0

The Chief Factor's Daughter

Posted by funky monkey on Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Books, the world wouldn't be the same without them. I was reminded of that today when I was spending time in Chapters browsing around and looking at the latest and greatest thing. It was only a few weeks ago that I was at that very place having a drink at starbucks and chatting with island author Vanessa Winn. I had first met Vanessa when I was learning to dance tango at cafe casablanca here in Victoria, B.C. Vanessa not only dances and teaches tango but is the author of a highly successfuly book "The Chief Factors Daughter". It launched while I was in Argentina so I have yet to read it. But from all the rave reviews I've been reading, I know I'm in for a treat when I do get around to it.

For the success for me as a writer, it is important for me to connect with other writers. And I truly enjoyed that afternoon catching up with Vanessa. There are many styles of writing out there and Vanessa and I are on the complete opposite end. She has a real gifting for poetry and period pieces. Whereas I'm the modern day blogger who does things through the web and writes on not just my thoughts but pop culture and trends in our society. And I must say that I have a tremendous respect for her style of writing, it is something that I could never do.

To do a period piece properly, it takes alot of research into the culture and customs of that time period that you intend to write about. With society becoming so fast paced and people wanting everything quick, writing period pieces is fast becoming a lost art. This is why I admire her commitment as a writer. She was also the author of that magnificent poem "The Immigrant's Tango" that I've got on my other website. It is such a lovely poem in which she generously gave me permission to use on "Making the Same Difference". Having been written by a proven author, it shouldn't have been any surprise that the poem generated quite a buzz when I put it on my website. And I cannot wait to write a blog on "The Chief Factor's Daughter" when I do finally get the chance to read it. But for now, here is a review of what someone else had to say about it :)

The Chief Factor’s Daughter ... reviewed by Deborah

Blogger Templates
Blogger Templates

0

On the Couch with Chris

Posted by funky monkey on Tuesday, April 27, 2010
One of my weekly rituals is that there are some podcasts that I listen to by inspirational speakers. Normally they are mainly about faith and Christian stuff and I know not everyone is into that so that's why I haven't blogged or promoted it before. But the one I listened to this morning is one that I absolutely have to blog about.  This week, Christine Caine is interviewing this Dr. Caroline Leaf. She is a Dr. who has been always interested in how the brain works (neurons, pathways etc) and has dones studies into brain injuries and rehabilitation.

The doctor wasn't a Christian when she started her studies and only embraced the faith much later on. And Dr. Caroline Leaf had some amazing stuff to share on this weeks podcast about how our minds are wired in relation to faith. Traditional thinking says that you are controlled by your genetics and your genetics determine your outcome. But new scientific discoveries show that your genetics and actually controlled by your thoughts and your thoughts wired the direction of your genetics. So what you think in your head is actually programming and wiring the setup of your body.

And it gets even more interesting than that! According to Dr. Caroline, new studies are showing that your genetics are wired to "faith based" thinking and believing.  In other words, your brain is naturally wired and programmed to want to go in a direction of having faith in a higher power. Interesting! There is a tons more that was in the podcasts. She talks about healing from abuse, that when you've been abused, there's actually damage has done to the wiring and your brain actually has to go through the process of rewiring your system to heal.

Of course she puts in more technical and scientific-al terms than I am writing in here but the podcasts is worth a listen no matter what background you are from or what belief system that you have.  You can access Christine Caine's podcasts on my website here. Just look on the sidebar and it is the section that comes just before my photos of Buenos Aires.  The podcasts I was referring to in this email was called "On the Couch with Chris" and I promise you that it is nothing less than fascinating.

Blogger Templates
Blogger Templates

0

Flight of the Bumblebee

Posted by funky monkey on Sunday, April 25, 2010
Man I just woke from the loveliest dream that someone bought me an ipad as a surprise!  In my dream, I was staying in a beautiful hotel and suddenly there was a package for me that got delivered to my room. I opened it and it was an ipad. It was just beautiful and remembered feeling and touching the thing and starting to play with it abit. Then in my dream I was going to take a picture of myself with it and put it on my blogsite and start blogging about it.  This is when you know that this must only a dream because in reality, ipads don't actually have a camera on them.  So the ipad in my dream was even better than the one here in the real world LOL  Nobody knows for sure what causes dreams. Scientists are still trying to figure it out. Although I do have a strong suspicion that this video that I was watching last nite just before I went to bed may have been behind what caused my "ipad dream".  It's a Youtube video of a pianist using and ipad to play "Flight of the Bumblebee" onstage at a Symphony.
Blogger Templates
Blogger Templates


