art

art

today

Things are going good here. I finally found a job, teaching swim lessons. It was so hard to find a job this time, which is something that I have never struggled with. But it showed me first hand that the economy really is messed up. I love teaching the lessons. The students range from ages three to adult. The little kids are great because they already know what to do. So they squirm and move like little fish through the water. They mostly just need to learn how to rest and breath every now and then. The older people are more of a challenge because they have learned to fear the water. Even though they know exactly what to do instinctively, they panic. They feel like they are falling and are deathly afraid of the deep end. But it is fun to help them get past that. I love swimming. To me,water feels more natural than land. I feel free when I am in it. I know I have said this before. But I feel like when I am in water I am floating in God's perfect love, just suspended there, being held by something so big,something that you can feel and know but never hold onto, something that moves without restraint covering and bringing life, also something to be feared and respected. Anyway, it is good. Unfortunately, because I spend about five and a half hours a day in the pool I have developed a rash. The other teachers say it is because they keep the pool at such a high temperature. Its like when you stay in a hot tub for too long or something. I don't know. Yesterday, one of the instructors bought me some diaper rash medicine and told me to spread it all over my chest before I got in, and wear a rash guard. It worked. So I am having fun. Morgan, our friend Pragya and I are taking a swim class at Laney College. Its pretty much just like being on the swim team. The teacher writes a set on a white board and you go through it. If there is time at the end she will give you a little more to do. I love it. I feel like I am in sixth grade on the Five Cities Swim club all over again. Its making me strong, and giving me a great and guilt free appetite. Anyway, I think I am going to post my art on this blog. I don't want to make a website for all of it yet. So here it is. I have also set up an etsy account where I can sell the bags that I am making. If you are interested, check them out at pearlcentennial.etsy.com. That's all.

Graduated

I have finally graduated from California State University of Monterey Bay. Its been a long time for me. After nine years of wondering what I was going to do and if College was actually worth it, spending a year in Central America, and getting married, it is done. And yes, it was worth it. Now that I am here I feel restless. I keep saying to myself, You mean I can read whatever I want? I can paint whenever I want? No homework? Its a strange feeling.

Now I am looking for work and investigating possible grad schools. Its hard to decide what to choose when it comes to a graduate program. My interests are so broad. I realized that the most important question to ask would be, what could I study for years and years and never get bored with? We shall see.

The wind blows against my cheek
As I feel something new take me gentle and quick
My fingertips graze surfaces as a I walk
An endless journey, only stopping to talk

I clear my throat and dry my eyes
the Lord picks me up and asks not for a compromise
I walk, I feel, I know, I live
In this journey my life is filtered through a seive

Final Research Paper

Here is the link to my most updated research paper:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg48z7r4_69gfpxmjf2

It has been a long time since I have added anything new to this blog. But Kaho'olawe still haunts my thoughts. I mostly think about why the story of Kaho'olawe is so impacting. I haven't stopped researching for this project. Right now I am gathering secondary sources that will support my findings and conclude my research in the spring of 2009. Recently I read a book called The Earth's Blanket by Nancy J. Turner. It is about Native Americans in British Colombia who went through a similar movement to reclaim land that had been left desolate by loggers and farmers. What stood out to me was the idea of a "kincentric approach to nature" which suggests that everything in the universe is regarded as a relative, including the land and wildlife. This is how Kaho'olawe is seen by Native Hawaiians. Kaho'olawe is viewed as a part of the ohana (family). This is why the story of Kaho'olawe is so tragic to Native Hawaiians. Kaho'olawe was first used carelessly, and then taken away from its family. After being partially returned to its family, it was left sick and littered with bombs. When members of the PKO talk about Kaho'olawe, it is usually so emotional and passionate. Their voice vibrates with sorrow. The idea of Kaho'olawe being a family member sheds light on why there is so much emotion in the words spoken.