Year: 2014

Be Like A Butterfly

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A wise friend once gave me some great relationship advice. He said, “Sam, you need a man who can see you are like a butterfly. Someone that allows you to flitter and flatter out into the world, do your thing, and then have a safe home to return to.” Looking back I’d say he was spot on. On my morning hike today, I was lucky enough to see some beautiful butterflies about, every kind of colour and size you can imagine. Moving effortlessly from flower to flower, dancing about, completely absorbed in the beauty of the moment, and then the next, and the next… We can learn a lot from our dear little winged friends. They embody a feeling of playfulness, a lightness of being, joy, beauty and of course transformation. Symbolically they represent the world of the soul and remind us “not to take things too seriously and to get up and move”. Mostly I think they remind us to be present, feel the beauty of the NOW and love every moment of it. Find out more symbolically about these …

Take Me To The Mountains (or ocean, or forrest)

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I went for a hike up beautiful Shoushan this morning, or as us foreigners like to call it, Monkey Mountain. It reminded me to feel lucky; lucky enough to live in a country where I can easily access the beauty around me. I think back to when I lived in South Africa. I really had it all, but didn’t quite know it. I lived on the beach. That’s right, literally the beach was across the road from my house. And I enjoyed hearing the waves crashing when I fell asleep and the cool sea breeze. I often even walked on the beach. But what I forgot to do, was get in the ocean. I spent years and years denying myself the joy of swimming. Too scared to venture in, not because of great whites, but because I didn’t want to be seen. Living in Taiwan has taught me to get in. I hike, I swim, I explore the beauty around me. I get excited about stuff. I stopped doing that back home, and I’ve realised it’s essential for …

Where’s Home?

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They say ‘home is where your heart is’, but what does that mean anyway? That ‘home’ is with the person or place you love the most? I’ve had many physical homes on the path that I’ve chosen, enjoying the newness of setting up house in foreign lands. Of course, South Africa will always be my ‘home’, the place where I was born and where my family and friends reside. But as I travel longer and longer on this path, I’m learning to find my home in my heart. Because ultimately isn’t that where all the love in the entire universe resides? Right here, inside my tiny little heart. And the further I seem to travel, the closer I get to myself. Layers unfold, judgements melt, realisations occur, here, now. Sometimes all I really want to do is squeeze someone I love, and I can’t, and that reminds me of my aloneness. But then I remember that life is transient, people come, people go, change occurs whether we like it or not. And all we really have is …

How We Did Palawan

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My mom and I spent a magical week in Palawan in July, and here’s a detailed blog about how we did it. But first here are some of our highlights… HIGHLIGHTS El Nido was definitely the highlight of our trip. Here’s a map I drew for my cousin with my favourite places highlighted. Island hopping tours – we only did Tour A which was great. We used Pearl Gates Tours, they were excellent. Normal price is 1200 pesos but we paid 1000 pesos ($22) each for a day tour from 9am – 2pm including lunch (yummy fresh fish, octopus, salad, fruit, rice) including snorkelling gear. Our guide was really funny too! There are many tour companies to choose from, but I can recommend these guys. If you are coming down the main road towards the beach, they are located down the main side road (to the right) closest to the beach. Walk down a while and they are just past the first massage shop you see on the right hand side. They also organised our transportation …

The Place That Stole My Heart

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I spent the last week in a very special place, with a very special person (my mama) in a little town tucked away on an island in Northern Palawan, Philippines. What makes this little town so special you ask? Perhaps it is its quaint and quirky feel; the fact that it essentially only has 3 main roads running throughout; a plethora of beautiful islands surrounding it; or that it takes a 6 hour bumpy and sometimes dangerous van ride from the island’s main city to access this little gem. The long journey there makes the final destination ever more so inviting. I like that there is no electricity though out the town from 6am to 2pm daily, and that I can walk from one end to the other by foot or take a cheap tricycle ride for only 50 pesos ($1). This town has a certain charisma, its beauty subtly draws you in and begs you to let go and enjoy the simple pleasures of island life. It’s really hard not to be happy in a place like this, …