0

The Silver Platter

Posted by funky monkey on Friday, April 23, 2010
Jan 20/10

I am sitting here at my computer scratching my head, wondering what I've gotten myself into. I've had a number of interesting twists and developments happen within the last little while that are making my time here all the more interesting. Simply stated, one thing led to another and then another and before I knew it, I found myself on the verge of a new horizon with new possiblities. It all started Friday Jan. 15th. By this point, I had several casual chats with people at church about the idea I had to teach people a little bit of english they can use with foreigners who will one day pass through their doors. Everyone I have spoken to, has responded enthusiastically. And as I would find out, the pastor of the church would be no exception.

For awhile now, I had been thinking about writing to the pastor of the church and saying "hi, I've been a Canadian who has been attending one of your churches for awhile......" So I did, I first wrote to him on facebook introducing myself and letting him know that his church has really impacted me and that I'm telling all my buddies in North America. Then I wrote a 2nd note to let him know that the i think that the people at Centro are full of love and I want them to be able to express their love to people who cannot speak spanish. And I mentioned that I was an english teacher and I wanted to help out.

The pastor's response to me was beyond what i ever imagined. Firstly he said how honored and happy he felt to have me among them and the next time he was at Centro, to say hi to him. Then he replied to my email about wanting to teach english. I thought he would say "oh, that's sweet, God bless you." It went way beyond that. He started out the reply by saying to me that he really liked my disposition and thought the idea was great. He then gave me the emails to the co-pastors who run a college that the church has which has english classes and other courses and he wanted me to connect with them. Meanwhile, he told me he was forwarding this conversation to those co-pastors. So within 20 mins, I had a lovely letter in spanish typed up and email to the 3 addresses that he gave me. Everything was moving so fast but I was loving the speed that this was going! Later on in the week, one of the co-pastors got back to me and said they would love to chat with me about my vision and my heart. Apparently the other co-pastors are on vacation but they will be back the beginning of Feb and when they come back, we will have a talk about working together to get the people at Centro learning english.

But in dealing with this church, I can easily see the reason why they are so successful. There is no lazing around and no having to trend on "niceties". The pastor of the church was just like "OK, you have a vision to do something. Well then, what are you waiting for? Let's DO IT!!!!" He wasn't like "OK Angelina, let's have a nice cup of tea and get to know each other first shall we" And 6 weeks later, after 3 cute little socials with the pastor where we sit and have superficial conversations, he'll be like "Angelina, I was wondering if you you are up to it, if you might possibly want to send an email to some of our co-pastors. But only if you want to. There is no pressure. Take your sweet little time. It's even OK if you email them in a few weeks." If that scenario had happened, things would be progressing at the rate of a snail. But thank God that that is not how this country works and not how this church works! The pastor knew I was already there mentally and wanting to see this happen.

So that was the first event that took place that threw a real curveball at me. I never expected the church to be taking me seriously the way they are going about it. But there is a 2nd portion to this story. With the possibility that I might have some serious involvment in the church, I began to look around for apartments to rent. Here in Argentina, one of the best modes of accomodation is a furnished apartment. You can get studios or one bedroom apartments for $750 USD and it comes with a whole whack of things like maid service (seriously!!!!), internet, cable, gas, water, electricity, fully equipped kitchen. Furnished apartments are one of the most popular modes of accomodations down here and it is become fast preferred over hotels or hostels.

Anyway, the story goes that I was looking on the website of one of these agencies that you can book furnished apartments through. And after much searching, I narrowed it down to a few apartments that seemed interesting to me and fit my needs and my price. I made an appointment to see them the very next day. The first one I didn't really care for too much so I hoped I would have better luck with 2nd one. It would be while visiting the 2nd one that a few surprises and unexpected turns would await me. After I left the first building, I began making my way to where the 2nd building was. It was about 15 mins away walking. The address was scrawled on a piece of paper with my writing on it. Before I knew it, I found myself standing in front of a "Moroccan" style building. I seriously thought that the way the building was designed, it was some kind of arabic restaurant in the midst of the city.

