tRan into this at Siona's so taking my turn....

1) What did you have for breakfast?
self grilled sandwiches - an assortment of peanut butter with lettuce, mince chicken stew leftovers from last night, lettuce & tomatoes, buuter and strawberry jam

2) Have you grown your own food?
Yes, some herbs like coriander, mint, lemon grass, etc just before moving back to our apartment. Hope to do so in a larger way when we're settled in Canada.

3) What is your favorite beverage?
Water, tea, coffee, occasional wine and cocktails (margarita, daiquiri, Singapore sling, shandy), local lassi (yoghurt drink), sour plum at a Singaporean-Malaysian restaurant,

4) Do you like to cook? Yes, sometimes but prefer to eat.

5) What is your favorite vegetable(s)? leafy greens, green beans, carrots, beets, brocolli, bitter gourd, tomatoes, garlic, pumpkin, so many more

Now, won't you give it a try so we can read from you and get to know you better?

....spreading love, being love!

Image byt BJ Christy

Though I was raised a Christian, I feel so naturally close to astrology, cosmic energy, the galaxy, the Universe, the celestial, etc. for as long as I can remember. Am an Arian, very much so I believe.

And this question came in at this time when our friend asrologer Madhav (also a vastu specialist, well reonowned here in Nepal, and recently internationally as well) is right here visiting and having a session with us about enhancing our energy balance. I find him fascinating! He has presribed some crystal beads to wear for the three of us, some pink quartz to put in the southwest of our bedrooms in our new home. He has asked me about the time I was born as he wanted to prepare a detailed astrological reading. But it so happened that where and when I was born, the time of birth seemed an insignificant information so my mother said she doesn't remember exactly. Perhaps, one of my other relatives might have sharper memories. In Nepal, it is customary for newborns to have their astgrological paper perpared immediately at birth. My husband and som both have one but I don't.

Our apartment has a set of pyramid crystals above and copper wires underground in two strategic locations where Madhav had found the energy balance towards the negative - at our entrance door in the southwest, and my son's bedroom.

I just know I believe in astrology and what I believe continues to evolve.

Quite so many beautiful little things (or I would say they're big things really) that I've experienced this week, but let me highlight two interesting ones hopping out of my memory:

1. ....not one, but three little rabbits at my brothers-in-law where we had a sagun ceremony (blessings for our big move) and get-together party yesterday. My nieces' friends gave them away. Did you know that rabbits mate and deliver 6 baby rabbits every month? That expalins how my nieces ended up having three of them all of a sudden, without their asking - LOL!. These little creatures are just so adorable and my son Milind and her cousins, and many of us relishing those moments, had a blast! I have pics of them but haven't found time to download them on my PC. Will add the photos later.

2. And here's another most beautiful little passage I just read from my husband's collection just before coming to gaia and encountering this question:

Positive Reflection For The Day 

Most of us live our life in a state of absence. Most of us go AWOL (absent without leave) hundreds of times a day! Watch your thoughts and you will notice that they either go into the past or in to the future and you allow them to carry you with them. That's why you are rarely truly present, truly here and now, truly in this moment. Most people are totally unaware of this and, as a result, only fully experience a small part of their life. 

The practice of experiencing silence (detaching yourself from action) for at least a minute every hour increases your ability to concentrate and it gradually enables you to be here and now. You will learn to know, feel, see and be at peace, in love, joyful and contented ... now. And in time these feelings will be present for you wherever you are and during whatever you are doing. Peace, love and contentment are not in the past or the future, they are only and always in the now, only now.

....I would just remain in the moment as that's when I have 'all the time' (or shall I say no time really) in the world, no worries, no anxieties, the perfect way to live. 

Have been eating more than usual (I love to eat and my landlady happens to be a great cook so am getting spolied - LOL!) and realize I need to resume my daily yoga.  It's a good thing we do a lot of walking, so that helps in the meanwhile, but have to exercise more soon. No worries though, this is bound to change.

This question is quite timely. Just last Tuesday, Milind got admitted to a nearby public elementary school, thanks to our network of friends and connections and his own abilities and the positive energy we've been experiencing with our big move.  It''s most amazing how Milind is getting up so early by himself and keen to go to school.  So unlike when he was in Kathmandu when his hostel wardens complain how hard it is to make him get up and get dressed for school and how he often ends up late for class.  It was the same when he was in day school when Megh & I would struggle to wake him up and get him ready for the school bus. He seems to like the school environment, new classmates and friends he've made,and his teacher, and the fact that the school is just 10 minutes' walk from home  We'll see how things develop from hereon.

That would be perfect , our hearts throbbing and aligned with the Universe would raise consciousness to unprecedented heights. It would be most empowering as love reigns and peace prevails.

Source: weburbanist.com

Colorful threesome - Mila, Sherri & Terrill in Vancouver BC (from Sherri's camera)

Today has been a significant, momentous, historic day as for the first time I met two of my wonderful friends here at gaia (and at facebook) in the flesh. Am still filled with awe and wonderment as I reminiesce those beautiful moments.

We had planned this meeting here, at facebook and over the mobiles and landlines, and in our dreams, and the Universe planned it much ahead of course. When they appeared walking into the entry doors of the Pacific Centre in downtown Vancouver, I felt warm and light and joyful abd that was matched by the sunny and bright weather outside, again the Universe conniving. We were hugging, smiling and were awestruck, overjoyed, thrilled. They were with a common friend from Rwanda Louise, though she prefered to leave us three behind to attend to our (and her own) affairs.  I thought however that it would have been nice if she had joined us in the women's bonding and sharing which would have even made us more global - Carribean, Asian, Canadian, African merging into one!. Am leaving Sherri or Terrill to introduce Louise in their blogs.

What did we talk and chat (chatter) and discuss about? A lot - global diversity to start with; the growing gap between the haves and have nots; "the crisis is not really economic"; the challenges in Nepal that I've just left behind; beautiful Barbados; how could we make gaia move forward?; the just completed successful retreat (wait for Terrill's and Sherri's blogs on these); Sherri's presentation at the retreat; my family and my life in transition; social entrepreneurship; how to move my enterprise forward; women's emotional strength; Terrill's book "Leading RaspberryJam Visions Women's Way", her passions, family, and farmhouse in Mayne Island, teeming with wildlife like deer, eagle, dogs;  and so on and so on. 

Endless conversations, relaxed and peppered with dreams, ideas, positive outlook, and wishes of one day meeting up again somewhere, somehow.  There were no hurries and when the time came for us to bid adieu, it just came naturally - I walked leftwards to take my bus and they walked the oppostie way to get to Terrill's parked pick-up van to take Sherri to the airport.

I treasure those moments.

....when I'm 100% mindful, I love whatever it is I'm doing in a given moment.  But of course, that doesn't happen at all times, not yet!