BookBook

So excited about my new iPad cover. I wanted to purchase this BookBook by TwelveSouth before the left for my Hawaiian vacation, but I didn't want to pay the full retail price of $70 plus tax. On eBay I could it for about $40, but it would take several weeks to receive it from it's Asia seller. I've been back a week from my trip and I was at Barnes at Nobles on a whim--and there it was in the the Clearance bin with a red sticker that said 50% off! My final price? $38.05! I was thrilled that I didn't have to deal with an overseas vendor--it was waiting for me just two miles away--hurray!

Carpe Diem or Don't Carpe Diem? That is the question

This morning, I was just looking on my Facebook news feed and saw this two posts just inches away from each other:

First this photo:

Carpe Diem

Then this article:

Don't Carpe Diem

Here's an excerpt:

"Every time I'm out with my kids -- this seems to happen:

An older woman stops us, puts her hand over her heart and says something like, "Oh, Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast."Everywhere I go, someone is telling me to seize the moment, raise my awareness, be happy, enjoy every second, etc, etc, etc.

I know that this message is right and good. But, I have finally allowed myself to admit that it just doesn't work for me. It bugs me.

This CARPE DIEM message makes me paranoid and panicky. Especially during this phase of my life - while I'm raising young kids. Being told, in a million different ways to CARPE DIEM makes me worry that if I'm not in a constant state of intense gratitude and ecstasy, I'm doing something wrong."

So should I Carpe Diem or Don't Carpe Diem? That is the question!

Photo Coincidence

How funny is this? I have the same shot taken a few days later. I think these photographers live in Santa Monica, and mine was taken in Long Beach.

http://www.tedanddebbie.com/celebrations/happy-new-year-2

Here's my shot so you can compare and contrast.

And I just noticed after I posted this, but the wallpaper for my blog at this time is artwork of birds flying!

Free food

Tonight at a sushi bar, I got the wrong order. I was supposed to get a shrimp tempura roll, but was given a fish tempura roll by mistake. They looked exactly the same, so I understood the confusion. They brought out another roll when right after my son ate the first piece of sushi. So we got a complimentary sushi order tonight. I wanted to give a plug to this place because it actually a good place to eat a reasonable price. It was the SUSHI STOP in Santa Monica of off Sawtelle and Mississippi. Most everything is $2.75, except for some roll specials and their more pricey fish. The portions are actually a good size, and the orders come to you quickly. My son and I got out of there spending $15 for both us, that's including the tip!

Adventures in Synchronicty title not unique

I thought the name for my blog was quite unique. But when I Google it, several posts appeared. Here is on that I thought was a fun story about zoot suits and dance class:

More Adventures in Synchronicityby Brook @2bdancing

In my Art History/Literature class we are reading Zoot Suit, a play about the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles.




I had never heard of these riots and I grew up in L.A. But I guess I left before they got to the real history stuff–assuming they did. But it casts an entirely different light on the song Zoot Suit Riot by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.

Who’s that whisperin’ in the trees?

It’s two sailors and they’re on leave

Pipes and chains and swingin’ hands

Who’s your daddy?

Yes I am

Fat cat came to play

Now he can’t run fast enough

You’d best stay away

When the pushers come to shove

Zoot suit riot throw back a bottle of beer

Zoot suit riot

Pull a comb through your coal black hair

According to the article on wikipedia "The Zoot-Suit Riots sharply revealed a polarization between two youth groups within wartime society: the gangs of predominantly black and Mexican youths who were at the forefront of the zoot-suit subculture, and the predominantly white American servicemen stationed along the Pacific coast. The riots primarily had racial and social resonances although some argue that the primary issue may have been patriotism and attitudes to the war.”

My teacher showed a bit of the music video to show what a Zoot Suit looked like.And that was my morning class.So then I went over to my Dancercize class and we started our section on Swing dancing and guess what song we were dancing to?

