While at Yan, a few of us made rough plans to go see the China Nationalities Park (or Minority Culture Park, as we like to call it), and make it back in time for a Martial Arts performance at the Red Theater! Brad had just mentioned this morning that it was last-minute notice, but that we had tickets to the show tonight. We decided to take a cab from the park and go straight to the performance.

The Culture Park was very beautiful, and very empty. We were literally the only people there, other than the kiosk vendors who were selling us things, who we ran into an our later at a different end of the park. We couldn't understand why nobody was around - it was only 4:30pm and the park stays open until 7. There was one time when we got to a site at the end of a small performance (which we missed), so I snapped a quick picture with a person in costume. We were told that the entire park should be filled with people in costume, replicating different ceremonies that the minority groups in China would practice. Unfortunately that didn't happen for us, so we spent the afternoon roaming around, stepping into various thatched huts, and taking in the scenery. It was a gorgeous day for photography.

We allowed an hour to hail a taxi and get to the Red Theater. At ten-to-seven, the cab driver had to pull over and ask someone directions, which was a bad sign. I was pretty set on seeing some extreme martial arts and practically wanted to run out of the cab and find the theater myself. Luckily, as we pulled back onto the road, I spotted the theater on the left! We saw June, one of our tour guides we know and love, and she waved us over and told us that we were the first group to arrive (it felt a lot like the Amazing Race), and that the show actually started at 7:30 but she told everyone 7 because she wanted us to make it there in time (tricky, but perfect). We walked around to look for some food and ended up in a market which housed lots of potato chips and fellow members of the China trip!

Once inside, everything was RED - they weren't kidding by calling it the Red Theater. We took our seats and the show started promptly. I was entirely blown away from scene one; the show reminded me of China's version of Broadway in the way that it was themed as Martial Arts but also had a story line and incredible choreography that demanded attention. The story was about a young boy who had to leave the comfort of his family to become a master of Martial Arts. It was also about the overall goal to reach a higher level of Self-Realization through the release of the ego and the mastery of one's body, mind, and spirit. It was beautiful. I tried to sneak a couple of photos - while doing so I got struck by a guard's laser pointer (haha), so I had to stop.

We rode the bus back to the hotel and rested up for a little while, in preparation to go out for Shreyance's birthday! We ended up going to Lush, a local place about a couple of blocks from our hotel. Thus, today my dinner consisted of potato chips, some of Annie's french fries, and a pina colada - a large step forward from the Clif bar.

Tomorrow we have a day of sight-seeing planned!

Miss you,

Karen

It took us about an hour to get to the largest shopping mall in Asia, which was close to the location of our Alumni Panel. we browsed around the mall for a little while and noticed the upper-class face of China that we had not previously been exposed to. The income-gap situation is a real eye-opener. The mall was gigantic and super upscale, lined with Chanel, Gucci, the works. It barely looked like we were in China, which we didn't really care for. Katie and I gravitated towards Starbucks and chatted it up for a while, as others from the group passed by and mingled. We then all colluded to go to the Alumni Panel.

The Panel consisted of UofM alums - all of which had their MBA from Ross. There were representitives from Intel, Amazon, a private equity firm, and an investment bank. It was interesting to hear about their experiences, as they have been active in the business world in both America and in China. Post-panel, we stopped at the nearest McDonalds (double cheeseburger, no bun, and fries) and got back on the bus to the Wenjin. I have never been so excited for a bag of hot, fast-food in my entire life.

Only one more "business week" left in China, :(

Karen

The biking was slightly strenuous (as Anup often forgot to pedal since I was sitting in the back and he was joyriding intermittently) and slightly scary; at some points along the wall there were connector areas with stairs leading down to the next segment. All of them had a ramp at some part of the stairs, but you couldn't tell the ramp area apart from the stairs until you were 3 feet away from them. we also noticed some ramps that led all the way down to a pair of closed doors, while others lead to a construction pit, which we decided was the burial grounds for the "stupid Americans." Luckily, we finished unscathed. Some other people experienced interference with go-karts, while others suffered a flat tire. Anup and I yelled out "Ni Hao" to every Chinese passer-by, including construction workers on roofttops. We got some pretty enthusiastic responses. It was a fun, unique experience - I'm glad I pushed aside my mild biking fear for it.

