miracles happen

Since I last wrote about my frustrations with job search and instability, a lot more has happened. In early August, I attended my cousin Jennifer's wedding in Houston and saw my family. It's been many, many years (over a decade) since I last attended a wedding, and that wasn't even someone I knew. Jennifer's ceremony was simple and sweet, and you could feel the love coming off of the bride and groom whenever they're together. There were three receptions and lots of eating over the 4 days I was there (as usual when my family gets together). It was fun seeing my family and meeting Jennifer's friends that I kept hearing about.

Two things that had been weighing on my mind, finding a job and a new apartment, came to fruition after I came back from the wedding. Through one of my temp agencies I got an interview with the marketing department of a major local newspaper. The interview went very well, and the job is one that sounded more interesting than anything else I had interviewed up to that point. They quickly scheduled me for a second interview.

Around that time, I started looking for a new apartment to move into, since I had sublet a room for only 2 months in order to get to know the area better before I chose a place permanently. After a week of searching, I was only able to visit a couple of places and had come up with nothing. This coupled with the job search was stressing me out, and it took everything in my spiritual "arsenal" (meditation, affirmations, EFT, frequent calls to friends whom I could vent to) to keep me balanced and not completely freaked out. There was part of me that knew and trusted that everything would work out, but another part of me said I didn't know that for sure, and how could things come to me if I didn't work/struggle for them?

A few days later, two things happened at almost the same time. On a Monday I received an email in response to a Craigslist ad I had posted days before, seeking a roommate with similar interests to find an apartment with me. The lady said she practiced reiki and tarot and had a 2-bedroom apartment that she was looking to share. I emailed her back and said, great, let's meet.

I met her over coffee the next day, and we immediately felt comfortable with each other. We had a great time chatting and made arrangements for me to see her apartment that afternoon. Right before she arrived in the coffee shop, though, I discovered that I had a voice message from my agent at the temp agency. During our conversation, my agent called back and told me that I got the job with the newspaper! So, both issues that had been weighing on me were resolved.


I am deeply grateful and amazed at the way things fell into place. It wasn't easy, though -- I had to work through stress and panic before it came to this. Part of me believed that "manifesting" was something that other people could do, but there was a niggling doubt that it could happen to me, that I could receive without putting in a lot of work and effort. Being out on my really tested my beliefs - did I really believe that the universe will take care of me when I had no income and my savings were draining rapidly? Not at the beginning, I didn't. It's still a work in progress, this trust thing, but next time my fear and panic rear their ugly heads I can point to this experience and say, See? I'm not just making this stuff up!

slowly crawling back to internet life

Well, I up and moved to Seattle, and since then I've been trying to pull my life together again amidst a breakup and a funeral. I had no energy in keeping up with Internet goings-on until I got myself centered again, so I was often offline except for answering emails once a day.
I was re-reading some of my past Michael readings, and I found this one passage from last November in answer to my concerns about choosing the right career direction after I move up here. It totally describes what I went through (and still am) after I moved out of a friend's place and into my own apartment.

Michael (channeled by Karen Murphy):
"We do see a trend toward moving into being more trusting, not only of yourself but also of the universe and life in general, and of course there is pain and fear involved with establishing that trust. Security is a need for you at this time, and working through that need, working yourself into a place where you can feel you are creating your own place from which to trust, will be a theme for a time for you."

When I finally got into my own place, I went through a good week and a half of intense panic and anxiety. It was all compounded by fears about my job situation, my savings trickling away, being completely on my own for the first time, and having almost no friends around to spend time with (face-to-face). Part of my fears about my job situation came from trying to find a retail job in a university area (too many young people = too much competition), and I realized quickly that it would not pay the bills. I didn't trust that things will work and and didn't trust that the universe will take care of things and not let me starve. I thought I had gained that trust in all the spiritual work I've done, but when it came down to it, I was still blindsided by my irrational fears.

Thankfully it didn't last too long. I called up some of my LA friends, and they helped me put things back into perspective and reminded me of all the work I've done. I am grateful for my friends in the spiritual community.

I still get the doubts and fears occasionally, but it's not nearly as bad as those first couple of weeks. I'm definitely learning to trust more, to trust that things will be taken care of without my having to do all the work (because I can't). Things are still slow, and I still feel lonely because I have too much time in the day. But I think it'll get better from here.

I often let money get in the way of my enjoyment of life.

30 things about me

I did this for one of the email lists I belong to - basically write down 30 things about you that you can think of in one sitting. I like it because it's kind of like those email surveys, but more interesting.

1. I've been playing video games since first grade.

2. I went to USC.

3. My favorite country that I've traveled to is England.

4. I want to take a sailing trip across the Pacific some day, making stops in Hawaii and other Pacific islands.

5. I grew up in Taiwan until age 11.

6. My father lived and worked in Taiwan from when I was 11 to age 17, while the rest of my family was in Los Angeles.

7. I love British food.

8. I went to a Catholic all-girls school for high school and enjoyed it.

9. I've been wanting to quit my current job for the last two and a half years (I've been here for three).

10. I don't have a favorite book or movie, because I like different ones for different reasons.

11. I almost never re-read books (especially fiction) or watch movies more than once, except for musicals which I never get tired of.

