If I can spark the occasional smile of amusement or trigger a line of thought once in a while, that’s enough. In the long run, it’s all dust. (That latter commentary was more on the thought-provoking than the amusing side of the equation.)
[Note: I will assume this to be the colloquial usage of “pet peeves” as I have no peeves about pets whatsoever (in fact, compared to most human children I see running around, I find pets to be positively civilized.)]
With that in mind:
1.) Forcing a “favor” on another person in expectation of some kind of reciprocation (usually outsized in scale to the fake favor.)
2.) Using the Q & A section of a program to make one’s own speech (the subtext being that one — rather than the lunkhead who just presented — should have been the one invited to speak in the first place.)
3.) Acting as though one particular set of cultural norms is the only moral / ethical way to live.
Bonus response: As we are presently on a blogging platform, I should mention a blogger’s peeve: Using another’s comment section as an advertisement for one’s own content — particularly with no actual comment about the post to which one’s “comment” is attached. I realize blogging is inherently a self-centered activity, but let’s not fall full-Narcissus into it.
If I’m being entirely honest, everything that’s come out of this enterprise has been of selfish motive — even those activities that seem like they have broader purpose. For example, I started book reviewing because: a.) I found it disheartening how many books I read that I had virtually no recollection of a couple years down the line, and b.) because, while I felt I knew good writing when I read it, I couldn’t really say what it was that made it good or bad without taking a more analytical look into the matter. (And I was pretty sure good writing wouldn’t come to me osmotically — merely by reading good writing — if I didn’t understand why it was good writing.)
I started recording classic poems to get a better sense of the sound quality of well-crafted poetry (and to become more comfortable with the sound of my own voice.)
I guess the honest answer is that I hope to be smarter and more capable as a result of the practice. It is continuing education, a fostering of the Beginner’s Mind.
I’m doing the Vipassana Meditation 10-day course starting tomorrow. I’ll be out of contact (and thus not posting) until September 11, 2016.
For those unfamiliar with the course: no phones, no books, no notebooks, no interaction with anyone but the staff and teacher, and no exercise. If it’s not meditation, it’s probably not allowed.
Wish me luck.
These aren’t necessarily in any order.
1.) Trekking the Great Himalayan National Park [June]:
2.) Teaching kids at KAMMS and Socare [September & October]: I finished my RCYT course in April and have been teaching kids when I have a chance:
3.) Completing Level I Examination at the Muay Thai Institute [September]:
4.) Riding camels at Pushkar and Jaipur [November]:
5.) Boating on the Ganges in Varanasi [October]:
6.) Wandering around a coffee plantation near Chikmaglur [April]:
7.) Completing the Level III and IV reviews in Kalaripayattu [February & August]:
8.) Touring the Glenloch tea factory in Sri Lanka [May]:
9.) 108 Surya Namaskara Against Child Trafficking [March]:
10.) Junk boat tour of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam [December]: This may be jinxing us to put it on the list, before we’ve been (we leave tomorrow) but I’m optimistic that our three weeks in Vietnam will be awesome, and I’m told Ha Long
What to expect in 2016? Lilla and I will be moving back to the States around mid-year. (To where, exactly, remains a mystery.) In January and February I’ll be doing an RYT-300 course to round out my 500 hour yoga teacher certification. I plan to make at least one more trip to Thailand to MTI for Level II. I’d also like to complete the 10-day Vipassana meditation course before returning. Lilla and I are thinking about another Himalaya trek for the summer.
I’ll also be continuing to work on press handstand progression, as that’s been a focus for me of late and I still have a ways to go.
Not these mountains. These are in Peru. But like these mountains.
My blog will be on a three-week hiatus while my wife and I are trekking in Himachal Pradesh.
I’ll be back posting sometime around the beginning of July.
Best Wishes,
B.
I’ll be abroad for the next few days and will take a hiatus from posting.
All the best,
B.
This is my 1,000th post on this site, and I’ve finished it just in time to get on a plane and leave the country, rounding out my blogging year with a nice round number. It’s been fun, and I’ll be back in early January to crank it back up.
Here’s a photo of where I’ll be.
I’ll be traveling in Southeast Asia for the better part of a month. During this time my posts will be sporadic at best.
However, upon my return I should have plenty of photos and a few stories from my visit to Malaysia and southern Thailand. In addition to hanging out on the beach and visiting temples, shrines, and restaurants, I’ll spend a couple of weeks training muay thai and bjj in Phuket.
Best wishes,
From Wikipedia; Source: Pai Spa http://www.pai-spa.com
This blog will be on a 10-day hiatus as I will attending a 30 hour course on Thai Yoga Massage over the next week and a half by the Inner Mountain School of Healing Arts at the Fireflies Ashram in Bangalore.
Cheers.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 