Constantly Seeking Inspiration

PHOTO: Viva Verde

I know I promised earlier I would reduce my amount of quote/photo posts, but I gave in. Actually this blog will be moving soon to a new space. A place where I can share some more personal thoughts candidly. In the mean time, take my offering of photos. Just to remind you, nature photography is a growing hobby for me. Here is a photo I took in the Muir Woods at the end of last year. I love the darkness of the woods, the lush greens, and peeps of sunlight. Something I look forward to in the future are photo trekking expeditions. You can go with a team of photographers and nature guides and explore the terra firma on feet with your lens and backpack. Everybody is snap happy. So you don't feel like you are over doing it. (Photogs: You know what I mean). I am going to make it happen this year. Don't know when or where yet, but this year for sure. This photo kind of reminds me of  "Avatar". I know it's completely different. But, it does. Does it for you? Am I the only one? BTW-- I am torn between Cameron and Bigelow. Loved both their works. Genius.

PHOTO: Happy Cows

The Weekend is here. Be a Happy Cow. It's a choice. Choose to be happy. Let crap go. That's my deep and meaningful thought. Love it? or what? :)

PHOTO: Nook

A look into my study nook. I have somehow managed to have two offices. [blame it on the edit] However, this little cozy space is where I always end up. Pardon the cheese factor on this one.

PHOTO: Beautiful Earth's Bounty in a Bowl

Kumquats, Fuyu Persimmons, Limes, Lemons, Blood Orange, Clementines, Meyer Lemon, Pomegranate, and the ever cute Crab Apple.
Thank You for these beautiful pieces of edible art.

Photo: Beach Bumming

Photo: Sand that Shimmers like Gold

Photo: Huggable Loveable Bouquet

Photo: Dead Wood

There is this amazing place right off of Kanan Rd through the Santa Monica Mountains  where this Artist carves beautiful pieces of dead wood into collectible and breath taking art.

A must visit.

SLIDESHOW: For the Love of Green

Photo: (Fill in the Blanks)

Photo: You Go Ahead..

Happy October everybody! Two more months of 2009; make it good.

Photo: Longer Than Knowing

Memory believes before knowing remembers.

Believes longer than recollects,

longer than knowing even wonders.

Faulkner

Photo: "The Long Road to Somewhere Exciting"

Who needs maps? Directions are ho-hum. Are you going to be that person all your life? Step it up. Change things. Be a catalyst for change. Evoke emotions. Allow yourself to be inspired. Inspire. Don't listen to this photo caption. It doesn't know you. You know You. Disregard this. Follow your heart. Be happy.

Photo: Solid

This little nook off the PCH near Oxnard is eerie and calming at the same time. The marine layer is prevalent and the waters muted; unlike the glistening neighbor to the north; Malibu.

I was drawn to this rock for it's ruggedness; it's battle scar. The rock's silent strength, age, wisdom; is almost overwhelming. {Well, at least for this previous Flatlander}. It is so easy to get lost in the Pacific's blue and run to the happy waters with smiles and return with heavy sighs when leaving. This rock stands out. It's a platform, a staple, a friend for every Coaster. It doesn't ask for attention, it is simply there. Solid.

More thoughts on the "Pacific Experience" later...tbc.

Farida

Photo: Pt.Mugu Sky @ Sunset

Photo: 09.09.09 Hello

via digitalbin.tumblr.com

Well it’s 09/09/09.

I don’t really buy into superstition. I am observing Ramadan, so in that respects, I have 2 more weeks of fasting, renewing and reconnecting with my faith.

Here is an interesting article nevertheless: Why 09/09/09 is so Special

Photo: Complicated Cacti

More proof that beautiful traits are born and are within complex, thorny, complicated, people--err, I mean plants. Something beautiful exists in everything. Beauty is subjective.

-Farida

Photo: "No Machines, Hello Nature"

"The World As I See It"

When we survey our lives and endeavors we soon observe that almost the whole of our actions and desires are bound up with the existence of other human beings. We see that our whole nature resembles that of the social animals. We eat food that others have grown, wear clothes that others have made, live in houses that others have built.

The greater part of our knowledge and beliefs has been communicated to us by other people through the medium of a language which others have created.

Without language our mental capacities would be poor indeed, comparable to those of the higher animals; we have, therefore, to admit that we owe our principal advantage over the beasts to the fact of living in human society.

The individual, if left alone from birth would remain primitive and beast-like in his thoughts and feelings to a degree that we can hardly conceive. The individual is what he is and has the significance that he has not so much in virtue of his individuality, but rather as a member of a great human society, which directs his material and spiritual existence from the cradle to the grave.

The example of great and pure characters is the only thing that can produce fine ideas and noble deeds.

