I am so tired of hearing about the 2010 Olympics...

They are to be in Vancouver and Whistler, BC and they've already started the party that will lead up to the actual event. I am already tired of hearing about it.

I do not say this to offend those who like sports but the turning point for me was when they started corporate sponsorships AND started using professional athletes to play on behalf of their countries. Weren't the games supposed to be about amateur sports? I would sooner support the BC Games.

And what about all of the money they are spending to build new facilities instead of using the ones that we spent "billions" on in the first place. In the case of Vancouver, we have BC Place and just had to have GM Place because the first one was too big and had shitty acoustics. And I believe that we are still paying for those too...

Every time something comes on the tv about the Olympics, I turn it off. I don't believe in any sort of "legacy", I just think that the money could be spent on something more relevant to BC. (Well, what does relevant have to do with it? If the Canadian Olympic Committee or whoever created that travesty at the closing ceremonies in Torino thought relevancy was important, they would have depicted Vancouver and the glory here and not perpetuate the land of ice and snow stereotype that it seems most people in the world think of when the name Canada comes up.)

All I want to ask is where is the legacy from Expo 86. All of the lands around there are expensive condos and exclusive businesses now. Oh, with the exception of the area where Cirque du Soleil performs when they come to Vancouver.

Okay, so I will get off my soap box.

However, I will also have no qualms about saying "I told you so" at any opportunity that I can...

Here is something interesting but a bit scary as well...

It appears that UNESCO has predicted that 6000 languages that are now present in the world will disappear by the end of this century.

And, in case that you didn't know, 2006 has been declared the Year of African Languages.

So, I am reading the Guardian Unlimited online this morning and I come across this story about how scientists have succeeded in growing teeth in chickens.

How freaky is that?

It reminds me of a show I watched on tv last night called The Science Channels: 100 Greatest Discoveries in which one of the discussions talked of how they injected a chemical into lab mice that made their tissues glow. It was really freaky because the animals' eyes were glowing.

I wonder how all of these scientists will feel when these creatures mutate into huge, human-eating predators?

Perhaps we should sit these guys down and have a screening of 28 Days Later... (remember the chimpanzees?)

You know, I've been diggin' Pink lately...

I think it's because I really like what she's trying to do with her new song "Stupid Girls" (you can check out the video from this page). I just cannot stand all of these idiot starlets out there who seem to think they are so important yet do not care that they are influencing young women everywhere.

I have been thinking out there how much these bad role models influence women to behave like defenseless ditzes because they think this is what makes them popular or what the average man wants. It's sickening.

I know lots of extremely intelligent and well-thoughtout women who become either extremely sexy in a very negative blonde way (I apologize for saying this about blondes, it's just the stereotype that I am trying to bring to attention) or go the other way and become these "cute" things that people just want to take care of. Both of these types of women do an injustice to strong, smart women everywhere. They also make it easy for women to be abused and assaulted by those idiot men who buy into the fantasy.

Anyway, my thanks goes out to Pink who creates dialogue on the issue. (Oh and congratulations on your wedding, young lady).

I’ve been listening to the “Bend it Like Beckham” soundtrack a lot lately and it makes me think about all of the other types of music that are unavailable here. Sure, I can get the occasional CDs of traditional music from some other countries but when it comes to seeing the evolution of music in present day, it’s hard to come by…

With the popularity of internet sites that one can listen to songs from other countries, it is getting easier. However, I am the “go down to the CD shop and buy it” kind of girl and I find that when I am able to find international music that I like, I also find that the local shops don’t even know what I am talking about.

This makes me think. Why is it that even though music evolves, the evolution is limited to the area where it resides? The world is supposedly more global now than ever so why can’t we just make things more available?

In addition, why is it that even when music has existed in some form since the beginning of man, some cultures or music styles are considered more valid? Take for example countries in Africa and Asia. There are cultures there that are much older than that of North America and even Europe. So why is classical or opera considered by many to be the epitome of class or taste? Why is the tribal music of Africa or Chinese music with traditional string instruments not up there with the others in that they are probably the derived from this music?

