Ineffable Lands

indiyaaa: An Indian Sikh devotees perform their martial arts...

st4rs33ds — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 02:06:33 +0800

An Indian Sikh devotees perform their martial arts skills known as ‘Gatka’ in front of Gurudwara Sahib temple during the Baisakhi festival

it’s official. In 8 hours I will be arriving back into Los...

st4rs33ds — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:47:35 +0800

it’s official. In 8 hours I will be arriving back into Los Angeles and jumping into the arms of my beloved. My bags are packed, And on paper it appears as though I’ll slip through time by leaving Manila at 8 am, taking an 18 hour flight and arriving in LA at 9 am on the same date. ITS TIME ZONE MAGIC!

Europe was such a whirlwind, I barely had time to write my entries here. but it’s ok, i’ll publish my pictures when I’m feelin more willing. maybe even while waiting in the airport. so what if the blog’s out of order?! IM COMIN HOME! I’ve missed you California!!!! :D YAY

life is good.

Firenze {Florence}

st4rs33ds — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:10:00 +0800

Firenze {Florence}

Athens, Greece - A quick 2 day trip to the city of ruins, and...

st4rs33ds — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 13:46:42 +0800

Athens, Greece -

A quick 2 day trip to the city of ruins, and new revolution. The fresh feta was to DIE for, so amazing. Traditionally feta and some other kind of cheese is baked in a clay pot and served with pita bread as an appetizer.. gluten free is definitely going on hold for Europe! The mediterranian was so blue and still as glass. My Dad and I hit things off with a taxi driver named Nikolas aka “Nik the Greek” and he drove us around to all of the sights and was quite an excellent tour guide. Needless to say, it was fantastic. He took us to this cute little restaurant that had the true greek yogurt, so creamy and sweet with the cherries on top. I think my favorite part of Athens was the food. Oh my love for Mediterranean food… It was a whirlwind.. hope to return again for a longer stay. :)

On the way now to Athens, Greece. Hanging out in the Business...

st4rs33ds — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:25:40 +0800

On the way now to Athens, Greece. Hanging out in the Business Lounge on a layover for the next flight. I have never felt more Goddess like ever before. The sounds of birds chirping may be coming from the speakers, but it feels as though I’m in a serene paradise.

couldn’t have put this better myself:
“Both Athena & her uncle Poseidon wanted to be patron deity of Athens. Athena gave a practical gift to the city. She caused an olive tree to spring up near the Acropolis, thus providing people with a plant that could grow in the tough Greek terrain & provide them with food, a source of oil, & things valuable for trade. Poseidon sought to outdo her by striking the ground with his trident & causing a spring of water to gush forth. He is the ocean personified, so the water was salty. Athena’s gift to the city was considered to be more useful, so she became the city’s patron deity.”

- http://paganpages.org/content/tag/athena/

Oh Goddess Athena, may you bless me with your Wisdom and Courage on this auspicious journey into Greece. :) The whirlwind begins as of now… gonna be an especially epic 2 weeks ahead : Greece, Italy, Switzerland, here I come! XD

st4rs33ds: This is Patti Chua, an amazing 13 year old girl who...

st4rs33ds — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 11:59:15 +0800

st4rs33ds:

This is Patti Chua, an amazing 13 year old girl who has the soul and voice of a woman. I have become close with her mom and uncle and went to her performing at this bar in Makati the other night! WHAT A SHINING STAR!! So much support to her and her family!! :D GO PATTI!!!

Pila Falls: Tayug, Pangasinan - Philippines- one word :...

st4rs33ds — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:20:00 +0800

Pila Falls: Tayug, Pangasinan - Philippines-

one word : MAGICAL.
oh to be reunited with the earth, the water, the fire, the wind. what an incredible trip with Joanna and Glenn!! I am so grateful for such incredible friends here in the Philippines, I never would have made it to these places without them! When going to Pila Falls, we were approached by AL, who told us he’d be our guide. He told us He was Eagle Al, and that Pila Falls was his place. We got a couple pictures of him right before he disappeared behind the rock in front of the falls…. the one to the right. He didnt climb anywhere, he just.. vanished. On our hike back from the falls an Eagle started circling overhead.. I know that AL was the guardian spirit of the springs and that he guided us and blessed our journey :) what an incredible trip. The Northern Provinces— simply MAGICAL.