Yep.Zoot Suit Riot! Now isn’t that a riot!

http://2bdancing.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/more-adventures-in-synchronicity/

What is Synchronicity?

Why am I writing a blog about synchronicity? What does synchronicty mean anyway? I first heard the term in college when the band "The Police" had a pop song called "Synchronicity." I never bothered to find out what the word meant until over a decade ago. Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events that are apparently causally unrealted or unlikely to occur together by chance and that are observed to occur together in a meaningful manner. The concept of synchronicity was first described in this terminology by Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychologist, in the 1920s.[1]

Once I knew the word's meaning, I realized I experienced these occurrences quited often. This blog is written for me to have a running record of my almost-daily happy coincidences. When I have a sychronicity, I feel like it is a hug from God above assuring me that I am in the right place at the right time.

I will share my God hugs from earlier that day, or some of my favorites from the past. I play a synchronicity game with myself where I hear my songs sung or written by my favorite singer, who coincidentally is the singer/songwriter of the tune "Synchronicity," with
the single name monicker, Sting. Wherever I am when one of his songs comes over the loud speaker in a store or restaurant, I say to myself something to the effect of, "I guess I must be where I'm supposed to be right now." I called them "Stingchronicity" moments.

I look forward to you sharing this year of Adventures in Synchronicity!





[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity , Tarnas, Richard (2006). Cosmos and Psyche. New York: Penguin Group. p. 50. ISBN 0-670-03292-1.

Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal

Sixteen years ago, I found the Filipino movie "Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal" a few months before my husband and I started dating. My favorite Filipino actress Lea Salonga (famous for being the original Kim in the musical "Miss Saigon") stars in the movie and also sings the self-titled song is on the soundtrack. I loved the movie so much that I bought the movie's soundtrack. Tonight, I found myself singing this song on karaoke at a friend's house with my husband of 15 years!

No Synchronicity today-found Karma instead

Didn't have a major synchronicity moment tonight. But instead I found Karma at my grocer's parking lot down the street. Not the garden variety karma of a being rewarded for a good dead or a bad deed comes back as some sort of punishment, but Karma is the name of a beautiful new American car by Fisker Automotive located here in Southern California.

Happy Endings & Coincidences

I almost didn't have a happy coincidence/synchronicity today. But while I was winding down from the day at 10 p.m., I thought I had a mini-sync. On the TV show "Happy Endings" the married character goes to the movies and pulls out his Junior Mints that he snuck in. I totally snuck in Junior mints all the time to the movies--they are $4 at the theater, and $1.69 at the grocery store. I snuck some in at the movie "Midnight in Paris" the other night with my girlfriends. Big deal, a lot of people sneak in Junior Mints right? The episode was so funny that I watched another one, and then a third. On the third episode, one of the characters met her friends at a bar and told them she didn't get the raise she asked for that day. Her friend said she should make a vision board of the things you wish for your life, and then the universe will make your wishes come true. "It's good enough for Oprah and Jenny McCarthy," was one of the lines.
Get this, yesterday I was talking about those vision boards, except for I didn't know what they were called.

Another part of the TV show was that one of the female characters thought that Adrian Brody got handsome, I totally thought that when I saw him on screen in "Midnight in Paris." How did he get more handsome anyway? He pretty much looks the same, but perhaps he got some face fillers.

And as I walked into my office, I saw that I had the box of Junior Mints from the other night, that still had half of the candy left inside.

How's that for a roundy-round about post incorporating my last two posts into this one?

Peacock feathers & The Power of Attraction

I took down the decorations that I put up for Christmas at my husband's office today. The decorations had the common theme of peacock feathers, which are are currently all the rage now in feather jewelry and hair accessories!

I found these decorations at of my favorite stores, HomeGoods and Macys. Right before Thanksgiving, I found glittery peacock feather wreaths from HomeGoods for the office doors. After Thanksgiving, I found at Macy's some peacock ornaments (on sale of course) to dress up the last year's simple green wreath in the lobby. I was pleased with how hubby's office was Christmas-y with a trendy twist.

