New York

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Hello world. What can I say? It has been an action packed set of days including driving; my car going up in smoke (RIP Paolo); hens and looking for pliers at Wacahoota, while coolant makes a lake under my car; packing; praying; stuffing duffle bags until they were about to explode; thinking about NYC;

not sleeping; buying school supplies for my awesome brothers with my mum; saying good bye to my choti kutta (aka: dog)…I cried, I admit it; driving to the airport; restuffing bags so they wouldn’t be overweight (huge blessing he was– my little boarding ticketing man who cut us some slack); dealing with bitter TSA officers who hate their jobs; boarding a plane that was cold; meeting a nice flight attendant named Thuy;

arriving to NYC; nice oriental man leads us to the SuperShuttle (which I highly recommend!) for us to be dropped off at my dorm’s doorstep; we ride SuperShuttle with the kind non-hispanic, but hispanic, bald man and go through the excitement of the Queens tunnel; arrive; nice hispanic guys take my luggage up to my room; I discover I have no bed–actually, my mother discovered I had no bed; I get a bed; we explore and buy groceries in the rain; we rest; the sun comes out; we go exploring again and eat– today was filled with so many kind people and big and little miracles along the way. This is a thank you to God. He answers our prayers and has plans for us that we can’t even imagine. Right now I am trying to figure out His plan and path for me. It looks exciting… I will tell you that.

New York isn’t as scary as I imagined… it is like any other metropolitan area on the planet, go figure; except it is filled with a more ecclectic bunch. Anyway, it has been great. I have enjoyed every second of it.

Today, while trying to figure out what direction to walk in, my mother and I ran into a fine, elegant woman who offered us her help. She chatted with us excitedly and smiled through her red lipstick. When I told her I was an incoming law student, she grinned and exclaimed, “That is wonderful! It really is!”

India Against Corruption: the foundation of a movement from decades ago

Thoughts and compilation by: Gabriela Yareliz

Below are some of my favorite quotes by M. Gandhi from his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth.

I first came across this book while doing a series of interviews for the India Against Corruption movement last fall at the University of Florida. In my time with Akshay Kumar, the one who told me all about the movement and a true leader here at the UF and U.S. branch of the movement, he showed me the book with much pride and he shared with me the opening quote, in the forward:

“I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.” (xiii)

Akshay shared with me his vegetarian progress, and all about this powerful movement protesting wide-spread corruption in India. The movement of course is rooted in the principles practiced and advocated by this one man.

I have been reading a lot about Indian Politics and India’s history this summer. Right now I am reading a book on Nehru, by Shashi Tharoor, whom I love (note: this doesn’t mean I always agree with him). I read maybe three or four of his books this summer… Anyway, then the Gandhi autobiography came to mind, and I requested it from the library. When I saw the cover, I smiled and thought of Akshay.

Gandhi is a brilliant mind. I say is because through his writing he is still with us today sharing his wisdom. I won’t lie– I think it would have sucked, big time, to have been his wife. She spent a lot of time alone and self-sacrificing. Gandhi was also one that practiced celibacy after a certain point in his life, I won’t comment further. Of course, I think all of this can be blamed on the fact that they had a child-marriage. I get it. He reminds me of Paul in the Bible… Anyway, I liked his writings. They made my head feel that “I-learned-something-today” feeling after reading.

India has produced some of the most fascinating people in history; this includes those who weren’t Indian but were adopted by the land and its people.

Here is to Gandhi; here is to the wisdom he shared, that I now share with you; And finally, here is to a country whose people I love, who continually fight peacefully for a better tomorrow.

 

 

 

Heart Searchings by: M. Gandhi

“Man is man because he is capable of, and only in so far as he exercises, self-restraint.” (317)

“If I was to be their real teacher and guardian, I must touch their hearts. I must share their joys and sorrows, I must help them to solve the problems that faced them, and I must take along the right channel the surging aspirations of their youth.” (342)

“A devotee of Truth may not do anything in deference to convention. He must always hold himself open to correction, and whenever he discovers himself to be wrong he must confess it at all costs and atone for it.” (350)

“As a student I had heard that the lawyer’s profession was a liar’s profession. But this did not influence me, as I had no intention of earning either position or money by lying.” (361)

“…it was also my habit never to conceal my ignorance from my clients…This frankness earned me the unbounded affection and trust of my clients.” (366)

“No reform is possible unless some of the educated and the rich voluntarily accept the status of the poor, travel third, refuse to enjoy the amenities denied to the poor and, instead of taking avoidable hardships, discourtesies and injustice as a matter of course, fight for their removal.” (379)

“Spiritual relationship is far more precious than physical. Physical relationship divorced from spiritual is body without soul.” (386-387)

“A Satyagrahi obeys the laws of society intelligently and of his own free will, because he considers it to be his sacred duty to do so. It is only when a person has thus obeyed the laws of society scrupulously that he is in a position to judge as to which particular rules are good and just and which unjust and iniquitous.” (470)

 

Shadow Men

Jason: “Only a God can save us”?

Archie: I didn’t say some preacher could. But what a story.

Jason: Story?

