold for $US15,000 ($16,000) per gallon (3.8 litres) in European countries. The alleged plot revived the Andean legend of the “Pishtacos”, white foreigners who were said to suck the fat out of people travelling on lonely roads at night, making fine soaps, lubricants, healing salves and beauty creams out of the tissue. Is there danger lurking for husky Peruvians in the form of fat trafficking? It seems some local gangs have heard a rumor that European cosmetics factories are willing to pay top dollar for … human fat. Four gang members were arrested in Peru for killing over 60 people and supposedly selling their fat for thousands of dollars. Does this mean human fat might replace guns, drugs, or sex as some of the most frequently-trafficked products? No way! The legitimacy of this story is about to get shot down more times than the unemployed Star Trek enthusiast who snuck into a party at the Playboy mansion. Unlike commercial sex or forced labor, there is not a global market for human fat. Period. Here are some of the many reasons that fat will not be the new sex in the market of illegally-traded global commodities: 

•Cosmetics are not made with human fat for a number of reasons, the least of which being that it would be incredibly gross if they were. If you found out the cream you were smearing on your face every night was made out of someone else’s fat, wouldn’t you be upset?

•Fat is really, really easy to get. Even if human fat had a sudden use, piles of it are readily available from liposuction and other treatments. It can be acquired legally and legitimately. No need to take the risk of killing people. 

•Even if human fat had a cosmetic use, it would never go for “$60,000 a gallon,” as this story indicates. The state of Mississippi alone would have thousands of willing fat donors accepting a lot less cash. I’ll happily sell the five pounds I’ll inevitably gain between Thanksgiving and New Years for $20.

•Traffickers sell things that make them money, things like guns, drugs, and human beings. For all the above reasons, human fat is not a cash cow. Pun intended.

Sure, it’s possible that this gang killed some people, and even possible they thought killing people and selling their fat would make money. But this is not a new international criminal trend and it’s certainly nothing to be afraid of. On the other hand, the rampant exploitation and slavery in the asparagus industry is a very real danger for Peruvian women of all sizes. Peruvian asparagus is often imported to the U.S. when it is out of season here. So if you’re eating asparagus in the dead of winter, chances are it came from Peru. If you want to spend time and energy worrying about Peruvian people, worry about asparagus, not fat trafficking. Final analysis: sleep easy, chubby Peruvians. And big-boned Western tourists who have wanted to hike the Inca Trail, pull on your plus-sized hiking pants with pride. Your risks of being sucked into an actual trafficking operation — like sex or drugs — is much higher than being targeted for your generous gut…But…take a look on the text of this Book!

La polizia peruviana ha arrestato quattro persone sospettate di far parte di una banda che avrebbe assassinato almeno 60 persone per estrarre dai loro corpi grasso da vendere in Perù, ma anche in Europa, ad aziende interessate ad utilizzarlo per la fabbricazione di prodotti cosmetici. Lo ha reso noto il procuratore del tribunale penale di Lima, Jorge Sans. Secondo i media locali, tra i potenziali acquirenti ci sarebbero anche due “italiani” che gli inquirenti stanno cercando di arrestare. Il caso è venuto alla luce agli inizi del mese, quando la polizia ha arrestato due persone mentre stavano ritirando un involucro di plastica che, presumibilmente, conteneva il grasso umano estratto dal corpo di un uomo, Abel Matos Aranda, ucciso in Perù lo scorso settembre. Secondo gli inquirenti, i detenuti apparterebbero ad una banda di ‘pishtacos’: come nelle leggende peruviane – ne parla anche lo scrittore Mario Vargas Llosa nel romanzo “Il caporale Lituma sulle Ande” -, sono le persone che aggrediscono uomini e donne per sgozzarli, mangiare la loro carne e vendere, appunto, il loro grasso. Sempre secondo gli inquirenti, nel corso delle indagini sarebbero sorti indizi secondo i quali il grasso, raccolta da tale banda, sarebbe stato venduto ad acquirenti europei a circa 15.000 dollari al gallone…Alcune notizie su web indicano che gli acquirenti sarebbero italiani! Attendiamo quini chiarezze in merito a questa orribile vicenda, sperando che non si tratti affato di una nuovo mercato illegale internazionale ( vedi articolo sopra ).

