Swing into Spring.

April is here, and thus, officially Spring! There's such a lovely quality to this time of year, where the air is fresh and sweet, the sun stays out longer, and the days are bright with potential and new possibilities.  I see it as a kind of "check-point" throughout the year, to see if you've kept any of your resolutions, what's working, and what you might want to get rid of; aka spring cleaning. 

LA is known it's healthy lifestyle and sunny culture, and rightly so.  We have roughly 284 cloudless days, juiceries overtaking every corner Starbucks, and a farm-to-table movement dedicated to conscious eating.  

While I feel like I've mastered the external part of eating right, and exercising, I've been making more of an effort to exercise the internal parts of me.  One of which is practicing a daily meditation.  I was always the kind of person that loved the idea of meditating, but found it difficult to sit still and "clear my mind" for an allotted time.  Usually, I'd just get frustrated (or hungry), call it quits and then carry on the rest of my day.  What really got me back into this was spending a couple minutes in the morning (usually after a run) with an idea, or an intention for the day.  You might call this daydreaming.  As it turns out, this was my gateway into meditation.  Your mind is supposed to have a thousand thoughts per day, and you're going to wander, but once you begin to fine-tune your focus on one concept, you can change your way of thinking.  It's been really helpful listening to guided meditations by the inspiring Gabrielle Bernstein, especially for someone like me who feels like their brain is more akin to Grand Central Station than a tranquil waterfall.  Nevertheless, I've found that this simple practice has opened my awareness and I actually look forward to it. 

I encourage everyone to find a little time for themselves to sit in peace during the day.  Whether that's in a full-length meditation, a cat-nap, or taking a walk outside.  It's a kind, friendly reminder to take care of yourself.  And just be present.   

 

Namaste.

Up to Speed.

I've been sick for the past three days, and I'm final feeling like a living person again!  Allergy season is always the worst, especially because I love being outdoors and breathing fresh, spring air.  I may not know my own limits, because it left me bed-ridden for the last 72 hours.  Having to slow down and take time off always makes me feel behind, but it's moments like that I realize that I need to take a break and just rest.  Health is by far one of the most important things to me, if not the most, because it's how we bring ourselves out to the world, and we strive to be in full health: body, mind and spirit,  and it's a valuable lesson to be reminded of.

Before I descended down the ill path, I got to celebrate a dear friend's birthday on Saturday.  The magical Claire Perry was turning 26, and also leaving us the next day for Las Vegas.  Funny enough, I had always imagined her being in that city, and I have no doubts that she will make quite an impact when she arrives.  We spent the day overlooking her beach view in Venice, and the followed with the most extravagent dinner at Mao's Kitchen.  We started with the Shrimp & Spinach dumplings, which arrived in a bamboo steamer with a garlic ponzu, Eggplant Pamphlet: eggplant slices stuffed with shrimp, and then fried in tempura batter, then dined on Long-Life Beans: vegetables in a black bean sauce, and The Coconut Curry that Changes Your Life: tomatoes, bok choy, celery, broccoli and chicken covered with a silky, delicious, coconut curry goodness.

Dessert was walking to the beach and catching the last rays of run before they were tucked away.  A few good snapshots with friends.  Hugs and laughter. 

Oh, and six red bean pastries.  That I ate by myself :)

Release and Allow.

 (I promise to start writing more, but in the mean time, a little blip of what's been bouncing in my brain)

I get these awesome, inspiring e-mails daily from Brian Johnson and his team over at en*theos, and below is one of the quotes I got this past weekend:

 "We need not to be afraid to touch, to feel, to show emotion.  The easiest thing in the world is to be what you are, what you feel.  The hardest thing to be is what other people want you to be."-Leo Buscaglia

I love these little nuggets of wisdom.  It reminds me that there is no perfection, only an ideal, and even then, we always have to be our authentic selves in everything we do.  Only then, do I feel, we can truly open ourselves up to who we really are and experience life like we never imagined.

With grace and sophisticated sass,
.:Anais:. 

"The road to hell...

is paved with good intentions."

What a saying.

I never understood it as a kid.  I'm all about contradictions, and I'll be the first to make a witty juxtaposition, but this one just didn't make sense.  I mean, how is it even feasible? Only recently have I finally come to understand what it means. 

In the book I'm reading right now, Deepak Chopra spends several chapters discussing suffering and darkness, and how it pertains to our lives.  It's my natural inclination to want to skip over those chapters, and continue onto the path of sunshine, rainbows and a chocolate waterfall-everything that doesn't have to do with being sad or discontented.  However, it seems to be a recurring lesson to make peace (or at least compromise) with my darkside. 