"Interesting" I murmured to myself. An elderly gentleman who is probably in his 50's and 60's greeted me and let me in. I confirmed I was the girl who was booked to see the apartment. He kindly gestured for me to follow him so I did. After a brief elevator ride to the first floor, he took me to where the apartment was. I opened the door and my eyes went huge. I thought I was in heaven. Things looked just as good as they had been on the website but seeing it here live, it was way better. It had everything I could ever ask for, including a private outdoor patio that I could sit outside and have breakfast or tea. It has two single beds that are set up head to head so they serve as couchs but you can put them together and they can turn into a double bed. They say that a picture is worth 1000 words so I am taking that literally today and sending you some photos of this place that I got off the agencies website. A place like this in the middle of BA for a price of under $750 USD is such a rare find and I am giving it serious thought, prayer, and consideration. It is conveniently located close to downtown, 15 mins walking from church and conveniently located near all the shops but yet tucked away on a humble street so I wouldn't have to live with the disadvantages of being directly downtown.

Right at the moment I write these words, to say that I feel blessed would be an understatement. I don't think there is a word in the english language or even in the spanish language for that matter that I can truly use to convey my feelings. I'm in a country that I adore. I am in a city that love. I am in a church that I cannot get enough of. At church, the amount of friends that I have are multiplying like bunny rabbits! I've discoved a job that I am good at and have actually found a community of people who could very much use what I have to offer. And now I am looking at a gorgeous apartment that I can rent create a home and a space that I can call my own. The added twist to this story is that the gentleman that opened the door for me happens to own the apartment I looked at as well as 2 others in the city. He has given me his business card. Now I have a personal contact in this city that I can always talk to about getting a place to stay.

All this may sound sweet but it is more than that. You see, before coming to BA, the one thing that I have never had in my life is roots. I sort of envy people who can take out photo albums and show me the pictures of where they've lived and their friends and family and a life filled with stability. I wasn't so lucky growing up. Coming from a background of abuse, I was grateful every morning what I had lived to see the very next day. But I remembered times when the abuse was so extreme that I while other little children were praying for a doll house and a 10 speed bike, I would pray for God in his mercy to let me die. Having to live another day almost seemed like a cruel joke. But there came a moment in the middle of my tormented childhood that I cried out to God in the midst of all the torture and things I was being subjected to and said that if he ever rescued me from this situation, I would live my life to the absolute max. By this I meant that I would never forget others in their pain and need and that I would live my life to the max. Never being afraid to take a risk and person, place, thing or project that came my way, I would give the royal treatment to. I would never dwell in mediocrity and just want to live in the safety of my comfort zone ignoring other's cries for help. After all, I knew the experience of what it was like to cry out to others to rescue me only to be met by silence.

Words cannot express what it is like when you are in a desperate and dangerous situation as a child and what it is like for an adult you are crying out to tell you that you are just being silly and you just need to be good at home and you only think it's abuse but it's not. I liken it to the feeling of someone handing you a death sentence and being told that you are going to die. The hopelessness that you feel in that moment to know that your screams of torture and anguish go unheard by people who already have a relatively comfortable lives with good strong functional families sit in lovely houses making sunday dinner while you remain in hell not knowing if you were going to make it to the very next day.

I am not writing all this to you to get you upset. I am writing this to you so you see the significance of all that is going on. You've sat here reading for the past couple of months about all these wonderful things that have happened. But I want you to see the bigger picture and why everything that is happening is so meaningful. Because for the very first time in my life, I actually have things that I have only dreamed of for so long. For so long I have peered through the window watching other people have lives of comfort and stability handed to them on a silver platter. And for so long I never thought I would ever know what it is like to look at a silver platter with something beautiful on it that is just for me that has no strings attached to it and can never be taken away. But now I find myself staring down a silver platter that is sitting in front of me filled with things on the plate that I never thought I would live to see.