An East Renfrewshire school is the first secondary in Scotland to be awarded five "excellents" from education inspectors…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: coaching. The blog is also related to: activities.

So, I fired off two more emails…  One to Subway, and one to my new friend Mr. Jones at Quiznos.  No response from Mr. Jones yet, but we do have one from Subway.  I’ll share it all below!

OK, so email one, to Subway:

From: ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
To: “Bridenbaker, Mack” m.bridenbaker@sfaft.org
Cc: Paula Gomez gomez_p@subway.com; Kevin Kane kane_k@subway.com; Anna Marie Seeley seeley_a@subway.com
Sent: Mon, November 23, 2009 10:24:20 AM
Subject: Re: Subway [Customer ID: 1918316]

Hello Mr. Bridenbaker,

It’s been over a week since your email to me saying that Ms. Gomez would address my concerns and I’ve yet to see any sort of response.  I still haven’t had a reply to my initial message to Ms. Seely, or  from anyone on your team.  I’m disappointed in the lack of comment overall, my first message which was sent on Oct. 28th has still gone unanswered.

I now understand why the employees in your stores have an “I don’t care” attitude.  It trickles down from the top, and certainly must be passed on in franchise owners, hiring, & training.

I’m amazed at your total lack of concern for the decline of your once championing establishment.  I should perhaps pass on my shellfish allergen and cross-contamination concerns to some allergy awareness groups.  Perhaps allergy awareness lobbyists will warrant some attention.  Everyone I know already hates Jared and the $5 footlong commercials, so I don’t need to push the issue on that one.  The concept of cheese tessellation will obviously elude the average sandwich artist from now until the end of time, so we have no hope there.

Perhaps in copying Quiznos’ idea of toasting subs, you should also adopt their business model in using better quality ingredients and customer service policies.  I have had a continued dialog with them regarding your lack of customer service and their seemingly misleading Toasty Torpedo ads with the very tiny hands.  They proudly stand behind their ads (however creepy), their innovation, and their customer service.

Not signed.  On purpose.  Notice all the Cc’s, everyone hates that… I don’t care who you are.   I tried to poke at every issue and make empty useless claims about allergy awareness groups, and I brought up that Quiznos is the trend-setter while noting that they’re also not perfect.

And, on a friendlier note to Quiznos, I decided to reveal my intentions to an amicable Mr. Jones:

From: ERiC AiXeLsyD world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com
Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 9:22 AM
Subject: Re: The Quiznos Toasty TorpedoT ads?
To: “Jones, Tony” TJones2@quiznos.com

Thanks Tony,

I must confess, I do have a blog and I have been chronicling my email escapades there.  I like to play them as part consumer advocacy, part humor and all goofy.  I used to write snail mail letters, but email has made it so much easier & faster.  Some friends have encouraged me to keep writing, so I have.  I really enjoy the open & honest dialogue that we have going on, and appreciate that you stand behind the product & integrity of your company… and take the time to respond to emails such as mine.  Also, you obviously have a sense of humor, which has to be a “must” for any kind of customer interaction.  I’m sure you get goofier emails and phone calls from actual crazy people.

I’m intrigued at your suggestion that I get into consulting or franchise journalism.  Do you know how I would even go about this?  Would I need to obtain a degree in something?  I hope to grab followers to my blog just for amusement, but am unaware as to how to make it a profitable venture, ha ha ha.

Thank you once again for your time, I’m actually waiting to hear from some of your Quiznos colleagues, and Subway has still not given me a response beyond “someone will respond”… not that I’m at all surprised by that at this point.

