We are all that we have met.

One of my favorite lyric of all TIME…

“Yes, I am the inescapable, the irresistable,
The unnegotiable, the unchallenged
I scroll in measurements, control the elements,
I hold the evidence, I tell the story
I know no prejudice, I bare no sentiments
For wealth or settlement, I move forward
You can’t recover me, conceal or smuggle me,
Retreat or run from me, crawl up or under me,
You can’t do much for me besides serve
Me well and have good dividends returned to you
Or attempt to kill me off and have me murder you
Many have wasted me but now they are facing me,
Treated me unfaithfully and now endure me painfully
Plaintively, I wait to see what history will shape to be,
Whose hearts will never die inside the sake of me
Angel’s scribe the page for me,
Keep a full account of all the names for me”

[Mos Def's verse in "Hurricane"]

Tick tock…
Chetna

Everyone says that coming back from studying abroad offers a more intense culture shock than living in another country. It’s partly true. I definitely felt it when I returned to Cal Poly from Costa Rica last spring. But somehow, this time around, I’m really happy to be home. It might have something to do with the fact that I’m graduating in less than four months, or that I’m 21 now and the activities in San Luis Obispo has suddenly expanded dramatically, or that having family from South Africa visit in December gave us more to look forward to and significantly helped the transition into normalcy. Either way, all factors are working in my favor and it doesn’t hurt that I love California, where the sun decided to stay strong this year despite the season.

I’ve been getting into yoga, especially recently. It’s the perfect indoor activity to stimulate the heart, loosen the muscles, and detox the soul even when it’s cold and rainy outside (weather that typically makes me feel lazy and dull). It’s not only a workout, but it’s self-paced, peaceful, and meditative all at the same time. An unknown author once said ”Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” And that is fact attained through something as marvelous as yoga; it’s amazing how my mood is elevated even after 30 minutes of practicing it. The image to the right is of me getting in some yoga time before the sunset on a beach in Malaysia (Tioman Island) and the crazy one to the left was taken by “barrel-maker” on www.deviantart.com. There are so many challenging poses and positions that I’m striving to achieve. In the process, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the art of bboying/bgirling (commercially known as breakdancing). So many of their moves take some serious yoga skills…all while spinning, jumping, flipping, and rolling around in a dense circle of gaping spectators. Here’s a video of one of my friends, Bedrock, and his crew, the Infamous Zebra Mob of New Jersey, who continuously take it to a new level.

Peace