John Kevin's Journal: March 2011

Thursday, March 31, 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Feel the beauty that lives inside you.You can only perceive the beauty that lives outside you when you feel the beauty that lives inside you. Honor your body and accept it as it is. You have the right to feel beautiful and enjoy it.

-Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY...

Let your heart speak. The heart is in direct communication with the human soul, and when the heart speaks, even with the resistance of the head, something inside you changes. Your heart opens another heart, and true love is possible.

Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Well, Today was Tuesday...

Not much to report, I'm afraid. I went to the Library, worked on the sidebar on this blog a little, tried palabok for th first time... It was pretty good, I think i'lltry some more in the near future.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

You are the force that is life. You are alive because of the power of God, which is the power of life. You are the force that is life, but because you are able to think at the level of the mind, you forget what you really are.

Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

Monday, March 28, 2011

My LAST WEEKEND

Saturday: Took the Metro Rail out to HOLLYWOOD!!! O.K., it wasn't THAT exciting. In fact, they were working on the upcoming EXPO line that day, so getting to downtown L.A. was pretty damn frustrating. But I did meet a group of South Korean language students on the bus, they were fun. They were also going to Hollywood. And, while in that little outdoor mall on Hollywood and Highland, I went to Johnny Rockets for the first time... It was one for the memory. The burger and fries were among the best I've ever had, and I got to see some of the staff perform a little live show! The next time I go there, I'm gonna have to take a date or something. but she's gonna have to pay for her own food. The food was excellent, bt also very pricey. I tried to run into that Korean tour group again, but I couldn't find them. Oh well.

Then, it was off to my favorite Dim-Sum place in chinatown for half of my dinner. I tried chicken feet for the first time. It was pretty good, but it was all skin and bones. I don't think I will try that again. I gonna stick to Har-gow and Steamed Buns, preferably pork. And on my way back to the red line, I went through Olvera Street, and the old Pueblo de Los Angeles, and saw two live performances of Aztec Dancers, an Cumbia.

SUNDAY: I missed my silat class yesterday. Well, I didn't actually miss it, my teacher just idn't show up. He did say that he was due for a medical procedure, maybe that was the reason. I guess I'm gonna have to practice until he gets better, that's what he would want me to do. I did get some practice in at Redondo Beach pier though. Then I walked around the pier for a little while. The weather was cool, so there weren't that many people around there, which is how I like it. After that, I went home, rested, and started getting ready for the upcoming week.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Quote of the day

When you are creating, the voice of knowledge is not there, even if you are using words in your art. If you are writing a poem, you are not thinking about the words you will use to write the poem, you are simply expressing your emotions.

-Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

Friday, March 4, 2011

Quote of the day

Do not be concerned about the future; keep your attention on today, and stay in the present moment. Just live one day at a time.

-Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Quote of the day

You don't need to know or prove anything. Just to be, to take a risk and enjoy your life, is all that matters. Say no when you want to say no, and yes when you want to say yes. You have the right to be you.

-Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Quote of the day

When you do your best you learn to accept yourself. But you have to be aware and learn from your mistakes. Learning from your mistakes means that you practice, look honestly at the results, and keep practicing.

-Don Miguel Ruiz

www.miguelruiz.com

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Let's face it - think of Africa, and the first images that come to mind are of war, poverty, famine and of course, Tarzan. How many of us really know anything at all about the truly great ancient African civilizations, which in their day, and even to this day, were just as splendid and glorious as any other great civilazation on the face of the earth?

I've added numerous links to different websites to show everybody some of the Real History of Africans and thier descendants, as opposed to How we are usually stereotyped, even by some Black people. It is these stereotypes I believe (among others), that lead to discrimination, racism, and ultimately, a weaker society.

So I put those links there, not to say that we are somehow better or superior to other nations, or to try to put down any of the other great civilizations of this planet, but to show that we africans worldwide have our own cultures, civilizations, and ways of life that are just as complex, advanced, and worthy of study as any of the other great nations and peoples of the world, if not more so.