Rock on!
-Eric

Hopefully he writes back in a positive light, and still finds all of this amusing.  Still waiting for further comment from his other colleagues, none of which have really delivered so far.

And, now, the fun part… Subway’s response (or lack thereof):

From: asksubway@subway.com
Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Subject: Subway
To: world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com

Monday, November 23, 2009

Dear Mr Aixelsyd:

First, allow me to apologize. Secondly, I would like to thank you for taking the time to contact us and share your comments.

At each SUBWAY® restaurant, it is the goal of every owner; manager and employee to produce each sandwich and salad properly made to order.

Our customers provide us with valuable input, which we use to improve our operations. Your comments were shared with the regional office in your area as well as the owner of the SUBWAY® restaurant that you have visited.  Since all restaurants are individually owned and operated it is the owner who would be the person to contact you in response to your concern.

I have gone ahead and copied our Training Department so that further lessons can be addressed with owners and their employees on proper handling.

Again, I appreciate you taking the time to contact us. SUBWAY® looks forward to your continued visits.

Sincerely,

Paula Gomez

Heh.  “First, allow me to apologize” not followed by an apology is extremely profound, and hopefully intentional.  Then, she thanks me for writing, probably through gritted teeth.

This line reeks of copy & paste:  “At each SUBWAY® restaurant, it is the goal of every owner; manager and employee to produce each sandwich and salad properly made to order.”

And, I love the long winded “it wasn’t me”/”it’s not my fault”/”it’s not my problem”:  “Your comments were shared with the regional office in your area as well as the owner of the SUBWAY® restaurant that you have visited.  Since all restaurants are individually owned and operated it is the owner who would be the person to contact you in response to your concern.”  Basically, she’s telling me that I’m being ignored by a lower level.

“I have gone ahead and copied our Training Department so that further lessons can be addressed with owners and their employees on proper handling.”  With what?  Cross-contamination?  Cleanliness?  Cheese tessellation? How to reply to customer emails?

“SUBWAY® looks forward to your continued visits” …so we can spit in your food?  Did she read my emails?  Perhaps this whole thing is just a reading comprehension issue.  I find it amusing that the e Subway spokesperson declined to comment.  Perhaps now is the time to move into old-school W(aL)D mode, and reply that Subway will not be allowed on the moon when I’m emperor.

Are there any psychologists or psychiatrists out there reading this?  I’d love to get your take (…if you can tell me without telling me what my own problems are, ha ha ha).

If you haven’t been following,you may want to check out the back-story rundown here:  If we’re keeping score, that’s Subway 1 and Quiznos 3½. That should explain the last email, and at the bottom there’s a rundown of all the ones that came before it (with links) if you’re interested.

Also… lots of people have been telling me they’re following… by word of mouth, or Facebook, or Twitter, and even via text message… but I beg you, if you’re reading… post a comment here, and others may have a comment about your comment.  I see by the stats that people are reading.  Don’t be shy.  We’re all friends here.  Except for you, people at Subway… Except for you.

Monday November 23, 2009   By Kevin Morrow

What a day I had yesterday. I played in an all day tournament at the University of California Irvine, I had a lot of fun. There was a lot of action during the day, from the interesting mellow drama of my transportation, to the mini series of events during the games. Throughout it all I learned a lot of new things about myself and about reality.

I began the day on a journey from Corona to San Bernardino then back to Irvine. I really didn’t know where the ARC (Anteater Recreation Center) was but I had a general idea of where the school was from memory. As I left to Irvine from San Bernardino I ended up in a construction area that had the freeway narrowed down to one lane. Normally I would be worried and panicking, because I was supposed to be at the gym at 9Am, and let’s just say…”I wasn’t going to make it there by 9Am.”

