Friday, 28 September 2012

on Sep 27, 2012

The Rabbit Hole of Worry. ~ Nicole Newman

“To be addicted is bad. It gives you a kind of dependency. And all addictions are bad…To me transcendence comes out of your experience. You see the futility of something and the addiction drops.”

~ Osho

Most of us are addicted to something.

Emotional states, work, pleasure, pain, drugs, caffeine, nicotine, Facebook, food, gambling, lying, obsessing, stealing, shopping…even yoga can become an unhealthy addiction.
I am addicted to worrying.
If there is not something imminent to worry about, I create a daunting chimera. Breaking this cycle has been an arduous challenge—my worries create self-doubt, which snowball into a cocktail of confusion, anxiety, fear and unhappiness—the most frustrating part is that I know my worries are enervating and undermine my endeavors.
Aggressively battling an addiction can be like cutting the head off of a hydra. The result? Several ferocious heads swiftly grow back in its place.
By definition, addiction is “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.”

Studying yoga in Mysore, India, has highlighted my addiction to comfort and the worry that ensues when I experience discomfort.

I need a Western toilet, supplied with ample toilet paper and anti-bacterial soap. I need a pillow that properly supports my neck if I am ever to fall asleep. I need specific types of food at specific times if I want to practice without a belly ache. I need to adhere to my arbitrarily prescribed schedule of productivity if I am to have any peace of mind.
My mind is filled with predetermined “if…then” scenarios.
Slowly and somewhat begrudgingly, I am accepting that my needs are actually wants and many times, first-world desires or luxuries; worry exacerbates the discomfort.
India has cajoled me into experiencing the wisdom captured by the Rolling Stones: “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well you might find, you get what you need.”
I let go a tiny bit more each day; these mini-releases provide me with physical space, as my muscles release their death grip on my joints and mental space, as I have more freedom to engage my mind in interesting thoughts. (My mom compares the mind to a pizza pie, which can only be divided into so many slices, just like the mind can only be occupied with a certain number of thoughts.)
In addition to a deep-dive study of Ashtanga yoga, I came to India to face my worries—intensive behavior therapy served straight up.
For a person like myself, who is obsessed with cleanliness, order and (admittedly, a false) sense of control over life’s variables, India is a raw and palpable shock to the system.
The first two weeks, I found myself clenching my jaw as I navigated the lane-less, polluted roads of downtown Mysore, trying not to touch any part of the auto-rickshaw in which I was encased. Repulsed by people spitting and urinating in the streets, I was terrified that a communicable disease awaited me at every corner.

Trying to gain a sense of control in India is like tussling with a tsunami; inevitably, you’ll get knocked on your ass.

Surrendering to this whirlwind of experiences has been intense, but well worth the emotional strife, as I notice tiny changes and shifts in my thinking and a strengthening of my character.
But for every step forward, I often take two (and sometimes three) steps backward; I am starting to be okay with that, because I feel seeds of personal growth taking root. The best I can do is take up the gauntlet of maintaining equilibrium and fortitude, as I surrender to life’s obstacle course.

Nicole Newman is an Ashtanga practitioner and enthusiast. She studies with her favorite teacher and mentor, Eddie Stern at the Sri Ganesha Temple. Nicole is a conservatory-trained flutist, who developed scoliosis after practicing several hours a day over many years, without any instruction in mind-body-instrument awareness. Through yoga, Nicole was able to realign her spine and strengthen the muscles supporting her back. She now moves without pain or discomfort. Nicole dedicated herself to sharing the transformative science and art of yoga by founding Yoga for the Arts. Nicole’s mission is to help artists live happier, healthier, more artistically productive lives.

Thursday, 27 September 2012

What I Learned From My Dog Today

Ryan Writes | Editor-In-Chief Ryan Rice

As I sit here typing this there is a sleeping spaniel at my feet that is stealing my attention. I love watching her sleep. She looks so happy and peaceful...snoring just loud enough to kill the silence and remind me of her loyal presence. It’s moments like these that I am reminded of her ability to live in the present moment and how we all need to take a little time to just be.

The more rested and rejuvenated we are, the more we can do for others who need us, both two and four-legged.

It’s hard for us humans. We have the constant conversations of life going through our heads and our news feeds, reminding us that we are never going to be enough, do enough or do it correctly. People can ruin our day with a simple tacky comment or rude Facebook post. Then there are always those certain people who seem to lurk in cyber-shadows, only to emerge to point out the flaws in your thoughts, personality or political affiliation. I know we all have the power to choose what we let bother us, but it gets exhausting. That’s where I was just a few hours ago until I looked up and saw Isabella. Somehow, just after sitting here and watching her sleep I am a little more relaxed. I am filled with happy thoughts and I am smiling. Then I realize, hey...that was easy.
These days it is harder and harder for us to take the time to let our personal batteries recharge just a little. The more rested and rejuvenated we are, the more we can do for others who need us, both two and four-legged. Work or philanthropic passion can make you a prisoner if you don’t take time to rest and reflect on the things that truly matter to you in your life. Just sitting here watching Isabella I am reminded of how lucky I am to get to spend most of every day with her at my side. I am reminded that I can go to her any time I want a distraction from the daily grind and, most of all, I am reminded that on a Friday afternoon, it would be much more fun to play with her, snap some pics and shut down the computer. The work will always be there, but today will be gone tomorrow. Tomorrow we will have an entire new list of things to do and people to please, but today...we will play!

http://www.lifeanddog.com/Ryan-Writes/July-2012/What-I-Learned-From-My-Dog-Today/

20 September 2012 Last updated at 01:24

The man who turned his home into a public library

By Kate McGeown BBC News, Manila

If you put all the books you own on the street outside your house, you might expect them to disappear in a trice. But one man in Manila tried it - and found that his collection grew.