12. I don't like a lot of popular music because the lyrics are too vague or don't make sense.

13. I want to sing in a choir again. I haven't done it since high school.

14. I won't marry until I find the right man, whatever age that may be.

15. But I don't intend to marry until at least age 30.

16. I am happier with my life now than I've ever been.

17. I've been an on-again, off-again vegetarian. The longest I've lasted was about 4 months.

18. I rarely watch TV.

19. I used to love animated movies until they all turned into mediocre 3D talking animal stories (except for Pixar, of course).

20. I stopped buying licensed products (action figures, figurines, and such) because I tend to get tired of them after a few years.

21. I hated exercise until I tried Pilates. I love feeling myself get stronger with muscle-toning workouts. Still hate cardio though.

22. I have never been to China and have no strong inclination to go.

23. I read almost exclusively nonfiction books these days, whereas I used to read mostly sci-fi/fantasy fiction, and romance novels at one point.

24. Personal growth is a favorite hobby of mine. I love working on my issues.

25. I want to open a metaphysical store in the near future.

26. I have hung around the same Star Trek forum on and off for 10 years.

27. I had wanted to be a novelist during high school and college, but now I have very little desire to write fiction.

28. I often screw up my verb tenses when I talk (usually by using present and future tense when I'm supposed to use past tense). I know the rules when I write, but when I'm thinking about something I'm trying to say, it's harder to pay attention.

29. I hate looking for parking on a crowded urban street.

30. I like rain.

my intention for this blog

The reason I named my blog "Life Creation in Progress" was in part to have it be a record of my personal spiritual journey. But until now, I don't feel that I've shared a lot of that. I have in draft form a lot of opinion pieces that express as much arrogance as opinions, and when I browse my archive, I feel like there's not much there that's of substance. I've made a lot of progress in my growth than has been shown on these pages -- I've decided to change that. Things that I consider private will remain private, but since I've been working with my spiritual counselor a year ago, I've had so many insights and breakthroughs that are worth writing about.

So, I've decided that I will do that. Stay tuned.

unsustainable

the deficit
"health" care system
wars against ideas
exploitation in the name of economy
social security
selecting one person to represent a multicultural nation

i am tired

Today I feel acutely the patterns I have been holding up, and I am tired.

february already?

I have a habit of starting blog posts and not finishing them - mainly because I don't have time on weekdays, and on weekends there always seems to be something better to do. I must've started 5 different posts between December and now, some of which I don't intend to finish. January was super busy for me, and February is shaping up to look that way as well - in a good way.

On January 20th I attended a gathering of Michael students (that is, people who study the Michael Teachings). It was an amazing experience. The energy was very comfortable almost immediately, and I've never felt so at home with a group of people I met for the first time (all except one). I was not completely surprised by it, since many Michael students have past life connections with one another, not to mention a connection through Michael. But it was incredible to actually experience it, to fall in love with each person so quickly.

The last weekend of January, I went to a retreat in Sedona with my counselor/spiritual teacher whom I work with in Studio City. The retreat center was called Angel Valley, which was a gorgeous and powerful place in itself. I'll post some pictures when I get a chance.

And to top it off, this weekend I'm flying out to Seattle and will be touring that city as well as Portland. My plan is to move to Portland at the end of April, so this trip is sort of a sightseeing/scouting trip to get to know the area, since I've never been there!

quote of the day

A main "Criteria of Consciousness" for the human experience is never having all you want. For as one dream comes true, another swiftly takes its place.

Not having all you want is one of life's constants. And learning to be happy while not yet having all you want (which, as you can see, is constant), is the first "Criteria of Joy." Nail it, and for the rest of your life people will be asking what it is about you.

Desire is a beautiful thing.

The Universe

- from today's Notes from the Universe daily email

a little sparrow

A few weeks ago on Saturday, I found a sparrow caught in a glue trap that my dad had left out in the yard. We had mice, you see. He caught one mouse and was trying to get a second one, had no luck, and moved the glue trap out to the yard and left it there for whatever reason (my guess is the pack rat syndrome, as usual). At first I thought the sparrow was dead, but at second glance it was alive though not struggling. Its tail feathers had come off, and the bottom half of its body and both wings were covered in glue.

I went inside and asked my dad to get it off the trap. He did and then put the sparrow, glue and all, in an old bird's nest from some years ago that was still sitting in our yard (what did I say about pack rats?). I told him, "it can't fly if we don't wash off the glue!" And he said, "you can't wash it off. Just give it some water and feed it." And what, until it dies of shock?

I tried to see if I can wipe off the glue with a cloth and some water. No luck. I went online to look up what to do with a bird caught in a glue trap (thank God for the Internet) -- they said you can get the bird out by applying cooking oil to the glue, but other than that, you can't do much besides taking it to an animal shelter.

I had some internal resistance to this -- Chinese culture is not very animal-friendly, and my family taught me that you don't waste resources on animals and don't go out of your way to help them. My first reaction was that it was too much trouble to take it to the Humane Society, which was a 15-minute drive (and Animal Control wasn't picking up the phone on Saturdays). But I couldn't just leave it and wait for it to die, so I made a decision and found some cloth to carry the sparrow with.

I picked up the sparrow with the cloth and held it in my hand. He was this little warm body trembling in my hand, and his vulnerability made me stop in awe. I loved him at that moment and knew I was doing the right thing. As I got in the car and drove, I thought, if I can care this much for a sparrow, what about the birds and cows and pigs who die for my food? How can I eat meat again without feeling like a hypocrite?

Well, shit.