And, how can I comment on the music of other countries that I know little about? There is so much that I don’t know about these forms due to lack of availability. It is truly sad.

While I enjoy classical, opera (depending on the specific opera) and the songs of musicals, it makes me wonder why these forms are so respected yet other more valid musics are not. Sure, they consider some of the classic masters to be of genius status but in my mind, music is for the soul. Everyone should be able to enjoy but more importantly, they should feel they have the right to express themselves musically.

As you may know from earlier posts, I am a yogi of kundalini yoga. An important part of this form of yoga is the meditative chanting, which, when you learn it, comes from the very base of your soul and creates a beautiful sound that sometimes sounds like singing. The collections of voices are quite spiritual. However, I also find that some new people have a blockage that doesn’t allow them to reach the true potential of their voice. In many cases, I think that many people are self-conscious about others hearing their voice.

Even when I am not in the position of being in a yoga class, there are many out there who seem to be afraid of others hearing them sing. Again, I think this is self-consciousness. The truly sad thing about this is that these people are denying themselves the spirituality that comes from releasing that big voice. It also releases stress from the core of your soul and allows that stress to dissipate.

The thing is that all people have the right to sing. Whether they are of pop quality, can’t quite carry a tune or are training to be a singer, all people have the right to express themselves this way. Having a good voice shouldn’t just put one onto a pedestal because I believe that many people out there need to have their voice heard and I am sure that if they just try it without fear, that they will realize that music is really all that they need.

This brings me back to my original point, in that people should have more access to music from all over the world. It will not only open their minds but it will create bridges between people all over the world. And it might even result in people finding other types of music that might help them to release their inner voices.

And that would only be a great thing…

So, I urge all of you to get out and find that voice. The right is yours! And if you wouldn’t mind sharing something of music from your own country, that would be wonderful!

This morning, I was lucky enough to see the Zone's Man in a Bikini. This guy has won a contest (and there have been several so far) that puts him outside wearing a bikini. It was a little chilly this morning so you can imagine that the 6'8" guy with a mohawk, this teeny bikini and his boots was a little cold...

If you wanna check it out, go to this page, scroll down to the section and click on the links...

A little known piece of truth about me is that I meddle.

Until you get to know me, that is. I don't know why but it appears that it's a family trait.

I was reminded of this recently when, in the guise concern about someone's situation, felt the need to tell the truth "according to me" and realized that I am doing the same things my parents do... Oh god, I've become my parents!

This truth is in fact the truth but instead of allowing this person to discover it for themselves, I was trying to save some time by filling them in. I was not allowing these people to try and fail for themselves and thus robbing them of the opportunity to learn something from their experiences. These type of "life" lessons are integral to a person's being.

So, from this day forward, I will not meddle. I will not try to "help" people from avoiding the experience of pain and joy because it is their right as it is mine to experience it as well. Life is never easy and it's not meant to be. This should save a whole lot of wasted energy.

That said, I will also realistically evaluate my relationships and ensure that I am not compromising myself to make them work. After all, no one helped me to get where I am now except for me. It's all about personal responsibility and it would be great if everyone could remember it (including the current conservative government).

If one gets into a great situation, it is them that should take the credit. However, if things are not going their way, they should never blame anyone for that situation except themselves. They are in control of their destiny - good or bad - and it is noone else that has created their lives. It took me a very long time to understand this in my own life and while I am not forcing this opinion on anyone, I will continue to think this. It's noone's fault (or credit) but their own.

This post was inspired about some recent events and some realizations I have come to. Just so you know... It is about me and no one else...

I'd like to ask everyone out there who drops by my blog to tell me who their three favourite photographers are. Please include links if you would.