Archie: The Jesus thing. God, the Creator of the universe, becoming a man, suffering worse than any person suffered, suffering an injustice worse than any of us can suffer? Incredible! I forgot that’s what Christians believe.

Jason: Did he convert you?

Archie: Imagine, though, if it were true. God so relating to us that He dies with us, as a human being? What a different spin that puts on things!

Jason: But suppose it’s not true?

Archie: It ought to be, then.

Jason: Archie…

Archie: It ought to be…

Shadow Men, by: Clifford Goldstein, pg. 91-92

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I enjoyed the discourse between Jason and Archie in the play Shadow Men, two men waiting to die on death row. After Preacher Mike comes to talk to Jason, both engage in a discussion about the reality of God. They are both skeptics but Archie makes an interesting wistful declaration.

I believe in the “Jesus thing.” I believe in a God who related so much to us that He came and died for us being like us.

Archie is right… it ought to be true… and it is.

M. Gandhi

By: Gabriela Yareliz

From M. Gandhi’s autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth

I am enjoying his book thus far. There are things I don’t agree with; things I do… I like how honest he is about his experience. I find him at times humbling, and at others completely stubborn and set in his thoughts and ways (but aren’t we all). He was an extraordinary man; human; thinker.

“I know that nothing is impossible for pure love.” (13)

“True friendship is an identity of souls rarely to be found in this world.” (19)

About the study of law:

“Facts mean truth, and once we adhere to truth, the law comes to our aid naturally.” (133)

“I had learnt the true practice of law. I had learnt to find out the better side of human nature and to enter men’s hearts. I realized that the true function of a lawyer was to unite parties riven asunder.” (134)

 

Going deeper

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Sometimes in life, we make the same mistakes over and over again, or the storms keep ripping(figuratively, of course)  the limbs off of the trees and all that surrounds us. Sometimes, we worry, and we seek so many things at the same time. It can be overwhelming.

Today, I heard Pastor Tony Evans say that when things get stormy in the sea, the fish simply goes from going down 25 feet to 26 feet under. It goes deeper. When things seem rough or worrisome, we must go deeper… deeper into God.

Life is actually not so complicated… God tells us:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Seek first all that God has to offer; seek His character; His holiness; His love; His truth; and everything else will fall into place. Go deeper. Come to Him with every prayer and supplication.

Pastor Evans said that our souls tell us the facts… it tells us what we face. Maybe we are broke, alone, tired, screwed–whatever. But we need to go deeper, and go to God. God will not tell us the facts; He will tell us Truth.

The truth is God is with you always, and the Truth conquers… it sets you free.

When it feels like you are on ‘pause’

Compiled by: Gabriela Yareliz

“Not without design does God write the music of our lives. Be it ours to learn the tune, and not be dismayed at the “rests.” They are not to be slurred over, not to be omitted, not to destroy the melody, not to change the keynote. If we look up, God Himself will beat the time for us. With the eye on Him, we shall strike the next note full and clear. If we sadly say to ourselves, “There is no music in ‘rest,'” let us not forget “there is the making of music in it.” The making of music is often a slow and painful process in this life. How patiently God works to teach us! How long He waits for us to learn the lesson.” –John Ruskin

“If our hopes are being disappointed just now, it means that they are being purified. There is nothing noble the human mind has ever hoped for or dreamed of that will not be fulfilled. One of the greatest strains in life is the strain of waiting for God. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience.” Remain spiritually tenacious.”–Oswald Chambers

Before I run off

By: Gabriela Yareliz

I have been called in to work today. It turns out there will be a Spanish speaking group there… ahh the benefits of being a polyglot. I encourage anyone who has any slight interest in any culture or language to go for it. It will always pay off. It adds something to you. People always have the lame excuse that no one has taught them. That is what is partially wrong with the world. People want to be taught everything. No one seeks on his/her own, and in the end the public gets spoon-fed a bunch of lies and it is okay with that (I love how I can get political in one sentence nah?) Anyway… before I run off I thought I’d share some cool things I found. (Sorry for the typos)

1. Kitty

I really like these shoes. I want a pair… they are so unique. If you hate shoes, at least appreciate them for what they look like. CUTTEEEE.

2. Hollywood and Bollywood are coming together for  vegan cookbook. So exciting! I am trying to go completely instead of vaguely Vegan– so, this appeals to me.

Click here for the full article from the Desi section on the NY Daily News.

3. Be Yourself

So true! There is something refreshing about someone confident in their own skin, not trying to be like anyone else. Everyone dies, but not everyone lives, right?

4. Marion Cotillard

On the cover of Vogue Paris. She is my fav. French star. She is a unique character.

I thought she looked great on the cover (this is the journalist in me coming out).

5. Letters

Speaking of random things… I got a shower curtain with cool letters and typography on it. Only a designer/ journalist would appreciate that shower curtain as much as I did. I am so excited.

It reminded me of the film Helvetica, which documents the evolution of the “font.” Wow… this takes me back to editing capstone days.

Some of us care to much about letters and words. Is it weird that when you look at a sign instead of reading it you are looking at the typography? Does design really mess up your mind?

6. Iconic

Have an amazing day.