So instead of worrying, I kicked back, put on some music that reminded me of happiness, and I went with the flow. After I made it through the traffic it was straight coasting all the way through. Time flies when you are having, fun, or maybe it doesn’t exist. I eventually arrived at the campus of UCI and I had no idea where to go.

This was yet another example of how worrying would get me  nowhere. The cool thing was I just felt my way to the center. I had no directions and I had never been there before. I was tempted to ask these two ladies where it was but something told me to go with my gut. As a backup plan I would ask someone, because there was no shortage of people walking around, but I decided to go with my instincts.

Somehow by listening to my inner compass I found the ARC without a problem. Which was a huge relief, instantly I began to realize that maybe I know things that I don’t think I know. All of this goes well with previous things I have blogged about. But anyway, back to the subject.

The tournament ends and I have to go back to San bernardino, which is about an hour or more from where I was. It was dark outside and I found myself lost. Not really lost, but confused I guess you could say. I didn’t feel a knowing for where I was. Plus I didn’t know the street names. All I knew was I needed to get back to the 73 freeway.

So I head out in a direction and I feel like I am headed the wrong direction on a street named Culver, but I second guess myself and keep going. I decided to stop at a gas station and admit to myself that I didn’t know where I was. I go inside of the gas station in an attempt to ask directions.

I’m literally waiting in line for ten minutes behind this guy who is having a full on conversation with the clerk. I was tempted for a second to get angry, but then I calmed myself. I thought to myself, “What’s the point in being upset, I’m here this is happening right now so just chill and relax. Stop worrying there is nothing you can do to change it, so change your attitude. Enjoy this moment, maybe you will learn something. Besides your anger is in your imagination anyway.”

As soon as I finish that dialogue in my head, another clerk comes out from the back and asks to help me. I slide myself over to him and explain that I somehow got turned around and I’m looking for the 73 freeway. The clerk looks at me and has no answer, he looks at the other clerk, who also has no answer. Before I can even think, the same guy who was in front of me starts politely explaining to me where the 73 freeway was. All I had to do was turn around on Culver and keep going until I ran into it.

I thanked the gentleman three times and left him with a “Have a great night!” This was really cool to me, because I realized that without worrying everything worked itself out. But wait, there is more, this is were the story gets even better. I go all the way down Culver for what seemed like forever and I get to the 73 freeway.

Now before when I came up the 73 I didn’t have to pay a toll, and so I wasn’t event thinking about having to pay a toll. It was the last thing to cross my mind. I’m not paying attention to signs, I just hop on the onramp because I’m already late as it is getting back to San Bernardino. Then I start seeing these lights and a sign that says toll. I’m like “uh oh,” because I have no money on me. All I have is my debit card which is in the negative at the moment.

Naturally I start getting worried because there is this big sign that says $500 fine for people who go through the toll without paying. So for a brief 30 seconds I get worried. I mean how do I turn around on an onramp? So I start to calm down and I decide that I should just back up slowly with my hazards on because at this point I’m the only person on the road. I actually found 20 cents in the car but the toll was $1. So I’m calmed down and start telling myself not to worry because there is always a solution.

Then I see the headlights of a car, they pull up right behind me. Im sitting there, I look back in the rear view, they look at me, I look at them, they look at me, I look at them…I thought to myself that I was in a good situation because the young lady behind me was a pretty one and I could feel that she had a genuine care for others. All materialistic things aside however I thought to myself it would be awkward if I got out the car and asked for her help.

“So I looked back and said “Would you mind if I backed up and turned around?”

She said  “No I can back up, do you need me to?”

I was like “Yeah I’m a little lost and I wasn’t aware that this was a toll, I don’t have any cash on me.”

This young lady says not to “worry” about it she has a dollar in change to spare me.

I was like wow.

All I could say was Thank you several times, and I wished her a great night.

Out of all the people to run into at that time when there was nobody else on the road.She even told me she only hops on this part of the freeway to go down a couple exits.

And that my friends is how NOT worrying saved me from a $500 Fine.