New Zealous Beginning

So many things happened since Jarvis' passing in April. We still miss him every day but the pain has lessened bit by bit. My sis went to seek solace in New Zealand's embrace and I went to join her for 2 weeks, along with our mom and friend Art in mid May, just when winter started and the cold kicked in. It has been almost 4 years since our last Golden Light trip there and it was wonderful to be back in Auckland to see Y and her family, as well as finally head down to the South Island and explore its wilderness.

After a couple of restful days in Auckland, we flew down to Nelson by Air NZ and were reunited with sis and Karlos on his man-cave caravan which has traversed all of NZ. South Island was definitely colder especially when the wind picked up. We spent a night in a fabulous log cabin at Hammer's Springs and prepared dinner of handpicked wild abalones in the well-equipped kitchen as the fireplace warmed us up. This was Mom's first winter experience and we fussed over her to make sure she's ok.

The magical Castle Hill

The next morning, we drove down to the sacred site of Castle Hill to soak up its magic. Dalai Lama called it the "spiritual centre of the Universe" and we could sense why. Every rock cloaked in shapes of animals was alive and whispering - we blessed the grounds and set our intentions. Even mom said it's such a peaceful place.

Arthur's Pass in the morning

Next we drove quite a distance to Arthur's Pass and found a BnB to spend the wary night. The weather was not kind and poured for 2 days hence we were not able to hike in the nature reserve but we still piled on the layers, walked to the nearby river in the early morning to collect spring water and shiny stones. Mom was reluctant at first but plodded on and had fun as you can see from the picture above.

NZ is never about the destination, it's always the journey that holds surprises - like when the caravan accidentally slipped into a shallow ditch and someone came to help us. We tumbled out to the roadside, first relieved, then overjoyed to see a huge rainbow across the meadows! Another time we were on the highway in the dark and the strong wind ripped out the caravan's solar panels above. We had to scramble in the dark to find the panels and then climbed up to fix the roof. Such adventures of road trip!

After Arthur's Pass, we found our way to Maria's hot springs and stayed a night at the Japanese onsen-style resort. It was freezing but we were able to seek warmth in the outdoor hot springs overlooking the misty mountains, followed by a hot meal cooked in the caravan. Dining out in NZ was quite expensive so we stocked up at the supermarket (still not cheap) and cooked what we want, from healthy pasta to avocado-blue cheese wraps and miso soup noodles.

Riwaka river

The next day we picked up Art's friend from Nelson and made our way slowly to our base in Takaka along the Golden Bay  up north of the South Island. The drive was very scenic as we winded past lush hills, gushing rivers and a deep valley dotted with jersey cows and sheeps. Karlos made a lunch pitstop at Riwaka river and it was a pleasant 15-minute hike to the source of the river. The air was fresh and chilly, and a pair of fat birds with long tails followed us curiously. The mouth of the river was a cavenous hole, shaped like a womb - a source of fertility and birth indeed. Karlos and sis took a dip in it before, as part of her Jedi training, and survived the freezing temperature. He suggested I try it too but I just gave him a lifted eyebrow. We filled our bottles instead with the pristine spring water, pregnant with more blessings, and I actually carried some back for L to drink.

Takaka is a hippy town according to my sister and I could see why. There was a mixed bag of holistic spiritual gift shops and organic grocers, quaint cafes, etsy-like stores selling handmade ceramic wares and artworks. This was where she met T and his pirates gang who all live on their boats at the port. We checked into the cosy Sandcastle cottages and cooked up a storm of chicken curry, omelette, pumpkin soup and rice for our welcome dinner.

After dinner, we headed to the 'pirates cave' for some whiskey, smokes and songs. Mom was quite taken aback by the pitch black cave and the sounds made by the penguins haha but T built a fire effortlessly within minutes that lit up the hole. We peeped at the millions of stars above the foliage and hoped to catch a shooting one.

Be Free - Now is the time

Jarvis went to the stars and has become our guardian angel. He will always be. With his passing, we have reached another awakening and are ever more conscious of life and living it to the fullest. What do we want? What's our soul purpose and calling in this wondrous universe? How can we bring about change in this lifetime? The message to me is be free, be who you want to be. Act on it now. Just do it! I have thought about it and decided to take a break to live and just do all the things I want, instead of waiting for things to happen in our constant lame excuse of busy-ness!

