So behind... or am I?

I am longing to blog, to write, to think, to focus on my thoughts and funnel them into a collection medium of some sort. So why don't I set aside the time to do it? Why am I so distracted? I have spring fever I know. I realized that yesterday while sitting on a patio having such an incredibly thought-provoking conversation with a fiction (non-fiction inspired fiction, I'd call it) author (friend of a friend who was also there and engaged in the convo) called Adrian Tilley sipping a glass of pinot grigio. Well I can't say I'm not thinking or even communicating my thoughts, as I am... maybe even more than usual. I had some really engaging dialogue with Fanny while having a fantastic brunch at my favourite Life Cafe in Soho and then again with both Adrian and Fanny on aforementioned patio. I had a fantastic meeting on Saturday with my supervisor -- fish physiologist and comparative physiologist extraordinaire, and while generous and fun to be around can be kind of a big-headed, insensitive guy sometimes -- along with my collaborator who is visiting here for a year from the University of Xiamen. So, it was a really great weekend for communication, and I came off of both days, Saturday and Sunday, feeling really positive and articulate. Take note, I came out of my science-based meeting on Saturday feeling SMART!

Actually, I have had some incredible conversations over the past few weeks... too many examples to even name, perhaps, now that I am trying. The experiences that are most profound

centred around my visit with Kelly. She is my very, very good friend... I

call her my soul sister, was in town visiting for 2 weeks (see last post on Maintaining). I would say that we had several opportunities where inspiration was inescapable, and the mood fostered some great dialogue. For one, we spent a day on Lantau Island to see some fishing villages as well as the world-famous Tian Tan Buddha, the largest outdoors free-standing buddha in the world. I challenge the person that isn't inspired by at least a bit when hiking up to a buddha that stands 25m and is surrounded by some of the most beautiful tropical vegetation and seascapes you could imagine. This photo is actually my own... yes... it is that incredible!

Then we took a side trip to Malaysia for a long weekend. Of course we were traveling together, which elicits some interesting conversation regardless, but we were also in several situations where thoughts came up that may not have under other circumstances. We tried new food, we learned a couple words of a new language (Malay), and of course we saw new countryside and experienced new cultural traditions. There was a moment at the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple in town where music was playing and we were both nearly in tears, as it was so beautiful. On another day, we took an hour-trip out of the city centre to see the world's tallest Murugan

statue situated in front of the gorgeous Batu caves, an all encompassing Hindu place of worship, solace, comfort, inspiration (see photo to the right, also my photo!). Murugan is perhaps the most popular Tamil Hindu deity of all, which says a lot because Hindus have so many deities! There is a long-standing thought that Hindus "worship" 330 million gods, which makes Christians and those from other monotheistic faiths not too happy. I don't think they'd be called gods, for one... deities more appropriate. And many scholars will argue that there is no way they could even have named 330 million! Have you seen the names to some of these? Lots of letters! I've read that the number 330 million was simply used to give a symbolic expression to the fundamental Hindu doctrine that "God" lives in the hearts of all living beings, which is most beautiful. Furthermore, I think this is an ideology that most can appreciate, respect, and embody regardless of professed faith/religion or lack thereof... if everyone just took a moment to really think about it. As you can imagine, Kelly and I were compelled (at one point in particular) to discuss how we were completely, 100%, and thoroughly overwhelmed with how vast the Hindu faith is and how neither of us knew even an ounce of it.

I guess I've been blogging in my head... definitely about the past two or three weeks of life-altering, once in a lifetime experiences. I have had some really interesting thoughts about yoga and other life happenings as well, one of which has led me on perhaps a wild goose chase to find a sculpture of the chin mudra... I'll save that for another post.

Regardless of the schedule I keep, I am, right now, at this moment realizing how freeing and exhilarating it is to take everything from my head (crazy place) and make some sense of it on the screen or a page. Thank you for inspiring me... for your comments (keep 'em coming, they FUEL ME!!!)... and for your support!