the practice garden

purple day

Yesterday was filled with the color purple.  It started with a very early flight from SFO to Seattle.  I was wearing the purple wrap shirt I had bought from Hong Kong.  After several meetings around the Seattle downtown area and a quick stop at the gym, it was time for dinner.  Nijo Sushi Bar & Grille was recommended by a colleague, so we walked several blocks down the hill to the restaurant.  The restaurant was decorated in purple and black along with purple napkins.  The sashimi was fresh and the caterpillar roll was yummy. 

We then headed to a place that my friend "would not go to without a date".  It was the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar.  I could see why as we entered the place.  The restaurant is two stories, very open and very over-the-top.  The restaurant reminded me of a cathedral with its dark interiors and huge round chandelier lights. Steel and glass frames wrap the restaurant and in the middle is a bar and a massive wine tower rising to the ceiling.  It was definitely the place to be and a place to return.

peaceful serenity of being

It is a new month and a new opportunity to rebuild what has been damaged and solidify positive changes that have occurred.  I am in the cleaning mode the past several days and things, internal and external, have been moved, removed, and reframed.    But even this does not bring enough quietness - the energy is exploding and there seems to be so much noise, so much to focus on and react to.

I was once at a temple where you had to locate the god that represented your day of birth.  You then had to pour the same number of glasses of water on his statute as your age.  After that, you placed your hand on the statute base and the priest would pray with you.  I suspect the number of pourings made for deep concentration because I remember a long time had past but I was not thinking of anything.  Suddenly, I 'woke up' startled and looked at the priest.  I think he knew that I had entered into a trance of some sort.  That was the first and last time I felt the serenity of just being.

My friend told me once that controlling your own emotions is a power that is yours alone.  Some people give away that power and thus, let others control their happiness or sadness.  Maybe the point is saying, 'I am choosing to be happy because of him' and not 'he makes me happy.'

eternal beauty

I saw this sign inside the imperial gardens in the Forbidden City. It is such a poetic way of saying - please keep off the gardens, do not pick the flowers, do not break off a thousand year stone structure so you can have a souvenir, etc.  Unfortunately, it takes time for people to appreciate timeless beauty and to learn how to be unselfish so that others may enjoy the same.

I wonder if the same phrase can be applied to all of our daily lives too - in career, relationships, care of others, and just being...

There are some voices you hear that make you feel content and at peace with yourself.  The voice of a mother provides safety.  The voice of a father brings strength.  The voices of sisters and brothers that bring laughter and childhood memories.  A voice of a lover brings reassurance that being is all there needs to be.

moments of inspiration

I harvested several of my lavender plants last weekend.  These are English lavenders and the seeds said they were 'true lavender' but I believe they are Hidcote lavender. Perhaps they are the same thing with different names?  They were so fragrant and the bulbs were vivid and colorful. I tied them in little bunches and shared them with friends.

It seems as if I am struggling the past few weeks with how things are and how they appear.  These illusions intensify in areas of the heart.  Is it all a big misconception of the mind?  Words carry more weight now without the intent behind it.  Where is all this coming from?

A friend told me this week that major events in his life happened during moments of inspiration and not from forced thought and manipulation.  Maybe when we inquire about things, perspectives change and inspiration sets in?  Or maybe, once in awhile, we just need to be still and inspiration will meet us somewhere along the road?

flowers within flowers

How can nature produce something so beautiful, sweet smelling and intricate?  I found this one in the peony garden across from the Forbidden City.
 
Peonies are hardy perennial plants.  They produce beautiful flowers in the spring and provide green foliage throughout the summer.  However, not many gardeners place these in their gardens.  I wonder why?  I never thought about growing them until now. 

They look so delicate and have such a rich history - they are the national flower for China and have been written and painted about in many famous works of art.  I assumed they were hard to grow, required lots of care and the first tubers would be expensive.  Little did I know until I started researching about them.  My lesson?  My assumptions and my perceptions are my own.  They may not be reality.

perceptions and reality

I am in Atlanta at a conference being with people I only see once a year now.  The day starts with me dragging myself out of bed, fighting to retain a sense of control over the jet lag.  Several meetings here and there with a quick dash into some sessions, I find myself in the room again answering emails. 

A quick shower and squirming into a girlie dress with sexy heels, I am downstairs waiting for my dinner companions.  Southern food, Mexican food, soul food.....drinks and lots of drinks.