We rested for a little while after the biking, got back on the bus, and went to our next site: the remains of a 6,000 year-old village (or "willage," as Gao says). At first I thought the site was relatively interesting, as it was cool to see how these people lived and to learn about their habits, burial practices (which we saw a little too much of once we got to the next room which showcased skeletons), etc. But after a while I was getting worried about the limited time we would have at the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit, which was the main attraction of our trip to Xi'an. We broke for lunch (everyone was starving) at another lazy-susan style restaurant as common in Beijing. They actually had a lot that I could eat that time, so I was pretty satisfied. We got ice cream from the vendor outside and went back on the bus, excited for the Terra Cotta Warriors.

Here is an excerpt from JM's blog entry, as he did an excellent job narrating the Terra Cotta Warriors history bit:

"The museum for the terra cotta warriors was only about 10 minutes from where we ate lunch. The tomb is a national museum and it was obvious by the sheer size of the place. There was an entire village before we even entered the grounds for the museum, complete with shopping areas, a bank, and KFC. Once we were inside, we had to walk through gardens that they built specifically for tourists to walk through before we came to the main museum grounds. The museum is divided into different excavation pits. However, before we went into the different sites, we watched a video on the Emperor who built the tomb. The Emperor was the first to unify China in 221 B.C. and thus spent lavishly on his tomb that he believed would provided him all the things he would need in the after life. The tomb is the biggest in the world and it was started when he was 13 years old. It took 730,000 people 38 years to complete and the Emperor actually died while inspecting the tomb. After watching the video, we proceeded to Pit 1.

Pit 1 is definitely the most impressive site. They had excavated 6,000 warriors, which were all erected in battle formation. The sheer size of the place and the fact that they had only excavated ¼ of the soldiers from this location was hard to grasp. After Pit 1, we walked out the back door to Pit 2 and Pit 3. Both 2 and 3 were very similar. They had erected less of the statues and there was more rubble around the sites. Also, Pit 3 was an ongoing excavation so there were places where it was covered with plastic wrap. It was interesting seeing this tomb and trying to understand how/why they would have built it. We were asking about the actual tomb of the Emperor and why it hadn’t been excavated yet. There were a couple reasons that it was still underground, these reasons included the fact that it was surrounded by underground moats, contained a considerable amount of mercury, and was also 56 meters underground. She did say however, that the tomb contained a considerable amount of treasurer and also included the remains of the 3,000 concubines the Emperor had in his palace. The tour guide explained that the Emperor slept with a different woman every night, which resulted in him having a considerable amount of children. However, he only thought the first son was important and in his will he told the rest of the children to commit suicide, which they did and were then buried within the tomb. Seeing the terra cotta warriors was definitely an awe inspiring experience and one that made the trip to Xian worth it."

It was so incredible to see these warriors in actuality, as I remember reading about them in past World History classes and seeing photos of them in verious textbooks. I loved how each had a different face and 'personality,' along with different heights, resembling unique individuals. I really wish that we had more time, especially in Pit 1, as I would have loved to stay there longer and stare, in awe, at the thousands of Terra Cotta men.

We went straight to the airport, said goodbye to Gao, and ate in a restaurant inside. A bowl of rice later, I went to scope out a good cup of coffee - which I couldn't find for less than 60 RMB, which is unheard of! (That's ~8 dollars) I made a list of a couple of things I needed to see/purchase before leaving China (it's crazy to think that the end is near), and then boarded the plane back to Beijing. Luckily, the flight was smoother this time! I was so happy to be back at the Wenjin - I think we all missed our sun-drenched rooms and ridiculously comfortable beds. Tomorrow consists of 2 classes and minimal free time. But on Tuesday some of us are going to the Chinese National Cultural Park!

Miss you,

Karen

P.S. HAPPY GRADUATION DAVE! Wish I could be there! lovelovelove

My day started at 4:30AM. I had signed up for the optional weekend trip to Xi'an, motivated by the thought of being able to see the Terra Cotta Soldiers from the Qing Dynasty. About 24 of us went, and it resulted in a pretty unique experience overall.

We boarded the bus and head out to the airport. Once there, we handed our passports to Don, the "group leader" for the trip, while Anup realized he forgot his passport in the hotel room. Don managed to put him on the next flight, so we got on the plane as a group of 23. We flew China Eastern on an unusually large plane for an under-two-hour flight. The service was unexpected as well - they even served breakfast and had excellent coffee. However, we ran into really extreme turbulance. It literally felt like a rollercoaster in the air...so that had us all a little bit rattled.

