I am going to Siem Reap, Cambodia next weekend...yeah! We will be staying at the Hotel de la Paix, the hippest, most stylish, luxury hotel in Siem Reap (I mean come on, would you expect any less?). I am beyond psyched to visit Angkor Wat, a temple originally dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu, and later turned into a Buddhist Temple. I think it’s one of the world’s wonders.
Yesterday I had maybe my most delicious meal here thus far. My lovely friend Isabella invited me to dinner and a night out on the town with her and her crew, including some of Hong Kong's finest socialites (and yes, I felt absolutely out of place in that scene, although Issi and her friends were extremely warm and welcoming). The evening began with champagne at her home (where I was reacquainted with her daughter, the rambunctious but sweet Naja whom I first met in Thailand), then dinner at the exclusive members-only China Club (where I had this amazing garlic/chili pepper lightly fried tofu dish that I’d never had before, and maybe the yummiest char siu ever), and onto a couple parties (where there was more champagne, and very good DJs). Like LA, Wednesday seems to be a big night to go out in Hong Kong. I was in bed before 1a, though, which is when I’m sure the party was just beginning for most, as everything is open until 5a or so here. The typhoon warnings did not at all seem to discourage people from venturing out. Hong Kong peeps are unstoppable; they definitely adopt the work hard/play hard mentality. Californians are uber relaxed and casual in comparison. We enjoy big blocks of time doing nothing; we sit in the sand, sun, and sea on a random Tuesday; we walk and talk in a leisurely fashion; we wear flip flops; we chill. I mean, have you ever had to walk alongside someone from a big city? Even when they’re in fancy shoes (especially the girls here...it’s crazy the kinds of uncomfortable-looking and oftentimes dangerous-seeming heels they strut around in), and I’m in slippers or sneaks (ok, ok, or Uggs), I have to skip in order to keep up! Not that I mind skipping.
I just tried my hand – literally – at smashing a mosquito. No more alien eye for me if I can help it! (PS That whole ordeal was a huge and somewhat disappointing realization of my vanity.) I failed several times, and now my hands just hurt. Julie, on the other hand (pun somewhat intended), is a ruthless, deft mosquito smasher, and watching her chase and smash the buggers with her house slippers is hysterical. You would never guess that she is a Stanford MBA student, depended upon to close deals involving millions of dollars, and fielding job offers left and right from the most respectable finance firms. Rather, on her skeeter quests, she is much more like Nala or Samo wildly eyeing, pawing, and catching flies (oh how I miss that doggie and crazy cat) (you too, Bags). It requires quite a bit of patience, concentration and an acute sense of space; it’s almost like a meditation in the wild.
In that spirit, here is your yogi homework of the day: Let “meditate” mean whatever makes the most sense to and has the most meaning for you, and do some. This could mean sitting on a zafu in padmasana, hands in some ancient, fancy mudra, or watering your plants, or watching the ocean, or cleaning your bathroom, or simply focusing on your breath. It could be 1 minute or 1 hour…time is an illusion anyway. Just something that helps you connect…to yourself, to Big Mind, to the world, to your truth, to God, to the present moment. Let me know how it goes.
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