The Power of Dualism

The subject or idea of dualism was only presented to me fairly recently. Say in the past couple of years. I have a strong suspicion that it's because of society today that it did not exist for me to consider the good in every bad, the love in every hate, or more simply, the non-existence in the existing.

It is easier to understand that one fails to exist without the other, but applying that to all emotions and experiences is the hard part. Although when done, it churns out the beautiful magic of empathy.

Yesterday, Michael and I were invited to go to this Hindu temple down the road to a "mini" Thaipusam festival, which didn't turn out to be so "mini". For those of you who don't know, Thaipusam is a Hindu festival that celebrates the greatness of Lord Murugan, a son of Shiva. By showing their appreciation for him, the devotees pull large beautifully decorated Kavadis (chariots) to and from temples using metal hooks and rods pierced through their skin. What's so amazing about this is that no pain is felt, as all devotees are inducted in a trance where it is believed that they are wholly under the protection of the deity who will not allow any blood shed or sufferance.

Guess what? This was actually the inspiration for me to write this post :)
(Excuse the crap quality photos)

Being a Malaysian, we celebrate all cultural and religious festivals native to our homeland, so I've been to Batu Caves many times to celebrate Thaipusam with my Hindu friends. From what I know, Thaipusam is a happy and colourful festival that celebrates faith, perseverance and penance.

Not so "mini"

A devotee must be completely immersed in a trance, induced by chanting, loud drumming and incense, before he or she is allowed to carry a Kavadi. Some may be totally freaked out by this and some may even say that bad spirits have possessed them. After hearing all this, I realised that this is where the power of dualism comes into play. It is all a matter of perspective, surface analysis and most of all, us trying to categorise things we don't understand.

Stole this image from Google #mycitation

Whether it be a deity or a bad spirit, these are two separate entities that require the same amount of energy from us, just like love and hate, making them both the same thing.

Before you jump at me, the statement below is just a thought...

So, if I apply the same concept to God and the Devil, the two extremes of all religions, I can conclude that they are the same thing. It is our perception that makes one different from the other, giving it our very own opinionated levels of good or bad, based on our previous experiences and memories.

You are as bad as your enemy ;)
World peace.

My View in 360°

Let's not dwell on and dramatise the metaphorical meaning of the title, because you're not getting it!!! hahahah!

When Christopher Colombus discovered the Earth was a spherical mass (based on mainstream history, not going to argue about that now), I don't think many people, besides the obvious super gung-ho existentialists and pantheists, think about this enough times to fully absorb the meaning of 360. Honestly, I haven't even tried. After all, what each of us see through our eyes is a matter of perspective, isn't it?

Sri Lanka has given me a taste on what it's like to experience the 360 limit of our perspective. Okay, maybe not "limit", it makes it sound like I'm putting a cap on the human ability, even though it's true. Let's try... magnitude. Yes, the 360 magnitude of our perspective.

So apparently, you get blue whales in Sri Lanka. DID YOU KNOW THAT???? Good. Nor did we. On our third day here, we were invited to go whale watching by our neighbours, the nature conservationists - Daya and Chamila. Still not convinced we were going to see any whales, off we went on this whale escapade at 6 in the bloody morning.

Sunrise in Trincomalee

We got in a boat and as it started scooting towards the horizon, the land we left behind got smaller and smaller, and eventually it disappeared. Looking around, you only got the same frame as the last - blue water, blue water and more blue water. It was then that I fully absorbed the magnificence around me, where I stood amongst all the other things on this planet, and most of all I was given the chance to admire the beautiful curvature of the Earth in its full natural colour that we sometimes neglect to see.

Before I could go on daydreaming further about what was spherical and what was not, this little pup popped up to the surface. (Only that it wasn't really a pup, it was a full-fledged water-spouting, tail-flapping, krill-eating blue whale.)

Trincomalee, where we're based right now, has been a very nice surprise so far, especially for its heart-warming people with heart-warming smiles, and of course, the amazing food. Besides the lack of jellybeans, this wonderful little place will always mean something special to me because this was where Michael and I began a new chapter in our lives.

Africa - The Motherland

There are only TWO words to describe Africa - Big and Braai

I have to say, I had a wonderful time in South Africa. Finally saw my man after four long ass months, it got to a point where I was starting to forget what he looked like in real-life. Four months may not seem long for some, but it was tough for me. As I was saying, I had a wonderful time there, I touched a cheetah, swam in great white shark infested water and met his whole family for the first time - the warmest and most pleasant people I know.

Again, I can't describe how amazing this experience was, just like my Nepal trip. It's the type of "WOW" where you can stand looking forever at the postcard perfect picture in front of you. What blew me away the most were the beaches, they went on and on for miles, and when the view does stop, the horizon cuts to the Indian Ocean that promises more miles to come.