Once in Xi'an, we had a bus, equipped with our tour guide, Gao, awaiting our arrival. The bus immediately took us to our first site, which was the remains of an underground "imperial village." We were required to cover our sneakers with blue plastic bag-like shoe coverings before entering...which we concluded must have been for sheer entertainment for the workers and locals. The museum was pretty exciting - it was dark inside showcasing the burial grounds of the first emperor of the Han Dyanasy, which consisted of rectangular pits surrounding the tomb. The pits were filled with mini terra cotta soldiers, pots, cavalry, chariots, utensils (all handmade from natural materials)- everything the Emperor would need in the afterlife. Outside of the main exibition they had showcases of the smaller objects; some of them were handcrafted to be as small as a couple of centimeters long! I loved it.

Inside the museum there was an informational video, which I expected to be as informative as any other...but instead it was an inconcievable three-dimensional illusionary video. It literally looked like there were tiny people on the stage. I think I focused all my attention on figuring out how the video worked instead of listening to the audio headset.

We headed to downtown Xi'an, which was a lot more developed and expansive than I had imagined it to be. We drove past a few impovershed streets, followed by an affluent shopping mall and assorted complexes, reinforcing the concept of the Chinese income-gap, as we went to check into our hotel. Speaking of income-gap, our hotel was located at the end of a shady alleyway (The Bell and Drum Tower Hotel. It was located in-between the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower). Apparently it was a "three star hotel." Hardly. We were uncomfortable even sitting on the beds in our rooms (they were rock-solid but springy with dingy sheets). The bathroom wasn't much better, but the hotel's location was fantastic. Katie went to take a shower before we went out to the next museum and said that the waterflow reminded her of the hoses the locals use to water the grass. At least our water didn't get rusty like some other people's...

The next stop on our full-fledged tour was a Tibetan Buddhist Temple. It showed some similarities to the Lama temple I visited last week, except this one was a lot smaller and consisted of the types of Buddha statues that I am more familiar with. I took lots of pictures, of course. I got separated from the group for a few minutes and wandered through the small garden, which consisted of statues, engraved stones with inspirational sayings, and people relaxing in the Temple grounds. I even spotted a group of monks as they entered into a distant room. As we were leaving we saw them board a similar tour bus. The "Monk Bus," we called it. I loved the visual juxtaposition.

We then went to a Confucious Temple, which was filled with intricate stone tablet teachings in forms that were much different from the tablets Eric and I had seen at the Confucious Temple last week. These tablets housed the original "book" of Confucious, in which students had to visit to check their written notes against the original text in order to prevent errors in their curriculum. There were even tablets that had carved pictures, along with others that contained the older style of Chinese writing: written from top to bottom and read right to left. There was also a small garden in the central location of the temple that was surrounded by watercolor art. I loved the traditional Chinese style of the paintings, and took pictures of a lot of them with hopes of being able to replicate that style at least once this summer. Watercolor is definately more difficult than it looks.

We had dinner at a "hot pot" restaurant near-by, which is similar to the Melting Pot, except everyone sits at a round table with a Lazy Susan, and everyone has their own cooking pot. Oh and the service is not as good. I was really excited to be able to participate in a meal...I asked a waitress for a pot of just boiling water and made some rice noodles with tofu and egg. Finally a break from Clif bars...

After dinner we went straight to "bar street" to scope out the scene - which was gorgeous. I kept stopping to take pictures of the street, and people kept worrying that I fell too far behind. haha. The street was paved with cobblestone and draped in bright lights and charmed with light music streaming from each of the bar/coffee shops. We ended up roaming around for a while until finally settling down at an outdoor table. I tried some "Great Wall Wine," which I thought was both funny and surprisingly delicious, though over-priced and under-filled. After a little while, some of us left holding hands and walking down the street and stumbled upon a lively night market. The streets were filled with vendors, all of which were selling unique items. We found a vendor selling straw shoes, which we had heard was common in Xi'an. Eric actually bought a pair, though they were pretty uncomfortable. Some others bought a couple of trinkets (I think I have accumulated enough by now) and we wrapped up the night in a McDonalds. For some reason they ran out of ice cream (although they are open 24/7) so I settled for fries.