An affirmation are the wonderful Cancerian forecasts for 2014 found on www.freewillastrology.com (check yours out! ;)

PART 1
"To destroy is always the first step in any creation," said the poet E. E. Cummings. Do you buy that idea, Cancerian? I hope so, because the cosmos has scheduled you to instigate some major creative action in 2014. In order to fulfill that potential, you will have to metaphorically smash, burn, and dissolve any old structures that have been standing in the way of the future. You will have to eliminate as many of the "yes, buts" and "I can'ts" and "not nows" as you possibly can.

PART 2
French poet Edmond Jabes had this to say about the birth of big creative ideas that dramatically transform one's life: "For the writer, discovering the work he will write is both like a miracle and a wound, like the miracle of the wound." Regardless of whether or not you're an artist, Cancerian, I expect that you will experience a wrenching and amazing awakening like this in 2014. The opening you've been hoping and working for will finally crack its way into your destiny. It may be one of the most pleasurable disruptions you've ever had.

PART 3
Big rivers don't travel in straight lines. Their paths are curvy and complicated, with periodic turns and bends. In some places they flow faster and in others they're slower. Their depth and width may vary along the way, too. Your own destiny is like one of those big rivers, Cancerian. In some years, it meanders for long stretches, slowing down as it wanders along a crooked course. It may even get shallower and narrower for a while. But I expect that in 2014, you will be moving more rapidly than usual. You will be traveling a more direct route, and you will be both wide and deep.

Woohoo!

ART Vita

I love art, I always did and I still do in my heart and soul, even though I have lost touch with her due to my 'busy' schedule in the past decade. Funnily as soon as I willed it, I found myself back to art, starting with winning a big art fair project for the year.

My sister reminded me I'm always the artist in the family. I do remember me as a child and my toys are my prized set of colouring pencils, crayons and colouring books. I even won prizes and sold some of my works to my neighbours for 10 cents lol.

In JC, I took Art as a A Level subject and aced it (my art teacher Mary called me a dark horse). I had wanted to pursue fine arts but it was too expensive in 1994 but I opted for the next best thing - Communications in NTU.

Admittedly I am still involved with the artistic process via another love affair - Cats Of The World -where I can indulge in photography and cats. When there's so much passion and compassion, people can sense it and are drawn to the exhibition, as it grows organically. And for this year, we are implementing an element of art and have gotten a few artists to come up with feline-inspired works to raise more funds for cat welfare.

On the note of cats, Jarvis our first cat is dying as I typed this entry. My sis and I have been crying and preparing ourselves for the day that he will leave us and we are truly blessed to have him as our constant companion, inspiration and joy for the last 20 years. Every moment with him is perfection and 100% unconditional love. With that, we have no regrets and thank him with gratitude for taking care of us and inspiring us to be better humans, to spread more love for cats and enjoy every living moment with our loved ones. His passing is a significant chapter in our lives; as it truly forced me to evaluate my higher purpose and what's next.

I think it's about time I honour the inner child in me and free myself to be the born artist, mystic communicator, green lover, domestic goddess, and liberty defender. I will soon make a major decision as my heart speaks louder with every day. There are more and more messages that affirm what I need to do. Don't give in to the worries and fears. I will be a mother and teacher too.

This morning, I read an interview with an art fair director and mother of twins. She says: "Art allows children to freely express themselves in a way that words and actions don’t. There is a reason why art theraphy is so successful for helping children overcome difficult situations. Art has so many facets to it but most importantly it should always be fun. I always encourage kids to get messy when having a go at art and for mums not to be too controlling about the process. I think adults would benefit from reminding themselves of the sense of freedom throwing paint onto a canvas can bring you!"

So be it!

“The bolder the action, the greater the genius, magic and power that is likely to
flow from it.” – Robert Ringer

“An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it
occupies.” – Arnold Glasgow

“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” – Raymond Lindquist

 “It is more Important to be of pure intention than of perfect action.”
– Ilyas Kassam