Hernando Guanlao is a sprightly man in his early 60s, with one abiding passion - books.
They're his pride and joy, which is just as well because, whether he likes it or not, they seem to be taking over his house.
Guanlao, known by his nickname Nanie, has set up an informal library outside his home in central Manila, to encourage his local community to share his joy of reading.
The idea is simple. Readers can take as many books as they want, for as long as they want - even permanently. As Guanlao says: "The only rule is that there are no rules."

Find out more

Kate McGeown's interview with Nanie Guanlao was featured on Outlook on BBC World Service

It's a policy you might assume would end very quickly - with Guanlao having no books at all.

But in fact, in the 12 years he's been running his library - or, in his words, his book club - he's found that his collection has grown rather than diminished, as more and more people donate to the cause.
"It seems to me that the books are speaking to me. That's why it multiplies like that," he says with a smile. "The books are telling me they want to be read… they want to be passed around."
Guanlao started his library in 2000, shortly after the death of his parents. He was looking for something to honour their memory, and that was when he hit upon the idea of promoting the reading habit he'd inherited.
"I saw my old textbooks upstairs and decided to come up with the concept of having the public use them," he says.
So he put the books - a collection of fewer than 100 - outside the door of his house to see if anyone wanted to borrow them. They did, and they brought the books back with others to add to the collection - and the library was born.

Such is the current turnover that Guanlao confesses he has no idea how many books are in his possession, but there are easily 2,000 or 3,000 on the shelves and in the boxes stacked outside his front door.
And that's before you move inside, where books are rapidly encroaching into every available space. You can hardly get into the front room, the car has long since been moved out of the garage, and books are even stacked all the way up the stairs.

“Start Quote

You don't do justice to these books if you put them in a cabinet or a box”

Nanie Guanlao

The library is not advertised, but somehow, every day, a steady stream of people find their way there.

On the day we visited, some shop assistants came to browse during their lunch break, a local man borrowed a weighty tome about the history of St John's Gospel, and some schoolchildren picked up some textbooks - although I noticed they were taking some fashion magazines as well.
But it's people like Celine who sustain the library. She lives down the road from Guanlao, and she arrived with two bulging bags of books - some of which she was returning, others of which she was planning to donate.
She says she loves the concept of the library, because Filipinos - certainly those who are not particularly wealthy - have limited access to books.

Guanlao gave up his job to run the library

"I haven't been to any public libraries except the national library in Manila," she says, explaining that it is quite far away - and it is not possible to borrow any books.
If she wants to buy a book, the average price is about 300 pesos (£4.50, $7), she says. Imported books - especially children's books - could easily be twice that amount.
"Considering the income here, I think parents have other priorities," she adds.
To help the poorest communities in Manila, Nanie Guanlao does not wait for them to find him - he goes to them, on his "book bike", which has a large basket piled high with books.

Literacy in the Philippines

The Philippines has one of the highest literacy rates in the developing world
Approximately 93% of the population 10 years of age and older are literate
Filipino (based on Tagalog) is the official national language, English is the language of government and instruction in education

Source: US State Department

He's also started to set his sights outside Manila. He's already given several boxes of books to a man trying to set up a similar venture in Bicol province, a 10-hour drive from Manila, and his latest plan is to help a friend who wants to start up a library in the far south of the country.

She wants to set up a "book boat", travelling around the islands of Sulu and Basilan - an area better known as a hideout for separatist rebels than for any great access to literature.
As we sat outside Nanie Guanlao's house in the midday sun, watching people browse through his collection, he tells me why he thought it was worth spending all his time - even to the point of giving up his job and surviving purely on his savings - to maintain the library.
"You don't do justice to these books if you put them in a cabinet or a box," he says.
"A book should be used and reused. It has life, it has a message.
"As a book caretaker, you become a full man."
Nanie Guanlao's story was featured on the BBC World Service programme Outlook. Listen via i-player or browse the Outlook podcast archive.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19547365

Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Delectable, Delicious Design - Penguin's Great Food Series

by Julie Oreskovich

Penguin's Great Food Series Box Set

"Throughout the history of civilization, food has been more than simple necessity. In countless cultures, it has been livelihood, status symbol, entertainment - and passion. In the GREAT FOOD series, Penguin brings you the finest food writing from the last 400 years, and opens the door to the wonders of every kitchen." -- Penguin Books
Penguin Books has once again knocked it out of the park with these sumptuously designed food books. Each one of the books is designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith - an award winning senior designer for Penguin.
The books in this series are devoted to the best food writing from the past 400 years and include titles from renowned authors such as Isabella Beeton, Alexandre Dumas, M.F.K. Fisher, Alice B. Toklas and Samuel Pepys. Alice B. Toklas' Murder in the Kitchen, is a memoir-turned-cookbook which describes her life with her partner Gertrude Stein and her adventures in the kitchen. Samuel Pepys, most famous for the diary he kept as a young man, is celebrated in The Joys of Excess - selections from his diary which recount his feasting on barrels of oysters, larks' tongues and large amounts of wine.
Not only are the covers a visual feast for the eyes, but the content inside is a treat for anyone who enjoys reading about food and cooking.