After a little while, Katie and I agreed that we were finally tired enough to mildy desire to go back to our hotel (upon seeing it and leaving the room for the first time, I told her that I didn't want to come back to the room until I was tired enough to WANT to be there haha), so we got ready to go to bed and fell asleep mid-conversation.

Love,

Karen

I have always advocated social networking in every form; so much so that I even view it as an art form which contributes to our daily well-being. A daily dose of communication with someone you haven’t met before can not only boost endorphins (and increase karma if it is a good encounter), but can open up windows for future friendships, relationships, or career opportunities. As eloquently stated on my Starbucks cup:

“I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stumped by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say, "Hi." They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word.� -- Augusten Burroughs (author of Running with Scissors)

The more recent inspiration for this entry came from my flights from Detroit, to Washington D.C., to New York (for the Thanksgiving Holiday) – and then from New York, to Chicago, to Detroit. On my connector flight from Washington-Dulles to LaGuardia, I was seated next to an eccentric man with an eclectic style sense. We hit it off immediately – especially once he mentioned he was a stylist for Vogue, Sex & the City, and Ugly Betty. I was fascinated to hear about his travels to numerous countries for photoshoots, along with his own entrepreneurship through his own Vintage Warehouse. A manhattan native, he knows the fashion industry as well as the subway routes. Before we went our separate ways I made sure to get his e-mail address so he could send me updates on the latest movie looks and whereabouts of his Vintage Warehouse. Such great inspirations can emerge from exchanging a few words with a ‘stranger.’ Although I hate the term ‘stanger;’ after all, wasn’t your closest friend merely a ‘stranger’ once?

Similar to photography or sculpture, socializing with ‘strangers’ takes a certain level of confidence in your perspective and advances. Here are some suggestions to get you on your feet, or to get the words out of your mouth, rather.

1 - People don’t bite. A lot of people are really open to conversation. In fact, you’d be amazed at how many girls will be practically overjoyed that you came and talked to them, as if they’ve been waiting for you to approach them.
2 - Rejection is no big deal. I can’t repeat this enough. Still, fear of rejection will be the main reason why guys people go out and try this.
3 - Authenticity is the silver bullet. An honest individuality is the most magnetic of human qualities.
4 - The people around you aren’t watching. And, even when they are, it’s usually in shock and awe, rather than because they’re laughing at you.
5 - Other guys/girls will get out of your way. You’ll be amazed how often other guys/girls simply fade into the background when you approach their female/male friends.

Start by talking to one person you have never interacted with before every day for 30 days. There are more opportunities for conversation than you may realize - while waiting on line for coffee or groceries, in the few dead minutes before or after lecture, or in a campus dining hall. You will always have at least one thing in common with another person (since you are in the same location at the same time...or ordering the same triple-shot cappuccino after pulling an all-nighter). It's okay if the conversation doesn't progress any further than a few words - that's all it takes to brighten someone else’s day (or your own day).

By the end of those thirty days, social networking, like artistic inclinations, will become second nature. Maybe even an afterthought. The more comfortable you are talking to strangers, the more comfortable you will feel about yourself and will contribute to your attainment of Self-Realization.

Another added bonus: you never know who you may meet.

शांति
Karen Rockwood

I chose the topic of fair trade...which led into free trade...and intertwined with women's working wages. All of the above affect all members of our community. I don't think that enough people are aware of the importance of sustainablity in today's world:

The phrase “Fair Trade� has been tossed around in contemporary society as frequently and nonchalantly as yesterday’s forecast or political propaganda. But does the public really know the difference between fair trade and free trade? How about the impact of trade barriers on women’s working wages? Or that the products they hand-pick in the supermarket had previously been in the hands of exploited workers? Essentially, I have chosen to focus in on the importance of fair and liberated trade; I will be emphasizing the importance of relaxing trade barriers in order to ultimately result in an increase in job openings for women – with equal salaries cemented into the employment description. Through informed consumption, written letters to people in positions of power, and protesting, we can work to educate others on this emerging issue while fighting for socio-economic change.

