That ingredient of Life

"Someone said Brecht wanted everybody to think alike. I want everybody to think alike... Everybody looks alike and acts alike, and we're getting more and more that way." Andy Warhol commenting on social mechanization in 1963.

 Tomato-based catfish Soup

Makes me wonder how we are all the same and more interestingly how we are different. Seems like there is this special ingredient that is hidden in a capsule (so to speak) that is buried within us when we are born. Our goal perhaps is to find this capsule and unravel it before it dissolves away, or gets hidden by tons of other things that mean much less to us. Our body and our senses are very much the same. They are subjected to all kinds of distractions, temptations and naturally, an operating system that program us to be whatever nationality we are and all the associated quirks.

Adapted from Obedience School 101

 It's easy to see the special ingredient, it seems, if we are artists, musicians, or writers; whether we follow our 'calling' or give in to the 'programming sequence' is another question. Money, and security comes with the operating system especially if it's made in Singapore. It may be quite baffling when the special ingredient is not quite so apparent but it's there nevertheless. That's probably the main reason why we are different. Some people simply love watching TV above everything else (why not go into that industry one way or another), others may be gregarious in nature and the service industry may be a perfect match. Bottom line is, we have to consciously search for that buried capsule with our very own x-factor, and find a place in the world where we can fully utilize it, unravel it. That, I suspect, is part of the secret to happiness. When we are in our element, we can only get better.

No Parking on Rooftops

If we allow the operating system complete control, then inevitably, we'll get lost somewhere and we'll start to wonder where we're heading, and whether it's worth it. Many things that we seemingly need are not worth the trouble. Life can really be better with less, if what’s left is what you love.

;)

New cat art gifts and collectibles!

Catmasutra cat art is based on the real-life adventures of the artist and his two cats. The adventures begin somewhere between this reality and the dream world of imagination. It’s like an “in-between” world, a gap that perhaps the cats are the best navigators, and the artist a hitchhiker, grateful for the directions in a purely weightless realm. The world is never a mechanical thing, set in its course, bland and monotonous but it is always expanding with possibilities; It's up to us to see the full potential according to our own vision. No one else can think exactly how each of us think, or feel and for this reason, no other person or authority can judge what we really need to make our life more complete as ourselves. We must find out for ourselves what our nature needs to bring it permanent happiness. Then comes the harder part, to let go of our fears and find the freedom to be ourselves completely. This is the world of catmaSutra cats, a world made up of imagination and stories, of childish things, of fairy tales, mythmaking, and all the flights of fancy that grants this artist his
delight.

"The highest truth is something imagined,

not proved, and that it comes not in arguments

but in stories..."

Cat lovers alert! Now you can own a little piece of the latest Catmasutra cat art pieces on these cute, vibrant and adorable cat art collectibles! Filled with irrepressible charm & wit, the collection includes keepsake boxes, framed tiles, tote bags, tile coasters, cat art magnet.

More of the latest designs coming your way soon!

Time...

"No need to announce the future.
This now is it. This.
Your deepest need and desire
is satisfied by the moment's energy
here in your hand."
~Rumi

Time - a curious thing. Seems like it was from a dream... time as a stream where you can touch and take a swim in. Swimming backwards seems easier than forward, but each time it gets so shallow that you just stand up and walk out, realizing that you have just wasted your time. The future's like an open sea - it doesn't seem to have a point, nor does it need to have one. It's just that, the open sea. The present is the future. Slowing time down to a standstill... the ultimate bliss ;)

Love this video...
(Makes me think of time...)

Lifetime Spring/Summer 2010 from Trevor Fleming on Vimeo.

;)

Sunscreen

EVERYBODY'S FREE (TO WEAR SUNSCREEN) by BAZ LUHRMAN (edited)

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth;
oh never mind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.

Don’t worry about the future;
or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.

The real troubles in your life
are apt to be things that never crossed
your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday

Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts,
don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss Don’t waste your time on jealousy;
sometimes you’re ahead,
sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end,
it’s only with yourself.


Remember the compliments you receive,
forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters,
throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know
what you want to do with your life…
the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22
what they wanted to do with their lives,
some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees,
you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry,
maybe you won’t,
maybe you’ll have children,
maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40,
maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…

what ever you do,
don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either –
your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can…
don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it,
it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own...


Dance…
even if you have nowhere to do it
but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines,
they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.


Be nice to your siblings;
they are the best link to your past
and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,
but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle
because the older you get, the more you need the people
you knew when you were young.

Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise,
politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do
you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable,
politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you.
Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse;
but you never know when either one might run out.


Be careful whose advice you buy,
but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts
and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…
&
magic beans...

;)