Photo

st4rs33ds — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:59:57 +0800

st4rs33ds: this little girl right here, is my guru. she speaks...

st4rs33ds — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:57:02 +0800

st4rs33ds:

this little girl right here, is my guru.
she speaks to me with her eyes, and I know that the time to come home is approaching.

"Act without Expectation."

st4rs33ds — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:46:49 +0800

“Act without Expectation.”

- Lao Tzu

Jeepnies~ I finally got to ride one <3 These brutes were...

st4rs33ds — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:20:00 +0800

Jeepnies~ I finally got to ride one <3 These brutes were deserted by the US Army in WWII and the locals spruced them up and converted them into public transportation. They aren’t just in the cities, but are in many of the Provinces throughout the Philippines. Each one is pretty original, lot’s of beautiful artwork on them with messages of FAITH and TRUST in GOD and LIFE! what a beautiful message to spread throughout the people :) some of them even have horns that are customized to certain jingles.

My new friends Glenn and Joanna also took me to this place to get a Halo-Halo (Mix-Mix) dessert drink. It has all kinds of sweets on the bottom: taro, caramel, fruit flavored jellies and even white beans! then its topped with sweet milk and shaved ice. It sounds wierd, but is actually verry tasty. I love trying all these new things, SO stoked on going to this fiesta this weekend with them… there’s also supposedly a waterfall… OHHH i get goosebumps. I. AM. STOKED.
but you know.. thats usual for me.

Tagaytay, Philippines- I went by the fruit stands where the...

st4rs33ds — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:31:52 +0800

Tagaytay, Philippines- I went by the fruit stands where the fruit is freshly picked from the farms down the road. I got a WHOLE BUNDLE of little bananas right off the tree!!! I’m feelin like quite the little jungle monkey peeling and eating them constantly. They taste different from the big bananas sold in the states… indescribably different. BUT GOOD! The skins are thinner. they’re so cute!!

Lake Taal - Also made it to the viewpoint of Lake Taal, where there is a little lake inside that middle volcano, which is inside of the bigger lake! such a powerful and neat place… the traveling flute is bringing the sounds of North America to all corners of the earth!! I will be attending a fiesta in the Northern Provinces this weekend, very excited for the adventures that are about to unfold! :D

I went to an amazing magical secret garden in the Southern...

st4rs33ds — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:11:00 +0800

I went to an amazing magical secret garden in the Southern Province near Tagaytay. This place is a treasure. The story goes, Sonya was ready to retire and had a plot of land out in the mountains of Luzon, Philippines. She loved to garden, and decided to start growing her own vegetables since the region has a cooler climate, and set up a small little cafe with bountiful salads with the freshest ingredients around. Well, word got out, her garden grew, and now there is a bed and breakfast, day spa, and the cafe has expanded into a full functioning restaurant! The whole feel is very romantic and I kept feeling the european vibes of Versailles.. regal yet homey and organic. Oh what a lovely day.. :D

I went to an AWESOME gig with my new friend Patti tonight :)...

st4rs33ds — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 03:09:00 +0800

I went to an AWESOME gig with my new friend Patti tonight :) Rock n’ Roll and Funkadelic music helped me groove my soul to the rhythm of happiness while I downed San Miguel’s to my heart’s content. :D honestly, I’m not one for the taste of beer, but that shit was GOOD! hehe I wish my phone recorded video better, but the footage succkks. the bands were AMAZING! this little place called Sanguijo in Makati. Excellent Graffiti on the walls, excellent bands, excellent smiles and vibes. OH and there was this street vendor with SQUIDBALLS oh they were deep fried and absolutely delicious with a spicy sauce like none other. definitely the bomb. the whole experience was fantastic. <3

upon further research I have found that camote (sweet potato)...