Organic Fare at Dry Goods Market

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I love going to the Dry Goods Market just off Jianguo 3rd Road, it’s a real treat full of traditional fare and it’s cheap, cheap, cheap. My Taiwanese friend introduced it to me months ago and I haven’t been back. I had some time to kill in the area this week so I took a stroll over and had a wander. I’m glad I did! There is everything from different kinds of soy sauces, vinegars, coconut milk, grains, spices, dried fruit and nuts to candy, dried mushrooms and tea, lots of tea. And you can taste! What I found this time though was an organic store, not everything is organic but a lot is. They have organic grains like barley, millet, quinoa (red & mixed variety), oats and different kinds of rices (even organic wild rice from the US that looks delicious). They are located quite far down the alley on the right I think. The shop assistant said that lots of foreigners come there to buy grains and of course nuts. They have a selection of …

A Time To Let Loose

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This Friday’s upcoming full moon in fun-loving Sagittarius should be called the party moon, and not the strawberry moon as it’s known in the U.S. In contrast to New Moons which represent rebirth and new beginnings, Full Moons embody clarity and obtainment of desire. Basically, every month we get a chance to hone in on our desires, figure out what we really want, and then plant them like seeds into the universe on the eve of New Moon. Then we wait patiently for our intentions to blossom, and on Full Moon simultaneously release what no longer serves us. Aren’t we lucky folk? The moon & me The moon cycles have always been a part of our lives and we can see her effects throughout nature and within ourselves. As Selacia describes on her blog, “The moon governs the natural world as well as our emotions, instincts, intuition, and unconscious. It is related to water, the element often described as being furthest from the rational realm.” We are of course made of 70% water, how can we not …

Wisdom from a Tree

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I got chased out my apartment this morning by very loud drilling resonating from downstairs. There was just no way I could meditate at home, so I got dressed and headed out to the park. Even though I love meditating in the park, I was slightly annoyed. So off I trotted and found a spot of shade under a big, beautiful tree that I often meditate near. As I was about to begin, I couldn’t help but be disturbed by the obvious traffic noise beside me. I considered moving deeper into the park but it was already very sunny and hot and not much shade available. Then I thought maybe I should stick with this. I looked up at this big, sturdy tree in front of me and wondered how he manages to stay so calm amidst all the chaos. So strong, so serene, so steady. The complete opposite of me. I wanted some of that. And then it hit me. There’s always that quiet, peaceful place within us. I know people often say that, but have you ever …

The Lies We Tell Ourselves

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I woke up yesterday morning feeling like I’d been on a nostalgic road trip with my ex. This was no regular ex, but the love of my life, my ex-fiance. my best buddy. He was the closest I’d come to unconditional love, with him I felt truly loved, but of course I didn’t appreciate it at the time, I was young and stupid. Now this was a very surreal feeling. Firstly, I found it strange that he was in my consciousness at all as I hadn’t thought or spoken about him in a long while and hadn’t seen him on Facebook. But when I woke up it felt as real as it did 6 years ago and tears trickled from my eyes. It got me writing – writing about my guilt and regret, my feelings, my resentment, anger and love. I also wrote in gratitude for all the beauty we shared. This sense of sadness stayed with me throughout the day and I wallowed in it a little, I played some Snow Patrol – that always reminds me of him and makes me …

Update on ‘A Month Without Facebook’

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So I did it, a whole month without Facebook, and to be honest it felt good. It wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be and I was far more productive, focused on things that are important to me (as I mentioned in  my previous blog). I felt freer and strangely more empowered. Now I am back on Facebook, and already feel myself falling into old patterns again, and it’s only been a week. Hmmm… The problem is it’s too easy to get sucked into looking at something and then suddenly an hour has gone and I’m browsing through people’s random lives, filling my mind with unnecessary clutter (a similar effect as watching too much TV). This ‘stuff” then subconsciously stays on my mind, and I woke up this morning realising I’d dreamt about someone I hadn’t seen since schooldays. I don’t like this feeling of something having control over me, and I don’t want my mind unknowingly filled with other people’s crap. So I should just delete my account and be done with it… …

