The Whirligig Of Time

...........

2008-07-12T22:31:40Z

Naughty Breakfast

2008-07-04T08:38:00Z

.....and in front of the telly too. tsssk tsssk

:D

like the BUCKET of coffee?

Thinking to think about thinking

2008-07-04T07:13:36Z

I tried to this meditation where you become neutral to all your thoughts and so you're sitting there saying, hmmmmm, i'm not my thoughts, whiiiiiiiiiiiiich, DUH......is a thought!!! WHAT THE FUCK?

anyway

it friiiiiiiiiiday. Now that's a GOOD thought.

mmmmmm yum

2008-07-03T20:23:04Z

5 pounds of fat :)

Fancy a bar of choccie??

Dangerous talk

2008-07-02T15:02:07Z

Today I bought a version of Bhagavad Gita that's not by Prabhupada. I've been having wonderful conversations with a devotee from the advaita vedanta school on facebook, and it made me doubt some of the translations in As It Is. When you look at the word for word translation of the sanskrit and then the actual text in English, there are often things in the text that seem to have come from nowhere. I guess I should hide behind a chair before I get blasted with missiles for saying that. But anyway, I just feel the personal commentary, even of a saint, should be in the commentary section and not in the actual text of an important piece of scripture. Heresey it may be, but if we're not honest in our endevours to understand then we might as well go play bingo. I won't have taboos imposed on me. What the hell ... we're newbies, we know shit, this is thousands of years old and we think we can get on hobby horses about which school is superior to another? Who am i arguing with btw? duh

The impersonal aspect of the philosophy has been almost demonised within neo-vaisnava circles and that's plain wrong for a start. Also the way we've been taught about it, misrepresents it. It doesn't rule out Krishna being the person. I want to learn more is all. And I'm enjoying the new perspective. And I guess I'm a little disappointed that our version of the Gita doesn't hold all the water I thought it did. I feel a bit cheated. Someone once said that when ISKCON opened a school for sanskrit scholars, all the scholars that studied there ended up leaving the movement. Without knowing much sanskrit, i'm not suprised.

ouch.

ok i'm going to edit this to give an example. Because I was speaking to an impersoanlist i though AHA and quoted 7.24

Our text reads:

Unintelligent men, who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is imperishable and supreme.

other texts read like this:

The unwise think that I am that form of my lower nature which is seen by mortal eyes: they know not my higher nature, imperishable and supreme.

.......where did "impersonal before and have assumed this personality" come from?

check it for yourself in the word for word translation

avyaktam - nonmanifested
vyaktim - personality
apannam - achieved
manyante- think
mam- Me
abuddhayah - less intelligent persons
param - supreme
bhavam - existence
ajanantah - without knowing
mama - My
avyayam - imperishable
anuttamam - the finest

....and that's all there is.

Donning Rubber Gloves!!

2008-07-01T09:14:48Z

Todays plan is finish cleaning inside, under stuff over stuff and in the corners..no holes barred! Then hit the garden and do the same. I am going to sparkle. Gimmie a mexican wave!!!

Inspiration

2008-06-30T12:27:41Z

Lord Buddha

"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell. "

Hungry :/

2008-06-29T10:19:44Z

I'm observing Ekadasi today... which, wait for it, is the first time this year!!!
In fact, doing complete fast and even........eeeeeeeven, some Japa, despite the fact I've been allergic to beadbag since Christmas.
I'm not gonna make a habit of it tho, we don't want me all holy.

After having a run of great books from Vonnegut and Yates and Anne Tyler I can't really complain that I've hit a slump of ones I can't be arsed to finish. Fatherland was boring, How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered The World isn't funny at all and re-reading Hinds Feet On High Places is a bit deflating because it blew my mind ten years ago...guess my mind isn't as blowable now.

nitaigouranga @ 2008-06-25T06:45:00

2008-06-25T06:00:43Z

With Susu and Vasu and everyone in Italy Livejournal is quiet.
I is lonely :(
Fil do you read me??? Fileeeee, Felicityyyyyyyy??? you and steve wanna come up and play cluedo later? It's not like scrabble where I can play against myself and genuinely not cheat.
I'm reading Fatherland by Richard Harris now, just getting started, hope it's not "for boys"
But now it's time to move out into this midsummer wind and rain....hmph

Lonnnndon

2008-06-23T12:26:54Z

on the bus with no lid

elementary

for you Captain Phil

ehem...you shouldn't eat beef you know :)

eye eye eye

I can see your house from here

noooooooo, don't hug me

Do I look holy? should try harder?