st4rs33ds — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 18:08:00 +0800

upon further research I have found that camote (sweet potato) greens are full of all kinds of vitamins such as A, B, K, thiamin, magnesium, potassium and maganese. I couldn’t find spinach at the sumermarket here, and decided to experiement with these. didn’t even know you could eat the greens of sweet potatoes! (Don’t eat white potato greens though, they’re poisonous!) mm MM good. gotta love the Philippines.

st4rs33ds:

made myself a delicious salad with quinoa i sprouted myself!! (lots of reiki love in this rainbow medley..) GO RAW. it feels good. even if it’s only sometimes ^.^

Skype has opened up a new era of communication!! What an amazing...

st4rs33ds — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 12:42:25 +0800

Skype has opened up a new era of communication!! What an amazing thing to be able to see my family an ocean away!! I love my family back home in LA, and was able to give the kids goodnight wishes :)

"YOU CAN ONLY ENJOY SOLITUDE WHEN YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH YOUR SOUL."

st4rs33ds — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:00:06 +0800

“YOU CAN ONLY ENJOY SOLITUDE
WHEN YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH YOUR SOUL.”

- Felix Fojas

Decided to explore my building today and found a treasure!!...

st4rs33ds — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:57:48 +0800

Decided to explore my building today and found a treasure!! There is a secret rooftop pool on the 25th floor, and I got there just at sunset. I know where I’m going upon waking up tomorrow.. :D nothing like splashing in warm waters on a rooftop in the middle of a Metropolitan City like Makati! The sun had released a strong solar flare today, and it was a giant red glowing ball of fire. The camera on my phone doesn’t nearly do it justice. But the sky was brilliantly painted by the Gods, and I am suddenly very sleepy for it only being 7pm… the full moon has risen. Time for me to fall into the slumbers of dreamland and download….

THE PHILIPPINES!!! I absolutely adore this place, the people...

st4rs33ds — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:25:00 +0800

THE PHILIPPINES!!!

I absolutely adore this place, the people and culture is so vibrant, and full of passion. I am staying in Ortigas/Pasig City/Makati area, which is a bit south of Manila. Open air markets to mega malls, to swap meet style malls where haggling is commonplace this is such a cultural experience. The Philippines were colonized by the Spanish for some 300 years, therefore it has a very hispanic flaire added to the culture. I have been here for nearly a week, and feel like I have just begun to see what this city has to offer. The FRUIT is so fresh, and usually picked just a few hours away, if that. Tonight I got a local’s tour of the city were I tried Chicharos (similar to Chicharones I’ve had in LA) pretty much pork rinds with vinegar.. lol pork is indeed a big part of their culture. The pork bbq skewers are AMAZZING and they have lots of BBQ seafood that is also very tasty. The philippinos love their food!! I went to an artsy vintage thrift store area where I tried green mangos with this shrimp based sauce that was very chili/garlic-y mmmmm. im not huge on shrimp or sour mangos but dang it was good. I also rode on what they call a tricycle!! It’s pretty much a motorbike that has a sidecar, it really makes me feel local :) So glad to have met a nice local, we connected via an Asian Starseed/Lightworker group on facebook! It looks like we may start planning and organizing some beach camping art events in the near future ^.^ the energy here is AMAZING. AH. I love it. I love how happy the people are, how lifted I feel here, and I even love the grime that drips around the innards of the city… it can be dirty… HUGE cockroaches. but hey, it’s the pacific islands! best mangos on the PLANET! LIFE IS GOOD… and as they all say “It’s More Fun in the Philippines!”

The Urban Jungle: An Evening of frolicking amongst the busy...

st4rs33ds — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:32:00 +0800

The Urban Jungle:

An Evening of frolicking amongst the busy nightlife in this roaring metropolis. Influences range across the map, from the Middle East to Japan. The old school shophouses were my favorite, where the streets are packed full with pedestrians and each building has shutters of every color. All the different medley of languages made me feel like I was in a melting pot of completely different (Easternly) proportions! And for the record, authentic pad thai is WAYYY better than anything back at home. SPICY by NATURE! hehe

Heading off to Manila in the Philippines tomorrow.. very excited on the explorations that will ensue on those islands!! ^.^