A couple of days after Christmas a couple of tearsheets from a home design catalog fell out of my daily calendar that I carry around. I didn't realize that probably soem time in October I tore out a couple of pages of fully decorated Christmas trees filled with Martha Stewart peacock ornaments--the same ones I found at Macys! I guess I subconciously was already leaning towards the peacock theme early in the fall.

And today after the office, my son and I went to the libary to return some books that were due. I usually hit the magazine racks the first thing when I get there, and today was no different. I picked up the December issue of one my favorite magazines, Real Simple. I love the recipes, organization and gift ideas, which are really simple as the magazine is aptly named! As I was flipping though, what I do see but another Christmas tree covered with the exact peacock ornament that was the "star" of the wreath in the front lobby.

I wouldn't say this was a synchronicity, but more the "Power of Attraction," which Oprah is a big believer in. One of the exercises to bring to pass the things you desire for yourself, is to tear out pages from magazines the tangible things you want to have or "attract" into your life. I think this is what happened with the peacock ornaments. Subconciously, I liked the ornaments, and I attracted them into my life. One day I tear out pictures in a magazine, a couplemonths later, there the ornaments were--in my husband's office lobby.

I think this Power of Attraction stuff may really work. Maybe I need to tear out some pictures in a magazine of a house in Tuscany, and an Central Park-view apartment in New York!

When I think of someone . . .

I have to start out saying that it's hard to have a synchronicity moment when you are at home all day. I thought I wouldn't have a post today because the sun had already set and I hadn't had my daily synchronicty event yet. So I had decided to explain what the inspiration for this blog after dinner and all the dishes were done. I had spaghetti planned for our evening meal, but at 6 p.m. I realized I didn't have any whole wheat noodles left, so I had to run out to the supermarket. Normally I shop at Trader Joe's, a budget-friendly grocery store, butI am still recovering from the holidays,and the quicker I bought my food the less grouchy I would be. I ran to gourmet grocery store, which is pricier, but one minute closer than Trader Joe's.

Did I mention I was helping my son with his health class project earlier today and part of his research was to interview the rehab director at my husband's office? I asked my husband and hour prior to my pasta run to contact her tomorrow for an afternoon interview. He said he'd oblige. As I was on my way to the cashier with pasta in hand, who do I run into but the rehab director! So I asked her myself to meet with my son tomorrow. What's also so a coinicidence is that my son and I joined my husband's staff for appetizers last Friday and we got to spend a couple of hours with the rehab director--and she is a hoot!

Midnight in Paris

Tonight my two girlfriends and I went to see the Woody Allen matinee of "Midnight in Paris" at the $2 movie theater, while our husbands watched the college football bowl games on television and our children ran around in the streets unsupervised. We all enjoyed the film's dry humor, and the picturesque views of the City of Lights. After the movie got out, we realized coincidently that next to the theater is an Americanized French cafe. Inside, next to the self-serve French Roast coffee, there was an Eiffel Tower-inspired wire sculpture. It was a French inspired evening. Because of the movie and the cafe, we dreamed up plans for us gals to go see Paris in a few years. That is definitely a trip on my bucket list. Hopefully all three of us can really enjoy ourselves together one day on those same Parisian streets in the movie!

PS: I just saw some of my video trainer/cyber friend Jillian Michaels' Facebook photos she posted of herself in Paris. I'll be posting my photos of me Parising in a couple of years so she can see them too!

All wearing the same color for New Year

Today my husband, son and I were getting ready for church in our own separate areas. Me in my bedroom, my son in his, and my husband in his office where his closet is. We all come out into the living room and find we are all wearing the varying shades of blue! I didn't see what anyone was going to wear until we all were ready. This happens often--mostly with my husband. We get ready to go out together, while we change in separate areas--and voila, we wear the same colors.