Dick Whitington

Kennsington Gardens

;)

HAPPY HAPPY MORNING, what better way to start any day? ready to roll from Hyde Park

The smiling face of the Lord Of The Universe

Lady Subhadra ready to bless London

Just glad to be there :)

Megan

The greatest monuments of all....gets me every time, yes i blubbed

its a little blue boy!!!

adding a splash of colour and love to Trafalgar Sqare...the shows after the parade were great, lovely music and plays. I managed to knab me two plates of prasadam too ;)

Some of Krishna's beautiful friends

Michael and Paul being odd

old friends....some way older than others *coughs*

some dodgy guy selling clocks ;)

wow we took a lotta pics. We did collosal sight-seeing tour, had lunch in the Sherlock Holmes pub, went up in the Eye, hung out on the South Bank (hearts hearts hearts I wanna live there) went for dinner in Covent Garden and saw all the markets and street theatre.
Best of all of course we went to Ratha Yatra, was as exciting and amazing as always. Paul came to hang out with us, always fun with that particular brother and of course Mr Harry - who gave us a bag load of presents including some verrrrrrrry funky clocks. (hugs)
London is fab :)

A lopsided little dance

2008-06-19T12:15:07Z

ugh, well, all kinds of hurdles this week and was down in the dumps a few days but now i'm back up to a nicer level of dump.
I'm still zooming through Kurt Vonnegut, and since I'm discovering America I've been loading up on Anne Tyler and Yates too and all of it's a great treat. I've also got some Steinbeck ready and to plough into. A girl can't go wrong. Until she starts to watch Big Brother that is....shame shame.
On top of that I'm still losing weight and back down to my right-for-your-height bracket, but actually that's tosh cos I see me naked and I'll tell you when i'm right for my height thankin ya.
Just one day to go til London, meeting my old friend Paul there and then of course Ratha Yatra, first time this year for me to dance through the streets WOOHHOO. Last time I went to London Rath was 06, and seems many lifetimes away now. It's just so big there, three carts rolling through the streets like that with so many devotees. The best part of all is to turn around and see Lord Jagganatha smiling out at the whole of London and I like to think smiling at me too...it always brings tears to my eyes. Really. As embarrasing as it is I cry my way through every RY, Janmastami, and oh pretty much anything really...........

FANTASTIC

2008-06-16T06:18:04Z

With BT Maharaja,and very funny at end, Indradyumna Swami spinning Radhanath Swami.
That should wake you up :)

ROFLOL

2008-06-14T15:32:50Z

I'm raising strangely culturally confused mites..i just heard Megan telling Michael the story of Ganesh, and how it all started off with Shiva and his wife Pavarotti :D

For Devotees

2008-06-14T13:47:23Z

www.iskconrefresh.info

This is a great site, even if you're a devotee who isn't necessarily a member of ISKCON, it's just full of wonderful stuff (pics, info, videos, links) and worth all the questions you have to answer to be allowed to join. They've basically kept the lunatics out (aha, i fooled em ;)
Don't pretend you're not an internet ho already...... ;)

I have a blog on there too so please add me if you join up. http://puresoul.ning.com/profile/Sinead

Finding a Blue Spot

2008-06-12T12:44:59Z

There're three Cafe's in a row where I have my coffee on sunny mornings, but only the middle one has real coffee made from freshly ground beans and the seats outside are in a lovely little suntrap, but a hatchet faced old bitch is spoiling my breakfast.

Maybe she's not a bitch, but she certainly has a hatchet face. It's all bitter and angry with the eyes scrunched up and glaring out at the world just DARING it to mess with her, which it must obviously have done, repeatedly. I never listen to what she says to her friend, the aggressive mannerisms and the sour expressions are enough to depress a person without having the sound effects. I blank it all out. Even though it's at the next table I've never heard one word. Having two children I can not hear extremely well.

But it's still there beside me, a chilly patch in the sun spot. Can she not just enjoy her coffee and take half an hour off from the years of stress? Poor woman can't. So I'm working on blanking her completely with the help of good books every day.

If me being a bit spacey and what not. And forgetful of practicalities. And believing strange little things. And finding little blue spots in the sky. If it all keeps me my silly self with my silly smile, then yay...hope all of you can find your ways to smile against the odds and don't go spoiling people's breakfasts :)

Certain lady's big B day

2008-06-10T10:29:04Z

Happy Birthday to sharkbait

Mama woman goin for a spin weeeeeeeeeeeee

2008-06-09T16:02:10Z

oh i'm very excited *picture me bounce*
I've booked us tickets to go up in the London Eye and dinner afterwards at Porters while we're in London. WOOTS.