There are people in this word who come out of painful situations or experience poverty beyond anything that you can imagine. But once they come out of it and escape, there are some that forget how painful or scary it was to be in that place and then soon begin building a comfortable life for themselves while ignoring the cries of pain that go on all around them. That will never be me. As I gaze upon this silver platter in front of me with all the good things that have been placed upon it for my pure delight and enjoyment, there is only one thing missing that is keeping me from experiencing full satisfaction from the things that have been set in front of me. So before diving into all that waits for me, I do one thing. Just to my right there are hundreds if not thousands, perhaps millions and billions of blank invitations that are completely untouched. I grab a pen and ever so daintly begin to fill out each one of these invitations. Sometimes the invitation contains the name of someone that I know. But many of the invitations go to names I will never know this side of earth. Regardless, each invitation says the exact same thing. They all begin with "This is a personal invitation from me to you. Your presence not only has been request but is desired. A silver platter awaits to be shared by you and many others...."

0

The 5th Wheel

Posted by funky monkey on Friday, April 23, 2010

"Angelina.......hay una problem."

"Angelina, we have a problem". These were the last words I wanted to hear as I stood there at the train station 10pm at night in the middle of the outskirts of Buenos Aires with my new friend Romina, whom I barely knew. Come to think of it, these are the last words that I think anyone wants to hear when they are in a foreign country in the middle of nowhere.

This adventure really began when Romina arrived at my door to pick me up to her place in the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Immediately I recognized her as being one of the girls from my thursday night church group. We first took the bus to Agaces, that is where the main church is located. There was supposed to be some kind of meeting to discuss missions and outreach but it looks like that somehow fell through. So we decided to continue on our way and head back to her place. It´s a simple bus ride and then a train ride that will take us close to her doorstep. At least it was suppose to be simple.

After we got off the bus and stepped up to the train station, it became clear that something was amiss. She then turned to me and told me that we have a little problem. The train that we were supposed to take is not running tonight so we have to take a different line. Apparently this is normal in Latin America for something to not be working at the last minute. We crammed into an almost full train on a different line and off we went. To make a long story short, from that train we had to take another train and what should have been originally a short 45 min train ride turned into an almost 90 min journey stuffed into a passenger hold full of people. Though it was only 10pm at night, it certainly felt like I was taking the midnight train.

Finally when we finally reached our stop, her father was waiting in the car to pick us up and drive us to her house 5 mins away. Pulling up to her house, I realize that I was about to see another side of Argentine culture that people rarely get to experience. Up until now, I´ve seen the many different ways people live in Argentina. Whether in the city or in the country. I´ve seen wealthy neighbourhoods with buildings that are relatively new and I´ve been in houses that are much older in less ritzy parts of town. Now I would get to not only see but experience a very basic type of a lifestyle that I believe represent the lives majority of Argentineans. As you begin to go to the outskirts of BA, you begin to see many buildings made of brick for walls, concrete or bare floors. The clothes are most often hung outside to dry and in some parts of the house, there are only curtains to seperate the rooms.
The car pulled out and we got out. My accomodations would be somewhat interesting. You see, before in a text message she had told me they have room for me. In North America this often means a spare bedroom. But she explained it that I would be sharing a room with others. The house had two bedrooms, one for the parents and another room with 2 bunkbeds. When she told me that there was room for me, by that she meant that there was an extra bunk available. Altogether in this family there were her mom and dad, she has 3 brothers. Adding herself and me, that would be 7 people staying together in a house that was somewhere between 700-1000 sq ft. But i had no problem with this arrangment at all and am always open to new experiences and adventures.

Her mother greeted me and welcomed me into their home. As well, her 3 dogs (2 of them being puppies) gave me a welcome as well. Then they took some chairs outside and we sat down to have some pizza, coke and a salad. We ended up in a lively discussion along with some laughs as we started to get to know each other. I crawled into one my bunk that night and as I drifted off to sleep, I wondered what the next day would hold for me.

The next day as soon as everyone got up, we all had breakfast together. Like typical Argentineans, breakfast was very simple. A maté or a coffee and maybe some biscuits. Her family seemed delighted to have me as company for their Christmas. Romina explained to me that they will have a dinner on Christmas eve but Christmas day is pretty much a normal day for them to do chores and run errands etc. The whole rest of the day, I spent time playing with the dogs, chatting with Romina, and hanging around the house. One really fun this we did that afternoon is we went to the local neighbourhood to browse around some shops and stores.

