Author Archives: B Gourley

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About B Gourley

Bernie Gourley is a writer living in Bangalore, India. His poetry collection, Poems of the Introverted Yogi is now available on Amazon. He teaches yoga, with a specialization in pranayama, and holds a RYT500 certification. For most of his adult life, he practiced martial arts, including: Kobudo, Muay Thai, Kalaripayattu, and Taiji. He is a world traveler, having visited more than 40 countries around the globe.

BOOK: “Chinese Grammar Wiki BOOK: Upper Intermediate” ed. by John Pasden

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Chinese Grammar Wiki BOOK: Upper IntermediateChinese Grammar Wiki BOOK: Upper Intermediate by John Pasden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher Site — AllSet Learning

This is the third and final book in this series. It’s a straightforward grammar that’s easy to use and well-organized. The book contains basic rules in a concise format, examples, and any exceptions or points of confusion that may exist. With examples, it presents the Hanzi (Chinese characters,) pinyin (Romanized phonetic script,) and English translation adjacently. (This is a feature that I don’t like in readers, but which I find useful in a grammar.)

If you’re trying to learn the basics of Mandarin Chinese in Simplified Script, this is a useful series. I can’t speak to how good it is or isn’t for someone who intends to take the HSK tests, but for my purposes it was just what I needed with not much more (no extraneous information or complications.)

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DAILY PHOTO: Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhod Sahib, Gwalior

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Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhod Sahib in Gwalior on the Fort Hill (Gopachal.) Taken from the front.
Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhod Sahib in Gwalior on Fort Hill. Taken from near Teli Temple.
Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhod Sahib Gwalior. Taken from the front.

PROMPT: Principles

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What principles define how you live?

Before traveling, empty my cup. Before returning home, empty my cup.

Collect experiences, not geegaws.

Wishing for the world to be some other way is a grand waste of time.

If there is a river flowing toward where I want to be, surrender to it.

See humor everywhere, especially in myself.

Be content with who I am at the moment, while struggling to be a better version in future editions.

Strive to find the non-adversarial path.

Keep looking until I see what is beautiful in all things and creatures.

Don’t attempt to construct anyone else’s list of principles to live by.

Feel the sensations that arise without letting the mind amplify them out of proportion.

Seek only simple pleasures, enjoy them fully, and then move on.

DAILY PHOTO: Bharav Baba Ka Mandir, Gwalior

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PROMPT: Putting Off

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What have you been putting off doing? Why?

I’m putting off death for as long as I can remain healthy (by and large.) Because I like living.

DAILY PHOTO: Gwalior City from the Hillfort

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Gwalior city with fortifications and mosque.
Gwalior city from the Gopachal Hill.
Gwalior City with hillfort fortifications.
Gwalior city from Sahasrabahu Twin Temples.
Gwalior city through a crenulated parapet.

PROMPT: Grown Up

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When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?

The first time I went drove to another state and stayed in a hotel on my own (late teens, obviously after getting a driver’s license — but a year or more before graduating high school.)

Different Wavelengths [Lyric Poem]

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The parrot stands, as if jilted. 
  The chipmunk sniffs, as if intrigued.
 Parrot behaves ever so stilted.
  Chipmunk is just hungry and fatigued.

DAILY PHOTO: Chausath Yogini Temple of Morena

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Yogini Temple: Ekattarso Mahadev Mandir (a.k.a. Chausath Yogini Temple); Morena; north of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, India. Oblique shot of the inner sanctum.
Ekattarso Mahadev Mandir (a.k.a. Chausath Yogini Temple); Morena; north of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, India. From across the hilltop.
Ekattarso Mahadev Mandir (a.k.a. Chausath Yogini Temple); Morena; north of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, India. Ring of meditation cells inside the temple.
Ekattarso Mahadev Mandir (a.k.a. Chausath Yogini Temple); Morena; north of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, India. Inner sanctum from the entry.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES LIMERICK

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There was a Bedouin from the UAE
  who never in his life had seen a tree.
     Walking through lands
     of endless sands,
  he had nothing to hide behind to take a pee.