Mine would have to be:

Nina Raginsky (this photo was taken of her when she was younger) and you can check out some of her images as well. You can read a short biography of her here. (I remember meeting Nina in the 80's when I was working at an art shop. She was in the shop and came across some pen nibs that she thought would be an excellent gift for a friend in New York who was an artist. It turned out the guy was actually quite famous. Anthony Hayden Guest or Roy Lichtenstein... its difficult to recall.

Yousuf Karsh and some of his images. I have never met him but I think his portraits are amazing.

Wolfgang Tillmans and some of his images. Again never met but he is definitely a product of this generation of media babies (those who are really affected by the media)

There are actually lots of them but I thought you'd all like to share your ideas.

As a note, along with my own photos, I have also had the great pleasure to know people that I consider to be artists in their own right. Yuko Hioki, N.S. Kim and Tanya Murdoch. You might be hard pressed to find any of their work on the net but you might be lucky to see their work somewhere in the world.

Oooh. Madonna's going on tour again.

Get out the platform shoes and the disco balls!!!!

Dreams are funny sometimes, aren't they?

Last night, I dreamed that I went to a different salon than normal and that Japanese women, who was highly recommended by friends, was colouring my hair. After slopping on the hair colour, she wandered around and when I complained that the colour was making my neck break out in a rash she told me I simply had to wait.

So, I sat in the chair and waited for what seemed like hours (and it was, like four) and my friend Mao (by the way Mao, are you going to update soon?) came in to get hers done, and I decided I'd had enough. So, I started yelling at the woman who seemed totally oblivious to my pain, and then I washed the colour out saying that there was no way I would pay. She seemed less than surprised, in fact, quite like she didn't care. And to be honest, she seemed like she didn't want to do my hair because I wasn't Asian.

I woke up angry and crying.

It's so weird because the night before, I had a dream that I was in a restaurant with friends (Caucasian & Japanese) after I'd arrived in Tokyo and the women working there didn't rush to serve us. When questioned, she said it was because they didn't know us. Mostly, because we were white. (This dream also evolved into a search for a usable toilet and jumping off a really tall cliff to escape some bad people - unbeknownst to me that we all had parachutes.)

This is weird because it has been a while since I experienced this kind of anti-white sentiment. And, because, if you knew me, I would be the last person to discriminate against someone who wasn't white.

Over the past couple of days, I have been reminded of a woman I used to know until we parted ways. She was a fine person who went on to become a great graphic artist, I am sure. Why our friendship ended, I am unsure but at the time I think it was because we had moved on and gone in very different directions.

I think that she thought I had become too normal after my stay in Japan.

The truth is, I was suffering from reentry shock after being away from my home country and could not see clearly what direction I wanted to go in. I was fearful of returning to who I was yet, I was losing the creative curiosity I had when I left.

All I know is that I wished I knew where she is in her life and if she is out there, it would be nice to say hi.

So, if you are out there or have come across this woman from Vancouver via Victoria, BC Canada, it would be nice to hear if she is doing alright.

Update: I was lucky enough to hear from this person and am glad that we have once again got into touch. It appears that the fates were looking after my "wish".

Not much to say recently.

I've recently started acupuncture to help out with a long-running problem with TMJ. It seems to be helping although it's a little unnerving having someone poke needles into your body. (I keep my eyes closed)

I've also been working hard to be more active and to improve my posture so that the pain subsides. It's been a long time developing such a condition so I am sure that it won't be fixed over night. It may never go back to normal but I am confident that I can stop feeling so much pain.

The funny thing is that one doesn't realize how much a desk job and bad posture can contribute to this kind of lethargic pain... I really have to get back into yoga...

Even though I retired early last night, I was suddenly awake at 2:30 am. It has been unusually stormy around here lately. I don't know what happened but I know that at one point, I heard some metal item flying around and it finally hit some other solid object.

It's funny, I had intended to go towards Tofino to go storm watching and now I don't have to. The only problem in coming to my area is that there are quite a few power outages...

How's the weather where you are?