When we arrived back, there was a big surprise waiting. Romina's brothers brought in some massive speakers. I think they had just purchased it. It was in that moment that I realized that one thing about Latin Americans is that they like their music LOUD!!!!!!! They hooked up the speakers and blasted music so that the whole neighbourhood could hear. And I could hear other people blasting their music so this appears to be a normal thing in this part of the world.

As night drew, an incredible smell wafted through the entire house. Now, up to this point I had eaten in several restaurants in the city and was quite familiar with an asado (BBQ). But this was going to be such an amazing opportunity to taste meats cooked right there in the family's own grill. The grill is nothing fancy, it's simply a grill that you put meats on top off and then you put hot coals underneath it to smoke the meat. I could see that there were several types of meat being cooked....chicken, steaks, sausages etc.

It must have been around 9pm at night when the family pulled their table out into the front of the house and began to set the table. We would be having an asado feast under the clear night sky. Once the table was set, everybody seated, and prayers were said it was time to begin. There were salads, drinks, and most importantly, the meat from the asado. There is nothing much to be said about the meats except that as usual Argentinean meats are well cooked and taste light and sweet. But there is nothing like good company and laughter at the table that made the food taste twice as good.

When dinner was done, it was time for the party to begin. The boys cranked up the volume on their new speakers and the family and everyone started to have a dance party latin style right there in their front yard. If I haven't told you yet, I will tell you now. Parties in the Latin world always start late and night and go into the early hours of the morning. And this one was no exception. We danced to the beat of the music out there under the open night sky. When it turned 12 midnight, the neighbours all around us ushered in Christmas with fireworks in the sky. There had already been a little bit of fireworks during the meal but as soon as midnight hit, the sky was bombarded by fireworks. Mixed with sound of the music blasting from the speakers at their house as well as from all their neighbour's house, there was only one word to describe it.......LOUD! It was around 2 or 3 am before the party ended and everyone started to settle down to bed.

On Christmas day, everyone woke up around afternoon so instead of having breakfast, we had lunch. We ate some of the remainders of last nights dinner. Then it was time for me to head back into the city. I thanked them and said it was a pleasure. They told me the pleasure was their's and they would love to have me over again. During these last two days, i feel like i have had more imparted into me by the Argentine culture. It amazes me how these people were willing to make room for me in their hearts and in their home.

On the 2nd night, Romina's little brother slept on the bunk on top of me. Then sometime during the night, her other brother gets home and just crawls on top of the first bunk with his little brother and they sleep there together. When I got up on the 2nd morning, everyone in the room was still sleeping except her little brother who was now wide awake. I went outside and sat there and watched as he played with his new toy pistol. Her other older brother had also arrived sometime during the night and had actually ripped off the mattress from the other top bunk and pulled it out into the middle of the bare floor in the livingroom and had slept there.

Romina's younger brother is quite mischief and I sat and watched as he started to rough house with his brother who was half asleep. Words cannot describe what it is like to see interaction between family members who don't care too much about their personal space. And that is what I love about this household. Everyone just shares everything and there is a real sense of community spirit. There is no attitude of " I want MY life MY way. This is my space so....GET OUT!!!!!!!!" The family members interact with each other in such a playful manner that is such a joy to watch.

This family taught me so much about making room for other people. There was no doubt in their minds that there was space for me in their home because even if they didn't have any space, they were going to create space! This is an incredible phenomenon that I keep witnessing in my life over and over again. I have been in alot of situations with people where they had a comfortable amount of space or money or both and when I came into the picture, it was like I was the 5th wheel.......unwanted and unneeded. Then I have met others of you who have so little when it comes to time or space or money in your world, but like this family you created room in your heart and said " We'll make it work!!!!"

It blows me away sometimes that people who I hardly know open the doors of their home or their hearts to me and there are people that I have known for a long time or all my life who give less of a welcome or feel "inconvenienced" when you start to get into their space or need help in times of trouble. For a girl like me who has always been on the outskirts watching happy families together, a simple act of hospitality like this speaks volumes to me and it is something I will never forget. In the same way I will never get some of you out there that in the same way this family made room for me in their home, you made room for me in your heart. And in doing so, you gave me the greatest gift of all this Christmas.........the gift of knowing that I would never again have to be "The 5th Wheel"