The first aspect of the problem, fair trade, involves a number of criteria: payment of a fair price to producers, safe working conditions, no forced labor or child labor environmentally sustainable farming, direct trade with importers, and partial proceeds devoted to social development projects. This issue typically pertains to the export of goods (handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, bananas, cotton, etc.) from developing countries to developed countries. Outside of the government and the businesses directly involved in the transactions, society comes into play; a good number of consumers are unaware of what goes on behind-the-scenes of America’s imports. Additionally, consumers may be unaware of the ethical decisions (or lack thereof) of large businesses on a daily basis as they profit maximize while minimizing their morals.

Alongside fair trade lies the issue of barriers to trade. Quotas, or limitations on the country’s imports, have a greater affect on society than they seem. Not only do quotas limit the product diversity in our country, but a restriction on trade reduces the number of available jobs – along with the available jobs that provide equal pay for women: “A study of 35 developing countries found a strong positive correlation between the number of female workers per 100 male workers and export growth� (Wood 1991). Additionally, the gender wage gap can be closed through trade expansion; trade increases competition amongst firms, causing a downward pressure on costs and less discrimination against women with comparable skills to men: “A cross-country study that investigated the impact of trade on the gender wage gap suggests that within occupations, increasing trade in most cases is associated with narrowing gender wage gaps� (Oostendorp 2004). I believe that this will be eye-opening news to today’s young future leaders – especially women – who will be the target audience for the implementation process of my solution.

My proposed solution to battle the problem of tightly restricted trade and the persistent gender wage gap begins with informing young adults about the perils of the situation. Therefore, I will encourage informed consumption of fair trade products by posting powerful flyers around campus advertising the importance of supporting fair trade industries. Building on this foundation of spreading knowledge to my peers, I will urge people to write letters to their home-state representatives, advocating a relaxation of trade restrictions in order to ultimately close the gender wage gap that continues to plague today’s society. Telling students to write to their home-state representatives will help knowledge of the quota issue to spread to other states besides Michigan, working towards a nation-wide campaign for policy alteration. Finally, I will seek out student groups on campus (such as S.O.L.E) to help organize boycotts and protests against local businesses which are unethical in their decisions. This will simultaneously impact the way those businesses view their policies, while further demonstrating the importance of fair trade and informed consumption – which powerfully reinforces the previous steps of my solution.

You can read-up on the impact of trade ont he gender-wage gap here.

Here is a flyer I made to get the word out.

शांति
Karen Rockwood

Food fuels our bodies; these foods significantly influence our daily productivity and overall well-being. Therefore, shouldn’t we put just as much effort into our grocery purchases as we do into our morning yoga poses? When it comes to grocery shopping, the battle between locally-grown and organically-grown goods rages in the mind of every health-savvy consumer. The recent wave stressing the importance of organically-grown food has heightened consumers’ awareness of the types of foods they purchase, along with what happens to those foods during growth, packaging, and distribution. But is an organically-grown pear shipped from across the country any better than a branded pear grown in your current state of residence? I’m not convinced.

Sticking with the category of produce, organically-grown fruits are already free from pesticides and DDT. Therefore, they will naturally (no pun intended) rot at a faster rate than produce which has been fortified against exponential deterioration. Thus, en route to its destination, this organic fruit will be more vulnerable to deterioration, bruising, and aging – ultimately making the fruit less fresh upon delivery – not to mention its short shelf-life. Unless the grocery store re-stocks the organic produce almost daily, it isn’t safe to say that the fruit will be the freshest, or healthiest, in the bunch. On the other hand, locally-grown produce will most likely be re-stocked often (since shipping won’t be much of an issue). Although these fruits might have been exposed to some chemicals to keep them fresh, the amount of chemicals used will be significantly less (since the transport route will be short) compared to big-brand producers who ship mass amounts of produce from different states).

In the end, it really comes down to which matters more to you – 100% chemical-free produce that is on the verge of rotting, or 90% crisp, chemical-free produce hand-picked by your local friendly farmer. While I agree that organic living is important in the long run for human and planet sustainability, I would choose locally-grown over organically-grown because I believe that “local is the new organic�

For our convenience, stores like Whole Foods have been unfolding across the United States to satisfy our organic cravings. Not only does Whole Foods have an outrageous selection of prime products and healthy versions of nearly every “junk food,� but they also accommodate for a myriad of common allergies. When I set foot into Whole Foods for the first time and asked an employee to direct me towards the gluten-free bread, he instead directed me towards the information desk and gave me a complete directory of gluten-free products that Whole Foods had in stock.