The Great Food Series

The Elegant Economist
by Eliza Acton

Includes such English classics as suet pudding, raspberry jam, lemonade and superlative mincemeat as well as evocatively-named creations.

Exciting Food for Southern Types
by Artusi Pellegrino

Artusi is the original icon of Italian cookery, whose legendary 1891 book Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well defined its national cuisine.

The Campaign for Domestic Happiness
by Isabella Beeton

Mrs. Beeton offers timeless tips on selecting cuts of meat, throwing a grand party, hosting a dinner, and giving suggestions on staff wages.

The Pleasures of the Table
by Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

From discourses on the erotic properties of truffles and the origins of chocolate, the delightful writings are a hymn to the art of eating well.

Buffalo Cake
and Indian Pudding by A.W. Chase

Containing recipes for American-style treats, this a treasure trove of culinary wisdom from the homesteads of a still rural, pioneering United States.

Taste of the Sun
by Elizabeth David

Legendary cook and writer Elizabeth David changed the way Britain ate, introducing a post-war nation to the delights of the Mediterranean.

From Absinthe to Zest: An Alphabet for Food Lovers
by Alexandre Dumas

Alexandre Dumas' encyclopedic collection of ingredients, recipes and anecdotes.

Love in a Dish
by M.F.K. Fisher

Fisher's personal, intimate culinary essays are well-loved American classics, combining recipes with her anecdotes and storytelling.

Everlasting Syllabub & the Art of Carving
by Hannah Glasse

An elegant collection of recipes and housekeeping tips to save any homemaker 'a great deal of trouble'.

A Little Dinner Before the Play
by Agnes Jekyll

Published in the early 1920s, these brilliantly observed pieces are still loved today for their warmth and advice.

A Dissertation Upon Roast Pig and Other Essays
by Charles Lamb

Filled with a sense of hunger, they are some of the most fascinating and nuanced works ever written about eating, drinking and appetite.

The Well-Kept Kitchen
by Gervase Markham

In 1615 Gervase Markham published a handbook for housewives, containing advice on everything from planting herbs to brewing beer.

The Joys of Excess
by Samuel Pepys

These irresistible selections from Pepys's diaries provide a frank, high-spirited and vivid picture of the joys of over-indulgence - and the side-effects afterwards.

A Middle Eastern Feast
by Claudia Roden

Introducing millions to new scents and flavors, Roden’s personal, passionate writings conveyed an age-old tradition of family eating and shared memory.

The Chef at War
by Alexis Soyer

Soyer’s colorful account of his time at the front in the Crimean War, where he joined British troops in order to improve the quality of the food they were eating.

Murder in the Kitchen
by Alice B. Toklas

In this memoir-turned-cookbook, Alice B. Toklas describes her life with partner Gertrude Stein and their famed Paris salon.

Eating with the Pilgrims and Other Pieces
by Calvin Trillin

A selection of acclaimed New Yorker journalist, novelist and poet Calvin Trillin’s wittiest articles about food.

Recipes from the White Hart Inn
by William Verrall

Verrall gives advice on must-have kitchen gadgets and describes dishes such as truffles in French wine and mackerel with fennel.

Recipes and Lessons from a Delicious Cooking Revolution
by Alice Waters

Explores the simplest of dishes in the most delicious of ways, with fresh, sustainable ingredients a must.

Notes from Madras
by Colonel Wyvern

In these entertaining writings, Wyvern gives advice on re-creating French classics in the heat; describes tiffin parties and cooking while at camp.

No Shades of Grey - Black & White Book Covers

by Julie Oreskovich

Everything is Illuminated
by Jonathan Safran Foer

No matter what you call it - monochromatic, void of color, black & white - these covers are anything but stark. The use of black and white has been widely used in a variety of mediums and book covers in particular have seen a resurgence of this type of design aesthetic.
From the earliest days of motion pictures, the film used was black and white with color gradually added from 1930 to the 1960s. Considered "retro" and niche now, black and white photography was the norm when photography first got it start in the mid-1800s. Once color was available, black and white was the dominate choice of film due to its classic looks and lower cost. Television also got its start in black and white and it wasn't until the late 1960s that color became mainstream. Newspapers, magazines and comic strips also were entirely black and white until the late 1970s.
Herman Melville's Moby Dick, published by Vintage, Shades of Nature by Heinrich van den Berg and any other title on this page are minimalist when it comes to color but all pack a big punch when it comes to being pleasing to the eye.