There is an aquarium close by along with the Center of Design next to the hotel.  The first, I didn't have time to go see and the later, I only saw when my taxi was departing the hotel.  The past several weeks have been a whirlwind and I sometimes wonder if reality is really what is happening at the moment or where you wish to be.  This is the view of the hotel from the nightly hang-out.

inside the imperial garden

It has been difficult keeping up with space, time and reality. Each day passes by with so many events that I am unable to process or grasp its significance and subtleties. There are too many people to interact with lately in the work-life; and I am unable to have a coherent, personal conversation. I am longing to be home so I can play with my kitties and sit in the garden.

The Imperial Garden inside the Forbidden City and the park across from it was a haven for me after seeing so much destruction and sadness. Even with the massive flow of visitors, the grandness of the Garden cannot be disputed. It is unfortunate that so many visitors disrespect the signs of not touching the plants or stepping into the soft flower beds. 

The Dragonclaw date plant results from the grafting of its scion onto the stock of wild jujube. It is slow growing and its fruits are impossible to eat. However, its curly branches and leaf-stalks coupled with its quaint-shaped fruits add to the scenic beauty of the garden.

deliberately demanding

The 36th year came and went last week.  It wasn't so much a time for celebration as it was a time for cleaning-up.  I wanted to finish all my leftover tasks from the year before and not carry them to the new year.  I know the year will be full of surprises and events at every turn.  The people that surround me are new; but familiar to me.  I am excited by the lack of effort it takes to just be.

Thinking back, from the 35th to the 36 year, I did accomplish and experience many things.  I also met some wonderful people along the way.  In many ways, I am thankful for all that happened in that 34th year.  It is like a garden - rotting, dead, unhealthy parts must be removed in order for the new sprouts to grow.  But life is full of surprises and the very similar struggle that I went through is now something I am witnessing from the outside.  Sympathetic, I am.  Educational, it is.  Even karma has a sarcastic humor once in awhile.

There are over 200 different species of Iris and they come in all different colors.  I planted these along the border for spring colors four years ago one autumn day.  They have bloomed every early spring since then but this year, like most of the other flowers, they are late.  "Iris" is a Greek word, meaning 'rainbow'.  It was named after the Greek goddess Iris, messenger of the gods and the personification of the rainbow.  He acted as the link between heaven and earth.  Later, the irises became linked with the French monarchy and the fleur-de-lis eventually became a national symbol of France.  

bringing in light

I was in Chicago several weeks ago and had a chance to see a small sample of architectural wonders there.  It has been some time since I have studied or thought about architecture and architects.  This month started with reminders and reflections of the past. 

I used to have a fascination with buildings, materials and design years ago.  I used to have an attraction to people in this world.  The ideas and questions of the past still surface even though so many new things have taken my attention recently.  I suppose we never really lose interest in the things that we naturally gravitate to.  I miss designing and selecting materials and understanding forms and significance.  This prompted me to call my architect friends whom I seem to have abandoned some years ago. 

This is a snapshot of the ceiling inside the Rookery Building.  It used to be the Central Safety Deposit Company and stands twelve stories high.  It was the tallest building in the world at the time of its origin in 1886.  The light court allows natural light to reach the interior offices and in 1906, Frank Lloyd Wright updated the design of the light court and lobbies of the building.  He replaced the light fixtures with new ones that he designed.  He also redesigned the mezzanine stair in white marble and covered it with an intricate incising and painted it with a gold leaf gild.

perfect scene

I have taken many vacations in the past to far off places and have experienced the rough to the most luxurious settings.  For some reason though this vacation/work tour left me with a feeling of contentment and empowerment.  Perhaps it is the arrangments made by my friend that caused it to be so enjoyable.  Or, maybe it was the mixture of purpose and leisure that made the trip more memorable. 

I am sitting inside the open pavilion of the bar area of our resort staring at the delta.  The day was hot but not too humid.  We had wandered around several old temples nearby and I was ready to relax a bit for the night.

The infiniti pool, the lighted umbrella and the smell of jasmine in the air created the perfect scene for a photo.  The sun is setting and the dust in the air is causing these beautiful blue and purplish hues in the sky to form.  I wish we had more time so I could wander on the beach and watch the fishermen bring in their catch for the day.  Or, enjoy a walk in the sand that will soon be covered with water from the monsoon rains.