A Divine World

I've been listening to my traveling mix to prepare me for the ENP painting and even though I've listened to this track hundreds of times (seriously... hundreds!), these lines from Smile Upon Me by Passion Pit get to me every time:

There's a place in this world
Where people like me are found by people like you
So find a place as this forever divine

Mmmm... so good! Perfectly encompasses how I feel about traveling. Except that the place is no single location, it's the playground that I call life and the divine is in everything. I see glimmers of everyone in everyone... from hearing Nobody by the Wonder Girls to the way someone says "DUDE!" I feel connected to the ones I love by being present and connected with everything around me.

I realized a system for myself to be happy: my heart must love, my mind must be present, my body must be aware & active in its practice, and all three should find harmony (as opposed to balance).... yes :)

Om Namah Shivaya

"I honor the divinity that resides within me"

I think I'd rather tell people that instead of Happy New Year or Happy Valentine's Day. These are both occasions for celebrating and I think there should be more holidays about honoring yourself. I was brainstorming drawings for the holiday but I churned out this instead. I was racing against the setting sun & my pen running out of ink (which it did) so it's unfinished but I think it still looks sweet. I think there are only two people on this planet (including me) who will understand completely what the drawing is about... just thought I'd say hello to the treehouse today.

Vietnam!

I took more pictures of Vietnam than drew pictures of Vietnam. ENP was still fresh in my mind, so most of the drawings are of elephants (which I've already posted) or from people watching at temples (which I didn't post.. they're nothing extraordinary). The Mekong Delta was so visually interesting though! Floating markets and villages. I loved it so much. Such a strange surreal world. I loved every moment of it :)

Tin Can Pillow Set!

Yay! I finished it! I'll take fancy pictures for etsy soon... unless anyone wants to snag it before I post it to the masses. If you're interested, holler: lepetitelefant@gmail.com Woo! Not bad for 2nd day being back from traveling ;)

Balance

Four feet on the ground, a head full of foliage, looking at the world through the heart..."To find the balance you want," Ketut spoke through his translator, "this is what you must become. You must keep your feet grounded so firmly on the earth that it's like you have four legs, instead of two. That way, you can stay in the world. But you must stop looking at the world through your head. You must look through your heart, instead. That way you will know God."

Sukhothai, Thailand :)

While waiting for Akmal at Suria KLCC, I popped into Kinokuniya (best book store EVERRRRR) and picked up Eat, Pray, Live. I saw her talk on Ted, which I found so inspiring and I've been putting off reading the book (mainly I was afraid it was over-hyped). Wow. I connected to it immediately from how her relationship failing fueled her to start living for herself, traveling the world, to getting her palm read, learning foreign languages just to learn foreign languages, haha. And when I reached the excerpt above, I stopped reading and meditated in the store, which I'm sure was a strange sight for the Malaysians. I'm such a visual person and to finally have a vision for the person I want to be in regards to how I approach life and my spirituality... the world just seemed more within reach. I used to resent being such an emotional person (sooo many feeeelings) because it seemed to get me into trouble, but now I see it's the force that lets me live so confidently and happily. So go on. Get get get it. And when I say it, I mean love.

Elephant Nature Park part 4

This is more of a "OMG IM SOOO EXCITED" post... I'm going to donate a piece to the Elephant Nature Park art auction! All the money will go towards the park. It makes me so happy to be able to help and volunteer from where I am using my mad skillz. Weeee! And I've been sewing & catching up on TV (not bad for first full day back!). I love being home & working just as much as I love traveling. Oh what a delicious life!

Elephant Nature Park part 3

The experience I had at the park, if you couldn't tell by now, has changed me sooooo much. It represents a haven of growth. So when I left, I found it so difficult to be present. I resented being in Bangkok, which in my opinion is no where close to how amazing Chiang Mai is. Then I went to Ho Chi Minh which is absolutely chaotic and gross. I found myself at a loss, struggling so hard to enjoy where I was. I wrote on my hand everyday until I knew it, "be present." And I found that as I slowly opened up, so did the universe. I buried my missing into my sketchbook & pencil and wandering the city. I knew how much I loved being on a boat so that's what I did! Booked a trip where a majority of it would be spent on the river... and it worked. It healed me so much to be in a place with such strange sights like floating markets and villages. It was almost as if I was going through a mini break up: had grown so much in the relationship, then had to part ways. I became so attached to the park because I thought I still needed it to feel alive and creative, and got over it by filling my plate with other things I love. Elephant Nature Park, you almost broke my heart.