Essentially, organic and locally-grown goods are now widely available enough to leave your backyard gardens unkempt. Just take care not to overanalyze your produce purchases. It might interfere with your balanced mind.

शांति
Karen Rockwood

I stumbled upon a web entry that addresses this issue that plagues artists, both young and old. The key to artistic inspiration and creativity-block lies in the way in which you prime your mental canvas. Here are some tips to help you dispose of last month's stash of Gesso:

Have an attitude of low expectations and nothing to lose. Try to make deliberate, thoughtful, rhythmic movements. While not necessarily alone, be solitary. Allow yourself to dream, flow and indulge your fancies. Be philosophic about your weaknesses and creative faults. Let your tools and your media do the talking. Let your work tell you what it needs. Let yourself yin and yang between thought and no thought. Accept imperfection. Try for the spirit of attaining. Teach yourself to teach yourself as you go. Be in the now, but look gently ahead. Be not lazy in your relaxation.

Adding a splash of Zen to your artistic processes will allow you to expand your mind towards realization – which will also clear your clogged creative arteries. The practice of Zen in itself emphasizes the practice of dharma and experiential wisdom,working towards the ultimate goal of realization.

शांति
Karen Rockwood

As a supporter of holistic health, I am always looking for simple new ways to stay centered. I stumbled upon Sahaja Yoga - a method of meditation focused on Self-Realization - through CrazyWisdom Bookstore's weekly e-Newsletter. (The CrazyWisdom Tea Room, located above the bookstore is also worth the detour to Main Street on a tranquil afternoon). They offer a free weekly group Sahaja Yoga session on Thursdays from 5:30-6:30pm. At first, being the active-minded person that I am, I had difficulty tapping in to a thoughtless state of mind. After several sessions, I noticed an improvement in my sleep habits, along with a reduction in my physical and emotional stress level.

As for some background on the Yoga form, Sahaja Yoga was founded by Shri Mataji in 1970. Mataji believes that each person must be his or her own guru, and that mental and spiritual unity, or yoga, can be achieved through Self-Realization; this prime focus revolves around the fluidity and balance of the central nervous system. Through Sahaja Yoga, one is able to tap into a consiousness that is freed from thoughts or worries. In this intrinsic meditation process, one passes energy through an energy chain of chakras:

1. Mooladhara Chakra - the base chakra of innocence and purity; located below the sacrum bone.
2. Swadishthan Chakra - chakra of creativity, pure attention and pure knowledge; located in the the lower abdomen
3. Nabhi Chakra - chakra of generosity, contentment, & satisfaction; located on the left and right sides of the body.
4. The Void - represents the power of mastry within us; surrounds the second & third chakra.
5. Anahat Chakra - chakra of the heart; connected to our spirit.
6. Vishuddhi Chakra - chakra of pure relationships & bonds.
7. Agnya Chakra - chakra of compassion & forgiveness; located at the temples.
8. Sahasrara Chakra - final level of human awareness.
For more in-depth insight into the various chakras

Sahaja Yoga sessions are held free of charge and the process can be practiced as part of a group, or individually. However, I noticed a stronger sense of relaxation through meditation with a group - the collective silence and focus circulating in a room of people takes on its own form of renewable energy.

For such a simple practice, Sahaja Yoga can be so rewarding, providing an instant gratification of heightened self-awareness in a matter of minutes. I would advise giving it more than one try before abandoning the path towards reaching a mental state of Awakening altogether; the positive results are internalized within oneself, but the benefits of Self-Realization will naturally spread unto others.

शांति
Karen Rockwood

I am devoting this blog site essentially to the art of zen - or the pleasant combination and perfect overlap of the concepts behind those two words. Mainly, I will be writing about delightful ways to incorporate art, meditation, yoga, and a quiet piece of mind into everyday life. After being an avid participant in the Yoga festival in the heart of NYC ( SOLSTICE in Times Square) this past June, I have found that it is indefinitely possible to keep your mind completely at peace - even when surrounded by persistent noise and chaos. (In photo #2 of the slideshow on the main page, I am the third person over from the right!)

Visit often for interesting insights and quirky additions.

शांति
Karen Rockwood