"It is in my nature to be kind, gentle, and loving...

BUT KNOW THIS: When it comes to matters of protecting my friends, my family and my heart... Do not fuck with me. For I'm also the most powerful, relentless, and ruthless MONSTER you will ever know... BELIEVE THAT."

I love the Martial arts, but I don't consider myself a "Martial Artist". I consider myself what I call a SELF PRESERVATIONIST. What I mean by that is, my interest in Martial Arts and Survival is for one main purpose. That purpose is to SURVIVE, and to PRESERVE LIFE in general, and in particular, MY LIFE, and the lives of MY LOVED ONES.

You see, I don't stick fight, I don't knife fight, I don't sword fight, I don't gun fight, or whatever.

I SURVIVE, the aforementioned methods are merely the tools I use to accomplish my goal. If you come at me looking for a "fight", you've come to the wrong place, because I'm not gonna "fight" with you.

I'm going to do EVERYTHING in my power to make sure I SURVIVE.

I don't like to be called a Martial Artist because like I just said, I'm not really a martial artist. I just use the martial arts to help achieve my goals in survival, and health (and when I say health, I mean physical, mental, and spiritual).

And honestly, there are certain "ISSUES" in the Martial Arts Universe that keep me from wanting to wear the label of, "Martial Artist".

Besides, In my opinion, a lot of martial artists, especially here in the U.S., tend to be a very STRANGE group of people(Myself included).

But I DO love to read about the arts, watch martial art movies, and learning more about the Martial Arts.

Below, I posted links to various martial art websites and media. I hope you like them.

What is a Warrior?

I see through different eyes.

I see a bigger picture when others see only grey skies.

Though many can’t conceive it,

I stand... facing the wind.

My bravery not from fighting,

but from my strength within,

I am a Warrior.

I will walk the extra mile,

Not because I have to,

Because it’s worth my while.

I know that I am different,

When I’m standing on a crowded street.

I know the fullness of winning;

I’ve tasted the cup of defeat.

I am a Warrior.

They say I walk with ease.

Though trained for bodily harm,

My intentions are for peace.

The world may come and go,

But a different path I’ll choose.

A path I will not stray from,

No matter... Win or Lose.

If you've been in the Martial Arts for a while, you'll find many people who would like to believe in the idea that just because they practice the Martial Arts, they are some kind of Warriors.(I like to call them Wannabee Warriors).

But what exactly is a Warrior? I mean, throughout history, there have been many different types of warriors, all having different Codes of Honor that they live by (And in case you're wondering, yes, there is a Warrior Creed that I follow and try to live up to also...) . But if you really try to define what a warrior is, there seems to be no one answer to that question. In fact, there seems to be many answers, almost as many answers as people you ask.

So, what I did was provide some links to some different websites about different warriors and types of warriors throughout history. Hell, I even posted links to web sites about Dan Millman and Carlos Castaneda for you "Spiritually Aware" types. Perhaps if you look through them, you'll find a good definition of a warrior for yourself...

And for you Wannabee Warriors out there... Some of the links I put up are to Law Enforcement & Military websites. If you really want to be warriors, Check out those links and become a police officer, or go join the armed forces. They need you!!!

FROM WIKIPEDIA, THE FREE ENCYCLOPEDIA: Silat is a collective word for indigenous martial arts of the Malay Archipelago and Malay Peninsula of Southeast Asia. Originally developed in what are now Indonesia, peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore, it was also traditionally practiced in Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. As a result, it is closely related to other Southeast Asian martial arts including krabi krabong and eskrima. Practitioners are called pesilat. The Chinese fusion of silat is known as kuntao.

There are hundreds of different styles but they tend to focus either on strikes, joint manipulation, bladed weapons, throws, animal-based techniques, or some combination thereof. Silat is one of the sports included in the Southeast Asian Games and other region-wide competitions. Training halls are overseen by separate national organizations in each of the main countries the art is practiced. These are Ikatan Pesilat Indonesia (IPSI) from Indonesia, Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) from Malaysia, Persekutuan Silat Brunei Darussalam (PERSIB) from Brunei and Persekutuan Silat Singapura (PERSISI) from Singapore.

