In My Mind’s Blog

Voting day is almost here!

If you must know, I am a registered Independent coz I need to study and weigh the issues before I vote on who gets to be El Presidente de Estados Unidos.

I have to admit I was a skeptic, but I now know I wasn’t alone on why I thought the way I did. I did my research, I listened to the debates and heard the opinions of the media and common folk.

All I know is that I have had it with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan…$10B a month to fund the 2 wars is way ridiculous!  Two wars, WTF!  Soldiers having 3 to 4 tour of duties during their military service…we need our troops back so that they could be with their families and defend the US in US soil.  Use the money to invest on our own national security, infrastructure and oil dependency.  If those countries don’t want democracy…it is time to leave them alone.  Let us not waste any more resources on a lost cause.

The US has lost credibility with most of the world and the new President should be able to redeem our country’s status and ties with other nations.  Why do you think gas prices are so high?…coz the dollar is weak!  America isolated itself for a long time and now needs to realize that it needs the support of other countries.  As the saying goes, “No man is an island.”

People who make more than $250K or more should just shut up and eat it…hello, if you rich guys pay the bulk of the taxes then the middle or lower income people would have more spending power to buy the stuff you sell - the more we buy, the more you make, duh!!!  Spread the wealth, man.

I do not believe in bailing out my neighbor’s mortgage. I work, I’m financially struggling yet I make sure my loan gets paid on time.  Why should I support these idiots who got into a situation where they ate more than they could chew.  The whole darn economy is down in the dumps and the appraised value of my home is already low, so what difference would it make if my neighbour lost their home?  Oh geez, I get better neighbours or no neighbours at all…cool!

A lot of pension plans, including my husband’s, are on freeze right now.  People are forced to invest on their own retirement plans like 401k’s that are not doing well at the moment.  I personally want to retire financially comfy, if we keep up the way we are right now, I will not be able to support myself when I get old…and I honestly do not want to work in my 70’s and be a burden to my son.

America ate too much and now we are too gassy and have to belch.  Instead of eating more of the crap, we need to go on a diet.  It will not be easy, but we all know we have to do it.  We are used to quick-remedy schemes, like that rebate check that is now all gone, but what we really need is the courage to go through a trimming phase and we all need to wake up!  We need CHANGE.

I love this country and that is why I became a citizen in the first place and damn it to hell if we go through another 4 years of this bullshit economy. If I need to sacrifice today so that my son and other children of this great nation have a brighter future, I am so willing to do it.

How does God want me to live?  In order to answer this, I have to understand my thoughts were conditioned from past experiences.  I also need to change my perception about things, see the beauty around me; look at nature to find a sense of sacredness.  Spirit is formless and being still will help me experience it. Am I still breathing?  If I am aware of my breathing, I will achieve a State of Presence - being present in the moment determines how I should live my life — I have a choice on what I need or want to do in the present moment without resistance (being at one with what happens), without judgment and without attachment.

I felt hurt about something, then I realized it was just my ego talking. I want to react but I know it would not be wise to do so. People have the right to freely express their opinions, it just sucks that most don’t take responsibility of the possible consequences…I have to live with that, but I don’t need to dwell on it.  Right now, I am trying to get over it and move on.  It shouldn’t matter what people call me, what matters most is what I answer to.

The challenge of translating thoughts and feelings into physical form is what drives me as a visual artist. Throughout the years, I experimented in drawing, painting, photography, crafts, bookmaking and stained glass. Incorporating learned art skills through the construction of altered art pieces, in the form of collage or mixed media work, satiates my visual appetite.

When something moves me deeply, I study it by researching everything about the issue and gather significant materials such as ephemera, photographs and diminutive found objects. The investigation and collection process sometimes takes weeks before assemblage begins. If the work needs painting, the color choices usually are dependent on the mood it must convey. With an open mind and years of practice, a leave-it-or-toss-it attitude helps when editing the overall look of the project. The work is ready when it satisfies my aesthetics, stirs curiosity, and cleverly presents the message, only decoded through careful scrutiny.

At present, I am strongly opposed to matters involving the mistreatment of children. There is a need to raise the issue about neglected and battered kids, sometimes killed by the same people who should be caring for them. Being irreverent toward another person’s existence is a disturbing matter. Through my work, I intend to comment on the atrocities of child abuse and plead for justice on their behalf.

Update:  Got an “A” today (10/21/08) Yey!