 A man's value to the community depends primarily on how far his feelings, thoughts, and actions are directed towards promoting the good of his fellows. We call him good or bad according to how he stands in this matter. It looks at first sight as if our estimate of a man depended entirely on his social qualities.
     
And yet such an attitude would be wrong. It is clear that all the valuable things, material, spiritual, and moral, which we receive from society can be traced back through countless generations to certain creative individuals. The use of fire, the cultivation of edible plants, the steam engine — each was discovered by one man.
     
Only the individual can think, and thereby create new values for society — nay, even set up new moral standards to which the life of the community conforms. Without creative, independently thinking and judging personalities the upward development of society is as unthinkable as the development of the individual personality without the nourishing soil of the community.
     
The health of society thus depends quite as much on the independence of the individuals composing it as on their close political cohesion.


The World As I See It

Albert Einstein

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nothing Gold Can Stay

by
Robert Frost

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Photo: Farida Rafique

We Are the World: Fans say Good-bye

A little over due, but still not too late. I documented these moments last month. Fans, from near and far, say good-bye to a Musical genius.

For complete photo sets please visit my flickr page:

The Day MJ Left Us  and We Are the World

Hi-Note

Photo: Hi-Desert by Farida

Ear Candy: Live Long

Kind of folksy with just enough whisper. Enjoy.
xoxo
Farida

Photo by Farida

Summer child that sits by the water,
weaving sunlight threads in his hands.
The golden river that day a shelter,
a stream where he could make pebbles dance.
You looked around you,
nobody had taken,
any notice of what you saw:
Against the evening sky a formation,
a million black birds looking like one.
Live long, save ten years to remember,
live long, hold it in front of your eyes once more

-Kings of Convenience


Listen HERE.

Previous Ear Candy posts can be found here:
 http://www.faridarafique.com/splash/music/

Do You Feel Like Today?

Today is today. Do you feel like today? Are you  here today? Or are you going to let today slip away because you are steamrolling ahead. Stop and take a moment to breathe mindfully. However mundane today is; however hectic exciting today is; just pause and say thank you for today. Pause and feel today. That is how I am feeling. The following passage is perfect for today's meditation.
Enjoy,
Farida

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.
Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.
Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.
Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.
One day, I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want,
more than all the world, your return."

Mary Jean Iron

Billoo & Goldie

My kitties are a source of fuzzies for me. Animals are so innocent and devoid of judgment. They just like babies, are really just receptors of love. Very simple beings. Here is a snapshot of their simple existence.
Enjoy!
Farida :)

On The Ebb and Flow of the Creative Drive

Great passage on Creativity, Inspiration, and Continuing the Flow of Ideas.

On days when you are not inspired to act out your creative drive, take a break and know that taking this rest may be the most crucial thing you can do for your creative flow. Don't judge a quiet day as non-creative or uninspired.  Just take some time off-be bored even-but trust that there is more going on than is readily present to your physical senses and moods. No matter what you are creating, whether it is a solution to a problem or a project, you must allow time for incubation. Incubation means "to cause to develop under suitable situations."
Remember that truth is a pathless land, and sometimes our creativity is fostered when we are wandering aimlessly. Don't be afraid to be aimless and without direction. Don't let goal-directed belief systems keep you from discovering who you are and what you want to create. Daydream, let your mind wander, let go of strict goals-in other words, take a vacation from the pressures of being someone and you will find out who you really are.

Terry Lynn Taylor

Are You Listening?

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention.  A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.
[Rachel Naomi Remen]

Watch Your Flowers Grow

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.  My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.  The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.
[Abram L. Urban]

Musical Inspiration: "Nothing can compare to deserving your dreams"

"Nothing can compare to deserving your dreams." YES. I adore Jem's song, "It's Amazing". True to heart lyrics and uplifting melody. You have to take a listen. Pay attention to the lyrics. I believe every single word. Seriously do.

Enjoy,
Farida

Take a listen HERE.

Do it now
You know who you are
If feel it in your heart
And you're burning and wishing

At first, wait, won't get it on a plate
You're gonna have to work for it harder and harder
And I knew 'cause I've been there before
Knocking on the doors with rejection (rejection)
And you'll see 'cause if it's meant to be
Nothing can compare to deserving your dreams

It's amazing, it's amazing
all that you can do
It's amazing, makes my heart sing
Now it's up to you

Patience now, frustration's in the air
And people who don't care
Well it's gonna get you down
And you'll (you'll) fall (fall)

Yes you will hit a wall
But get back on your feet
And you'll be stronger and smarter

And I knew 'cause I've been there before
Knocking down the doors won't take "No" for an answer
And you'll see 'cause if it's meant to be
Nothing can compare to deserving your dreams