Below, I added some links to various websites and video clips so you can get a better understanding of what Silat is about.

One of the gravest disservices we have done to the people of our world is to have provided them with a poor education. We do not teach students to think.

If you do not learn to effectively process information (and it is a learned skill) then you will always be at the mercy of people promoting their favorite dogmas.

The problem is, that all kinds of people would like you to uncritically believe what they are telling you about the way the world is. Many of them pretend that such uncritical belief is "faith", which it is not.

If you do not have the tools to discover what a given person or group is really trying to sell you, then you are libel to be making some really wacky presuppositions about the world, which will in turn become the heuristics by which you operate.

About half of what we perceive as "intelligence" is the ability to process information effectively, so if you want to be "smarter" then all you have to do is improve in that area.

While this is pretty simple, it is not necessarily easy. In my experience, most people are conditioned to a way of thinking already comfortable to the individual. When a person tries to change the way they process information they run a good chance of evoking a "threat response" from within themselves.

The wonderful thing about the internet is that you have access to so much useful information. If you're reading this, then you are able to self-educate on any number of subjects to a remarkable degree, and do it almost for free.

And that's what this section is about. I added some links here so anybody with a brain can study and learn to use it.

Remember 2 things people:

"I NOT ONLY HAVE THE RIGHT TO THINK AT ALL TIMES, BUT THE RESPONSIBILITY TO DO SO."

"IF I DON'T THINK FOR MYSELF, THEN SOMEBODY ELSE WILL DO IT FOR ME".

There are over 10,000 different religions in the world, 150 of which have at least 1 millions followers. Which one is the truth? "Christianity!" someone says, but even Christianity alone has over 38,000 different denominations. So which interpretation is the TRUE one?

Religion is not the anchor-point of truth. The truth always existed. Religion is man-made, meaning that the truth existed prior to both man and religion. Religion may be an effective catalyst for some individuals who desire to invest their minds into ideological association for whatever reason, but it is not a necessary nor a sufficient condition for a relationship with God, and understanding of the Creator, or the inner workings of the self.

Spirituality is not a belief. It is a state of consciousness, a mental framework with which you approach the world. Spirituality is in fact what birthed religion through the attempted organization of experience and wisdom, which ended up being the hierarchical stratification of various belief systems that we call religion.

Don't let the commitments you have to a religious belief system in your mind take you away from your natural state of Being with all things. You were a human before you learned religion. God's light existed in you before you learned this through some spiritual guru. Does this mean don't read or believe what Jesus of Buddha had to say? Of course not. Just make sure you take the time and effort to experience the rose instead of just believing in the accounts of others. This is not an attack on any religion by any means, and religion has brought many people happiness and the experience of being close to one's creator, but don't let it cause segregation away from our inherent unity.

As for my religious beliefs, well...

I'm a CHRISTIAN, in the sense that I believe that personal redemption is feasible for everyone and that universal love makes that salvation possible.

I'm a MUSLIM, in the sense that I believe that there's only 1 GOD, ans that all are equal under this one GOD. And, althought I'm not jewish, I do have a respect for JUDAISM.

I'm a BUDDHIST, in the sense that the seeds of enlightenment are within all of us as an integral part of our DNA, and that we are capable of reaching the Absolute through our own efforts.

I'm a HINDU, in the sense that I believe that GOD takes many shapes and forms to reach out to mankind.

I'm a TAOIST, in the sense that I have a total belief in the reality of Yin & Yang Energies.

And I also have a total belief in the world of spirits, and what we can learn from them, so I guess that makes me an ANIMIST.

I never want to tell someone what to think, for ones spirituality is a private matter between that person and their creator.

My goal here is only to show all of you the history and traditions of the many, many ways the people of the world have reached out to god.