Truth is stranger than fiction.

"When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, there's no need at all to understand what's happening, because everything happens within you, and even men can turn themselves into wind."

- Santiago in The Alchemist

"That's a really ugly cat."

"... it's a dog."

I was told that only 3% of arranged marriages fail. What does it mean when a marriage fails though? When it ends in divorce? I think a marriage can fail much before a divorce happens, and before divorce even enters the picture. There can be many dysfunctional, maladaptive relationships. For example, someone can be dependent on and clinging to an abusive or adulterous spouse.

If marriages can fail before divorce enters the picture, then it's not possible to gauge whether arranged marriages are more "successful" than love marriages. Comparing the efficacy of both types of marriage is meaningless.

Most items of clothing have a label with washing instructions. Do you own any items that have funny instructions? This was on the label of one of my t-shirts -

Hand wash separately in bucket. Use gentle suds. Do not beat the sh** out of the garment. Beware of "Dhobi". Never iron directly on plastic prints. Buy more Tantra... support hungry artists.

I asked around and found out that a dhobi is an Indian washman. He's like a laundromat. You give your clothes to him, but instead of using machines he beats the clothes on rocks to wash and dry them. The image just cracks me up...

Isn't it tragic to see a job ad for an "entry level" position and read that they are looking for someone with at least 10 years of work experience?

I'm facing a lot of "glass doors" (my personal spin on the idea of "glass ceilings").

"Submission" is the literal translation of "Islam"

The pleasure of a dream is the fantasy. If it happens, it was never a dream.

Why do many people treat their dreams as goals? Dreams are fleeting and should elude us.

The best goals are SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic and with Time-boundaries. I believe a dream runs counter to these principles, with maybe the exception of ambitious.

The Ancient Mayans chewed a sapota tree resin called chicle, which is the basis for modern chewing gum.

Only birds fly first class.

Is crisis an opportunity for growth,
or is growth an opportunity for crisis?

There is a show called "Bo-bo-bo bo bo bo-bo"... doesn't that sound ridiculous? "Bobo" means stupid in Tagalog. The show is Japanese.

Decay is inherent in all compound things. Work out your salvation with diligence. Enjoy the Nutella.

- Wisdom I recently received

Hiding from someone inside a closet. Crawling through pipes coated in tomato sauce. Emerging in a chamber called a "pestillery" containing insects, multi-headed turtles, and small monkeys and tapirs with bright, waxy fur (which were for sale).

A fragment of one of my dreams. A glimpse into one of my many alternate lives.

Looking for the hay in the needlestack.

How come the dove gets to be the symbol of peace? How about the pillow? It has more feathers than the dove and doesn't have that dangerous beak.
- Jack Handy

I think a pillow doesn't look as inspiring as a dove in flight. Seeing a pillow might just inspire people to sleep. Also... the secondary use of pillows is for pillow-fights.

A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself over the edge.

The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.

Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man then saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other.

How sweet it tasted.

Zen Poem

A recent study has indicated that 40 percent of nine- and ten-year old girls claim to be on a diet. Like adults, kids have food fads that come in and out, and sometimes they may be "on a diet" simply to imitate something they see on TV or at home. (From abcnews.com)

While they may not actually be dieting... I find the very fact that they say they are quite alarming. I don't think it's a healthy mentality. Health should revolve around an active lifestyle and balancing the foods we eat - not dieting/deprivation. As long as they're eating a variety of foods to get all the necessary nutrients, and they aren't obese, kids so young don't need to worry about their food intake.

I keep hearing negative trends among the youth. Girls are wearing makeup at progressively younger ages. Younger and younger children are trying cigarettes and drugs. Are there any positive trends? Is ANYTHING getting better? What about transmission of AIDS? If someone can console me, please do.

One of the gravest and most profound things that has ever been said to me, slightly paraphrased -

I had a strange sensation to hug you, as if you were dying or something. I wanted to hug you and never let go in fear I might not see you again.

I feel somewhat sorry for anyone living in the USA named Katrina. And for anyone who lives here that was born on September 11th. Connotations are almost always out of our control.