0

Of Shoes and Souls

Posted by funky monkey on Friday, April 23, 2010
Sept 18/09


Today I had a little time to kill before having to walk over to Glady's house for the lesson in english. So now that I've seen alot of the touristy sites, my goal is to begin looking and finding some of Buenos Aires best kept secrets. I found myself wanting to get in touch with my tango side so I wandered into Darco's a local tango shoe and clothing store. I have a little list of things that I would like to purchase while my time here in BA and one of them is a classy set of tango shoes. I browsed around and explained to the lady what I wanted and soon I was looking at some classic black shoes that I could use with any one of my clothing. It cost $200 ARS which amounts to $50 CDN. I told her that I would think about it. I have 6 mos here and there is no rush. I also saw some lovely tango clothing and was thinking about how nice it would be to get decked out in full tango clothes one day and go dancing.


Then an interesting thought came to my mind that it's funny how such a value gets placed on the outside. In my tango lesson their other day, an emphasis came that I need to get grounded in the basic tango walk and get that right. For all my non-tango friends, this may sound simple but it is not. The tango walk is something that takes long to master and even after you've mastered it, sometimes you need to review the basics. It's been more than a year since I started dancing and sometimes on the dance floor, I have a great ebb and flow and people have a good time dancing with me. But sometimes I do slide and I do need to get grounded on the basics. In figuring out my finances here, I realize that as much as I want to spend money on things that are exterior and look nice, it is much better for me to spend money on classes and get grounded in my walk. And it's interesting because society places such an emphasis on the looks and the outside but in all things in life, it's really how you walk that matter and what is inside your heart.


What gets interesting is that growing up in Christian circles, alot of Christians do not smoke, drink, or swear (we'll we're not suppose to!!!!) And people get really judgmental on people who are lighting a cigarette and doing something we've deemed doesn't look good to others and is unhealthy. Addiction is an interesting topic for me because although I am not a smoker, let's just say that I'm no stranger to addictive patterns. People who know me very well and know about my past, know that there are extremely dark things about my past that I am attempting to leave behind that attempt to surface every so often. Looks are definitely deceiving in my case!


One of my biggest frustrations on my path is that it seems at times growing up in the background that I came from, looking good was what mattered most. As long as Angelina didn't go to bars do any of those "un-christian" things then all is well. Nobody cared to check on the inside to make sure that my soul was actually healthy or that things were all in working order on the inside. And there was a time period which I did do the "church" act and tried to look good and only do things that were considered good. That got me nowhere except becoming totally miserable! So decided to do a massive reno on my life and now I try to take care of myself from the inside out. Today, I may not fit the mold of what everyone considers to be a "proper" Christian. But ask anyone of my friends and they will tell you in an instant that Angelina is one of the most real people there is. She is fun and easy to talk to and can totally be someone who is spiritual and do spiritual things and church activities. But she can switch modes in an instant and doesn't think twice about going out for a drink and a laugh. In short, I'm not in any kind of a box!

You should have seen the look on Glady's face when I told her about the time that I had dinner with church people and then went to hang out a a local gay bar afterwards. And YES, Gladys is a Christian. On a side note here, the pentecostal/evangelical movement has strong roots in Argentina. Gladys goes to a church o 30,000 and in fact, her church will be hosting a conference by the people of Hillsong church, Sydney Australia here in BA in November. We always have interesting discussions on the Christian faith and theology. As a result, at this point I think that I've learned enough Christian vocabulary in spanish to be able to start my own church in any spanish speaking country haha Anyway after telling her what I did, I said "I'm a really different Christian aren't I?" To which she replied "Yes, indeed you are!" LOL

But what my point is that society puts the emphasis on things that are very exterior. Like I said previously, there are many ways to be unhealthy, not just one. People can hold unforgiveness, have deep childhood issues, have addictions and are emotional and psychological. I have seen people who pride themselves as being very "clean cut" degrade and go to such a level of darkness and deception and they've gone further than any one puff from a cigarette will ever take them! Things look good on the outside but when you look inside the heart and soul what you find the is REALLY scary.

