Monday, February 09, 2009

by the light of the silvery moon...



Celebrating the full moon takes on somewhat epic proportions here in Thailand. The island of Ko Phangan is known throughout the world for its rave parties on the beach with anywhere upwards to 5-6,000 people scrambling for dance space on the beaches of Hat Rin. www.fullmoon.phangan.info




The island of Ko Lanta , however, takes a bit more mellow approach to this celebration but it is a celebration nevertheless...




there is something to be said for being near the ocean, under a brightly lit sky, listening to music, dancing with freinds, watching fire dancers do their thing in a semi-ecstatic state to the hard primal rhythms of techno and house... .







and to share in these sort of celebrations with freinds whom you have a bit of history with makes the occasion all the more special...









hope you all had a chance to do a little howling..

you know you are having a good day when..

you get a flat tire right directly in front of a motorbike/tire repair shop !



and the strange thing is, is that I was sensing something was wrong with my tire for a few days now and had been stopping and checking every few hours but everything seemed just fine (a strong hunch/premonition perhaps ?)

I even had the thought in my head that "hmm...so strange that I have never gotten a flat tire with all the riding that I have done here in the past few years..and how frustrating it would be to get one out in the middle of nowhere here.."

This thought had been heavily in my mind all week...

So when I heard a loud "snap, crackle, and POP" coming out from below my bike today and saw a long strip of rubber dragging out from behind my back wheel, I knew almost immediately what had just happened...and as I looked up to the left of me, lo and behold was a tire repair shop just a few feet away from me...and yes, a handful of mechanics and local shop owners were calmly sitting there, just smiling and laughing at my 'good fortune'...I even joked with them that they purposely put nails on the road in front of their shop just to get business !..(.I think they got my joke...)



so be careful what you think (as thoughts often come true) but also be so very thankful when synchronicity is working at its finest and you know you are exactly at the right place at the right time.....



ah, oh yes, my motorbike's license plate is #7, that's it-..my lucky number...always has been, always will be ...

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Butterflies are free..



and so are you, Mom...

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you......


You are missed, loved, and will never be forgotten...

fly free...


Friday, January 30, 2009

and let all the people say "Amen"....



According to the Webster dictionary, the word “amen” is an expression used at the end of prayers, and means:” So be it”.

At the end of a creed, it is a solemn asseveration of belief. When it introduces a declaration, it is equivalent to "truly, verily."

Another definition of the word says it is an expression “to approve warmly, to concur in heartily or emphatically; to ratify; as,
"I say Amen to all !" "

Lastly, I found an “esoteric” definition of Amen which means "who brings forth the hidden forms of things, the eternal workman, embodying the primitive ideas, is Wisdom,the author of being, the source of all life ... Goodness.”

Today the word "Amen "came in the form of a 5-year old Muslim boy at the foot of my balcony …A bit shy at first, Amen looked at me for a few moments as I sat and had my usual morning cup of coffee.


He has walked by my bungalow at this time for weeks now but has never stopped…until this morning..


Amen just stopped dead in his tracks this time, looked up at me , a bit seriously at first and within seconds he was smiling and making silly poses for me. And then, without a moment's notice, he proceeded to walk right up to my balcony, and made his way calmly into my little plastic white chair.

He then proceeded to carry on a conversation with me, all in Thai.


We didn’t know much of each other’s language (at all) but for the next 20 minutes, I laughed and loved from the very bottom of my gut with this most beautiful and playful young child. We hugged, gave each other high-five’s, took pictures of each other and just giggled a heck of a lot…Amen also seemed to have a particular affection for sitting upside down in chairs and talking at the same time..he didnt even blink a second as he just slid with his head over the edge of the plastic white seat and proceeded to talk to me, as if there was nothing wierd or strange about what he was doing.


I even showed Amen the pictures and video clip I took of him. He was absolutely fascinated . I think this may have been the very first time he has seen himself on film. What a wonderful moment to be a witness of.



Amen continued to walk right into my bungalow, had a look around, picked up some things off my floor and even was courteous enough to gently close my closet door with a special wooden latch I had never taken notice of before.

And then, without a word, he quietly walked out my door, waved good-bye , and strolled away, back to his little wooden home down the little dirt path to his wonderful little world of being a five-year old kid.

You, my dear open-hearted child, is what goodness to me is all about..

Amen…

Thursday, January 29, 2009

a dedication to mother nature..



I have just spent the past 5 days in one of the most beautiful parts of this planet- the area around Aonang and Railay beach continues to take my breath away year after year. It always seems like a dream when I return here. And even though the beaches are dotted with dozens of tourists, my eyes, ears, and spirit always seem to soar right up to the most awe-inspiring masses of rock in the distance...



mother nature is awesome....let's keep taking care of her.




the magic of a smile..



One can never be reminded enough of the power and innocence of a true smile...a smile from the gut, whether taken off guard or a bit posed..it is our way of shining our inside light to the outside world...

here are just some of the beautiful smiles I have come across in just the past 24 hours from both locals and "farangs" alike...

thinking of you...

from the official "land of smiles"..















Monday, January 26, 2009

a feast for the eyes...


With chinese new years , a solar eclipse and my being in a amazingly well-lit town, I thought I would just take a moment to share with you the many "light-filled" sights I have seen in just the past 24 here in Aonang. Both Mother Nature and General Electric compete for my attention here as I meander the streets of this tourist-laden town.

enjoy ..... and "Guey Hay Fat Choy!"