 Massive sand dunes on Nahoon Beach

Yellow Sands on the way to Chefani.

So whilst chillin' in the home of the Big Five, I thought I should probably pay them a visit. Inkwenkwezi is a private Game Reserve in East London (Buffalo City), about a 20 minute drive away from Michael's place. Here I met the lions, cheetah (singular as there was only 1), the elephants and the odd rabbit now and again. And yes, they were all pretty big :)

Here... kitty kitty :)

BFFs for life.

The massive safari truck

My "glamour" shot on the massive safari truck

Kisses from the elephant. 

Peekaboo, I see you!!!! Mr. Zebra.

See? I told you everything is big here.

I will also never forget this experience, because this is where I came up with a theory on Parallel Universes. Which I tried my hardest to explain to Michael, but it came out in a whole salmagundi of words, bless his soul for giving me the time of day to try and understand my gibberish. So I figured it's probably for the best that I take time to plot it out step by step and when that's done, try and share it again. #paradigmshiftinmybrain

Upper deck : ME ----- Lower deck : Also ME

Paaaaahahahahah..

While I was there, we looked for work that would hire the both of us as a couple, and we landed ourselves with a job in Sri Lanka, The Pearl of the Indian Ocean. So from one side of the Indian Ocean to the other, Ayubowan.

Wanderlust

Only defined by : A strong desire to travel.

After being questioned by loads of people and getting stared back at with blank faces when I told them I don't know what I'm going to do, and it really doesn't matter where I go, it has made me realise that I am truly happy with my life, my decisions and most importantly, myself.

A few epiphanies have hit me whilst day-dreaming behind my desk during a full-on workday.
ONE : I don't belong here.
TWO : I don't belong here.
THREE : I don't belong here.
FOUR : It's time for change.
FIVE : I want to swim with manatees.

Early 2013, I landed myself with an office job. Something very new to me and only seen in the movies. I thought I did it, I found the ultimate solution to the difficulties in life. Here, I get a pretty decent salary every month, with health and EPF benefits, and if your teeth need fixing, dental benefits too. I actually managed to convince myself that this was a good idea and that this was the best solution to a balanced lifestyle. Balanced, my ass.

So here I am now, sitting at my desk on my last day of work, with no mixed feelings or regrets, ready to take on any new experiences that life has to offer. (Inside, fireworks are exploding and gorillas are shaking my ribcage, super excited, feeling like a little girl again.) - True story, the evidence is in the bad punctuation in that last sentence.

FIRST STOP, SOUTH AFRICA!!! Finally seeing my man after 4 fucking longggggggg months!!
Stay tuned for updates!!!

Make-up for the Soul

Happy New Year!!!

As promised here's the homemade make-up recipe. It doesn't provide much coverage, but it's enough.

The cosmetic industry uses thousands of synthetic chemicals in their products, which I thought, can't be that good for you if it's used to clean industrial equipment, stabalise pesticides and grease gears. As we all know, there are many loopholes in the federal law everywhere, so the consumers end up having to deal with cancer causing ingredients in things that they think are harmless to them, something as simple as a bottle of hand wash.

Here's a more friendly foundation/bronzer you can use to substitute the nasty stuff.

- Arrowroot powder
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cocoa powder
- Jojoba oil (optional for making the mix a compact)

In a big bowl, start with a tablespoon of arrowroot powder if you have dark/tanned skin like me, and 3 tablespoons of it if you're fairer.
Cinnamon, nutmeg and cocoa are three different shades of brown, so just mix them into the arrowroot powder, adding one or the other until you get the right tone. SIMPLE!

If you prefer compact, while stirring the mixture of powders, slowly drop in 5 drops of jojoba oil. When it's well mixed, pour everything into a container and press it down hard with a spoon. VOILA!

Pressed to a compact.

Body Chow

I wouldn't call this an epiphany, but I guess it is. On Wednesday last week, 18th December 2013, I decided to ditch all body, hair and beauty products that contained chemicals in it. My dad thinks I am now insane after he witnessed me cracking an egg over my head.

It all started with an annoying and painful battle with dandruff that led to a sensitive scalp. I had always subconsciously wanted to be chemical free, but never really thought it through or gave it any whacks. So maybe a year a go, I decided to make this a conscious effort and stop using conditioner. It was good for a while, and then, it all went downhill when I switched to the Satan of ALL hair products, Himalaya Protein Shampoo, obviously by none other than The Himalayan Drug Company. My scalp was in ruins.

I only realised after reading other healthcare blogs that shampoo, conditioner and all these other products actually aren't very good for you. So from then on, I began on my journey of discovering what I should be giving my body, instead of what I should be force feeding it with.