It's amazing, it's amazing
all that you can do
It's amazing, makes my heart sing
Now it's up to you

The Balloon with Hot Air

You know those times when you are crunched for time and your blog duties take a backseat? Or how about those times when you speed read through your friends posts and say, "I will  come back and comment"? When some of us fall into that, we just slap a picture and a quote and call it a day. Well, I am going a step further. (NOT). Okay, so a few months ago, went to the Plano Hot Air Ballon Launch/Festival. Didn't have an oppurtunity to take alot of pictures, but did manage to snag a few night time shots. Something about Hot Air balloons, just make me smile. Here I was at 31, still in awe of globes of colors and hot air. I would say, there is a whimsical quality to hot air balloons. As a child, I remember  tying a message to a helium balloon and releasing it into the sky. Knowing that it will land somewhere and someone will read it. I don't recall exactly what exercise it was or what message we were supposed to write, but I remember it. Birthday balloons, celebration balloons, balloon animals and hot air balloons, all synonymous with fun and happy times. But there is more to that I believe. It's about containing the invisible space we live in. Harnessing some kind of energy that will release into the atmosphere. It's a probably a wordy way of describing it, but I don't think I really can define it. What are memories anyways? How do you preserve them? Pictures? Real time is real time. That's what's so attractive about giant hot air balloons. They define this "space". Almost symbolizing our etheric self. Hope I am not losing you here.

Which brings us to the quote part of the blog post. Simple quote, with a simple reminder to all of us. Trying to contain our memories, hopefully in colorful ways.

"Stop the habit of wishful thinking and start the habit of thoughtful wishes.” (Mary Martin)

Photo & Post: Interest Rate for Hope is .0%

Another photo that is standing outside waiting in line for the flickr club. A little photo greeting for your Friday. I hope it's chock full of goodness and a great start to a wonderful weekend.(Yeah, I do use words like "chock full"; In writing mostly, not in dialog. That would just make me weird.)

Try not to be blue, if you are among many that are freaked out by the current state of economics in our good 'ol U.S. of A. Or perhaps you are among the statistics. Do what you can, with what you got, and go forward. What is done is done. It had been brewing for a while now.Sounds too easy right? Well, it's not, for many. But, a strong positive will, will at the very least provide some kind of padding.

Sadly, many Americans have suffered tremendously as a result of this mortgage crisis, unemployment, financial down turn. Instead of getting angry, let's use that to propel us forward.(okay, allow yourself the time to vent)  Use your experience as a reason to question your financial planners, government officials, and yourself. What can we do to get better? How did they get us here? How did I get here? What can I do to prevent this? Alleviate this? Did some of us push our boundaries? Or were some CEOs beyond greedy?

Here is a good article from Lifehacker: How To: Know When to Can Your Financial Planner.

Oh, not to rain on our ticker tape parade, but the national debt is now at:CLICK and growing. Where did this come from? What are we going to do personally to prevent debt? Reduce our personal debts?

People suffer. Some more than others. So, let's help out each other anyway we can. If we know someone who is out of work, let's keep their pride and dignity in mind, and offer any leads for employment, words of encouragement, etc. We all can afford to get in the habit of helping each other when in real need. This is a reminder to myself as well. Let's try to remain positive and get through this. Because, as the saying goes, "when you've hit bottom, the only way to go is up". I am an optimist. I am a  firm believer that families affected by this will remain steadfast, positive and bounce back, better than ever. God willing.

Alright Lovelies, Have a gee-orgeous Friday.
With Love,
Farida

Photo: one more image from the Hawaii vacay. Click to enlarge.

Could Water be an analogy for money? Water recycles. Hmm...think.

Photo: [Help name this Picture!]

I promise not to rehash my list of excuses for NOT updating my flickr page with photos from Big Island, Hawaii. One day soon I will finish my album. *crosses fingers*.

OK, need some feedback from you insanely witty people. What should I title this image? Buddha's Facing the Pacific? So not flowing. Any suggestions? Leave a comment if you have any.

Thanks!

Farida

[click picture to enlarge]

Photo: Green is beautiful

I promise not to rehash my list of excuses for NOT updating my flickr page with photos from Big Island, Hawaii. One day soon I will finish my album. *crosses fingers*.

Here is one of many: [click to enlarge]

Summer.4

Sandia, originally uploaded by [farida].

Tienes sed?

Sandia
Spanish for Watermelon
Farida for thirst quencher.

Summer.3

, originally uploaded by [farida].

Road Trips.

Summer.2

, originally uploaded by [farida].

Homegrown Fruit.

Summer.1

mango art, originally uploaded by [farida].

Mangos.