At the beginning of this year, several of my friends came to me saying that they would really love to quit smoking. And I wish them the best with all my heart and will do everything I can to be a supportive friend. In fact, I would say that almost all of my friends actually do smoke. And I want to tell you guys something, you guys are actually some of the healthiest and most beautiful people in my world right now. It is because when I have conversations with you guys, there is a very pure, positive energy that is there.You guys are incredible, mentally, emotionally, and internally all over and there is so much that you bring into my life when we are together. I think there are many people stuck in religious circles who could learn from the way you guys live your lives. In fact, I think there whole circles in society and whole church congregations that would benefit from spending a day with you.

And I want to encourage people on this list to put your emphasis on the inside and everything will follow. Just like in tango, once my walk is right it sets the stage for anything else that happens on the dance floor. Yes it's good to want to look good. And keeping the body healthy is of vital importance. But it is more important that your soul be healthy. Because it is from there that everything flows out. At the end of the day, that's all you need to live well. If your soul is healthy, then you will want to keep your body healthy, and you will want to look good and feel good. As for me, all I can say is that for now, I'm taking what time and resources I have and using it to better what matters most- my tango walk.  But there is a day coming that I will be at a milonga here in BA with nice shoes decked out in full tango garb with a beautiful walk and stunning moves to go with it........

0

Tango 2 the Moon

Posted by funky monkey on Friday, April 23, 2010
I am sitting here in front of my computer wondering "What in the world did I just do!"  Most people in the world would just be happy having one blog that they share amongst their closest friends. And of course they would be thrilled if they got the added bonus of  getting a big break and seeing their blog read by hundreds of people around the globe. You would think most people would stop there and just park on their success. Nobody would actually be crazy enough to start a 2nd blog site.....except me!

You're probably right in front of your computer thinking "WHAT!!!!"  Trust me when I tell you that I'm in front of my computer with question marks flying around my head at this very moment. But after reading this article, you'll understand a little bit more to why I felt the need to create a 2nd blogsite. As well I'll share with you the purpose for the 2nd blogsite.

After being in the blogging world for sometime now and spreading my wings as a writer, there were many times that I wanted to write something on "Making the Same Difference" but I felt that what I had to say wouldn't fit in with that site. As you can see, all my articles on there are very polished, professional, well edited and often with media attached to it. It is because I am writing for a global audience that is looking for a certain standard.

But the truth is that there are many styles of writing and have sometimes lots more to say and share but it isn't in a format that is right for "Making the Same Difference"  I needed a space where my fans and readers can go to if they were in the mood for something more personal and informal.  So I spent some time this afternoon doing some creative problem solving and it is with great pride that I present to you my 2nd blogsite "Tango 2 the Moon"

This 2nd blogsite is going to be seperate from "Making the Same Difference" but rather it's meant to complement my first blogsite by exposinng my readers to another style of writing.  And it is a place where i can be a little more random and informal with my fans. It is here that you're going to read about the spontaneous, surprising moments that life holds.

For those of you who love the site "Making the Same Difference", coming here and reading my journal entries will actually help you see where some of my blogs on "Making the Same Difference" are coming from. Because I can't put my random thoughts and journal entries on that site but I can put them here. And from reading my journal entries, you'll see the beginnings of a potential blog that gets published on "Making the Same Difference".

Think of "Making the Same Difference" as the stage and "Tango 2 the Moon" is the backroom where we can hang out and find out  the inside scoop on my life as well as my thoughts and feelings on some of my blogs that I've written on "Making the Same Difference"  As well this would be a great place for you to give me your feedback on the blogs you read on "Making the Same Difference"

My fans mean the world to me. I know everyone says that but I really want to show it with actions instead of words. There have been several moments over the past few months where I got feedback from people that told me "That article touched me". And there was something about that article that did something inside that person. The words I had written pierced through them and they weren't quite the same after that moment.

To kick off this new blogsite, I am going post every single blog where someone has told me that it moved them and those words did something inside of them.  You know exactly who you are and if you've made a comment about a blog that was special to you either through email or through "Making the Same Difference", that blog is here. And if some of you out there want to share with me if a particular blog has stirred you, let me know and I will put in on here.

Well the coffee is brewed, the table is set with all kinds of delicious eats, the welcome mat has been placed out. Welcome everybody  to "Tango 2 the Moon"!


Join Kony 2012 as We Make a Goal to Arrest One of he World's Worst Criminals

counter

Copyright © 2009 Tango 2 the Moon All rights reserved. Theme by Laptop Geek. | Bloggerized by FalconHive | Blogger Templates.