The Prophet

Kahlil Gibran was nothing short of a genius.  A poet, an artist, a philosopher....his many works have been translated into countless languages touching people worldwide for several decades after his death.  One of my all time favorite books is The Prophet by Gibran.  Here is one of the most wonderful passages ever written, in my humble opinion: 

The Prophet on Self Knowledge
by Kahlil Gibran

And a man said, speak to us of Self-Knowledge.
And he answered saying:
Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights.
But your ears thirst for the sound of your heart's knowledge.
You would know in words that which you have always known in thought.
You would touch with your fingers the naked body of your dreams.

And it is well you should.
The hidden well-spring of your soul must needs rise and run murmuring to the sea;
And the treasure of your infinite depths would be revealed to your eyes.
But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;
And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or sounding line.
For self is a sea boundless and measureless.

Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth."
Say not, "I have found the path of the soul." Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path."
For the soul walks upon all paths.
The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.
The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.

Dog Days Continue

So I have a wonderful friend named Julie, who I first met because she stalked me on the internet.  Haha maybe not stalked, but was so deeply interested in UWC that she took measures to get in touch with me.  So this is getting back at her!  Well she was accepted, thank goodness, and I had the great fortune of getting to see her wide smile many days last year.  I miss her very much so here is a song that reminds me of her....in fact she is the first one who told me about this wonderful song. 

Go Florence! Go Julie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMuCME6Oewk&ob=av2n (this link seems to have better sound than the video below....)

What a performance.

This is her latest single and I LOVE IT!  I also love this music video, especially her red dress and when she spins.  Oh so amazing.

Kale Chips = AMAZING.

So for our weekly Sunday dinners, we had kale chips as a side dish yesterday!  It was seriously delish.  I think you will very much enjoy not only the health benefits (kale is a wonder food!) but also the melt in your mouth scrum-diddly-umptiousness.

Ingredients:
- Bunch of Kale
- Salt, pepper, chili flakes if you like it hot
- Optional curry powder (I used Moroccan)
- 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar or other kind of vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil

How to:


1. Wash and rip leaves off kale, leaving out the stalk and the rough parts near the center.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Place kale in a baking tray, preferably only one layer, and mix with olive oil and vinegar.

3.  Bake in oven for approx 15-20 minute, until crispy.

4.  Season to taste.  You may also like to include lime juice, lemon, or anything your imagination desires!

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Sunday night dinners are my favorite, they are a time to bond, a time to enjoy wholesome home-cooked food, a time to relax, a time to laugh, a time to be with friends, a time to try something new, a time to put away the books while taking out the dishes.  I am finding that I am a pretty decent cook!

Oh university traditions.

Is First Year the Worst Year?

Maybe I am blogging far too frequently.  Anyways.  Wondering your opinion on the first year at university being the most difficult?  Does it get better?  Please say yes!

A Sacred Place

I think Sikh temples everywhere are, essentially, the same. You are bound to find some kid or probably several, wailing for attention from the bottom of their lungs. You will probably see women in brightly coloured suits gossiping. Most likely there will be some old woman hobbling around demanding things. You will see covered heads, and the aroma of wafting spices will greet you like an old friend. You will taste tradition and you will sit at a table, just like the Gurus imagined, beggar and king together.

Underneath those vivid colours swirling in paths of social spheres, or those deep hushed voices, or the kids screaming, you find something more. It will not seem apparent at first, because the Gurdwara is a place of chaos. But in chaos there is the most creation. Disorganization does not mean confusion. Look deeper. You will see devotion. You will see community. You will see love.

Languages merge at this crossroads of culture. In the cloakroom people will hug and greet in English or Punjabi. Young women may wear lululemon pants and scarves on their heads, or they might be dressed in the traditional salwaar kameez and know all the words to familiar prayers. We will talk about how annoying Indian parents can be about dating, or we will talk about God. There are screens up for translation, but tonight there is only a picture of the Golden Temple all lit up by Diwali fireworks. There is no need for translation in the universal language of Light.

Tonight I stood outside of that sacred place that I have been coming to since I was a baby. I stood outside on a cold Autumn night, surrounded by brown faces that were unfamiliar. I stood staring with them, up into the sky, watching as the Heavens exploded into brilliance. Lights burst into amazing displays, firecrackers make little babies cry, and sparklers and candles light up the darkness. I watch a three year old curly headed Indo-Canadian girl holding a sparkler and marvelling at the world. And in that moment, there is no other way to describe it, I felt like I belonged. I was at home.

Image from: http://vedicodyssey.com/spiritualadventures/tag/diwali-celebrations-at-golden-temple/

More Poetry on the Moment (unedited)

Marley is telling me to get up and stand up.
Sometimes I just want to curl into a tiny ball and wait for a rescue.
I want to be that damsel in distress, and wallow in salty tear bathwater.
And then I think of all those brave women out there
Who would die for the chance to curl into a ball in my world
Would die to be able to attend lectures I can choose to skip
Would die for a chance to open my books and read and read and read and read and read and read and read

Then all of a sudden I wake up from this trance and I dance
For them. I dance in this privileged place.  I open up the clouds and let the rain pour
And as the earth cries with me I can feel her chocolate smooth skin
 Holding my hand, and I glance at her ripped dress.
Her bed lacking a pillow.  I glimpse at my own bed with seven.
And for each of these blessings that somehow  were sent to me
I send a wish that life will send her a parcel of luck, of hope, of love.
I pray she will be treasured and not exploited.  That she gets the chance
To make her dreams come alive, that she is treated fairly, that she has enough
To eat.  Somewhere warm to sleep.  I pray that she gets to live and be a child.

Someday we will float together on a cloud, dear one.
You and I will hold hands again in a world that is equal and we will cry
Once more.  Not for your loss or my gain or my loss and your gain.  We
will weep because at last it is apparent that no matter the colour of our
skin or where we come from or the way we pronounce love, our hearts
beat in time to a melody that fills me from my toes to fingertips.
As the sun rays bounce of your eyelids I will smile
And know that everything is going to be okay.


* For Rose and Sara

Low (Moods and Marks)

My french teacher in high school once told me getting university marks at first feels like a "slap in the face."  It actually feels more like a full on fist fight.  

I just received my marks back for my first two assignments.   Ladies and gentlemen - they were NOT a pretty sight!! Actually more like a crime scene, bloody and ugly.

I am one of those people who pretends not to take my grades too seriously (and usually I don't) but today I full on wept. WHO CRIES after a bad mark?  Well I do, apparently.

This sucks.  Today I don't like university or hard marking TAs.