DISCOVERY 1 :
Yahoo to No 'Poo!
It's been 8 days, which means, my second installment of the Egg and Lemon combo. I'll be keeping this to a weekly routine (Wednesdays, if anyone wants to join in), just so I can have a clean scalp throughout the working week, and leave the intensive oil treatments for the weekends. At least this way, the oils have a day or two to soak in, and my hair won't look stringy and gross at the office.

Le egg mon recipe :
Simpler than beating a drum. Beat in an egg and juice of 1 lemon, pour over hair and massage into scalp. I usually leave it in for an hour, then wash it off with water.

On days that are not Wednesdays, I just rinse and massage my scalp with water and on the weekends, COCONUT OIL!!! I also keep a bottle of Argan oil in my bag to apply daily during the day.

Now, the trick about coconut oil, is getting rid of it. I leave it in for an hour, then do the first HOT WATER rinse. Rinse twice daily with hot water for 2 days and it should almost be out of your hair. It must be hot water so that the oil doesn't harden. I have to say, after these 7 days, my dandruff has completely disappeared!!!

DISCOVERY 2 :
Aging with Grace.
I only started this yesterday, but my face is already feeling radiant and fresh. Be it a psychological or physical improvement in my complexion, I'm pretty sure the natural stuff is better in the long run than the clinical bottled products I used to use.

The curer of them all, saviour of acne, and the protector from all baddies, COCONUT OIL. I use just a tiny bit everyday to remove my makeup (I will be writing another post on homemade makeup). I've also made this paste-like facial scrub, for my face to be exfoliated 3 times a week.

Cinna-comb recipe :
It's just a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and honey. You may adjust the consistency of either ingredients depending on the smell and the feel you want. Take a step further and add a teaspoon or two of coconut oil for those of you with dry skin for moisture.

Recipe taken from this site.

So far so good, I smell like a walking dessert and my pug, Eva, won't stopping licking my face after a wash.


Next post will be about making homemade makeup and a touch of coconut oil pulling.
Keeping it real.

Kehe-kehe

First of all, Merry Christmas!!!

These past few years have been a whirlwind of a ride. From obsessions with alien invasions, the UFC, Nassim Haramein's finite theories and spirituality, to air frying everything, crossfit, finding the man of my dreams and hiking in Nepal??!!

Only to discover that the latter group of experiences are the finer things in life. 

I also learnt that information is all around, what you choose to do with it plays a big role in how it enhances you, as a person.

Trekking the Himalayas, I must say, is one of the most phenomenal things I've ever done in my life. I have said many times before that everything should always be about the journey and not about the result. Something I thought I understood, but it was clear that I was no where near the comprehension of this concept until I experienced this journey.

I used to question the point of hiking a hill/mountain, when all you do is struggle to go up and when you get to the top, come straight down. Then, it dawned upon me that this was what experiencing the journey meant.

BY NO MEANS was this hike an easy one. It consisted of a 5 day hike, 8 hours a day, some freak weather where it rained for 3 days non-stop, eating the same food almost everyday, fighting with other hikers to dry your clothes, no electricity, no water (meaning no showers at times) and the most difficult one of all, you questioning your own willpower. 

Besides willpower, which HAD to be questioned every 5 steps, the Himalayan mountain range has one of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen in my entire life. The mountains are draped with millet and paddy fields, farms, villages and most of all, the most beautiful trees on this planet.

Here are some of the photos from the trip. I can't really describe what it was like because no words can actually describe what I experienced. I only know that I almost passed out when I was standing on this hilltop, and suddenly, the clouds cleared revealing the majestic Annapurna South and Machapuchare (The Sacred Fish Tail).

Kathmandu, where everything started. Especially the shopping.

So happened we arrived on the first day of Darshain. 

The Nepalis' equivalent to Deepavali.

There's me getting blessings from my parents.

Mom and dad putting barley in my ears. 

 Landscape of the Himalayan mountain range - Paddy fields.

The beautiful Pokhara lake.  

 Child who showed me his wee wee after I took this photo.

Little old lady who hosted us and made the most amazing Tibetan cornbread. 

 Machapuchare poking out of the clouds. Hello!!

 Omg, Annapurna South, I was speechless at this point.

 Moo

 The village on the other mountain, is actually Landruk. Well done for signage.

 Baby lambs on our descent towards Syauli Bazaar (last stop).

Millet, to be fermented into a local alcohol called Raksi. My dad's best friend for quite a few nights.

Here is the Poon Hill trek :)

So we made it. That's important. Went up to an altitude of 3210m and I don't really want to know how long and how far we walked, but it was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything in the world, not even WiFi.