Also just had a proud moment with my daughter... following in my footsteps by doing everything in her imaginative power to get out of school sports - she went one further than us all today and in attempting to PRETEND to twist her ankle - only went and really twisted it. Such dedication to laziness...she has some of my genes after all. Now she has a swolen ankle too, bless :)

Since the dying dog incident i've gone a little overboard with hugging the life out of my cats. Hence they're avoiding me like the plague, giving eachother knowing "that mama woman done gone lost it" looks

Maybe she has :)

and the beat goes on

2008-06-08T21:21:36Z

Well as much as I didn't plan to see Devamrita Swami today, I ended up seeing him. We only spoke for a minute. Was strange to look into his eyes again, forgot how much of a jolt it is. Feeling all kinds of wierd now.
Terrible to feel more at home than anywhere else in some place you don't want to be.
Worse to have tugs on your heart strings when you work so hard to not have.
Is there ever a time when you move on a forget? I've yet to meet anyone who successfully has.
Also it SUCKS to have your mind and rational over-ruled by some kind of magnetic force and a couple of drum beats.
I would object only.........its kinda nice too :) smiling now.

Michael and i spent the day on the beach, sun and fun and now sand everywhere

Continental Blow-Out

2008-06-08T07:27:20Z

thenew7up and I went like a whirlwind through the Continental Market yesterday. Then we had a feast fit for a king. When you have one bag weighed down with Olives and Cheese and the other with Turkish Delight...it's safe to say you about to blow your diet in style.

That was fun :)

nitaigouranga @ 2008-06-06T23:15:00

2008-06-06T22:24:24Z

I was walking to the shop tonight when just behind me i heard a car and a big thump and a doggie had been hit. He rolled around howling then ran over to the sidewalk right by me and lay down, i petted him for a few seconds and he died right there. His eyes just glazed over while i watched it happening. He didn't start to bleed til after he died and then someone found his owners and they were ... as you'd expect them to be. The guy driving the car was in a bad state too. Apart from insects i've never seen a living creature die before..........

nitaigouranga @ 2008-06-06T07:11:00

2008-06-06T06:46:34Z

I'm so excited I discovered Kurt Vonnegut. I want to paste quotes form Slaugherhouse 5 all over the world. America be proud!!! I'm mystified hows comes he isn't enormous on a global scale..but he's enormous for me now, won't read anything else til i've got all his books under my belt. Last time a book made me tingle this much I was a teenager reading Fear And Loathing for the first time.

This year's London Ratha Yatra is in just two weeks and for once we're allowing ourselves to make a weekend of it. The kiddies have never seen much of London, in fact they've only ever seen the Ratha Yatra route lol, so we're going to do some SERIOUS sightseeing. I found us a lovely Hotel looking over Hyde Park and booked sightseeing bus tickets and a riverboat cruise. Can't wait. Then of course the fest itself, hope to see loads of people there...who's going?

And on the downer side, I have a terrible task in front of me. Next door's kid (demon child 666) has been breaking our hearts for over a year now but in the name of good will and good relations and having someone watch my cats while i'm not here I've tried to breath through it and let it go...but now, with everyone including the kid's grandad telling me to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT...i'm going to ...ummm, do something about it. Michael plays with her so much and he's picking up her habits now..he's only five, its inevitable it'll sink into his brain under "acceptable behaviour" after a year of exposure. So I have to tell Ceinwen that i'm not allowing Michael to play with her daughter anymore. I wish it hadn't come to that...gonna be a bad atmosphere, but at the same time......has to be. And thats what she gets for raising a monster and not giving a shit.

Ho hum.

It's sunny today again, pfffffff, ye weather gods are like hormonal teenagers. My plan is to actually trim the grass, yes me, with an actual strimmer, doing the actual job, today :)

Went well with breakfast..........

2008-06-05T07:39:32Z

nitaigouranga @ 2008-06-03T07:03:00

2008-06-03T06:11:18Z

Devamrita Swami is in the country as of today, but just in London first. He's arriving here Friday i think. He'll be staying in my friends Del and Sada's house so I get to sneak in ahead of time and decorate his room with flowers and things. That'll be the extent of it, i'll run to the hills then. No actually, shall go see him speak at the festival here on Sunday but in cunning disguise

:)

C'mon, love it!

2008-05-31T23:53:31Z

Zorba's boogie

2008-05-25T17:13:12Z

We had our Greek evening, I even got the tablecloth and the music goin, and the kids got so carried away they ate greek salad without noticing they were ingesting greens :p

now that's eating right!!!!!

the wine's still on the go, YAMMAS!!