"In the unconscious, there is a full population of unexamined impulses...an artistic talent will never emerge unless the unconscious mind allows itself to release what it is holding"

Darkness is something I tend to see as unusable, or something no one would be interested in.  In fact, it's one of my great fears that if people found out who I really was, they'd probably just leave me.  He goes on to say, "...the shadow is personal and universal at the same time..." 

We are very much light as much as we are dark.  The sooner we begin to embrace both sides, the sooner we can emerge into our full selves.

I encourage everyone to welcome their fears and doubts and dark (myself included), and see what happens. 

You have my permission (and unwavering love).

.:Anais:.

Hoy!

As in 'today', or 'hey' (and also the Yiddish exclamation that I've been using a lot of lately).

So far, 2013 is proving to be a good one.  I had some doubts and reservations (which is really just my odd taste for even and symmetrical numbers), but it's shaping out quite nicely.

A friend of mine from New York came to visit earlier this week, and it was such a treat getting to spend time with her, since we seldom see one another.  I love showing my friends that come to town all my favorite spots, and just experiencing the city through their eyes.  It's like they breathe new life into something that usually is routine or mundane.  Of course, the hardest part is when they have to leave.  But then, their absence makes for the perfect excuse to make Blueberry Cornbread. 

One small cake for me, one giant cake for mankind.

Being blue isn't such a bad thing.

.:Anais:.
 






   

Ye Olde Thyme

I love Fall.

I am so completely infatuated and nostalgic for this time of year.  Autumn always brings back memories of growing up on the east coast, when the air would become crisp, and the leaves would turn, and then slowly begin to blanket our fading lawn.  I was always the one forced to rake them (against my good will), but was rewarded by jumping merrily into a big pile of crunchy, colored goodness.

I also had a slightly unhealthy obsession with the Salem Witch Trials.  I did my 4th grade report on them, and strolled in with my pointy hat, long cloak and was convinced that all I needed to prepare were some limerick-like spells, and have a plastic cauldron full of candy to hand out.  Of course, I put much more effort into it than that, and nothing else would make my after-school infatuation more pleasing than when my family would take seasonal trips up to Salem, MA.  It was there, that I got to feast my imagination and completely submerse myself into the world of witches and warlocks and all the haunted happenings that took place there.  Then, I'd go home and watch movies like 'The Crucible' and 'Sleepy Hollow' and try to relive the magical lives  of these characters. 

Me, on trial, for not cleaning my room.

These days, I don't find myself in Salem, but I did find myself in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where my roommate and I took a guided tour, by the well-versed and educated Karie Bible.  The tour itself lasted about 2 hours, and covered only about a quarter of the cemetery itself.  Man, that place is BIG.  Most of the gravestones we learned about were from an earlier cinematic generation, including many actors I was somewhat familiar with.  It was both overwhelming and interesting to hear all the stories behind each person, most of them ending tragically, but regardless, what they left behind was a legacy of sort.

It left me feeling a bit morbid, so I had to make up for it, by indulging in a more child friendly celebration.  And what better way to do so than to bake an seasonal Apple Thyme Cake (courtesy of SpoonForkBacon), and sip bourbon cider, while watching your favorite Sanderson Sisters try and suck the lives out of little children?  By the way, if you don't watch this movie for the majesty of Bette Midler, than do the honors for the two hilarious "hoodlums" (Jay and Ernie 'Ice'). 


And be sure to buy a cinnamon broom from Trader Joe's.

...some things never change.


.:Anais:.

(almost) A Month Later.

I'd like to say that the reason why I haven't been writing much lately is because I've been sooo busy.  Untrue.  Let's recap:

A few weeks ago, I flew up to visit my family in the Bay Area for my Grandparent's 50th Anniversary.  They had no idea that we were throwing a surprise celebration for them, and it was really wonderful to be apart of something so monumental.  

I don't get to spend as much time with my family as I'd like to, (distance being a big reason), and it's funny because, when I had them close, I didn't take advantage of them as much as I wish I had.  In fact, I couldn't wait to get out of the house upon graduating, and my seldom visits were dictated by the holidays, not my own volition.  I had this notion that the farther I went away, the less I would need them.  Even after college and moving to LA, I thought the same thing.

And then you get to see your entire family celebrating two people who've spent most of their lives together, and you feel how important they are to you, despite the gaps of time you've spent apart.  You sit down with your grandma and grandpa, and ask them for advice because they really have seen it all.  You take a beat and actually spend time with your family instead of rushing through another obligation, when you're just trying to go out with friends. 

You really see your family for the first time, and appreciate them in a brand new way you never thought you could. 

And it's really nice.