Put Me In Your Suitcase…

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Let me help you pack ‘Cause you’re never coming backNo, you’re never coming backCook me in your breakfastAnd put me on your plate‘Cause you know I taste greatYeah, you know I taste great Devendra Banhart “At the Hop” The first time I heard this song was on a mix tape that my friend made me. I was leaving Johannesburg and moving back to my hometown Durban. Paul was the Creative Director at the company I worked for – I always remember making fun of him. He was this 40-something, glasses-wearing, non-drinking, vegetarian that lived in hip Melville and listened to strange folk music. I always thought he was cool in an odd way and loved hanging with him, as friends. At the time I was in my early twenties – young, a little self-obsessed, partying and definitely still eating meat. Put me in your dry dreamOr put me in your wetIf you haven’t yetNo, if you haven’t yetLight me with your candleAnd watch the flames grow highNo, it doesn’t have to tryIt doesn’t have to try I never …

Hanging at ‘always a+’ Cafe

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I love finding new cafes to hang out at, and since I’ve moved to my new hood, the Cultural Centre area in Kaohsiung, I’ve been lucky enough to come across many hidden little gems. I sometimes feel like I’m back in Japan and love it. This morning I met my student at always a+ cafe, just 5 minutes up the road from my house. They offer brunch (open at 8am) and lunch sets – I had Korean kimchi style ramen and my student had Japanese udon noodles. Simply delicious and reasonably priced! It came with a choice of coffee, green or black tea. I really like that there’s so much light inside the cafe and the counters provide an ideal workspace. And there is, of course, free wi-fi. They also play great music (this morning was a repeat of The Lumineers album unplugged), at just the right volume. I’ll most definitely be back for a visit soon. If you want to check it out, here’s the address, it’s just off Zhongshan 2nd Road in Qianjin …

A Month Without Facebook

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Well 7 days so far, and counting. Inspired by Leo Babauta of Zen Habit’s “A Year of Living Without” blogs I decided to take on the challenge. He is one of my favorite bloggers and every month he writes a beautiful piece on something he’s lived without – be it sugar, sitting all day, restaurants, coffee or all day internet, every blog is insightful and inspiring. I have had a break from Facebook once before but only lasted about a week until I was lured back in. There are of course some things that I love about Facebook, especially as an expat living abroad, but lately it’s felt more like an energy vampire than a friend. This past week I have been super productive. I feel like I’ve had more time (and energy) to focus on things that I love doing or that I’ve wanted to start but have procrastinated over. So far this week I’ve: – started going to early morning chi kung classes in the park (followed by some yoga) – started learning Chinese – been blogging again – …

Food. Shelter. Love.

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What else do you need? I really enjoyed this recent Ted Talk by Mathias Lefebvre (aka Piano Man). His message is simple yet profound. And although it sounds idealistic and completely impossible in this current state of living, it’s most definitely something to aspire to. He asks us this question – what do we truly need to be happy in our lives? It’s a lot, LOT less than we think.

The Power of ‘Shreem’

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I’ve started doing my daily mantra meditation again and it feels good. Having experimented with  different mantras over the years, I seem to be pulled back to the one that my guru Christine (beautiful yogi and friend) gave me years ago. It was a gift offered to me after I completed by Yoga Teacher Training in 2008. At the time I was told that we shouldn’t share our special mantra with anyone as it would lose its power (I think this is traditional TM meditation practice), but I feel that the mantras are universal and all-powerful, so why can’t they be shared? We are, after all, one. What is Mantra Chanting Simply put, each mantra represents a certain sound frequency (energy) that dates back to ancient times. Mantras work on the principle of ‘like attracts like’, so the more you chant a specific mantra, the more those qualities will be developed in you. Mantras are vibrations, and as we know, we are made of energy, each vibrating at a different frequency – mantras have the power …

Taste Totally

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I’ve been thinking a lot about balance lately… mostly how I can get more of it in my life. The thing is, it seems balance can’t be forced. After all, it’s a natural law of the universe. I love this story from “The Book of Understanding” by OSHO: “In paradise one afternoon, in its most famous cafe, Lao Tzu, Confucius, and Buddha are sitting and chatting. The waiter comes with a tray that holds three glasses of the juice called “Life,” and offers them. Buddha immediately closes his eyes and refuses; he says, “Life is misery.” Confucius closes his eyes halfway – he is a middlist, and asks the waiter to give him the glass. He would like to have a sip – but just a sip, because without tasting how can one say whether life is misery or not? Confucius had a scientific mind; he was not much of a mystic, he had a very pragmatic, earthbound mind. He takes a sip and he says, “Buddha is right – life is misery.” Lao Tzu takes …